RIP: Pope Francis died early this morning in Rome. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio (88), the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires was elected to the papacy in 2005.
CATHOLIC: As of today, only 135 of the 252 living cardinals are under 80 and eligible to participate in the conclave to elect the new pontiff. Eighty-three percent of them were elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis who consistently chose leaders of small Churches or those on the margins. That means that those who will elect his successor come from a very broad variety of circumstances and experiences. The RCC does not require the pontiff to be elected from among this group, but the members of the conclave have yet to choose anyone else.
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Teach us new ways to thank You! Amen.
2A: [13:58] – More than 10 million Americans who were convicted of non-violent felonies have zero right to own a fire arm. The Trump administration is moving to change that.
AUTISM: A new report from the CDC says autism rates among children in America have continued to rise at an alarming rate. They are currently at 1 in 31, significantly up from two years ago and nearly five times higher than when the CDC first started running autism surveys in children born in 1992. It’s worse in boys, who are at 1 in 20.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says that autism is a preventable disease caused by environmental factors, with possibilities including mold, air, medicines, and the increase in the average age of parents. He says nobody has really looked at these factors, but they will be launching studies soon.
BIG PHARMA: In a bid to limit industry influence, the FDA is removing pharmaceutical company representatives from advisory committees. Noting that the FDA has “a history of being influenced unduly by corporate interests,” Dr. Marty Makary, the FDA’s new commissioner, said. “Industry employees are welcome to attend FDA advisory committee meetings, along with the rest of the American public, but having industry employees serve as official members of FDA advisory committee members represents a cozy relationship that is concerning to many Americans.” No kidding! And well done!
BORDER: As of April 14, more than 1,000 international students at over 170 colleges and universities have had their student visas revoked by the State Department.
BORDER: The Tennessee Star has revealed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the suspected M-13 gang member the Democrats want returned to the U.S., was stopped driving without a license in 2022. Despite the fact that the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of trafficking the seven people inside the vehicle and that the man was on a terrorist watch list, Biden’s FBI ordered them to release him.
The one thing that is puzzling me about the Abrego Garcia case is conflicting report about his status in the country. The Alien Enemies Act requires “aliens to be duly apprehended and convened before such court, judge or justice; and after a full examination and hearing on such complaint and sufficient cause therefor appearing” etc. etc. Lots of the news reports say he was never given his day in court; the White House says he was.
GOOD DOG: Two-year old Boden Allen wandered out into the Arizona wilderness about 100 miles south of the Grand Canyon. A massive manhunt ensued with 40 rescuers, including Department of Public Safety rangers and a DPS helicopter. The teams spotted at least two mountain lions in the area. Thanks to a ranch dog named Buford, Boden was found, safe and in good health. The little boy had walked seven miles from his home and spent the night under a tree. CLICK https://x.com/LindseyRagas/status/1912686591354806620 [2:14] to hear the news report.
LAWFARE: [13:48] – Activist Democrat and New York Attorney General Letitia James is in a world of trouble. CLICK https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1912569749198045646 [:57] to hear James rant about the suit against her like she’s Rosa Parks, not a flaming hypocrite.
In other news … while researching this post, I stumbled over the fact that Letitia James’ current net worth is approximately $17 Million. Her NY AG job pays $165,000; this appears to be the highest paying job she has ever held.
LIVE: Comment by Viana Santoni-Oliver- I remember being in a grocery store after the Floyd riots when I witnessed 2 Black men, being gentlemen, telling a White woman to proceed ahead of them. She said no and then said “Black lives matter.” The second Black man loudly said, “All lives matter.” She was taken aback, to say the least.
BORDER: Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia (photo) has been in the news a lot lately. Here is a summary of the situation – In 2011, Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. illegally, allegedly to escape gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him “withholding of removal” status, based on the alleged gang threat. This status allowed him to live and work legally in the United States. He married a U.S. citizen and has had children with her.
On March 15, 2025, he was deported to El Salvador under the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act as an MS-13 gang member, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. He was subsequently imprisoned without trial in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, despite never having been charged with or convicted of a crime in either country.
Despite the Democrat media machine ginning up massive support for this man, the Trump administration has held firmly to its claim that he is a high level leader in MS-13 who has facilitated human trafficking. In addition, his wife took out a restraining order following a beating by her husband; she now says they are working things out and she wants him back.
On April 10, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Abrego Garcia’s removal to El Salvador was illegal and ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” his return. The administration said they would meet this obligation by providing a plane and admitting him into the U.S. if El Salvador chooses to release him. But President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador says he will not “smuggle a terrorist into the United States.”
On April 16, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen (D) went to El Salvador to see Abrego Garcia. Van Hollen, who voted against The Laken Riley Act, was told he didn’t give the prison enough notice to see the prisoner.
Also on April 16, the Trump administration released their evidence that Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13 in good standing.
HAIKU APPRECIATION DAY: Yes, there really is such a thing. And, ta da! It’s today! Glass ballerina is my favorite of the haikus I have composed. I also googled Facebook and found some haiku groups. This posting by Linda Rivas Bole caught my attention –
MILITARY: In late March, the Pentagon began investigating leaks of national security information that was only available to a handful of high level personnel. On Tuesday, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick were escorted out of the Pentagon by security.
UK: The British Supreme Court just ruled on a case about whether a trans-identifying man with a “gender recognition certificate” that legally recognizes him as female is protected from discrimination as a woman under the 2010 Equality Act. The court said no; the legal definition of “woman” is based on biology and does not include trans-identifying men who say they are women. In response to the ruling, the British government said it supports “single-sex spaces.”
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Let us continue to honor Your suffering and death this week even as we look forward with joy to celebrating Your resurrection! Amen.
ARCHEOLOGY: An altar from the Teotihuacan culture has been unearthed in Tikal National Park in Guatemala. The Mayan altar, which is just over 3 feet wide, is believed to have been used for sacrifices, particularly of children. An archaeologist minimized the horror of routinely murdering children by claiming, “It’s not that they were violent; it was their way of connecting with the celestial bodies.” Kinda reminds me of “My body, my choice.”
DOGE: The team found there were 4.6 million government credit cards issued to fewer than 2.4 million employees. After 7 weeks of culling, DOGE has de-activated about 470,000 cards. There is still much work to do.
ENERGY: Last week, President Trump signed executive orders to revitalize clean coal, remove Biden-era coal plant restrictions, enhance electric grid reliability, and shield U.S. energy from radical leftist overreach.
MILITARY: After VP Vance visited Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, Colonel Susannah Meyers sent an email to all base personnel, including Canadians, Danes, and Greelanders who work there. It said, “I do not presume to understand current politics, but what I do know is the concerns of the U.S. administration discussed by Vice President Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base.”
Department of Defense Chief of Staff Joe Kasper said, “Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Defense Department.” Meyers has been removed from command.
TRUMP: CLICK https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1910859248520606014 [1:05] to hear him tell reporters about his annual physical. “I wanted to be a little different than Biden. I took a cognitive test that, I don’t know what to tell you other than I got every answer right.”
BORDER: Stephen Miller is an American political advisor serving as the 12th United States homeland security advisor and White House deputy chief of staff for policy.
CLICK https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1911864478091591961 [10:31] to hear him chastise the media for failing to do basic homework before presuming to cover the White House. “So you couldn’t even spend 72 hours over the weekend learning the distinction you’ve been writing and talking about this entire time?” He also notes that he has never had any jerknalist express anywhere near this much concern for any of the victims of illegal aliens. “I wish we lived in a country where the media gave one-tenth a damn as much about American who were murdered and brutalized and savagely killed, beaten to death, as they do about illegal aliens who we all agree are illegal aliens.”
DEMOCRATS: Ever since LBJ was forced to sign the bill into law, Democrats have taken credit for this bill they fought tooth and nail to kill. LBJ wasn’t the hero here. Republican Minority Leader Everett Dirksen was.
DOGE: Agencies terminated 180 wasteful contracts saving We the Taxpayers $2.6 Billion. These included an EPA contract costing $85.5K for “live plant maintenance services”; the internal EPA team will water their own plants from here on. The VA replaced a $3.9 million/year services contract for one priced at the going market level of $5,000/year. Also canceled was an HHS contract for a whopping $265,500 to pay some joker for “social media monitoring subscription, training, and platform setup.”
JUDICIAL ACTIVISM: Elon Musk said, “If any judge anywhere can block every presidential order everywhere, we do not have democracy. We have tyranny of the judiciary.”
CLICK https://x.com/WallStreetApes/status/1911212200414650766 [1:21] to hear Stephen Miller explain to members of the idiot media what the role of the President of the United States is. “A president is elected by the whole American people.He’s the only official in the entire government that is elected by the entire nation. Judges are appointed. Members of Congress are elected at the district or state level. Just one man and the Constitution, Article 2 has a clause known as the vesting clause, and it says the executive power shall be vested in a president, singular. The whole will of democracy is imbued into the elected president. That president then appoints staff to then impose that democratic will onto the government. The threat to democracy, indeed the existential threat to democracy, is the unelected bureaucracy of lifetime tenured civil servants who believe they answer to no one, who believe they can do whatever they want without consequence, who believe they can set their own agenda no matter what Americans vote for.”
TRANS: This lunatic story was published four days ago in a “news” rag named “The Independent” which proudly claims to “deliver unbiased, fact-based journalism” that is “free from political bias.”
The photo caption says, “Jordan Love, 29, of Detroit, was arrested nearly 700 miles from her home in connection with the non-fatal stabbing of her dog (Detroit Police Department).”
Another headline I found today said, “Trump administration slashes $2.2 billion in Harvard funds after university takes stand defying president’s ‘dictates’.” The lede says, “‘The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,’ said a letter from Harvard’s lawyers.’ No private university ‘can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government’.”
I’m trying to remember which part of the Constitution of the United States declares that American citizens shall have their forcibly confiscated earnings donated to a private university that has the largest endowment fund ($53.2 billion) of any in the world.
GRAMMY NOTES: Yes! In January 2024, I embarked on a grand scheme to declutter and organize my craft spaces. My current focus is my overflowing fabric stash. In March, I was feeling very cocky about the amount of stash I managed to use up making two scrappy quilt tops. In April, I realized I had nothing to use for backing, so I had to go fabric shopping. I found backing for one at eQuilter and for the other at Connecting Threads. Then … there were clearance fabrics and “buy just a little more and get free shipping” temptations at both. It added up to $168. ::sigh:: On the plus side, I will soon have two beautiful new quilts!
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, We ask you for the courage, wisdom, and serenity we need to truly forgive those who have sinned against us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
BORDER: On April 11, Trump issued a memorandum authorizing the U.S. military to take control of a strip of federal land along the southern border to build barriers and deploy detection and monitoring systems.
ECONOMY: Congratulations! We survived the Trump recession! As for China, Trump will win that one because, while American businesses export $143.5 Billion worth of goods to China, the Chinese export $438.9 Billion worth to us.
FRANCE: This Easter, 17,800 French catechumens will be baptized into the Catholic-Christian faith. Forty-two percent of them are between the ages of 18 and 25.
PSA: I did not know there was such a thing as whiteboard contact paper. I googled and learned there is also magnetic whiteboard on rolls.
TARIFF: As of April 11, “Art of the Deal” Donald has exempted a range of everyday products from reciprocal tariffs, including smartphones, computers, servers, laptops, tablets, motherboards, processors, memory modules, machines used for manufacturing semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, flat panel displays, and related devices.
“This Holy Week, Melania and I join in prayer with Christians celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ — the living Son of God who conquered death, freed us from sin, and unlocked the gates of Heaven for all of humanity.
“Beginning with Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and culminating in the Paschal Triduum, which begins on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, followed by Good Friday, and reaching its pinnacle in the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night. This week is a time of reflection for Christians to memorialize Jesus’ crucifixion—and to prepare their hearts, minds, and souls for His miraculous Resurrection from the dead.
“During this sacred week, we acknowledge that the glory of Easter Sunday cannot come without the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross. In His final hours on Earth, Christ willingly endured excruciating pain, torture, and execution on the cross out of a deep and abiding love for all His creation. Through His suffering, we have redemption. Through His death, we are forgiven of our sins. Through His Resurrection, we have hope of eternal life. On Easter morning, the stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, and light prevails over darkness — signaling that death does not have the final word.
“This Holy Week, my Administration renews its promise to defend the Christian faith in our schools, military, workplaces, hospitals, and halls of government. We will never waver in safeguarding the right to religious liberty, upholding the dignity of life, and protecting God in our public square.
“As we focus on Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, we look to His love, humility, and obedience — even in life’s most difficult and uncertain moments. This week, we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our beloved Nation. We pray that America will remain a beacon of faith, hope, and freedom for the entire world, and we pray to achieve a future that reflects the truth, beauty, and goodness of Christ’s eternal kingdom in Heaven.”
“May God bless you and your family during this special time of year and may He continue to bless the United States of America.”
AUTISM: “We’ve launched a massive testing and research effort that’s going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world. By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic, and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.” – Health Secretary RFK Jr.
BORDER: Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is revoking the parole Biden gave 6,300 individuals who are on the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center or who have a criminal record. Their parole gave them benefits such as Social Security numbers, work authorization, unemployment benefits, student loans, and Medicaid.
In other news, a federal judge ruled that allowing Department of Homeland Security agents to conduct immigration raids at churches does not unconstitutionally interfere with the exercise of religion.
CLICK https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1910915432594235780 to hear then-candidate Obama decry the five million “undocumented workers” who crossed illegally into the US under the Bush administration. Five million in eight years. Democrats admit to 7.2 million coming in during Biden’s four years; Republicans say the number is likely four times that.
MILITARY: More than 100 troops who were removed from the force over their refusal to take the ‘rona jab are being re-enlisted. They will be reinstated to their former rank and receive full back pay, benefits, bonus payments, and compensation.
OLIGARCHY: CLICK https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1910765238049288573 [1:01] to hear how very concerned Bernie Sanders is about oligarchy. Definition: Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families. Those making up such a government. A state governed by a few persons.
RASMUSSEN REPORTS: [15:52] – Trump approval and the stock market are back up. The latest Dem talking point is “recession.” I remember when we were all getting slammed with higher costs while the Dems kept telling us the economy was just fine.
UK: Brits are NOT allowed to say or do anything within a 150-meter radius of an abortion business that could be perceived as designed to influence a woman’s decision to abort. Those found guilty face unlimited fines. A retired medical scientist was fined 20,000 pounds ($26,028) for holding a sign that said only, “Here to talk, if you want to.” In addition to the fine, she must not commit any additional offenses for the next two years.
