It Could Be Worse

Yes, it could be worse. We could have Jacinda Ardern running the country.

Aside from being a budding tyrant, New Zealand's Prime Minister Ardern is not very bright. A more dangerous combination in a national "leader" is hard to find. Most Americans in 2022 are aware of this frightening fact.

Ardern is so terrified of opposing viewpoints that, in a UN speech, she condemned online free speech as "weapons of war." Geez. Have an herbal tea, Jackie, and maybe look up a class on critical thinking skills.

Below is a snippet from her impassioned queries:

“After all, how do you successfully end a war if people are led to believe the reason for its existence is not only legal but noble? How do you tackle climate change if people do not believe it exists? How do you ensure the human rights of others are upheld, when they are subjected to hateful and dangerous rhetoric and ideology?”

Well, I've got a couple of ideas, oh Great One, if you'll allow a humble challenge to your concrete mindset. How about you do your research and present some facts? Can you prove a war is not noble? How? Do you have enough provable data to convince people that climate change is real? Can you explain your positions in a coherent, logical, calm and convincing way? Are you able to just go ahead and uphold "the human rights of others" (that would include forgoing coercion, by the way) and, by your actions, ensure those rights are enforced without worrying about the current batch of tweets?

I realize that these are a lot of questions for an emotionally overwrought prime minister. But I'm an American of a certain age who grew up in a free country with free speech as our most cherished and protected right. That country, very sadly, has largely vanished. But I don't give up hope that there are enough Americans still standing and ready to turn the current Titanic-like condition of our government around. That starts with speaking out without fear of censorship (or fear that the FBI will show up Saturday morning at dawn, drag you out in a pajamas-and-handcuffs ensemble, and confiscate your cell phone. Fingers crossed.).

Speaking out would be harder to do with an authoritarian hysteric at the nation's helm. We're coming very close to that, but not as close as New Zealand. So, as bad as things are in the U.S. right now, it could be worse. What Americans need to remember, especially as Election Day approaches, is the famous line from Steel Magnolias: "It can always get worse."

A Special Kind of Evil

When you quote Jesus Christ to support killing babies, you've hit a low to make Satan smile.

That's what California's govenor, Nihilistic Newsom, is doing. His election campaign is funding billboards in several pro-life states citing the Bible verse "Love your neighbor" as a basis for abortion. This disgusting gambit is raw and blatant evil delivered from a self-serving individual who fancies himself the next U.S. president.

You won't find this news covered in the left-wing legacy media, of course. But the sickening story is out there, if you search for it. Newsom may be able to hide from unfavorable media coverage. But quoting scripture to support abortion is a special kind of evil that Newsom can't hide from God. He claims to be Catholic. With Catholics like him, satanic cults are superfluous. If I were in his shoes, I'd be on watch for a lightening bolt.

A Moment in History

It's been truly awe-inspiring to watch the ongoing tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II. I've had the BBC livestream playing continuously, and what I've seen is beyond remarkable.

The endless droves of people who pass the royal casket have individual styles in how they say goodbye. Some bow their heads; some bow from the waist. Many wipe away tears or fold their hands in a prayerful pose. Others curtsy, make the Sign of the Cross, whisper words of farewell, wave, salute in military fashion, or blow kisses. Many do any combination of all those things. This continues unabated throughout the days and nights of Elizabeth II's lying in state. Regardless of the hour, the crowds of people never stop coming. The line had to be closed for several hours at one point due to the overwhelming numbers of people wanting to pay their last respects to Queen Elizabeth II.

It's obvious that the Queen was truly beloved by her countrymen in a way no American public figure could ever hope to approach. Can you imagine Americans standing in 24-hour-long lines that stretch for many miles, over the course of several days, to pay last respects to any public figure? I, for one, cannot.

United States history has two and a half centuries to anchor it. The United Kingdom's history reaches back a millennium. This foundation of ancient tradition, seen in the view of the 70-year reign of a dedicated and cherished monarch, lends a special solemnity and deference to the formal events surrounding Elizabeth II's death. I find it fascinating to observe the respectful rituals from afar.

I'm an American to the bone, a Constitutionalist. I believe that our Founders constructed the most brilliant form of government the world has ever known. That does not prevent me from admiring, with a tinge of envy, the impressive national unity, respect, and reverence that the United Kingdom is displaying as they publicly honor their departed Queen. It's a touching moment in history we shall never see again.

Queen Elizabeth II lies in state at Westminster Hall, London

Never Forgotten

Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night.

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

9/11 Memorial & Museum, New York, NY ~ photo J.S. Lee

 

Promise Kept

Elizabeth's 21st Birthday Message ~ 1947 ~ A promise to the British people

Faithful to her vow to the very end, Queen Elizabeth II welcomed the United Kingdom's 15th British prime minister under her reign on September 6, 2022. Elizabeth died two days later, age 96.

Queen Elizabeth welcomes Prime Minister Liz Truss ~ 2022

God rest The Queen.

California Steaming

I can think of half a dozen states that have summer temperatures at least as high as California does. Arizona, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, and Florida all spring to mind. There are many other states that suffer brutal seasonal heat waves, but all we're hearing about in the media is the "crisis" in California.

Like the Hoover Dam, the California "crisis" is entirely manmade. Its author is Gov. Newsom, who has delusions of grandeur that he's handling this situation beautifully by switching us over to "batteries." He's ready to run for president and Californize the nation. Yesterday my phone was exploding with siren blast texts ordering me to raise my air conditioner's thermostat to 78. That's the kind of autocratic approach that makes me want to crank it down to 68.

Newsom stood today in a fleece jacket, collar up and tightly zipped, lecturing the rest of us in the state to raise the setting on our air conditioners to avoid blackouts. I wonder what the temperature was in the room where he spoke so bundled up. Fellow Americans, beware of this pompous phony.

If the governor would stop shutting down our oil and gas reserves and return full access to our state's energy resources, there would be no crisis. Californians pay double what other hot weather states pay for our electricity; this is intentional. Just like outlawing gas-powered automobiles by 2035 is intentional. I can't count the number of people I've talked to about this oppressive law who are vowing to buy gas-powered cars between 2030-2034. I'll probably join them.

More immediately, there's a mileage tax on the ballot this November. If passed, Californians will be taxed on every mile that they drive. As if paying the country's highest gas prices--due to State taxes--isn't enough. Of course it isn't; it's never enough.

California is beautiful, but it's being beaten down into the dirt by smug green elites who think they have all the answers. They know what's best for us little people. No energy or automobiles allowed unless approved by the State. It's all about controlling the unwashed masses. Speaking of which, don't even get me started on the water restrictions.

A New Season

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit.

All my grandchildren, on both the East and West coasts, started school yesterday. The photos I received of them before school showed smiling and excited faces, unmasked and happy, eager to go back into their classrooms. It was a heartwarming sight.

The start of the schoolyear always makes me think of life's turning wheel. The shorter days tell us summer is waning. The holiday season ahead beckons us to move forward, towards the year's end. Everyone is another year older. And there is a hopefulness that the next cycle about to unfold will somehow be better.

My grandkids are too young to realize the difficulties of our nation's current challenges. I worry for their futures. After I'm gone, what kind of country will they be called upon to struggle in? I remind myself that each of them will be a force for good, and we need that now more than ever. I suppose every generation of grandparents has felt the same way.

My grandchildren remind me of the good fruit parable. Life's wheel turns; the harvest comes. I find it comforting to know that the good trees will always grow. 

Article 1, Asunder

The United States Constitution clearly delegates the power of the purse to Congress right up front in Article. 1, Section. 1:

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

The composition, requirements and duties of each house of Congress are specified by the Founders in exquisite detail throughout Article 1. It comes first in the Constitution because Congress is closest to The People. At least, it was until the last century.

The Founders took such pains with the text because they knew the tendency for corruption, evil, and illegal power grabs inherent in human nature. It was as though they could see the spectre of a destructive and dictatorial Joe Biden lurking in the mists of a dark American future. In Section 9, clause 7, Article 1 definitively states:

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

What Biden did today regarding student debt was unconstitutional, unethical, and immoral. Loan debt, by definition, cannot be "canceled" or "forgiven." It is money that has been spent already, for a service received under signed contract. He is transferring that debt to Americans who have paid their student loan obligations or who never had student loan debt in the first place.

Biden is not empowered to do this under our Constitution. He is not a king reigning by divine right, although he acts as though he is. He is a very transitory president. And, as our current Democrat rulers keep reminding us, "No one is above the law." No one, evidently, unless it's a Democrat president tearing Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution asunder--at the expense of the American taxpayer.

Ready for Battle

With its anti-Catholic, anti-Rosary hit piece, The Atlantic has gone around the bend. Even for a left-wing publication, this is beyond the pale. The online blowback has been so swift and fierce that they keep tweaking the headline, which originally stated that the Rosary "became an extremist symbol" to "how extremist gun culture is trying to co-opt the Rosary."

Oh sure, we Rosary devotees are quite the right-wing, gun-crazed militants. I've been praying the Rosary almost every day for a dozen years, but I've never owned a gun or fired a shot. Try to square that circle, Lefties.

The Rosary is a contemplative, meditative series of prayers intended to focus the mind on the many mysteries in the life of Jesus Christ. Could anyone find a less violent subject for concentrated thought? You can get back to me on that.

Since beginning this wholesome habit of praying the Rosary, I have found myself more centered, calm, and aware of God's presence in my daily life. If such a mindset predisposes me to militant extremism, you'll have to prove it. Yes, the Rosary is often described as a "weapon." It is a weapon against evil, and it's meant to fortify goodness. No wonder the Communists have a problem with it.

Among the unintended condsequences the Atlantic article managed to accomplish is a rise in Rosary sales. God works in mysterious ways.

Below is a picture of my late mother's favorite Rosary beads. She owned quite an arsenal of Rosaries, some of them very beautiful. Such a radical revolutionary she was, that mother of mine! But these were her favorite because they had been a gift from her best friend, circa 1945. I remember them from my earliest memories. I now use them, often. More than 75 years of Rosaries have been prayed on these beads. You'll have to do the math on how many prayers that adds up to.

I also carry Mom's Rosary at all times, in my purse. These are my personal, concealed carry, high caliber assault Rosary beads. They are always ready for action. Godless hack writers, along with haters of all stripes, would be wise to stand down.

Remembering Audit Hell

Have you ever been audited by the IRS? I have. To put it as mildly as possible, it's not pleasant.

It was nearly 30 years ago, but I remember as though it happened last week. Being audited by the IRS is a long, stressful, worrisome, expensive process. My late husband was a small business owner; that's exactly who the newly weaponized IRS will be targeting with their legions of new auditors. They will scour tax returns for any error, no matter how small. When someone looks that hard, they find.

Back in the mid-1990s, there was a mistake in our tax return from three years earlier. Penalties and interest compounded daily, so we owed a massive amount by our modest financial standards. Pete and I worked with the IRS, answering every demand for receipts, documents, checks, and records. The litany of government demands seemed endless. Even though we were cooperating, the regularly recurring threatening letters invariably arrived on either a Friday or Saturday--just in time to wreck a hard-earned weekend.

We had life-threatening illness, several major surgeries, and even a terrible car accident in our family during the four-year ordeal of our audit. The IRS did not care. They wanted their money.

Thank God we had a good tax professional to help us through. He represented us to our assigned auditor and eventually arrived at a settlement that we could handle. I still have the letter from the IRS that closed our audit. But Pete's business folded during those years, and he never had one again. I'm convinced the anxiety, stress, and pressures of that miserable period took years off his life.

So now hardworking Americans will have 87,000 auditors poring over our paperwork, searching for government gold. I can promise you, they will find it. If there's anything itemized on your tax return, I advise you to hang on to every single receipt. You're going to need them.