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

Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review: SATURDAY, JULY 17

by A. Joseph Lynch

I. POPE FRANCIS AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

TRADITIONIS CUSTODES: Pope Francis has issued a motu proprio that all but eliminated Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum. The document, Traditionis Custodes, places regulation of the Latin Mass back into the hands of the bishops. For more context we recommend reading the papal letter that was attached to the new document. Expect a video coming soon on the topic, but if you're interested in history, we suggesting reading John Paul II's 1984 indult, Quattuor Abhinc Annos, which allowed some limited use of the Latin Mass - indeed Taditionis Custodes reads very similarly to the 1984 indult. You might also examine John Paul II's motu proprio entitled Ecclesia Dei, which led to a renewal of the Latin Mass as means of dialogue with the schismatic SSPX. We cannot fully understand Francis without knowing something of John Paul II and Benedict XVI concerning the Latin Mass.

CARDINAL DOLAN EXPOSED: A must-watch Church Militant expose on Cardinal Dolan and the corruption in the New York Archdiocese surrounding the "Father" Peter Miqueli (second YouTube link). The Archdiocese of New York is also being sued in another case of negligence by a man claiming to have been raped by Covenant House founder, "Father" Bruce Ritter. If true, the Covenant House - which was built to help wayward youth off the streets - was used to take advantage of at least one child it was supposed to protect.

BUFFALO BISHOP INVESTIGATED: Buffalo's auxiliary bishop, Edward Grosz, stepped down while he's under investigation for homosexual predation on a 15 year old boy. While we await the findings of the investigation, repeated findings of homosexual predation on sexually mature, underage males reveals the fact that the Church doesn't have a pedophile problem (as pedophiles prey on prepubescent children), it has a homosexual pederast problem (pederasts prey on sexually mature, underage children). 

LEO XIII AND SATAN: There's a tradition that asserts Pope Leo XIII had a vision of the Devil and God speaking on Satan's plans for the 20th century, after which the pope wrote the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel for protection in the dark years ahead. What's the history of this vision? Taylor Marshall explains.

BORIS JOHNSON - CATHOLIC: It appears the fallen away Catholics has returned to his roots, recently married in the Catholic Church and raising his new child Catholic. Tony Blair converted to Catholicism after he left office, but Johnson's "reversion" to Catholicism while in office his historic.

II. AMERICAN POLITICS

TRUMP DOMINATES CPAC: CPAC recently conducted a couple of straw polls regarding the GOP 2024 presidential nominees. It came as no surprise that President Trump polled at 70% and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came in second at 21%. Everyone else polled at 1% or lower. Mike Pence, for example, unsurprisingly earned 0%. In a poll without Trump running for office, however, DeSantis jumped to 68% with all other contenders polling at 5% or less. Clearly these two men should ally in 2024. The only problem is that the US Constitution would require that they give Florida's electoral votes as both men would hail from the same state. If Trump ever were to move, it's a likely sign he's looking at a Trump DeSantis dream ticket.

DEATH OF RUMSFELD: The man who helped put America into Mideast quagmires is dead.  Rumsfeld should also be remembered for leading the company Searle from 1977-85. Searle is the company that gave us the birth control pill. What a legacy Rumsfeld leaves.   

AUDITS IN PA, GA, AZ: If it is discovered these states really voted for President Trump, then Trump won the race with 279 electoral votes (nine more than necessary). Tucker Carlson reported on voter fraud in Fulton County, Georgia (video). You can also read about his reporting. As the audit in Arizona's Maricopa County winds down and a forensic audit in Pennsylvania is about to begin, we are very interested to see the results.

SPYING ON TUCKER: Tucker Calson was also in the news regarding a whistleblower reporting the NSA spying on him. The NSA issued a non-denial denial while the media accused him of lying. It turns out he had requested an interview with Vladimir Putin and the NSA "incidentally" picked that up and began looking into his communications. The media went from calling Carlson a liar to calling Carlson a traitor (for nothing more than being a good journalist). It is totally abhorrent and highly likely that he, like General Michael Flynn, was unmasked and targeted by people in the White House.

CAPITOL POLICE NATIONWIDE: The Capitol Police are not to be confused with the DC Metro Police. The Capitol Police are a security force given the sole task of guarding the US Capitol building and the congressional office building. They, however, are the only federal law enforcement group operating outside the authority of the Executive branch. They report to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Now the Capitol Police are expanding field offices across the country in order to "investigate" the January 6 riots. We should all be concerned.

III. THE NATIONS

CUBAN PROTESTS: Anti-communist protests have broken out in Cuba and the government has already opened fire on the peaceful protestors. Of course, the Biden team refused to condemn the communism that has kept the island nation prisoner for decades. And in no surprise, Black Lives Matter has come out in support... of the communist dictatorship (BLM had previously praised Fidel Castro).

SOUTH AFRICAN RIOTS: South Africa teeters on the edge amid riots and unrest. In order to better understand the situation we invite our readers to look at this Twitter thread from South Africa's Jonathan Witt. He does a good job of pointing to the wokism that helped divide the nation and cover the corruption of many South African officials.

HUNGARY BANS LGBT CHILD PROPAGANDA: Hungary has taken another step in the right direction by protecting its youth from LGBTQIA+ propaganda by ensuring parents - not activists - educate their children in this regard. It's a common sense move, yet the sexual revolutionary atheists across western Europe (i.e. "the West") are freaking out. More from Pat Buchanan.

HATI ASSASINATION: Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise was recently assassinated in his home by a death squad of twenty-six Columbians and two Haitian Americans. Surprise, surprise, some of the assassins were trained by the US military. It reminds us of the Saudi death squad that murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Members of that squad were trained by the US military, too. Why is it that international assassins keep getting trained by the US military?

IV. CULTURE OF LIFE, CULTURE OF PROTECTION

COMING AFTER YOUR KIDS: SF Gay men's choir are coming for your children. As Church Militant reported, one of the singers served time in prison for quite literally coming after someone's child.

CAVING TO GAY "MARRIAGE": The Methodist church is following the other mainline Protestant denominations (like the Lutherans with their first transgendered bishop) into collapse and will soon hold "marriage" services for homosexuals.

FACTION VS. FACTION: Boston Pride - an organization for LGBT's - has dissolved for not being pro-black enough. It's amazing how name-calling everyone and everything "racist" is so impactful. It's nice to see it used to gobble up their allies in their revolution.

"PROTESTING" WWII VET: Two members of the US women's soccer team "protested" the national anthem as it was performed by a harmonica playing 98-year old World War II veteran. The sad reality is that American youth are not raised to understand American history, the sacrifices of our soldiers (especially those of the greatest generation), and the unifying loyalties of patriotism and religion. Not only do these two women not have any shame, they also just don't "get it".

"WOKE" NAVY IN SHAMBLES: A report issued by retired Marine Lt. Gen. Robert Schmidle and Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery asserts that recent accidents involving naval warships (like the burning of the USS Bonhomme Richard are the result of too much time teaching sailors diversity and not enough on keeping ships afloat. What's the point of having the world's most powerful navy when we are abandoning the sailing tradition and culture necessary to keep a navy operating?

TURN OFF THE NFL: The NFL continues to double and triple down on wokism. After recently declaring "football is gay" (well, football isn't but the NFL certainly is), it now plans to play the Black National Anthem before the (only) National Anthem at every game. It's clearly time to turn off the NFL if you haven't done so already.

Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review: SATURDAY, JULY 10

Religion, Nations, and Geopolitical Review will return to our weekly posts next Saturday, July 17. God bless and see you next weekend!