lifesitenews--2020-09-08--Archbishop Viganò leads launch rosary for 54-day US election novena

September 8 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Today at 12pm EST , Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò joined LifeSite to lead a Holy Rosary to pray for the Lord ’ s holy will to be accomplished in the November U.S. presidential election .
He gave a short reflection before the rosary and his blessing at the end .
We were also joined by special guests Dr. Taylor Marshall and Michael Matt of The Remnant , who prayed along with His Excellency .
Today is the launch for a 54-day rosary novena leading up to the election .
The novena begins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Our Lady , and ends just a couple of days before the November 3 election .
For all of you who usually come to pray Fr .
Tony Pillari ’ s daily rosary , don ’ t worry — you ’ re in the right place .
And rest assured that Fr .
Pillari will be leading this rosary for the rest of the 53 days .
But Archbishop Vigano has agreed to lead the launch rosary for us today .
And this special rosary with Archbishop Viganò is also taking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of The John-Henry Westen Show .
The 54-day rosary novena is made up of six successive traditional rosary novenas consisting of nine days each .
The first three novenas are a petition for our request , and the latter three thank God for answering our prayer — knowing that the Good Lord always hears us .
Please pray earnestly every day for this election .
Commit to getting out to vote yourself and ensuring the same of your friends and family .
Your future , and that of your children , even the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be greatly affected by this election , likely to be the most important election of our lives , no matter what country we live in .
It ’ s time to pick up our weapon of choice — the most holy rosary — and storm Heaven with our prayers .
On behalf of LifeSiteNews , Dr. Taylor Marshall , Michael Matt , and all of you , I want to thank Archbishop Viganò for leading us in this holy rosary .
Remember to tune in each day for the rest of this 54-day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this rosary video now so that many , many more may join in this prayer effort .
May God bless you !
THE HOLY ROSARY , MOST POWERFUL WEAPON AGAINST THE ENEMY OF GOD AND MAN A brief introduction to the recitation of the Holy Rosary for America and the whole world Anyone who believes he can merit the glory of Paradise by living a mediocre life knows he is on the wrong track : Regnum caelorum vim patitur et violenti rapiunt illud [ The kingdom of heaven suffers violence , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mt 11:12 ) .
In these strong words of the Gospel we understand that only the violent can in some way conquer the Justice of God and obtain its reward thanks to His infinite Mercy .
A violence , a force , that is certainly not that of the world but that consists above all in recognizing our own unworthiness – as mortal creatures before the Uncreated and Eternal Being , and as sinners before the Holy of Holies – and also the Omnipotence of God , who deigned to redeem us by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Son .
I would also say that the first act of this sublime violence to conquer the Kingdom of God was accomplished by Our Lord , who in the eternity of time wanted to restore the Fall of Adam by offering himself to the Father to redeem us from sin and death : Tunc dixi : Ecce venio .
In capite libri scriptum est de me , ut faciam Deusvoluntatem tuam [ Then I said : Behold , I come .
In the scroll of the book it is written of me , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ O God ] ( Ps 39:8-10 ) .
Similarly , Our Lady also responds to the Archangel Gabriel : Ecce ancilla Domini : fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum [ Behold the handmaid of the Lord : be it done to me according to your word ] ( Lk 1 : 38 ) .
This is the violencethat shakes the gates of Heaven : the power of humility and sacrifice , following the example of Christ and His Most Holy Mother .
She , the Mediatrix of all graces , knew how to obtain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His Justice would have refused .
And it is to Her , Our Advocate , that we raise our fervent prayer , certain of being heard : Memorare , o piissima Virgo Maria , non esse auditum a saeculo quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia , tua implorantem auxilia , tua petentem suffragiaesse derelictum [ Remember , O most gracious Virgin Mary , that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection , implored thy help , or sought thy intercession was left unaided . ]
In the recitation of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with three very simple prayers , so easy that even a child can recite them : the Pater noster , the Ave Maria and the Gloria Patri .
And while we repeat these prayers we meditate on the Joyful , Sorrowful , and Glorious Mysteries , concentrating our mind on the sweet words that our lips pronounce .
All of Catholic doctrine is contained in these three prayers ; all of Marian doctrine is proclaimed in the Ave Maria .
And at these words , which rise to the glorious throne on which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entire Heavenly Court is moved , the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is touched with compassion , and the arm of Divine Justice is stopped .
Let us therefore have recourse to the recitation of the Holy Rosary , dear brothers and sisters , in this moment of tribulation and of total crisis .
Let us also make violence in heaven , by means of the infallible weapon of prayer that the Most Blessed Virgin taught Saint Dominic and that over the centuries has obtained the conversion of sinners , the salvation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Enemy .
Saint Pius V ordered the faithful to recite the Rosary to impetrate victory from God in the epic battle of the Christian Armada against the Turk in the waters of Lepanto : still today , at noon each day , the bells ring in our cities to recall October 7 , 1571 .
The Senate of the Republic of Venice wanted to honor the Queen of Victories by having these words engraved on the Doges ’ Palace : Not valor , not arms , not leaders , but Our Lady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We too , who fight an even more bloody battle without a deployed army against an even more terrible enemy , ought to have recourse to the Rosary , with the same faith that strengthened the arm of the valiant leaders of Lepanto .
Let us pray for the United States of America ; let us pray for our President ; let us pray for his victory , that the Lord God of Hosts – Dominus Deus Sabaoth –will grant that he may know how to place himself under God ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the knight who fights for the just and the defender of the oppressed .
Let us pray that the snares that the invisible Enemy plots in the shadows may come into the light , and that those who want to promote vice and sin , and rebellion against the Commandments of God and the very laws of nature , may be defeated .
Let us pray with the faith of children who run gementes et flentes to their Queen , so that she may intercede for us with her Divine Son and obtain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beloved American nation protected as well as the whole world , our families defended , and our adversaries defeated .
Then we too will be able to write : Not valor , not the power of the media , not economic resources , but Our Lady of the Holy Rosary made us victors .
So may it be .
Vigil of the Assumption of Mary Most Holy The John-Henry Westen Show is available by video on the show ’ s YouTube channel and right here on my LifeSite blog .
It is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Spotify , Soundcloud , and ACast .
We are awaiting approval for iTunes and Google Play as well .
To subscribe to the audio version on various channels , visit the ACast webpage here .
We ’ ve created a special email list for the show so that we can notify you every week when we post a new episode .
Please sign up now by clicking here .
You can also subscribe to the YouTube channel , and you ’ ll be notified by YouTube when there is new content .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideas for show topics by emailing [ email protected ] .

The 54-day rosary novena is made up of six successive traditional rosary novenas consisting of nine days each. The first three novenas are a petition for our request, and the latter three thank God for answering our prayer.
September 8, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Today at 12pm EST, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò joined LifeSite to lead a Holy Rosary to pray for the Lord’s holy will to be accomplished in the November U.S. presidential election. He gave a short reflection before the rosary and his blessing at the end.
We were also joined by special guests Dr. Taylor Marshall and Michael Matt of The Remnant, who prayed along with His Excellency.
Today is the launch for a 54-day rosary novena leading up to the election. The novena begins today, September 8, the birthday of Our Lady, and ends just a couple of days before the November 3 election.
For all of you who usually come to pray Fr. Tony Pillari’s daily rosary, don’t worry — you’re in the right place. And rest assured that Fr. Pillari will be leading this rosary for the rest of the 53 days. But Archbishop Vigano has agreed to lead the launch rosary for us today. And this special rosary with Archbishop Viganò is also taking the place of this week’s episode of The John-Henry Westen Show.
The 54-day rosary novena is made up of six successive traditional rosary novenas consisting of nine days each. The first three novenas are a petition for our request, and the latter three thank God for answering our prayer — knowing that the Good Lord always hears us.
Please pray earnestly every day for this election. Commit to getting out to vote yourself and ensuring the same of your friends and family. Your future, and that of your children, even the future of the whole world, will be greatly affected by this election, likely to be the most important election of our lives, no matter what country we live in. It’s time to pick up our weapon of choice — the most holy rosary — and storm Heaven with our prayers.
On behalf of LifeSiteNews, Dr. Taylor Marshall, Michael Matt, and all of you, I want to thank Archbishop Viganò for leading us in this holy rosary. Remember to tune in each day for the rest of this 54-day rosary novena for the election. Share this rosary video now so that many, many more may join in this prayer effort. May God bless you!
Below are Archbishop Vigano’s opening remarks.
THE HOLY ROSARY, MOST POWERFUL WEAPON AGAINST THE ENEMY OF GOD AND MAN A brief introduction to the recitation of the Holy Rosary for America and the whole world Anyone who believes he can merit the glory of Paradise by living a mediocre life knows he is on the wrong track: Regnum caelorum vim patitur et violenti rapiunt illud [The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force](Mt 11:12). In these strong words of the Gospel we understand that only the violent can in some way conquer the Justice of God and obtain its reward thanks to His infinite Mercy. A violence, a force, that is certainly not that of the world but that consists above all in recognizing our own unworthiness – as mortal creatures before the Uncreated and Eternal Being, and as sinners before the Holy of Holies – and also the Omnipotence of God, who deigned to redeem us by the Passion and Death of His Divine Son. I would also say that the first act of this sublime violence to conquer the Kingdom of God was accomplished by Our Lord, who in the eternity of time wanted to restore the Fall of Adam by offering himself to the Father to redeem us from sin and death: Tunc dixi: Ecce venio. In capite libri scriptum est de me, ut faciam Deusvoluntatem tuam [Then I said: Behold, I come. In the scroll of the book it is written of me, that I should do your will, O God](Ps 39:8-10). Similarly, Our Lady also responds to the Archangel Gabriel: Ecce ancilla Domini: fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum [Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to your word](Lk 1: 38). This is the violencethat shakes the gates of Heaven: the power of humility and sacrifice, following the example of Christ and His Most Holy Mother. She, the Mediatrix of all graces, knew how to obtain from the Mercy of God that which His Justice would have refused. And it is to Her, Our Advocate, that we raise our fervent prayer, certain of being heard: Memorare, o piissima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a saeculo quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia, tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragiaesse derelictum [Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.] In the recitation of the Rosary we invoke the Most Blessed Virgin with three very simple prayers, so easy that even a child can recite them: the Pater noster, the Ave Maria and the Gloria Patri. And while we repeat these prayers we meditate on the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries, concentrating our mind on the sweet words that our lips pronounce. All of Catholic doctrine is contained in these three prayers; all of Marian doctrine is proclaimed in the Ave Maria. And at these words, which rise to the glorious throne on which Our Mother sits as Queen, the entire Heavenly Court is moved, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is touched with compassion, and the arm of Divine Justice is stopped. Let us therefore have recourse to the recitation of the Holy Rosary, dear brothers and sisters, in this moment of tribulation and of total crisis. Let us also make violence in heaven, by means of the infallible weapon of prayer that the Most Blessed Virgin taught Saint Dominic and that over the centuries has obtained the conversion of sinners, the salvation of the nations, and the defeat of the Enemy. Saint Pius V ordered the faithful to recite the Rosary to impetrate victory from God in the epic battle of the Christian Armada against the Turk in the waters of Lepanto: still today, at noon each day, the bells ring in our cities to recall October 7, 1571. The Senate of the Republic of Venice wanted to honor the Queen of Victories by having these words engraved on the Doges’ Palace: Not valor, not arms, not leaders, but Our Lady of the Holy Rosary made us victors. We too, who fight an even more bloody battle without a deployed army against an even more terrible enemy, ought to have recourse to the Rosary, with the same faith that strengthened the arm of the valiant leaders of Lepanto. Let us pray for the United States of America; let us pray for our President; let us pray for his victory, that the Lord God of Hosts – Dominus Deus Sabaoth –will grant that he may know how to place himself under God’s protection and may desire to make himself the knight who fights for the just and the defender of the oppressed. Let us pray that the snares that the invisible Enemy plots in the shadows may come into the light, and that those who want to promote vice and sin, and rebellion against the Commandments of God and the very laws of nature, may be defeated. Let us pray with the faith of children who run gementes et flentes to their Queen, so that she may intercede for us with her Divine Son and obtain for us the grace to see the beloved American nation protected as well as the whole world, our families defended, and our adversaries defeated. Then we too will be able to write: Not valor, not the power of the media, not economic resources, but Our Lady of the Holy Rosary made us victors. So may it be. + Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop 14 August 2020 Vigil of the Assumption of Mary Most Holy Official translation by Giuseppe Pellegrino
The John-Henry Westen Show is available by video on the show’s YouTube channel and right here on my LifeSite blog.
It is also available in audio format on platforms such as Spotify, Soundcloud, and ACast. We are awaiting approval for iTunes and Google Play as well. To subscribe to the audio version on various channels, visit the ACast webpage here.
We’ve created a special email list for the show so that we can notify you every week when we post a new episode. Please sign up now by clicking here. You can also subscribe to the YouTube channel, and you’ll be notified by YouTube when there is new content.
You can send me feedback, or ideas for show topics by emailing [email protected].
Email Address *
First Name *
Last Name *


lifesitenews--2020-09-08--Democrats preparing three-tiered vote fraud scheme to destroy election integrity

September 8 , 2020 ( American Thinker ) — Now that a top Democrat data analytics firm has finally confirmed that Democrats plan to claim victory weeks after the presidential election once enough of their “ votes ” show up in the mail to be counted , I don ’ t think any rational observer could view this as anything but a promise to destroy the legitimacy of the 2020 election .
The Democrats ’ mission to fracture America permanently should be codenamed “ Operation Chaos , ” because it is chaos they are preparing to unleash .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Russian Facebook posts and online internet trolls that nearly destroyed the Union after the 2016 election .
It was the way the Obama White House and an intelligence–law enforcement cabal run by the Democratic Party maliciously and intentionally magnified Russia ’ s limited hijinks into the greatest political hoax in American history .
The Democrats preferred to drag the United States through four years of nonsensical conspiracy theories , needless investigations , and cries of high treason rather than to acknowledge that President Trump had legitimately defeated Hillary Clinton .
The Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an American president , and in doing so , they accomplished what Putin ’ s Russia could never have dreamed : they succeeded in convincing half of America that the 2016 election was stolen from them .
The Democrats and the Deep State that has aided and abetted their cause have sold bitter acrimony for four years and birthed our precarious pre-civil war tinderbox today .
With American peace now hanging in the balance , will Democrats choose country over socialism and temper passions already overinflamed ?
Of course not .
If four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our nation to the brink of civil strife , the Democrats ’ Operation Chaos will make it nearly impossible for wisdom and reason to succeed in the months ahead .
This fact alone should disqualify Democrats from office in 2020 .
A party that is driving the country to civil war can not be trusted to have the country ’ s best interest at heart .
Most Republicans ( except the “ useful idiots ” who will look past corruption and fraud for the chance to remove President Trump ) understand how the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chaos to elevate a man who can ’ t remember his opponent ’ s name ( or even his running mate ’ s ) to commander in chief .
They have a three-tailed con in play : ( 1 ) attempt to win swing states fast and declare victory before fraudulent ballots can be scrutinized ; ( 2 ) harvest loose ballots after election day until Trump vote leads disappear ; ( 3 ) throw the whole mess into state and federal courts until a Democrat-leaning judge gives them a Democrat lead .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tails secures a Democrat victory , the “ useful idiot ” NeverTrumps and hacks in the press will aid the Democrats in quickly declaring the election over and calling for President Trump ’ s concession .
( When executing a good con , it ’ s always best to have “ disinterested ” third parties move the con along . )
By that point , offending ballots will be “ disappeared ” before they can ever be scrutinized again .
And at any stage of this dangerous game , if President Trump and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts — not Democrat vote fraud — will be framed as “ threats to democracy.
” All the chaos lying ahead was preventable , of course .
In the most modern and technically advanced nation in the history of the planet , the idea that the United States can not vouchsafe the results of a democratic election is absurd .
All over the world , successful elections take place without high-tech voting booths or sophisticated methods for tallying votes , but in America , we are plagued with so much uncertainty as to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive fraud that election integrity is impossible .
You can ’ t have fair and equitable elections when every single American believes the vote is already rigged .
Obviously , if our constitutional republic is to utilize democratic elections to decide whether we choose Donald Trump ’ s “ America First ” policies or Bernie Sanders ’ s Green New Deal , then safeguarding the American vote is paramount over any other responsibility of our federal and state governments .
Instead , because the political establishment in America routinely ignores the wishes of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blind eye to the corruption and inaccuracy of American elections .
Democrats ( and “ Republican ” enablers like Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan ) argue that election fraud is a myth when it is , in fact , well documented .
They argue that non-citizen voting occurs in such low numbers as to be meaningless when meaningful elections every year are decided by a few hundred votes .
They argue that election judges can be trusted when many have been prosecuted for altering votes and stuffing ballots .
They argue that sensible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racist ) when votes routinely show up from dead voters , non-voters , and voters who long ago left the jurisdictions in which they ’ re now cast .
They argue that ballot-harvesting is nothing to worry about when the outcomes of elections are overturned days and weeks after election day .
They argue that the same U.S .
Postal Service that just endorsed the Democratic Party can be trusted to impartially handle Republican votes .
By never letting a crisis go to waste , Democrats have so effectively guaranteed “ cheat by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that stacks of ballots can go out with coupon mailers and come back without proper signatures or any other voter authentications and go right into the ballot box .
A recent election in New Jersey was just thrown out after it was determined that mail-in vote fraud had tainted 22 % of the total vote , while twenty-eight million mail-in ballots have gone missing in the last four elections .
And a top Democrat operative revealed last week how he and others have been committing voter fraud on a “ grand scale ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the United States recognized the solemnity of the vote by securing for each citizen a private and uncoerced secret ballot .
Now Democrat election operatives can simply go from hospital bed to hospital bed in nursing homes around the country “ collecting ” votes or swallow up entire mail drops at apartment buildings before residents even hold them in their hands .
Operation Chaos will test the limits of our country ’ s bonds .
How does a free country governed by the people destroy itself ?
When elected representatives make it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are still governing .
If we had a functioning free press in this country that hadn ’ t thrown out objectivity and professionalism for partisan entanglements and personal vendettas , the two biggest stories of the last four years would both center on the efforts of the Democratic Party to undermine American elections so completely that the breakup of the Union is not only a real possibility , but the Democrats ’ likely objective .
They sabotaged the peaceful transition of power in 2016 with the Russia hoax .
In 2020 , whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they have implemented a “ cheat by mail ” voting catastrophe that will render the 2020 election outcome unavoidably illegitimate to the losing side .
It is a strategy intended to damage the country .
It is an operation meant to unleash chaos .
Published with permission from the American Thinker .

September 8, 2020 (American Thinker) — Now that a top Democrat data analytics firm has finally confirmed that Democrats plan to claim victory weeks after the presidential election once enough of their “votes” show up in the mail to be counted, I don’t think any rational observer could view this as anything but a promise to destroy the legitimacy of the 2020 election. The Democrats’ mission to fracture America permanently should be codenamed “Operation Chaos,” because it is chaos they are preparing to unleash.
It was not a few thousand dollars’ worth of Russian Facebook posts and online internet trolls that nearly destroyed the Union after the 2016 election. It was the way the Obama White House and an intelligence–law enforcement cabal run by the Democratic Party maliciously and intentionally magnified Russia’s limited hijinks into the greatest political hoax in American history. The Democrats preferred to drag the United States through four years of nonsensical conspiracy theories, needless investigations, and cries of high treason rather than to acknowledge that President Trump had legitimately defeated Hillary Clinton. The Democrats chose an unprecedented campaign of sabotage against an American president, and in doing so, they accomplished what Putin’s Russia could never have dreamed: they succeeded in convincing half of America that the 2016 election was stolen from them. The Democrats and the Deep State that has aided and abetted their cause have sold bitter acrimony for four years and birthed our precarious pre-civil war tinderbox today.
With American peace now hanging in the balance, will Democrats choose country over socialism and temper passions already overinflamed? Of course not. If four years of the Russia hoax has brought our nation to the brink of civil strife, the Democrats’ Operation Chaos will make it nearly impossible for wisdom and reason to succeed in the months ahead. This fact alone should disqualify Democrats from office in 2020. A party that is driving the country to civil war cannot be trusted to have the country’s best interest at heart.
Most Republicans (except the “useful idiots” who will look past corruption and fraud for the chance to remove President Trump) understand how the Democrats plan to use “cheat-by-mail” chaos to elevate a man who can’t remember his opponent’s name (or even his running mate’s) to commander in chief. They have a three-tailed con in play: (1) attempt to win swing states fast and declare victory before fraudulent ballots can be scrutinized; (2) harvest loose ballots after election day until Trump vote leads disappear; (3) throw the whole mess into state and federal courts until a Democrat-leaning judge gives them a Democrat lead. At any time that one of these tails secures a Democrat victory, the “useful idiot” NeverTrumps and hacks in the press will aid the Democrats in quickly declaring the election over and calling for President Trump’s concession. (When executing a good con, it’s always best to have “disinterested” third parties move the con along.) By that point, offending ballots will be “disappeared” before they can ever be scrutinized again. And at any stage of this dangerous game, if President Trump and his supporters fight the outcome, our efforts — not Democrat vote fraud — will be framed as “threats to democracy.”
All the chaos lying ahead was preventable, of course. In the most modern and technically advanced nation in the history of the planet, the idea that the United States cannot vouchsafe the results of a democratic election is absurd. All over the world, successful elections take place without high-tech voting booths or sophisticated methods for tallying votes, but in America, we are plagued with so much uncertainty as to whether our elections are the outcomes of massive fraud that election integrity is impossible. You can’t have fair and equitable elections when every single American believes the vote is already rigged.
Obviously, if our constitutional republic is to utilize democratic elections to decide whether we choose Donald Trump’s “America First” policies or Bernie Sanders’s Green New Deal, then safeguarding the American vote is paramount over any other responsibility of our federal and state governments. Instead, because the political establishment in America routinely ignores the wishes of American voters, it has turned a blind eye to the corruption and inaccuracy of American elections.
Democrats (and “Republican” enablers like Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan) argue that election fraud is a myth when it is, in fact, well documented. They argue that non-citizen voting occurs in such low numbers as to be meaningless when meaningful elections every year are decided by a few hundred votes. They argue that election judges can be trusted when many have been prosecuted for altering votes and stuffing ballots. They argue that sensible voter identification laws are unnecessary (and racist) when votes routinely show up from dead voters, non-voters, and voters who long ago left the jurisdictions in which they’re now cast. They argue that ballot-harvesting is nothing to worry about when the outcomes of elections are overturned days and weeks after election day. They argue that the same U.S. Postal Service that just endorsed the Democratic Party can be trusted to impartially handle Republican votes.
By never letting a crisis go to waste, Democrats have so effectively guaranteed “cheat by mail” in swing states this year that stacks of ballots can go out with coupon mailers and come back without proper signatures or any other voter authentications and go right into the ballot box. A recent election in New Jersey was just thrown out after it was determined that mail-in vote fraud had tainted 22% of the total vote, while twenty-eight million mail-in ballots have gone missing in the last four elections. And a top Democrat operative revealed last week how he and others have been committing voter fraud on a “grand scale” for decades.
Gone are the days when the United States recognized the solemnity of the vote by securing for each citizen a private and uncoerced secret ballot. Now Democrat election operatives can simply go from hospital bed to hospital bed in nursing homes around the country “collecting” votes or swallow up entire mail drops at apartment buildings before residents even hold them in their hands. Operation Chaos will test the limits of our country’s bonds.
How does a free country governed by the people destroy itself? When elected representatives make it impossible for the people to believe they are still governing.
If we had a functioning free press in this country that hadn’t thrown out objectivity and professionalism for partisan entanglements and personal vendettas, the two biggest stories of the last four years would both center on the efforts of the Democratic Party to undermine American elections so completely that the breakup of the Union is not only a real possibility, but the Democrats’ likely objective. They sabotaged the peaceful transition of power in 2016 with the Russia hoax. In 2020, whether they can eke out victory or not, they have implemented a “cheat by mail” voting catastrophe that will render the 2020 election outcome unavoidably illegitimate to the losing side. It is a strategy intended to damage the country. It is an operation meant to unleash chaos.
Published with permission from the American Thinker.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-09-08--When arrogant ‘reformers’ tinker with the sacraments, disaster befalls the faithful

September 8 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Fr .
Matthew Hood , the Detroit priest who discovered in early August that he had been invalidly baptized — that is , had not been baptized at all , and therefore had to receive all his sacraments over again ( with the fallout that resulted for other people who depended on his ministry ) — wrote a gentle and sincere article about his situation that was published at First Things on September 3 .
Several sentences in his article leapt out at me ; I shall comment on them a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world , with rare exceptions , the sacraments are celebrated validly.
” To be able to say this in 2020 is indirectly to admit the colossal failure of the liturgical reform to live up to the vision ( some would say utopian ) that the original Liturgical Movement had , of a Church joyfully and knowledgeably drawing water from the sacramental springs of salvation as bequeathed to us in our Catholic tradition .
The reformers felt themselves free to do nearly anything , with rare exceptions , because they had already in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sacraments with discrete formulas that guaranteed validity — and all else was up for grabs .
This neoscholastic reductionism is incapable of seeing the beauty of the whole , the intangible life that animates the organic body ; this reductionism murders to dissect , confident that it will find the golden egg once the goose is slaughtered .
This is the low bar to which we have been reduced : most sacraments are valid .
I am reminded ( again ) of C.S .
Lewis ’ s observation that if you seek the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lower good “ thrown in , ” but if you seek the lower good apart from a higher good , you won ’ t even obtain the lower one .
In the case of the traditional Latin sacramental rites , in which every word and motion is scripted by the rubrics and a minister is like a train engine that stays inflexibly on its tracks as it makes for the station , we obtain not only the bare minimum , validity , but something more than that , opening like a flower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preconditions of beauty , the reassurance of order .
Were the liturgical reformers of the 1960s who had been ordained to celebrate the rites faithfully — were they faithful to the immense treasury bestowed upon them , handed down to them by so many generations of believers ?
Were they worthy of their trust , letting Christ and His Church speak through them ?
Or did they dare to think themselves wiser than 500 , 1,000 , 1,500 years of Catholic tradition or even more , stretching back to the temple worship of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one or two minor points , which might have been granted , but on the shape and substance of the Church ’ s rites from top to bottom , as they systematically and thoroughly altered every sacrament and sacramental , every office of prayer and penance , everything connected with divine worship ?
PETITION : Urge Catholic bishops to refuse Holy Communion to pro-abortion Biden !
Sign the petition here .
Last time I checked , this kind of “ daring ” was par for the course in the liturgical reform .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defined by audacity on every level , riding the momentum of an ecumaniacal Council and paid for by the slush fund of papal authority , accumulated over centuries and blown in a decade .
The liturgical reformers changed the sacramental formula for the consecration of the wine by displacing the mysterium fidei — not making the consecration invalid , but still tampering with something that had never been changed in the entire history of the Western Church .
They removed many verses of the Psalms from the Breviary that had always been sung @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Scripture that used to be read at Mass for as many centuries as we have records , and when they included more of Scripture , they navigated around particular verses they didn ’ t want to have in there .
The sacramental formulas of almost every sacrament were modified by Paul VI .
Did they have to be ?
Did anyone ever question their legitimacy ?
Were the ranks of lower clergy and the squadrons of Catholic Action clamoring for urgent sacramental reform ?
No .
Paul VI changed them so that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ words ) “ our own voices are heard ” — that is , modern scholarly up-to-date voices , not the voice of Catholic Tradition .
All of this background establishes the context for why Pope Francis felt free to contradict Scripture in Amoris Laetitia and the death penalty change — why he could effectively dissent from the uniqueness and unicity of the Christian religion as a God-willed path of salvation .
Neither sacraments nor Scripture are seen as inviolable anymore .
That is the legacy of Paul VI ’ s liturgical reform , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the problem head-on , we will be fighting a conflagration with squirt guns .
The solution will not be as simple as “ better seminary training.
” There will have to be , sooner or later , a wholesale restoration of what we were doing before , successfully , organically , from the beginning of the Church on through the centuries .
It will not , it can not be , something cobbled together by a Vatican committee and atomized into as many varieties as there are “ worshiping communities.
” The thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or more inculturated rituals for local communities is identical to the thought process behind the creation of the Novus Ordo .
The step from Annibale Bugnini to Deacon Mark Springer is not as large as might be imagined .
One was clever , the other foolish ; one had plenty of training but no scruples , while the other plenty of enthusiasm and no training .
Yet they are two peas in a pod .

The liturgical reformers of the 1960s thoroughly altered every sacrament and sacramental, every office of prayer and penance, everything connected with divine worship. How has it turned out?
September 8, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Fr. Matthew Hood, the Detroit priest who discovered in early August that he had been invalidly baptized — that is, had not been baptized at all, and therefore had to receive all his sacraments over again (with the fallout that resulted for other people who depended on his ministry) — wrote a gentle and sincere article about his situation that was published at First Things on September 3.
Several sentences in his article leapt out at me; I shall comment on them a few at a time.
Throughout the world, with rare exceptions, the sacraments are celebrated validly. If we have clear and irrefutable evidence to the contrary, then we can act to correct the situation swiftly. But the faithful should not be anxious.
“Throughout the world, with rare exceptions, the sacraments are celebrated validly.” To be able to say this in 2020 is indirectly to admit the colossal failure of the liturgical reform to live up to the vision (some would say utopian) that the original Liturgical Movement had, of a Church joyfully and knowledgeably drawing water from the sacramental springs of salvation as bequeathed to us in our Catholic tradition. The reformers felt themselves free to do nearly anything, with rare exceptions, because they had already in their minds equated the “essence” of sacraments with discrete formulas that guaranteed validity — and all else was up for grabs. This neoscholastic reductionism is incapable of seeing the beauty of the whole, the intangible life that animates the organic body; this reductionism murders to dissect, confident that it will find the golden egg once the goose is slaughtered.
This is the low bar to which we have been reduced: most sacraments are valid. I am reminded (again) of C.S. Lewis’s observation that if you seek the higher good, you’ll get the lower good “thrown in,” but if you seek the lower good apart from a higher good, you won’t even obtain the lower one. In the case of the traditional Latin sacramental rites, in which every word and motion is scripted by the rubrics and a minister is like a train engine that stays inflexibly on its tracks as it makes for the station, we obtain not only the bare minimum, validity, but something more than that, opening like a flower: the likelihood of dignity, the preconditions of beauty, the reassurance of order.
Fr. Hood continues:
If anyone should be anxious, it should be the ministers of the Church, that they renew their efforts to celebrate the rites of the Church faithfully. … The beautiful, powerful gift of the sacraments is obscured when we replace the voice of Christ with our own voices. As “stewards of the mysteries of God” we are proven “trustworthy” when we faithfully administer the sacraments according to the law of Christ and his Church by allowing Christ to speak through us (cf. 1 Cor. 4:2).
Were the liturgical reformers of the 1960s who had been ordained to celebrate the rites faithfully — were they faithful to the immense treasury bestowed upon them, handed down to them by so many generations of believers? Were they worthy of their trust, letting Christ and His Church speak through them? Or did they dare to think themselves wiser than 500, 1,000, 1,500 years of Catholic tradition or even more, stretching back to the temple worship of the Jews — wiser not just on one or two minor points, which might have been granted, but on the shape and substance of the Church’s rites from top to bottom, as they systematically and thoroughly altered every sacrament and sacramental, every office of prayer and penance, everything connected with divine worship?
PETITION: Urge Catholic bishops to refuse Holy Communion to pro-abortion Biden! Sign the petition here.
Then we reach Fr. Hood’s poignant statement:
We would not dare to change the words of Scripture to fit our own whims, so why would we change the words of the sacramental formula so that our own voices are heard?
Last time I checked, this kind of “daring” was par for the course in the liturgical reform. The reform, you might say, was defined by audacity on every level, riding the momentum of an ecumaniacal Council and paid for by the slush fund of papal authority, accumulated over centuries and blown in a decade.
The liturgical reformers changed the sacramental formula for the consecration of the wine by displacing the mysterium fidei — not making the consecration invalid, but still tampering with something that had never been changed in the entire history of the Western Church.
They removed many verses of the Psalms from the Breviary that had always been sung by the Church.
They removed passages of Scripture that used to be read at Mass for as many centuries as we have records, and when they included more of Scripture, they navigated around particular verses they didn’t want to have in there.
The sacramental formulas of almost every sacrament were modified by Paul VI. Did they have to be? Did anyone ever question their legitimacy? Were the ranks of lower clergy and the squadrons of Catholic Action clamoring for urgent sacramental reform? No. Paul VI changed them so that (in Fr. Hood’s words) “our own voices are heard” — that is, modern scholarly up-to-date voices, not the voice of Catholic Tradition.
All of this background establishes the context for why Pope Francis felt free to contradict Scripture in Amoris Laetitia and the death penalty change — why he could effectively dissent from the uniqueness and unicity of the Christian religion as a God-willed path of salvation. Neither sacraments nor Scripture are seen as inviolable anymore. That is the legacy of Paul VI’s liturgical reform, and until we confront the root of the problem head-on, we will be fighting a conflagration with squirt guns.
The solution will not be as simple as “better seminary training.” There will have to be, sooner or later, a wholesale restoration of what we were doing before, successfully, organically, from the beginning of the Church on through the centuries. It will not, it cannot be, something cobbled together by a Vatican committee and atomized into as many varieties as there are “worshiping communities.”
The thought process behind making up supposedly more meaningful or more inculturated rituals for local communities is identical to the thought process behind the creation of the Novus Ordo. The step from Annibale Bugnini to Deacon Mark Springer is not as large as might be imagined. One was clever, the other foolish; one had plenty of training but no scruples, while the other plenty of enthusiasm and no training. Yet they are two peas in a pod.
Peter Kwasniewski, Thomistic theologian, liturgical scholar, and choral composer, is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College in California (B.A. Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy). He taught at the International Theological Institute in Austria and the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austria Program, then helped establish Wyoming Catholic College in 2006. There he taught theology, philosophy, music, and art history and directed the choirs until leaving in 2018 to devote himself full-time to writing and lecturing. Today he contributes regularly to many websites and publications, including New Liturgical Movement, OnePeterFive, LifeSiteNews, Rorate Caeli, The Remnant, and Catholic Family News, and has published thirteen books, including four on traditional Catholicism: Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis (Angelico, 2014, also available in Czech, Polish, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Belarusian), Noble Beauty, Transcendent Holiness (Angelico, 2017), Tradition and Sanity (Angelico, 2018), and Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius and Timeliness of the Traditional Latin Mass (Angelico, 2020). His work has been translated into at least eighteen languages. Kwasniewski is a scholar of The Aquinas Institute in Green Bay, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, a Fellow of the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies, and a Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center. He has published over a thousand articles on Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. For news, information, article links, sacred music, and the home of Os Justi Press, visit his personal website, www.peterkwasniewski.com.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-09-08--Why sex education has so successfully increased promiscuity, STDs, abortion

PETITION : Support school choice and call on the U.S. Senate to pass the SCHOOL Act !
Sign the petition here .
September 8 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — How did we get modern sex education — and why ?
These are questions I frequently get from parents .
A few years ago , I decided to pose them to Peter Hitchens , a well known journalist , author , and cultural commentator hailing from Oxford , England .
He has had much to say about the idea of modern sex education in his various writings and media interviews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex education in the West came about , I decided to interview him .
According to his analysis , the suspicions of many parents are absolutely correct .
In his view , the entire concept of sex education fails on its own terms .
“ The problem with sex education , ” he told me by phone , “ is that the ostensible purpose for which it is advocated turns out not to be true .
I did a study a few years ago of the development of sex education in my own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it ’ s been justified really since the middle part of the Second World War , when of course there were a lot of venereal diseases , on the basis that if people were better educated about it , then it would reduce the amount of sexually transmitted disease and the amount of unwanted pregnancy .
And yet if you watch the figures for both sexually transmitted disease and for unwanted pregnancy , and increasingly now for abortion , we find that despite the greater and greater extent of sex education in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about sex , and more and more pornography ( which is also supposed to end repression ) , the number of people becoming pregnant when they didn ’ t want to continues to rise and the number of people contracting sexually transmitted diseases continues to rise.
” This is partially because , as the late National Post columnist George Jonas wrote during one sex education controversy , educating young people in an activity will increase that activity .
Thus , the risk of abortion , sexually transmitted disease , and teenage pregnancy will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s intent , however , is not simply to prevent these things , but rather to re-educate , then it still can suit the purposes of the State quite nicely .
“ It is said , ” Hitchens noted , “ that Gyorgy Lukas , who was commissar for education in the short-lived Bela Kun Soviet Government in Hungary in 1918 , openly said that the purpose of sex education when he introduced it then — I think he was probably the first person to do so — was to debauch the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young women particularly .
It seems to me to make a certain amount of sense … because the kinds of things that people are taught in sex education are disinhibiting things .
When I was in school no one ever mentioned masturbation .
It would have been extremely bad manners to mention it anywhere , let alone for an adult teacher to talk to quite young children about it and about other sexual practices in class .
The moment these things start being discussed , it disinhibits people , it takes restraints off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you may believe , and a lot of people do believe and have believed for many years , that these inhibitions are bad for us .
That ’ s a point of view .
I don ’ t happen to share it , and if you follow that belief as a parent , I suppose you ’ re entitled to introduce your child to this sort of thing as early an age as you wish in a free country , but what bothers us in many cases [ is that ] parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done in classrooms until after it ’ s happened.
” “ Discussing these things in the way that they ’ re discussed [ makes these ] things sound normal , ” Hitchens pointed out .
“ So it ’ s assumed that children will have underage sex or unmarried sex or promiscuous sex , and it ’ s assumed that they will do so , and all the precautions they ’ re supposed to take is based on this idea that this will happen .
‘ If you can ’ t be good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why our public schools are so involved in handing out condoms and ensuring ready access to birth control pills — because they assume that people , even children , are entirely incapable of abstaining from sex outside marriage .
Sex education , in essence , proceeds directly out of that assumption .
And that assumption is very much promoted by our current political class .
“ There [ are ] politics in sex , ” says Peter Hitchens .
“ Much of those politics are about the family and the State .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family , and the strong family is sustained by lifelong marriage and by a pretty stern and puritan attitude towards sexual relations — whereas the strong state benefits in many ways , as does modern commerce and the modern employer , from weak marriages and relaxed sexual relations .
There ’ s also the point that Aldous Huxley makes , which is that we are increasingly going to embrace our own enslavement in the pursuit of pleasure , which [ is a point ] I believe actually the Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in human history between sexual freedom and political freedom .
Slaves have always been allowed to copulate .
What they haven ’ t been allowed to do is marry.
” “ And this , ” Hitchens continued , “ is an extremely important point .
There is no necessary connection between a society which is sexually free and sexually uninhibited , and a society that is politically free and has free speech and freedom of assembly .
It doesn ’ t necessarily follow at all .
So [ this is ] a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nature of society , and it needs to be conducted in a very serious fashion .
The difficulty is in finding anyone to give you a hearing.
” It ’ s a fascinating perspective , especially coming from someone who was once a radical Trotskyist as Hitchens was .
When I pointed this out to him , Hitchens responded by noting that this is precisely the reason he is so well versed in the way the left thinks and does business .
“ I decided to stop believing it because it seemed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous , ” Hitchens told me .
“ But the great advantage which it gives me is that I know what left-wing people say and think in private when they ’ re not trying to please people on television shows .
I know just how dogged and devastating this project is , which they want , and I know that the fundamental engine of left-wing activity , really since the 1960s , has not been to seize the post office and the barracks and the railway station ; it ’ s been to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the university , and to obtain victory through capturing the minds of people , and also to alter society not through the nationalizing of railways , but through the nationalizing of childhood.
” The nationalizing of childhood — a chilling idea that makes much sense .
Give to the State and its education system the task of teaching children what to believe and which values to hold , and you ’ ve essentially co-opted the family structure .
“ When they say children should speak for themselves , ” Hitchens pointed out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the parents should be removed from the discussion .
They don ’ t actually want them to speak for themselves ; they want the children to do what they want them to do , and they know the parental home is the biggest obstacle to this thing.
” This is why many states seek to ban practices that threaten this goal , like homeschooling : “ There ’ s a certain amount of it in Britain , it ’ s actually illegal in Germany to this day because of the National Socialist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never been repealed , and attempts are being made to restrict it in Britain .
They ’ re in their infancy , but they ’ re on their way , and I think parental resistance to it on that scale is probably the only effective answer .
You say , ‘ All right , well , if you feel that this is how you want to drive your power into my home and into my life , then I thank you very much , but I ’ m not going to let you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home.
’ And quite honestly , I don ’ t know what your public school system is like , but if it ’ s anything remotely like ours , it ’ ll probably come up with a much better general education on top.
” Parental resistance is , at the end of the day , the answer to the State ’ s attempt to educate and re-educate children , and that is already increasingly difficult .
In many places in Canada and the United States , governments are stepping in and demanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taught .
Officials are objecting to parents who want to opt their children out of sex education .
Christian schools are being told that the day is soon coming when they will no longer be allowed to teach sexuality from the Christian point of view .
Many people , after all , consider that point of view hateful and harmful .
First and foremost , it is essential that parents take the responsibility of educating their children on sexuality seriously .
This is something Christians have often done quite badly , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the youth against many of the damaging ideas promoted everywhere in our society .
If we teach our children nothing about biblical sexuality and send them out into a hedonistic and exhibitionist culture , we are practically guaranteeing that they will not be able to withstand the poisonous intellectual onslaught and torrent of temptation .
Our children are the future , and if we do not educate them , the culture — and the state — will be more than happy to do it for us .
Jonathon ’ s new podcast , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement .
In his latest episode , Jonathon interviews Christian conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey , who argues that social media is making too many teenager narcissistic and self-centered .
Parents need to do a better job limiting their children 's use of technology , she says : “ We are incomplete people in need of our faith , in need of something bigger than us , and in need of purpose.
” You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below :

PETITION: Support school choice and call on the U.S. Senate to pass the SCHOOL Act! Sign the petition here.
September 8, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — How did we get modern sex education — and why? These are questions I frequently get from parents. A few years ago, I decided to pose them to Peter Hitchens, a well known journalist, author, and cultural commentator hailing from Oxford, England. He has had much to say about the idea of modern sex education in his various writings and media interviews. For more insight into how modern sex education in the West came about, I decided to interview him. According to his analysis, the suspicions of many parents are absolutely correct. In his view, the entire concept of sex education fails on its own terms.
“The problem with sex education,” he told me by phone, “is that the ostensible purpose for which it is advocated turns out not to be true. I did a study a few years ago of the development of sex education in my own country, and what I found is that it’s been justified really since the middle part of the Second World War, when of course there were a lot of venereal diseases, on the basis that if people were better educated about it, then it would reduce the amount of sexually transmitted disease and the amount of unwanted pregnancy. And yet if you watch the figures for both sexually transmitted disease and for unwanted pregnancy, and increasingly now for abortion, we find that despite the greater and greater extent of sex education in our society, more and more frankness about sex, and more and more pornography (which is also supposed to end repression), the number of people becoming pregnant when they didn’t want to continues to rise and the number of people contracting sexually transmitted diseases continues to rise.”
This is partially because, as the late National Post columnist George Jonas wrote during one sex education controversy, educating young people in an activity will increase that activity. Thus, the risk of abortion, sexually transmitted disease, and teenage pregnancy will only go up. If sex education’s intent, however, is not simply to prevent these things, but rather to re-educate, then it still can suit the purposes of the State quite nicely.
“It is said,” Hitchens noted, “that Gyorgy Lukas, who was commissar for education in the short-lived Bela Kun Soviet Government in Hungary in 1918, openly said that the purpose of sex education when he introduced it then — I think he was probably the first person to do so — was to debauch the minds and morals of religiously brought up young women particularly. It seems to me to make a certain amount of sense … because the kinds of things that people are taught in sex education are disinhibiting things. When I was in school no one ever mentioned masturbation. It would have been extremely bad manners to mention it anywhere, let alone for an adult teacher to talk to quite young children about it and about other sexual practices in class. The moment these things start being discussed, it disinhibits people, it takes restraints off them that previously were there. Now, you may believe, and a lot of people do believe and have believed for many years, that these inhibitions are bad for us. That’s a point of view. I don’t happen to share it, and if you follow that belief as a parent, I suppose you’re entitled to introduce your child to this sort of thing as early an age as you wish in a free country, but what bothers us in many cases [is that] parents don’t realize what is being done in classrooms until after it’s happened.”
“Discussing these things in the way that they’re discussed [makes these] things sound normal,” Hitchens pointed out. “So it’s assumed that children will have underage sex or unmarried sex or promiscuous sex, and it’s assumed that they will do so, and all the precautions they’re supposed to take is based on this idea that this will happen. ‘If you can’t be good, be careful.’”
That is why our public schools are so involved in handing out condoms and ensuring ready access to birth control pills — because they assume that people, even children, are entirely incapable of abstaining from sex outside marriage. Sex education, in essence, proceeds directly out of that assumption. And that assumption is very much promoted by our current political class.
Follow Jonathon Van Maren on Facebook
“There [are] politics in sex,” says Peter Hitchens. “Much of those politics are about the family and the State. The state is increasingly hostile to the strong family, and the strong family is sustained by lifelong marriage and by a pretty stern and puritan attitude towards sexual relations — whereas the strong state benefits in many ways, as does modern commerce and the modern employer, from weak marriages and relaxed sexual relations. There’s also the point that Aldous Huxley makes, which is that we are increasingly going to embrace our own enslavement in the pursuit of pleasure, which [is a point] I believe actually the Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm made … that there is absolutely no congruence in human history between sexual freedom and political freedom. Slaves have always been allowed to copulate. What they haven’t been allowed to do is marry.”
“And this,” Hitchens continued, “is an extremely important point. There is no necessary connection between a society which is sexually free and sexually uninhibited, and a society that is politically free and has free speech and freedom of assembly. It doesn’t necessarily follow at all. So [this is] a very, very profound philosophical battle about the nature of society, and it needs to be conducted in a very serious fashion. The difficulty is in finding anyone to give you a hearing.”
It’s a fascinating perspective, especially coming from someone who was once a radical Trotskyist as Hitchens was. When I pointed this out to him, Hitchens responded by noting that this is precisely the reason he is so well versed in the way the left thinks and does business.
“I decided to stop believing it because it seemed to me to be morally wrong and highly dangerous,” Hitchens told me. “But the great advantage which it gives me is that I know what left-wing people say and think in private when they’re not trying to please people on television shows. I know just how dogged and devastating this project is, which they want, and I know that the fundamental engine of left-wing activity, really since the 1960s, has not been to seize the post office and the barracks and the railway station; it’s been to seize the television station and the newspaper and the university, and to obtain victory through capturing the minds of people, and also to alter society not through the nationalizing of railways, but through the nationalizing of childhood.”
The nationalizing of childhood — a chilling idea that makes much sense. Give to the State and its education system the task of teaching children what to believe and which values to hold, and you’ve essentially co-opted the family structure.
“When they say children should speak for themselves,” Hitchens pointed out, “what they actually mean is that the parents should be removed from the discussion. They don’t actually want them to speak for themselves; they want the children to do what they want them to do, and they know the parental home is the biggest obstacle to this thing.”
This is why many states seek to ban practices that threaten this goal, like homeschooling: “There’s a certain amount of it in Britain, it’s actually illegal in Germany to this day because of the National Socialist law passed under Hitler, which has never been repealed, and attempts are being made to restrict it in Britain. They’re in their infancy, but they’re on their way, and I think parental resistance to it on that scale is probably the only effective answer. You say, ‘All right, well, if you feel that this is how you want to drive your power into my home and into my life, then I thank you very much, but I’m not going to let you. We’ll educate our children at home.’ And quite honestly, I don’t know what your public school system is like, but if it’s anything remotely like ours, it’ll probably come up with a much better general education on top.”
Parental resistance is, at the end of the day, the answer to the State’s attempt to educate and re-educate children, and that is already increasingly difficult. In many places in Canada and the United States, governments are stepping in and demanding that acceptance of certain sexual behaviors be taught. Officials are objecting to parents who want to opt their children out of sex education. Christian schools are being told that the day is soon coming when they will no longer be allowed to teach sexuality from the Christian point of view. Many people, after all, consider that point of view hateful and harmful.
First and foremost, it is essential that parents take the responsibility of educating their children on sexuality seriously. This is something Christians have often done quite badly, but it is the most effective way of inoculating the youth against many of the damaging ideas promoted everywhere in our society. If we teach our children nothing about biblical sexuality and send them out into a hedonistic and exhibitionist culture, we are practically guaranteeing that they will not be able to withstand the poisonous intellectual onslaught and torrent of temptation. Our children are the future, and if we do not educate them, the culture — and the state — will be more than happy to do it for us.
Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, Jonathon interviews Christian conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey, who argues that social media is making too many teenager narcissistic and self-centered. Parents need to do a better job limiting their children's use of technology, she says: “We are incomplete people in need of our faith, in need of something bigger than us, and in need of purpose.” You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below:
Follow Jonathon Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. His commentary has been translated into more than eight languages and published widely online as well as print newspapers such as the Jewish Independent, the National Post, the Hamilton Spectator and others. He has received an award for combating anti-Semitism in print from the Jewish organization B’nai Brith. His commentary has been featured on CTV Primetime, Global News, EWTN, and the CBC as well as dozens of radio stations and news outlets in Canada and the United States. He speaks on a wide variety of cultural topics across North America at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions. Some of these topics include abortion, pornography, the Sexual Revolution, and euthanasia. Jonathon holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Simon Fraser University, and is the communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Jonathon’s first book, The Culture War, was released in 2016.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-09-08--WATCH: Dancer invokes pagan spirits during ceremony at Australian deacon’s ordination

MILTON , New South Wales , Australia , September 8 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Pagan spirits were invoked via drumming , chanting , and a ritual dance prior to the ordination Mass of a married deacon in Australia .
Philip and Bee Butler sang , and Philip danced , a ritual they called a “ Welcome to Country ” before the August 28 evening Mass in St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Parish in Milton , NSW , Australia .
Beforehand Philip Butler stated that he and his wife are members of the Budawang people of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the aborigional ritual , Philip Butler said that he and his family were proud to welcome Justin Stanwix , the ordinand , into their community .
He said that their songs and his dance would ask a number of spirit birds and animals to “ look after us all and keep us safe while we ’ re in country.
” After the first song , Butler danced before the altar , singing and banging sticks or rattles together .
“ I asked for protection from the air , the earth , and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he returned to the ambo .
“ And then that dance to call the spirits of all those animals to look after us all and keep us safe.
” Butler ’ s short speech was greeted with applause and followed by the entrance hymn , Australian Paul Mason ’ s “ The Power of the Spirit.
” During the Mass , Bishop Brian G. Mascord of the Diocese of Wollongong invited Butler to join him in purifying the congregation .
As the bishop sprinkled the faithful with holy water , Butler followed him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to traditional Australian aboriginal beliefs , smoke from certain plants can drive away evil spirits .
The Mass was posted to Youtube , where a number of viewers expressed outrage .
“ Why oh why are the paganistic smoking/cleansing involved in a so-called Holy and Sanctified Church ; does not this Bishop believe in God nor His Holy Church ?
” asked a Fr .
Neivandt .
Bishop Mascord told LifeSiteNews via email that the “ Welcome to Country ” was not a religious ritual , but a cultural ritual of “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Traditional Owners.
” “ It has been a part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures for tens of thousands of years .
The essential elements of welcoming visitors and offering safe passage remain in place to this day , ” Mascord wrote .
A ‘ Welcome to Country ’ occurs at the beginning of a formal event and can take many forms including singing , dancing , smoking ceremonies or a speech in traditional language and/or English , ” he continued .
The bishop added that the ritual had greeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Benedict XVI when they visited Australia .
“ The understanding of this ancient cultural ritual of hospitality is in keeping with the special care of hospitality enjoined on Christians ( cf .
Romans 12:13 ) , ” Mascord wrote .
“ This leads to and encourages the virtues of charity , fraternity and social friendship in people of every race and tongue , whose faith God alone knows.
” During St. John Paul II ’ s 1986 visit to Australia , he honored aboriginal culture and told Australia ’ s first peoples to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their traditional ways .
At the same time , he told them that Jesus Christ was calling them .
“ Jesus calls you to accept his words and his values into your own culture , ” he said in a speech well-known to Australian Catholics .
“ To develop in this way will make you more than ever truly Aboriginal.
” According to Australian Geographic , the “ Welcome to Country ” , which was indeed celebrated in the past when one aboriginal group wished to travel through the lands of another , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1976 .
Performed at a Perth Arts festival at the request of a visiting Maori troupe , the concept was eagerly promoted by Australian tourism boards .
The “ Welcome to Country ” does not have to follow a prescribed set of words and changes from people to people and event to event .
Australian performer Dr. Richard Walley , describing what he did to placate the Maori visitors , stated that he invoked the “ good spirits ” of his and the visitors ancestors and the land .
“ I asked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good spirits of the ancestors of the land to watch over us and keep our guests safe while they ’ re in our Country .
And then I talked to the spirits of their ancestors , saying that we ’ re looking after them here and we will send them back to their Country , ” he explained .
In December 2019 , a Catholic youth festival organized by the Australian Catholic Bishops ’ Conference ( ACBC ) also began with a “ Welcome to Country ” ceremony .
At its conclusion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gods bless you and may all our spirits give you goosebumps , not just today but for the rest of your lives , and we know then we ’ re on the right path.
” Afterwards a Catholic commentator told LifeSiteNews that beginning a Catholic youth festival with a blessing from ‘ the gods ’ should be shocking but isn ’ t thanks to the appearance of the Andean “ Pachamama ” at the Vatican .
“ And it can hardly be a surprise when this festival started with a ‘ Welcome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most central and modern public ritual of the pagan , animist , and pantheistic religion practised before Christianity arrived in Australia , ” said Bernard Gaynor , a Catholic layman and prominent commentator .
“ We live in a time of crisis for the Church .
The youth need clear teaching and leadership .
Instead they are being encouraged to abandon the central tenets of the faith , ” he continued .
“ It really is a terrible scandal that this Catholic festival opened in the most anti-Catholic way possible .
”

'I asked for protection from the air, the earth, and then the ocean,' the man said from the ambo after the dance. 'And then that dance to call the spirits of all those animals to look after us all and keep us safe.'
MILTON, New South Wales, Australia, September 8, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Pagan spirits were invoked via drumming, chanting, and a ritual dance prior to the ordination Mass of a married deacon in Australia.
Philip and Bee Butler sang, and Philip danced, a ritual they called a “Welcome to Country” before the August 28 evening Mass in St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Parish in Milton, NSW, Australia.
Beforehand Philip Butler stated that he and his wife are members of the Budawang people of the Yuin nation.
In an introduction to the aborigional ritual, Philip Butler said that he and his family were proud to welcome Justin Stanwix, the ordinand, into their community. He said that their songs and his dance would ask a number of spirit birds and animals to “look after us all and keep us safe while we’re in country.”
After the first song, Butler danced before the altar, singing and banging sticks or rattles together.
“I asked for protection from the air, the earth, and then the ocean,” he explained when he returned to the ambo.
“And then that dance to call the spirits of all those animals to look after us all and keep us safe.”
Butler’s short speech was greeted with applause and followed by the entrance hymn, Australian Paul Mason’s “The Power of the Spirit.”
During the Mass, Bishop Brian G. Mascord of the Diocese of Wollongong invited Butler to join him in purifying the congregation. As the bishop sprinkled the faithful with holy water, Butler followed him with a smoking basket of vegetation. According to traditional Australian aboriginal beliefs, smoke from certain plants can drive away evil spirits.
The Mass was posted to Youtube, where a number of viewers expressed outrage.
“Why oh why are the paganistic smoking/cleansing involved in a so-called Holy and Sanctified Church; does not this Bishop believe in God nor His Holy Church?” asked a Fr. Neivandt.
Bishop Mascord told LifeSiteNews via email that the “Welcome to Country” was not a religious ritual, but a cultural ritual of “respect and welcoming visitors to the land of the Traditional Owners.”
“It has been a part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures for tens of thousands of years. The essential elements of welcoming visitors and offering safe passage remain in place to this day,” Mascord wrote.
A ‘Welcome to Country’ occurs at the beginning of a formal event and can take many forms including singing, dancing, smoking ceremonies or a speech in traditional language and/or English,” he continued.
The bishop added that the ritual had greeted both Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI when they visited Australia.
“The understanding of this ancient cultural ritual of hospitality is in keeping with the special care of hospitality enjoined on Christians (cf. Romans 12:13),” Mascord wrote.
“This leads to and encourages the virtues of charity, fraternity and social friendship in people of every race and tongue, whose faith God alone knows.”
During St. John Paul II’s 1986 visit to Australia, he honored aboriginal culture and told Australia’s first peoples to keep “what is best” of their traditional ways. At the same time, he told them that Jesus Christ was calling them.
“Jesus calls you to accept his words and his values into your own culture,” he said in a speech well-known to Australian Catholics.
“To develop in this way will make you more than ever truly Aboriginal.”
According to Australian Geographic, the “Welcome to Country”, which was indeed celebrated in the past when one aboriginal group wished to travel through the lands of another, has been mainstream in Australia only since 1976. Performed at a Perth Arts festival at the request of a visiting Maori troupe, the concept was eagerly promoted by Australian tourism boards.
The “Welcome to Country” does not have to follow a prescribed set of words and changes from people to people and event to event. Australian performer Dr. Richard Walley, describing what he did to placate the Maori visitors, stated that he invoked the “good spirits” of his and the visitors ancestors and the land.
“I asked the good spirits of my ancestors and the good spirits of the ancestors of the land to watch over us and keep our guests safe while they’re in our Country. And then I talked to the spirits of their ancestors, saying that we’re looking after them here and we will send them back to their Country,” he explained.
In December 2019, a Catholic youth festival organized by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ACBC) also began with a “Welcome to Country” ceremony. At its conclusion, the speaker said: “May all the gods bless you and may all our spirits give you goosebumps, not just today but for the rest of your lives, and we know then we’re on the right path.”
Afterwards a Catholic commentator told LifeSiteNews that beginning a Catholic youth festival with a blessing from ‘the gods’ should be shocking but isn’t thanks to the appearance of the Andean “Pachamama” at the Vatican.
“And it can hardly be a surprise when this festival started with a ‘Welcome to Country’ which is really the most central and modern public ritual of the pagan, animist, and pantheistic religion practised before Christianity arrived in Australia,” said Bernard Gaynor, a Catholic layman and prominent commentator.
“We live in a time of crisis for the Church. The youth need clear teaching and leadership. Instead they are being encouraged to abandon the central tenets of the faith,” he continued.
“It really is a terrible scandal that this Catholic festival opened in the most anti-Catholic way possible.”
Share


lifesitenews--2020-09-10--Instagram bans LifeSite report on drug to treat COVID, cites ‘misinformation’

PETITION : Tell the FDA to reverse its opposition to Hydroxychloroquine and help save lives !
Sign the petition here .
September 9 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Instagram has removed a post by LifeSiteNews for allegedly going “ against our Community Guidelines ” and containing “ harmful false information.
” The post referred to an article on renowned Yale professor Harvey A. Risch praising the benefits of using hydroxychloroquine ( HCQ ) in treating COVID-19 patients .
Instagram wrote in a standard email sent to LifeSiteNews , “ Even if you didn ’ t mean to offend , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a way that ’ s respectful to everyone.
” “ We want to keep Instagram a safe place for everyone , ” the email continued .
“ We don ’ t allow false information that could contribute to physical harm.
” “ In some cases , this includes information that recognized health organizations say could mislead people about how to cure or prevent a disease or that could discourage people from seeking medical treatment.
” The email then referred to the World Health Organization for more information about the coronavirus .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the social media platform , owned by Facebook , censored not merely a random thought of one of its users , but the informed opinion of a respected medical doctor and professor of epidemiology at one of the most prestigious Ivy League schools .
As reported by LifeSiteNews , Harvey A. Risch had praised the proven benefits of HCQ in fighting COVID-19 , emphasizing at the same time that opponents of HCQ have no science to back them up .
“ I conclude the evidence is overwhelming , ” Risch told host Mark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News show in August .
“ There ’ s no question that in the people who need to be treated , and are treated early , [ hydroxychloroquine ] has a very substantial benefit in reducing risk of hospitalization or mortality.
” Risch accused the opponents of HCQ use of being engaged in “ a massive disinformation campaign that stretches from the government to the media , that ’ s either suppressing this message , or it ’ s countering it with a false message.
” He admitted that he doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign but said later , “ It ’ s an absurd situation that people have compared ... to 1984 and the Ministry of Truth , and someone that ’ s limiting what people can say on objective facts .
It ’ s beyond belief.
” In reality , “ the science is so one-sided in supporting this result that it ’ s stronger than anything else I ’ ve ever studied in my entire career , ” said Risch .
“ The evidence in favor of hydroxychloroquine benefit in high-risk patients treated early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve ever studied.
” Risch said most of the scientists working for the government , as well as their institutions , “ cite studies that are of hospitalized patients , or they cite studies ... that treat low risk patients .
These are people under age 60 with no chronic conditions , and so on — people who will survive the virus just on their own , without treatment almost entirely.
” On the other hand , Risch , and other scientists like him , emphasize the benefit of HCQ use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underlying conditions , who are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and having a more severe progression of the virus .
He explained that he was never contacted by Anthony Fauci , the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ( NIAID ) and a key member of President Donald Trump ’ s coronavirus task force , to discuss how their understanding of the science differs .
Risch admitted that some adverse effects can be measured in some people who take HCQ .
“ The medication itself has in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal people — [ it ] can change the pacing of the heart muscle contractions , called the heart rhythm .
That change has only measurement value .
In other words , if you measure it on electrocardiogram , you can see it has essentially no bearing for almost everyone who has that , as to any risks for a real arrhythmia that has potentially life-threatening consequences.
” Risch said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) “ is a very strange organization that has a history of not making science-based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s outrageous , ” he concluded .
“ People need to be writing or calling their congressmen and senators and complaining that this is not the way the country should work.
” “ A bureaucracy that ’ s in bed with other forces that are causing them to make decisions that are not based on the science — that is killing Americans.
” LifeSiteNews has experienced some censorship not only from Instagram , but also from its parent company , Facebook .
One of LifeSite ’ s posts was slapped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article contained false information .
Like the article censored by Instagram , this one , too , talked about HCQ .
Facebook also linked to a different article claiming that HCQ is ineffective .
Facebook has been in the news for its censorship for years .
Last June , undercover video showed that content moderators at a Facebook contractor admitted they proactively deleted conservative and pro-Trump posts .

The stifled article cited testimony from an accomplished medical doctor and professor of epidemiology at one of the most prestigious Ivy League schools.
PETITION: Tell the FDA to reverse its opposition to Hydroxychloroquine and help save lives! Sign the petition here.
September 9, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Instagram has removed a post by LifeSiteNews for allegedly going “against our Community Guidelines” and containing “harmful false information.” The post referred to an article on renowned Yale professor Harvey A. Risch praising the benefits of using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in treating COVID-19 patients.
Instagram wrote in a standard email sent to LifeSiteNews, “Even if you didn’t mean to offend, our guidelines encourage people to express themselves in a way that’s respectful to everyone.”
“We want to keep Instagram a safe place for everyone,” the email continued. “We don’t allow false information that could contribute to physical harm.”
“In some cases, this includes information that recognized health organizations say could mislead people about how to cure or prevent a disease or that could discourage people from seeking medical treatment.”
The email then referred to the World Health Organization for more information about the coronavirus.
By removing LifeSite’s Instagram post, the social media platform, owned by Facebook, censored not merely a random thought of one of its users, but the informed opinion of a respected medical doctor and professor of epidemiology at one of the most prestigious Ivy League schools.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Harvey A. Risch had praised the proven benefits of HCQ in fighting COVID-19, emphasizing at the same time that opponents of HCQ have no science to back them up.
“I conclude the evidence is overwhelming,” Risch told host Mark Levin during the latter’s Fox News show in August. “There’s no question that in the people who need to be treated, and are treated early, [hydroxychloroquine] has a very substantial benefit in reducing risk of hospitalization or mortality.”
Risch accused the opponents of HCQ use of being engaged in “a massive disinformation campaign that stretches from the government to the media, that’s either suppressing this message, or it’s countering it with a false message.”
He admitted that he doesn’t know the exact reasons for this disinformation campaign but said later, “It’s an absurd situation that people have compared … to 1984 and the Ministry of Truth, and someone that’s limiting what people can say on objective facts. It’s beyond belief.”
In reality, “the science is so one-sided in supporting this result that it’s stronger than anything else I’ve ever studied in my entire career,” said Risch. “The evidence in favor of hydroxychloroquine benefit in high-risk patients treated early as outpatients is stronger than anything else I’ve ever studied.”
Risch said most of the scientists working for the government, as well as their institutions, “cite studies that are of hospitalized patients, or they cite studies … that treat low risk patients. These are people under age 60 with no chronic conditions, and so on — people who will survive the virus just on their own, without treatment almost entirely.”
On the other hand, Risch, and other scientists like him, emphasize the benefit of HCQ use in older people and those with other underlying conditions, who are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and having a more severe progression of the virus.
He explained that he was never contacted by Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and a key member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force, to discuss how their understanding of the science differs.
Risch admitted that some adverse effects can be measured in some people who take HCQ.
“The medication itself has in some people, perhaps 10 percent of normal people — [it] can change the pacing of the heart muscle contractions, called the heart rhythm. That change has only measurement value. In other words, if you measure it on electrocardiogram, you can see it has essentially no bearing for almost everyone who has that, as to any risks for a real arrhythmia that has potentially life-threatening consequences.”
Risch said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “is a very strange organization that has a history of not making science-based, rational-based decisions about its approvals.”
“It’s outrageous,” he concluded. “People need to be writing or calling their congressmen and senators and complaining that this is not the way the country should work.”
“A bureaucracy that’s in bed with other forces that are causing them to make decisions that are not based on the science — that is killing Americans.”
LifeSiteNews has experienced some censorship not only from Instagram, but also from its parent company, Facebook. One of LifeSite’s posts was slapped with a warning label claiming that the article contained false information. Like the article censored by Instagram, this one, too, talked about HCQ. Facebook also linked to a different article claiming that HCQ is ineffective.
Facebook has been in the news for its censorship for years. Last June, undercover video showed that content moderators at a Facebook contractor admitted they proactively deleted conservative and pro-Trump posts.
Share