Saturday, May 30, 2015

A British Housewife's View

Thought you might like to read this letter.

Written by a housewife, to her daily newspaper:


'Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores in July 2002, and in  New York Sept 11, 2001 and have continually threatened to do so since?  


Were people from all over the world, not brutally murdered that day in  Washington , and in downtown  Manhattan , and in a field in  Pennsylvania ?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were claiming to be tortured by a justice system of the nation they come from and are fighting against in a brutal insurgency.
I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief of which is a crime punishable by beheading in  Afghanistan .  

I’ll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg’s and James Foley’s heads while both screamed through their gurgling slashed throats,more beheadings are imminent.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents' in  Afghanistan come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques and behind women and children.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of Nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the British media stops pretending that their freedom of speech on stories is more important than the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting at home to hear about them when something happens.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a British soldier roughing up an Insurgent terrorist to obtain information, know this:
I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take this to the bank:
I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner - who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and 'fed special food' that is paid for by my taxes - is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts:
I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran..' Well, believe me!! You guessed it ..................
I don't care!!

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous Behaviour!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great country! And may I add:
'Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. Our soldiers don't have that problem.'

Isn't it interesting that so many people in the Western World feel this way, but not one of our politicians, who are supposed to represent us, ever have the guts to state the situation like it is?
We do not have strong politicians, just weaklings that bend in the wind.



4 Questions to ponder about Obama

Tell me Barry it isn't TRUE!
 Not new but something for continued review......


  Here are 4 Simple questions from a reputable attorney .......... are there ANY logical answers ????
You be the judge……  
 
Here's what I would like to know.
  If the TRUTH ever comes out , and it is decided that Obama was never eligible to be president, what happens to all the laws he signed into being and all the executive orders?   Should they all be null and void?


Here are 4 Simple questions from a reputable attorney...............

This really should get your "gray matter" to churning, even if you are an Obama fan.
I wouldn't want my hero to be made out to be a liar, would you?

For all you "anti-Fox News" folks, none of this information came from Fox.
  All of it can be verified from legitimate sources (Wikipedia, the Kapiolani hospital website itself, and a good history book, as noted herein).   It is very easy for someone to check out.

4 Simple Questions .....

  1.
  Back in 1961 people of color were called 'Negroes’.   So howcan the Obama 'birth certificate' state he is "African-American" when the term wasn't even used at that time  ?

  2.
  The birth certificate that the White House released lists Obama's birth as August 4, 1961 & Lists Barack Hussein Obama as his father. No big deal, Right?   At the time of Obama's birth, it also shows that his father is aged 25 years old, and that Obama's father was born in "Kenya, East Africa".

  This wouldn't seem like anything of concern, except the fact that Kenya did not even exist until 1963, two whole years after Obama's birth, and 27 years after his father's birth.   How could   Obama's father have been born   in a country that did not yet   Exist ?    Up and until Kenya was formed in 1963, it was known as the "British East Africa Protectorate". (check it below)
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya_%28http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya%29


3.
  On the Birth Certificate released by the White House, the listed place of birth is "Kapi'olani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital".
This cannot be, because the hospital(s) in question in 1961 were called "KauiKeolani Children's Hospital" and "Kapi'olani Maternity Home", Respectively.
The name did not change to Kapi'olani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital until 1978, when these two hospitals merged.
How can this particular name of the hospital be on a birthcertificate dated 1961 if this name had not yet been applied to it until 1978 ?
(CHECK IT BELOW)
http://http/http/www.kapiolani.org/women-and-children/about-us/default.aspx

(http://www.kapiolani.org/women-and-children/about-us/default.aspx)

Why hasn't this been discussed in the major media ?

  4.
  Perhaps a clue comes from Obama's book on his father.   He states how proud he is of his father fighting in WW II.   I'm not a math genius, so I may need some help from you.   Barack Obama's "birth certificate" says his father was 25 years old in 1961 when Obama was born.   That should have put his father's date of birth approximately 1936-if my math holds (Honest!   I did t hat without a calculator!!!)   Now we need a non-revised history book-one that hasn't been altered to satisfy the author's goals-to verify that WW II was basically between 1939 and 1945.   Just how many 3   year olds fight in Wars   ? Even in the latest stages of WW II his father wouldn't have been more than 9 years old.   Does that   mean that Mr. Obama is a liar,   or simply chooses to alter the   facts to satisfy his imagination or political purposes  ?


Very truly yours,
RICHARD R. SILVERLIEB
Attorney at Law
354 Eisenhower Parkway
Livingston , NJ 07039

"A pen in the hand of this president is far more dangerous than a gun in the hands of 200 million law-abiding citizens."


Now you know the rest of the story

The most popular movie in 1933 was King Kong. But everyone in Hollywood was talking about that scandalous movie with the gorgeous, young Austrian woman.

Louis B. Mayer, of the giant studio MGM, said she was the  most beautiful woman in the world. The film was banned practically everywhere, which of course made it even more popular and valuable.  Mussolini reportedly refused to sell his copy at any price.

The star of the film, called Ecstasy, was Hedwig Kiesler. She said the secret of her beauty was "to stand there and look stupid." In reality, Kiesler was anything but stupid. She was a genius. She'd grown up as the only child of a prominent Jewish banker. She was a math prodigy. She excelled at science. As she grew older, she became ruthless, using all the power her body and mind gave her.

Between the sexual roles she played, her tremendous beauty, and the power of her intellect, Kiesler would confound the men in her life including her six husbands, two of the most ruthless dictators of the 20th century, and one of the greatest movie producers in history.

Her beauty made her rich for a time. She is said to have made - and spent -
$30 million in her life.

But her greatest accomplishment resulted from her intellect, and her invention continues to shape the world we live in today.

You see, this young Austrian starlet would take one of the most valuable technologies ever developed right from under Hitler's nose. After fleeing to America, she not only became a major Hollywood star, her name sits on one of the most important patents ever granted by the  U.S. Patent Office.

Today, when you use  your cell phone or, over the next  few years, as you experience super-fast wireless  Internet access (via something called "long-term  evolution" or "LTE" technology), you'll be using an extension of the technology a 20- year-old actress first conceived while sitting at dinner with Hitler.

At the time she made Ecstasy, Kiesler was married to one of the richest men in Austria
.Friedrich Mandl was Austria 's leading arms maker. His firm would become a key supplier to the Nazis.

Mandl used his beautiful young wife as a showpiece at important business dinners with representatives of the Austrian, Italian, and German fascist forces. One of Mandl's favorite topics at these gatherings - which included meals with Hitler  and Mussolini - was the technology surrounding radio-controlled missiles and torpedoes.

Wireless weapons offered  far greater ranges than  the wire-controlled alternatives that  prevailed  at the time.

Kiesler sat through these dinners "looking stupid," while absorbing everything she heard.

As a Jew, Kiesler hated the Nazis. She abhorred her husband's business ambitions.  Mandl responded to his willful wife by imprisoning her in his castle, Schloss Schwarzenau.

In 1937, she managed to escape. She drugged her maid, snuck out of the castle wearing the maid's clothes and sold her jewelry to finance a trip to London .

(She got  out just  in time. In 1938, Germany annexed Austria . The Nazis seized Mandl's factory. He was half Jewish. Mandl fled to Brazil . Later, he became an adviser to Argentina 's iconic populist president, Juan Peron.)

In London , Kiesler arranged a meeting with Louis B. Mayer. She signed a long-term contract with him, becoming one of MGM's biggest stars. She appeared in more than 20 films. She was a co-star to Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and even Bob Hope. Each of her first seven MGM  movies was a blockbuster.

But  Kiesler cared far more about fighting the Nazis than about making movies. At the height of her fame, in 1942, she developed a new kind of communications system, optimized for sending coded messages that couldn't be "jammed." She was building a system that would allow torpedoes and guided bombs to always reach their targets. She was building a system to kill Nazis.

By the 1940s, both the Nazis and the Allied forces were using the kind of single- frequency radio-controlled technology Kiesler's ex-husband had been peddling. The drawback of this technology was that the enemy could find the appropriate frequency and "jam" or intercept the signal, thereby interfering with the missile's intended path.

Kiesler's key innovation was to "change the channel." It was a way of encoding a message across a broad area of the wireless spectrum. If one part of the spectrum was jammed, the message would still  get  through on one of the other frequencies being used. The problem  was, she could not figure out how to synchronize the frequency changes on both the receiver and the  transmitter.   To solve the problem, she turned to  perhaps the world's first techno-musician, George Anthiel.

Anthiel  was an  acquaintance of Kiesler who achieved some notoriety for creating intricate musical compositions. He synchronized his melodies across twelve player pianos, producing stereophonic sounds no one had ever heard before.Kiesler incorporated Anthiel's technology for synchronizing his player pianos.  Then, she was able to synchronize the frequency changes between a weapon's receiver and its transmitter.

On August 11, 1942, U.S. Patent No. 2,292,387 was  granted to Antheil and "Hedy Kiesler Markey,"  which was Kiesler's married name at the time.

Most of  you won't  recognize the name Kiesler. And no one would remember the name Hedy Markey. But it's a fair bet than anyone reading this  newsletter of  a certain age will remember one of the great beauties of Hollywood's golden age~Hedy  Lamarr.

That's the name Louis B. Mayer gave to his prize actress. That's the name his movie company made famous.

Meanwhile, almost no one knows Hedwig Kiesler a/k/a  Hedy Lamarr - was one of the great pioneers of wireless communications. Her  technology was developed by the U.S.Navy, which  has used it ever  since.

You are probably using Lamarr's technology, too. Her  patent sits at the foundation of "spread  spectrum technology," which you use every day when you log on to a wi-fi network or make calls with your Bluetooth-enabled phone. It lies at the heart of the massive investments being made right now in so-called fourth-generation  "LTE" wireless technology. This next generation of cell phones and cell towers will provide tremendous increases to wireless network speed and quality, by spreading wireless signals across the entire available spectrum.  This kind of encoding is only possible using the kind of frequency switching that Hedwig Kiesler invented.

And now you know the rest of the story.
  

Look What Happens When We Cut Down Too Many Trees

1,000 People Live In Tunnels Under Las Vegas

This was on TV the other night.   I had no idea there are so many people living underneath Vegas.

The tunnel people of Las Vegas: How 1,000 live in flooded labyrinth under Sin City's shimmering strip 


Deep beneath Vegas’s glittering lights lies a sinister labyrinth inhabited by poisonous spiders and a man nicknamed The Troll who wields an iron bar. 

But astonishingly, the 200 miles of flood tunnels are also home to 1,000 people who eke out a living in the strip’s dark underbelly.

Thought For The Day

Touch can be an act of kindness when someone is dying. If you visit a sick person and find that you are at a loss for words, reach out and touch her hand. It will convey your care for her and can have a calming effect. It says to the person, “You are appreciated, you are cherished, and you are not alone.”



Who is the patron saint of France?

I wonder if they celebrate her feast day in Rouen? 
Remember when we were there and saw where she was burned at the stake by the marketplace and the smelly public bathrooms?

St. Joan of Arc 

St. Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was born in France to peasant parents during the Hundred Years War between France and England. She was as a pious child, and from age 13 she received numerous visions of saints including St. Michael, St. Margaret, and St. Catherine. Through these visions, voices, and other interior promptings Joan understood that she was to help the King of France in battle.

After overcoming her own reluctance and that of those in authority over the army and the Church, she led French military in battle. With her leadership they recaptured Orléans and Troyes, which allowed Charles VII to be restored to the throne of France. All the while she wore the dress of a soldier to protect her virtue and modesty.

The following year she was captured by the English, imprisoned, and placed on trial accused of heresy and witchcraft. She was treated unjustly and illegally during her captivity, and her trial became a circus. Under political pressure she was condemned and burned alive at the stake, even though she proved herself to be blameless and fearless in character and faith. As she burned she kept her eyes on a crucifix and repeatedly called on the name of Jesus. A second Church trial twenty five years later nullified the earlier verdict and found her innocent of all charges, paving the way for her veneration as a saint.

St. Joan of Arc is the patron saint of captives, rape victims, soldiers, and France.


Her feast day is May 30th.

How Catholic Monks Invented Pretzels

According to the History Channel:

Though the exact origins of the pretzel remain mysterious, legend has it that the story began around A.D. 610, when Italian monks presented their young students with treats of baked dough twisted in the shape of crossed arms. At the time, crossing one’s arms was the traditional posture for prayer. As the custom spread through medieval Europe, the pretzel’s three holes came to represent the Holy Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit...

That's pretty cool, right? But it gets even better from there. Pretzels were used as a mainstay of people's diet during Lent. In fact, so popular were they that Johannes Kepler once reportedly referred to pretzels in discussing whether the Earth was the center of the universe. He reportedly said that if one assumes that the Earth is the center of the universe, one must accept that the planets travel in a looping path "with the appearance of Lenten bread."

And in the year 1510, the Turks from the Ottoman Empire, were bent on invading Vienna. Guess who stopped them? Pretzel baking monks. Seriously. You see, the Turks decided to tunnel under the wall around the city in the wee hours of the morning. But so popular were pretzels that the monks had to be up very early in the morning to begin baking. They heard the Turks tunneling. They gathered weapons and began waking others and routed the invading Turks. And thus the famous rule was born -DO NOT MESS WITH PRETZEL BAKING MONKS!!! I'll admit it's a rather new rule but it feels right.


Don't Go To Europe - Visit The Switzerland of America

Gilded Colorado
By Tony Perrottet – Smithsonian Magazine

A century ago, when city clickers went looking for adventure in Colorado, they invented a new kind of American vacation.   You can still find some of those adventures.

1870 – The Gilded Age
Samuel Bowles wrote a guidebook to Colorado, The Switzerland of America, which set off a stampede of visitors traveling the new railway lines opening across the country heading to Colorado.  Wealthy people from the big cities loved this book and rushed to ride the walnut-paneled Pullman train coaches from East Coast cities to Colorado.  Here are some of the adventures recommended by Samuel Bowles, and some are still there for you to explore.

Denver
Visit the raucous saloons of Denver and rub shoulders with gold miners, trappers, and Ute Indians.


Colorado Springs
Stay in Swiss-style hotels in resort towns such as Colorado Springs and “take the waters.”  
Stay at the Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs and go coyote hunting on horseback.
Don’t go to Europe and climb the Matterhorn when you can climb America’s Matterhorn, Pikes Peak.
Visit the turreted Cliff House in nearby Manitou Spring.
No need to go to the spas of Europe when you can go to the chic spas of Manitou Springs near Colorado Springs. 

Boulder
Visit Boulder, the “Athens of Colorado,” which is northwest of Denver.
Take high tea at Hotel Boulderado in Boulder with its canopied atrium of stained glass evoking an American cathedral.
Ride the mining train (now gone but you can still hike and mountain bike) on the 14-mile former rail bed of the Switzerland Trail that zigzags for 14 miles west of Boulder along sheer cliffs and past streams littered with rusting tools.

Estes Park
            Visit “America’s Garden of Eden” which is the most spectacular spot west of the Mississippi according to Samuel Bowles book on Colorado.    (Now, 3 million people a year visit this small mountain town.)
            Visit Lord Dunraven’s luxury hotel.   Sorry, it is now under the 10 green of the golf course.
            Don’t go to Europe to climb Mont Blanc when you can climb Longs Peak.
Stay in the luxurious Stanley Hotel (and now you can consult the psychic after going on the ghost tour).  
Walk the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park and find a nice spot to read A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabelle Bird.
Visit Muggins Gulch to visit the cabin where Isabell Bird met Rocky Mountain Jim.   Sorry, the ruins are now in a private subdivision.
Hike the Lion’s Gulch Trail to Homestead Meadows to visit the remote Boren Homestead which caught fire in 1914, housed a hotel in the 1920-s, was popular in the prohibition years, but is now in ruins.  Sorry, it is closed due to flooding.

Glenwood Springs
            Why go to Rome when you can swim in the thermal pools of Glenwood Springs overlooking the Hotel Colorado which is modeled on the Villa Medici in Rome.

Telluride
Visit Telluride and the former bank which contained the safe robbed in 1889 by Butch Cassidy which is now a sunglass shop.
Just across the mountain from Telluride is Dunton Hot Springs which is a romantic ghost town set 22-miles in on a dirt road to an extraordinary alpine valley with hot springs and caters to an ultra-rich clientele.
Visit the Dunton Saloon with the names “Butch and Sundance” carved into the bar which may have been etched by the infamous duo or maybe from tourists visiting this once abandoned town.

Durango
            Stay at the Strater Hotel where Louis L’Amour wrote several of his western novels.


Why Can't States Decide?

Why is it OK for Ireland to Vote to Legalize Gay Marriage - but 30 States Can't Vote to Make it Illegal?

Ireland overwhelmingly voted for same-sex marriage. Why does Ireland’s vote count when in the United States votes by state legislatures and the general public (e.g., California, Alabama, Texas) are often overruled by unelected judges? Why is it right in Ireland to vote for something and have it mean something, but in the United States when people vote for something a single judge can overrule that majority vote.

For example, “in June 2006, voters in Alabama overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment barring authorities from issuing marriage licenses to ‘parties of the same sex.’ The referendum passed with 81 percent of the vote.” That’s nearly 20 percent higher than the vote in Ireland to approve of same-sex marriage. So why is it that a single judge tried to rule that Alabama’s popular vote did not matter?

If a popular vote in Ireland matters on same-sex marriage, why are homosexuals going to the Supreme Court to have the court overrule 30 state governments that have either ruled in their legislatures or by referendums voted on the people to outlaw same-sex marriage?


Heel Lock

I didn’t know this.    I just changed my laces.  You might want to also for the sake of your heels and toes.

Those Extra Holes In Your Running Shoes Have A Special Purpose That You Probably Don’t Know About But Should


What is Aztlan?

What is Aztlan?
  
The myth of Aztlan can best be explained by California's Santa Barbara School District's Chicano Studies textbook, "The Mexican American Heritage" by East Los Angeles high school teacher Carlos Jimenez. On page 84 there is a redrawn map of Mexico and the United States, showing Mexico with a full one-third more territory, all of it taken back from the United States. On page 107, it says "Latinos are now realizing that the power to control Aztlan may once again be in their hands."

Shown are the "repatriated" eight or nine states including Colorado, California, Arizona, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Oregon and parts of Washington. According to the school text, Mexico is supposed to regain these territories as they rightly belong to the "mythical" homeland of Aztlan. On page 86, it says "...a free-trade agreement...promises...if Mexico is to allow the U.S. to invest in Mexico...then Mexico should...be allowed to freely export...Mexican labor. Obviously this would mean a re-evaluation of the border between the two countries as we know it today." Jimenez's Aztlan myth is further amplified at MEChA club meetings held at Santa Barbara Public Schools..

The book, paid for by American tax payers, cites no references or footnotes, leaving school children totally dependent on their teacher to separate fact from opinion and political propaganda. The book teaches separatism, victimization, nationalism, completely lacks patriotism towards the United States, and promotes an open border policy. The book is 100 percent editorial -- the opinions of the author.

WHAT IS MEChA

The acronym MEChA stands for "Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan." or "Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan."

MEChA is an Hispanic separatist organization that encourages anti-American activities and civil disobedience. The radical members of MEChA who refer to themselves as "Mechistas," romanticize Mexican claims to the "lost Territories" of the Southwestern United States -- a Chicano country called Aztlan. In its national constitution, MEChA calls for self-determination by its members to liberate Aztlan. 

WHAT IS LA RAZA

"La Raza" (The Race) is a broad term which refers to those whose ancestry is indigenous to the area of Mexico (or "Aztlan"). MEChA members refer to themselves as "La Raza" or "Raza," but the term itself is used to indicate camaraderie among those in different organizations with the same objectives. There are a number of organizations who consider themselves to be La Raza.



Thursday, May 28, 2015

Drink St. Germain Today

As you know, St. Germain (Germanus) was a Benedictine monk who became the bishop of France in 555 A.D.  He stamped out pagan practices, promoted peace, and led an austere life.   To celebrate his feast day today, we recommend:

Go to mass at St. Germain’s Church in the St. Germain-des-Pres area of Paris.

Buy a bottle of St. Germain liqueur made from elderflowers which are handpicked from the Alps and transported down to the distillery by bicycle.  The elderflowers are in bloom for only 4 to 6 weeks in the spring and must be quickly harvested to obtain that complex drink with hints of passion fruit, peach, pear, and grapefruit.

Drink a St. Germain Cocktail or St. Germain Martini made with St. Germain liqueur.


Drink one of the ales from the brewery St. Germain in Aix-Noulette, France.

Monday, May 25, 2015

On Memorial Day - In Paradisum

May the angels lead you into paradise . . . May the martyrs receive you . . .  May you have eternal rest

At the end of a Requiem Mass for the dead, this hymn is sung by the choir as the casket is carried from the church on its way to the cemetery.
Which version do you want sung at your final Mass?

Gabriel Faure 's Requiem - In paradisum


Duruflé Requiem: IX - In Paradisum

In Paradisum – Traditional Catholic Requiem Mass

In Paradisum – Gregorian- Cistercian Monks Of Stift Heiligenkreuz




This is the traditional, simple and wonderful Gregorian chant as found in the rites of the funeral Mass for the Roman Church. 
The Latin lyrics and English translation follow: 

In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem. 

May angels lead you into paradise; upon your arrival, may the martyrs receive you and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem. May the ranks of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, the poor man, may you have eternal rest.

On Memorial Day - De Profundis

On Memorial Day, we remember the Church’s traditional prayer for the dead, Psalm 130.  Even in sorrow, we believe that Jesus Christ is risen, and all who die I Him will rise with Him.

De Profundis – Psalm 130

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuæ intendentes
in vocem deprecationis meæ.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus:
Speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israël in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israël ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.

From the depths, I have cried out to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplication.
If you, Lord, were to mark iniquities, who, O Lord, shall stand?
For with you is forgiveness; and because of your law, I stood by you, Lord.
My soul has stood by his word.
My soul has hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch, even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.


Sunday, May 24, 2015

Drink Brandy Tonight

To honor Our Lady and to commemorate Christian victories over the infidel Muslims as well as the pope’s triumph over Napoleon, you should drink a Napoleon brandy tonight and say this toast, “To Our Lady Help of Christians!  Through her prayers and patronage, may the enemies of our Holy Father and the Church meet their Waterloo!”

Feast of Mary Help of Christians is a Roman Catholic Marian devotion with a feast day celebrated on May 24.

The title of Mary Help of Christians is associated with the defense of Christian Europe (Latin and Greek), the north of Africa and the Middle East from non-Christian peoples during the Middle Age. In 1572, the Islamic Ottoman Empire intended to invade Christian Europe. Pope Pius V called Christian armies from all over Europe to defend the continent and asked the believers to pray to Mary in order to help the Christians. The defeat of the Muslim Turks was attributed to the intercession of Mary under this title.

The feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, was instituted by Pope Pius VII. By order of Napoleon I of France, Pius VII was arrested on June 5, 1808, and detained a prisoner first at Grenoble, and then at Fontainebleau.[5] In January 1814, after the battle of Leipzig, he was brought back to Savona and set free on March 17, on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, the Patroness of Savona. The journey to Rome was a veritable triumphal march. The pontiff, attributing the victory of the Church after so much agony and distress to the Blessed Virgin, visited many of her sanctuaries on the way and crowned her images (e.g., the "Madonna del Monte" at Cesena, "della Misericordia" at Treja, "della Colonne" and "della Tempestà" at Tolentino). The people crowded the streets to catch a glimpse of the venerable pontiff who had so bravely withstood the threats of Napoleon. He entered Rome on May 24, 1814, and was enthusiastically welcomed.[6] To commemorate his own sufferings and those of the Church during his exile Pope Pius VII extended the feast of the Seven Dolours of Mary to the universal Church on September 18, 1814.
When Napoleon left Elba and returned to Paris, Murat was about to march through the Papal States from Naples; Pius VII fled to Savona 22 March 1815.[3] After the Congress of Vienna and the battle of Waterloo, the Pope returned to Rome on July 7, 1815. To gave thanks to God and Our Lady, on 15 September 1815 he declared 24 May, the anniversary of his first return, to be henceforth the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians; the 1913 Catholic Encyclopaedia article commented that it has spread nearly over the entire Latin Church, but is not contained in the universal calendar.

The Marian feast was celebrated by the order of Servites since the 17th century. The veneration to Mary became popular under this title in Rome especially, where the feast was especially promulgated by Saint John Bosco and Saint Vincenzo Palotti[7] St. John Bosco was an ardent promoter of devotion to "Mary, Help of Christians". He even built a huge Basilica in her honour in 1868 and founded a religious Congregation for women, under the title of, "The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians".

Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians

O Mary, most holy, I greet you as my gracious Queen and thank you for the countless blessings you have been showering on all those who come to you for help (mention your prayer request). Mary, powerful Virgin, you are the mighty and glorious protector of the Church. You are the marvelous help of Christians. You are awe-inspiring as an army in battle array. You eliminated heresy in the world. In the midst of my anguish, struggle and distress, defend me from the power of the enemy, and at the hour of my death receive my soul in heaven. I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

7 Gifts For You Today on Pentecost Sunday

Listen to this while asking for your gifts below - https://youtu.be/33XotuYs-io


PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples,
deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love.
Grant me
the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal
the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth
the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven
the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation
the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints
the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable
and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him.

Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

The Constitution Trumps Public Opinion

Ted nails it!

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who announced his run for president several weeks back, explains why he voted against Manchin-Toomey and how the Constitution trumps public opinion. Interviewed at the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits in Nashville, Tennessee on April 10, 2015.

Watch how Ted Cruz handles this interviewer who tries to trip him up on his Second Amendment stance.  The reporter attempts to corner Cruz, starting off with a question about background checks, and then references public opinion polls.


To any prospective Cruz interviewers; good luck trying to outwit a candidate that even uber-liberal Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz ranks amongst his brightest students, and who rose to his position as Senator on the momentum of the tea party wave.


“It’s the Constitution, stupid.”

Obama: Climate Change Causes Wars

From the worst president ever of the USA: Blame ISIS on climate change.    Blame Islamic terrorism on climate change.   Blame, World War II on climate change.
Pity those poor Coast Guard graduates who had to sit through this awful speech.  Cry for the country which has such a miserable commander-in-chief.
Barack Obama stood before the 200 graduates at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. They may have been sitting there, in their crisp white uniforms, but they would soon go out and enforce maritime law, command ships and lead search and rescue missions. What words could the commander in chief give these graduates that they could take to heart as they serve their country? Obama said, "I'm here today to say that climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate risk to our national security. And make no mistake, it will impact how our military defends our country. And so we need to act — and we need to act now."
Instead of mentioning the growing threat of ISIL that will be around longer than his administration, instead of warning about Russia's belligerence, Obama tried to connect his longtime environmental crusade with national security. In fact, he blamed climate change for civil war in Syria: "Understand, climate change did not cause the conflicts we see around the world. Yet ... [i]t's now believed that drought and crop failures and high food prices helped fuel the early unrest in Syria, which descended into civil war in the heart of the Middle East."
Obama's address was full of lies. This speech merely diverted from his failed security policies to focus on his socialist climate change agenda.


Ted Cruz Fires Back At A Sleazy Reporter In Texas

Way to go, Ted!   Slam dunk!!

SLEAZY REPORTER TO SENATOR TED CRUZ:  Do you have a personal animosity against gay Americans?

SENATOR TED CRUZ RESPONSE TO SLEAZY REPORT: Do you have a personal animosity against Christians sir? Your line of questioning is highly curious. You seem fixated on a particular subject. Look, I’m a Christian. Scripture commands us to love everybody and what I have been talking about, with respect to same-sex marriage, is the Constitution which is what we should all be focused on. The Constitution gives marriage to elected state legislators. It doesn’t give the power of marriage to a president, or to unelected judges to tear down the decisions enacted by democratically elected state legislatures.

Let me ask a question: Is there something about the left, and I am going to put the media in this category, that is obsessed with sex? Why is it the only question you want to ask concerns homosexuals? Okay, you can ask those questions over and over and over again. I recognize that you're reading questions from MSNBC...  You're wincing. You don't want to talk about foreign policy. I recognize you want to ask another question about gay rights. Well, you know. ISIS is executing homosexuals. You want to talk about gay rights? This week was a very bad week for gay rights because the expansion of ISIS, the expansion of radical, theocratic, Islamic zealots that crucify Christians, that behead children and that murder homosexuals. That ought to be concerning you far more than asking six questions all on the same topic.


Why I'm Voting For Ted Cruz

Senator Ted Cruz Educates A Leftist Bully
Gay marriage questions tend to put GOP contenders in an awkward position.
If candidates respond in favor of same-sex marriage they run the risk of alienating some of the core Republican voters in Iowa who tend to vote based on traditional, family-values. If they stand firm on the traditional definition of marriage and balk at the idea that there’s a constitutional right to a government-sanctioned, same-sex wedding, Republicans could provide a wedge issue for Hillary Clinton to use against them in 2016.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), a Tea Party-style conservative with strong support among many Evangelical Christians, appears to have come up with an effective response to these challenges from the media.
The Texas Tribune reports on an exchange Cruz had with a gaggle of reporters who appeared to try and trap the Senator on the topic:
“Is there something about the left — and I am going to put the media in this category — that is obsessed with sex?” Cruz asked after fielding multiple questions on gay rights.
“ISIS is executing homosexuals — you want to talk about gay rights? This week was a very bad week for gay rights because the expansion of ISIS, the expansion of radical, theocratic, Islamic zealots that crucify Christians, that behead children and that murder homosexuals — that ought to be concerning you far more than asking six questions all on the same topic.”

Apparently, the reporter asked Cruz, repeatedly if he had any “personal animosity against gay Americans.”
Asked by the reporters if his stance on same-sex marriage will be a problem for him if he wins the GOP nomination, Cruz replied:
“With respect, I would suggest not drawing your questions from MSNBC. They have very few viewers and they are a radical and extreme partisan outlet.”

In the latest Quinnipiac Poll out of Iowa, Cruz is sitting at fourth place, just in front of Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), a former Baptist pastor, for the Republican nomination.