Pope Francis: A ‘Personal Relationship With Jesus’ is ‘Harmful And Dangerous’

Truth And Action  "Pope Francis shared in a recent sermon in front of crowds of cheering liberal Catholics that having a “personal relationship” with Jesus was “harmful and dangerous”.

"Here are the transcribed notes from this shocking new message by Pope Francis. Scroll down to view the video of Pope Francis addressing the crowds and warning of the dangers of having a relationship with God.

Sometimes you may hear people say “I believe in God, in Jesus, but the church, I do not care” How many times have we heard this? This is wrong. There are those who believe you can have a personal, direct, and immediate relationship with Jesus Christ outside of the communion and mediation of the church.These temptations are dangerous and harmful. They are in the words of the great Pope Paul V “absurd dichotomies”

It is true that journeying together can be challenging and sometimes it can be tiring. It may be that some brother or sister (in the church) makes us face a problem, or scandalize us.

But the Lord entrusted his message of salvation to humans, all of us, as witnesses; and in our brothers and sisters in Christ, with their gifts and limits, who come to us and make themselves known. This means belonging to the church.

. . .

Anemic postings this weekend

In my old home town for a special occasion, so have been out of touch with the computer and the news. Please forgive the lack of content till after Monday.
The Tunnel Dweller

'I ain't serving no police': Cop's wife says her husband 'was denied service at McDonald's after paying for his meal'

UK Daily Mail  "The wife of a Virginia cop claims her husband was denied service when he tried to buy a meal while in uniform on the way home after a shift.

"Cathy Naff said her husband, Scott, went to the fast-food store on Parham Road in Henrico at the end of a 13-hour shift last Thursday, and what allegedly happened next left her 'completely shocked'. 

" 'He was in uniform and his police vehicle. He paid for his food and drove forward to the next window. The young man who was working that window looked at him and backed away from the window mouthing something to my husband,' Naff wrote on Facebook.

" 'My husband couldn't hear him since the window was closed. The guy finally walked to the window and slid it open. My husband told him that he couldn't hear him and the guy said "I ain't serving no police" and closed the window." . . .

Below: her Facebook post:

McDonald’s takes ‘appropriate action’ after officer denied service
. . . "Thornton did not disclose what action was taken, but a social media post by the officer's wife indicated the fast food worker was fired." . . .

John McCain, 80, is diagnosed with brain cancer after surgeons remove tumor following routine check-up and complaints of double vision and fatigue

UK Daily Mail  . . . "In a statement late Wednesday, doctors reveal that McCain has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer. 

"The statement says the 80-year-old senator and his family are reviewing further treatment, including a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.

"The senator has been recovering at his Arizona home after doctors at the Mayo Clinic removed a blood clot above his left eye.

"The former presidential candidate, who has represented Arizona since 1987, went for his annual checkup, complaining of fatigue and double vision, CNN reported.

"Doctors then performed cat scan, which led to a MRI scan of the brain where they found a blood clot." . . .

American Silliness, July 19, 2017

This is "breaking news"?

. . . "As Kevin said in the comments to that earlier post: "Is this what's left to them after the collusion with Russia effort failed? Bullying Trump about his weight?"
"Did some memo go out?  This is the talking point — Trump is fat??!!"

When Leftist women hate their male children

I have two sons. They are strong and compassionate—the kind of boys other parents are glad to meet when their daughters bring them home for dinner. They are good boys, in the ways good boys are, but they are not safe boys. I’m starting to believe there’s no such thing.

"Meaning: my sons are rapists. They just haven’t done it yet. But they will. They are men." . . .

Anti-Trump Group Founder: Dems Who Don’t Talk About “Impeachment Constantly” Should Leave The Democratic Party  "A spokesman for the Democratic Coalition Against Trump told the Washington Free Beacon that the group stands behind Dworkin’s statement and impeachment needs to remain a political option."

Women’s March Defends Decision To Honor Cop-Killer  "Shakur, a member of the extremist Black Liberation Army, was serving a life sentence for murder when she escaped from a New Jersey prison. She was charged with murder after she and some companions gunned down New Jersey state troopers during a traffic stop."
"The Women’s March said they respected Shakur as a “feminist figure”  because she used her leadership to challenge “sexism” in the Black Liberation Movement."

INSANE: Meet “Hijarbie,” the Barbie Made to Teach Girls “Islamic Lessons”

. . . Well now you know who to boycott, anyway… How could a woman buy a doll who may get stoned to death if she’s raped by an ISIS doll? Great message you’re sending there kiddo – "Let’s keep this Shiite out of stores in this country okay?"

Feminist Critic Trashes New Doctor Who For Not Being Black And Transgender  . . . "Feminist critic Anita Sarkeesian, who harassed her critics during a recent panel at VidCon, took issue with the Doctor’s newest regeneration. Writing on the official Feminist Frequency account on Twitter, Sarkeesian condemned Doctor Who for being an “overwhelmingly white show” that simply isn’t doing enough to fix the issue of minority representation in the media–as if it is the show’s duty to address social problems."

Justine Damond: video shows Australian rescuing ducklings near Minneapolis home

UK Guardian    "Exclusive: Weeks before she was shot dead by Minneapolis police the Australian, also known as Justine Ruszczyk, was filmed reuniting a family of stranded ducks."

"When reporters asked friends and family for stories about Justine Damond, many of them asked: “Have you heard about the ducks?”

"Three weeks before she was shot dead by police Damond, a 40-year-old Australian who had changed her surname from Ruszczyk in anticipation of her wedding, climbed into a storm drain and rescued a group of ducklings near her home in Minneapolis by gathering them in the folds of her skirt. The way her friends tell it, this incident was special but not atypical.

Video added;TD

 "By chance, the rescue happened at a corner in the Linden Hills neighbourhood, outside the home of photojournalist Angela Jimenez, who filmed it. After Damond died Jimenez sought and received permission from Damond’s family to release the footage and this has been shared by the Guardian.

"Damond, originally from Sydney, was on her way to teach a meditation class at the Lake Harriet Spiritual Centre when she saw the trapped ducklings. Jimenez remembers that two teenage boys had spotted the ducks first, but that Damond was the first to jump in the sewer, less than two minutes after she arrived.

"On the video she is shown gathering the ducklings and persuading the mother of the ducklings to walk over the road for a family reunion. She can be heard telling neighbours: “She might just need to chill a bit … I’m going to let you guys be the duck rescuers, are you guys OK with them?”

"And then she heads off to work, with the family of ducks reunited.

“ 'That was beautiful,” says a neighbour." . . .

Minneapolis officer who allegedly shot Justine Damond offers condolences

On Obamacare, it is time to play hardball

First this:
American Thinker   "Shockingly, Republican senators, having failed to pass any healthcare reform legislation, appear poised to leave Washington in August for an undeserved vacation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has decided to force them to vote on a repeal plan (thereby exposing their true positions) which cannot eliminate many of the worst provisions of Obamacare.  For example, this does nothing to block-grant Medicaid to control runaway costs, perhaps the best aspect of the failed second Senate attempt. 

"A vote to repeal Obamacare will leave Republicans exposed to well-deserved criticism as funding for the medical system becomes untenable.  If they could not agree on a repeal and replace bill, they will never agree to fully repeal Obamacare, despite years of promises.  Further, it allows Democrats, particularly New York Senator Chuck Schumer a greater hand in crafting a replacement, since there is no consensus among Republicans for replacement.  A stand-alone replacement bill will require 60 senators to pass a filibuster challenge." . . .

IBD: Democrats Will Soon Regret That Republicans Failed To Repeal ObamaCare  "Health Reform: There were lots of celebrations on the left side of the aisle after the Senate GOP bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare died. The good times will be short lived, because one way or another ObamaCare is going away, and it's not at all clear that Democrats will gain additional leverage over what comes next by waiting for its collapse. It was amusing to hear Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer say, after the Senate bill failed, that Republicans should "work with Democrats on a bill that lowers premiums, provides long-term stability to the markets and improves our health care system." 

"Lower premiums, stabilize insurance markets, improve health care? Wasn't that what ObamaCare was supposed to do in the first place? While Schumer and company were busy calling Republicans mass murderers, here's what was actually happening with ObamaCare. 

•  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reports that the number of insurers applying to participate in ObamaCare exchanges next year plunged by 38% compared with last year, and is half what it was in 2016. 
•  CMS also reported that 40 counties in Indiana, Ohio and Nevada are at risk of having zero insurance companies in their ObamaCare exchanges next year. The Kaiser Family Foundation put the number of at-risk counties at 38. 
•  In addition, CMS reported that 2.4 million enrollees in 40% of the nation's counties will have just one insurance company in their area. 
•  The average increase in premiums next year for a Silver plan in eight states will be 18%, according to Avalere. One of the last ObamaCare insurers in Iowa has put in for a 43.5% hike. In Washington state, the average boost is 22%. In Tennessee, the proposed rate hikes range from 21% to 42%. And so on. 
•  As we noted before in this space, these insurance defections and gargantuan rate hikes have nothing to do with the Republican's repeal effort, but with the continued deterioration of the ObamaCare markets. 

"We want God!'

E.W. Jackson   "On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland.  Stalin helped defeat the Nazis, but it was not with the intention of freeing the Polish people.  Under communist rule, 150,000 Poles were massacred and thousands tortured and imprisoned."
. . . 

On June 2, 1979, when the world watched Pope John Paul II speak in Victory Square, Warsaw, Poland, it was a prophetic moment foreshadowing freedom for the Polish people. 

While John Paul II was giving his sermon, the crowd erupted in a chant of "We want God!  We want God!  We want God!"  Millions of Polish citizens were moved not only by his words, but also by the response of the audience.  "We want God" reverberated across Poland and resonated in the hearts of its people.

. . . 

"There are forces at work in America that seek to deny truth and reality in order to usher in their version of a brave new world.  Do we really want God?  Some clearly do not." . . .

TD has added this video:

"Christians who dare voice the belief that marriage is a union between one man and one woman are being fired from their jobs and losing their businesses.  The clear message is, "Espouse Christian values at your peril."

"In this atmosphere, many pastors engage in self-censorship for fear of being booted off television and radio or having liberal media, politicians, and even their own church members attack them.

"It is not merely the government we must guard against.  This descent into the madness of totalitarianism is being led by individuals and institutions of cultural influence.  They are the new "thought police."

"What is needed to combat this threat to liberty is an army of courageous pastors, churches, and Christians reclaiming their role as the nation's moral thermostat, setting cultural standards rather than submitting to them."

Hillary Sided With Russia On Sanctions As Bill Made $500K For Speech In Moscow — Is That News?

Was all this collusion or what?

 Clash Daily  "The Media (D) refuses to look into Hillary’s misdeeds, but as scrutiny over Don Jr.’s nothing meeting with a Russian lawyer keeps up, some weird coincidences are coming to light.

"If you listen to any Democrat in Congress, Russia has always been our enemy. They’ve used Cold War era language and said that Russia has constantly been a dangerous foreign enemy." . . . 

"Here’s Obama lecturing Mitt Romney in the Presidential debate in 2012:"

. . . "Oh, and don’t forget this clip where Barry promises ‘flexibility’ to Russian President Medvedev with regard to missile defense and needed Putin to ‘give him space’ until he won the 2012 election:"

"And then, of course, the infamous misspelled ‘Reset’ Button:"

WaPo scratches its head at poll showing the Don Jr. "smoking gun" hasn't budged opinion about Trump and collusion with Russia.

People haven't moved from where they were back in April. 

Ann Althouse  "It’s hard to delineate all of the things that have changed since [the April] poll: The firing of James Comey, the appointment of the special prosecutor, reports about Trump hoping to intervene for Michael Flynn, the revelation of classified information in a meeting with the Russians — not to mention the Trump Jr. emails. But only a small change in the percentage of people who believe Trump’s campaign colluded with the Russians....

"Would any new evidence convince Trump supporters of collusion? We’re in the weird position, one week after the release of the Trump Jr. email, of already seeing that shockingly unexpected document as part of the background fabric of our political discussion....

"Maybe you shouldn't have cried wolf all those other times. Or was this one another crying of wolf? You squandered your credibility, trying so hard to get Trump. You built up our skepticism and our capacity to flesh out the other side of any argument against Trump."

California economic reality may dim the Kamala Harris star

While tech has boomed, "apologists" have been able to "ignore some 10,000 businesses that have left or expanded outside the state." Kamala Harris may be the latest "bright, shiny" progressive star, but the crushing reality of California's "disappearing" middle class may not be so attractive to Democrats.

Joseph Smith  "While California's Senator Kamala Harris has become the latest flame of big-money Obama-Clinton backers – "the big Democratic star right now, at a time when they badly need a star" – the economic picture in her home state may not be quite so attractive for Democrats in 2020.

"Jennifer Van Laar at townhall.com warns that "the last thing Republicans should do is underestimate" the "Dems['] rising star," but Ms. Van Laar also links to a 2015 San Francisco Magazine piece that casts the political rise of then-Senate candidate Harris in a slightly different light:

But, as is the case with so many bright, shiny things, her luminescence is all that you see: Any troubling material on the periphery is lost in the glare.

"California politics has, let us say, evolved since the last California politician became president, and Ms. Harris may have troubling material arising from her home state economy over the next few years.

"Joel Kotkin at forbes.com makes the case that the "Bay Area tech boom" has masked disturbing trends in the California economy, and that dependency on a volatile "tech economy" could "pose dangers":

People tend to forget the depth of the tech bust at the turn of the century.

"Mr. Kotkin further notes that the "growing hegemony" of a few very large firms" has reduced "opportunities for potential rivals, much as the monopolists of the late 19th century did," leading to a decline in "high-tech startup formation."  The upshot of slowing tech growth, and a possible "major correction," is that economic problems elsewhere in California become more pronounced.

"Progressives love to campaign on inequality, but California may not be the best example for Democrats, according to Forbes: . . .

Are PBS and Ken Burns about to Rewrite History Again?

The Old Jarhead  . . . "Here is a nice piece on the upcoming Ken Burns series on the war. In service to full disclosure, this is from Vietnam Veterans for Factual History, of which I am the secretary, and in fact contributed some parts of this myself. So take you can blame me for anything you don't like.... (But please pass this on far&wide) --Del"

Photo Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration

Are PBS and Ken Burns about to Rewrite History Again? "PBS is planning to run a new documentary series this September on the Vietnam War, produced and written by Ken Burns.  Burns is a left-wing "historian" and documentary film producer with a history of having his politics shape the narrative of the story he is telling, with a number of resulting inaccuracies.

"Ken Burns correctly identifies the Vietnam War as being the point at which our society split into two diametrically opposed camps.  He is also correct in identifying a need for us to discuss this aspect of our history in a civil and reflective manner.  The problem is that the radical political and cultural divisions of that war have created alternate perceptions of reality, if not alternate universes of discourse.  The myths and propaganda of each side make rational discourse based on intellectual honesty and goodwill difficult or impossible.  The smoothly impressive visual story Burns will undoubtedly deliver will likely increase that difficulty.  He has done many popular works in the past, some of which have been seriously criticized for inaccuracies and significant omissions, but we welcome the chance of a balanced treatment of the full history of that conflict.  We can only wait and watch closely when it goes public.

"The term "Vietnam War" itself, although accepted in common parlance, would more accurately be called "The American Phase of the Second Indochina War" (1965 to 1973). " . . .