Judicial Lightweight

The Supreme Court seems to be doing its job and preventing the country from descending into total chaos, at least for the moment. This is despite one justice in particular who seems woefully ill versed in the law, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

It's rare to see such an acerbic takedown of a fellow justice in a formal written Supreme Court opinion, but Justice Amy Comey Barrett goes there as she presents the Court's majority decision on nationwide injunctions against President Trump.

Justice Brown Jackson appears to be out of her league on the nation's highest court. It's more than a bit frightening to have her involved in deciding cases of national importance, but we can hope that the commonsense majority will hold--for now.

A Thought for the Moment

Thank you to the US military and to our Commander-In-Chief, President Donald Trump, for the successful strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. 



 

The Bard Says It Best

There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

~ Julius Caesar 4:3 by Willliam Shakespeare

As usual when dealing with human truth and consequences, Shakespeare has the best pearls of wisdom for our contemplation during the tension of current events in the Middle East.

The United States is indeed caught up in a tide of momentous implications for the future, of our own country and of the entire the world. President Trump faces the most consequential decision of his life. Whatever his decision may be, all of our lives will be marked by it, "to the last syllable of recorded time." May boldness be his friend.

War, Again

 The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous.

~ George Orwell, 1984

War. It seems to be our inescapable human fate.

Current events in Israel and Iran have seemed inevitable for a long time, and now we are living with the violent results of that collision course. For America, this is a television war--so far. There is no predicting where or how far the conflict will go, but that's not the point. The point is, it's on. 

I understand why Israel took the action that it did. As President Trump has so often emphasized, Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb. It became obvious that the price of stopping Iran is war. Again.

There's a Christmas carol that was written during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, Do You Hear What I Hear? The song was an appeal for world peace. Although unseasonable, more than 60 years later it is appropriate to our moment. As the last stanza puts it:

Bing Crosby's 1963 recording of Do You Hear What I Hear?

Battle Ready

Put on the full armor of God... Ephesians 6:13

I have a new podcast addiction. Battle Ready, with Father Dan Reehil. I've been following him on Instagram and yesterday I finally added his podcast to my collection. The episodes are less than 30 minutes, so I've been bingeing on them all weekend.

Fr. Dan has a fascinating backstory. He grew up on Long Island, not far from my hometown. At the age of eleven, he was sexually molested by his parish priest; because of that terrible event, he fell away from the Catholic Church for many years. He became a Wall Street banker and was married for five years before divorcing; he also obtained a Church annulment. 

His priestly vocation story began on a 1998 trip to Medjugorje. There are many videos documenting this, including a marvelous in-depth interview on the The Shawn Ryan Show #141, so I would direct you there for more details.

One of the most interesting facts about Fr. Dan, at least to me, is that he an exorcist. One doesn't just "become" an exorcist. A priest is selected for this demanding duty by his bishop. Currently there are only 18 exorcists in the US. Reehil's exorcism stories are chilling and remarkable. He leaves no doubt about the reality of Satan's relentless and increasingly intense spiritual warfare against us.

Fr. Dan has a relaxed demeanor and is an easy conversationalist. He presents his spiritual points in a simple, disarming way that makes so much practical sense in our troubled world. 

Put on God's armor and give Battle Ready a try. At the very least, it will make you think.

Big Trouble

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse...

~ Genesis 12:3

The United States has an anti-Semitism problem.

Leaving aside all of the street demonstrations and college campus chaos since October 7, 2023--which are all horrifying enough--extreme acts of violence against American Jews have shot up dramatically in just the past few weeks.

In April, on the first night of Passover, Pennsylvania's Jewish Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence was set on fire in an attempt to murder his entire family. In May, a young couple about to become engaged were shot to death leaving the Jewish Museum in Washington DC, murdered by a Hamas supporter. Now, to start off the month of June, peaceful protestors honoring the Israeli hostages were attacked--again by a Hamas supporter--by fire bombs in Colorado. Jewish people were literally set on fire in our country. Not insignificantly, the Colorado criminal was an illegal alien.

I think we are in dire peril. Tom Homan says that the 2 million illegal alien "gotaways" that entered the US under the Biden administration "scares the hell" out of him. Homan is convinced that another 9/11 "or worse" is coming.

 

I agree. If you haven't done so yet, say a prayer for the USA. We need it; we are in very big trouble. 

Honoring Memorial Day

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Please take a moment to pause and remember, it's not about the beach, burgers, and beer.

I'm praying that all our fallen heroes may rest in God's peace.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord...

Interview with An American Hero

Since I first heard him speak, I've dubbed our U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan "my boyfriend." The man personifies traditional, foundational, positive American values. Among his good qualities are courage, honesty, sincerity, humility, and complete dedication to national service.

When the daily negative news cycle can make one despair that our country is lost, I need only remind myself that Tom Homan is working in a high-level government position to preserve and protect the USA and all of us living in it. I'm convinced we are in the best hands.

The Shawn Ryan Show, Episode #200, is a three-hour interview with Homan. It took me two days to finish, but I watched every second of it. Given that much time, hearing the excruciating details of Homan's many decades of experience in border enforcement are bone-chilling. But Americans who are concerned about our border and national security should watch, listen, and be educated about what law enforcement is facing at our borders.

Tom Homan is a constant reassurance to me that things are getting better. If you want to have some confidence that our country is on the mend, I recommend that you tune in.

May 15, 2025

When the White Smoke Cleared

Holy smoke! An American pope? I never thought such a thing could occur, either in my lifetime or any time after.

Yet today we have Robert Francis Prevost, Chicago native, Villanova University graduate, and cardinal of the Catholic Church for less than two years, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. Go figure!

Pope Leo addressed the massive crowds at St. Peter's Square in Latin, Italian, and Spanish. He did not speak any English in his initial speech. There's a significant message there; he's the pope for all the world. I think that's a good thing to communicate, especially for an American pope.

Although he's been pope for a matter of minutes, the media talking heads are already yammering about how liberal or conservative Leo XIV may be in his approach to the papacy. Could we please give him a moment? I'm viewing this American-born pope as a blessing for the United States. God knows we could use the help.

Pope Leo XIV ~ May 8, 2025

Speculations and Qualifications

Since Pope Francis died last month, a person can barely open a phone or computer without seeing a headline touting the latest "contender" for becoming the next pope. I move to the next story at top speed and have never read a single word of any of those breathless predictions, I'm glad to say.

There is absolutely no way of predicting who the next pope will be. Please don't waste precious time with empty media speculations. It's not a presidential campaign, where polls can make a difference, or a horse race, where odds can matter. God works in more mysterious ways. We will know who the next pope is after the white smoke rises, and not before.

To add to the mystery--and to the fun--most people (even most Catholics) don't realize that the pope can be elected from among any baptized Catholic man who is practicing his faith. Seriously! The Vatican even posted the job requirements on its LinkedIn page in response to a flood of inquiries.

Although you'd have to go back to the early Church for such everyday leaders, the new pope doesn't even have to be a priest. However, he must agree to be ordained a bishop if he accepts the weighty papal assignment. 

With the conclave of cardinals now preparing to choose from amongst their own preferred ranks as they have for centuries, we don't need to be concerned with such a startling scenario. But I can't help thinking that a layman pope might be a healthy and refreshing change for the Church in our troubled times.

I know a couple of men who would qualify quite well--even better, perhaps, than many a cardinal.

From the Vatican website:
"The apostolic seat is vacant"