Lew Rockwell Institute

Writes Gail Appel:

There is no end to the Democrat delivery of destruction. No matter that the spiteful decisions jeopardize the safety and security of those who voted against them, but those who voted for them and essentially, their own demise.

The Democrats are the jilted spouse that murders their entire family to spite the ex-wife/husband.

See here.

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Last week on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Mel Gibson defended the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, bringing the Shroud into the public eye once again. He’s not the only one defending Christ’s burial cloth.

Dr. John Campbell, a prominent YouTube commentator on medical topics—especially on malpractice inherent in the Covid vaccination regime—recently changed course to present a compelling analysis of the evidence for Christ embedded in the Shroud of Turin. The Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection are all documented in that linen cloth whose fabric embeds countless forensic clues detailing Christ’s Passion and whose ghostly image contains a wealth of 3D data encoded long before the birth of computer imaging.

An Italian lawyer and amateur photographer named Secondo Pia was the first to photograph the Shroud. King Umberto I, who owned the holy relic, had granted permission to display it in Turin Cathedral’s 1898 Arte Sacra exhibition, and Pia was commissioned to photograph it.

Working during the lunch break, when the doors were closed to the public, Pia brought a portable generator into the cathedral, set up two electric bulbs, and—after an earlier, unsuccessful session—finally managed to get the right lighting on his second try, on May 28, 1898. Around midnight, Pia developed his photo, and, as he wrote some years later,

Closed in my darkroom, completely intent on my work, I felt a very profound emotion when, during the development, I saw appearing on the plate, first the Holy Face, with such clarity that I was astonished and at the same time happy, since from that moment I could have the certainty that my work would have a good outcome. 

His camera had unveiled a detailed portrait of the Savior—the very face of Jesus plain to see on that glass plate—hidden in the Shroud since the moment of His Resurrection. Not a vague, ghostly image that required a medieval leap of faith to see the truth therein but a startling proof waiting two millennia to be revealed. Proof fit for a skeptical age, fit to close out a century that had followed hot on the French Revolution and had given birth to Marx and Engels. The ethereal stain on that linen had finally come alive as a striking portrait of the God-man once wrapped within it.

The face of God Incarnate, stark and real, His eyes closed in death. A spiritual weapon suddenly unveiled at the start of an apocalyptic age that would see the First World War; the Rape of Nanking; a Second World War stamped dead by two atomic infernos; the genocidal reigns of Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot; and now, here in the erstwhile Land of the Free, the mutilative “gender reassignment” of innocent children and the rampant slaughter of millions more in their mothers’ wombs in the name of “reproductive rights.”

Meanwhile, as Western European countries find themselves swamped with invaders bent on demolishing the Christian civilizations they were built upon, here in America swarms of drones and seeming UFOs infest the skies in what looks like a futuristic PSYOP war—or even the start of Armageddon. How direly we need that spiritual weapon today.

In 1976, scientists at Sandia Laboratories in New Mexico put a 1931 photo of the Shroud into a VP-8 Image Analyzer. The VP-8 is an analog device originally intended for enhancing differences of grayscale in images such as x-rays and aerial photos of terrain, thus rendering their evaluation easier. 

“When applied to normal photographs,” Shroud researcher Barrie Schwortz writes, “the result was a distorted and inaccurate image. However, when it was applied to the Shroud, the result was an accurate, topographic image showing the correct, natural relief characteristics of a human form.”   

Read the Whole Article

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The term “openness” is one of those flexible notions which, like those of “public order,” “good faith,” or “proportionality,” evade the exercise of definition.

We know the important function of “standards” in legal technique. Legislators and judges deliberately use these words taken from ordinary language, the meaning of which varies according to the context and dominant ideas. They serve to establish rules of law and to identify jurisprudential solutions that escape the requirements of logical reasoning using legal concepts. They authorize them to establish and interpret the law according to a certain common sense, with a margin of flexibility that allows them to resolve the tension that a lawyer, for example, necessarily encounters when confronted with the complexity and mobility of social life.

In the spirit of openness, the Italian Bishops’ Conference recently approved, with the apparent blessing of the Roman authorities, new guidelines that stipulate that an applicant for the seminary cannot be rejected simply because he identifies as a homosexual.

The document “La formazione dei presbiteri nelle chiese in Italia. Orientamenti e norme per i seminari” (“The formation of priests in churches in Italy. Guidelines and norms for seminaries”), states that seminary directors should consider sexual orientation as only one aspect of a candidate’s personality. While this does not change the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching that “homosexual tendencies” are “intrinsically disordered,” it nevertheless departs from its constant position that such men should not become priests:

…persons with homosexual tendencies who seek admission to Seminary, or discover such a situation in the course of formation, consistent with her own Magisterium, “the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture.’ Such persons, in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women.”

The new norm says that so long as a candidate remains chaste, his sexual orientation should not disqualify him from seeking the priesthood. The dilemma in this is that, as taught by the Church, only heterosexual men can become priests since only they are objectively capable of sacrificing a family, that is to say, marrying a woman and having children for the service of God’s Church. Those with homosexual tendencies, while they can equally achieve holiness, are objectively incapable of making the same sacrificial act. In other words, the vocation to Holy Orders is a call, not an open invitation to anyone and everyone who desires to become a priest.

In an effort to do damage control, the president of the Italian bishops’ Episcopal Commission for the Clergy and Consecrated Life stated:

[It is] an accompaniment to self-knowledge that is often lacking in the younger generations and that does not exclude even the boys who arrive in the Seminaries…when reference is made to homosexual tendencies, it is also appropriate not to reduce discernment only to this aspect, but, as for every candidate, to grasp its meaning in the global framework of the young person’s personality, so that, knowing himself and integrating the objectives proper to the human and priestly vocation, he reaches a general harmony.

What this means, I do not know. But it is certainly an ambiguous statement, to say the least, when in today’s age, we need clear-cut clarity. This is equally on par with what, just prior to the Vatican document, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, stated in support of same-sex couples adopting children:

“Many of our LGBTQ Catholic sisters and brothers value community life,” said Cupich.

Many LGBTQ people also learn and know what sacrificial love is, as they take on the role of parenting children who otherwise would not have a home. This also happens when LGBTQ people put the social Gospel into practice by volunteering for good causes and by dealing compassionately with others, as so many of them already know what it means to feel excluded. 

The cardinal argues that LGBTQ+ individuals cannot be treated as third-class citizens. Yet the campaign for same-sex couples to adopt children not just undermines the traditional family made up of a father, mother, and children, it degrades the natural reality that we were created in the image and likeness of God: “male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).

Read the Whole Article

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In a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan show, Mel Gibson astounded the host by delving deep into the ancient significance of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Gibson’s discussion centered around his forthcoming movie, “The Resurrection of the Christ,” where he elucidated the rich tapestry of traditional narratives and their implications.

- Mel Gibson connects the story of Christ to the ancient Adam motif, emphasizing its relevance throughout key events in Christian theology.

– The historical understanding of resurrection is vitally linked to the Jewish expectation of the Messiah, explaining the fervor surrounding Christ’s resurrection.

– Recent studies on the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium Christi reinforce the authenticity of Christ’s resurrection, making a compelling case for its historical validity.

Gibson highlighted the ancient Adam motif, presenting it as a critical link connecting major moments in Christ’s narrative. From his birth in a setting reminiscent of Eden, surrounded by animals and angels, to the arrival of the Magi bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, there are deep-rooted connections to Jewish texts such as the “Life of Adam.” This narrative speaks of Adam receiving three gifts after his expulsion from Eden—a theme resonant with the gifts offered to the Christ child.

MEL GIBSON & JOE ROGAN TALKING ABOUT THE RESURRECTION

—Nobody dies for a lie

Mel Gibson completely believes in the Resurrection. He says Buddha did not rise from the dead

CAN YOU BELIEVE HOW MUCH OF THE GOSPEL JOE ROGAN IS HEARING THESE DAYS pic.twitter.com/PuF5OW7kAV

— Dr. Malachi – (Dr. Run) (@malachiobrien) January 10, 2025

This motif continues with Christ’s baptism during the Eastern Orthodox feast of Theophany, which echoes Adam’s penance standing in the Jordan River. When discussing the Crucifixion, the ancient traditions champion the imagery of Christ’s blood falling upon Adam’s skull, symbolizing the restoration of life through the ‘new Adam’ redeeming the old. Thus, Adam becomes a profound narrative thread in the transformative story of Christ.

The historical context surrounding the Jewish conception of the Messiah in the first century offers a backdrop for understanding the resurrection’s significance. First-century Jews anticipated a Messiah who would conquer death and liberate them from Roman oppression, resulting in a new creation. This belief system underscores the absurdity of the message that a dead man could be proclaimed the Messiah unless he had indeed risen.

Mel Gibson explaining the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin to Joe Rogan is fascinating.

Video: Joe Rogan pic.twitter.com/c5dO6gktDa

— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) January 10, 2025

Questions arise regarding the bold declarations made by a group of first-century Jews who insisted that a crucified man was the Christ. This insistence dovetails with the robust Jewish theology that upheld resurrection in a very real, earthly sense. The only plausible explanation for their unwavering faith, despite ridicule and repercussions, stems from the belief in Christ’s real resurrection, encapsulated in the proclamation, “Christos anesti,” affirming His triumph over death.

Recent studies corroborate this understanding of resurrection with scientific inquiry into the Shroud of Turin. Researchers have utilized advanced x-ray techniques that reveal the shroud was crafted around 2,000 years ago, coinciding with the time of Christ’s crucifixion, bolstering historical claims of the event. Additional research indicated that the blood stains on the shroud belong to a torturous victim, aligning with the gospel narratives of Christ’s suffering.

Moreover, the Sudarium Christi, identified as the cloth that covered Christ’s face, has blood chemistry matching that of the Shroud, indicating they belong to the same individual. Pollen samples from the shroud reinforce its link to Jerusalem during Passover, further solidifying the case for the historicity of the resurrection.

As anticipation builds for Gibson’s film, it’s expected to resonate with and uplift countless viewers while affirming the world-altering truth of Christ’s resurrection, a promise that all things are made new through Him.

This originally appeared on TurleyTalks.com.

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Donald Trump has made it clear that he likes the idea of Greenland seceding from Denmark. “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Of course, the road to a US annexation of Greenland could go at least two different ways. One way is outright unilateral annexation in which the US declares the island to be US territory. That’s essentially what the US did in places like the Philippines in the wake of the Spanish-American War.

The obvious problem with this method is that the United States likes to claim that it is the great moral nation that adheres to a “rules based order.” To simply annex Greenland without an internationally recognized referendum, voted on by Greenlanders, would look a lot like, say, the Russian occupation of South Ossetia.

On the other hand, US annexation would be a lot easier to justify if Greenland voters formally secede from the so-called “Danish Realm,” the loose-knit polity that includes Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands.  If secession wins a majority vote, this would be a crucial first step in paving the way for either de jure or de facto annexation.

If Greenland does vote to secede from Denmark, it won’t be the first time that a Danish overseas territory has voted to do so. This time around, though, it is likely the US will be at the center of the pro-secession effort.

Icelandic Secession 

In 1944, Iceland voted to secede from Denmark, and the new Icelandic state declared itself a republic, fully independent from the Danish crown. This was not a major change for Iceland in terms of self-governance, however. The 1944 vote was the culmination of more than a century of gradual independence that had begun in 1845 with the revival of the Icelandic parliament, the Alþingi, as an advisory body in Reykjavik in 1845. Iceland received its first constitution from the Danish King in 1874, and this was followed by home rule in 1904. In 1918, Iceland declared full internal sovereignty leaving Iceland united to Denmark through only a personal union under the Danish monarch as head of state. In 1943, however, the treaty tying Iceland and Denmark together expired. Denmark was locked in a violent struggle with Nazi Germany, and Iceland once again voted to distance itself from the Danish metropole.

In May 1944, Icelandic voters faced two questions on the ballot:

1. Do you support breaking the union with Denmark?
2. Are you in favor of adopting a new republican constitution?

The turnout was 98.6%. 97.35% of voters were in favor of breaking the union with Denmark, and 95.04% were in favor of a new, republican constitution.

Soon thereafter, the Icelandic state declared itself to be an independent republic. Can Greenland do the same thing as Iceland?

How Greenland Can Secede

Compared to the process the led to Icelandic independence, the situation is a bit more difficult for Greenland. Although Nazi occupation in Denmark made it even easier for Iceland to secede in 1944, Iceland was nonetheless legally entitled to secede according to Iceland’s treaty with Denmark. As historian Robert Young notes, ”Iceland invoked a clause in the Act of Union that allowed for unilateral termination of the Act, and the decision was confirmed, as required, by a national plebiscite.”1

In other words, Icelandic secession was unusually easy and legal, as far as secessions go. In the long history of secession movements, however, few are “legal” in any formal sense. In practice, secession movements commonly use political pressure and alliances to gain independence even when no legal provisions exist allowing it. The success of a secession movement depends on the political realities of the present, and not on political conventions of times long past. 

That is, Greenland’s independence does not hinge on whether or not there is an established legal method for Greenland to unilaterally secede. What matters is whether or not Greenland can find the necessary political support—both domestic and international—to make it happen. For example, if Greenland were to vote for independence, and if Washington were sufficiently motivated to want Greenland’s independence, the US would intervene and apply pressure to the Danish state. The US would claim that Greenlanders must be allowed self-determination as a matter of human rights.

These will just be the stated reasons for the US support of the secession, of course. That will just be the cover story. The real reason for supporting the secession will be because the regime believes Greenland’s independence will somehow make the US state more powerful. This should be obvious since the US never supports self-determination for its own citizens, and absolutely refuses to entertain the idea of secession for any portion of the US.

When Washington Discovers It Likes Secession

Domestically, the problem with US support for Greenlandic secession is that Washington may have to manufacture some reason explaining why Greenland’s secession is acceptable, but secession is not allowed for any group of Americans.

In this case, the usual claims wouldn’t work especially well. Historically, the US has supported secession for foreigners—but denied it to Americans—by claiming secession is only allowed as a means of spreading democracy via decolonization. The idea here is that a country like Nigeria (for example) ought to be independent from the British Empire because that country, when it was part of the Empire, did not receive representation in the British parliament.

Yet, this reasoning cannot be applied to Greenland which is already a democracy according to the commonly-used criteria. For example, Greenland enjoys home rule, has its own parliament, and even has representation in the Danish parliament.  Indeed, with two members in parliament, Greenland’s population is represented on a par with ordinary Danish voters, when adjusted for population size. There are approximately 33,000 Danes per member of parliament on the Danish “mainland.” With a population of fewer than 57,000 citizens, Greenland is actually slightly overrepresented in Copenhagen with two members. Proportionally, Greenlanders receive far more legal representation in the Danish parliament than do residents of Montana or Wyoming in the US House of Representatives. Moreover, if Greenland were to become a non-state territory of the US, it would receive no votes in the US Congress at all.

Thus, the US can’t claim that Greenland is a special case because it is presently denied a democratic political system. On the other hand, the US could claim that Greenland ought to get its independence because many of its residents are members of an indigenous ethnic group. That, however, would raise the sticky issue of allowing indigenous populations in the US to vote on independence. That’s not a conversation Washington wants to have.

Fortunately for Washington, however, it can probably get away with just remaining very vague on the issue while piling on the usual propaganda about American exceptionalism. We’ll be told Greenland’s secession is good simply because Denmark isn’t America. That will likely be enough to silence Trump’s core supporters who blindly support—or at least tolerate—everything the regime does so long as Trump is president. For those who demand more of an explanation, Washington can retreat to the old tried and true method: enflame fears about foreign bogeymen. Trump’s Greenland annexation is already being pushed largely as a preemptive strike against the Chinese “threat.” The solution, we are told, is to make the US regime larger, more powerful, and more of a global hegemon. Thus, we will be told that to allow any Americans to secede from America would be to weaken the American state—and we can’t have that.

—

1 Robert A. Young, “How Do Peaceful Secessions Happen?”, Canadian Journal of Political Science 27, no. 4, (Dec., 1994): 778.

The post The US Regime Might Finally Support Secession—But Only for Greenland appeared first on LewRockwell.

U.S. imperialist power occupies the White House seamlessly and the world will continue to deal with the consequences of criminal American warmongering.

Donald Trump takes over from Joe Biden at the White House in less than a week in what is, for all intents and purposes, a theatrical change of the executive figurehead.

One manikin is wheeled out, another wheeled in. Cue the brass band and gun salutes.

There’s a big difference in personal style and rhetoric about policies. But the world will continue to endure its experience of U.S. power – one of imperialistic militarism, conflict, and violence.

Outgoing Democrat President Joe Biden let the cat out of the bag – as he is prone to do – when he delivered what was billed as his last foreign policy speech this week. He outlined a world of U.S. domination by military force and proxy machinations. It was a dystopian view of international relations – yet Biden exulted in the belief that “America is winning” and that this something noble to report to the American people.

During his 30-minute rant at the State Department, Biden declared: “The United States is winning the worldwide competition compared to four years ago. America is stronger. Our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker.”

It was hard to listen to Biden as he slurred from one fragmented sentence to the next without punctuation. It was harder still to listen to the delusional lies about America leading the world under the aegis of his administration.

He went on to boast that adversaries Russia, China and Iran were all weakened by his policies to create a new Cold War. That’s right, Biden actually claimed it a virtue when he stammered, “the post-Cold War is over, a new era has begun” of fierce competition and crises.”

The proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, where as many as one million military deaths have been incurred in three years, has been recklessly fueled by the Biden administration. The Biden White House and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately sabotaged an early peace settlement in March 2022.

Biden has thus brought the world to the brink of nuclear war between the United States and Russia. World security has not been this dire since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 – and yet Biden is crowing about this appalling situation as an “achievement” he can report to the American people.

During his foreign policy speech, the Israeli genocide in Gaza fueled by U.S. weapons, which has killed over 46,000 Palestinians – mainly women, children and elderly – was sickeningly rationalized by Biden as a price for weakening Iran.

Biden also bragged about the militarization of the Asia-Pacific with U.S. forces and allies under his watch, purportedly to contain China but which is escalating provocations with another nuclear power.

The cynicism of Biden is grotesque. At one point, he proclaimed, “We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”

It was reminiscent of U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham boasting how the proxy war in Ukraine was the best investment ever made by Washington since Russian soldiers were being killed without the deployment of American troops.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova got it right when she commented: “Today’s statement by Biden is an admission of a deliberately executed provocation. The Biden administration knew it was pushing the world toward the brink and still chose to escalate the conflict.”

Escalation is what Biden is doing as he packs his bags at the White House. This week saw more air attacks deep inside Russia with U.S.-supplied and operated long-range ATACMS missiles. Biden gave the go-ahead for such strikes at the end of last year despite Moscow’s warning that it was inciting a global war and nuclear armageddon.

Next week, the senile Biden heads off to a retirement home. But there is little reason to expect that the incoming Trump administration will change U.S. policy from its course of seeking global domination and confrontation to achieve that. Biden claimed he was leaving the next administration “a very strong hand to play.”

The course of conflict is historically determined by an imperialist power seeking to maintain its global power. Trump is not going to challenge the fundamental dynamic of U.S. imperialism.

During the presidential campaign, Trump often derided Biden for making the U.S. a “laughing stock of the world.” No doubt, Trump would disparage Biden’s egotistical claims of making America stronger.

Trump’s campaign tapped anti-war sentiment among U.S. citizens. He repeatedly vowed to end the war in Ukraine “on day one” of his presidency. The Republican said his focus would be “America First” and ending overseas wars and conflicts.

Even before his inauguration on January 20, Trump has gone full-bore imperialist, declaring that he is going to annex Greenland and Panama by military force if needed on the grounds of “national security.”

Trump is also more inclined to pander to Israeli aggression in the Middle East. He is on record in his endorsement of launching air strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

His hostile views toward China are also well-documented and unhinged, as are those of his cabinet picks.

The latest reports on Trump’s much-vaunted peace intentions in Ukraine are not promising. His aides are now saying a resolution to the conflict may be months away – not “on day one.”

Trump and his aides, including his mouthpiece billionaire Elon Musk, are abjectly unqualified and ill-informed to have any ability to work through negotiations with Russia, Iran, China, or anyone else.

The difference between Biden and Trump amounts to nothing – despite all the trumpeting by Trump’s MAGA supporters and Biden’s Democrat followers who abhor Trump.

A Republican big mouth takes over from a Democrat degenerate. So what? U.S. imperialist power occupies the White House seamlessly and the world will continue to deal with the consequences of criminal American warmongering.

The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearings for the Trump administration are currently delayed.

However, at least Gabbard, nominated for the director of national intelligence, appears to have a good chance of being confirmed.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) said Gabbard must still turn in her “paperwork” but that he wants to see the Democrat-turned-Republican confirmed.

CBS News reported that Barrasso “is not concerned about having enough support for Gabbard’s confirmation.”

“She continues to have promotions in the military. She’s a lieutenant colonel. She now has top level security clearances,” Barrasso told CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

“She’s the right person to keep America secure and safe,” Sen. Barrasso said.

Gabbard previously served in Congress as a Democrat and supported socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 run for president, before running in the 2020 Democratic Party primaries. During the race, she supported minimal limits on abortion, but that made her the least pro-abortion candidate in the race, as many, if not all the other candidates, supported abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.

However, she has since declared herself a Republican, campaigned for Trump, and won support from some conservatives for her criticism of pediatric surgical and chemical gender mutilation. Gabbard is also less hawkish and opposes endless foreign wars.

She won the support of one skeptical Republican, Sen. James Lankford, after she said she supports the U.S. government being able to spy on non-U.S. citizens abroad.

“Section 702, unlike other FISA authorities, is crucial for gathering foreign intelligence on non-U.S. persons abroad,” she said in a recent statement, as reported by the New York Post. “This unique capability cannot be replicated and must be safeguarded to protect our nation while ensuring the civil liberties of Americans.”

Lankford of Oklahoma previously had questioned Gabbard’s view on this program but said he is now satisfied with her response.

pic.twitter.com/5rLueolhNi

— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) January 15, 2025

“Yeah, I am,” the senator told “Meet the Press” on Sunday, when asked if he was a yes vote for Gabbard.

“Obviously she voted against 702 authority. And just to clarify that, that authority is for actually trying to be able to track terrorists overseas,” the Oklahoma Republican said. “That has nothing to do with American citizens or anything that’s happening in the United States.”

Sen. Mike Rounds said he thinks she will be confirmed, according to The Hill. The Senate Intelligence Committee member made the comments even prior to Lankford’s endorsement.

“I think she’s a very quick study. I think she’s very bright, and I think the challenge for her will be in … an open discussion, will be showing the expertise that she needs. And I think she’s well on her way, so I’m optimistic that she’ll be successful,” he previously told The Hill.

Read the Whole Article

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Soon Donald Trump will deliver his second inaugural address. Although the imagined address below is likely a bit different from what he will deliver, it captures the spirit of Trump, mixed with some hopes some have. Wishful thinking? Perhaps? Or perhaps not?

My fellow Americans,

It is with great honor I take on this city of lies that lies before us, this Mordor on the Potomac. This city is based on lies.

We saw Kamala in her closing remarks, referring to King George III as a petty tyrant. Fact was that it was Parliament that was the problem. Before the revolution, taxes were much lower in the American colonies than in Britain, and they started rising here in America shortly after the revolt.

The revolution gave us higher taxes, not freedom. This city is based on lies. American government based on the lie that the government is us is more far-reaching and extensive than King George ever could have dreamt of. King George was not a tyrant. The tyrant is the building behind us.

As I said, this city is built on lies.

The American President known as the Great Emancipator, known for freeing slaves, inherited slaves from his father-in-law. He could have freed them, but he chose to sell them into further slavery. This city is built on lies. That same American President went to a battlefield and declared government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

That same man made war on his own people, a war that crushed federalism as a check on the central government. He created this swamp. This city is based on lies.

Woodrow Wilson, a professor, can’t trust them, campaigned on staying out of the war. He took the great America into war. Lies, lies, lies. This city is based on lies. He, Wilson, said liberty does not come from government. Then he created more government than ever. More lies.

He created the income tax from this city of lies. He created the Fed. Then, after the war, the economy crashed. They blamed it on our wonderful capitalism, those liars. It was because of war and the Fed. Bad things!

I’ll say it again. This city is based on lies. Keynesian economics rose. Really bad thing. Based on lies.

Wilson created Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler. Bad people. Now, the swamp says we must make war to make the world safe from bad people. While this city created bad people. This city is based on lies.

We spend ourselves into debt to protect the world from bad people, bad people this city, this swamp created. It’s all lies.

They lie that we can afford this. It’s time to put America first, not the lies about the world.

They say it doesn’t matter what we spend because we can just print all the money we want. This is a pack of lies. Government is not magic. It is a heavy burden on the backs of the American people, and the people are fed up with being burdened. They are burdened by what has been.

Let us now be unburdened by the lies of this Mordor on the Potomac. Let the world be unburdened by the lies that have been. The liars in this city tell us that big government is to the benefit of the common man, of poor people. It’s all lies.

This city is built on lies, based on lies.

Lobbyists come to this town and live it up. They come to get a hold of the hard-earned cash of good Americans, good Patriots out in the vast land that made America great.

This city is not great. This is a city of lies. Mordor on the Potomac. They tell us this city must have more power, but it is only for the good of the lobbyists who can multiply and live it up even more – on the backs of American taxpayers. Lies to benefit themselves.

They say the Deep State is a nutty conspiracy theory. It’s all lies to protect themselves. This city is based on lies, in particular the lie that there is no Deep State. And then there is the lie that the government in Washington must grow and grow. With Vivek and Elon – such great Patriots – we will show you that this is a lie.

They say the truth is the first casualty of war. So true. There are so many lies going around when this country goes to war. When this city of lies goes to war. We saw it in Iraq. Saddam Hussein had nuclear weapons. Big mushroom bombs. It was all lies. Lies from this city. It was all lies to have a phony reason to go to war. Totally fake.

This city is fake. Lies, waste, and bad people.

We are here to clean out those lies, that waste, and bad people. The Department of Government Efficiency, under the good leadership of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, will expose the lies. They are very good people.

This Mordor on the Potomac persecutes the good people that expose the lies. They make criminals out of the very good people who show us the lies. Edward Snowden is one such example. Very good man.

He should come home as a free man and help make America great again. I will pardon him as one of my first acts as President. We need such great whistleblowers. Very good people. We need them to expose the lies of this city of lies. The city that is based on lies. Built on lies.

We need to stop all this lying. It is very bad. It must end.

It is true that this nation was built by immigrants, but we must stop the lie that all immigrants bring the same to our culture.

We must dismantle the Deep State. We must dismantle this army of lobbyists. Send them home.

We must end the lie that fiat currency managed by the Fed is necessary. We must make sound money great again.

We must end the lie that all climate change is man-made.

And we must end the lie that this big government in Washington is to the benefit of the people.

We will drain the swamp, the swamp of liars in this city of lies. We will drain it because this nation cannot be great with this swamp of lies and liars. And we will make America great again. And America will be great again when we drain this swamp of lies and liars.

My fellow Americans, I am honored to be your President. This city, this nation, and the world will be unburdened by the lies that have been.

We will make America great again!

God bless the United States of America.

The post The City of Lies appeared first on LewRockwell.

On December 28, 2024, Fr. Tom Pringle observed on , “I’ve been at my parish for about 3 years. What I’ve seen in that time is a resurgence in Catholics going to confession.” I am the pastor of a parish with about 900 families, and I echo what Fr. Pringle said.

This past Advent, I heard confessions for hours. I would arrive at the confessional 20-30 minutes early and hear confessions until the vigil Mass on a Saturday. I did not have a free moment to crack a book during my Tuesday confessions either. And I also added a time that had me hearing confessions beyond the scheduled time. It was apparent: confession is back, and people are seeking out God’s mercy. Additionally, our parish distributed Dave Durand’s book on confession, The Fountain of Youth, at Christmas; and, in the few weeks that have since passed, several people have commented on the impact the book has had—and it has, in fact, brought them to the confessional.

I think about confession every First Saturday too. The message that Mary spoke in Fatima, where she encouraged monthly confession as part of the five First Saturdays, proposes a spirituality for the faithful. What it means is that Our Lady wants us to go to confession monthly. When I celebrate Mass for a handful of the faithful on First Saturday, and hear confessions afterward, I think about this question: “What if every Catholic observed the message of Our Lady of Fatima?” As the pastor of a parish and a school, with the duties I have now, how many hours could I hear confession to meet the need for confession, if all the faithful went once a month.

If the demand for confession was to rise, priests of today would have to become like St. John Vianney or St. Pio of Pietrelcina who heard confessions for hours a day. As a priest, I would rejoice at this reality, and I already do rejoice at the increased requests for confessions that I have seen. But it makes me wonder if the Church is ready for this revival.

The Catholic Church in the United States embarked upon a multiyear Eucharistic revival. I believe there has been good fruit from the revival. I am grateful for what it has done to reinvigorate Eucharistic faith and devotion. This revival could be sparking the renewal of celebrating the sacrament of Penance because if one wants to worthily receive the Holy Eucharist, then a good confession should be a part of the process.

We all desire for a renewal of the Catholic Faith and a steadfast practice of it by people in our communities, cities, country, and world. But are we ready for a renewal or revival? Does the Church today have the infrastructure to support a revival?

Unfortunately, as I see it, we do not. The shortage of priests in dioceses throughout the country is felt. Parishes are clustered together, sharing a priest. Communities once served by two or three priests are served by one priest who is split in many directions. Confessions, which would have been heard more regularly in each individual parish, are scheduled less frequently because of the split time.

When a diocese confers another responsibility upon the pastor, it means his time to his people is diminished, or he overworks, leading to health problems and burnout. If a Eucharistic revival takes place, and churches are filled every Sunday, will there be a need for the addition of more Masses? Can a priest, already celebrating four Masses on a weekend, possibly add another Mass to his schedule? I hope I am not the only person asking these questions and that chanceries are anticipating revival and what it will mean for the practice of the clergy.

While some bishops, like my own, have an optimistic mindset regarding revival and its potential needs, there are other (arch)dioceses that seem content with decline and have no interest in renewal or revival. Closing churches and reducing the availability of the sacraments and the presence of Christ in the tabernacle is seen as more convenient than converting hearts and filling pews with people who desire the sacraments. In an ideal world, there should be a need to establish more churches because of the demand; but alas, the availability of clergy to serve those parishes is not yet there.

Read the Whole Article

The post Is the Church Really Ready for Revival? appeared first on LewRockwell.

I am as tired of challenging and distressing news as you. Today there is a treat instead. The treat is “the Tall Texan,” the American pianist Van Cliburn playing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto at the first Soviet international competition in Moscow in 1958, which Van Cliburn won.  Khrushchev, the General Secretary of the Communist Party,  was present as was Mikoyan. You will see them applauding. See this.

After the performances, the judges approached Khrushchev, the ruling General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and asked if they might give the prize to Van Cliburn.  Khrushchev asked the judges, “Was he the best?”  The judges said, “yes.”  “Then give him the prize.”  The Soviet conductor could easily have ruined Van Cliburn’s performance, but he did not and the two went on together to make recordings. Today the sanctions would prevent both Van Cliburn’s performance and the subsequent recordings.

The cold war could have ended then, but Washington lacked the vision. The Soviet Audience poured flowers all over Van Cliburn. There were endless demands for encores.  Van Cliburn, playing better than Russians the music of Russian composers, won their hearts. 

The opportunity was lost. Washington thinking it had a monopoly on nuclear warhead delivery  and conservatives fearful of the life of a dystopian novel being imposed on us by communism missed the opportunity. This was an extraordinary failure as it was Khrushchev who denounced Stalin for his crimes. A few years later it is Khrushchev who is working with President John F. Kennedy to peacefully resolve what is known as “The Cuban Missile Crisis” but just as well could be called the Turkish Missile Crisis. The Soviets moved missiles to Cuba because Washington had placed nuclear missiles in Turkey on the Soviet border.  

The deal that resolved the crisis was that Khrushchev would remove the missiles from Cuba and six months later Kennedy would quietly remove them from Turkey. President Kennedy, it seems, understood that it was a life and death matter for him personally to make peace with an enemy that the military/security complex, which President Eisenhower had warned Americans about, needed for its power and profits. President Kennedy was insulted to his face by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for refusing the recommendation for a thermo-nuclear attack on the Soviet Union.

President Kennedy was assassinated for his peace efforts, and Khrushchev was removed from power by a Politburo suspicious of dealing with the enemy. This problem remains today. President Trump was investigated  as a “Russian agent and conspirator” because he wanted to “normalize relations with Russia.”  “National Security” stupidity will persist until it destroys the world.

Years later President Reagan wanting to end the Cold War, a project in which I was a participant, convinced Van Cliburn to come out of retirement and to play for Gorbachev in the White House. The symbolism was perfect. Gorbachev remembered the lost opportunity in 1958 and again with the resolution of the Cuban or Turkish Missile Crisis and grabbed at the chance so that it did not pass again. 

Gorbachev should have made the deal quietly as Khrushchev and Kennedy did in the early 1960s. Jubilant over hope Gorbachev was too transparent in his dealings, and the Politburo concluded that Gorbachev was making too many concessions without adequate guarantees and placed the Russian President under house arrest. This is what led to the collapse of the Soviet government and the rise of Yeltsin, a Washington puppet, and the dismemberment of the Soviet Union by Washington.

President Reagan’s efforts and those of his predecessors to reduce tensions and to end the Cold War have been disavowed by US governments beginning with the Clinton regime. On false pretenses Washington has abandoned all the treaties and agreements that were the work of previous administrations.

Today Americans, especially conservative ones, have been propagandized to think that, after Putin conquers Ukraine, he will move on to the rest of Europe. “If we don’t stop him in Ukraine, we will have to stop him in Germany or France.”

This is the kind of ignorant nonsense that Brzezinski and Kissinger, for all their faults, would never have tolerated.

Brzezinski and Kissinger wanted to protect American power and influence, not create a world war and misunderstandings leading to difficult to resolve situations. They were not Zionist neoconservatives willing to sacrifice America for Greater Israel and domestic American needs for the war profits of the military/security complex, as American governments in the 21st century  have been willing to do.

What we see in the world today is the absence of leaders. Perhaps Trump and Putin will rise to the challenge. But I have not an abundance of confidence.

What is missing in analysis of foreign affairs is the recognition of institutionalized interests whose power allows them to serve themselves. These powerful interests will constrain both Trump and Putin. It will be easier for things to go wrong than right.

Now having violated my promise of a treat by dumping distressing information on you, enjoy Van Cliburn playing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which won the Moscow International Competition in 1958.

The post A Treat appeared first on LewRockwell.

Writes Ginny Garner:

“Talk to any firefighter. In any religious building what usually survives is the cross and certain specific items that are highly religious, unless they’ve been specifically set on fire.” – LA Fire Captain Bryan Nassour

See here.

The post LA Fire Captain Recovers Tabernacle From Ruins of Corpus Christi Church appeared first on LewRockwell.

Thanks, Gail Appel.

Humanity United Now – Ana Maria Mihalcea, MD, PhD

The post Technocratic Smart Cities Are Here appeared first on LewRockwell.

Bwritens Tim McGraw:

Lake Oroville, 2nd Largest Reservoir in California, is full: Video

The post Lake Oroville, 2nd Largest Reservoir in California, is full appeared first on LewRockwell.

Writes Ginny Garner:

…while drastically cut funding for firefighting…

The post LA Has Has Been Investing in Becoming a Globally Recognized Smart City… appeared first on LewRockwell.

The post Rescuing The January 6th Protesters, With Guest Gary Heavin appeared first on LewRockwell.

Thanks. Gail Appel.

Declassified with Julie Kelly

The post Michael Jones, “ Proud Boyle appeared first on LewRockwell.

Writes Tim McGraw:

Decades ago, George Carlin was given an award by the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. You can find the video of the event on YouTube. Carlin gave a speech. About 1/2 through the speech, George started to talk about politicians. A group of people in D.C. that the reporters and editors in the audience knew quite a bit about.

I’ll paraphrase. By all means, look up the YouTube video of George Carlin at the National Press Club to see and hear the original routine. Here’s the link if you couldn’t find it: George Carlin Press Club Speech.

Carlin: Eventually, a politician will get into some kind of scandal. At first, he’ll say, “I don’t recall the events, but I’ll look into it.” As more facts come out, the politician says, “I am consulting with the committee to find out the truth of the matter.” More facts come out, and now the politician is really scrambling. The politician then says, “I just want to put all of this behind me and look to the future.”

In the past few days, Governor Newsom has said, “He doesn’t know the whole situation. That is the purview of the authorities in Los Angeles.” More facts came out, and Newsom said, “I’m going to have an investigation with a committee to get the facts of what happened.” More facts came out, and today, Governor Newsom was on a radio show saying, “I don’t want to point fingers at anyone. I just want to put all this behind us and look to the future.”

…

Politicians don’t change.

The post The Great George Carlin and Politicians then and now appeared first on LewRockwell.

Writes Gail Appel:

We’re told there were 28 FBI informants. Ergo the media mouthpiece mockingbirds on Fox repeat “ There may have been 28 FBI informants” mantra.

What hasn’t been questioned is additionally, how many CIA, NSA, DHS, Federal Police and foreign spies were there.

The post Informants here, informants there, informants everywhere appeared first on LewRockwell.

Thanks, John Smith. 

The Libertarian Institute

The post Support for Gaza Genocide Top Reason Biden Voters Did Not Support Harris appeared first on LewRockwell.

Thanks, John Frahm.

Diss Wire

The post Bill Gates Working with U.S. Military tTo Sneak Insects into Food Supply appeared first on LewRockwell.