Category Archives: Loose Pollen

by | May 15, 2025 · 7:29 am

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Grant us the graces we need to truly “fear no evil” as You guide us through dark times and into Your eternal light. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

EDUCATION: Eight federal agencies are terminating another $450 million in grants to Harvard University in response to the institution’s refusal to end anti-Semitic and racist practices. The May 13 statement linked below explains why.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES: CLICK https://x.com/townhallcom/status/1922690069258764465 [2:26] to hear him squirm, dodge, and lie in response to questions about Biden’s mental decline. I’ve got one thing to say about his claim about looking to the future, which is, “Then stop blaming whites and demanding reparations!”

ISIS PLOT FOILED: The DOJ says Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said (19) arrested on May 13 after undercover law enforcement officers learned of his ISIS-inspired plan to conduct a mass shooting at the mililtary arsenal in Warren, Michigan.

Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, urged all soldiers “to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to their chain of command, as the safety and security of our Army and our nation depends on our collective efforts to prevent insider threats.”

LIAR: During a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Sen. Patty Murray [D-WA] told HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that “the thoughtless mass firing of thousands of critical employees across NIH and HHS that you carried out” was preventing her constituent, Natalie Phelps, from participating in a potentially life-saving clinical trial.

Later, Kennedy looked into Natalie’s case and reported she had been deemed “medically ineligible” for the trial. “It had nothing to do with the [reduction in force] and NIH had been trying to get her into another clinical trial, but none of our clinical trials were shut down because of the R.I.F. That was a canard.” (A canard is “an unfounded or false, deliberately misleading story.”)

MAGA: Forty-seven percent (47%) of likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction. Rasmussen’s Mark Mitchell reports this is the highest “right direction” number Rasmussen has seen in its 20 years. Meanwhile, Trump’s approval rating is at 51%. So much for Hakeem Jeffries’ claim that he is the “most unpopular president in history.”

MEDIA BIAS: [11:48] – I was only surprised that Dems managed to drag Dementia Joe through 4 entire years. When he got elected in 2020, I seriously assumed they would remove him within months so they could elevate the VP. It seems like they didn’t figure on Jill’s tenacity or Kamala’s kamala-ness.

NATIONAL INTEL: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top officials leading the National Intelligence Council – whom whistleblowers describe as “radically opposed to Trump” — and has moved the agency to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI, to ensure she can block any “politicization of intelligence.”

QATAR: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), called the gift “corrupt” and a “grave national security threat.”

SYRIA: Now that Assad is gone, Trump is lifting sanctions and warming diplomatic relations with the country’s de facto new leaders. He says he wants to give them “a chance at greatness.”

TRUMP in SAUDI ARABIA: [7:21] – “Trump didn’t lecture, he leveraged.” “It’s just day one of the middle east tour and Trump is bringing home the bacon.”

VAXXX: Health officials here and in Europe are recommending that adults aged 60 and up not receive the only available chikungunya vaccine after reports that older individuals who received the shot suffered severe symptoms typically associated with the chikungunya virus. Two of the patients died.

GRAMMY NOTES: So thankful.

SHORTS:

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1k2QXi4juA4 to hear Nick Freitas tell a commenter how much he appreciates his opinions.

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by | May 14, 2025 · 12:57 pm

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Jesus, We praise You and we thank You, for by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. Alleluia!

BACK THE BLUE: CLICK https://x.com/IndianaGPA/status/1922029870395101569 [1:58] to see body cam footage of the arrest of a women who is claiming the officer used excessive force.

BGT: Wow! 14-year-old Maya Giotea from Romania got the quickest Golden Buzzer ever!

BORDER: [3:07] – ICE picked up 422 of the worst. It makes me sick that illegals who had convictions for serious violent crimes were released by the Biden administration.

CATHOLIC: [6:38] – Fun!

FAUXTUS: CLICK https://x.com/ScottJenningsKY/status/1922636585222168789 [2:04] to hear Scott Jennings on CNN talk about the history of Biden’s dementia. Us: “He’s gaga!” Them: “No way. He’s sharper than ever.” [debate] Us: “He’s gaga.” Them: “We didn’t see it. We didn’t know.” [Trump wins, Dems a mess] Us: “He was gaga for years.” Them: “Yeah we knew it all along. But enough about that. Let’s bash Trump some more.”

CLICK https://x.com/Rapidsloth_/status/1922640564211638719 [2:23:09] to see a supercut of Dementia Joe’s greatest slips.

Riley Gaines: “If they lied about the obvious things like Biden’s cognitive decline and the idea that men can become women, then why should we trust anything they say?”

Besides that, why should we help enrich these clowns by buying their book?!

HANNAH DUGAN: The Milwaukee County judge who was arrested and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding on April 25, has been indicted after a federal grand jury heard how she tried to help an illegal alien escape arrest in her courtroom.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES: CLICK https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/1922341439997960402 [1:43] to hear the House Democrat leader bluster.

CLICK https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1922454343392846139 [:22] to hear DHS Secy Kristi Noem give her take.

CLICK https://x.com/KathleenWinche3/status/1922257505259864476 [1:23] to hear what Trump’s allegedly “failed” and “least popular” administration accomplished during the past weekend.

CLICK https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1922309888597741932 [1:55] to see then and now clips from Biden’s and Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia. Under Trump’s leadership, Saudi Arabia committed $1 trillion to U.S. Investments with $142 billion in defense deals alone.

JOBS: Last year, the Biden administration claimed to have added almost 400,000 jobs from July through September. New data released this week suggests none of those jobs ever existed. Whoa! The usual thing for the Fauxtus administration’s job reports was to report good numbers, then later when the jerknalists can ignore it, quietly downsize said numbers. This new one is way bigger than a downsizing! Read more at the links.

MEDIA: CLICK https://x.com/townhallcom/status/1922296112666308708 [:36] and compare the sad, sad faces and dirge-like vocal tones of these CNN jerknalists as they are forced to speak words like “U.S. inflation slowing to its lowest rate in more than 4 years”, “It’s an unexpected & very welcome development that’s defying economists’ expectations”, and “Inflation continuing to move in the right direction.” They both look and sound like their favorite dog just died.

MICHELLE OBAMA: [6:05] – No boo-hoos from this quarter.

TRANS: “Anna” medically transitioned as a teen and has since destransitioned. He realizes he was just a gay man all along, not a girl, and blasted those pushing medicalization of kids outside a Riley Gaines event in Seattle. [6 :12] – CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PxJUpwWlCHw to hear Nick Freitas respond to a critic. @AmyW-m2p comments: “Freitas makes an excellent point – but there is an older, much more traditional reason for denying trans in the military: they are utterly reliant on medication to maintain their functions. Bipolars stable on meds can’t serve, nor can folks with high blood pressure. Any medical condition that can cause an issue without intervention is automatic grounds for denial… and that truth should never have been questioned in the first place.” I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I never got past my first interview with an Army recruiter because I was getting allergy shots twice a month.

GRAMMY NOTES: Also learn. My 3d pregnancy was very high risk; I needed 7 amnios before we were done. My daughter became agitated earlier and earlier in the procedure until, by the last one, they could barely get the needle in and out safely because of her thrashing.

CLICK https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1922519347806847433 to see a robot dance. Wow!

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by | May 14, 2025 · 11:04 am

Catholicism and the Faith “versus” Science Myth

NOTE: I saw the text below labeled “Author unknown” on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/526277745167015/. I added the graphics and videos. – CtH

You know, it’s funny when people hear that Pope Leo XIV has a math degree, taught physics, and wrote a thesis on monastic leadership, they act like it’s some wild plot twist. The Catholic Church has always been low-key obsessed with education. I mean, did you know nearly every pope since the Renaissance has had a PhD? Benedict XVI had five. Cardinals today basically need doctorate-level expertise to even get a seat at the table.

Leo XIV isn’t an outlier; he’s following a 2,000-year-old playbook where faith and reason are BFFs. This is the same institution that gave us the Big Bang theory (thanks to a Jesuit priest, Georges Lemaître) and the guy who invented genetics (shoutout to Gregor Mendel, the pea-plant-obsessed Augustinian friar). Yet somehow, we still think of the Church as just incense and hymns.

The Church’s duality; defending doctrinal tradition while pioneering intellectual frontiers, is its defining paradox. Consider the Vatican’s astronomical observatory, which has operated since 1582, or the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which has included members like Hawking and Einstein.*

Let’s break it down. Those monks and nuns you picture copying manuscripts in candlelit monasteries? They weren’t just praying, they were preserving ancient Greek philosophy, advancing math, and basically saving Western civilisation during the Dark Ages. Fast-forward to today, and the Vatican still runs its own space telescope (yes, really, Jesuit brothers track asteroids). The Church condemned Galileo, sure, but now it funds ethical stem-cell research and partners with IBM on AI ethics. It’s like the ultimate comeback story: “Oops, we messed up on heliocentrism; here’s a think tank on quantum physics.”

And let’s talk about those religious orders. Jesuits? They basically invented the modern university system. The Jesuits founded in 1540, by a chap called Ignatius Loyola, (half monk, half soldier) ran over 800 universities globally.ǂ Franciscans gave us Occam’s Razor; you know, that “simplest explanation is best” rule you learned in science class? That came from a 14th-century friar who loved logic more than the Pope loved his fancy hat. The Dominicans had Thomas Aquinas, who merged Aristotle’s philosophy with theology. Augustinians, Leo XIV’s crew, were all about community and critical thinking, traits he took to Peru, where he spent 20 years teaching in slums while quietly holding dual citizenship. The guy’s got more layers than a medieval manuscript.

But here’s the upper-cut: the Church thrives on this weird paradox. It’s conservative enough to make your grandma nod approvingly (“No women priests? Classic.”) but progressive enough to have a Pope who trash-talks climate deniers and slams border policies. Leo XIV fits right in; he’s a Republican primary voter who also called Trump’s family separations “illicit,” a social media critic who warns bishops not to be divisive online. It’s like the Church says, “We’ll debate evolution with Darwinians by day and chant Latin psalms by night and we’ll look good doing both.”

So next time someone acts shocked that a pope knows quantum physics or tweets about refugees, just smile. The Catholic Church has been playing 4D chess with knowledge for centuries. It’s not a relic; it’s a living library, where friars argue about black holes over breakfast and nuns run coding bootcamps. Leo XIV? He’s just the latest chapter in a story where faith doesn’t fear science … it fuels it.

ADDITIONS by CtH:

*The Vatican Astronomical Observatory was established in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII, the man that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost chose to honor with his own papal name.

ǂ There are 35 craters on the moon named for Jesuits. https://ucatholic.com/blog/the-awesome-reason-35-craters-on-the-moon-are-named-after-jesuits/

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by | May 13, 2025 · 10:32 am

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, We ask Your blessings of wisdom and love rain upon our new pope. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen. And Alleluia.

BIG PHARMA: We’ve been subsidizing socialized health care in Europe?! [5:16] – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on President Donald Trump’s executive order regarding drug prices, the impact on Medicare and responds to criticisms over the president’s move.

CATHOLIC: CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kgjZnp0fzd0 to hear our new pope sing the Salve Regina in Latin, solo. Beautiful!

CHINA: Mr. “Art of the Deal” done good! [6:43] – The ‘Outnumbered’ panel discusses the latest on the Trump administration’s trade deal with China as the president warns negotiations with the European Union will be ‘nastier.’

EU: There’s been a little flurry of interest in a video clip showing what happened right before the photo above was taken. CLICK https://x.com/LibTearCreator1/status/1921559791542956437 [:40] and see President Emmanuel Macron (France), Prime Minister Keir Starmer (UK), and Chancellor Frederick Merz (Germany) hide two objects that were on the table before smiling for the Reuters photographer.

A lot of people think the objects were a baggie of cocaine and a coke spoon. The French government is deeply offended by this and published a photo of the alleged baggie Macron hid up close, saying it was a used tissue. Funny thing is … they did not publish a photo of the shallow, long-handled spoon beside a little pile of white powder that Merz hid. They also didn’t show this photo, in which the “tissue” appears to be reflecting light, which plastic does and tissues do not.

HYPOCRITES: The Episcopal Church has been partnering with the US government for decades to resettle refugees. But the minute Trump gave refugee status to Caucasians from South Africa, the church announced they were done with all that mess.

CLICK https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1881763806445203618 [2:25] to hear Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde give a pro-migrant speak at the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral.

@DissidentSoaps posted, “They’ve resettled over 100,000 refugees into the US over the past decade but being asked to resettle 49 white people was simply a bridge too far for them.” Hmm … I guess all that compassion wasn’t about Christian charity after all.

MIDDLE EAST: Edan Alexander, the last living American citizen held hostage by Hamas, is now home safe in Israel after 584 days of captivity. Alexander holds dual American-Israeli citizenship. CLICK https://x.com/AvivaKlompas/status/1922011337414029322 [:19] to see him greet his mom and dad.

MILITARY: Good! [4:45] – Tunnel to Towers Foundation link is below.

PERVERTS: This is hard to watch. CLICK https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1922073621549482240 [6:39] to hear Tim Tebow’s recent appearance on former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan’s show. The Tim Tebow Foundation is heavily invested in saving victims of child exploitation. … 111K+ unique IP addresses in 30 days … 55-85% are also hands-on offenders. I think I’m gonna puke.

CLICK https://x.com/ShawnRyanShow/status/1922056854764495058 [1:07] to hear how Tim’s dad rescued four little girls from slavery.

REFUGEES: CLICK https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/1921998450104635516 [:51] to see the first group of Afrikaner refugees arriving. Funny thing how genuine refugees come to America legally and waving American flags, not storming over the border waving flags of their home countries.

CLICK https://x.com/ScottJenningsKY/status/1922284398373679144 [1:19] to hear Scott Jennings, the token Republican on CNN, say, “The same people who had no problem with letting in 20 million illegal immigrants, gang members included, are suddenly outraged about a small group of white South African refugees.” Check out the grumpy faces of his Democrat co-hosts. One of them snippily insists that, despite being a Democrat, he never supported Biden’s border policy.

CLICK https://x.com/realMaalouf/status/1922044936406323432 [1:16] to see helicopter video footage of a miles-long, double row of crosses representing all the Afrikaners who have been murdered for having white skin.

TARIFFMAGEDDON: CLICK https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1922280015103737988 [:17] to hear how the economic collapse of the entire world is going.

GRAMMY NOTES: Mama Buzz took this photo during their visit to the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck. A holy water font at toddler height … I love it!

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by | May 12, 2025 · 12:43 pm

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Open our ears to hear and recognize Your call. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. John 10:1-10

BEAUTY: If you believe that one of God’s attributes is beauty, then it will come as no surprise that He hardwired us to love it. A study entitled “Neural Correlates of Beauty” was published in the Journal of Neurophysiology in April 2024. It reported that looking at beautiful paintings instantly lit up a specific brain region of the frontal cortex, an area dubbed “the beauty center.”

This phenomenon is accompanied by notable reductions in stress markers, increases in immunity markers, improvements in moods, and faster healings after surgery. Studies have shown these effects triggered by natural or man-made scenes of nature, by figurative art, and by classical music.

BGT: [10:55] – Wow … I need a tissue!

DRUGS: CLICK https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1921944087336259835 [:30] to see Trump signing an executive order requiring pharmaceutical companies to charge the same prices at home that they do abroad.

CLICK https://x.com/JohnMcCloy/status/1921936721450525168 [1:12] to hear how unbelievable the differences in $ are!

CLICK https://x.com/GuntherEagleman/status/1921938260739145923 [3:54] to hear RFK Jr. to hear how powerful Big Pharma’s influence on Congress is. “There’s at least one pharmaceutical lobbyist for every Congressman, every Senator on Capitol Hill, and every member of the Supreme Court. Some estimates show the Pharmaceutical companies … spend three times what the next largest lobbyist spends on lobbying.”

Supposedly, this is going to reduce our drug prices almost immediately by 30% to 80%. If it really happens, we will be dancing! My Rxs are cheapos, but one of Dearest’s heart meds has a co-pay of about $130 a refill.

MAHA: The Trump administration is committed to replacing synthetic food dyes with natural alternatives by the end of 2026. Three natural colors have just been approved. They are Galdieria extract blue, butterfly pea flower extract, and calcium phosphate.

MILITARY: About 1,000 members who have gender dysphoria will soon be civilians again.

S&G: Judge Charlotte Sweeney ordered the Elizabeth School District (in Elizabeth, a suburb southeast of Denver) to restore sexually explicit, profane, and “transgender” books from school libraries because their removal had been “motivated by the directors’ ‘commitment to conservative values. The court questions what could be more partisan or political than removing books to further the board’s self-described conservative values.”

This after the judge, who is an “out and proud” lesbian, specifically refused to actually look at the books in question! But I’m really really certain fer shure that her ruling had nothing to do with her own partisan political values. Nuh uh. Nope. Not one smitch!

UK: Trump Ag Secy, Brooke Rollins, says Trump’s tariff deal with the UK is a win for farmers and ranchers because it reduced the UK’s ethanol tariff from 19% to 0%.

VAXXX: A study entitled “Impact of mRNA and Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccines on Ovarian Reserve” was recently published in Vaccines. It reports the results of a small, but disturbing analysis of the impact of the ‘rona jab on female mice.

The researchers note that “these results should be interpreted cautiously, as preclinical models cannot be directly extrapolated to human reproductive health. Further longitudinal studies in human populations, including assessments of AMH levels and antral follicle counts, are necessary to validate these observations and determine their clinical significance.”

I have thoughts. But mostly tears.

GRAMMY NOTES: The Mascots went mini golfing for Mother’s Day. Bunny is helping Buzz here. He can control his motor functions better when someone applies light pressure.

SHORTS:

CLICK https://www.facebook.com/reel/9701398689974340 to hear the original lie.

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OJwpfp8A-yk to hear how to navigate at the South Pole.

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by | May 11, 2025 · 11:47 am

Happy Mother’s Day!

BACK THE BLUE: CLICK https://x.com/FearedBuck/status/1921338628552163631 [1:59] to see drone footage from a scary February 16, 2025 incident in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. The Sheriff’s Behavioral Health Unit officers responded safely disarming two boys, approximately 7 and 9 years old, who refused to drop their loaded handgun. The boys and their parents are receiving therapy and working with family services and the juvenile court.

MAXINE WATERS: CLICK https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1920949204354052342 [:35] to hear her fumble her way through a short statement/question that I’m thinking somebody else wrote out for her. @BonardiDebi commented: “Every individual serving in a government office should be required to undergo mental competency testing every six months. They are entrusted with representing the American people, and the events of recent years clearly prove this measure is both reasonable and necessary.”

NEW JERSEY: CLICK https://x.com/WesleyHuntTX/status/1921277934838456733 [:48] to hear CNN report that arrests are coming following a brawl that resulted during what Rep. McIver called “a routine oversight” visit to the ICE detention facility in Newark.

CLICK https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1921224863747891595 [1:04] to see one ICE body cam footage. McIver is wearing a red jacket. CLICK https://x.com/DogRightGirl/status/1920996913408602443 [:36] to see her in the same jacket, shouting at an anti-Musk rally for Democrats to rise up, because “We. Are. At. War.”

I remember when Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz [FL], Marjorie Taylor Greene [GA], and Louie Gohmert [TX] attempted to visit J6ers in the DC jail. After multiple attempts to make an appointment, the lawmakers showed up without one. CLICK https://x.com/therecount/status/1420787671908114435 [:26] to see what happened.

TISH JAMES: CLICK https://x.com/DavidJHarrisJr/status/1921357463745372452 [:53] and https://x.com/WesleyHuntTX/status/1920919958243995656 [1:38] to hear how the chickens have come home to roost on Letitia James’ head. Always remember, what they accuse us of doing is what they are doing

TEXAS: Rochelle Lozano Camacho, a Democrat judge in Frio county, Texas, has been indicted with five other individuals for voter fraud. The charges stem from a complaint filed by Mary Moore, the Democrat she allegedly beat, who claimed Camacho had hired a longtime Democrat operative to gather mail ballots, complete applications, and even drive voters to polling locations.

TRANS: CLICK https://x.com/AmericaPapaBear/status/1921212550860906964 [1:31] to see a citizen hilariously prove her school board’s hypocrisy.

SHORTS:

CLICK https://x.com/TheLizVariant/status/1921360145512026610 [:31] to see Baby Donnie explain what’s wrong with America.

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by | May 10, 2025 · 11:15 am

Bits & Bytes

BORDER: CLICK https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1921008311492624867 [1:37] to hear President Trump announce his new deportation policies. Promises made, promises kept.

CATHOLIC: Funny how the priest from Chicago became the Bishop of Chiclayo. 🙂

DIPLOMACY: Wouldn’t it be refreshing to hear some praise for how Trump helped end a war that started a week ago?

DOGE: After DOGE highlighted the absurd federal retirement process, OPM announced they are going digital. This will reduce the average time federal workers have to wait from 3-5 months to less than 1 month.

In other news, DOGE’s audits are revealing noncitizens who have registered and voted in U.S. elections. So far, they have referred 57 cases to DOJ.

CLOWN MEDIA: CLICK https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/1920481676318195943 [:15] to hear the host of MSNBC’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki snark that Mr. “Art of the Deal” still hadn’t made a single deal … just hours before he announced he’d finalized a trade deal with the UK.

FYI: While Psaki was Biden’s Press Secretary, she was famous for not answering questions from reporters, telling them she’d “circle back to that” at a later date.

TARIFFS: This is just one of a number of announcements like this I’ve seen lately.

TRANS: Best comment on X – “I can’t believe of all people she would dead name Gulf of America.”

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: On May 2, Dryden United Methodist Church posted the UMC’s new mission statement (graphic above). Note that it contains not one word about salvation, eternal life, or fidelity to the Holy Bible. Also on May, Dryden United Methodist Church, which was founded in May of 1831, announced it is closing permanently on June 30.

CLICK https://x.com/Protestia/status/1920838163964326181 [3:30] to hear a sermon recently preached by a United Methodist pastor (not Dryden’s), dressed as a fig tree, vehemently disagreeing with Jesus, then using his interpretation to condemn capitalism. Not the Bee opined, “Given the costume he’s wearing, I think it would have been a more spiritually fruitful sermon if he had just repeated the words ‘I AM GROOT’ a few dozen times instead of whatever the heck he attempted there.”

FYI: I googled and found the source of the fig tree sermon. It’s Allendale UMC in St. Petersburg, FL, which bills itself as “A social justice, anti-racist, LGBTQ-affirming congregation of believers.” The staff page includes the following about the pastor, “Rev. Andy Oliver (he/him/his) [whose] ministry weaves together creative liturgy, prophetic preaching, and hands-on community engagement. He is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, immigrants, racial justice, reproductive freedom, climate action, and all people at the margins. Pastor Andy is deeply involved in local, statewide, and national advocacy. Under his leadership, Allendale has become a hub for social justice, partnering with justice centered orgs beyond the local church.”

The church’s events features one new member Sunday per month, one Charity Drag Bingo Night per month, parish participation in St. Pete Pride Parade on June 28 and Drag Gospel Worship on June 29.

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by | May 10, 2025 · 8:47 am

The Politics of an American Pope

The Daily Mail has published a story claiming the new pope is a registered Republican. This is incorrect. Illinoisans do not register by party. They may vote in one party’s primary per election, but can switch at any time.

Pope Leo XIV, who has lived in Peru and Rome for most of his career, has allegedly voted in some GOP primaries and presidential elections. Obviously, there is no record of whom he voted for when he did vote, but since he is staunchly pro-life, it is unlikely he voted for Harris last November. However, that doesn’t mean he’s a MAGA Trumper.

In January, J.D. Vance said, “There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that.” The Daily Mail claims that then-Cardinal Prevost responded by writing an article entitled, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”

I googled that title and got a hit at National Catholic Reporter; the article was written by Kat Armas. Prevost merely posted the link, without comment, on his X account. In his statement, Vance was referencing a concept in Catholic theology known as “ordo amoris” (Latin for “order of love”) which is based on the words of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. In the words of St. Augustine, we are called to give “special regard” to those persons who, “by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstance, are brought into closer connection” with us.

Personally, I think it is odd that Pope Leo XIV appeared to criticize Vance with his tweet, given that he is an Augustinian priest and is certainly acquainted with this concept. I also doubt very much that he has not practiced ordo amoris in his own life. I mean … who hasn’t? Who couldn’t? If we were to reduce our most intimate personal interactions to only those that we grant to the billions of strangers living on the other side of the world, then we would have no personal interactions at all.

Jesus certainly practiced ordo amoris. He spent 30 years in intimate relationship with His mom, followed by less than 3 years in public ministry. But even during His public ministry, He treated His disciples differently than He did the people. Even amongst the disciples, He singled out some for special attention. E.g., only four of the twelve were at the Transfiguration.

The Left seems delighted to have found social media posts by Prevost that appear to be critical of the Trump administration. I noted a few reasons why they’re making way too much of it. One is that he rarely posts. There were no posts at all in 2024 and have only been five this year. Of these, two were about praying for Pope Francis’ health and three were links to published articles about Trump’s immigration policies.

Among other things, the American Magazine article entitled Pope Francis’ letter, JD Vance’s ‘ordo amoris’ and what the Gospel asks of all of us on immigration by Jesuit priest Sam Sawyer says, “Catholic teaching both allows and calls for ‘development of a policy that regulates orderly and legal migration.’ No one, except those who are misrepresenting the church’s advocacy and care for migrants, claims that Catholics are in favor of illegal immigration or open borders.”

It concludes with, “The Gospel does not offer a charter for how to legislate about immigration. It does offer a standard for how far we are to go to love our neighbor, and a refusal to accept the limits we might be comfortable with on who our neighbors are. The question we need to answer is whether we judge our politics according to the Gospel or the other way around.”

The Catholic Standard article, entitled This Ordeal is the Passion by Bishop Evelio Menjivar, is much more biased, calling the early sweep of criminal illegals “shock and awe” campaign of “aggressive threats” and “questionable legality.” One wonders where God’s demand for honesty lies in this diatribe. One could say much the same about the previous administration’s open border and sanctuary welfare benefits. However, even that article comes around to pleading for putting the Gospel first, saying “we cannot let the dark side of anti-immigrant animus take hold.”

Let us hope and pray that the new pope’s focus will be more on the Gospel and less on propping up progressive political causes. And maybe we can also be just a little like these kids, even if our first ever American pope is from Chicago! https://x.com/Monocarp_/status/1920536512782889126 [:43]

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by | May 9, 2025 · 7:15 am

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DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, We thank You for the gift of a new holy father. Fill him with the Holy Spirit that he may guide the church in Your perfect will. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

AOC: CLICK https://x.com/TONYxTWO/status/1920694452349243464 [:48] to hear her demand Tony Bobulinski answer her question, then interrupt and yammer over him so no one could hear him answer her question.

BORDER: CLICK https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/1920665777600094450 [:23] to see an awesome Biden vs Trump videos from Border Patrol. Amazing what happens when the Commander-in-Chief actually acts like one.

CATHOLIC: [8:27] – Last Friday, Washington State Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) signed Senate Bill 5375 entitled “Concerning the duty of clergy to report child abuse and neglect” into law. Unlike similar laws in other states, there is no carve out for things that are shared as part of the sacrament of Confession.

Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle released a statement saying that he and other clergy within the archdiocese would not be following the law.

FOX NEWS: Another win for the Fox team as President Trump tapped “The Five” co-host Jeanine Pirro to serve as interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia. I’ll miss her. She’s probably my favorite person on Fox.

FRONTIER’S PIGEONS: CLICK https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1920162091132203054 [1:42] to see what appears to be Frontier Airlines employees very rudely demand a passenger pay a $25 “agent assist fee”, because he arrived 50 minutes ahead of his flight instead of the airline’s designated 60 minutes.

After he angrily agreed to pay the fee, he snarled that he would never fly Frontier again, so the agents decided they’d help him do that by not allowing him on the flight he’d already paid for. The man ended up buying a $500 JetBlue ticket to get home to his wife and kids. Frontier later reimbursed him after he called to complain and fired the agents in the video.

One of the things they sneered at the man about was not having known about the late check-in fee. They said he should’ve checked the website. I did that. You can too. The link is below. I did (eventually) find a brief mention of the 60-minute, pre-flight check-in deadline, but I never did find any mention of a $25 fee. And I was looking for it.

HABEMUS PAPAM: [5:56] – Pope Leo XIV is our first pope from the United States. He is also the first pope who is younger than I am. Oy vey! From his Wikipedia bio: “Prevost speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German.” Wow!

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country,” Mr Trump said on his Truth Social network.

CLICK https://x.com/JhWesten/status/1920775103622652291 [:31] to hear a brief clip of his homily.

HEALTH: “Some truths are self-evident.” ~ Robert W. Malone, MD. Wikipedia says Malone’s “early work focused on mRNA technology, pharmaceuticals, and drug repurposing research. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Malone promoted misinformation about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.” IOW, Malone blew the whistle on how dangerous and ineffective the sludge was. He’s been proven right again and again.

NEW YORK SUCKS: For one month, sculptor Thomas J. Price’s 12 foot tall tribute to fat black women will stand in Times Square. The press release says she is a “fictionalized character constructed from images, observations, and open calls spanning between Los Angeles and London, the young woman depicted in Grounded in the Stars carries familiar qualities, from her stance and countenance to her everyday clothing. In her depiction, one recognizes a shared humanity, yet the contrapposto pose of her body and the ease of her stance is a subtle nod to Michelangelo’s David. Through scale, materiality, and posture, Grounded in the Stars disrupts preconceived ideas of what defines a triumphant figure and challenges who should be rendered immortal through monumentalization.”

Fictionalized? ::snort:: That’s Letitia James, whose big claim to fame is having prosecuted Donald Trump on bogus charges, before a biased judge and jury … just so Dems could call him a “convicted felon.” She now faces charges similar to, but worse than what she went after Trump for.

In 2022, New York City removed a statue of Teddy Roosevelt that had stood in front of the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan for 80 years. Roosevelt was born in Manhattan. He represented Manhattan in the New York legislature, then went on to serve as governor of New York, then Vice President and finally President of the United States. Theodore Roosevelt is known as the “conservation president” for his significant efforts in protecting natural resources during his time in office. He established approximately 230 million acres of public lands, including national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges, to ensure the sustainability of America’s natural heritage.

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by | May 8, 2025 · 8:43 am

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, We offer you this day all of our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings for the intentions of Your Son’s Sacred Heart. In His Name, we pray. Amen.

CLOWN WORLD: CLICK https://x.com/OliLondonTV/status/1920416199571017932 [:42] to hear a Nova Scotian police spokeswoman starts a press conference about two missing children by acknowledging, in two languages, that she is on Native land. Under its current government, Canada is not a serious nation. Maybe Trump has the right idea, though I’m thinking that seceding from Canada and joining the USA should be done province by province.

CONCLAVE: CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Hi-7TzmFi_I to pray with Father Columba for a new pope.

DOGE: Over the last two days, 522 wasteful contracts were canceled, saving We the Taxpayers $110 Million. Among them was a USDA contract for a “technical climate advisor for central Africa” which I’m wondering is code for “some legislator’s idiot nephew who can’t keep a job.”

More than 500,000 unnecessary government credit cards have been de-activated. That audit continues.

EDUCATION: The feds will begin in June to collect on defaulted student loan payments by garnishing wages, intercepting tax refunds, etc.

CLICK https://x.com/JesseBWatters/status/1920281226142752833 [1:51] to see what’s been happening at Columbia. CLICK https://x.com/RoseMarieMusk/status/1920291622387880378 [:22] to see the perp walk. It’s refreshing to see Columbia actually punishing this garbage. I remember back when they gave someone like this a scholarship! This group may find their visas revoked.

SOCIALISM: CLICK https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/1920314742171746755 [:16] to see multi millionaire Bernie Sanders justify flying around on private jets to fight oligarchy and climate change. Socialism is just feudalism writ large.

GRAMMY NOTES: Phew! So happy to be 71 and done with all that mess!! LOL

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