Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review: SATURDAY, JANUARY 30

by A. Joseph Lynch

I. POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

CONSERVATIVE CHURCH BOMBED: A church in California known for its defense of marriage and declared a "hate group" by the radical Left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center has become the victim of a hate crime. The bombing of this church is a reminder that the real terror threats to this nation come not from the political right.

FR Z ON THE MOVE: Fr. Z, the controversial traditionalist priest and blogger, is leaving Madison after a seeming fall out with the bishop. We here at AoA have had some concerns about Fr. Z, especially after his 2018 defense of a traditionalist priest who was caught having homosexual relations. Clearly his traditionalism trumps cleansing the church of active homosexual clerics. Perhaps it is time for Fr. Z to move on.

CHRISTIANITY AND GENDER: We invite our readers to watch the latest video from the Religion, Sex, & Politics channel on Christianity, St. Paul, and Gender. What did St. Paul really mean when he said that in Christ there is neither "male nor female"?

II. AMERICA AND PRESIDENTAL POLITICS

WASHINGTON UNDER SIEGE: Democrats used the bizarre storming of the capitol by hapless and foolish citizens to pack the city with a 25,000 man occupation force. It now plans to keep more than 5000 troops in the city during the faux impeachment trial. The Department of Homeland Security has warned of a looming domestic terror threat over the election yet has no specific evidence of any planned attack. It's not all that hard to imagine partisan forces at DHS manufacturing a vague threat in order to justify the capital's continued occupation. It's clear no threat faces our nation or capital - yet when riots  destroyed businesses and churches in D.C. last summer Democrats threatened impeachment if the troops were called in. The are in D.C. is thick with hypocrisy these days.

HIDDEN SPEECH: Joe Biden's inauguration was a disaster. Few attended, Biden was gaffe-prone, and no one watched. In fact, the video of the inauguration speech was so reviled (4.3k thumbs up votes to 48k thumbs down votes) that it continues to be officially unlisted on the White House's YouTube account.

BIDEN COVID HYPOCRISY: In an October 15 Tweet, Joe Biden condemned President Trump's virus response by saying: "We're eight months into this pandemic, and Donald Trump still doesn't have a plan to get this virus under control." Now in office Biden has said "there's nothing we can do to change the trajectory of the pandemic in the next several months." Last year Biden condemned President Trump for pandemic-related travel bans to some African nations, saying the ban was "designed to make it harder for black and brown people to immigrate to the United State." This same man is now using the virus to impose a travel ban on South Africa.

MAIL IN FRAUD? Jeff Bezos has suddenly changed his tune on mail-in voting. While seemingly in favor of it in the general election - which helped Biden - Bezos does not want Amazon employees to use mail-in voting during a vote to unionize an Amazon site in Alabama. Insisting that only in-person voting would ensure a "valid, fair and successful election," is quite the hypocritical double standard from November.

GOP CENSURES: As question remain in the minds of many regarding the legitimacy November's presidential election, Trump-haters within the GOP are finding themselves in hot water. The Arizona GOP has now officially censured Jeff Flake, Cindy McCain, and sitting Governor Doug Ducey while re-electing Kelli Ward - a fierce Trump supporter - as the party chair. Mitch McConnell was also censured in his home state of Kentucky. In Oklahoma - the state where Trump won every county - there are demands that both GOP senators resign for not supporting the president. What this all means is that President Trump may very well be ascendant in the party overall. Lingering questions related to the election mean that President Trump's movement will continue.

III. THE NATIONS

ANGLOSPHERE FEDERATION: With Brexit accomplished the United Kingdom seeks to chart a new path in the world. Part of this is a potential - if rather unlikely - federation of Anglo-nations. Meanwhile as Scotland seeks independence the United Kingdom is fighting to stay... united. 

NATIONS FIGHTING TWITTER: Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has been suspended by Twitter. As Twitter cracks down on civic leaders and civilians, countries are waking up to the dangers posed by Twitter and Big Tech. The fact that a company like Twitter can censor speech that does not violate the law means that Big Tech can force its own speech laws on nations. Nations like Poland, however, are fighting back. Poland plans to fine social media each time it unjustly censors its nation's citizens. 

US-RUSSIA RELATIONS: As both the US and Russia abandoned the Open Skies Treaty, Biden hopes that both nations will extend another nuclear arms treaty for five more years. Meanwhile Russia and India have poked the US as the latter plans to use a Russian anti-air missile system - the same system over which the US penalized Turkey for purchasing. We expect the inept and secular Biden to do little over this - which in the end will thankfully favor Christian Russia and Hindu India. 

IV. CULTURE OF LIFE, CULTURE OF PROTECTION

NOT MY PILLOW: Mike Lindell, founder of My Pillow and vocal supporter of President Trump, announced his pillows will no longer be sold by many major outlets. Lindell and My Pillow are but one example of the great purge befalling Trump supporters. Cancel culture aims to shame people both socially and financially. 

FOX NEWS DOWNFALL: Since its stunning betrayal of President Trump, Fox News ratings are in a death spiral. Programs lead by MacCallum, Baier, Ingraham, Hannity, Bream, and Tucker have all seen viewership drop by at least half. The biggest move from Fox News since November? It fired the Trump-hating Chris Stirewalt. Good start, but no where near enough to being back viewers. Next in line needs to be Chris Wallace and the entire election night Decision Desk.

BIDEN'S CULTURE OF DEATH: In some of his first official acts, Joe Biden is promoting abortion overseas, increased the cost of insulin and epinephrine, sent thousands of American workers into unemployment, and put transgendered people in military uniform. Is this really the kind of politician Catholicism produces and protects?