Saturday, December 5, 2020

Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5

by A. Joseph Lynch

I. POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

NEW CARDINALS: Pope Francis has officially named thirteen new cardinals in the latest consistory - including the notorious and crooked Wilton Gregory of Washington D.C. The current number brings the 128 eligible voters in a papal election (eight above the traditional 120 max). At this point Francis has appointed 73 (57%) of the cardinal electors while 39 (30%) were appointed by Benedict XVI and 16 (13%) remain from St. John Paul II. 

SCOTUS SUPPORTS CHURCHES AGAIN: Justice Barrett is making a huge impact in favor of church worship during the pandemic. In a rebuke to the governor of California the Supreme Court has sided with a church that disregarded the governors draconian shut down of churches.

MORE DENVER PRIEST ABUSE: Another nine priests have been added to list of credibly accused sexual abuse in Colorado. This came as Colorado authorities sought their own version of the Pennsylvania grand jury investigation. It is highly likely these priests would have been left unnamed had the state not intervened. One of the abusers preyed on the homeless - and even had a shelter named after him until his abuse became publicly known. We hope more states follow Colorado's footsteps.


II. PRESIDENT TRUMP AND AMERICA

FLIPPING STATES: It remains to be seen how this election will end. The Trump team has organized public hearings in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, and Georgia aimed at making their fraud case to state legislators and to the citizens of these particular states. The hope here is to pressure the legislators to decertify their state's election results. It's uncertain if this will work, but as of this weekend it feels like the ball is moving forward on this front. The Trump team has also gone to court in hopes of throwing out enough ballots for Trump to flip three game-changing battleground states. In Wisconsin the Trump team has identified around 221,000 votes that were cast by mail without the necessary legal documents. Throwing out these votes flips the state. In Arizona a court-ordered sampling of ballots revealed a 3% pro-Biden fraud rate that would far exceed Biden's margin of victory. In Georgia new videos have emerged that appear to show the hidden handoff of an election USB device as well as counting hidden ballot boxes in the middle of the night. Meanwhile Pennsylvania appears to be headed to the Supreme Court where it will likely flip the state to Trump. 

LOSE-LOSE IN TWO COURTS: As mentioned above, the Trump team is taking the election to court - but they haven't been successful everywhere. Cases are headed now to the Nevada supreme court and - likely - headed to the US Supreme Court. Both supreme courts in Minnesota and Pennsylvania, however, have ruled against Trump's case - but neither one one on the merits. Both courts have ruled that the cases came too late to be settled in court. Legal scholars have noted, however, that had these lawsuits been filed before the election - as both courts asked - the lawsuits would have been dismissed for failing to show any harm had been done to the president. The setup in these liberal dominated states courts was a lose-lose for the president from the start. Thankfully he doesn't need Minnesota and it appears likely the US Supreme Court will deal with Pennsylvania.

IT DOESN'T ADD UP: Patrick Basham in The Spectator gives some compelling reasons why the 2020 presidential election is so puzzling and why fraud seems to be the only answer to explain it.

DUCEY FLIPFLOP: At a news conference on November 18 Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey made the following statement about when he'd certify the election results: “There are legal claims that are being challenged in court... Once those are adjudicated and the process plays out, I will accept the results of the election.” The McCain supporting, establishment Never Trumper, however, went ahead and certified the results this week as state legislators were holding a committee hearing on the evidence for fraud in the Arizona election. 


III. CULTURE OF LIFE, CULTURE OF PROTECTION

NASDAQ DIVERSITY: G.K. Chesterton feared the union of what he called "Hudge and Gudge" - big business and big government. The two have become increasingly allied in America. NASDAQ - part of Chesterton's "Gudge" - is imposing diversity quotas on its listed companies of face harsh consequences. Conservative voters think they can vote this problem out or eliminate it by a judge's verdict yet there's little to stop businesses from doing the work of "Hudge" on their own. The same will likely be true of the COVID vaccine. "Hudge" (big government) won't force you to get it, but "Gudge" won't let you buy groceries if you don't.

FEMALE FOOTBALL KICKER: Vanderbilt University is being lauded for its "progressive" football team hosting the first Power 5 female football kicker. The move is of course as ludicrous as asking women to fight in combat. Sure Ms. Fuller is likely safe from injury, yet what will happen in the even a return kicker makes it past her special teams companions and she is expected to make the tackle - and if she gets injured will the return receiver be blamed (or should he tackle himself to make the play more fair)? Title IX - which effectively mandated women's sports - helped the majority of young men, whom the nation needs physically fit in case of war, out of college sports and left flimsy and flabby. Is one female kicker worth the potential price our nation might face in a time of war?  

JOHNS HOPKINS CENSORED: A statistician at Johns Hopkins found that that the overall death rate in America has not increased during the pandemic. Dr. Genevieve Briand explains that a decline in cardiovascular-related deaths has offset the deaths from the coronavirus. Of course, her research has been censored. She nevertheless stands behind her work and if you'd like to hear what she has to say, you can watch the presentation on her findings

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