Our Times

We certainly live in strange times. So many today seem to have lost the ability to engage in logical, rational thought based on real truth. Instead, they have allowed their little worlds to become politicized, making everything else, including truth, subordinate to politics. Here are just a couple of news stories that recently caught my attention:

A "Die-in" at Amazon. Apparently quite few Amazon employees believe the company that pays them isn't sufficiently "woke." These employees are upset that the book-selling side of the company, whose business is ostensibly focused on satisfying its customers demand for books, dares to sell books these employees believe are "transphobic." 

About 30 of these employees, therefore, staged what they called a "die-in" at Amazon's corporate headquarters in Seattle. Based on the photos published online, the protesting employees covered their bodies with colorful sheets that symbolized Amazon's attempt to "rainbow-wash" its corporate image. They did all this on the sidewalk since lying down in the street might actually result in death. As a result of this wise decision, most of the employees managed to survive the die-in.

Of course, the truth is, there's no such thing as a "transexual" since biologically a person's sex cannot be changed. Surgery just alters the person's surface, but he or she remains what they were at birth. Just check their DNA or count their X chromosomes. Every woman carries a double dose of X chromosome, while men carry one X and a Y.  The desire to change one's sex, regardless of the direction, is nothing more than a psychological aberration. It's all very sad to see so many today caught up in this lie, but God doesn't make mistakes. He is "the way, the truth, and the life." And we should never forget that in the Nicene Creed we profess our belief that the Holy Spirit is the "Lord and giver of life." Yes, indeed, God gives life and defines it, not us. If you don't believe that, you don't believe in God.

Amazon will certainly reassure the world, its shareholders, and even its employees that they remain committed to the LGBTQA+ agenda. All the corporate movers and shakers claim to take this weird, ever-expanding concatenation of letters seriously, but we all suspect they really care little about any of these issues. Most large corporations simply want to avoid the backlash from the woke media and the highly vocal true believers. I expect Amazon will continue selling the books its customers want to buy, although they will no doubt donate big bucks to "appropriate" causes and highlight books supported by the company's "woke police" even though few people actually buy them.

Georgetown Relents...a Little. Okay, honesty up-front: I attended Georgetown University (its School of Foreign Service) for one year in 1962-63. I'll admit it was a fun year and I managed to slide through with a B average. I found I could achieve that comfortable level of academic excellence with only minimal effort. I just read everything I was told to read and apparently recalled enough to do okay on exams. A few weeks after the end of that Georgetown year I reported to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis for four far more challenging years. Believe me, the Naval Academy wasn't nearly as much fun. 

Of course, back in the early 60s Georgetown seemed very Catholic and very traditional in its approach to both education and campus life. Back then many Jesuits actually acted like members of the Society of Jesus founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, an order that pledged special obedience to the Pope. Anyway, Georgetown has changed. I receive a quarterly copy of the university's alumni magazine, but reading the latest issue, one would be challenged to find evidence of the school's Catholic foundation. 

Anyway, I came across an online article announcing that Georgetown had reinstated Ilya Shapiro, a senior lecturer at Georgetown's Law Center and the executive director of its Center for the Constitution. What happened? Well, several months ago, the university put Shapiro on administrative leave because some folks were unhappy with his tweets about President Biden's Supreme Court choice. It seems the conservative Shapiro thought, rightly I believe, that the president's decision to limit his pool of qualified candidates to black women was a poor decision that likely ensured the best qualified person would be overlooked. For this Shapiro was removed.

After a four-month investigation, the school concluded that Shapiro wasn't an employee when the tweets were written, so he should be reinstated. In Shapiro's words, "What I achieved was a technical victory but one that still shows the value in standing up for free speech in the face of cancellation...It was an experience I wouldn't wish on anyone except perhaps the instigators of the Twitter mob that launched this tempest...I found out who my friends are, even if I would've preferred not to have had the need to know."

And all of this happened even though Georgetown has an explicit Speech and Expression policy stating the "University is committed to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate in all matters, and the untrammeled verbal and nonverbal expression of ideas." Yeah...right.

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Nancy and Her Archbishop. I was going to include a few words about Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, but I've run out of time. Let me congratulate the growing number of U.S. bishops who have openly expressed support for the Archbishop. At the same time I wonder why all our other bishops haven't joined them. If I have time tomorrow, maybe I'll post a few words about it. 

The Bad, the Ugly, and the Stupid

Reading the news these days has become like a visit to one of those Ripley’s Believe it or Not “museums” where one is confronted by the outlandish, the truly weird, and the absolutely screwy. Things are happening in our nation and in the world, unexpected odd things, irrational things, that make us question the very sanity of many of our human race’s most esteemed members. Let me just toss a few recent headlines your way and perhaps add a word or two of explanation where explanation is even possible.

U.S. Threatens Taliban with Isolation if Kabul Falls. Not only did the U.S. threaten the Taliban with the horror of isolation, but they were joined in this threat by even more forceful words from both the European Union and the United Nations who also threatened global isolation. Let’s see, the Taliban are a vicious, sadistic, self-isolated collection of radical Islamists who could not care less about being isolated by a world they despise. The U.S, the E.U., and the U.N. Represent everything they hate, everything they want to destroy. I can think of nothing they fear less than global isolation. 

“Come get us,” they will cry to the world once they take control of the entire Afghan nation. “Come get us,” just as so many in the past have tried to conquer the Afghan people. They all failed. Who does the E.U. and the U.N. plan to send? Belgian and Norwegian military police, U.N. Peacekeepers, or perhaps a judge from the European Court of Human Rights? That’ll work.

Perhaps we have finally learned — although I doubt it — that we cannot turn an Islamic nation with an ingrained, millennial-long, militaristic, tribal, misogynistic mindset into the mirror image of a modern European parliamentary republic by telling Afghans about the glories of the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and the works of Thomas Paine, which most couldn’t read even in translation. 

Scotland: 4-year-olds Can Change Gender Without Parental Consent. Yes, indeed, the Scots, who once stood tall and even fought vigorously for the clan, now cede parental authority to the state. It’s all about the government’s new LGBT inclusivity guidelines, which among other things, allow young children to change their genders and names without parental consent. London’s Daily Telegraph reported that the guidelines claim students of any age can change genders. Schools must also design gender-neutral uniforms and use recommended reading lists promoting transgender inclusivity. Do you think, perhaps, any citizen who voices opposition will likely be accused of a hate crime?

We’re not Scotland, you might say, and you’re right. But, believe me, we’re not that far behind. And if you listen to our modern movers and shakers, they’re already talking about doing exactly what the Scots have done. Just a guess, but I suspect Scotland doesn’t permit home schooling.

Dr. Anthony Fauci Says Criticism of Him Is “Inexplicable”. That’s right, the ubiquitous immunologist and “live-shot” TV star, has expressed concern that some of his viewers have been criticizing him, and doing so openly, in public. This man, the highest paid federal employee, finds such criticism “inexplicable” and says everyone should realize the virus, not he, is the enemy. He said this and much more in an MSNBC interview with Joy Reid who, of course, absolutely loves the doctor. Not discussed was Dr. Fauci’s increased politicization of the “science,” all too apparent by his frequent flip-flops on almost every aspect of how we mere peasants must deal with the pesky virus. Does anyone who really matters still listen to this man? I certainly don’t, although admittedly I probably don’t matter very much. 

Here’s one more, a very sad story that should put all Americans on guard when we hear the left waxing eloquently about the glories of government-run healthcare. 

UK Government to End Life of Two-Year-Old Jewish Girl. I won’t provide a detailed report since you can read the entire story yourself, but here are the basics. This little girl, Alta Fixsler, whose parents are Israeli citizens (The father is also a U.S. citizen.), must not be kept alive by the UK’s medical authorities. This decision by the ironically named European Court of Human Rights declared her parents do not have the right to keep her alive even though treatment is available elsewhere, specifically in the U.S. and Israel. To show how the state has completely usurped the rights and authority of parents, the court stated, “Alta is not of an age, nor in a condition to have knowledge of and adopt her parents’ values.” The parents, of course, are believing, practicing Jews and want to take their child to Israel, but even this is prohibited. 

The Israeli president wrote to Prince Charles in June requesting his help for little Alta. According to Yeshiva News his letter included the following plea:

“It is the fervent wish of her parents, who are devoutly religious Jews and Israeli citizens, that their daughter be brought to Israel. Their religious beliefs directly oppose ceasing medical treatment that could extend her life and have made arrangements for her safe transfer and continued treatment in Israel. 

“I know that representations have been made to HM [Her Majesty’s] Government on this matter, but I feel that the unique circumstances warrant a personal intervention on my part to you. It would be a tragedy if these parents’ wishes could not be accommodated in a way that respects both the law and their religious beliefs.”

Back in June a large number of Republican U.S. senators requested that President Biden ask Prime Minister Johnson to help this little girl. And just last week a group of Democrat senators asked the UK ambassador to “facilitate the travel of Alta Fixsler from the UK to the United Staes, where care for her is waiting.” Senator Schumer even obtained a visa for the little girl’s travel. Wow! It looks as if little Alta Fixsler might actually have led the Senate to some form of bi-partisan agreement.

I pray for this little girl and her family, and ask the Holy Spirit, the “Lord and Giver of life” to move the hearts of those who have become so seduced by the world’s culture of death. I also pray to Blessed Margaret of Castello (if you don’t know of her, look her up) that she intercede for the sake of Alta’s life.