lifesitenews--2020-12-01--Catholic Answers, Word on Fire author spills the beans on why he stopped defending Pope Francis

December 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A Catholic author whose articles regularly appear at Catholic Answers and Word on Fire recently explained the moment when he realized that he could no longer defend the Francis pontificate .
Joe Heschmeyer , an instructor at the Holy Family School of Faith Institute for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas , recently told Catholic Australian author and university professor Matt Fradd that he , like so many other Catholic apologists , defended “ everything ” the Pope said in the first years of his pontificate out of a sense of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanting to give the Pope “ the benefit of the doubt.
” Francis was elected Pope in March 2013 .
Ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick that same year spoke about how Francis would “ make the Church over again ” and in two years would have “ changed the papacy.
” In 2015 , one of Pope Francis ’ top advisers , Argentinean Archbishop Victor Fernández , related that the change that the Pope is aiming to bring about is intended to be “ irreversible , ” such that the “ next pope ” will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back around.
” As Pope Francis began to reveal and enact his agenda for the Church , he began to receive more and more pushback from Catholic clergy and lay scholars from around the world who pointed out the Pope ’ s break with perennial Church teaching and previous Popes .
Heschmeyer related on Fradd ’ s Oct. 12 “ Pints with Aquinas ” show that the “ turning point ” regarding his “ knee-jerk defending of the Pope ” came in 2016 in the midst of the Zika virus crisis .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrible disease in Latin America , one of the consequences is that it can lead to birth defects where you have abnormalities in the shape of the baby 's head .
A reporter asked ( Pope Francis ) whether avoiding pregnancy might be the lesser of two evils in regards to this , ” Heschmeyer said , noting that the question as it was framed was “ really ambiguous , ” since it was unclear if the questioner meant avoiding pregnancy by means of abstinence or contraception .
“ But rather than clarify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says , ‘ Oh yeah , like , it is the lesser of two , or it could be the lesser of two evils here , because there 's a contradiction between the fifth commandment and the sixth commandment – that ‘ thou shall not kill ’ is going up against the sexual morality that 's broadly under the ‘ do n't commit adultery.
’ ” “ That was just such a bad ( answer ) , ” said Heschmeyer , pointing out that the Catholic Church has “ never said , ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or if you 're worried about a birth defect , or if you 're worried about X , Y , or Z , then contracepting is OK. ’ ” “ That totally undermines the Church 's teaching .
And , if you understand why the Church teaches why she does , then you 'll understand why those are n't good arguments against it , ” he related .
The Catholic Church teaches that using contraception is “ intrinsically evil , ” that is , using it is always and in every case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since it deliberately frustrates the life-giving potential inscribed in the sexual act by God and contradicts the giving of oneself “ totally to the other ” as demanded by the “ truth of conjugal love ” ( CCC 2370 ) .
The Church ’ s teaching against contraception as well as her defense of spouses taking advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engaging in marital acts only during those times that are infertile was expounded by Pope Paul VI in 1968 in his encyclical Humanae Vitae .
Heschmeyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defended the Pope ’ s comments by attempting to interpret them according to Church teaching were devastated when , the following day , papal spokesman Fr .
Federico Lombardi confirmed that the Holy Father was indeed speaking of “ condoms and contraceptives.
” “ So , if you were giving ( Pope Francis ) the benefit of the doubt , as I was , as many people were , with the initial comments that , well , it was just badly expressed , the papal spokesman eliminated any ambiguity in the wrong direction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The Catholic author also pointed out that the Pope ’ s notion that the commandments can contradict one another is not Catholic teaching .
“ ( The Pope ) has this whole thing where he 's imagining that the Ten Commandments can contradict each other , which is pretty specifically condemned in Veritatis Splendor , ” Heschmeyer said , adding that “ God does n't contradict God.
” “ ( God is ) never going to put you in a position where you have to choose between disobeying him or disobeying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a just and a loving God does.
” It was at this moment that Heschmeyer said he realized that there could be no “ twisting or turning of these words ” of the Pope to somehow interpret them according to Church teaching .
“ That was kind of a wake-up call for me that I need to pivot how I ’ m approaching Pope Francis , ” he said .
The author released a book in June through Catholic Answers Press titled Pope Peter : Defending the Church 's Most Distinctive Doctrine in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defends the institution of the papacy as founded by Christ in the person of Peter while addressing how Catholics should deal with the situation of “ bad ” papal leadership .
“ The Church right now is going through a period of crisis , at least in part because of bad papal and episcopal leadership .
The household of God , which is the Church of the living God , is going through the roughest patch it has seen in centuries .
Pretending otherwise is dishonest and it sets non-Catholics up for disappointment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
LifeSiteNews reached out to Heschmeyer for comment but did not receive a response before publication .
Heschmeyer also runs a blog called Shameless Popery where many of his writings on God , the Eucharist , Mary , the Church , and the Bible can be found .
In a Nov. 16 article published by Our Sunday Visitor , Heschmeyer addresses “ papal authority and infallibility ” in light of various papal scandals , including Pope Francis ’ recent endorsement of civil unions for homosexual couples .
For Heschmeyer , while the Pope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are “ difficult ( if not impossible ) to square with prior magisterial teaching of the Church , ” they in no way undermine the Church ’ s teaching on papal infallibility since such infallibility does not “ protect the pope from saying erroneous things in off-the-cuff or private remarks , or in less-formal settings such as homilies.
” “ Rather , ( infallibility ) means simply this : When the pope is speaking and acting in an authoritative manner as pope — when he canonizes someone , or declares something to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listen and obey , secure in the confidence that the Holy Spirit is protecting him ( and ultimately , us ) from error .
And ultimately it means that come what may , whatever scandal may break out tomorrow , whatever clerical reputations may be ruined , we can rest secure in the bosom of the Catholic Church , holding firmly to the union and the orthodoxy to which we are called by Christ , ” he wrote .

Joe Heschmeyer reveals the moment where he had a 'wake-up call' that he needed to 'pivot how I’m approaching Pope Francis.'
Dec. 3, 2020 update: Joe Heschmeyer has responded on his blog in a Dec. 2 post to the LifeSite report below. While he calls LifeSite’s title “misleading,” he acknowledges the “moment in 2016 in which I stopped knee-jerk defending everything that Pope Francis said, and realized that I had to take a new approach to how I was approaching the pope. In other words, I had fallen into (a), a sort of whitewashing of papal misstatements and errors, and I realized that I needed to correct that.” You can read Heschmeyer’s post here.
December 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A Catholic author whose articles regularly appear at Catholic Answers and Word on Fire recently explained the moment when he realized that he could no longer defend the Francis pontificate.
Joe Heschmeyer, an instructor at the Holy Family School of Faith Institute for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, recently told Catholic Australian author and university professor Matt Fradd that he, like so many other Catholic apologists, defended “everything” the Pope said in the first years of his pontificate out of a sense of “filial respect and obedience” and wanting to give the Pope “the benefit of the doubt.”
Francis was elected Pope in March 2013. Ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick that same year spoke about how Francis would “make the Church over again” and in two years would have “changed the papacy.” In 2015, one of Pope Francis’ top advisers, Argentinean Archbishop Victor Fernández, related that the change that the Pope is aiming to bring about is intended to be “irreversible,” such that the “next pope” will not be able to “turn everything back around.” As Pope Francis began to reveal and enact his agenda for the Church, he began to receive more and more pushback from Catholic clergy and lay scholars from around the world who pointed out the Pope’s break with perennial Church teaching and previous Popes.
Heschmeyer related on Fradd’s Oct. 12 “Pints with Aquinas” show that the “turning point” regarding his “knee-jerk defending of the Pope” came in 2016 in the midst of the Zika virus crisis.
“With Zika, it's still a terrible disease in Latin America, one of the consequences is that it can lead to birth defects where you have abnormalities in the shape of the baby's head. A reporter asked (Pope Francis) whether avoiding pregnancy might be the lesser of two evils in regards to this,” Heschmeyer said, noting that the question as it was framed was “really ambiguous,” since it was unclear if the questioner meant avoiding pregnancy by means of abstinence or contraception.
— Article continues below Petition — PETITION: Urge HHS to STOP FUNDING aborted baby vaccines Show Petition Text 29087 have signed the petition. Let's get to 30000 ! Thank you for signing this petition! Add your signature: Show Petition Text Country... State... Sign this Petition PETITION UPDATE (12/16/2020) - Operation Warp Speed—the HHS’s program to accelerate the development, manufacture, and distribution of COVID-19 therapeutics—has spent billions of our tax dollars to bring a COVID vaccine to market. Now, the FDA has granted emergency approval to roll out the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and people in the UK and the US are already receiving it. Though the Pfizer vaccine was not designed or produced using aborted fetal cells, it was tested using the HEK293 fetal cell line to create humanized mice. And, more unethical vaccines are reaching the finish line and are being funded and promoted by the HHS with our tax dollars. We must continue to demand that this stop and that a fully ethical vaccine be brought to market instead! SIGN and SHARE our petition with the Personhood Alliance to demand that the HHS stop using our money to support the grisly connection between abortion and biomedical science. _________________________________________________________________________________ Operation Warp Speed—the HHS’s program to accelerate the development, manufacture, and distribution of COVID-19 therapeutics—is spending billions of our tax dollars to bring a COVID vaccine to market as quickly as possible. Now, two of the Operation Warp Speed vaccines (one created by Pfizer/BioNTech and one created by Moderna/NIH) are nearing the finish line, soon to be applying for emergency FDA approval for mass distribution. And, while LifeSite neither advocates for or against voluntary vaccination, there are several apparent problems with the vaccines being fast-tracked by HHS’ Operation Warp Speed. First among the vaccines’ major problems: they were tested using aborted fetal cells . Please SIGN and SHARE LifeSite’s urgent petition with the Personhood Alliance to demand that the HHS stop funding and promoting this unethical practice, and bring a fully ethical vaccine to market instead. The production and testing of vaccines that use the remains of aborted children, regardless of when they were killed and at what point they were used in the process, is morally unacceptable and must be consistently opposed by the whole pro-life movement. And, although the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were not designed or produced using aborted fetal cells, the Personhood Alliance recently reported that the vaccines’ testing phases used the HEK293 aborted fetal cell line to create humanized mice. This stomach-churning practice transferred immortalized cells from a child killed in 1973 into mouse embryos, so that when the mice were born, they had tiny human lungs that researchers infected with COVID to test the vaccines. This type of Frankenscience has no place in a civilized society, certainly not one whose citizens are forced to fund it! Sign our petition with the Personhood Alliance to demand that the HHS stop supporting the grisly connection between abortion and biomedical science. We can make a difference if we raise our voices together, but we’re running out of time! Thank you for SIGNING and SHARING this urgent petition today! FOR MORE INFORMATION: See LifeSite articles on the Coronavirus vaccine **Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com Hide Petition Text Sign this Petition
“But rather than clarify that, the Pope just kind of says, ‘Oh yeah, like, it is the lesser of two, or it could be the lesser of two evils here, because there's a contradiction between the fifth commandment and the sixth commandment – that ‘thou shall not kill’ is going up against the sexual morality that's broadly under the ‘don't commit adultery.’”
“That was just such a bad (answer),” said Heschmeyer, pointing out that the Catholic Church has “never said, ‘Well, if there's a disease, or if you're worried about a birth defect, or if you're worried about X, Y, or Z, then contracepting is OK.’”
“That totally undermines the Church's teaching. And, if you understand why the Church teaches why she does, then you'll understand why those aren't good arguments against it,” he related.
The Catholic Church teaches that using contraception is “intrinsically evil,” that is, using it is always and in every case an act opposing God and his law since it deliberately frustrates the life-giving potential inscribed in the sexual act by God and contradicts the giving of oneself “totally to the other” as demanded by the “truth of conjugal love” (CCC 2370). The Church’s teaching against contraception as well as her defense of spouses taking advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engaging in marital acts only during those times that are infertile was expounded by Pope Paul VI in 1968 in his encyclical Humanae Vitae.
Heschmeyer went on to say that those who defended the Pope’s comments by attempting to interpret them according to Church teaching were devastated when, the following day, papal spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi confirmed that the Holy Father was indeed speaking of “condoms and contraceptives.”
“So, if you were giving (Pope Francis) the benefit of the doubt, as I was, as many people were, with the initial comments that, well, it was just badly expressed, the papal spokesman eliminated any ambiguity in the wrong direction, so to speak,” he said.
The Catholic author also pointed out that the Pope’s notion that the commandments can contradict one another is not Catholic teaching.
“(The Pope) has this whole thing where he's imagining that the Ten Commandments can contradict each other, which is pretty specifically condemned in Veritatis Splendor,” Heschmeyer said, adding that “God doesn't contradict God.”
“(God is) never going to put you in a position where you have to choose between disobeying him or disobeying him, because that's not what a just and a loving God does.”
It was at this moment that Heschmeyer said he realized that there could be no “twisting or turning of these words” of the Pope to somehow interpret them according to Church teaching.
“That was kind of a wake-up call for me that I need to pivot how I’m approaching Pope Francis,” he said.
The author released a book in June through Catholic Answers Press titled Pope Peter: Defending the Church's Most Distinctive Doctrine in a Time of Crisis in which he defends the institution of the papacy as founded by Christ in the person of Peter while addressing how Catholics should deal with the situation of “bad” papal leadership.
“The Church right now is going through a period of crisis, at least in part because of bad papal and episcopal leadership. The household of God, which is the Church of the living God, is going through the roughest patch it has seen in centuries. Pretending otherwise is dishonest and it sets non-Catholics up for disappointment,” Heschmeyer wrote in his book.
LifeSiteNews reached out to Heschmeyer for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Heschmeyer also runs a blog called Shameless Popery where many of his writings on God, the Eucharist, Mary, the Church, and the Bible can be found. In a Nov. 16 article published by Our Sunday Visitor, Heschmeyer addresses “papal authority and infallibility” in light of various papal scandals, including Pope Francis’ recent endorsement of civil unions for homosexual couples.
For Heschmeyer, while the Pope’s words on homosexual civil unions are “difficult (if not impossible) to square with prior magisterial teaching of the Church,” they in no way undermine the Church’s teaching on papal infallibility since such infallibility does not “protect the pope from saying erroneous things in off-the-cuff or private remarks, or in less-formal settings such as homilies.”
“Rather, (infallibility) means simply this: When the pope is speaking and acting in an authoritative manner as pope — when he canonizes someone, or declares something to be a part of the Faith — we listen and obey, secure in the confidence that the Holy Spirit is protecting him (and ultimately, us) from error. And ultimately it means that come what may, whatever scandal may break out tomorrow, whatever clerical reputations may be ruined, we can rest secure in the bosom of the Catholic Church, holding firmly to the union and the orthodoxy to which we are called by Christ,” he wrote.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-12-01--Johns Hopkins University censors lecturer, responds with critique ignoring CDC data

December 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Johns Hopkins University ’ s censure of a critical analysis of U.S. COVID-19 death statistics by one of its own senior lecturers , which it deleted from its website , has huge gaping holes , leaving key points of the analysis unrefuted .
Johns Hopkins University ( JHU ) , the renowned school in Baltimore , took aim at their own Dr. Genevieve Briand , assistant director for MS in their Applied Economics program who examined death stats in the United States for 2020 and previous years , and pointed to evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s generally portrayed .
An article by Yanni Gu that relayed key points of her analysis was deleted by JHU for “ being used to support false and dangerous inaccuracies about the impact of the pandemic , ” as the JHU Newsletter stated on Twitter .
The newsletter replaced the article , which can be found on the Internet Archive , with an Editor ’ s Note that attempted to refute what it described as “ dangerous inaccuracies.
” The note claimed that Briand “ trivializes the repercussions of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percentage of total U.S. deaths .
“ This evidence does not disprove the severity of COVID-19 ; an increase in excess deaths is not represented in these proportionalities because they are offered as percentages , not raw numbers , ” the note continued .
In her presentation , however , Briand ’ s key point was to spotlight remarkable statistics from the three weeks of April 2020 with the year ’ s highest number of COVID-19 deaths , showing that the rise in COVID-19 deaths almost exactly mirrored the decrease in other leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this corresponding decrease in non-COVID death numbers appears to signify that deaths actually caused by non-COVID diseases were instead labeled as caused by COVID-19 .
“ The COVID-19 death toll is misleading … deaths due to heart diseases , respiratory diseases , influenza and pneumonia may instead be recategorized as being due to COVID-19 , ” said Briand .
JHU attempted to address this point , saying , “ However , COVID-19 disproportionately affects those with preexisting conditions , so those with those underlying conditions are statistically more likely to be severely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Their comment did not address the possibility that people with these pre-existing conditions may have either died from other causes that coexisted with COVID-19 , or that another illness was mistaken for COVID-19 , such as the flu .
In fact , the CDC ’ s own data on COVID-19 deaths dismantles JHU ’ s claim .
The CDC data , strikingly , refuses to single out COVID-19 as a sole cause of death for any 2020 death tally .
Instead , it bundles COVID-19 with the flu and/or pneumonia , leaving the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ M. Briggs , a former statistician and professor at Cornell University with a PhD in Mathematical Statistics , noted , “ In early summer CDC stopped separate counts of flu + pneumonia because , we suppose , of the difficulty telling these deaths from doom deaths.
” Yanni Gu , in her summary of Briand ’ s analysis , made this critical point : “ The CDC classified all deaths that are related to COVID-19 simply as COVID-19 deaths .
Even patients dying from other underlying diseases but are infected with COVID-19 count @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the main explanation as to why COVID-19 deaths drastically increased while deaths by all other diseases experienced a significant decrease.
” Another possible explanation for the corresponding decrease in deaths by non-COVID illnesses is that COVID-19 patients may have displaced patients of other diseases in the hospital .
In the case of recorded decreases in deaths by diseases such as heart disease and cancer during the peak death period of 2020 , it is at least plausible , if not likely , that individuals who would ordinarily die of these diseases at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death recorded , instead died at home .
This is evidenced by a reported spike in at-home non-COVID deaths , as well as by marked decreases in diagnoses , referrals , and treatment for diseases other than COVID-19 .
The JHU Editor ’ s Note also called out Briand ’ s statement , quoted by Gu in her article , that all of this “ points to no evidence that COVID-19 created any excess deaths .
Total death numbers are not above normal death numbers.
” JHU countered , “ This claim is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spike in raw death count from all causes compared to previous years .
According to the CDC , there have been almost 300,000 excess deaths due to COVID-19.
” Briand , in her presentation , actually does acknowledge a spike of death numbers during 2020 that is higher than spikes in the previous years she highlighted .
In this sense , her claims appear to be contradictory .
The explanation is that Briand makes this statement in the context of other measures of data .
At the end of her presentation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of deaths per week in the U.S. revealed by the data , 60,000 , is normal , and that deaths by leading non-COVID diseases were shown to decrease during the peak death weeks of 2020 .
So while the data does show a spike of “ excess ” deaths in 2020 , Briand ’ s claim that these particular measures do not point to evidence that COVID-19 created excess deaths appears to be entirely valid , and supported by statistics of the CDC itself .
Commenting on the deletion of Briand ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drive home the absurdity of JHU ’ s censorship , and their desire to maintain a robust fear of COVID-19 .
“ Ninety percent of the population is racing in every direction like extras in a Toho Godzilla movie , only in masks .
Johns Hopkins thinks this level of abject irrational terror is just about right .
Besides , everybody knows science means only ( having ) one unchangeable opinion on every matter.
” He noted the difficulty in drawing a definitive conclusion about the death statistics , but admitted the possibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ All this is very tricky , ” said Briggs .
It is doubtful whether JHU succeeded suppressing its own senior lecturer ’ s research , as the deletion of the article has only drawn more media attention to it , boosting the publicity of the article .
“ If it weren ’ t for the censorship , I wouldn ’ t have got the dozens and dozens of requests to look at it , ” he noted .
Now everybody is sure Johns Hopkins is hiding something .
Hilarious .
”

‘Now everybody is sure Johns Hopkins is hiding something,’ commented former statistician William M. Briggs.
December 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Johns Hopkins University’s censure of a critical analysis of U.S. COVID-19 death statistics by one of its own senior lecturers, which it deleted from its website, has huge gaping holes, leaving key points of the analysis unrefuted.
Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the renowned school in Baltimore, took aim at their own Dr. Genevieve Briand, assistant director for MS in their Applied Economics program who examined death stats in the United States for 2020 and previous years, and pointed to evidence that COVID-19 is not as dangerous as it’s generally portrayed.
An article by Yanni Gu that relayed key points of her analysis was deleted by JHU for “being used to support false and dangerous inaccuracies about the impact of the pandemic,” as the JHU Newsletter stated on Twitter.
The newsletter replaced the article, which can be found on the Internet Archive, with an Editor’s Note that attempted to refute what it described as “dangerous inaccuracies.”
The note claimed that Briand “trivializes the repercussions of the pandemic” by presenting COVID-19 deaths as a percentage of total U.S. deaths.
“This evidence does not disprove the severity of COVID-19; an increase in excess deaths is not represented in these proportionalities because they are offered as percentages, not raw numbers,” the note continued.
In her presentation, however, Briand’s key point was to spotlight remarkable statistics from the three weeks of April 2020 with the year’s highest number of COVID-19 deaths, showing that the rise in COVID-19 deaths almost exactly mirrored the decrease in other leading causes of deaths.
Briand pointed out that this corresponding decrease in non-COVID death numbers appears to signify that deaths actually caused by non-COVID diseases were instead labeled as caused by COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 death toll is misleading … deaths due to heart diseases, respiratory diseases, influenza and pneumonia may instead be recategorized as being due to COVID-19,” said Briand.
JHU attempted to address this point, saying, “However, COVID-19 disproportionately affects those with preexisting conditions, so those with those underlying conditions are statistically more likely to be severely affected and die from the virus.”
Their comment did not address the possibility that people with these pre-existing conditions may have either died from other causes that coexisted with COVID-19, or that another illness was mistaken for COVID-19, such as the flu.
In fact, the CDC’s own data on COVID-19 deaths dismantles JHU’s claim. The CDC data, strikingly, refuses to single out COVID-19 as a sole cause of death for any 2020 death tally. Instead, it bundles COVID-19 with the flu and/or pneumonia, leaving the actual cause of death undetermined.
William M. Briggs, a former statistician and professor at Cornell University with a PhD in Mathematical Statistics, noted, “In early summer CDC stopped separate counts of flu + pneumonia because, we suppose, of the difficulty telling these deaths from doom deaths.”
Yanni Gu, in her summary of Briand’s analysis, made this critical point: “The CDC classified all deaths that are related to COVID-19 simply as COVID-19 deaths. Even patients dying from other underlying diseases but are infected with COVID-19 count as COVID-19 deaths. This is likely the main explanation as to why COVID-19 deaths drastically increased while deaths by all other diseases experienced a significant decrease.”
Another possible explanation for the corresponding decrease in deaths by non-COVID illnesses is that COVID-19 patients may have displaced patients of other diseases in the hospital.
In the case of recorded decreases in deaths by diseases such as heart disease and cancer during the peak death period of 2020, it is at least plausible, if not likely, that individuals who would ordinarily die of these diseases at a hospital and therefore have their cause of death recorded, instead died at home. This is evidenced by a reported spike in at-home non-COVID deaths, as well as by marked decreases in diagnoses, referrals, and treatment for diseases other than COVID-19.
The JHU Editor’s Note also called out Briand’s statement, quoted by Gu in her article, that all of this “points to no evidence that COVID-19 created any excess deaths. Total death numbers are not above normal death numbers.”
JHU countered, “This claim is incorrect and does not take into account the spike in raw death count from all causes compared to previous years. According to the CDC, there have been almost 300,000 excess deaths due to COVID-19.”
Briand, in her presentation, actually does acknowledge a spike of death numbers during 2020 that is higher than spikes in the previous years she highlighted. In this sense, her claims appear to be contradictory.
The explanation is that Briand makes this statement in the context of other measures of data. At the end of her presentation, she highlighted the points that the average number of deaths per week in the U.S. revealed by the data, 60,000, is normal, and that deaths by leading non-COVID diseases were shown to decrease during the peak death weeks of 2020.
— Article continues below Petition — PETITION: No to government and corporate penalties for refusing COVID-19 vaccine Show Petition Text 103183 have signed the petition. Let's get to 125000 ! Thank you for signing this petition! Add your signature: Show Petition Text Country... State... Sign this Petition **Photo credit: Shutterstock.com Mainstream media sources are promoting offensive suggestions by some doctors that people who refuse a vaccine for COVID-19 should be "punished" by the government and by business - effectively coercing them into taking the vaccine. One group of doctors writing in 'USA Today' suggested that the government impose special taxes (i.e., fines) on people who refuse the vaccination and that business simply refuse to serve them. [see story below]
Another doctor writing in an online publication called 'The Conversation' shamelessly suggested that people who refuse a vaccine should be given a psychoactive drug to induce compliance. [see story below] But, these suggestions are plain political posturing, and have nothing to do with science or with the recent trends of the disease. And, in case they haven't noticed, we live in a democracy not a medical dictatorship! Please SIGN this urgent petition which asks policy-makers and business people, at all levels, to pledge to respect the rights of those who, in good conscience, decide not to vaccinate themselves or their children. People should not have to live in fear of governmental or corporate retribution for refusing a vaccine which is being rushed to market by Big Pharma and their fellow-travelers in NGOs, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It would be intolerable and immoral for the government or business to coerce someone, and their family, to take a COVID vaccine against their will to avoid a fine, or just so they can do their weekly grocery shopping. Medical freedom must be respected in principle and also in practice. So, it is now time that our policy-makers listen to all voices involved in this vital conversation, and start to represent those who will not tolerate being punished for refusing a vaccine. Simply put, legislatures must begin to act as legislatures again. Questions must be asked. Hearings and investigations must be held. And, the legislatures of each state and country must return to the business of representing the people who voted for them, assuming their rightful place as the originator of legislation. We can no longer accept the dictates of executive branches without question, especially now that, statistically speaking, the initial brunt of the COVID crisis has passed. Neither can we accept the dictates of doctors who seem detached from reality and from science, and who only seem to be attached to the idea of promoting ideas which contribute to the agrandizement of power and control of political interests, and wealth of those who stand to make a lot of money from the sale of a COVID vaccine. Please SIGN this urgent petition which asks government and business leaders to pledge to respect the rights of those who refuse a COVID vaccine, and not seek to punish them for doing so. FOR MORE INFORMATION: 'Doctors lay out plan to ‘punish’ people who refuse coronavirus vaccine: ‘There is no alternative’' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/doctors-lay-out-plan-to-punish-people-who-refuse-coronavirus-vaccine-there-is-no-alternative 'US professor: ‘Psychoactive pill’ should be covertly administered to ensure lockdown compliance' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-professor-ensure-lockdown-compliance-by-drugging-dissenters-with-psychoactive-pill Hide Petition Text Sign this Petition
So while the data does show a spike of “excess” deaths in 2020, Briand’s claim that these particular measures do not point to evidence that COVID-19 created excess deaths appears to be entirely valid, and supported by statistics of the CDC itself.
Commenting on the deletion of Briand’s analysis, Briggs used hyperbole to drive home the absurdity of JHU’s censorship, and their desire to maintain a robust fear of COVID-19.
“Ninety percent of the population is racing in every direction like extras in a Toho Godzilla movie, only in masks. Johns Hopkins thinks this level of abject irrational terror is just about right. Besides, everybody knows science means only (having) one unchangeable opinion on every matter.”
He noted the difficulty in drawing a definitive conclusion about the death statistics, but admitted the possibility that deaths can be misattributed to COVID-19. “All this is very tricky,” said Briggs.
It is doubtful whether JHU succeeded suppressing its own senior lecturer’s research, as the deletion of the article has only drawn more media attention to it, boosting the publicity of the article.
“If it weren’t for the censorship, I wouldn’t have got the dozens and dozens of requests to look at it,” he noted. Now everybody is sure Johns Hopkins is hiding something. Hilarious.”
Share


lifesitenews--2020-12-01--Archbishop Viganò on the importance of good literature for the restoration of Christianity

December 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has recently written a preface for a book , Gratitude , Contemplation , and the Sacramental Worth of Catholic Literature , a collection of essays written by my husband Dr. Robert Hickson over the course of several decades .
Being a distillation of his life work , this new book aims at presenting to the readers a whole set of inspiring books – most of them Catholic – that can help us restore a Catholic memory .
That is to say , these books can help us revive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us from time periods and regions where the Catholic faith was an integral part of the state and society , from a lived faith .
We are very grateful to Archbishop Viganò for his preface , which highlights the importance of culture – and importantly , literature – for the revival of Christianity , and therefore we decided to publish it here ( see full text below ) .
His comments aim at turning our minds to the future , preparing the ground for a time where Christ again will reign in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preface is therefore a sort of manifesto of faith and hope , and a wonderful instruction for us on how to go about preparing the ground for Christ .
The Italian prelate and courageous defender of the faith points to the importance of having a memory of our Catholic culture .
“ Memory , ” he writes , “ is a fundamental element of a people ’ s identity , civilization and culture : a society without memory , whose patrimony consists solely of a present without a past , is condemned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this loss of collective memory affects not only Christian nations but also seriously afflicts the Catholic Church herself and , consequently , Catholics.
” The lack of culture among Catholics today , he adds , is “ not the result of chance , but of systematic work on the part of those who , as enemies of the True , Good and Beautiful , must erase any ray of these divine attributes from even the most marginal aspects of social life , from our idioms , from memories of our childhood and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Describing this cultural tabula rasa that has taken place among Catholics , Archbishop Viganò goes on to say that “ Reading the pages of Dante , Manzoni or one of the great Christian writers of the past , many Catholics can no longer grasp the moral and transcendent sense of a culture that is no longer their common heritage , a jealously guarded legacy , the deep root of a robust plant full of fruit.
” On the contrary , he explains , “ in its place we have a bundle of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Revolution , the dusty Masonic ideological repertoire , and the iconography of a supposed freedom won by the guillotine , along with the persecution of the Church , the martyrdom of Catholics in Mexico and Spain , the end of the tyranny of Kings and Popes and the triumph of bankers and usurers.
” Archbishop Viganò clearly shows us that he understands the concept of a “ cultural revolution ” as developed by the Communist philosopher Antonio Gramsci , who aimed at winning the minds of the people by influencing and dominating their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it spiritual – empoverishment among Catholics , according to the prelate , “ has found significant encouragement also among those who , within the Catholic Church , have erased 2,000 years of the inestimable patrimony of faith , spirituality and art , beginning with a wretched sense of inferiority instilled in the faithful even by the hierarchy since Vatican II.
” It was the very hierarchy of the Church – together with many simpler clergymen – who helped promote such a devastation of the art within the realm of the Catholic Church .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ churches , altars , and of modern church music !
With powerful words , Archbishop Viganò describes how this destruction is ultimately aimed at God Himself : “ Certainly , behind this induced amnesia , there is a Trinitarian heresy .
And where the Deceiver lurks , the eternal Truth of God must be obscured in order to make room for the lie , the betrayal of reality , the denial of the past.
” In light of this analysis , it nearly seems to be a counter-revolutionary act to revive Catholic literature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Explains the prelate : “ Rediscovering memory , even in literature , is a meritorious and necessary work for the restoration of Christianity , a restoration that is needed today more than ever if we want to entrust to our children a legacy to be preserved and handed down as a tangible sign of God ’ s intervention in the history of the human race.
” It is in this context that he kindly mentions the “ meritorious work ” of this new book , praising its “ noble purpose of restoring Catholic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ancient splendor , that is , the substance of a harmonious and organic past that has grown and still lives today.
” He adds that “ Robert Hickson rightly shows us , in the restoration of memory , the way to rediscover the shared faith that shapes the traits of a shared Catholic culture.
” Dr. Hickson 's new book was published last month and contains 25 essays on many different Catholic authors , such as Hilaire Belloc , G.K. Chesterton , Maurice Baring , Evelyn Waugh , Josef Pieper , George Bernanos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , S.J.
, L. Brent Bozell Jr. , and , last but not least , the Orthodox Christian authors Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn .
The themes of this book are war and peace , justice , the Catholic vow , saints , friendship , chivalry , martyrdom and sacrifice , just to name a few .
The essays of the book were written from 1982 until 2017 , the first being an essay where Hickson developed the concept of “ sacramental literature ” and the importance of “ restoring a Catholic memory.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the famous Catholic convert and traditionalist , Hamish Fraser , kindly had edited the essays for his friend , before he so suddenly died on August 28 , 2014 , the Feast of St. Augustine of Hippo .
May his soul rest in peace .
We thank you , Tony !
Here is the full preface written by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò : Memory is a fundamental element of a people ’ s identity , civilization and culture : a society without memory , whose patrimony consists solely of a present without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no future .
It is alarming that this loss of collective memory affects not only Christian nations , but also seriously afflicts the Catholic Church herself and , consequently , Catholics .
This amnesia affects all social classes and is not the result of chance , but of systematic work on the part of those who , as enemies of the True , Good and Beautiful , must erase any ray of these divine attributes from even the most marginal aspects of social life , from our idioms , from memories of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grandparents .
The Orwellian action of artificially remodeling the past has become commonplace in the contemporary world , to the point that a class of high school students are unable to recognize an altarpiece depicting a scene from the life of Christ or a bas-relief with one of the most revered saints of the past .
Dr. Robert Hickson calls this inability “ deficiency of dogmatic understanding ” , “ Catholic illiteracy of pestilential proportions ” .
Tabula rasa : millions of souls who only twenty or thirty years ago would have immediately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Jordan or Saint Jerome or Saint Mary Magdalene are capable of seeing only two men along a river , an old man with a lion and a woman with a vase .
Reading the pages of Dante , Manzoni or one of the great Christian writers of the past , many Catholics can no longer grasp the moral and transcendent sense of a culture that is no longer their common heritage , a jealously guarded legacy , the deep root of a robust plant full of fruit .
In its place we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the myths of the Revolution , the dusty Masonic ideological repertoire , and the iconography of a supposed freedom won by the guillotine , along with the persecution of the Church , the martyrdom of Catholics in Mexico and Spain , the end of the tyranny of Kings and Popes and the triumph of bankers and usurers .
A lineage of kings , saints , and heroes is ignored by its heirs , who stoop to boasting about their ancestors who were criminals , usurpers , and seditious traitors : never has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perversion , and it is evident that the desire to artificially create such ancestry is the necessary premise for the barbarization of the offspring , which is now practically accomplished .
We must also recognize that this removal has found significant encouragement also among those who , within the Catholic Church , have erased two thousand years of the inestimable patrimony of faith , spirituality and art , beginning with a wretched sense of inferiority instilled in the faithful even by the Hierarchy since Vatican II .
The ancient apostolic liturgy , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , frescoes , paintings , sculptures , chiseled vases , illuminated chorales , embroidered vestments , plainchants and polyphony have been shaped , has been proscribed .
In its place we now have a squalid rite without roots , born from the pen of conspirators dipped in the inkwell of Protestantism ; music that is no longer sacred but profane ; tasteless liturgical vestments and sacred vessels made of common material .
And as a grey counterpoint to the hymns of St. Ambrose and St. Thomas , we now have poor paraphrases without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and disturbing sculptures .
The removal of the admirable writings of the Fathers of the Church , the works of the mystics , the erudite dissertations of theologians and philosophers and , in the final analysis , of Sacred Scripture itself – whose divine inspiration is sometimes denied , sacrilegiously affirming that it is merely of human origin – have all constituted necessary steps of being able to boast of the credit of worldly novelties , which before those monuments of human ingenuity enlightened by Grace appear as miserable forgeries .
This absence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an absence of holiness , for where the Lord of all things is forgotten and banished , not even the appearance of Beauty survives .
It is not only Beauty that has been banished : Catholic Truth has been banished along with it , in all its crystalline splendor , in all its dazzling consistency , in all its irrepressible capacity to permeate every sphere of civilized living .
Because the Truth is eternal , immutable and divisive : it existed yesterday , it exists today and it will exist tomorrow , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Word of God .
Certainly , behind this induced amnesia , there is a Trinitarian heresy .
And where the Deceiver lurks , the eternal Truth of God must be obscured in order to make room for the lie , the betrayal of reality , the denial of the past .
In a forgery that is truly criminal forgery , even the very custodians of the depositum fidei ask forgiveness from the world for sins never committed by our fathers – in the name of God , Religion or the Fatherland – supporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carried out by the enemies of God .
And this betrays not only the ignorance of History which is already culpable , but also culpable bad faith and the malicious will to deceive the simple ones .
Rediscovering memory , even in literature , is a meritorious and necessary work for the restoration of Christianity , a restoration that is needed today more than ever if we want to entrust to our children a legacy to be preserved and handed down as a tangible sign of God ’ s intervention in the history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Providence has accomplished over the centuries – and that art has immortalized by depicting miracles , the victories of the Christians over the Turk , sovereigns kneeling at the feet of the Virgin , patron saints of famous universities and prosperous corporations – can be renewed today and especially tomorrow , only if we can rediscover our past and understand it in the light of the mystery of the Redemption .
This book proposes the noble purpose of restoring Catholic memory , bringing it back to its ancient splendor , that is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past that has grown and still lives today , just as the hereditary traits of a child are found developed in the adult man , or as the vital principle of the seed is found in the sap of the tree and in the pulp of the fruit .
Robert Hickson rightly shows us , in the restoration of memory , the way to rediscover the shared faith that shapes the traits of a shared Catholic culture .
In this sense it is significant – I would say extremely appropriate , even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ included Christian literature among the Sacramentals , applying to it the same as action as that of blessed water , the glow of the candles , the ringing of bells , the liturgical chant : the invocation of the Virgin in the thirty-third canto of Dante ’ s Paradiso , the dialogue of Cardinal Borromeo with the Innominato , and a passage by Chesterton all make Catholic truths present in our minds and , in some way , they realize what they mean and can influence the spiritual life , expanding and completing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God ’ s unfathomable mercy we are touched in our souls , moved to tears , inspired by Good , spurred to conversion .
But this is also what happens when we contemplate an altarpiece or listen to a composition of sacred music , in which a ray of divine perfection bursts into the greyness of everyday life and shows us the splendor of the Kingdom that awaits us .
The author writes : “ We are called to the commitment to recover the life and full memory of the Body of Christ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not do much to rebuild that Body ” .
But the Lord does not ask us to perform miracles : He invites us to make them possible , to create the conditions in our souls and in our social bodies so that the wonders of divine omnipotence may be manifested .
To open ourselves to the past , to the memory of God 's great actions in history , is an essential condition for making it possible for us to become aware of our identity and our destiny today so that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
28 August 2020 Saint Augustine Bishop , Confessor , and Doctor of the Church

'Memory is a fundamental element of a people’s identity, civilization and culture: a society without memory, whose patrimony consists solely of a present without a past, is condemned to have no future. It is alarming that this loss of collective memory affects not only Christian nations, but also seriously afflicts the Catholic Church herself and, consequently, Catholics.'
December 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has recently written a preface for a book, Gratitude, Contemplation, and the Sacramental Worth of Catholic Literature, a collection of essays written by my husband Dr. Robert Hickson over the course of several decades. Being a distillation of his life work, this new book aims at presenting to the readers a whole set of inspiring books – most of them Catholic – that can help us restore a Catholic memory. That is to say, these books can help us revive a sense of Catholicity that comes to us from time periods and regions where the Catholic faith was an integral part of the state and society, from a lived faith.
We are very grateful to Archbishop Viganò for his preface, which highlights the importance of culture – and importantly, literature – for the revival of Christianity, and therefore we decided to publish it here (see full text below). His comments aim at turning our minds to the future, preparing the ground for a time where Christ again will reign in the heart and minds of man. His preface is therefore a sort of manifesto of faith and hope, and a wonderful instruction for us on how to go about preparing the ground for Christ.
The Italian prelate and courageous defender of the faith points to the importance of having a memory of our Catholic culture. “Memory,” he writes, “is a fundamental element of a people’s identity, civilization and culture: a society without memory, whose patrimony consists solely of a present without a past, is condemned to have no future. It is alarming that this loss of collective memory affects not only Christian nations but also seriously afflicts the Catholic Church herself and, consequently, Catholics.” The lack of culture among Catholics today, he adds, is “not the result of chance, but of systematic work on the part of those who, as enemies of the True, Good and Beautiful, must erase any ray of these divine attributes from even the most marginal aspects of social life, from our idioms, from memories of our childhood and from the stories of our grandparents.”
Describing this cultural tabula rasa that has taken place among Catholics, Archbishop Viganò goes on to say that “Reading the pages of Dante, Manzoni or one of the great Christian writers of the past, many Catholics can no longer grasp the moral and transcendent sense of a culture that is no longer their common heritage, a jealously guarded legacy, the deep root of a robust plant full of fruit.”
On the contrary, he explains, “in its place we have a bundle of the confused rubbish of the myths of the Revolution, the dusty Masonic ideological repertoire, and the iconography of a supposed freedom won by the guillotine, along with the persecution of the Church, the martyrdom of Catholics in Mexico and Spain, the end of the tyranny of Kings and Popes and the triumph of bankers and usurers.”
Archbishop Viganò clearly shows us that he understands the concept of a “cultural revolution” as developed by the Communist philosopher Antonio Gramsci, who aimed at winning the minds of the people by influencing and dominating their culture.
This cultural – and with it spiritual – empoverishment among Catholics, according to the prelate, “has found significant encouragement also among those who, within the Catholic Church, have erased 2,000 years of the inestimable patrimony of faith, spirituality and art, beginning with a wretched sense of inferiority instilled in the faithful even by the hierarchy since Vatican II.” It was the very hierarchy of the Church – together with many simpler clergymen – who helped promote such a devastation of the art within the realm of the Catholic Church. Let us only think of the modern churches, altars, and of modern church music!
With powerful words, Archbishop Viganò describes how this destruction is ultimately aimed at God Himself: “Certainly, behind this induced amnesia, there is a Trinitarian heresy. And where the Deceiver lurks, the eternal Truth of God must be obscured in order to make room for the lie, the betrayal of reality, the denial of the past.” In light of this analysis, it nearly seems to be a counter-revolutionary act to revive Catholic literature, Catholic music, Catholic architecture.
Explains the prelate: “Rediscovering memory, even in literature, is a meritorious and necessary work for the restoration of Christianity, a restoration that is needed today more than ever if we want to entrust to our children a legacy to be preserved and handed down as a tangible sign of God’s intervention in the history of the human race.”
It is in this context that he kindly mentions the “meritorious work” of this new book, praising its “noble purpose of restoring Catholic memory, bringing it back to its ancient splendor, that is, the substance of a harmonious and organic past that has grown and still lives today.” He adds that “Robert Hickson rightly shows us, in the restoration of memory, the way to rediscover the shared faith that shapes the traits of a shared Catholic culture.”
Dr. Hickson's new book was published last month and contains 25 essays on many different Catholic authors, such as Hilaire Belloc, G.K. Chesterton, Maurice Baring, Evelyn Waugh, Josef Pieper, George Bernanos, Ernest Psichari, Father John Hardon, S.J., L. Brent Bozell Jr., and, last but not least, the Orthodox Christian authors Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The themes of this book are war and peace, justice, the Catholic vow, saints, friendship, chivalry, martyrdom and sacrifice, just to name a few. The essays of the book were written from 1982 until 2017, the first being an essay where Hickson developed the concept of “sacramental literature” and the importance of “restoring a Catholic memory.” Anthony S. Fraser, the son of the famous Catholic convert and traditionalist, Hamish Fraser, kindly had edited the essays for his friend, before he so suddenly died on August 28, 2014, the Feast of St. Augustine of Hippo. May his soul rest in peace. We thank you, Tony!
Here is the full preface written by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò:
Memory is a fundamental element of a people’s identity, civilization and culture: a society without memory, whose patrimony consists solely of a present without a past, is condemned to have no future. It is alarming that this loss of collective memory affects not only Christian nations, but also seriously afflicts the Catholic Church herself and, consequently, Catholics.
This amnesia affects all social classes and is not the result of chance, but of systematic work on the part of those who, as enemies of the True, Good and Beautiful, must erase any ray of these divine attributes from even the most marginal aspects of social life, from our idioms, from memories of our childhood and from the stories of our grandparents. The Orwellian action of artificially remodeling the past has become commonplace in the contemporary world, to the point that a class of high school students are unable to recognize an altarpiece depicting a scene from the life of Christ or a bas-relief with one of the most revered saints of the past. Dr. Robert Hickson calls this inability “deficiency of dogmatic understanding”, “Catholic illiteracy of pestilential proportions”.
Tabula rasa: millions of souls who only twenty or thirty years ago would have immediately identified the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan or Saint Jerome or Saint Mary Magdalene are capable of seeing only two men along a river, an old man with a lion and a woman with a vase. Reading the pages of Dante, Manzoni or one of the great Christian writers of the past, many Catholics can no longer grasp the moral and transcendent sense of a culture that is no longer their common heritage, a jealously guarded legacy, the deep root of a robust plant full of fruit.
In its place we have a bundle of the confused rubbish of the myths of the Revolution, the dusty Masonic ideological repertoire, and the iconography of a supposed freedom won by the guillotine, along with the persecution of the Church, the martyrdom of Catholics in Mexico and Spain, the end of the tyranny of Kings and Popes and the triumph of bankers and usurers. A lineage of kings, saints, and heroes is ignored by its heirs, who stoop to boasting about their ancestors who were criminals, usurpers, and seditious traitors: never has falsification reached the point of such incomprehensible perversion, and it is evident that the desire to artificially create such ancestry is the necessary premise for the barbarization of the offspring, which is now practically accomplished.
We must also recognize that this removal has found significant encouragement also among those who, within the Catholic Church, have erased two thousand years of the inestimable patrimony of faith, spirituality and art, beginning with a wretched sense of inferiority instilled in the faithful even by the Hierarchy since Vatican II. The ancient apostolic liturgy, on which centuries of poetic compositions, mosaics, frescoes, paintings, sculptures, chiseled vases, illuminated chorales, embroidered vestments, plainchants and polyphony have been shaped, has been proscribed. In its place we now have a squalid rite without roots, born from the pen of conspirators dipped in the inkwell of Protestantism; music that is no longer sacred but profane; tasteless liturgical vestments and sacred vessels made of common material. And as a grey counterpoint to the hymns of St. Ambrose and St. Thomas, we now have poor paraphrases without metrics and without soul, grotesque paintings and disturbing sculptures. The removal of the admirable writings of the Fathers of the Church, the works of the mystics, the erudite dissertations of theologians and philosophers and, in the final analysis, of Sacred Scripture itself – whose divine inspiration is sometimes denied, sacrilegiously affirming that it is merely of human origin – have all constituted necessary steps of being able to boast of the credit of worldly novelties, which before those monuments of human ingenuity enlightened by Grace appear as miserable forgeries.
This absence of beauty is the necessary counterpart to an absence of holiness, for where the Lord of all things is forgotten and banished, not even the appearance of Beauty survives. It is not only Beauty that has been banished: Catholic Truth has been banished along with it, in all its crystalline splendor, in all its dazzling consistency, in all its irrepressible capacity to permeate every sphere of civilized living. Because the Truth is eternal, immutable and divisive: it existed yesterday, it exists today and it will exist tomorrow, as eternal and immutable and divisive as the Word of God.
Certainly, behind this induced amnesia, there is a Trinitarian heresy. And where the Deceiver lurks, the eternal Truth of God must be obscured in order to make room for the lie, the betrayal of reality, the denial of the past. In a forgery that is truly criminal forgery, even the very custodians of the depositum fidei ask forgiveness from the world for sins never committed by our fathers – in the name of God, Religion or the Fatherland – supporting the widest and most articulated historical forgery carried out by the enemies of God. And this betrays not only the ignorance of History which is already culpable, but also culpable bad faith and the malicious will to deceive the simple ones.
Rediscovering memory, even in literature, is a meritorious and necessary work for the restoration of Christianity, a restoration that is needed today more than ever if we want to entrust to our children a legacy to be preserved and handed down as a tangible sign of God’s intervention in the history of the human race: how much Providence has accomplished over the centuries – and that art has immortalized by depicting miracles, the victories of the Christians over the Turk, sovereigns kneeling at the feet of the Virgin, patron saints of famous universities and prosperous corporations – can be renewed today and especially tomorrow, only if we can rediscover our past and understand it in the light of the mystery of the Redemption.
This book proposes the noble purpose of restoring Catholic memory, bringing it back to its ancient splendor, that is, the substance of a harmonious and organic past that has grown and still lives today, just as the hereditary traits of a child are found developed in the adult man, or as the vital principle of the seed is found in the sap of the tree and in the pulp of the fruit. Robert Hickson rightly shows us, in the restoration of memory, the way to rediscover the shared faith that shapes the traits of a shared Catholic culture.
In this sense it is significant – I would say extremely appropriate, even if only by analogy – to have also included Christian literature among the Sacramentals, applying to it the same as action as that of blessed water, the glow of the candles, the ringing of bells, the liturgical chant: the invocation of the Virgin in the thirty-third canto of Dante’s Paradiso, the dialogue of Cardinal Borromeo with the Innominato, and a passage by Chesterton all make Catholic truths present in our minds and, in some way, they realize what they mean and can influence the spiritual life, expanding and completing it. Because of this mystery of God’s unfathomable mercy we are touched in our souls, moved to tears, inspired by Good, spurred to conversion. But this is also what happens when we contemplate an altarpiece or listen to a composition of sacred music, in which a ray of divine perfection bursts into the greyness of everyday life and shows us the splendor of the Kingdom that awaits us.
The author writes: “We are called to the commitment to recover the life and full memory of the Body of Christ, even if in our eyes we cannot do much to rebuild that Body”. But the Lord does not ask us to perform miracles: He invites us to make them possible, to create the conditions in our souls and in our social bodies so that the wonders of divine omnipotence may be manifested. To open ourselves to the past, to the memory of God's great actions in history, is an essential condition for making it possible for us to become aware of our identity and our destiny today so that we may restore the Kingdom of Christ tomorrow.
+ Carlo Maria Viganò
Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana
Apostolic Nuncio
28 August 2020
Saint Augustine
Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church
Follow Maike Dr. Maike Hickson was born and raised in Germany. She holds a PhD from the University of Hannover, Germany, after having written in Switzerland her doctoral dissertation on the history of Swiss intellectuals before and during World War II. She now lives in the U.S. and is married to Dr. Robert Hickson, and they have been blessed with two beautiful children. She is a happy housewife who likes to write articles when time permits. Dr. Hickson published in 2014 a Festschrift, a collection of some thirty essays written by thoughtful authors in honor of her husband upon his 70th birthday, which is entitled A Catholic Witness in Our Time. Hickson has closely followed the papacy of Pope Francis and the developments in the Catholic Church in Germany, and she has been writing articles on religion and politics for U.S. and European publications and websites such as LifeSiteNews, OnePeterFive, The Wanderer, Rorate Caeli, Catholicism.org, Catholic Family News, Christian Order, Notizie Pro-Vita, Corrispondenza Romana, Katholisches.info, Der Dreizehnte, Zeit-Fragen, and Westfalen-Blatt.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-12-01--Study shows majority of COVID fatalities had do-not-resuscitate orders in place

December 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Almost 90 % of patients who died with COVID-19 had do-not-resuscitate ( DNR ) orders in place at the time of admission , thus illustrating the severity of their pre-existing conditions .
Clinics in Dermatology published the study at the end of last month , based on all patients in two hospitals in New Jersey who “ had or developed COVID-19.
” The dates covered in the survey are from March 15 to May 15 of this year .
The report records that 1,270 patients had or developed the illness , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , of those who died , “ 570 ( 89.1 percent ) ” had a DNR , leaving “ 70 ( 10.9 percent ) without a DNR order at the time of admission.
” In the interest of clarity , the study did not include patients who were given a DNR during the time they were in the hospital .
Of the 630 patients who survived , “ 180 ” or 28.6 % had a DNR on admission , and “ 450 ” or 71.4 % did not have one .
Furthermore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 120 patients without COVID-19 who died during this interval , 110 ( 91.7 percent ) had a DNR order when admitted.
” A DNR , as the study mentions , “ is often linked to patients with severe illness , advanced age , poor disease prognosis , and deteriorating health status with impending death.
” The high death rates of patients surveyed who already had a DNR , points to the fact that the study “ indicates that many patients who died in these hospitals were quite ill to begin with.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who had a DNR , “ had significantly higher numbers of comorbidities ( [ more than ] 3 comorbidities ) compared to patients with non-DNR status.
” In fact , figures collated by the study show that the majority of patients with 2 comorbidities or more had DNR ’ s in place .
Not unexpectedly , the study found , “ Patients with DNR had a poorer survival rate than non-DNR patients.
” Patients with DNR status thus were found to have “ higher hazard ratios for risk of death.
” The study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failure to rescue phenomenon , ” whereby the very existence of a DNR , means that the patient receives less treatment .
“ A DNR order has been documented to negatively impact the implementation of other treatment modalities , ” the report stated .
“ One explanation for these results is that more patients with a DNR order died because they were not resuscitated.
” “ The increased mortality in DNR patients may have resulted from unmeasured severity of illness , transition to comfort care in accordance with a patient ’ s wishes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care , such as a respirator , to patients with a DNR order.
” The report concluded by noting that DNR ’ s should be taken into account “ in COVID-19 epidemiological studies to further understand mortality in this pandemic.
” Reporting on the study , PJ Media wrote , “ It also indicates that COVID-19 is acting as bacterial and viral pneumonia often do in this population .
It is a contributing factor in a patient ’ s death , but one of many.
” “ A DNR , ” the website @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a simple analysis of comorbidities because it is indicative of disease severity.
” In recent days , a senior academic at Johns Hopkins University gave an in-depth analysis of U.S. COVID deaths , concluding that there is “ no evidence that COVID-19 created any excess deaths .
Total death numbers are not above normal death numbers .
We found no evidence to the contrary.
” As alluded to in the close of the study , DNR ’ s can also be misused so as to lead to poor treatment .
Indeed , during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s were widely placed upon patients in the U.K. in a “ blanket ” fashion .
So great was the concern about this that the Care Quality Commission ( CQC ) is conducting a review of the use of DNR ’ s during the coronavirus crisis after “ concerns were widely reported that elderly and vulnerable people may be being subjected to DNACPR decisions without their consent or with little information to allow them to make an informed decision.
” Commenting on this , the BBC wrote , “ It became clear that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care homes in the early weeks of the pandemic.
” Care homes had “ blanket orders in place covering groups of residents , ” imposing DNR ’ s on them .
In practice , DNR ’ s are often put in place in response to the question posed as , “ Is it worth it to put myself or my loved one through the traumatic process of resuscitation for a 1 to 2 % chance of survival ?
” A study conducted by the Queen ’ s Nursing Institute found that out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the institutions was ordered by [ National Health Service ] bosses to introduce DNRs without permission from the residents , family members or fellow staff , in order to free up hospital beds.
” One care worker reported that sometimes “ changed without inclusion of family or the resident ( where appropriate ) .
Not always made including quality of life rather than disease and age.
” In an article in The Guardian , a doctor attempted to do away with rumors regarding blanket imposition of DNR ’ s , yet added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving CPR .
Like all other medical treatments , CPR will only be administered if a doctor believes it is in the best interests of the patient.
” Clinics in Dermatology ’ s own survey noted , “ Patients with severe COVID-19 whose physicians feel they need such measures short term to treat the disease may be discouraged from offering them if the patient has a DNR order .
This may unnecessarily negatively impact patient care and increase mortality in COVID-19 patients .
”

That almost 90% of patients who died with COVID-19 had do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders in place at the time of admission illustrates the severity of their pre-existing conditions.
December 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Almost 90% of patients who died with COVID-19 had do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders in place at the time of admission, thus illustrating the severity of their pre-existing conditions.
Clinics in Dermatology published the study at the end of last month, based on all patients in two hospitals in New Jersey who “had or developed COVID-19.” The dates covered in the survey are from March 15 to May 15 of this year.
The report records that 1,270 patients had or developed the illness, with 640 patients dying and 630 surviving. However, of those who died, “570 (89.1 percent)” had a DNR, leaving “70 (10.9 percent) without a DNR order at the time of admission.” In the interest of clarity, the study did not include patients who were given a DNR during the time they were in the hospital.
Of the 630 patients who survived, “180” or 28.6% had a DNR on admission, and “450” or 71.4% did not have one. Furthermore, the study found, “Among the 120 patients without COVID-19 who died during this interval, 110 (91.7 percent) had a DNR order when admitted.”
A DNR, as the study mentions, “is often linked to patients with severe illness, advanced age, poor disease prognosis, and deteriorating health status with impending death.”
The high death rates of patients surveyed who already had a DNR, points to the fact that the study “indicates that many patients who died in these hospitals were quite ill to begin with.”
Additionally, the study proved that patients who had a DNR, “had significantly higher numbers of comorbidities ([more than] 3 comorbidities) compared to patients with non-DNR status.” In fact, figures collated by the study show that the majority of patients with 2 comorbidities or more had DNR’s in place.
Not unexpectedly, the study found, “Patients with DNR had a poorer survival rate than non-DNR patients.”
Patients with DNR status thus were found to have “higher hazard ratios for risk of death.”
The study also mentioned the important aspect of “failure to rescue phenomenon,” whereby the very existence of a DNR, means that the patient receives less treatment. “A DNR order has been documented to negatively impact the implementation of other treatment modalities,” the report stated. “One explanation for these results is that more patients with a DNR order died because they were not resuscitated.”
“The increased mortality in DNR patients may have resulted from unmeasured severity of illness, transition to comfort care in accordance with a patient’s wishes, or failure to offer more aggressive care, such as a respirator, to patients with a DNR order.”
The report concluded by noting that DNR’s should be taken into account “in COVID-19 epidemiological studies to further understand mortality in this pandemic.”
— Article continues below Petition — PETITION: No to government and corporate penalties for refusing COVID-19 vaccine Show Petition Text 103183 have signed the petition. Let's get to 125000 ! Thank you for signing this petition! Add your signature: Show Petition Text Country... State... Sign this Petition **Photo credit: Shutterstock.com Mainstream media sources are promoting offensive suggestions by some doctors that people who refuse a vaccine for COVID-19 should be "punished" by the government and by business - effectively coercing them into taking the vaccine. One group of doctors writing in 'USA Today' suggested that the government impose special taxes (i.e., fines) on people who refuse the vaccination and that business simply refuse to serve them. [see story below]
Another doctor writing in an online publication called 'The Conversation' shamelessly suggested that people who refuse a vaccine should be given a psychoactive drug to induce compliance. [see story below] But, these suggestions are plain political posturing, and have nothing to do with science or with the recent trends of the disease. And, in case they haven't noticed, we live in a democracy not a medical dictatorship! Please SIGN this urgent petition which asks policy-makers and business people, at all levels, to pledge to respect the rights of those who, in good conscience, decide not to vaccinate themselves or their children. People should not have to live in fear of governmental or corporate retribution for refusing a vaccine which is being rushed to market by Big Pharma and their fellow-travelers in NGOs, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It would be intolerable and immoral for the government or business to coerce someone, and their family, to take a COVID vaccine against their will to avoid a fine, or just so they can do their weekly grocery shopping. Medical freedom must be respected in principle and also in practice. So, it is now time that our policy-makers listen to all voices involved in this vital conversation, and start to represent those who will not tolerate being punished for refusing a vaccine. Simply put, legislatures must begin to act as legislatures again. Questions must be asked. Hearings and investigations must be held. And, the legislatures of each state and country must return to the business of representing the people who voted for them, assuming their rightful place as the originator of legislation. We can no longer accept the dictates of executive branches without question, especially now that, statistically speaking, the initial brunt of the COVID crisis has passed. Neither can we accept the dictates of doctors who seem detached from reality and from science, and who only seem to be attached to the idea of promoting ideas which contribute to the agrandizement of power and control of political interests, and wealth of those who stand to make a lot of money from the sale of a COVID vaccine. Please SIGN this urgent petition which asks government and business leaders to pledge to respect the rights of those who refuse a COVID vaccine, and not seek to punish them for doing so. FOR MORE INFORMATION: 'Doctors lay out plan to ‘punish’ people who refuse coronavirus vaccine: ‘There is no alternative’' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/doctors-lay-out-plan-to-punish-people-who-refuse-coronavirus-vaccine-there-is-no-alternative 'US professor: ‘Psychoactive pill’ should be covertly administered to ensure lockdown compliance' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-professor-ensure-lockdown-compliance-by-drugging-dissenters-with-psychoactive-pill Hide Petition Text Sign this Petition
Reporting on the study, PJ Media wrote, “It also indicates that COVID-19 is acting as bacterial and viral pneumonia often do in this population. It is a contributing factor in a patient’s death, but one of many.”
“A DNR,” the website wrote, “is more enlightening than a simple analysis of comorbidities because it is indicative of disease severity.”
In recent days, a senior academic at Johns Hopkins University gave an in-depth analysis of U.S. COVID deaths, concluding that there is “no evidence that COVID-19 created any excess deaths. Total death numbers are not above normal death numbers. We found no evidence to the contrary.”
Blanket imposition of DNR’s in health settings
As alluded to in the close of the study, DNR’s can also be misused so as to lead to poor treatment. Indeed, during the recent national lockdown, DNR’s were widely placed upon patients in the U.K. in a “blanket” fashion.
So great was the concern about this that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is conducting a review of the use of DNR’s during the coronavirus crisis after “concerns were widely reported that elderly and vulnerable people may be being subjected to DNACPR decisions without their consent or with little information to allow them to make an informed decision.”
Commenting on this, the BBC wrote, “It became clear that blanket use was in place in some care homes in the early weeks of the pandemic.” Care homes had “blanket orders in place covering groups of residents,” imposing DNR’s on them.
In practice, DNR’s are often put in place in response to the question posed as, “Is it worth it to put myself or my loved one through the traumatic process of resuscitation for a 1 to 2% chance of survival?”
A study conducted by the Queen’s Nursing Institute found that out of those surveyed, “one in ten of the institutions was ordered by [National Health Service] bosses to introduce DNRs without permission from the residents, family members or fellow staff, in order to free up hospital beds.”
One care worker reported that sometimes “changed without inclusion of family or the resident (where appropriate). Not always made including quality of life rather than disease and age.”
In an article in The Guardian, a doctor attempted to do away with rumors regarding blanket imposition of DNR’s, yet added that “no one can insist upon receiving CPR. Like all other medical treatments, CPR will only be administered if a doctor believes it is in the best interests of the patient.”
Clinics in Dermatology’s own survey noted, “Patients with severe COVID-19 whose physicians feel they need such measures short term to treat the disease may be discouraged from offering them if the patient has a DNR order. This may unnecessarily negatively impact patient care and increase mortality in COVID-19 patients.”
Share


lifesitenews--2020-12-01--A Biden presidency will ramp up persecutions of those who oppose the LGBT agenda

December 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – For more than 15 years , I have been saying that those who came out of the closet would want to put us in the closet , meaning that gay activists calling for “ equality ” and “ tolerance ” would want to silence dissenting voices .
About 10 years ago , a Christian attorney said to me , “ Mike , take that one step farther .
Those who were once put in jail will want to put us in jail.
” When I repeated his comment on Christian TV , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ No one wants to put people like you in jail !
” That tune quickly changed when , in 2015 , Kim Davis , a county clerk in Kentucky , was jailed for refusing to follow a court order and issue a marriage certificate for a same-sex couple .
Many on the left applauded her arrest , thrilled that she was in jail and hoping she would not get out anytime soon .
And on social media , comments were completely unhinged , like this one : “ Kim Davis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court is NO BETTER than those men who conceived , executed , and plotted those attacks on the World Trade Center and the pentagon on September 11 .
Granted , there have n't been any lives lost in the wake of Mrs. Davis ' shenanigans , the ideology of using her religious beliefs as justification to defile the Supreme Court and the Constitution make her a religious terrorist along the order of Osama bin Laden and ISIS.
” “ But , ” someone might say , “ the arrest of Kim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point .
She refused a direct order from a judge , and still , she only spent a few days in jail .
Don ’ t make a martyr out of her or give the false impression that this is an everyday affair.
” Actually , I could multiply other examples , not just from America but from other countries as well , like the case of a father whom I met last year in Canada .
He objected to his 14-year-old daughter ’ s desire to identify as a male and begin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courts ruled with the daughter , not only affirming her “ right ” to begin the therapy , but also banning him from referring to his own daughter by her birth name or referring to her as female , even in the privacy of his home .
If he dared to do so , he could be arrested on the spot .
For several years now , in New York City , “ discriminatory ” treatment in the workplace against those who identify as transgender can result in a $ 250,000 fine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment ?
According to the official government website , this would include failing to use an individual ’ s preferred name or pronoun , refusing to allow them to use the bathroom of their choice , or even “ sex stereotyping.
” Cross any of these lines , and you could be in a heap of debt – or worse .
Now , “ Norway Has Made Biphobic , Transphobic Speech Illegal.
” More specifically , “ The penal code states that those who are guilty of hate speech face a fine or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private comments , and a maximum of three years in jail for public remarks .
Furthermore , those charged with violent crimes that are motivated by a victim ’ s orientation or gender identity will receive harsher sentences.
” So , a private comment deemed hateful to an LGBT person or persons could get you a one-year jail sentence .
Make this comment in public , and you ’ re looking at three years in jail , the same penalty for third-degree murder ( meaning , by neglect ) in Norway .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill note that “ for prosecution comments must be direct attacks against LGBTQ+ people or include language that intentionally dehumanizes them to the public.
” But would quoting relevant verses from the Bible cross that line ?
Would stating that there are only two sexes cross that line ?
Would denying the term “ marriage ” to a same-sex union cross that line ?
This much is sure .
There are plenty of LGBT activists and allies who are more than ready to bring potential cases to court .
Back here in America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden tweeted that transgender rights are the Civil Rights issue of the day .
And he has made clear that one of his first legislative priorities ( in the event that he is sworn in as our next president ) will be to pass the Equality Act , which constitutes a direct threat to our religious freedoms .
Do not be deceived .
This is one of many reasons so many of us strongly opposed a Biden-Harris administration .
And it ’ s another reminder that my Christian attorney friend , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the culture wars , was hardly exaggerating at all .
Now would make a great time to determine that you will do what is right and stand up for what is right regardless of cost or consequence .
Your compassionate courage could be the very thing that stands as the last bulwark against dangerous government overreach .

PETITION UPDATE (1/15/2021) -
The events of the past month, and especially the past 10 days, have shaken the faith Americans have in their elected and appoint officials.
We continue to call for investigations to be made into allegations of election fraud. Texas is in the process of prosecuting one political operative for illegal ballot harvesting, and multiple state legislatures have called for investigations, too.
However, the judiciary has severely let down the American electorate.
As we have said all along, the integrity of the election is much bigger than President Trump. Election integrity is at the heart of republican democracy, and if we don't have it, we no longer have a functioning republic.
Therefore, we continue to seek the truth for the election outcome. Perhaps that will only be known in the future when state or federal commissions are established to investigate the instances of election fraud which were witnessed and sworn to, by thousands of Americans of all political persuasions.
In the meantime, you may still sign this petition. Thank you!
___________________________________________________________________
PETITION UPDATE (12/10/20) -
On Wednesday, President Trump tweeted: "We will be INTERVENING in the Texas (plus many other states) case. This is the big one. Our Country needs a victory!"
He is referring to the lawsuit which the state of Texas has filed against Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Georgia in the Supreme Court over changes those states made to their election rules, claiming they violated the U.S. Constitution in the process.
Here is the central part of the argument: if Texas were to allow possible voter fraud to go unchecked in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Georgia, it would be akin to committing fraud upon the people of Texas, who cast their ballots within the framework of the law.
Indeed, this would apply equally to all citizens who voted within the framework of the law across the United States!
President Trump also tweeted that this case is, "very strong...ALL CRITERIA MET."
Please continue to SIGN and SHARE this urgent petition, now.
____________________________________________________________________
PETITION UPDATE (12/7/20) - Since this petition was launched, President Trump's legal team, as well as other concerned citizens, have discovered what appears to be irrefutable evidence of voter fraud in several of the key battleground states, and have initiated legal challenges in six states.
While the situation continues to evolve, this remains a hugely important petition which we encourage you to SIGN and SHARE.
Below, please WATCH and READ about the mounting evidence of voter fraud and how the mainstream media seem determined to ignore even the most egregious instances of vote tampering. Then, please SIGN and SHARE this petition.
'Trump: ‘Our election system is now under assault and siege’ and as president I must defend it'
'Tens of thousands 2020 election votes illegally scanned in Detroit, says Dominion IT contractor'
'Trump campaign files lawsuit demanding ‘a new statewide election for president’ in Georgia'
'Experts flag over 500k ballots in PA with new evidence of major 2020 election voter fraud'
''Smoking gun'? Pennsylvania vote fraud hearing gets gasps from audience'
'FBI and Justice Department have dragged their feet investigating 2020 vote fraud'
''CNN top brass in leaked tape: We won't give Trump 'too much of a platform on his not conceding'
'Twitter censored Trump 63 times over Thanksgiving holiday, Biden untouched'
LifeSite supports President Trump with this petition because we believe he is trying to defend the Constitution, ensuring that electoral fraud does not taint the result of the 2020 general election.
But, since starting this petition, we have launched a separate petition related to the disputed election outcome, calling on the Department of Justice to 'do their job' and engage in meaningful investigations of the mounting evidence of voter fraud.
We believe that conducting forensic audits of ballots and voting machines, as well as issuing subpoenas to collect more evidence, would be a good start.
Thankfully, some of the state started to demand investigations independent of federal agencies. But we still believe that the DoJ needs to use its enormous fact-finding resources to help resolve allegations of election fraud.
Thank you for continuing to SIGN and SHARE all our election-related petitions.
_____________________________________________________________________
Please SIGN and SHARE this urgent petition which calls on all Americans to Stand With President Trump as he uses every legitimate means to find out if voter fraud played any role in the election outcome.
Amid allegations of voter fraud, and at a time when the situation with COVID has been used by many of the states to facilitate the use of mail-in ballots on a massive scale, we need to be very careful in dismissing the possibility of voter fraud.
The fact is, the possibility of wide-spread fraud with mail-in ballots is significant.
But, this is not about Donald Trump or Joe Biden! This about whether or not the sanctity of the ballot box has been tampered with!
Please Stand With President Trump as he attempts to defend the integrity of this election, as well as well as the right to vote itself!
Indeed, this is so important, not so much because one election hangs in the balance, but because our democracy, itself, hangs in the balance.
Americans not only have a right to know, but should demand that every legitimate means be used to discover the truth about these elections!
Please SIGN this petition and Stand With President Trump to ensure that these elections were conducted freely and fairly!
While most all Americans believe in playing by the rules, we also know that some very devious, politically-motivated operatives have been trying to harm the Trump administration from before he even took the oath of office.
This fact should lead us to question how some allegations of voter fraud can be so easily dismissed by state election authorities.
We demand to know the truth, and, for the sake of our democracy, we demand that President Trump keep fighting to learn the truth.
Thank you for SIGNING and SHARING this petition today!
**Photo Credit: Shealah Craighead / White House / Flickr