Antony Blinken: Addressing Climate Change a ‘Powerful Tool’ Against ‘Systemic Racism’

Breitbart 20/04/2021

While delivering a speech on the “climate crisis” from the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, Blinken said:

I spend a great deal of my time focused on threats to America’s security and interests – aggressive actions by Russia or China, the spread of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease], the challenges facing democracies. But an equally grave threat to the American people – and an existential one over the long term – can be seen right here, on the Chesapeake Bay, where the costs of climate change are already manifesting themselves.

Climate change would hit poor minority communities “the hardest,” Blinken proposed, adding that addressing the issue “offers one of the most powerful tools we have to fight inequity and systemic racism.”

The top U.S. diplomat predicted:

More frequent and more intense storms; longer dry spells; bigger floods; more extreme heat and more extreme cold; faster sea level rise; more people displaced; more pollution; more asthma. Higher health costs; less predictable seasons for farmers. And all of that will hit low-income, black and brown communities the hardest.

Meanwhile, Blinken admitted some American workers “would be hit hard” by the Biden administration’s response to the “climate crisis.”

However, he promised, “We won’t leave those Americans behind. We’ll provide our fellow Americans with pathways to new, sustainable livelihoods and support as they navigate this transition.”

Blinken warned the United States is “falling behind” China as the global leader of the renewable energy industry, adding climate change could serve as an economic “opportunity” for America.

Equality Act: US House passes legislation protecting LGBT rights

 BBC 25 February

The US House of Representatives has passed sweeping legislation that prohibits LGBT discrimination, but it is unlikely to pass the Senate.

The Equality Act was previously passed by the Democratic-led House in 2019, but was killed by Senate Republicans.

The debate has laid bare the ideological battle between liberals who support the act and conservatives who say it infringes on religious freedom.

The act expands on a 2020 Supreme Court ruling protecting some LGBT rights.

What does the act do?

The Equality Act expands on the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

But what does that actually mean?

• The act provides non-discrimination protections for LGBT people
• It would extend into all areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, jury service, and public services
• It makes existing state protections federal and consistent across the nation

The act would also federally codify into law the 2020 June Supreme Court ruling that said employers who fire workers for being gay or transgender are violating civil rights law.

Advocates for the act have argued that the current "patchwork" of state anti-discrimination laws does not provide enough comprehensive protection, and leaves many LGBT individuals at risk.

America’s murder rate increase in 2020 has ‘no modern precedent’

NY Post February 1, 2021

Murder rates saw a “historic” increase in 2020 compared to 2019, with more than 1,200 additional killings year-over-year in a sample of 34 American cities, according to a study released Monday.

“The coronavirus pandemic, continuing incidents of police violence and rising homicide and violent crime rates each pose massive policy challenges in their own right, but the interplay between them creates even more difficult decisions for policymakers,” states a report from the National Commission of COVID-19 and Criminal Justice (NCCCJ). “Despite this difficulty, leaders at all levels of government should take bold action in responding to all three crises.”

Homicide rates jumped by 30 percent from 2019 to 2020, while gun assault and aggravated assault rates climbed 8 percent and 6 percent, respectively, experts found.

“Homicide rates were higher during every month of 2020 relative to rates from the previous year,” the report states, calling the 30 percent surge “a large and troubling increase that has no modern precedent.”

Experts analyzed the data from as many as 34 US cities, which varied in size and population, for year-over-year changes in 10 different areas of crime for the year-end update of an NCCCJ report called Pandemic, Unrest, Crime and Violence in US Cities. In addition to the three offenses listed above, the report examined the rates of domestic violence, robbery, residential burglary, nonresidential burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and drug offenses.

Biden's American Rescue Plan is Catholic social doctrine in action

NCR  Mar 12, 2021

Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress passed the $1.9 billion American Rescue Plan, (ARP) and President Joe Biden signed it into law yesterday. The new law includes efforts to confront the pandemic and the economic consequences of the pandemic, but it also addresses child poverty and other long-standing issues of economic inequality. Biden promised to "build back better," and this law is a major step toward redeeming that promise.

The plan constitutes a decisive repudiation of trickle-down economics in favor of a bottom-up approach to economic stimulus that is far more consistent with Catholic social teaching.

"This legislation is about giving the backbone of this nation — the essential workers, the working people who built this country, the people who keep this country going — a fighting chance," the president said after the House passed the final legislation on Wednesday.

Biden and the Democrats have placed a big bet. If this stimulus package fails to stimulate the economy, if unemployment is still horrifically high next year, if children are still unable to go to schools in some cities because the poor ventilation in the school buildings make them viral incubators, if child poverty continues at its unconscionably high rate, the Democrats will pay a political price for this American Rescue Plan, and they will deserve to pay a price. And if it works, the Republicans might pay a price for having been bystanders at a time when so many of our fellow citizens are in profound pain. Whatever the political calculus, we all can hope that it works and, as Catholics, take some pride in the fact that our values and habits of ethical thought have played a role in coming to the nation's aid.

Georgetown University

Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution of higher learning in the United States. John Carroll’s founding of Georgetown College coincides with the birth of our nation.      

In 1789, Carroll secured the deed to 60 acres of land on a hilltop overlooking the village of Georgetown. He was appointed Archbishop of Baltimore in 1808.

Classes began in 1792. Within the first year, attendance grew to more than 40 students – some as far away as the West Indies. In 1817, the school awarded its first two bachelor’s degrees.

The Civil War (1861-1865) nearly closed Georgetown, as the student body dropped from 313 to 17 between 1859 and 1861. A total of 1,141 students and alumni enlisted in the war, serving in both the Union and Confederate forces.

After the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia, in 1862, several campus buildings were turned into a temporary hospital. To celebrate the end of the Civil War, Georgetown students selected the colors blue (Union) and gray (Confederate) as the school’s official colors in 1876.

 

Georgetown University

Current Justices of the Supreme Court: All Except Two Are Roman Catholics

Jamesjpn  January 11, 2021   

Six out of nine current Supreme Court Justices were nominated by Republican Presidents! And yet Roe vs. Wade has still not been overturned. And seven out of nine are Roman Catholics who are supposed to be against abortion!

John G. Roberts, Jr.

John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States,
President George W. Bush, Republican, nominated him as Chief Justice of the United States, and he took his seat on September 29, 2005. Roberts is a devout Catholic and is married to an ardent pro-life activist. In spite of the fact he was nominated by a Republican and is supposed to hold traditional Christian values, he ruled with other Supreme Court justices in July 2020 that Nevada can impose tighter restrictions on churches than casinos to enforce social distancing guidelines. Moreover, Roberts concurred with the liberals on the court to strike down a Louisiana anti-abortion law! Why doesn’t the Pope excommunicate the guy? Something sinister is afoot. Maybe the RCC’s stance against abortion is really phony after all.

Clarence Thomas

Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice,
President George Herbert Walker Bush, Republican, nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and he took his seat on October 23, 1991. Thomas was raised Catholic and attended a Catholic seminary.

Stephen G. Breyer

Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice,
President Clinton, Democrat, nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat on August 3, 1994. Breyer is Jewish.

Samuel A. Alito, Jr.

Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice,
President George W. Bush, Republican, nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat on January 31, 2006. Alito is a practicing Catholic.

Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice,
President Barack Obama, Democrat, nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on May 26, 2009, and she assumed this role on August 8, 2009. Sotomayor is Catholic.

Elena Kagan

Elena Kagan, Associate Justice,
In 2009, President Obama, Democrat, nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on May 10, 2010. She took her seat on August 7, 2010. Kagan is Jewish.

Neil M. Gorsuch

Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice,
President Donald J. Trump, Republican, nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat on April 10, 2017. Episcopalian, raised Roman Catholic

Brett M. Kavanaugh

Brett M. Kavanaugh, Associate Justice,
President Donald J. Trump, Republican, nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat on October 6, 2018. Kavanaugh is a practicing Catholic.

Amy Coney Barrett

Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice,
President Donald J. Trump, Republican, nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat on October 27, 2020. Barrett is a practicing Catholic.

Weather modification as a weapon

 

Tulsi Gabbard Asks Biden: “Have You Declared Martial Law?”

Summit 25 January, 2021

“What is it that they are trying to accomplish now by creating an enduring presence?”

Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard asked Joe Biden if he had declared martial law after it was revealed that thousands of troops stationed in the capital will remain there until March.

As we highlighted earlier, at least 5,000 National Guard soldiers will remain in DC until the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump is completed, a process which won’t be concluded for at least six weeks.

“President @JoeBiden, have you declared martial law? Because that is what it’s starting to look and feel like. Let our troops get back home to their families,” Gabbard tweeted.

The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2021

 Organic Prepper Jan 27, 2021

After 9/11, the entire country collectively lost its mind in the throes of fear. During that time, all civil and Constitutional rights were shredded and replaced with the pages of The USA PATRIOT Act.

Almost 20 years later, the U.S. has again lost its collective mind, this time in fear of a “virus” and it’s “super mutations” and a “riot” at the capitol. A lot of people called this and to the surprise of very few, much like after 9/11, Americans are watching what remains of their civil liberties be replaced with a new bill.

The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2021

The DTPA is essentially the criminalization of speech, expression, and thought. It takes cancel culture a step further and all but outlaws unpopular opinions. This act will empower intelligence, law enforcement, and even military wings of the American ruling class to crack down on individuals adhering to certain belief systems and ideologies.

In Biden’s Cabinet, Catholics and Jews dominate

Religion News January 19, 2021

Joe Biden’s Cabinet is set to make history in a number of ways.

If all the nominees the president-elect has chosen are confirmed, the Cabinet — including the vice president, the heads of 15 executive departments and eight other key positions — will be the most racially and ethnically diverse ever. Among them are six African Americans, four Hispanics, three Asian Americans and one Native American. Half the nominees are women — the most ever nominated for a presidential Cabinet.

In terms of their religious backgrounds, the Cabinet nominees are also diverse. Like the president-elect, the majority — at least eight — are Catholic.  But five Jews have also been nominated, two Black Baptists and, if the surgeon general is included (often not), two Hindus. (A handful of Cabinet picks do not appear to identify with any religion.)

One group not represented? White evangelicals, the group most loyal to President Donald Trump.

Are pandemic relief checks making universal basic income inevitable?

MSN 12/31/2020

Major crises can effect rapid changes in public opinion that otherwise would have required years or even decades to develop. Among the permanent opinion shifts of the COVID-19 pandemic, I expect to see a new — and perhaps even bipartisan — move toward universal basic income (UBI) or something like it, an evolution influenced by Americans' experience with pandemic relief checks, both the fact of them and the drawn-out political fights surrounding their passage.

UBI is exactly what it sounds like: a government income program which is not tied to recipients' employment (like unemployment insurance), age (like Social Security), income (like TANF), medical care (like Medicare or Medicaid), or food purchases (like SNAP). It's simply a monthly cash stipend that goes to everyone. The stipend could be big enough to cover all basic expenses (this is called a full UBI) or it could merely supplement other income (former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang's proposal of a $1,000 per month "Freedom Dividend" is an example of this sort of partial UBI).

A year ago, when Yang was promoting his dividend, he was a clear outlier in mainstream politics — maybe not entirely outside the Overton Window, but perched precariously on the sill. Surveys in 2017 and 2019 showed a consistent minority of 43 percent were supportive of the idea.

President John F Kennedy Secret Society Speech

 

Mississippi governor declares Sunday a statewide ‘day of prayer, humility and fasting’

CP  December 19, 2020

As 2020 comes to a close and the United States continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic fallout, the governor of Mississippi has called for a statewide day of prayer, humility and fasting.

During a press conference aired on Facebook Live Wednesday, Gov. Tate Reeves, R-Miss., reflected on the challenges Mississippians faced throughout the year, including the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment, economic uncertainty and natural disasters.

“This has been a challenging, dare I say a very, very hard year for so many of our fellow Mississippians,” he said. “There has been so much suffering and for many of our fellow Mississippians, we continue to suffer.”

“As we close out this year, I felt the need to go to God in prayer for our state. Ever since the beginning of this pandemic, we’ve tried to hold opportunities for our fellow Mississippians to pray, to pray together so we can be together,” he asserted. “We know that there is power in prayer. In fact, it is what God commands us to do.”

“Today, I will sign a proclamation to declare a day of prayer, humility and fasting on this upcoming Sunday, Dec. 20,” Reeves announced. “As we have done throughout the history of this country, we will go to the Lord and ask for His protective hand over us as we conclude the year 2020 and as we enter the year 2021.”

Greatest Speech in American History

 

A Warning to Nashville

 

“When I was at Nashville, I had been speaking to the people, and in the night season, there was an immense ball of fire that came right from heaven and settled in Nashville. There were flames going out like arrows from that ball; houses were being consumed; houses were tottering and falling. Some of our people were standing there. “It is just as we expected,” they said, “we expected this.” Others were wringing their hands in agony and crying unto God for mercy. “You knew it,” said they, “you knew that this was coming, and never said a word to warn us!” They seemed as though they would almost tear them to pieces, to think they had never told them or given them any warning at all.”             Ms 188, 1905

Current U.S. Supreme Court Justices as of October 2020

 

Source

Fireball explodes over northwest America

Express Nov 2, 2020

A HUGE fireball was seen over the skies over northwestern USA and southwestern Canada, leading some to claim it is the biggest meteor they had ever seen.

An amazing meteor was seen over the northwest of America, booming through the skies as it did so. The meteor collided with Earth's atmosphere on October 26, with dozens of people in Canada and the USA spotting the phenomenon. Witnesses were amazed by the sighting, with some claiming it to be the biggest and brightest fireball they had ever witnessed.

Images of the sighting show a bright streak of light left in the night's sky as the small space rock plummeted towards our planet.

Americans and Canadians flocked to the International Meteor Organisation (IMO) to report what they had seen.

Claire said: "This was spectacular for me. I have seen many shooting stars in my life. This was much bigger/closer."

Ray told the IMO: "It was really cool. Seemed like the brightest/longest 'shooting star' I have ever seen."

Americans are frantically buying military gear before the election

Bloomberg  October 23 2020

Conflict is on America’s streets in 2020, and “tactical apparel” has become a lifestyle industry serving militarized law-enforcement agents and the freelance gunmen who emulate them. Less than two weeks before Election Day, orders are rolling in. 

Since last year, online purchases have driven a 20-fold jump in sales of goods like the $220 CM-6M gas mask -- resistant to bean-bag rounds -- for Mira Safety of Austin, Texas.

It doesn’t matter who gets elected,” founder Roman Zrazhevskiy said of his new customers. “They think that no matter who wins, Biden or Trump, there are going to be people who are upset about the result.” 

Not long ago -- perhaps a generation -- dressing like you’re going to war was for the veteran who never quite made it back from Vietnam or the angry young men who obsessed over gas masks and combat boots at the military surplus store. (Every American town seemed to have one, and only one.) 

A shift became apparent with this spring’s Black Lives Matter protests and bitterly resented pandemic lockdowns. Now the gear is everywhere, from camouflage-clad antifa supporters to right-wing extremists who appeared at Michigan’s capitol even after men were arrested in a plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Ministers begin discipleship Bible studies to lawmakers in the states of Washington, Maine, and Delaware.

 Capmin  OCTOBER 23, 2020

After successfully completing required Capitol Ministries training, newly accepted ministry leaders are eager to begin discipleship Bible studies to lawmakers in the states of Washington, Maine, and Delaware.

The Capitol Ministries Training Conference, which was held in Southern California this month, was intense and delivered more than was expected, said Morris Webster, a retired businessman and newly named CapMin ministry leader to Delaware.

“The training was incredibly impressive, not only from a nuts and bolts training standpoint which was just outstanding, but the most important take away was that Jesus Christ is at the center of everything,” Webster said. “These people are serious about knowing God and sharing Him with the political people who greatly influence our lives.”

Webster will lead weekly Bible studies to legislators in Delaware’s capitol, Legislative Hall in Dover. He will also serve as CapMin’s Delaware director of Local Government Ministries (LGM) which plants Bible studies to city and county elected and appointed public servants.

Ohio Mayor Surrenders City to Christ

Christian Headlines August 27, 2020

Last weekend, Christians from multiple churches alongside elected officials in Ashland, Ohio partook in an act of corporate repentance and prayer before God in calling for a national and global revival.

Hundreds of people from the community gathered at the special event held on Saturday at Ashland’s Freer Field, a 78-acre park near the city, Frontlines Ohio reports.

The gathering is considered to be the first-ever “Sacred Assembly” in the area, as it featured a time of worship, prayer, and remarks from church leaders and several officials.

“There is a sense that GOD is doing many great things. GOD is re-writing the history of Ashland. I believe with all my heart there will be a great harvest by what has been prayed for here tonight. We are beginning to see the activity and orchestration of GOD,” said Pastor David McNeely of New Life Community Church.

State Rep. Darrell Kick, an assembly speaker, acknowledged the spiritual uniqueness of Ashland as his represented district. He also noted how a Bible study is held by several state lawmakers prior to casting their vote at the Statehouse.