The Ageless War

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ~ Ephesians 6:12

I've been blessed with many years, and I've seen a lot of history unfold. Many assassinations and attempted assassinations, wars, riots, terrorist attacks, mass murders, coups, cultural revolutions and institutional corruption have all been disturbing facets of my life experience.

But I've never witnessed anything quite like the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination.

There were media figures reporting that they first got the shocking news through their teenagers, who called them immediately frantic for information on Charlie's condition. Although I didn't follow Charlie Kirk closely, of course I had heard him speak. If you follow conservative media, as I do, he was unavoidable the past few years. I was devastated at his death, and at first, I couldn't quite figure out why it affected me so deeply.

But then I watched the reactions unfold--the grief-stricken fans and followers, and the hate-filled opponents. The latter spilled the most venomous, evil filth I've ever heard or read after an assassination. I later learned that my own teenaged grandson was grieving Kirk's death. The impact of Charlie Kirk's death began to make sense.

This murder was personal to millions of Americans--especially the youth. The opposing extremes of reactions outlined in stark relief the ideological divides that split our country. It was instantly obvious that we are immersed in spiritual warfare: faith against secularism, free speech against totalitarianism, education against indoctrination, charity against selfishness--good against evil. I was sad not only for Charlie's death and his family, but for the loss of his future to help heal the dangerous division in our country by teaching young people our national values so effectively.

Charlie Kirk was reaching young Americans in countless numbers. Reports are that churches across the country were overflowing on Sunday. Thousands of additional colleges and high schools nationwide have applied for Turning Point USA (TPUSA) memberships in the past week. So many people, young and old, across the country are asking what they can do next in Charlie's honor to make this a better world. People are galvanized and inspired to take positive action. It's a glimmer of hope for the USA.

I signed up as a monthly donor to TPUSA, and I'm considering what I can do next. As the Bible promises, God can bring good from anything. Believe it.

Click for The History of the St. Michael Prayer

A Day for Remembering

Hell is empty, and all the devils are here. ~ Wm. Shakespeare, The Tempest

9/11 Memorial ~ New York City

The Death of A Patriot

Well done, good and faithful servant. ~ Matt 25:23

Charlie Kirk evangelized the values of faith, family, and love of country better than any influencer of his generation. The inspiring story of Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk started when he was a teenager and built into a national institution, is a powerful force through which he presented his Christian faith and the founding principles of United States to the youth of America.

Charlie Kirk was a happy warrior. While he was firm in making his points, Charlie was always respectful to those he debated and optimistic about the future. He was plain-spoken, honest, and unafraid to bring facts and speak the truth. By his symbiotic connection with so many college students and all young people, he was educating the next generation to see conservative values in a new way, a way they had never been shown. Charlie Kirk was changing young minds.

For all those reasons, Charlie Kirk was murdered today on a college campus in Utah. That's the state of today's USA; if we don't like what you say, we will kill you. Any outspoken conservative who believes in faith, family, and country is fair game. 

We can't continue as the United States of America in this condition. I don't believe we will. Something has changed in the country today. It was, in fact, a turning point. I think most US citizens know that we all need to speak out for our values as fearlessly Charlie Kirk did, or we don't survive as a nation. 

Time will tell if we have the courage to meet this moment. I hope we can do Charlie proud.

Rest in peace.

Ignorance in Office

Well, this is more than a bit disturbing. Apparently, we have a sitting United States senator who has never read the Declaration of Independence. Or, if he has read it, he doesn't believe a word of it. How frightening for the country.

Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia asserts that our rights come from government--not from God, as is clearly stated in our founding document. Kaine likens the primary foundational principle of our nation to the philosophy of Iran's mullah dictators. He completely ignores the fact that there are four distinct and direct references to God written into the text of the Declaration of Independence. Our Creator endows us with "certain unalienable Rights."

Sen. Kaine evidently thinks he knows better. God help us. 

The opening and the final paragraphs of the US Declaration of Independence

References to God are highlighted

Unseen News

Coverage of the European protests against illegal immigration is ignored by American media. However, if you have an X account (thank you, Elon Musk), you'll see increasingly frequent postings about the growing crowds of native citizens demanding that their corrupted, globalist governments return control of their countries to them.

Just type "Europe protests" in the X search field and you'll get up-to-the-minute information on this weekend's protests across Europe. Even Australia and Japan have had enough. It's interesting that the news organizations aren't covering the immigration protests, at least here in the US so far. But with media coverage or not, these events certainly are news.

Snip from "X" posting - August 31, 2025

Cleaning Countdown

I've begun work on one of my primary retirement goals. In Sweden, they call it "death cleaning."

At first that may sound a bit grim, but when you reflect a while it makes perfect sense. You don't want your children/heirs to be stuck rummaging through all your collected garbage (that's what most of it will be to them). I know this for a fact, because my siblings and I had to clean out more than 70 years of accumulated belongings that my dear mother left behind.

I called my mother's desk "the land that time forgot." I found drapery receipts from 1948, memorial prayer cards going back to the 1930s, canceled checks that were 50 years old. In her later years, Mom had become so fearful of identity theft that she refused to throw out a single piece of mail. For more than two decades, she stuffed all her mail into plastic grocery bags that were so tightly knotted I needed scissors to open them. She had shoved all the bags underneath her queen-sized bed. Every square inch of underbed flooring was jammed with mail bags; you could have removed the boxspring and the mattress wouldn't have descended an inch.

Friends would often suggest just throwing out the bags without opening them. But there was the occasional stock certificate nestled in the midst of junk mail, necessitating my going through all paper--which included completely impersonal flyers for the HOA's Fourth of July picnic 20 years before. (Why, Mom?? Why??)

I remember actually talking to her in the midst of this many days-long task, asking "Who did you think was going to clean up this mess, Mom?" If God allows me enough time, I'm determined to prevent my kids from voicing similar frustrations over my detritus.

Therefore, I've begun my death cleaning with timid, tentative steps. The mismatched Tupperware is gone, along with baby dishware that my pre-teen grandkids have many years outgrown. Gone, too, are Christmas decorations that haven't been touched in more than 20 years. Heaps of office clothing, untouched in retirement, are boxed up and ready for my next run. My local Goodwill store volunteers have recently been excited to see my car pull up.

I've started picking at the photos, but that's a gargantuan chore that will take months to organize. Meanwhile, I'll keep chipping away at closets and drawers. There are more than enough forgotten stray items that I've squirreled away to keep me motivated to fill my recycle bin. (For example, last week I found some 1980s thank-you notes from people I don't remember!) 

There is a light and airy feeling to this decluttering project. One caveat I've quickly learned is to set aside anything that tugs at heartstrings to keep for further consideration. The rest of the junk? Dump it! I'd prefer that my children not be left wondering "Why was Mom saving this?" Let the death cleaning continue, and hopefully I'll have a few years to enjoy my streamlined home.

Vanishing Heroes

When he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun. 

~ William Shakespeare

Jim Lovell, the American astronaut made famous in the film Apollo 13, died earlier this month at age 97. He was the commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, played by Tom Hanks in the 1995 Ron Howard movie. Lovell's passing leaves us with one less hero of a golden era for my generation.

When I was a schoolgirl, the astronauts were akin to rock stars. Most children knew their names, their missions, and their successes and tragedies. Alan Shephard was the first American in space; John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth. Virgil "Gus" Grissom was also an early astronaut , the second American in space, and I remember his capsule hatch had a serious problem upon splashdown. When Grissom died in the devasting fire on Apollo 1, I wondered if the faulty hatch had been an omen foreshadowing his tragic end.

While growing up, NASA launch days were memorable in my house. My mother never watched daytime television--except when a rocket was scheduled to launch. Then the TV would be on at dawn, the spacecraft that was filling the screen poised for takeoff. News anchors chattered in the background giving updates, and as I left for school it was such a rare sight to see Mom perched on the living room sofa, intently listening and watching the motionless rocket in anticipation of the countdown that would blast it off into space.

The days of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs were an exciting time to be an American. Today there are many who do not believe we landed on the moon. I wonder how they explain the visibility of all the "Earth trash" left behind by the astronauts? As for the safe return of Apollo 13 against all odds, that reality is impossible to deny. Called the "successful failure," that miracle mission was more scientifically challenging than a mere moon landing.

I'm grateful I grew up during that time of great pride in our country. The space programs united us with a sense of achievement and purpose and made us feel that for the United States, the sky was quite literally the limit. 

Instead of the News

Epstein files...Russiagate...runaway Texas Democrats...California crises...New York City communists...tariffs...wars, wars, "all over the place," as President Trump might say.

Are you as weary of the news as I am?

I find that I'm weaning myself away from straight news podcasts. Maybe I'm a tender soul (doubtful), but I just can't take it anymore. I probably was listening to too many shows in the first place, so this is a positive step.

But I needed to find some filler to keep me company while I'm driving, doing yardwork, folding laundry, cleaning the house, cooking, etc. Occasionally, depending on her topics, I'll tune in for The Nerve with Maureen Callahan. She delivers extensive celebrity gossip with quite tangy panache. If I get a couple of giggles from one of Maureen's podcasts--and I usually do--it's a win.

I've already recommended Battle Ready with Fr. Dan Reehil. He gets a few listens from me each week, always edifying. Also in the Catholic category, I recently discovered Beyond Saint hosted by Ira DeWitt. Depending upon her guest or topic, I'll dip in and always find it interesting.

This week I really scored when I found The Plot Thickens, a Hollywood podcast that goes in-depth on various stars, shows, and movies. The current season is immersed in the story of filming the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton film Cleopatra, but for me that will have to wait. Being an I Love Lucy fanatic, I dove right into Season 3, which covers Lucille Ball's entire life story in juicy detail. I'm halfway through the episodes, and I'm enjoying every second

Enjoyment rarely ensues from listening to or watching the news. In today's hyper-connected world, we can't avoid hearing the news; we will be informed whether we want to be or not. But we don't need to dwell on it. I'm liking my new varied podcast lineup more by the minute. If you're a pod fan and haven't already done so, I recommend branching out. There's plenty to listen to instead of the news. As an added bonus, I usually end up learning something besides which politician flung a four-letter word today.

Butler

I've been reading, watching, and listening to Salena Zito for several years. I follow her because she is an old-school reporter who actually drives around the country on backroads and talks to people. She doesn't talk to celebrities; Salena talks to real people. Working people such as farmers, waiters, barbers, steel workers, and small business owners are the subjects of her columns and commentaries.

Because I knew that Salena Zito was a few feet from President Trump when he was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July last year, I awaited the publication of her book, Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland with great impatience. The book is an immediate success, with a debut in the top slot of the New York Times bestseller list. 

When she predicted Donald Trump would win the 2024 election, I tended to believe her. Salena is a western Pennsylvania native who never left her roots. She has what she describes in the book as "a sense of place." This grassroots understanding, which she has called a "Midwest power," gives her a direct connection to the pulse of the country, its citizens, communities, and voters, that few reporters today possess or even comprehend.

I got my copy of Butler earlier this week and finished reading it today. It is hard to put down and educational in the best sense of the word. Salena Zito has an easy, comfortable writing style, and she imparts her observations and wisdom with simple facts stated plainly but not in a critical manner. That expressive finesse is no small achievement. If you want to obtain crucial insights into Middle America as well as a dramatic eyewitness account of the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump, I recommend Butler by Salena Zito most highly.

Flirting with Danger

"The difference between a welfare state and a totalitarian state is a matter of time." ~ Ayn Rand

What's going on in the primary elections is quite concerning, with major American cities such as New York City and Minneapolis considering socialist (read communist) mayoral candidates. This flirtation with tyranny is perilous to our way of life. Unfortunately, there is a regrettable lack of historical knowledge among the voting population today. Universities do not teach our national history or the story of Western civilization--at least, not in a positive way.

Critical thinking skills are in short supply, also. We have had it so good for so long in the United States. No one seems to see the harm in experimenting with our constitutional republic.

The people who escaped the horrors of communism have either passed away or are ignored. There is no way of explaining how bad it can get. As the wise saying goes, you can vote your way into socialism, but you'll have to shoot your way out of it.

I hope we won't have to learn that grim lesson the hard way.