Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

by A. Joseph Lynch

I. POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

MEL GIBSON SPEAKS OUT: Mel Gibson recently shared his thoughts on the current state of the Church. His comments about Vatican II and Pope Francis aside, Mel Gibson made some very good points about the bishops, scandals, and cancelled priests. Here's the short coverage of the full Gibson video from Taylor Marshall.

A GAY SAINT? Homosexual priest, Michael Judge, who died at the World Trade Center on 9/11, is being pushed for sainthood by gay activists. It's clear the activists are merely using Judge to further their ideology in order to push ahead with homosexuality in Catholic teaching and we hope this movement gains no further traction. 

"NOT DEMOSTRATING CATHOLIC TEACHING": Catholic Democrats at one time used the "Cuomo defense" (a defense Bishop Tobin calls a "pathetic excuse [that] doesn't fly anymore") in regards to their stance on abortion, saying "I'm personally opposed to abortion, but I don't want to impose my beliefs on others." Joe Biden and other "Catholic" Democrats are now openly admitting their defiance to the natural law and Church teaching. Biden recently said "I respect those who believe life begins at the moment of conception... I don’t agree, but I respect that." In response, DC Cardinal Gregory was forced to admit that these words of Biden are "not demonstrating Catholic teaching." Sadly the cardinal, who joyfully condemned President Trump at every chance, would not do the same in his very short, let's-move-along, comments on Biden. 

II. AMERICAN POLITICS

BIDEN'S SAIGON: The fall of Afghanistan is Biden's Saigon - or even worse than Saigon. Watch the the first two parts (part one and part two) of a three part series made by Religion, Sex, and Politics. A video on the fallout is coming soon. In the meantime we're seeing some of that fallout in Vietnam's re-orientation towards China, Taiwan under new pressure, North Korea restarting it's nuclear program, Iran a month away from nuclear bomb materials, and Russia completing the Nord Stream II pipeline to Germany. At home, Biden's domestic program is on the line as Manchin backs out of the $3.5 trillion Democrat spending bill and Democrats now lack the votes to pass it.

BIDEN'S WAR CRIME: After an ISIS-K suicide bomber in Kabul killed 13 American soldiers and over 100 Afghani civilians, Biden needed some kind of quick victory that he could share with the seething American people. Despite conflicting intelligence reports, Biden frantically ordered an airstrike on "high level" ISIS-K targets. It turns out he targeted men filling up water jugs along with their extended family, women and children. Those on the ground thought the attack was ISIS. It turned out it was Joe Biden - who some are accusing of a war crime. And like the fatal withdrawal from Afghanistan, no one in the Biden Administration, the military, or the intelligence community will be held accountable beyond issuing a vague apology.

AMERICAN HOSTAGES IN AFGHANSTAN? Reports indicate that many American citizens are still sitting on airplanes in Kabul waiting for the Taliban to release them. When will they be declared hostages?

MILLEY'S TREASON? Reports from new Bob Woodward and Robert Costa book told of secret phone calls between the head of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Mark Milley, and his counterpart in China just ahead of the 2020 election and soon after the Capitol Riot of January 6. During theses secret calls, Milley pledged to China that he would warn them should America plan to attack. It was also said Milley held a secret meeting with military leaders to keep Trump from functioning as the commander in chief should war draw near in his final days as president. The leaders, it is reported, were even asked to swear their allegiance to Milley. Should these reports turn out to be true, Milley is certainly open to court martial for treason - an offense punishable in the Constitution by death. It appears there must be something to the story, as excuses for his actions are now coming from the Pentagon while Trump's former SecDef is blasting Milley for his actions. We expect more will develop with this story.

LATEST BORDER CRISIS: Thousands of Hattians are storming across the US border in Texas in the newest border crisis under Biden's watch. Drone video revealed stunning images of illegal immigrants crossing the Rio Grande on their way into an unsanitary federal encampment in Texas. The numbers, however, swelled so large that they exceeded the government's ability to supply them with water and food. A virtual economy is now growing on site as immigrants go back and forth between Mexico and Texas for supplies. All this comes as Biden announced his new vaccine mandate will not include illegal immigrants. The dramatic images were so shocking that we are not at all surprised that Biden ordered the FAA to shut down the site's airspace to drones. It is a clear cover up of yet the most recent Biden disaster. Rather than help seal the border so this won't happen again, today it was announced Biden plans to fly many of the Hattians home. How long before they work their way back to the border?

NEWSOM WINS RECALLS: It appears the 6 million Trump voters opted out of the California recall election this week as less than 3.5 million voted to remove Newsom while 5.8 million voted to keep him. The GOP needs to recognize its MAGA base if it is going to win elections - even in states like California. Meanwhile, Newsom has a free hand to impose new COVID restrictions and vaccine passports while the Democrat-controlled California legislature plans to make future recalls tougher.

III. THE NATIONS

AUKUS - PACIFIC NATO? Australia - which is in the middle of a draconian-fascist lockdown over the coronavirus - has announced a new alliance partnership with the US and the UK, taken together called AUKUS. The goal of the alliance is to ensure Australia has access to nuclear submarines - an anti-Chinese move if ever there was one. China is furious. Meanwhile, Japan and India are angry they have been cut out of the alliance, and France is seething as Australia backed out their conventional submarine contract. What's more, no nation who sails nuclear submarines lacks nuclear bombs. Will Australia soon be going nuclear?

MEXICO, ABORTION, & COLUMBUS: In what appears to be a response to the US Supreme Court's favorable - if perhaps temporary - ruling on Texas' abortion law, the Mexican Supreme Court unanimously voted to decriminalize abortion nationwide. This comes as troubling news as Mexico is the world's second largest Catholic country. We were not surprised to see Mexico City stuck by a massive earthquake that very night. Within days of this ruling, Mexico City announced it was removing a statue of (Catholic) Christopher Columbus and replacing it with a monument dedicated to (pagan) indigenous women. It's clear who's in charge in Mexico.

TAIWAN - THE WESTERN TOEHOLD: China is threatening to send military aircraft over Taiwan - which would all but shut down commercial flights into and out of the island - after "the blob" in DC leaked the US might upgrade diplomatic ties with Taiwan. All this follows a conversation between Biden and Xi Jinping in which Biden assured Xi Jinping that the US wants peace. Meanwhile Taiwan continues to act as a Western toehold in the far east, becoming the first Asian "nation" to legalize gay marriage. Even now a recent video from the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is treating gay rights as though they were human rights. Perhaps it's time Taiwan goes home to China.

AMERICA'S FOREIGN POLICY IN TATTERS: What is America's role in the world in 2021? Are we in a better position now than on September 11, 2001? Pat Buchanan offers some analysis.

IV. CULTURE OF LIFE, CULTURE OF PROTECTION

"FDA APPROVED" VACCINE EXPLAINED: Despite being "FDA approved", the Pfizer vaccine being distributed today is still the EUA (emergency use authorized) vaccine and not the FDA approved "Comirnaty" vaccine. The two vaccines might be virtually identical in all but name, but Robert Barnes explains why Comirnaty is not on the market: 1) once Comirnaty is widely in use, the EUAs for vaccines like those from J&J and Moderna will lose their EUA status; 2) until Comirnaty is FDA approved for all children, Pfizer could be liable to lawsuit in cases of dangerous vaccine reactions. It's clear the FDA approval was not meant to reassure of the public of the vaccine's safety but rather to give cover to politicians to begin vaccine mandates - like the one recently announced by Biden - and even vaccine passports.

VACCINE PASSPORTS - RACIAL SEGREGATION: A recent report from Brownstone reveals striking parallels between vaccine mandates and racial segregation. A vaccine passport system in New York, for example, means that "86.4% percent of African-Americans are excluded from participation in public life, as well as 85.2% of Asians, and 80% of Hispanics." Read the full report for more.

HOW DANGEROUS IS COVID? According to The Atlantic, roughly 48% of those hospitalized with the coronavirus were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms. This could mean that many hospitalized with other ailments, yet who tested positive for COVID, are being labeled as "COVID hospitalization" - very misleading. Given this are we at all surprised that this leaked Zoom call between hospital officials revealed their plans to make the virus seem more dangerous that it really is?

END OF THE US MILITARY? Roughly half of all men in uniform have not been vaccinated - yet the military now requires this of them by December 15. Many will choose not to be vaccinated and be drummed out of the service. Is mandatory vaccination against a disease that has a 99% survival rate (and likely an even higher survival rate for healthy men in the military) worth losing upwards of half your fighting force? Perhaps this was the plan all along for those on the Left who are driving these mandates.

BANNING CHILD BRIDES: While the Philippines is a largely a Catholic, it 's southern islands are home to many Muslims, and sadly many dangerous Salafis. Spearheaded by a Catholic priest, the nation has now passed a legal ban on child brides - a practice all too common in the poorer areas of the  Islamic south. Those caught marrying children now face up to 30 years in prison.

MINNEAPOLIS CHAOS: In the wake of the George Floyd death and Chauvin trial, it's being reported that traffic stops in Minneapolis have dropped 74% and and foot patrols plunged 69%, while murders in Minneapolis are on track to reach a 20-year high. This comes as a Minneapolis man who fired on police was acquitted for self-defense. The woke mob is in control and the citizens of the city are going to suffer accordingly.

Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

by A. Joseph Lynch

I. POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

RESSOURCEMENT INTERVIEW: We haven't been the biggest fans of Bishop Barron of late, but we enjoyed his recent interview with retired theology professor, Larry Chapp, on the resourcement theologians of the 20th century. Barron and Chapp discuss how they are supremely orthodox, not modernist, and how they synthesized the rich Catholic theological traditions from the patristic and medieval periods. While we at AoA are still not sold on von Balthazar, the interview is well worth the watch.  We also invite you to read Chapp's blog, Gaudium et Spes 22 (named after what is perhaps the best article of all Vatican II's documents).

TX PRIEST OPPOSES ABORTION LAW: Texas' fetal heartbeat won a massive - if perhaps only temporary - victory at the Supreme Court this week. Naturally abortion supporters have lost their cool. Even the "conservative" pundit Dick Morris has begun screaming that the law will doom Republicans in 2022 and 2024. The law is also revealing cracks within the Church, as one Texas priest is speaking out against the law. Sadly in today's ecclesial climate, we doubt he'll face censure from his ordinary.

MASKS, VACCINES, AND SACRAMENTS: Bishops and priests are taking a hard line on vaccines and masks. It appears as though one Kentucky bishop is sidelining priests from their sacramental duties if they have not been vaccinated. Meanwhile a priest in Chicago plans to violate canon law by denying Communion to any parishioner not wearing a mask. And of course, canon law was disregarded in Chicago as the non-Catholic lesbian Chicago mayor, Lori Lightfoot, received Communion only feet from Cardinal Cupich.

II. AMERICAN POLITICS

WHO SHOULD RESIGN? According to Rasmussen, 52% of Americans think Biden should. The total disaster in Afghanistan reveals many more should resign with him. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin and General Milley were apparently too busy studying "white rage" to operate a strategic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken was totally unable to negotiate with the Taliban or other regional leaders to negotiate a speedy withdrawal for our civilians. Jake Sullivan, Biden's National Security Advisor, is to blame for the bad information Biden was given during the disaster. The whole team needs to be scrapped. And after Harris' disastrous visit to Vietnam (see below), she should go, too.

BIDEN EXPOSES THE SAUDIS? In a surprise move sure to further upset the neocon and neolib warmongers in Washington, it appears as though Biden has signed an executive order to release sealed FBI documents concerning Saudi government involvement in 9/11. It's take twenty years, but we hope what is revealed will make it well worth the wait.

WHO'S COMING? Over 100,000 Afghanis are on their way to America at this hour. Sadly very few of them are our allied co-workers in the war whose lives are in danger from Taliban reprisal. Troubling more is just how few of them were vetted before being placed on planes. We've now learned that American citizens, Afghan allies, and US service dogs were left behind while Afghan men with their "child brides" were brought home. Is American now in the business of child sex trafficking? 

US FOREIGN POLICY SHOT: Who would trust America enough to be her ally now? Answers from Pat Buchanan. 

III. THE NATIONS

ABE SUCCESSOR RESIGNS: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has resigned. Could Abe be preparing a return to power?

AFGHANISTAN'S SILK ROAD: The Taliban have not only announced a partnership with China, but it plans to integrate Afghanistan into China's "Belt and Road" initiative which seeks to create a modern day silk road across Eurasia. It will undoubtedly bring new resources to Afghanistan and help China further divert its supply lines from from the sea lanes dominated by the US Navy.

DISASTER IN VIETNAM: On the run from any Afghan fallout, Kamala Harris led a US delegation to Vietnam, a vital potential ally against China in our struggle over the South China Sea. Sadly Harris undid years of diplomatic efforts with the Vietnamese government by 1) openly meeting with NGOs seeking to overthrow the Vietnamese government; 2) making such bombastic statements about China that the Vietnamese government effectively denounced the US for them; and 3) treating a monument dedicated to shooting down American fighter pilots in Vietnam as thought it was a monument dedicated to John McCain. Harris might have avoided the press coverage of Afghanistan, but she left the Vietnamese - and the world - laughing at us. 

IV. CULTURE OF LIFE, CULTURE OF PROTECTION

"TRANS" SEX OFFENDER: The advocates of "trans rights" appear to be a façade for an attack on women as sex offending men can claim "trans" status to prey on women in women's bathrooms and locker rooms. This is precisely what took place when a sex offending male - who now identifies as a woman - exposed himself to at least one underage girl and her mother at a California spa.

FASCIST AUSTRALIA: Fascists are taking power in Australia as COVID is being weaponized for government control over each and every Australian. According to Zero Hedge, the "government of South Australia is running a trial for a system that could eventually force citizens to take a photo of themselves via a government app to report their location on demand within 15 minutes of authorities requesting it, or face a police investigation." COVID rules of course didn't keep a police department from violating social distancing rules to hold an LGBT office party. Ideology trumps all.

TEXAS SIX-WEEK ABORTION BAN: While we've already mentioned the successful roll-out of the Texas fetal heartbeat law (see above), Dr. Steve Turley reviews the law and explains why the pro-life movement is taking ground in America. 

Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review: SATURDAY, AUGUST 28

by A. Joseph Lynch

THE BRIEF

KABUL: BIDEN'S SAIGON

PRIDE COMETH BEFORE THE FALL

The utter collapse of Afghanistan in a mere matter of days is a stunning rebuke not only of America's cultural imperialism but also of the nation's totally incompetent ruling class. It proves Joe Biden was never fit to be president, Kamala Harris - who claimed to be the last one in the room when planning America's exit from Afghanistan - is not ready for the spotlight, Biden's cabinet is filled with nitwits, and the US military is too distracted by critical race theory and chasing down fake insurrectionists at home to stop real insurrections abroad. 

What has taken place in Afghanistan is worse than Saigon. The South Vietnamese capital fell roughly two years after America exited the region. Withdrawing our air support and air logistics from our Afghan allies, removing the troops necessary to protect our civilians in the country, and last month's mid-night abandoning of the strategic Bagram Airbase all meant that the Afghan army would rapidly collapse and American civilians would have no protection from a Taliban assault. 

General Petreaus called the results "catastrophic," and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair labeled Biden's actions "imbecilic". 

Not long ago Biden told reporters that there would be no repeat of Saigon - no choppers hovering over our embassy as the enemy closed in. Sadly we saw just that. And then some. Biden went on vacation and allowed the unthinkable to happen. Not only has the entire Afghan government and military collapsed, but the Taliban now controls more territory than it did on 9-11 and is much, much, better equipped (curtesy of the US military). 

Biden soon gave a speech in which he said "the buck stops here," yet went on to blame Trump, the former president of Afghanistan, and the Afghan military. Not once did he take any responsibility for his own actions. It was Biden who abandoned the May 1 peace deal negotiated by Trump. It was Biden who left tens of thousands of American citizens and Afghani allies behind to die. It was Biden who failed to leave our people air support and an adequate military presence to remove them safely from harm's way. No one besides the braindead neocons are blaming Biden for pulling out of Afghanistan, but Americans had every right to be immediately enraged, both at the humiliating disgrace he's brought about and by the fact that he went on vacation as Americans were left at the hands of the Taliban. 

As Biden claimed that "no one wanted to leave Afghanistan," Americans were horrified to see images of Afghani civilians clinging desperately to American aircraft preparing for take off - only to watch them fall to their deaths from midair. We saw the lifeless body of a man caught in the landing gear of an American evacuation plane. We heard that civilians were being run over by our airplanes on the runway. The administration did an about-face, now giving Afghanis access to evacuation aircraft ahead of American citizens (who account for less than 10% of those evacuated). Few are being vetted as they board, and its hard to tell how many ISIS terrorists could now be headed to America. In what would have been deemed treason under a Trump Administration, Biden dispatched the head of the CIA to beg the Taliban for more time while giving up the names of missing Americans and Afghan allies. The time extension was denied, and what the Taliban does with the list Biden handed over might very well be a death sentence to thousands. Then came the bombings that claimed the lives of over a dozen American soldiers and countless civilians. It was America's deadliest day in Afghanistan since 2011. Needless to say, this has not been an orderly withdrawal. Biden spoke to the nation again but offered no apology for the death and destruction his incompetence wrought. What he did tell us was to be ready to accept that many, many Americans would soon be left behind as he cut and run from Afghanistan.

According to the USA Today, Biden's approval rating has sunk to 41% (with independent support down to an astonishing 31%), and that was before Thursday's bombings that gave the nation's military its bloodiest day in over a decade.

The person who was most spot on concerning America's defeat and utter humiliation in Afghanistan was Tucker Carlson. Echoing D'Souza's "The Enemy At Home" (read our review), Carlson points out that our liberal agenda of abortion and sodomy don't sell well in Islamic nations like Afghanistan. And that is really the heart of America's failure in Afghanistan. President Bush thought that toppling the Taliban and establishing democracy would solve the landlocked nation's problems. His plans were co-opted by President Obama, who sought to remake Afghanistan along the lines of a Western, secular-liberal democracy. Setting quotas for the number of women in the Afghan parliament, handing out women's studies degrees at a Kabul university, and flying the gay rainbow flag from the US embassy didn't sit well in an Islamic nation where 99% of the population believes in following Sharia law. The religiously tone-deaf Obama-Biden plan for Afghanistan was doomed to fail. President Trump saw this and decided to negotiate with the Taliban for a peaceful exit. Biden threw out Trump's Taliban deal and exit plan then botched everything because of his total blindness to the situation, the people, and the religion of Afghanistan. The liberal penchant for ideological arrogance and pride led to this disaster.

And as we look back to the US embassy flying the gay rainbow flag in Kabul during "Pride" month not long ago, we are reminded of the biblical truism: "Pride cometh before the fall."

I. POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

CHRISTIAN AFGHANS TURNED BACK: Afghan Christians, all qualified for evacuation under US policy in Afghanistan, are being turned away by Americans at the Kabul airport. This comes as less than 10% of all evacuated are Americans and thousands appear likely left behind. Meanwhile efforts by Glenn Beck to rescue Christians are also being blocked. This stands in stark contrast with the fall of Saigon, in which thousands of Catholic Vietnamese were rescued by Americans leaving the country. This is but the newest indication of the religious and cultural incoherence of the Leftists leading the executive branch and the US military.

BRIZALIAN BISHOP ON CAMERA: Brazilian Bishop Tomé Ferreira da Silva has been sacked by Pope Francis after leaked camera footage of him masturbating was made public. In 2015 the same bishop was accused of having a sexual relationship with his chauffeur. 

MARY AND MICHAEL BANNED: Cardinal Cupich has banned the recitation of the Hail Mary and/or the St. Michael Prayer at the end of archdiocesan Masses. More from Taylor Marshall.

II. AMERICAN POLITICS

CUOMO'S RESIGNATION: We all thought Cuomo would fight tooth-and-nail to remain in office. IT was even rumored he'd not seek another term if his fellow Democrats put off impeachment proceedings. Why did he go? We've heard he was threatened with a more "expansive" impeachment that would include and investigation into New York's nursing home deaths - thus it appears he was dodging a serious jail-time bullet. But the real reason he was targeted in the first place was because he's a threat to Harris in 2024.

RECALL FRAUD FIASCO - PRINT-AT-HOME BALLOTS AND MORE: Speaking of Harris threats, Gavin Newsom is in trouble in California's recall efforts, yet more voting shenanigan's could keep him in office. The new tactics: print-at-home ballots. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? And if that's not enough to help Newsom, a California man was found passed out with hundreds of recall ballots while two women were caught on camera stealing mail-in recall ballots.  And if that's not enough, holes have been intentionally placed in mail-in ballot envelopes in such a way that one's vote could be seen through the hole. All this raises grave questions about this recall election.

PFIZER VACCINE APPROVED? Vaccine madates are sure to spread with the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine now approved by the FDA - or was it approved? According the FDA, the "Comirnaty" vaccine, made by Pfizer, has been approved. But this vaccine is not available on the market. Instead, those seeking vaccination must get the legally different "Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine". The two vaccines are virtually identical, but the Comirnaty vaccine is approved yet shelved for lawsuit reasons. All this points to the FDA playing a partisan political game intended to give cover to a likely slew of vaccine mandates.

EVICTION BAN STRUCK DOWN: In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court has blocked Biden's illegal order to ban evictions during the pandemic. Biden had previously been told to end the ban but his illegal actions led the court to return to the matter, once again ordering the ban to end. It is likely the decision will lead to renewed calls to pack the court. Had the ban been allowed to continue, the Democrats and their allies in big business would have used the ban to wipe out small landowners and enrich the corporations while handing out COVID checks to tenants who refused to pay their rent.

BARRETT'S SURPEME FAILURE: Amy Coney Barrett continues to disappoint. In her latest action, Barrett refused to allow Indiana students bring their case against vaccine mandates before the court. The move comes as questions emerge concerning the actual number of vaccine deaths - which recently claimed the life of a BBC presenter.

III. THE NATIONS

TALIBAN TROLLS BIDEN, BIG TECH: The Taliban have not only won a striking series of military victories, but they've also won on the PR front. When asked about censoring Afghani citizens under a new Taliban regime, Taliban officials simply asked Western journalists to talk to Big Tech companies like Twitter and Facebook about censorship. And as the Taliban has inherited millions of dollars worth of US military equipment - including uniforms and infantry gear - they staged a mocking Iwo Jima-style flag raising. Clearly the Taliban are outmaneuvering their American and Western opponents at every turn.

NORD STREAM 2 PIPELINE: Russia has been busy building it's "Nord Steam 2" natural gas pipeline via the Baltic Sea to Germany - thus cutting the Ukrainian middle man out of the profits. The results will see Ukraine lose nearly 20% of it's revenues once Russia stops sending gas through the eastern European nation. Ukraine is livid, Germany is glad it's winter heat will no longer be endangered by a Russian-Ukrainian war, and Russia still has the ability to use its gas supply as leverage over the Germans. Putin scores again. Meanwhile the US, which needs help from the Germans and the Russians in Afghanistan, have angered both by announcing new sanctions over the pipeline.

AUSTRIALIA'S COVID CAMPS: Many people were called conspiracy theorists for venting fears of future COVID concentration camps. Sadly these fears are becoming reality in Australia as a Queensland regional quarantine facility is now under construction. Our advice to Australians: Do not comply when officials tell you to board the train cars. We've seen this before - it never ends well for those who board the trains to the camps or the gulags. New York City's draconian passport rules - which appear to  disproportionately affect minorities, especially blacks - is not far behind the Australia. Some suspect California would be as bad were it not for the Governor Newsom's recall threat.

DUTERTE AS VICE PRESIDENT: President Duterte of the Philippines will not retire in the face of partisan-induced trumped up criminal charges after he leaves office. Instead, the term-limited president will prop up an advisor in the next presidential election while running alongside him as vice president. It's a bold move, one that echoes Putin's role as Russia's prime minister from 2008-12, but one that Duterte needs to take in order to continue his policy initiatives and avoid political persecution. 

CHINA THREE-CHILD POLICY: China is realizing it's facing a demographic crisis. Back in 2015 it began "allowing" couples to have two children - but has now increased that number to three. Some experts believe the number may soon increase to four. At what point will China come to its senses and end its limits on the family altogether?

IV. CULTURE OF LIFE, CULTURE OF PROTECTION

RETURN OF JIM CROW? Despite the left blaming America's low vaccination rate on conservatives, studies reveal that minorities are well behind whites in terms of the coronavirus vaccine. Now that places like New York City are essentially requiring ID to enter any public building, the policy will unfairly target blacks and other minorities. It was Democrats who created Jim Crow, and it appears they're in the process of bringing it back.

RULES FOR THEE, NOT FOR ME: Obama threw himself a large birthday party and from what information has leaked about it, the party was mask-free, social distance-free, and for many, vaccine-free. A NY Times reporter dismissed conservative criticism of the event because the crowd was "sophisticated". Meanwhile Fauci denounced an outdoor gather of bikers at Sturgis while remaining utterly silent about the Obama party and the spike of cases it brought to Martha's Vineyard. All this is not to mention the reported influx of narcotics to the island ahead of the party and the three DUIs made from partygoers afterwards.

JUSTIFED ANTI-VACCINE STANCE? MSNBC host Joy Reid says it was okay to be anti-vaccine in 2020 because Trump was president. In her head Trump was evil and thus the government couldn't be trusted. It makes one wonder if the situation today would be reversed were Trump still in office, with Democrats unvaccinated and Republicans lining up for the shots. 

NO MORE "MASTER" BEDROOMS: A civil rights lawyer is under fire for praising the gradual elimination of the term "master" bedroom from use in Minnesota due to its supposed connection to slavery. Of course, the term "master" bedroom has its origins in the 1920s, decades after the destruction of slavery in America. If the absurdity continues American's will have to phase out terms like "master's
 degree, "master" key, and "master" plan. 

"RACIST" ROCK REMOVED: The University of Wisconsin has removed a rock after declaring it a "painful symbol of racism." This is what we call Racial Pareidolia.

Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review: SATURDAY, AUGUST 7

by A. Joseph Lynch

I. POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

LATIN MASS CANCELED? Get the whole story behind Francis' Traditionis Custodes from the newest video over at Religion, Sex, and Politics.

MCCARRICK CHARGED: Theodore McCarrick has been charged in Massachusetts regarding an accusation child sex abuse. The state was able to charge the defrocked ex-cardinal because the statue of limitations went on hold upon his departure from the state following the incident. Church Militant recently did some excellent digging into McCarrick's past and uncovered many more mysteries surrounding him and other clerics within the Church.

BENEDICT ON GERMAN CHURCH: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI recently spoke out on the German Church, especially accusing the German clergy of lacking religious faith. More from EWTN.

FR. KAPAUN HONORED: South Korea's Catholic president, Moon Jae-In, awarded the Korean War-era military chaplain, Fr. Emil Kapaun, with the nation's highest honor. Fr. Kapaun died in a North Korean prison camp during the war and is on the path towards canonization in the Church. The nation's honor Fr. Kapaun presents the Christianizing nation with a model of heroic virtue, both in faith and in civic duty.

INITIATION DENIED: Weak episcopal leadership over the past decades in Ireland have led to a massive revolt against the nation's historic faith. As abortion spreads, the government now seeks to halt initiation into the Catholic Church by citing the coronavirus in a bid to end First Communions and Confirmations. Many Catholic priests and bishops are rejecting the order. All this reveals how anti-Catholic politicians have weaponized the virus to enact their own partisan and anti-religious agendas.

II. AMERICAN POLITICS

JANUARY 6 FAUX INVESTIGATION: The House of Representatives has launched its faux investigation of the January 6 riots. Not one GOP-approved Representative is part of the panel. RINOs Kinzinger and Cheney volunteered against the wishes of GOP House leadership. Whether or not efforts to expel them are successful, they will both soon be primaried out of office. As not a single rioter has been charged with insurrection, the big picture question remains, why are Democrats still clinging to January 6?

THEY'RE LISTENING: Be careful not to spread "misinformation" about the pandemic or vaccinations as big brother might be listening in. Control of Big Tech wasn't enough, now the government seeks to get telecommunication companies involved in the censorship.

BIG TECH, THE ADL, AND "CANCEL" CULTURE: Cancel culture plans to grow as the Anti-Defamation League partners with "big tech" companies like Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and Google to ensure that anyone deemed deplorable and booted from one platform be removed from all platforms. What's more, the online payment company PayPal is also joining in, thus ensuring that targets of big tech are financially removed participation in the online economic community. Expect to see an increasing number of Americans to not only lose first amendment protections but also any ability to participate economically in the increasingly left-wing authoritarian state where "big tech" and "big government" work hand-in-hand. Or as The Hill is reporting, America is on the brink of imitating China's "social credit system." Meanwhile Apple has announced that it will scan all iPhones in search of evidence of child abuse. Should parents who have family photos of their baby's in the bathtub start worrying? And if Apple can scan your phone for this, how else might it collude with the government to access your private data, "cancel" you, or even get you arrested on fraudulent charges? 

ILLEGAL EVICTION BAN: After being rebuked by the Supreme Court and after stating he lacked the authority to continue a ban on evictions, Joe Biden went ahead and illegally extended the ban until October. This ban, combined with the never-ending unemployment checks keeping people out of work, have incentivized many American's to take tax payer money and not pay their rent. Biden is already being sued by landlords across the nation who soon risk losing their property to large vulture corporations. This is yet another example of the coronavirus being weaponized for partisan gains from those in "big government" while "big business" wipes out the middle class.

LAMDA AND THE BORDER: As variants of the coronavirus emerged in different parts of the world, the politically correct talking heads began identifying them with Greek letters rather than with their place of origin. Hence the "India" variant became the "delta" variant, the "UK" variant became the "Alpha" variant, the "South Africa" variant became the "beta" variant, and the "Brazil" variant became the "Gamma" variant. Now a new variant from Peru - known as the "lambda" variant - spreading like wildfire - and the vaccines seem unable to combat it. With Biden losing all control of America's southern border lambda is spreading into our nation. What cost the country pay in order to keep the open-border policy of the Democrats? What's more, in one case of the Democrat alliance with Catholic bishops and Catholic organizations - a financial alliance that allows bishops to get around the need of lay donations -  infected illegal immigrants are being released into the hands of Catholic Charities in southern Texas.

III. CULTURE OF LIFE, CULTURE OF PROTECTION

ABHORRENT DESECRATION OF LIFE: Allegations are swirling that the University of Pittsburg has become a hub of fetal tissue as the university targeted black unborn babies, often late term, for organ removal while their hearts were still beating. If only the Democrats really believed that black lives matter. We hope the university's federal funding is lost and arrests are soon made.

AMA AND GENDER: The American Medical Association - which should be dedicated to the science behind health - has clearly been taken over by the far left as it is calls on the removal of gender from birth certificates. We can only hope that average Americans awake to the insanity running rampant in our institutions.

HOMESCHOOLING SURGE: Between the pandemic and the battle over critical race theory in schools, homeschooling is surging.

TRIBAL WARFARE: While the left correctly rejects white supremacy, little is being done to curb the spread of tribalism among minority groups. In one recent example, a black man stomped on the head of an elderly Asian man in order to retaliate against a group of Koreans who attacked him. This is where critical race theory and leftwing racial identity politics takes us. 

GAY AZ DEMOCRAT ARRESTED: As Arizona continues its audit of the 2020 election, a state senator is under arrest for predatory homosexual pederasty. This comes as New York Governor Cuomo is under criminal investigation for sexual harassment and California's Governor Newsom faces a recall election. The gay state senator had played a significant role in the gay movement in Arizona. His actions further reveal the pederastic practices of too many homosexuals in America - particularly among Catholic priests (and even bishops like McCarrick). Too many sexually mature males, not prepubescents children, are being preyed upon by older homosexuals. 

PATRIOTIC WRESTLER: American Olympic wrestler Tamya Mensah-Stock won her nation a gold medal in Tokyo, speaking of her father and thanking God while wrapped in the flag. Unlike the examples of so many other American Olympic participants, it was amazing to see one who loved her God and her country. 

Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review: SATURDAY, JULY 24

by A. Joseph Lynch

I. POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

HOMOSEXUAL CLERIC STEPS DOWN: Yet another scandal within the Church has emerged as Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, the general secretary of the U.S. bishops’ conference, was forced to resign over what appears his active homosexuality. A brilliant investigation from The Pillar revealed Burrill used a location-based phone app often used by homosexuals. Location data signals from the app further revealed that Burrill frequented gay bars and private residences. Burrill is a priest from the Diocese of La Crosse, the same diocese as the sacked Fr. Altman. Will this apparent active homosexual also be removed by his bishop and placed in permanent limbo? Meanwhile Steven P. Millies, associate professor of public theology and director of The Bernardin Center at the Catholic Theological Union, was given space in The Washington Post to defend Burrill. All of a sudden the paper finds cause to decry cancel culture, invoke "journalistic ethics", and quote the Catechism on detraction. Not only is the hypocrisy blatantly clear, but it's also further proof of corruption within the upper ranks of the American hierarchy.

VENERABLE ROBERT SCHUMAN? The "founding father" of the European Union has been declared venerable by Pope Francis, thus placing him on the path towards canonization as a saint. Schuman may have been a devout Catholic, but questions remain as to why he was selected for this honor beyond his work with what would become the European Union - perhaps the greatest disaster for Europe since World War II. What's more, it's much, much more likely that American military personnel and the advent of nuclear deterrence that kept Europe in peace since 1945.

TRADITIONIS CUSTODES REVOLT: Be on the lookout for a video from the Religion, Sex, and Politics YouTube channel regarding Francis' newest motu proprio. As bishops respond about Traditionis Custodes, it's becoming apparent how divisive the rollback on the Latin Mass has become. As the German clergy revolted against Francis on blessing gay couples, so many moderate and conservative bishops are doing in regards to the Latin Mass. Each case reveals a weakening of both papal authority and also Francis pontificate. Francis was well within his right and historical precedent to make his decision regarding the Latin Mass, but the rollout and time were ill-conceived and poorly enacted. 

BLASTING BISHOP TAYLOR: Meanwhile Church Militant's Headlines this week lambasted the bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas for doing exactly what Francis asked. He didn't ban the Latin Mass led by dedicated priests from Latin Mass groups such as the FSSP or Christ the King. Those Masses continue to this day. What Church Militant failed to mention was this nugget from his episcopal statement: "The 'Novus Ordo' Mass can be celebrated by any priest in any language, including Latin, and Latin service music can always be used, but elements of the traditional Latin Mass are not to be grafted onto the 'Novus Ordo' Mass, regardless of whether it is celebrated in Latin or the vernacular." The real issue regards what he means by "elements" from the Latin Mass. If he means ad orientam prayer and communion rails, then this is real scandal. While traditionalists cling to Latin - which this bishop is willing to permit in all Masses - what we need are many of the "elements" that induce pious divine worship among the faithful. In all the talk about Latin, Latin, Latin, we've forgotten to talk about how to direct people towards an encounter with the Living God through authentic worship.

II. AMERICAN POLITICS

THE FBI, WHITMER, AND JAN. 6: It turns out that the FBI was involved in almost every step of the kidnapping plot of Michigan's Governor Whitmer and the men accused now have a strong case for government entrapment. Could the FBI have been involved in a similar way on January 6? As the former head of the Capitol Police says he was denied six times when he asked for help from the National Guard. Kash Patel, at the time the chief of staff for the acting Secretary of Defenses, tells reporters that the Trump Administration was rebuffed by Democrats each time it offered assistance from the National Guard. Given that there are upwards of 20 unindicted co-conspirators in the January 6 "insurrection" how possible is that the FBI was doing something similar, using upwards of 20 FBI agents to induce people into the Capitol? Considering that the Democrats used January 6 to falsely accuse and impeach President Trump of inciting insurrection, blow half a billion dollars locking down the capital for months, fear-mongering American citizens, expanding the Capitol Police across the country, and locking away American citizens without trial or even charging them with insurrection, we think it highly likely that deep state actors colluded with swamp monster Democrats (and many Republicans) to coordinate for mutual benefit. Does anyone believe that a sized Lego set of the US Capitol is really evidence of insurrection?

DEMOCRAT SUPERSPREADERS? In order to avoid doing their constitutional duties, Texas Democrats crowded into a private jet and flew to Washington DC to visit their leftwing allies and leaders of the party. Though they claim everyone should take COVID precautions, selfies from the plane revealed everyone's maskless faces. Now at least six of them have the coronavirus and spread the disease to Congress and the White House. Democrats are refusing to update us on how many new cases of the coronavirus have struck the Texas Democrats while Jen Psaki won't tell America how many breakthrough cases of COVID are affecting vaccinated members of the White House staff. So much for safety and transparency.

BREAKING CHAIN OF COMMAND: Biden now supports taking investigations of sexual assault allegations by military personnel away from military officials. We've argued before that this breaks the military chain of command and thus weakens the military and it's authority to enforce its own strict rules. The move would come after a long line of victories for the woke Left in the military and is unsurprising as Democrats move to force more women into the military, thus placing more women at greater risk of assault.

BAD 2020 POLLS: Surprise, surprise. A new study reveals how - once more - the polls in the 2020 election were abysmal. The study found "a systematic error" that favored Democrats across the nation. While for some the election results are still in doubt - indeed audits continue even now - one has to wonder how many stayed home or cast their vote one way due to the false polls pushed by the liberal media.

KAVANAUGH WITCHHUNT CONTINUES: We at AoA haven't been big fans of the decisions by Brett Kavanaugh (or Amy Coney Barrett), but we detest the latest move by Democrats to influence the courts by effectively re-investigating Kavanaugh anew. Don't think for a moment that Democrats wouldn't seek to remove him and replace him with another Ginsburg.

III. THE NATIONS

HUNGARY LGBT REFERENDUM: As the EU attempts to bully Hungary into LGBT acceptance, Hungarian leader, Viktor Orban, has announced the nation will hold a referendum on national laws protecting minors from the LGBT agenda. The five question referendum, similar to an earlier national referendum on immigration, will give Orban the democratic firepower to resist pressure from the bullies in Brussels. Meanwhile EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is attacking Hungary's law, demanding that "EU citizens" be ensured their full set of "rights". Of course the EU leader refuse to base morality and "rights" in the natural law and she confuses Hungarian citizens for "EU" citizens. Let Hungarians live according to the natural law. Let the nation decide for itself what laws it wishes to enact.

TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN: As the Taliban begins regaining control of Afghanistan, a group of Taliban representatives met with Russia - the dominant non-Islamic nation in the region with a history in Afghanistan - that the Taliban would prevent Islamic terrorists from operating in Afghanistan while also working to eliminate the nation's illicit drug industry. As America finally withdraws, perhaps it's time for Russia to help win peace for the landlocked nation.

FOOD AND NATIONALISM: An interesting poll in India concerning religion, food, and nationalism. 

IV. CULTURE OF LIFE, CULTURE OF PROTECTION

KIDS AND KINK: Lauren Rowello at the Washington Post wrote, "Yes, kink belongs at Pride. And I want my kids to see it." Exposing children to disgusting sex acts would usually end in the removal of said kids from the home, but having captured virtually every cultural, religious, and political institution in the nation, this is the direction the sexual revolutionaries want to take America and our children. The San Francisco gay men's choir was right, they are coming for your children.

SCOTUS UPHOLDS TRANS BATHROOMS: In a further sign that the "conservative" Supreme Court is no bastion of sexual order as the court refused to strike down a lower court ruling that allowed a biological female to use the boy's bathroom. Again, they - conservatives and liberals - are coming for your children.

CHINA CRACKS DOWN ON LGBT: In China the cultural revolution was a disaster. It went far farther than anything we've seen in America thus far but China was able to come back from the brink. In a further step in the right direction, the Chinese social media giant WeChat has shut down LGBT accounts. 

DRAFTING WOMEN: Democrats are pushing ahead to force women into the draft, placing America's would-be wives and mothers in grave danger. Democrats in the Senate Armed Services committee have successfully voted to add language to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that forces women aged 18-25 into the draft. Will the USCCB speak up in protest about this or will they sit quietly as they did with the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and allowing women in combat? An amazing 1903 article from The Atlantic - written by a woman - presents an argument against women's suffrage in part because suffrage comes will the willingness to die in combat: 

"The question, 'Shall woman vote?' is really in the last analysis, the question, 'Ought woman to assume the responsibility for protecting person and property which has in the past been assumed by man as his duty alone?' It is because women see... that the first and fundamental function of government is the protection of person and property, and because women do not think that they ought to assume this duty any more than they ought to assume that police and militia service which is involved in every act of legislature, that they do not wish to have the ballot thrust upon them."

"...it is not woman's function to fight against human foes who threaten the home. She is not called to be a soldier. She is not to be welcomed with the volunteers nor coerced into military service by the draft. It is in vain to recite the story of Joan of Arc; it is in vain to narrate the efforts of the Amazons. The instinct of humanity revolts against the employment of woman as a soldier on the battlefield. No civilized man would wish to lay this duty upon her; no civilized woman would wish to assume it. This is not to say that her courage is not as great as his. Greater is it in some sense,—but it is different. For the Spartan mother to arm her son and send him forth with the injunction to come home bringing his shield or borne upon it, and then wait during the long and weary days to know which way he is to come,—this requires, surely, a heroism not less than his: but it is not the same heroism; higher in some sense it is—but it is not the same. In his courage are pride and combativeness and animal passion, sometimes well-nigh devilish passion; a strange joy in giving and receiving wounds, a music that grows inspiring in the singing of the bullets, an almost brutal indifference to the wounded and the dying all about him, which she could never get and remain woman."

Swedish Major, Eric Bonde, smokes a cigarette after being shot twice in battle