Vatican bigwig calls John Lennon's 'Imagine' the 'most beautiful song in the world'

 Eric Utter  

"Staglianò actually stated, “Let’s abolish religion, let’s abolish God, let’s abolish heaven. Who says that? John Lennon, in the most beautiful song in the world, Imagine.'”

. . . "Staglianò actually stated, “Let’s abolish religion, let’s abolish God, let’s abolish heaven. Who says that? John Lennon, in the most beautiful song in the world, Imagine.”

"The bishop made his remarks in the context of asserting that no religion — and therefore no concept, idea, or principle — should be worth killing or dying for.

Per lifesitenews.com, he concluded his remarks by stating his own interpretation of the Gospel:

“I too, like John Lennon,” Staglianò continued, “do not want a religion for which I must kill or die, I do not want a heaven for which I must kill or die, I do not want a God for whom I must kill or die. And don’t worry – this was said, before John Lennon, two thousand years ago by Jesus of Nazareth.”

Staglianò concluded by stating his interpretation of the Gospel: “Standing before the High Priest, Jesus said: Get it out of your head that my Abba, my God, my Father killed the firstborn sons of Egypt or the charioteers and horses of the Egyptian army, or that He ordered Saul to put prisoners to the sword… Get it out of your head, because my Abba is always and only love. With my Abba you can only make peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness.”

"A Catholic bishop, president of the Pontifical Academy of Theology, touting a song whose lyrics read “Imagine there’s no heaven” as the most beautiful in the world seems to me to be a tad heretical. I mean, Jesus dying on the cross and being resurrected so that our sins might be expunged and we might have a chance at eternal life probably infers the existence of a heaven, no?'" . . .

"The third verse of Lennon’s Opus begins, “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can.”

Well, the citizens of New York City under Zohran Mamdani may soon find out. They will own nothing and like it! Yay, communism! Am I right?!

Imagine that there is no heaven, above us only sky. Imagine a Catholic bishop thinking that is a beautiful thing. Imagine that. Sadly, we don’t have to."

Critical thinking not included; "We’re losing our capacity to think, and not just on the left."

 John Long - American Thinker 

"Now that public education has been infused with cultural Marxism, students are imbibing it all without wondering whether it is true."

Richard Terrell at AfterMath.

"Decades ago, when buying a Christmas toy, I needed to look at the box carefully.  If the box said “batteries not included,” I knew I would need to pick up some batteries so there would not be any tears on Christmas Day.

"These days, I often see new social media entries or opinion pieces that (should) contain labels saying, “Critical thinking not included.”  Many of us spout off the most outrageous things without examining whether those thoughts are based in truth.

"Critical thinking is absent everywhere.  We hear many unsubstantiated sayings:  

• “Men can get pregnant.”  
• “The world will end in ten years.”  
• “All whites are racist.”

"Many people accept them outright, simply because they are uttered by the “right people” (our friends, celebrities we admire, teachers).  They never wonder whether they are true.  

"In a recent podcast on Triggernometry, a young woman described how immersed she was in climate alarmism for several years without questioning any of its claims.  Once she began her own investigation, she changed her mind, but it still took years to go public because she knew that her friends and coworkers would cancel her.  

"The left does this whenever one of its members begins to question any woke concept.  It has been reported that questioning any leftist heterodoxy on BlueSky or Slack will get you shut down almost immediately.  Or you could get in trouble at work or school.  Cancel culture has been felt by many who publicly air their disagreements, however minor.  “The science is settled,” don’t you know?  

"But it is also present on the right.  Instead of referring to “the science,” many on the right depend on whatever Donald Trump says.  Disagree with Trump in any way on conservative platforms, and some will call you “an infiltrator,” a “NeverTrump,” or a “traitor.”  Trump himself does not easily tolerate dissension within his administration.  (And for those who want to know, I really like Trump.  I voted for him three times.)" . . .  More...

John Long retired from a 33-year career in I.T. and now spends his time as a Christian activist.  He occasionally writes satire at his blog Chicken Dentist. 

Mamdani LOSES IT After Ken Griffin CANCELS Massive NYC Midtown Project

Do not fear only Mamdani; fear those who put him into office.TD

Mayor Mamdani ERUPTS After Blackstone DUMPS 1,000 NYC Apartments For Texas And Florida!

"Winston Churchill is quoted, 'For a nation to try and tax itself into prosperity, is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself by the handles". The same can be said for a city such as NYC." 

New York Brief   ..."and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's response is sending shockwaves through every boardroom in America.

In this video, we break down exactly what happened, why Griffin walked away, what Mamdani said that should alarm every NYC taxpayer and business owner — and why this pattern has already destroyed Chicago and San Francisco. What we cover:

• Why Ken Griffin pulled Citadel's $9B NYC development project
• Mamdani's shocking response — and what it signals for NYC's economic future
• NYC's $7.3 billion budget gap and what this cancellation means for it
• The Chicago & San Francisco comparison — and why NYC may be next
• What this means for small business owners, renters, and construction workers
• The real cost of anti-investment governance on working-class New Yorkers

Ron Hart: Colbert and Kimmel killed late night comedy

 Ron Hart:

"The great comedy tradition of Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and even David Letterman was ruined by a few arrogant heirs and woke CBS and ABC/Disney executives. They slowly and “woke-ly” suffocated late-night comedy.

Late-night hosts became angry Progressives. Like the legacy media, which had become just a propaganda wing of the Democrat Party, they lost their way. We need an honest, fourth estate (media). I would argue that political satire is the fifth estate. Giving one party a monopoly on either is bad.

The difference in what I do, (in which I state up front that I am a libertarian op-ed humorist) and what Kimmell and Colbert did is that they pretend to be independent arbiters of truth. Their networks are given free airways via the FCC (essentially, a monopoly for 3 channels) to go into almost every household in America.

Political satire, done well, can make people think and speak truth to power. When the Taliban took back Afghanistan when our ill-planned debacle there ended, the first person they killed was a comedian known for making fun of them. It is why I have a pistol by my bed.

Elon Musk opened up social media to a broad range of uncensored views when he bought Twitter, and the stranglehold died. Back then, if you questioned the Russia Hoax, election integrity and forced Covid vaccines you were deplatformed. Thank you Elon; you are a great African-American." . . .

The Satisfying Downfall of Stephen Colbert

"Then Donald Trump came along, and The Late Show became something very different.

"From his early days on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, to the anti-Trump monologues, the election night meltdowns, the “fascist” rants, the voter insults, the CBS cancellation, and the final episode of The Late Show — this is the story of how Stephen Colbert’s comedy career turned into a decade-long obsession with Donald Trump. "CBS said the show ended for financial reasons. But for a host who built his entire late-night identity around attacking Trump, the timing made the ending impossible to ignore.

MLB Unveils New Pride Month Logo As Stigma Against Coming Out Persists Across League; One team - ONE - rejects PRIDE MONTH

 One Team Remains an Outlier  

"The Texas Rangers remain the only franchise that does not host an official Pride Night, making the organization an outlier among the league’s 30 teams." 

"New York, NY — Major League Baseball has replaced its traditional logo across social media and digital platforms with a Pride-themed version for June, featuring the league’s iconic batter silhouette set against the colors of the Progress Pride flag as Pride Month begins across the United States.

"The annual logo change coincides with dozens of LGBTQ+ events planned by teams throughout the league, including Pride Nights, special merchandise giveaways, community partnerships, and fundraising efforts. Yet the campaign also highlights a longstanding reality within professional baseball: despite years of inclusion initiatives, there are currently no publicly out active players on a Major League Baseball roster.

"The culture within the league is not one that has been kind to those who publicly come out. The contrast has become one of the most discussed aspects of baseball’s Pride Month observances.

League-Wide Celebration Meets Representation Gap

"MLB has increasingly embraced Pride Month over the past decade, with nearly every franchise hosting events designed to celebrate LGBTQ+ fans and promote inclusion within the sport.

"This year, teams across the league are planning special promotions throughout June.

"The Toronto Blue Jays will host Pride Night on June 5 with a City Connect Pride hat giveaway. The Los Angeles Dodgers are also holding Pride Night on June 5, while the Houston Astros will celebrate on June 3 with pregame ceremonies recognizing members of the LGBTQ+ community.

"The New York Mets will host Pride Night on June 26 at Citi Field, benefiting anti-bullying programs through the NY LGBT Network while distributing Pride-themed merchandise to fans.

"Other clubs, including the Cleveland Guardians, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, and Cincinnati Reds, have scheduled similar events throughout the month.

One Team Remains an Outlier

"While MLB promotes Pride Month league-wide, not every club participates in the same way.

"The Texas Rangers remain the only franchise that does not host an official Pride Night, making the organization an outlier among the league’s 30 teams.

"The Rangers have previously stated that they welcome all fans but have not adopted the dedicated Pride Night format embraced by the rest of the league.

"That distinction has frequently drawn attention each June as other teams expand LGBTQ+ programming." . . . More...

Obama Judge Gives Leftist Group Green Light to Fly Anti-Trump '86 47' Flag Near National Mall

 Slay News  

“The evidence shows that Plaintiff displayed the 8647 flag to urge that Congress impeach and remove President Trump from office,” Moss wrote."

"An Obama-appointed federal judge temporarily blocked the National Park Service from removing an anti-Trump “86 47” flag displayed near the National Mall, siding with a progressive activist group in a dispute that has drawn criticism from President Donald Trump’s administration.

"The ruling allows the flag to remain in place for at least 14 days while litigation continues.

Trump Administration Pushes Back

"The case centers on a permit dispute between the National Park Service and Accountability Now USA, a progressive activist organization that raised the flag near the National Mall.

"The Department of the Interior sharply criticized the ruling.

“This opinion is from an Obama-appointed judge,” a Department of the Interior spokesperson said in a statement.

“In what world have we lost all decency, to demand that any threat against the President be taken very seriously.”

“While the Department shall and does comply with the Court’s orders, this type of behavior should not be tolerated.”

"U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss granted a temporary restraining order Monday after the group argued that efforts to revoke its permit violated its First Amendment rights." . . .

Revolver News: Ms. Mashed Potatoes concedes…

 Katie Porter drops out of California governor's race as Hilton, Becerra lead primary results

Memedroid

(KRON) — Democrat Katie Porter has conceded in the California governor’s race. Porter, a former Orange County congresswoman, had been trailing in recent polls — despite being considered an early frontrunner.

Her tumultuous campaign was undermined by viral videos that showed her berating a staffer and awkwardly threatening to end an interview with a reporter. Recent polls had shown Porter trailing a distant fifth in the governor’s race, behind leading Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer, front-running Republican Steven Hilton, and even Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

. . . Despite polling in single digits, Porter persisted with her campaign until Tuesday night. While she had no public appearances scheduled, she put out a statement thanking her supporters Tuesday night." . . . More...

Same Script, Different Interview: Talarico’s Memorized Talking Point Goes Viral

 

Riding Into Town on a Rainbow Stagecoach

Same Script, Different Interview: Talarico’s Memorized Talking Point Goes Viral

"Politicians of every stripe rely on talking points, and voters generally understand that campaign appearances often feature a well-rehearsed stump speech. But interviews are supposed to be different. When reporters ask questions, candidates are expected to at least give the impression that they are engaging in a genuine conversation rather than reciting lines from a script.

"That’s why a pair of recent interviews with Texas state Rep. James Talarico raised eyebrows. As YouTuber Matt Christiansen was preparing for his show on Sunday, he noticed something unusual: Talarico delivered the exact same response — verbatim — in two separate interviews last week, creating the distinct impression that he had memorized the answer in advance.

"Christiansen posted clips of Talarico reciting the remarks to interviewers at CBS and MSNBC on X Sunday, writing, “Safe to say Talarico rehearsed this line very thoroughly.” Indeed.

"In an apparent effort to convey that his campaign is attracting support beyond the Democratic base, Talarico offered the following account in both interviews:

I’ve gone to every corner of this state over the course of this campaign, from Beaumont to El Paso, from Amarillo to Brownsville, and everywhere in between. And we have had tens of thousands of Texans showing up to rally with us and I can’t tell you the number of people who come up to me at the end of these events and whisper, ‘I’m not a Democrat.’ . . .   More...

How Long Will Democrats Keep Defending Platner? "Their defense of this creepy character reveals how much control the far left has over the party."

 The American Spectator   

. . . "It has been previously reported that he has engaged in lewd acts in portable toilets, attacked a Purple Heart recipient as someone “who didn’t deserve to live,”

"To get a sense of how bereft the Democrats are of genuine principles, a good place to start is their defense of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. This is the “oyster farmer” they hope can unseat five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins in November. And, in that cause, they are willing to overlook a lot of controversies surrounding Platner. Among these is the tattoo of a Totenkopf, the insignia of the Nazi SS, which he sported on his chest for 18 years. Yet, when Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) was asked about Platner on ABC News, he feigned "concern" then pivoted to President Trump: “This man is dangerous, and it’s time that we take back the Senate. And that’s what I’m focused on.” Graham Platner is incontrovertibly a 

depraved, deceptive imposter. He is no more qualified to be a United States Senator than he is to work alongside genuine oystermen. The Nazi tattoo is by no means the only noxious element in the cloud of controversy that follows Platner around. It has been previously reported that he has engaged in lewd acts in portable toilets, attacked a Purple Heart recipient as someone “who didn’t deserve to live,” has a still-active account on an app called KiK, apparently used for hookups with underage girls, sexted with numerous women outside his marriage, ad infinitum. Yet, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) posted, “I am proud of @grahamformaine for having the character to stand up against the war in Iran, against genocide, and against an unfair & lopsided economy. I am proud of him for having a vision for a new deal for our time. Excited to campaign with him on June 5!” After extensive write-ups appeared in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal about Platner’s sexual antics, he posted what amounts to a hostage video of his wife defending him on X: “I’m feeling angry today and I don’t normally make public statements, but it’s really important for me to tell all of you out there, especially people who are voting in Maine, that I think it’s shameful behavior"...    More...

The rest is behind a paywall.

Joe Biden crashes Jill’s book talk, steals spotlight to ask whom she loves the most in incredibly cringey moment

 NY Post   

"In an attempt to end the bizarre moment and wrap up the event, Goldberg encouraged the audience to purchase Jill’s new book. But Biden remained standing and pointed his finger as the exit music played."

"Former President Joe Biden crashed his wife Jill’s debut book talk Tuesday, stealing her spotlight to bizarrely ask the former first lady whom she loves the most in a cringe-inducing moment before aides could cut him off.

"Jill Biden had been wrapping up a Q&A about her newly released book, “A View from the East Wing,” with moderator Whoopi Goldberg at the 92nd Street Y on the Upper East Side when Biden, 83, left his seat in the audience and wandered up to the edge of the stage.

"Goldberg had read a comment from the audience thanking Biden for his service, and Jill, 75, stood up to give her husband a standing ovation when the ex-president’s seemingly unplanned speech began.

“I have a question,” Biden said unprompted, and without a microphone, while flanked by security guards. . . .More...

“Joe has a question, like you couldn’t ask it later?”   

“I think Jill Biden must have had a stroke herself to think that her husband was up to the job,” a former Biden administration aide told the Post. “If she can sit back and listen to his constant drivel for over 4 years, she’s the one with real cognitive decline. The fake doctor may want to consider self-medication if it took this long to gain some self-realization.”

Jill Biden's "Evil" Treatment of Ailing Husband Joe    "Megyn Kelly is joined by Jesse Kelly, host of "The Jesse Kelly Show," to discuss Jill Biden’s attempt to spin Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, her lies now trying to make herself look better, why Jesse sees her treatment of her affirmed husband is possibly "evil," and more." Video.

Almost 40% of Democrats Support Hamas over Israel

 The party that cannot define a Nazi, nor cannot recognize evil when it fills the streets and classrooms.

Joseph Ford Cotto  

"America cannot afford to indulge this ideological cancer. That would betray everything that makes this country worth defending. Needless to say, this midterm season, please do not vote blue no matter who."

Recent polling, conducted by the venerable Harris organization for Harvard University, reveals a stark and troubling fault line across American public opinion.

In the Israel-Hamas conflict, more than seven in 10 Americans stand with Israel, with the strongest backing coming from older citizens and Republican voters. Yet among Democrats, support for Hamas reaches a disturbing 36 percent. For young adults aged 18 to 24, 54% actually side with Hamas over Israel.

This is not a minor disagreement. It represents a serious national emergency.

Nearly four in 10 Democrats aligning with a terrorist group against the Middle East’s only thriving democracy signals something rotten at the core of today’s progressive movement. The hatred directed at Israel serves as a stand-in for broader resentment toward the values that built American strength: self-reliance, innovation, Western heritage, and the right of a free people to defend themselves.

That these free people are generally white, and fighting to preserve a first-world nation built by pioneers, further enrages leftists.

The evidence of this is overwhelming.

Since the horrors of October 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents have exploded across the United States. The Anti-Defamation League recorded a record 9,354 incidents in 2024, up from the already shocking total the year before. A majority of these involved anti-Israel or anti-Zionist elements, many tied directly to rallies organized by groups like Students for Justice in Palestine and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

Campus incidents alone jumped 84 percent, turning universities into hostile environments for Jewish students.

American Jews themselves feel the shift." . . .  More...

Dr. Joseph Ford Cotto is the creator, host, and producer of News Sight, delivering sharp insights on the key events that shape our lives. He publishes Dr. Cotto’s Digest, sharing how business and the economy really impact us all. During the 2024 presidential race, he developed the Five-Point Forecast, which accurately predicted Donald Trump’s national victory and correctly called every swing state.

Democrat Adam Hamawy wins NJ House primary after volunteering with Al Qaeda-linked group  . . . "Hamawy — a staunch critic of Israel who was endorsed by “Squad” Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), as well as socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — was the top vote-getter in the crowded Democratic primary race for the Garden State’s deep-blue 12th Congressional District." . . .

Victor Davis Hanson: The Selective Outrage and Hypocrisy of Antisemitism

"The global Left’s relentless obsession with condemning Israel completely vanishes when actual ethnic cleansing and brutal massacres occur across the rest of the world. " From the historical atrocities of the French in Chad to the modern-day actions of Turkey and Iran, the international community consistently ignores massive human rights abuses to focus entirely on one tiny nation. "This rampant double standard on American college campuses and within the halls of Congress exposes a deep-seated hypocrisy that defines modern anti-Semitism, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.”

Why everyone hates the Democrats right now, explained in 3 charts

 Disappointed Democratic voters call party useless and 'inept' in NYT interview | Fox News

Conservative Political Cartoons

Working-class voters think Dems are 'woke' and 'weak,' new research finds - POLITICO   "Working-class voters see Democrats as “woke, weak and out-of-touch” and six in 10 have a negative view of the party, concluded a frank internal assessment of the hole the party finds itself in.

"The nine-month, 21-state research project is the latest in a wave of post-mortems and data dives aimed at solving the Democratic Party’s electoral challenges after their sweeping losses in 2024. It was funded by Democracy Matters, a nonprofit aligned with flagship Democratic super PAC American Bridge 21st Century, and backed by months of polling, dozens of focus groups and message testing." . . .  More...

Why everyone hates the Democrats right now, explained in 3 charts

A similar dynamic emerges when looking at Democrats in Congress. They are viewed much more negatively in general by their own voters than Republicans are by their own voters. Meanwhile, individual Democratic representatives and Democratic candidates tend to be viewed more favorably than Democrats as a whole or Republican candidates and the Republican Party. 

Gavin Newsom says 'permissive' Dems helped create California’s homeless crisis