Tenth Day of Advent

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, Help each of us to hear Your voice in a personal way and to be emboldened to choose joy regardless of our circumstances. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BORDER: Under 8 USC §1815, all illegal aliens age 14 or older who entered the United States without inspection will henceforth be assessed a $5,000 apprehension fee, regardless of where they entered, how long they’ve been in the U.S., their current location, or any ongoing immigration proceedings.

• https://www.foxnews.com/politics/detained-illegal-immigrants-face-5k-apprehension-fee-border-patrol-chief
• https://x.com/USBPChief/status/1996671005251543427

CATHOLIC: [21:02] – CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aUBHADRdTSM [2:49] to hear an amazing true story from Father Chris about the efficacy of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

• https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/pray-the-chaplet

EVERYDAY HEROES: CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qgxI-QzGgSk [2:01] to learn about Pizzabilities.

FRANKLIN the TURTLE: This Canadian children’s book/animated series reminds me of The Bearenstain Bears, in which cute, anthropomorphized woodland creatures help 3-to-6-year-olds navigate their expanding moral, social, and emotional worlds.

On Nov. 30, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted the “child-unsafe version of the Franklin the Turtle children’s book franchise” (shown above) to his X account. It has lefties’ panties in a bunch, which naturally has led to more MAGA’d versions that will likely appear on these pages whenever this author finds them amusingly appropriate.

CLICK https://x.com/DataRepublican/status/1995318887093862889 to see an AI animated version of #1 that a fan posted on X.

• https://grokipedia.com/page/Franklin_the_Turtle_(books)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berenstain_Bears
• https://www.thedailybeast.com/pentagon-pete-posts-twisted-parody-of-beloved-kids-character-in-shock-strike/
• https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1995291042346852861
• https://www.kidscanpress.com/series/franklin-classic-storybooks/
• “Franklin: Ideal Children’s Literary Idol or Flavourless Turtle of Privilege?” by Leanne Wilde @ https://ccl-lcj.ca/index.php/ccl-lcj/article/view/4090/3652

HOLIDAY SHOPPING: CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/drC1rEmJpEw to see how to assemble the Cat Christmas Tree. It is a real product. It costs $350. It is SOLD OUT for this year! My brain is boggled at the idea that people have that kind of money to spend on amusing their pets.

• https://catchristmastree.com/products/cat-christmas-tree

INDICTED: Paul Campo and a friend have been arrested and charged with conspiring to launder millions for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the most violent drug cartels in Mexico. On February 20, 2025, the United States Secretary of State designated CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

• https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-senior-dea-official-indicted-conspiring-provide-material-support-foreign
• https://twitchy.com/eric-v/2025/12/07/former-dea-deputy-chief-charged-with-narcoterrorism-in-cartel-money-laundering-scheme-n2422550

PRAYER for OUR NATION: Dear Lord, God bless our service members and their families, particularly those who will not be together for the holidays this year. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

SECRET SANTA: [3:58] – Another lovely lady. ❤

TRANS: Rip Curl learned nothing from Bud Light. After the iconic one-armed surfing legend, Bethany Hamilton, publicly spoke out against trans men surfing in the women’s league, Rip Curl dropped her as their ambassador … and hired a trans man in her place. Since then, the company has closed 35 stores and lost almost $83 million.

• https://beachgrit.com/2025/09/rip-curls-pivot-to-transgender-market-blamed-for-mass-store-closures-and-83-million-loss/
• https://www.skynews.com.au/insights-and-analysis/rip-curls-uturn-on-promotion-of-transgender-female-surfer-is-living-proof-that-women-are-finally-fighting-back-against-erasure-and-winning/news-story/4c29f14ab8552eacca486641c04f88b0

WAR ON DRUGS: The United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) states that all vessels operating in international waters are required to sail under the flag of one and only one specific nation. Vessels flying no flag or switching between flags are designated as “stateless”, meaning they have no right to immunity from interference.

Further, any state may stop, board, search, seize, disable or sink a stateless vessel. Lethal force may be used when a vessel refuses lawful boarding, attempts to flee, poses a threat, or engages in illicit activities such as piracy or narcotics trafficking.

• https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf

GRAMMY NOTES: As the long-time wife of a busy architect, I have often heard my Dearest remark on how contractors never know what they’re going to find when they open things up. I’m deeply grateful none of his people ever found anything like THIS!

• https://notthebee.com/article/contractors-stumble-upon-10-live-grenades-in-washington-home-renovation
• https://www.foxnews.com/us/contractors-renovating-washington-state-home-discover-case-live-military-grenades-packed-tnt

SHORTS:

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7f1xxlbFH-Q to see more cat people who have tried to have a Christmas tree.

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Axd9Ir3J9kI and enjoy!