lifesitenews--2020-08-24--Rioters are burning Portland down, and cowardly politicians are to blame

August 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A drama is unfolding in Portland , Oregon , that bodes ill for the nation .
Order and the rule of law are at stake .
The Portland plot is not an isolated event .
It could well be a trial run for similar shows in cities across the nation .
The media narrative about what is happening in Portland is all wrong .
It is written using an old class-struggle script in which angry protesters are victimized by brutal police authority .
These rioters , curiously costumed in black garb , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a just cause .
The police represent an evil and racist regime .
The real story needs to be told .
The false characters should be unmasked .
This is a tragedy that must be stopped before it ruins the nation .
It is time to act , calling a spade a spade and not dawdling while the nation burns .
Who Are the Individuals on the Streets of Portland ?
What are the real components of this show ?
The first thing that must be established is that the protests are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the point of expressing an opposing opinion .
They are not riots since these are not rowdy disturbances gone awry .
These demonstrators have deliberately planned events subverting order night after night .
There is nothing spontaneous about them .
Thus , the violence is not just violence .
It must be called sedition because it is an “ incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.
” These acts of sedition are meant to injure police , damage state property , and disturb the peace .
The individuals involved in these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rioters or demonstrators .
They are insurrectionists .
They do not desire to fix the system or improve the present society .
They want the overthrow of a legitimate order and the installation of a contrary and illegitimate state of things .
The city and state police and Homeland Security officers are the second players on the set in Portland .
They endure the abuse from the insurrectionists .
They are not the instruments of violence , but agents of order and the rule of law .
Whatever their defects may be , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between order and chaos .
They can be called heroes because they go beyond the call of duty in dealing with the revolutionaries in their acts of sedition .
Their service to the community usually does not include lasers flashed to harm their eyes .
Commercial grade fireworks seek to injure their bodies .
They should not be exposed to the obscenities and insults that call harm upon them .
They face acts of arson that attempt to burn down federal and other buildings with them inside .
These heroes bear this abuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is the cast of characters found upon the streets of Portland .
It reflects a dangerous and explosive situation .
However , another situation is far worse .
The scene in the drama changes from the violent streets of Portland at night and shifts to the government offices of city and state officials viewing the tragic scenes during the day .
These characters should favor the heroes of order and oppose the seditious insurrectionists who hate lawful authority and its symbols .
However , this is far from the case .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the local government officials do everything possible to facilitate the nightly disorders .
They complain about the actions of federal officials who take measures against the revolutionaries .
It is as if the characters in this government set have lost their minds and joined the other side .
The plot loses coherence , and everything goes haywire .
There is no other way to explain the inexplicable actions of liberal officials in the face of violence and chaos .
Most of these figures are supporting the insurrectionists .
Gov .
Kate Brown of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the revolutionaries , but the federal agents .
She accuses them of escalating the violence , even though the violence continued after the federal agents left the scene .
Her Department of Justice is taking legal action against the federal government for intervening in the nightly battles to protect federal buildings .
Another scandalous example is that of Multnomah County district attorney Mike Schmidt .
He announced that his office would not prosecute most of the over 500 insurrectionists who have been arrested by police throughout the acts of sedition .
Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliberate property damage , theft , or threat of violence .
However , only 50 have been charged for now .
The release of so many lawbreakers assures the insurrectionists on the street that their criminally seditious acts will have no legal consequences .
They are free to continue their macabre march to chaos , free of the restrictions of the law .
Indeed , insurrectionists continue to throw mortars , rocks , bottles , and cans of paint at the police .
They chant , “ Kill a cop , save a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aimed at police who are not expected to react lest they be accused of “ brutality.
” These acts of surrender to insurrectionists prompted the Oregon State Police to abandon Portland after protecting the federal courthouse , arresting offenders , and sustaining injuries .
Capt .
Timothy Fox said the troopers are moving “ back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority.
” The strain of the acts of sedition is preventing Portland city police from responding to increased criminal activities in other parts of the city .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The police department reports increased calls requesting help against “ theft , vandalism , suspicious activity , hazards , hit and run , burglary , violation of restraining order , alarms , stolen cars , harassment and many others.
” The whole community suffers from the dereliction of duty by a few local government officials .
A leftist agenda holds the city hostage .
The drama is not yet over since the final act has yet to be written .
A cast of characters has yet to appear on stage .
The final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ empty streets during the day that are surreal reflections of the violence of the night .
Everywhere this is evidence of the nightly conflicts in the form of trash or broken glass .
The buildings bear the battle scars of flashbangs and mortar-style fireworks .
The federal court and other buildings are boarded up and full of graffiti .
The characters are Portland citizens who have allowed their city to be used as a stage for this macabre drama .
They are largely silent as their downtown is destroyed .
The nation asks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against these barbarous acts that threaten their city and personal security .
Not even the destruction of their community seems enough to overcome the liberal haze that lingers over the scene and clouds their vision .
At this point , it remains to name the culprits bearing the most responsibility : the criminally negligent public officials .
Their coddling of the insurrectionists represents an immense betrayal of the public trust .
The city ’ s safety and the common good are put at risk because these officials put their leftist pet causes above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their citizens .
These officials can no longer be called public servants .
They are traitors who betray the trust of the public they are sworn to serve .
And , instead , they favor the avowed enemies of order , the rule of law , and the common good .
Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches that justice in law comes from its service to the common good ( Summa , Ia IIae , q 90 .
2.2 ) .
Indeed , law that does not serve the common good is not law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is instituted for the common good of all citizens .
When public officials fail to uphold order and the rule of law , they subvert the common good .
They should be denounced , protested , publicly shamed , and legally removed .
It remains to be seen if Portland ’ s and Oregon ’ s citizens will have the courage to take this necessary step .
However , the concern for order extends farther than Portlanders and Oregonians .
All American citizens who grieve for the nation must be alarmed by this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the entire country .
John Horvat II is a scholar , researcher , educator , international speaker , and author of the book Return to Order , as well as the author of hundreds of published articles .
He lives in Spring Grove , Pennsylvania where he is the vice president of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition , Family and Property .

The media narrative about what is happening in Portland is all wrong.
August 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A drama is unfolding in Portland, Oregon, that bodes ill for the nation. Order and the rule of law are at stake. The Portland plot is not an isolated event. It could well be a trial run for similar shows in cities across the nation.
The media narrative about what is happening in Portland is all wrong. It is written using an old class-struggle script in which angry protesters are victimized by brutal police authority. These rioters, curiously costumed in black garb, are supposedly concerned social warriors fighting for a just cause. The police represent an evil and racist regime.
The real story needs to be told. The false characters should be unmasked. This is a tragedy that must be stopped before it ruins the nation. It is time to act, calling a spade a spade and not dawdling while the nation burns.
Who Are the Individuals on the Streets of Portland?
What are the real components of this show?
The first thing that must be established is that the protests are not protests. They have gone well beyond the point of expressing an opposing opinion. They are not riots since these are not rowdy disturbances gone awry. These demonstrators have deliberately planned events subverting order night after night. There is nothing spontaneous about them.
Thus, the violence is not just violence. It must be called sedition because it is an “incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.” These acts of sedition are meant to injure police, damage state property, and disturb the peace.
The individuals involved in these acts of seditions are not protesters, rioters or demonstrators. They are insurrectionists. They do not desire to fix the system or improve the present society. They want the overthrow of a legitimate order and the installation of a contrary and illegitimate state of things.
The Agents of Order
The city and state police and Homeland Security officers are the second players on the set in Portland. They endure the abuse from the insurrectionists. They are not the instruments of violence, but agents of order and the rule of law. Whatever their defects may be, they are the thin blue line standing between order and chaos. They can be called heroes because they go beyond the call of duty in dealing with the revolutionaries in their acts of sedition.
Their service to the community usually does not include lasers flashed to harm their eyes. Commercial grade fireworks seek to injure their bodies. They should not be exposed to the obscenities and insults that call harm upon them. They face acts of arson that attempt to burn down federal and other buildings with them inside. These heroes bear this abuse peacefully and calmly night after night.
This is the cast of characters found upon the streets of Portland. It reflects a dangerous and explosive situation. However, another situation is far worse.
A Strange Twist of the Plot
The scene in the drama changes from the violent streets of Portland at night and shifts to the government offices of city and state officials viewing the tragic scenes during the day. These characters should favor the heroes of order and oppose the seditious insurrectionists who hate lawful authority and its symbols.
However, this is far from the case.
In a strange twist of the plot, the local government officials do everything possible to facilitate the nightly disorders. They complain about the actions of federal officials who take measures against the revolutionaries.
It is as if the characters in this government set have lost their minds and joined the other side. The plot loses coherence, and everything goes haywire.
Inexplicable Actions
There is no other way to explain the inexplicable actions of liberal officials in the face of violence and chaos. Most of these figures are supporting the insurrectionists.
Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon, for example, has denounced not the revolutionaries, but the federal agents. She accuses them of escalating the violence, even though the violence continued after the federal agents left the scene. Her Department of Justice is taking legal action against the federal government for intervening in the nightly battles to protect federal buildings.
Another scandalous example is that of Multnomah County district attorney Mike Schmidt. He announced that his office would not prosecute most of the over 500 insurrectionists who have been arrested by police throughout the acts of sedition. Those charged will be limited to acts of deliberate property damage, theft, or threat of violence. However, only 50 have been charged for now. The release of so many lawbreakers assures the insurrectionists on the street that their criminally seditious acts will have no legal consequences. They are free to continue their macabre march to chaos, free of the restrictions of the law.
Indeed, insurrectionists continue to throw mortars, rocks, bottles, and cans of paint at the police. They chant, “Kill a cop, save a life!” They set off fireworks aimed at police who are not expected to react lest they be accused of “brutality.”
State Police Leave the Stage
These acts of surrender to insurrectionists prompted the Oregon State Police to abandon Portland after protecting the federal courthouse, arresting offenders, and sustaining injuries. Capt. Timothy Fox said the troopers are moving “back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority.”
The strain of the acts of sedition is preventing Portland city police from responding to increased criminal activities in other parts of the city. Many calling 911 are put on hold. The police department reports increased calls requesting help against “theft, vandalism, suspicious activity, hazards, hit and run, burglary, violation of restraining order, alarms, stolen cars, harassment and many others.”
The whole community suffers from the dereliction of duty by a few local government officials. A leftist agenda holds the city hostage.
The Final Act
The drama is not yet over since the final act has yet to be written. A cast of characters has yet to appear on stage.
The final scene takes place on Portland’s empty streets during the day that are surreal reflections of the violence of the night. Everywhere this is evidence of the nightly conflicts in the form of trash or broken glass. The buildings bear the battle scars of flashbangs and mortar-style fireworks. The federal court and other buildings are boarded up and full of graffiti.
The characters are Portland citizens who have allowed their city to be used as a stage for this macabre drama. They are largely silent as their downtown is destroyed. The nation asks if they will speak up and protest against these barbarous acts that threaten their city and personal security. Not even the destruction of their community seems enough to overcome the liberal haze that lingers over the scene and clouds their vision.
Betrayal of the Public Trust
At this point, it remains to name the culprits bearing the most responsibility: the criminally negligent public officials. Their coddling of the insurrectionists represents an immense betrayal of the public trust. The city’s safety and the common good are put at risk because these officials put their leftist pet causes above the fundamental, natural and constitutional rights of their citizens.
These officials can no longer be called public servants. They are traitors who betray the trust of the public they are sworn to serve. And, instead, they favor the avowed enemies of order, the rule of law, and the common good.
Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches that justice in law comes from its service to the common good (Summa, Ia IIae, q 90. 2.2). Indeed, law that does not serve the common good is not law at all. Likewise, public authority is instituted for the common good of all citizens. When public officials fail to uphold order and the rule of law, they subvert the common good. They should be denounced, protested, publicly shamed, and legally removed.
It remains to be seen if Portland’s and Oregon’s citizens will have the courage to take this necessary step.
However, the concern for order extends farther than Portlanders and Oregonians. All American citizens who grieve for the nation must be alarmed by this tragic drama that can spread like cancer over the entire country.
John Horvat II is a scholar, researcher, educator, international speaker, and author of the book Return to Order, as well as the author of hundreds of published articles. He lives in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania where he is the vice president of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property.
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lifesitenews--2020-08-24--Cardinal Zen: I don’t agree with those who do not accept Vatican II

August 24 , 2020 ( MarcoTosatti.com ) – The following letter by Cardinal Joseph Zen is a response to some observations made by Prof. Roberto De Matttei regarding the Cardinal ’ s reaction to opening a debate about the Vatican II council .
I think that everyone knows that here in Hong Kong we are in full battle against the power that wants to completely dominate us , even our words and thoughts .
Blessed are those who can say what they think , without worrying about whether the authorities are in agreement .
The writer has been evaluated by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong .
Professor De Mattei praises me because I am protesting against the Ostpolitik of the Vatican with regard to the Church in China , but criticizes me because I defend the Second Vatican Council .
I thank him for the praise and I respond to the criticism ( with his permission ) .
‘ Teachings of the Ecumenical Councils are supremely authoritative ’ I have not studied Vatican II as deeply as Professor De Mattei , but from my simple faith ( not naïve , not acritical ) , I maintain that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supremely authoritative , and I can not think that a part of it will end up one day “ in the rubbish bin ” ( I think that in this Cardinal Brandmüller agrees with me ) .
Nor do I think that is right to judge certain conciliar texts as “ cumbersome and ambiguous.
” Obviously certain texts are fruits of a strenuous work to reach an almost total consensus of the Conciliar assembly , and in the process some had to renounce what they had thought was already mature or ready to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it was premature or not opportune to make a pronouncement : they were conclusions of compromise if you like , but not ambiguous .
The omission of something which some believed would have enriched the conciliar teaching does not in itself make that teaching ambiguous .
The pastoral methodological change does not necessarily affect the content of the discourse .
The Professor says that “ according to the new pastoral spirit , the way in which doctrine is presented is more important than doctrine itself.
” Such a proposition can be misunderstood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is more important than the doctrine itself , as if the need to present a doctrine well could lead to a change of doctrine .
In the opening speech of the Council Pope John said : “ The principal purpose of this council is not the discussion of this or that topic of the fundamental doctrine of the Church… .
But rather of the renewed , serene , and tranquil adhesion to the entire teaching of the Church in its entirety and precision….It is necessary that this certain and immutable doctrine , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deepened and presented in such a way that it responds to the needs of our time.
” Thus , it is not that the presentation is more important than doctrine , it is that now we are focusing on studying the presentation ( while doctrine is supposed to be secure already ) .
‘ The Council was the occasion to attempt the policy of Ostpolitik ’ Having said this in general , we come now to some details : ( A ) The Professor says that Ostpolitik is a daughter of the Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occasion to attempt the policy of Ostpolitik .
It did not seem tolerable to completely ignore the existence of communist regimes , to do nothing to come to the help of our brothers .
Unfortunately , the effort was begun having almost no information about the situation behind the Iron Curtain .
The tragedy was the illusion , afterwards , of having had a great success : of having placed the ecclesiastical hierarchy in these countries on its feet .
Cardinal Parolin says : “ When we looked for candidates for the episcopacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not those who systematically oppose the government , not those who seek to promote themselves in the political arena.
” The fact is that these bishops , too often , were slaves of the atheist regime instead of being pastors of the Christian flock !
( B ) The Professor says that the speech given by John XXIII at the opening of the council was the magna carta of the policy of détente : from anathema to dialogue…setting aside decades of condemnation…to the strategy of the outstretched hand…to collaboration with the enemy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidly .
But , beware , détente does not mean giving up ; setting aside the condemnations ( refraining from anathemas ) does not mean approving the errors ( The council “ did not say one word about communism , ” says the Professor ) .
But one would have to be blind to not see a long and clear discourse on atheism , including systematic atheism , and the approach of the Church towards this , beginning with “ the Church can not help but reprove …with all firmness and with sorrow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was it really necessary to explicitly say “ Marxist communism ” ? )
“ Outstretched hand ” and “ collaboration ” does not mean letting oneself be killed by the enemy ( as the Vatican is doing now , unfortunately not without the consent of the Pope ) .
I also collaborated with the communists ; I taught for seven years in many seminaries under their control .
They could boast of having opened the door , but I had the real and complete opportunity to teach hundreds of seminarians sound philosophical and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
‘ I am conservative , but not to the extreme ’ The Professor is concerned that by supporting the Second Vatican Council I will lose supporters for my cause ( the defense of the true Catholic faith in China ) .
I hope not .
I am not in agreement with Archbishop Viganò in his not accepting Vatican II , but I support him in his call for the Vatican to respond to his accusations about the facts .
After all , if someone wants to stop supporting me because of what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sorry , but I can not do anything about it : I am conservative , but not to the extreme .

The Cardinal added, however, that he supports the call for the Vatican to respond to accusations about the facts of what happened at the council.
August 24, 2020 (MarcoTosatti.com) – The following letter by Cardinal Joseph Zen is a response to some observations made by Prof. Roberto De Matttei regarding the Cardinal’s reaction to opening a debate about the Vatican II council.
***
Permit me, Prof. Roberto de Mattei:
I think that everyone knows that here in Hong Kong we are in full battle against the power that wants to completely dominate us, even our words and thoughts.
Blessed are those who can say what they think, without worrying about whether the authorities are in agreement.
The writer has been evaluated by someone as being partially right and partially wrong. Professor De Mattei praises me because I am protesting against the Ostpolitik of the Vatican with regard to the Church in China, but criticizes me because I defend the Second Vatican Council.
I thank him for the praise and I respond to the criticism (with his permission).
‘Teachings of the Ecumenical Councils are supremely authoritative’
I have not studied Vatican II as deeply as Professor De Mattei, but from my simple faith (not naïve, not acritical), I maintain that the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils are supremely authoritative, and I cannot think that a part of it will end up one day “in the rubbish bin” (I think that in this Cardinal Brandmüller agrees with me).
Nor do I think that is right to judge certain conciliar texts as “cumbersome and ambiguous.” Obviously certain texts are fruits of a strenuous work to reach an almost total consensus of the Conciliar assembly, and in the process some had to renounce what they had thought was already mature or ready to be pronounced, while the majority judged that it was premature or not opportune to make a pronouncement: they were conclusions of compromise if you like, but not ambiguous. The omission of something which some believed would have enriched the conciliar teaching does not in itself make that teaching ambiguous.
The pastoral methodological change does not necessarily affect the content of the discourse.
The Professor says that “according to the new pastoral spirit, the way in which doctrine is presented is more important than doctrine itself.” Such a proposition can be misunderstood, as if the mode of presentation is more important than the doctrine itself, as if the need to present a doctrine well could lead to a change of doctrine.
In the opening speech of the Council Pope John said: “The principal purpose of this council is not the discussion of this or that topic of the fundamental doctrine of the Church…. But rather of the renewed, serene, and tranquil adhesion to the entire teaching of the Church in its entirety and precision….It is necessary that this certain and immutable doctrine, which ought to be faithfully respected, be deepened and presented in such a way that it responds to the needs of our time.” Thus, it is not that the presentation is more important than doctrine, it is that now we are focusing on studying the presentation (while doctrine is supposed to be secure already).
‘The Council was the occasion to attempt the policy of Ostpolitik’
Having said this in general, we come now to some details:
(A) The Professor says that Ostpolitik is a daughter of the Council. No! The Council was the occasion to attempt the policy of Ostpolitik. It did not seem tolerable to completely ignore the existence of communist regimes, to do nothing to come to the help of our brothers. Unfortunately, the effort was begun having almost no information about the situation behind the Iron Curtain. The tragedy was the illusion, afterwards, of having had a great success: of having placed the ecclesiastical hierarchy in these countries on its feet.
Cardinal Parolin says: “When we looked for candidates for the episcopacy we looked for shepherds, not gladiators, not those who systematically oppose the government, not those who seek to promote themselves in the political arena.”
The fact is that these bishops, too often, were slaves of the atheist regime instead of being pastors of the Christian flock!
(B) The Professor says that the speech given by John XXIII at the opening of the council was the magna carta of the policy of détente: from anathema to dialogue…setting aside decades of condemnation…to the strategy of the outstretched hand…to collaboration with the enemy.
Yes, the Pope said this candidly. But, beware, détente does not mean giving up; setting aside the condemnations (refraining from anathemas) does not mean approving the errors (The council “did not say one word about communism,” says the Professor). But one would have to be blind to not see a long and clear discourse on atheism, including systematic atheism, and the approach of the Church towards this, beginning with “the Church cannot help but reprove …with all firmness and with sorrow such pernicious doctrines and actions” (was it really necessary to explicitly say “Marxist communism”?)
“Outstretched hand” and “collaboration” does not mean letting oneself be killed by the enemy (as the Vatican is doing now, unfortunately not without the consent of the Pope).
I also collaborated with the communists; I taught for seven years in many seminaries under their control. They could boast of having opened the door, but I had the real and complete opportunity to teach hundreds of seminarians sound philosophical and theological doctrine, without watering it down.
‘I am conservative, but not to the extreme’
The Professor is concerned that by supporting the Second Vatican Council I will lose supporters for my cause (the defense of the true Catholic faith in China). I hope not. I am not in agreement with Archbishop Viganò in his not accepting Vatican II, but I support him in his call for the Vatican to respond to his accusations about the facts.
After all, if someone wants to stop supporting me because of what I have said here, I am sorry, but I cannot do anything about it: I am conservative, but not to the extreme.
Translated by Giuseppe Pellegrino
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lifesitenews--2020-08-25--Remembering St. Louis IX, one of the world’s best and holiest rulers

August 25 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Today , August 25 , is the feast of one of the best and holiest rulers the human race has ever seen : Louis IX , King of France ( April 25 , 1214–August 25 , 1270 ) .
As the formerly Christian West is sliding further into the tyranny of liberalism , it is balm to the soul to consider that the people in Louis ’ France were freer than we are today .
They were free from big government meddling in their lives and their wallets .
And they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Saint Louis believed in a Christian order wherein the State was neither inimical nor neutral to the Church , but was the Church ’ s helper in securing the happiness , temporal and eternal , of her subjects .
Our modern “ freedom , ” by contrast , is servitude .
Sadly , it seems that the rulers of the Catholic Church were embarrassed by the example of this great king .
In her article “ Theological Principles that Guided the Redaction of the Roman Missal ( 1970 ) ” in The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great liturgical scholar Lauren Pristas wrote , inter alia , about modifications that were made in the liturgical reform to the centuries-old Collect or Opening Prayer of his Mass .
The old prayer read ( and , where the traditional Latin Mass is celebrated , still reads ) : The new prayer , drafted in the late sixties , reads : The changes here are important .
Pristas comments ( also mentioning the Emperor Henry , whose collects were similarly edited ) : The original collect for Louis does not explicitly mention his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the revision — but , again , in terms more reflective of our historical circumstances than his own .
The revision may have been designed to accommodate a modern mentality .
Its effect , however , is to obscure the truth that holiness is found in persons of every age and social rank .
Henry and Louis were not simply entrusted with the care of earthly government ; they were Christian rulers who became holy as they ruled because of the Christian way in which they ruled .
The change in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is striking and shares common features with the new oration for Henry .
The 1962 prayer for Louis begs that we may have partnership with Christ who is the King of kings — here , particularly , the King of King Louis — whereas the revised text asks that we may seek , but does not specify that we also find , “ your eternal kingdom.
” The petition of the revised text , therefore , is stunningly effete in comparison to that of the original collect which seeks nothing less than full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old collect for Henry begs that God make us attain unto , or reach ( pervenire ) , himself , whereas the new version asks only that we hasten ( festinimus ) unto him .
The verb pervenire stipulates arrival , festinare does not .
A second feature common to both revised collects [ i.e.
, Louis ’ s and Henry ’ s ] is a new emphasis on the things of this world which , in addition , are presented in a wholly positive light .
Pristas lastly notes that the original @ @ @ @ @ @ @ King of kings in heaven by the merits and intercession of St. Louis ; in the new Collect , merits have gone strangely missing .
The Secret and Postcommunion of the traditional Mass for St. Louis are equally eloquent .
The Secret reads : “ Spurning the delights of the world ” was the kind of “ negative ” language that ( as Pristas demonstrates in the same article ) was systematically removed from the Novus Ordo missal .
“ Striving only to please Christ the King ” is no less awkward for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Incarnation as the center of Church life , human history , and the entire cosmos .
Inevitably , this prayer had to go ; it will not be found — even in bowdlerized form — in the new missal .
The Postcommunion strikes a militant note : God exalted on Earth a Christian king who used his authority to promote the Faith , our greatest good here below , and to care for His people , including the poor and the imprisoned .
In this way Louis is absolutely opposed to the modern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while fostering a humanistic “ care ” for the disadvantaged that does not respect their dignity or their supernatural destiny .
The prayer also asks God to make Louis a heavenly defender of the Church .
Defense is only for those who have belligerent enemies .
Not surprisingly , this prayer , too , was cut from the new missal .
It ’ s also worth pointing out , in passing , that the custom had developed of honoring the Blessed Trinity at the end of all three orations ( Collect , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full doxology .
With typical reductive antiquarianism , the liturgical reformers chopped off the doxologies from the Prayer over the Offerings and the Prayer after Communion .
In this way was obscured not only the acknowledgment of the Trinitarian nature of all Christian prayer , but the lordship of Christ : “ who lives and reigns.
” The full doxology , which is multiplied in the Tridentine liturgy ( it appears in the prayers at the foot of the altar , the orations , the Offertory prayers , the prayers before Communion — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rite of Mass ) , thus serves as a continual reminder that Christ , as God and man , is King of kings and Lord of lords — a lesson we need to hear today more than ever .
A 35-year-old priest , Fr .
Dylan Schrader , is not embarrassed about the kingly glory of St. Louis or the kingship of Christ .
Fr .
Schrader has collaborated frequently with Fr .
Samuel Weber , OSB in the writing of hymns that can be sung to traditional chant melodies .
Here are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today ’ s feast ( via email communication from Fr .
Samuel ) : Most Christian king and man of God , Saint Louis , lover of the poor , You served Christ ’ s lowly ones on earth And reign with him forevermore .
Rise up , O prince and champion , Campaign for Christ the Lord again , Whose cross and nails and thorny crown Defeat the tyranny of sin .
Defend this Church , which bears your name , Her shepherd , and your city , too ; Bid love @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thirst for righteousness renew .
Be faith our shield and hope our helm , Be charity our breastplate , Lord , Your truth a Iight unto our feet And sharper than a two-edged sword .
O Father , Son , and Holy Ghost , One only God whom we adore ; By grace guide pilgrims home co you To dwell in glory evermore .

God exalted on Earth a Christian king who used his authority to promote the Faith, our greatest good here below, and to care for His people, including the poor and the imprisoned.
August 25, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Today, August 25, is the feast — and the 750th anniversary of the death — of one of the best and holiest rulers the human race has ever seen: Louis IX, King of France (April 25, 1214–August 25, 1270).
Br. Andre Marie writes:
As the formerly Christian West is sliding further into the tyranny of liberalism, it is balm to the soul to consider that the people in Louis’ France were freer than we are today. They were free from big government meddling in their lives and their wallets. And they were free in the most important way, for Saint Louis believed in a Christian order wherein the State was neither inimical nor neutral to the Church, but was the Church’s helper in securing the happiness, temporal and eternal, of her subjects. Our modern “freedom,” by contrast, is servitude.
Sadly, it seems that the rulers of the Catholic Church were embarrassed by the example of this great king. In her article “Theological Principles that Guided the Redaction of the Roman Missal (1970)” in The Thomist 67 (2003), the great liturgical scholar Lauren Pristas wrote, inter alia, about modifications that were made in the liturgical reform to the centuries-old Collect or Opening Prayer of his Mass.
The old prayer read (and, where the traditional Latin Mass is celebrated, still reads):
Deus, qui beatum Ludovicum confessorem tuum de terreno regno ad caelestis regni gloriam transtulisti: eius, quaesumus, meritis et intercessione, Regis regum Iesu Christi Filii tui facias nos esse consortes. Qui tecum vivit et regnat …
O God, who didst remove blessed Louis, Thy confessor, from an earthly kingdom to the glory of the heavenly kingdom, grant, we beseech Thee, through his merits and intercession, that we may be consorts of Jesus Christ, thy Son, the King of kings, who with Thee liveth and reigneth …
The new prayer, drafted in the late sixties, reads:
Deus, qui beatum Ludovicum, e terreni regiminis cura ad caelestis regni gloriam transtulisti, eius, quaesumus, intercessione concede, ut, per munera temporalia quae gerimus, regnum tuum quaeramus aeternum.
O God, who brought Saint Louis from the cares of earthly rule to the glory of a heavenly realm, grant, we pray, through his intercession, that, by fulfilling our duties on earth, we may seek out your eternal Kingdom.
The changes here are important. Pristas comments (also mentioning the Emperor Henry, whose collects were similarly edited):
The original collect for Louis does not explicitly mention his rule as king. This is supplied in the revision — but, again, in terms more reflective of our historical circumstances than his own. The revision may have been designed to accommodate a modern mentality. Its effect, however, is to obscure the truth that holiness is found in persons of every age and social rank. Henry and Louis were not simply entrusted with the care of earthly government; they were Christian rulers who became holy as they ruled because of the Christian way in which they ruled.
She continues:
The change in the petition of the revised collect for Louis is striking and shares common features with the new oration for Henry. The 1962 prayer for Louis begs that we may have partnership with Christ who is the King of kings — here, particularly, the King of King Louis — whereas the revised text asks that we may seek, but does not specify that we also find, “your eternal kingdom.” The petition of the revised text, therefore, is stunningly effete in comparison to that of the original collect which seeks nothing less than full incorporation into Christ. Similarly, the old collect for Henry begs that God make us attain unto, or reach (pervenire), himself, whereas the new version asks only that we hasten (festinimus) unto him. The verb pervenire stipulates arrival, festinare does not. A second feature common to both revised collects [i.e., Louis’s and Henry’s] is a new emphasis on the things of this world which, in addition, are presented in a wholly positive light.
Pristas lastly notes that the original Collect begs that we may reach the King of kings in heaven by the merits and intercession of St. Louis; in the new Collect, merits have gone strangely missing.
The Secret and Postcommunion of the traditional Mass for St. Louis are equally eloquent. The Secret reads:
Praesta, quæsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut, sicut beátus Ludovícus Conféssor tuus, spretis mundi oblectaméntis, soli Regi Christo placére stúduit; ita ejus orátio nos tibi reddat accéptos. Per eúmdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui vivit et regnat …
Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that as blessed Louis, Thy Confessor, spurning the delights of the world, strove only to please Christ, his King, so his prayer may render us acceptable to Thee. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth …
“Spurning the delights of the world” was the kind of “negative” language that (as Pristas demonstrates in the same article) was systematically removed from the Novus Ordo missal. “Striving only to please Christ the King” is no less awkward for a mentality that no longer sees the Incarnation as the center of Church life, human history, and the entire cosmos. Inevitably, this prayer had to go; it will not be found — even in bowdlerized form — in the new missal. The Postcommunion strikes a militant note:
Deus, qui beátum Confessórem tuum Ludovícum mirificásti in terris, et gloriósum in cœlis fecísti: eúmdem, quæsumus, Ecclésiæ tuæ constítue defensórem. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui vivit et regnat …
O God, Who didst make Thy blessed Confessor, Louis, wonderful on earth and glorious in Heaven, constitute him, we beseech Thee, the defender of Thy Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth …
God exalted on Earth a Christian king who used his authority to promote the Faith, our greatest good here below, and to care for His people, including the poor and the imprisoned. In this way Louis is absolutely opposed to the modern democratic perspective that privatizes and relativizes religion, while fostering a humanistic “care” for the disadvantaged that does not respect their dignity or their supernatural destiny. The prayer also asks God to make Louis a heavenly defender of the Church. Defense is only for those who have belligerent enemies. Not surprisingly, this prayer, too, was cut from the new missal.
It’s also worth pointing out, in passing, that the custom had developed of honoring the Blessed Trinity at the end of all three orations (Collect, Secret, and Postcommunion) with a full doxology. With typical reductive antiquarianism, the liturgical reformers chopped off the doxologies from the Prayer over the Offerings and the Prayer after Communion. In this way was obscured not only the acknowledgment of the Trinitarian nature of all Christian prayer, but the lordship of Christ: “who lives and reigns.” The full doxology, which is multiplied in the Tridentine liturgy (it appears in the prayers at the foot of the altar, the orations, the Offertory prayers, the prayers before Communion — all of these abolished in the new rite of Mass), thus serves as a continual reminder that Christ, as God and man, is King of kings and Lord of lords — a lesson we need to hear today more than ever.
A 35-year-old priest, Fr. Dylan Schrader, is not embarrassed about the kingly glory of St. Louis or the kingship of Christ. Fr. Schrader has collaborated frequently with Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB in the writing of hymns that can be sung to traditional chant melodies. Here are lyrics composed by Fr. Schrader for today’s feast (via email communication from Fr. Samuel):
Most Christian king and man of God,
Saint Louis, lover of the poor,
You served Christ’s lowly ones on earth
And reign with him forevermore.
Rise up, O prince and champion,
Campaign for Christ the Lord again,
Whose cross and nails and thorny crown
Defeat the tyranny of sin.
Defend this Church, which bears your name,
Her shepherd, and your city, too;
Bid love of Christ our hearts impel,
Our thirst for righteousness renew.
Be faith our shield and hope our helm,
Be charity our breastplate, Lord,
Your truth a Iight unto our feet
And sharper than a two-edged sword.
O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
One only God whom we adore;
By grace guide pilgrims home to you
To dwell in glory evermore.
Amen. King St. Louis IX, pray for us.
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.
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lifesitenews--2020-08-25--Los Angeles officials back in court for fourth time trying to forbid indoor worship services

SUN VALLEY , California , August 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Los Angeles County returned to court this morning , August 24 , 2020 , attempting — for the fourth time — to get a court order to shut down indoor worship services at Grace Community Church .
As the judge noted last week , the County simply refuses to accept the reasoned decisions of the California court .
Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff , who presided over today ’ s hearing , told Los Angeles County attorneys from the bench on August 20 , “ As I see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ to you and the Court of Appeal declined to make the order that you requested.
” MacArthur ’ s declaration to the court states in part : “ Worship-bans appear to take the position that we should lock our doors and force our congregants to gather to worship the Lord in parking lots , in parks , or perhaps beaches — but never in any church .
From Grace Community Church ’ s perspective , this is nonsensical , and we view it as a direct ban on engaging in the worship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our congregation means that there is no place for it to meet outdoors ; the summer heat makes meeting outdoors unhealthy and even dangerous ; our experts have refuted that meeting indoors significantly aids in the spread of the coronavirus ; and most principally , Grace Community Church ’ s sanctuary itself is a spiritual refuge for our congregants — a refuge of which the county has no right to deprive them.
” “ Thus , the county ’ s and state ’ s July 13 and 14 worship-bans burden my and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of religion by criminalizing activity directly required by our faith .
As a church , we have a moral and religious obligation to continue allowing our congregants to gather in our sanctuary to worship the Lord .
“ This church is the core of life for thousands from nursery to seniors .
Our church is not an event center .
It is a family of lives who love and care for each other in very intensely personal ways .
So essential to personal well-being that people rushed back as soon as they could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our people by completely shutting down the mutual love and care that sustains our people in all the exigencies , pressures and challenges of life , was cruel .
And after 63 years of sacrificial , kindness to our city , to be repeatedly threatened with court-ordered efforts to shut Grace Community Church down when no one is sick , reveals an inexplicable preference for a mostly harmless virus over the life-enriching and necessary fellowship of the church .
Our leaders and congregation see no real health threat to warrant such restraint .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ an illegitimate misuse of power.
” Read the full Declaration of Pastor John MacArthur , filed on his behalf by Thomas More Society attorneys on August 23 , 2020 , in Superior Court of the State of California — County of Los Angeles — Central District in County of Los Angeles et al .
v. Grace Community Church et al .
here .

SUN VALLEY, California, August 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Los Angeles County returned to court this morning, August 24, 2020, attempting — for the fourth time — to get a court order to shut down indoor worship services at Grace Community Church.
As the judge noted last week, the County simply refuses to accept the reasoned decisions of the California court. Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff, who presided over today’s hearing, told Los Angeles County attorneys from the bench on August 20, “As I see it, Judge Chalfant said ‘No’ to you and the Court of Appeal declined to make the order that you requested.”
MacArthur’s declaration to the court states in part:
“Worship-bans appear to take the position that we should lock our doors and force our congregants to gather to worship the Lord in parking lots, in parks, or perhaps beaches — but never in any church. From Grace Community Church’s perspective, this is nonsensical, and we view it as a direct ban on engaging in the worship which our faith requires. The size of our congregation means that there is no place for it to meet outdoors; the summer heat makes meeting outdoors unhealthy and even dangerous; our experts have refuted that meeting indoors significantly aids in the spread of the coronavirus; and most principally, Grace Community Church’s sanctuary itself is a spiritual refuge for our congregants — a refuge of which the county has no right to deprive them.” “Thus, the county’s and state’s July 13 and 14 worship-bans burden my and Grace Community Church’s free exercise of religion by criminalizing activity directly required by our faith. As a church, we have a moral and religious obligation to continue allowing our congregants to gather in our sanctuary to worship the Lord. “This church is the core of life for thousands from nursery to seniors. Our church is not an event center. It is a family of lives who love and care for each other in very intensely personal ways. So essential to personal well-being that people rushed back as soon as they could. The utter unnecessary deprivation of all our people by completely shutting down the mutual love and care that sustains our people in all the exigencies, pressures and challenges of life, was cruel. And after 63 years of sacrificial, kindness to our city, to be repeatedly threatened with court-ordered efforts to shut Grace Community Church down when no one is sick, reveals an inexplicable preference for a mostly harmless virus over the life-enriching and necessary fellowship of the church. Our leaders and congregation see no real health threat to warrant such restraint. We see this action against us as an illegitimate misuse of power.”
Read the full Declaration of Pastor John MacArthur, filed on his behalf by Thomas More Society attorneys on August 23, 2020, in Superior Court of the State of California — County of Los Angeles — Central District in County of Los Angeles et al. v. Grace Community Church et al. here.
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lifesitenews--2020-08-25--Doctors slam renowned medical journal for sloppy report critical of COVID cure

PETITION : Tell the FDA to reverse its opposition to Hydroxychloroquine and help save lives !
Sign the petition here .
August 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The French world-level specialist of infectious diseases and promoter of the hydroxychloroquine-azithromycin treatment for COVID-19 , Dr. Didier Raoult , and three of his colleagues from the University Hospital Institute IHU-Méditerranée Infection , Marseille , France , posted an “ expression of concern ” on the IHU ’ s website last Friday regarding recent papers published by a distinguished medical journal , the NEJM ( New England Journal of Medicine ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sloppiness of methods used for research on possible treatments of COVID-19 , the results of which are being inexplicably accepted and published by one of the major scientific medical journals in the English language .
An “ expression of concern ” is a statement from a scientific journal that makes clear that there is good reason to believe that a paper it publishes may be biased or based on erroneous data .
While not always followed by a retraction proper of the problematic article , it amounts to an admission of unscientific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orator , and statesman Cicero , who vainly tried to uphold republican principles during the civil wars that would lead to Caesar ’ s grab of power in 49 B.C.
, the four authors titled their short paper “ Quousque tandem abutere , patientia nostra , ” offering the English translation of the Latin text : “ How long will you abuse our patience ?
” “ We ask the same question to the NEJM : how long will you abuse our patience ?
The biases shown in the studies on COVID-19 have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for example , everything that has been seen so far .
Please give us back a journal that we can use for medical education , that does not contradict all principles we have used for so many years , ” they wrote .
In June , The Lancet was forced to put out an expression of concern about a purported study discrediting the use of the well known and widely used malaria drug hydroxychloroquine ( HCQ ) , published some days previously , admitting that the paper by Mehra and others had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make the treatment appear as being not only useless , but accompanied by serious side-effects .
At the time , Raoult and his team retorted that they had used HCQ in combination with a macrolide antibiotic , azithromycin , over 3,000 times while keeping patients under close observation , without ever remarking dangerous side-effects .
On the contrary , patients at the IHU did better than in the rest of France , and the hospital boasts the lowest death rate due to the Wuhan coronavirus in the country .
Now the NEJM is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his colleagues , Lagier , Brouqui , and Parola .
Needless to say , the New England Journal of Medicine , founded in 1812 and recognized as one of the most prestigious medical journals in print , refused to publish their “ expression of concern , ” which led them to post a “ preprint ” version for the general public to see .
All the authors are professors of infectious diseases or microbiology ; they underscore their respect — until now — for the NEJM as a “ reference journal.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the teaching of infectious diseases , in the context of COVID-19 , the NEJM no longer corresponds to the minimum standards that we teach students from the 3rd year of medicine onwards , ” they wrote .
Among the bewildering evidence of acceptance of unscientific articles by the journal , they quoted the fact that in some research , patients are being qualified as “ infected ” with the Wuhan virus without the support of a diagnostic test .
“ For COVID-19 therapeutic trials , several publications in the NEJM have reported analyses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the analyses .
We teach our students not to do that .
In some cases , this reaches extraordinary levels .
For example , about hydroxychloroquine as post-exposure prophylaxis , when 821 asymptomatic participants were enrolled through social media to receive hydroxychloroquine or placebo , the analysis was based on self-report of an illness that was “ considered to be consistent with COVID ” ( 13 % ) , with less than 3 % supported by PCR assays .
In JAMA [ Journal of the American Medical Association ] , other studies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and duration of the prescribed treatments are not indicated , ” they remarked .
Yes , you read that correctly : “ asymptomatic participants ” were enrolled because their self-reported “ illness ” — and illness is revealed by symptoms — was consistent with COVID .
Another big problem with studies on HCQ is the recording of side-effects , which can in theory be serious , even life-threatening , or mild — or at least not bad enough to stop a treatment that could prevent death .
According to Raoult and his colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not differentiate among side-effects , lumping them all together in a way that makes an expensive treatment recommended by the World Health Organization appear to be largely harmless .
“ We teach students to differentiate between side-effects that have direct consequences and require special care , such as kidney failure , and those that have no consequences or for which accountability is difficult to define , such as insomnia or constipation .
We were surprised that in the very favorable study published on Remdesivir , the side-effects of insomnia , constipation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they wrote .
Didier Raoult has repeatedly questioned the efficiency of Remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19 , and he has also underscored its danger because of its renal toxicity , in various videos about the “ sanitary crisis ” published regularly by the IHU website .
The authors called themselves “ stunned ” by another medical trial quoted by the NEJM : the RECOVERY study that assessed the use of dexmethazone without prior or simultaneous use of antiviral or antibacterial therapies .
“ Even basic textbooks , ” the authors underscored , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it could be seen unethical not giving corticosteroids in routine care in such circumstances and that such a trial should never have existed.
” In other words , the NEJM has condoned dangerous treatments , according to Raoult and his colleagues .
Accusing the journal of promoting Remdesivir against HCQ , they wrote that some studies “ looked more like a Marx Brothers movie than science .
”

'How long will you abuse our patience?' asked the doctors of the New England Journal of Medicine in a 'statement of concern.'
PETITION: Tell the FDA to reverse its opposition to Hydroxychloroquine and help save lives! Sign the petition here.
August 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The French world-level specialist of infectious diseases and promoter of the hydroxychloroquine-azithromycin treatment for COVID-19, Dr. Didier Raoult, and three of his colleagues from the University Hospital Institute IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France, posted an “expression of concern” on the IHU’s website last Friday regarding recent papers published by a distinguished medical journal, the NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine). They seek publicly to underscore unheard of sloppiness of methods used for research on possible treatments of COVID-19, the results of which are being inexplicably accepted and published by one of the major scientific medical journals in the English language.
An “expression of concern” is a statement from a scientific journal that makes clear that there is good reason to believe that a paper it publishes may be biased or based on erroneous data. While not always followed by a retraction proper of the problematic article, it amounts to an admission of unscientific handling.
Quoting the Roman writer, orator, and statesman Cicero, who vainly tried to uphold republican principles during the civil wars that would lead to Caesar’s grab of power in 49 B.C., the four authors titled their short paper “Quousque tandem abutere, patientia nostra,” offering the English translation of the Latin text: “How long will you abuse our patience?”
“We ask the same question to the NEJM: how long will you abuse our patience? The biases shown in the studies on COVID-19 have gone beyond, as in the Lancet, for example, everything that has been seen so far. Please give us back a journal that we can use for medical education, that does not contradict all principles we have used for so many years,” they wrote.
In June, The Lancet was forced to put out an expression of concern about a purported study discrediting the use of the well known and widely used malaria drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), published some days previously, admitting that the paper by Mehra and others had potentially used fraudulent data in order to make the treatment appear as being not only useless, but accompanied by serious side-effects. At the time, Raoult and his team retorted that they had used HCQ in combination with a macrolide antibiotic, azithromycin, over 3,000 times while keeping patients under close observation, without ever remarking dangerous side-effects. On the contrary, patients at the IHU did better than in the rest of France, and the hospital boasts the lowest death rate due to the Wuhan coronavirus in the country.
Now the NEJM is being accused of similar bias by Raoult and his colleagues, Lagier, Brouqui, and Parola. Needless to say, the New England Journal of Medicine, founded in 1812 and recognized as one of the most prestigious medical journals in print, refused to publish their “expression of concern,” which led them to post a “preprint” version for the general public to see.
All the authors are professors of infectious diseases or microbiology; they underscore their respect — until now — for the NEJM as a “reference journal.”
“However, it appears that for the teaching of infectious diseases, in the context of COVID-19, the NEJM no longer corresponds to the minimum standards that we teach students from the 3rd year of medicine onwards,” they wrote.
Among the bewildering evidence of acceptance of unscientific articles by the journal, they quoted the fact that in some research, patients are being qualified as “infected” with the Wuhan virus without the support of a diagnostic test.
“For COVID-19 therapeutic trials, several publications in the NEJM have reported analyses where patients were not tested but included in the analyses. We teach our students not to do that. In some cases, this reaches extraordinary levels. For example, about hydroxychloroquine as post-exposure prophylaxis, when 821 asymptomatic participants were enrolled through social media to receive hydroxychloroquine or placebo, the analysis was based on self-report of an illness that was “considered to be consistent with COVID” (13%), with less than 3% supported by PCR assays. In JAMA [Journal of the American Medical Association], other studies have been published in which the dosage and duration of the prescribed treatments are not indicated,” they remarked.
Yes, you read that correctly: “asymptomatic participants” were enrolled because their self-reported “illness” — and illness is revealed by symptoms — was consistent with COVID.
Another big problem with studies on HCQ is the recording of side-effects, which can in theory be serious, even life-threatening, or mild — or at least not bad enough to stop a treatment that could prevent death. According to Raoult and his colleagues, the NEJM is publishing papers that do not differentiate among side-effects, lumping them all together in a way that makes an expensive treatment recommended by the World Health Organization appear to be largely harmless.
“We teach students to differentiate between side-effects that have direct consequences and require special care, such as kidney failure, and those that have no consequences or for which accountability is difficult to define, such as insomnia or constipation. We were surprised that in the very favorable study published on Remdesivir, the side-effects of insomnia, constipation, and renal failure were pooled,” they wrote.
Didier Raoult has repeatedly questioned the efficiency of Remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19, and he has also underscored its danger because of its renal toxicity, in various videos about the “sanitary crisis” published regularly by the IHU website.
The authors called themselves “stunned” by another medical trial quoted by the NEJM: the RECOVERY study that assessed the use of dexmethazone without prior or simultaneous use of antiviral or antibacterial therapies. “Even basic textbooks,” the authors underscored, show that “under these conditions, it could be seen unethical not giving corticosteroids in routine care in such circumstances and that such a trial should never have existed.”
In other words, the NEJM has condoned dangerous treatments, according to Raoult and his colleagues. Accusing the journal of promoting Remdesivir against HCQ, they wrote that some studies “looked more like a Marx Brothers movie than science.”
Follow Jeanne Jeanne Smits has worked as a journalist in France since 1987 after obtaining a Master of Arts in Law. She formerly directed the French daily Présent and was editor-in-chief of an all-internet French-speaking news site called reinformation.tv. She writes regularly for a number of Catholic journals (Monde & vie, L’Homme nouveau, Reconquête…) and runs a personal pro-life blog. In addition, she is often invited to radio and TV shows on alternative media. She is vice-president of the Christian and French defense association “AGRIF.” She is the French translator of The Dictator Pope by Henry Sire and Christus Vincit by Bishop Schneider, and recently contributed to the Bref examen critique de la communion dans la main about Communion in the hand. She is married and has three children, and lives near Paris.
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lifesitenews--2020-08-25--Gucci dresses men like little girls in emasculated male fashion show

PETITION : No to radical mandatory mask mandates !
Sign the petition here .
August 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Fashion leader Gucci revealed its fully feminized , emasculated clothing creations for men during Milan ’ s Fashion Week earlier this year , dressing young , mostly male models in outfits that aped the clothing of little girls and homeless women .
The all-out assault on masculinity took place in Milan ’ s Palazzo delle Scintille in January , showcasing designer Alessando Michele ’ s “ deconstruction of masculinity through which he hoped to hint at nontoxic alternatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” according to Vogue .
If the deconstruction of masculinity were not obvious enough from Michele ’ s designs , one model wore a shirt with the word “ impotent ” emblazoned across his chest .
Another young man wore a pink knitted sweater with “ mon petit chou ” — a French term of endearment , “ my little cabbage ” — written in baby blue .
“ In a patriarchal society , masculine gender identity is often moulded by violently toxic stereotypes .
A dominant , winning , oppressive masculinity model @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” suggested fashion reviewer consortium “ the skinny beep ’ s ” blog , regarding the Gucci men ’ s fashion show .
“ It condemns men themselves to conform to an imposed phallocratic virility in order to be socially accepted .
In other words , toxic masculinity produces oppressors and victims at the same time , ” the blogger explains .
“ Therefore , it seems necessary to suggest a desertion , away from patriarchal plans and uniforms , ” the posting continues , “ deconstructing the idea of masculinity as it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ succeeded in that .
While none of the outfits displayed at the fashion show is able to be bought off the rack , some of the components can be purchased from Gucci ’ s online catalogue of “ clothing and accessories with a gender fluid approach.
” There a man can pick up a pair of Mary Janes for £700 , a little over $ 900 .

One model even wore a shirt with the word ‘impotent’ emblazoned across his chest.
PETITION: No to radical mandatory mask mandates! Sign the petition here.
August 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Fashion leader Gucci revealed its fully feminized, emasculated clothing creations for men during Milan’s Fashion Week earlier this year, dressing young, mostly male models in outfits that aped the clothing of little girls and homeless women.
The all-out assault on masculinity took place in Milan’s Palazzo delle Scintille in January, showcasing designer Alessando Michele’s “deconstruction of masculinity through which he hoped to hint at nontoxic alternatives and the positivity of being strange,” according to Vogue.
If the deconstruction of masculinity were not obvious enough from Michele’s designs, one model wore a shirt with the word “impotent” emblazoned across his chest. Another young man wore a pink knitted sweater with “mon petit chou” — a French term of endearment, “my little cabbage” — written in baby blue.
“Impotent”
Gucci MEN’s Fall/Winter Collection 2020, ‘Look 32’
“Mon petit chou” in pink and baby blue.
Gucci MEN’s Fall/Winter Collection 2020, ‘Look 40’
“In a patriarchal society, masculine gender identity is often moulded by violently toxic stereotypes. A dominant, winning, oppressive masculinity model is imposed on babies at birth,” suggested fashion reviewer consortium “the skinny beep’s” blog, regarding the Gucci men’s fashion show.
“It condemns men themselves to conform to an imposed phallocratic virility in order to be socially accepted. In other words, toxic masculinity produces oppressors and victims at the same time,” the blogger explains.
“Therefore, it seems necessary to suggest a desertion, away from patriarchal plans and uniforms,” the posting continues, “deconstructing the idea of masculinity as it has been historically established.”
Gucci has succeeded in that.
While none of the outfits displayed at the fashion show is able to be bought off the rack, some of the components can be purchased from Gucci’s online catalogue of “clothing and accessories with a gender fluid approach.”
There a man can pick up a pair of Mary Janes for £700, a little over $900.
From Gucci’s online MX catalogue
Follow Doug Doug Mainwaring is a journalist for LifeSiteNews, an author, and a marriage, family and children's rights activist. He has testified before the United States Congress and state legislative bodies, originated and co-authored amicus briefs for the United States Supreme Court, and has been a guest on numerous TV and radio programs. Doug and his family live in the Washington, DC suburbs.
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lifesitenews--2020-08-28--Free speech org launches public push to change law protecting Big Tech censorship

August 27 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The conservative Media Research Center ( MRC ) is calling on concerned Americans to submit comments to the Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ) urging it to review a contentious portion of federal law at the heart of the battle over free speech online .
Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act immunizes websites from being held liable for the third-party content they host , such as posts or tweets by social media users .
This provision has been credited with helping the internet thrive , and in recent years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means of addressing the increasing control internet platforms exert over right-of-center content .
The MRC ’ s Free Speech Alliance ( of which LifeSiteNews is a member ) is currently working on gathering as many public comments to the FCC as possible urging the commission to review how Section 230 is currently interpreted and applied .
“ Big Tech is currently immune from lawsuits regarding censorship due to a small part of a law from the mid-1990s , ” reads the landing page where readers can submit comments .
“ Section 230 protects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their content , and censorship of that content.
” MRC calls an FCC review the “ first step in holding Big Tech accountable ” but warns , “ We ’ re not the only ones submitting comments .
Big Tech is strongly opposed to any changes to their current sweetheart deal .
Their friends on the left are leaving comments and doing everything they can to oppose a rule change.
” The effort is meant to help support an executive order President Donald Trump signed in May , aimed at tweaking how federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The order essentially directs the FCC to propose an administrative rule that would “ spell out what it means for the tech giants to carry out their takedown policies ‘ in good faith , ’ ” national security attorney Stewart Baker explained .
“ It is critical for the survival of the conservative movement that we unite in defense of our right to express ourselves online without threat of being censored by the social media giants , ” MRC president Brent Bozell said .
“ Protecting our freedom of speech is something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but to all Americans .
Facebook , Twitter and Google/Youtube own the most widely used online platforms for speech in the world .
Facebook , Twitter , and Google/Youtube have full control over what we say , hear , write , and read .
It is immensely important that these platforms remain neutral.
” PETITION : Break up Big Tech tyrants and defend free speech !
Sign the petition here .
This effort is a response to numerous ongoing controversies over suppression and discrimination that have only intensified in recent months against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and YouTube .
From Facebook , two whistleblowers came forward recently to attest that the platform aggressively discriminates against conservatives on a global scale for the purpose of influencing election outcomes .
One provided footage of content moderators openly discussing how they would like to delete “ every Donald Trump post I see on the timeline ” and “ delete all Republicans ... for terrorism ” if they so much as post a photo “ wearing a MAGA hat.
” Cognizant service delivery manager Demian Gordon can also be seen saying he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump posts on the grounds that they “ got ta get the Cheeto ( Trump ) out of the office.
” The other described witnessing moderators “ deleting on average 300 posts or actioning 300 posts a day ” in a way “ that just targeted conservatives or favored liberals , ” with personnel equating Trump supporters with violent hate groups , while expressly making an exception for overtly-hateful posts by the moderators ’ LGBT allies in the name of supporting Pride Month .
Twitter set off a firestorm in May when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump tweet pertaining to the fraud potential of mail-in voting , then censored another Trump tweet warning that “ when the looting starts , the shooting starts , ” pertaining to the Minneapolis riots , for supposedly “ glorifying violence.
” As for YouTube and its parent company , numerous leaked private conversations shows that Google is willing to enforce its far-left ideology through its ostensibly neutral services and platforms .
Psychologist and technology researcher Dr. Robert Epstein warns that Google could use its vast power over search results for news and video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the vote toward former vice president Joe Biden in the fall ’ s presidential election .

The Media Research Center is gathering public comments in an effort to legally remove social media companies' immunity from lawsuits regarding censorship.
August 27, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The conservative Media Research Center (MRC) is calling on concerned Americans to submit comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging it to review a contentious portion of federal law at the heart of the battle over free speech online.
Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act immunizes websites from being held liable for the third-party content they host, such as posts or tweets by social media users. This provision has been credited with helping the internet thrive, and in recent years, it has been seen as a potential means of addressing the increasing control internet platforms exert over right-of-center content.
The MRC’s Free Speech Alliance (of which LifeSiteNews is a member) is currently working on gathering as many public comments to the FCC as possible urging the commission to review how Section 230 is currently interpreted and applied.
“Big Tech is currently immune from lawsuits regarding censorship due to a small part of a law from the mid-1990s,” reads the landing page where readers can submit comments. “Section 230 protects the tech giants from being sued for their content, and censorship of that content.”
MRC calls an FCC review the “first step in holding Big Tech accountable” but warns, “We’re not the only ones submitting comments. Big Tech is strongly opposed to any changes to their current sweetheart deal. Their friends on the left are leaving comments and doing everything they can to oppose a rule change.”
The effort is meant to help support an executive order President Donald Trump signed in May, aimed at tweaking how federal agencies interpret and enforce Section 230. The order essentially directs the FCC to propose an administrative rule that would “spell out what it means for the tech giants to carry out their takedown policies ‘in good faith,’” national security attorney Stewart Baker explained.
“It is critical for the survival of the conservative movement that we unite in defense of our right to express ourselves online without threat of being censored by the social media giants,” MRC president Brent Bozell said. “Protecting our freedom of speech is something that should not only be important to conservatives, but to all Americans. Facebook, Twitter and Google/Youtube own the most widely used online platforms for speech in the world. Facebook, Twitter, and Google/Youtube have full control over what we say, hear, write, and read. It is immensely important that these platforms remain neutral.”
PETITION: Break up Big Tech tyrants and defend free speech! Sign the petition here.
This effort is a response to numerous ongoing controversies over suppression and discrimination that have only intensified in recent months against conservative content across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
From Facebook, two whistleblowers came forward recently to attest that the platform aggressively discriminates against conservatives on a global scale for the purpose of influencing election outcomes.
One provided footage of content moderators openly discussing how they would like to delete “every Donald Trump post I see on the timeline” and “delete all Republicans … for terrorism” if they so much as post a photo “wearing a MAGA hat.” Cognizant service delivery manager Demian Gordon can also be seen saying he would not hold staff accountable for taking down Trump posts on the grounds that they “gotta get the Cheeto (Trump) out of the office.”
The other described witnessing moderators “deleting on average 300 posts or actioning 300 posts a day” in a way “that just targeted conservatives or favored liberals,” with personnel equating Trump supporters with violent hate groups, while expressly making an exception for overtly-hateful posts by the moderators’ LGBT allies in the name of supporting Pride Month.
Twitter set off a firestorm in May when it placed a “fact-check” on a Trump tweet pertaining to the fraud potential of mail-in voting, then censored another Trump tweet warning that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” pertaining to the Minneapolis riots, for supposedly “glorifying violence.”
As for YouTube and its parent company, numerous leaked private conversations shows that Google is willing to enforce its far-left ideology through its ostensibly neutral services and platforms. Psychologist and technology researcher Dr. Robert Epstein warns that Google could use its vast power over search results for news and video to shift as much as a tenth of the vote toward former vice president Joe Biden in the fall’s presidential election.
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