Immigration Non-enforcement: Obama Has Blood on His Hands

When I first read of this, I thought it was gross negligence.  Now that I’ve read more, I think it is much worse - criminal negligence, impeachable negligence:

One hundred twenty-one convicted criminals who faced deportation orders between 2010 and 2014 were never removed from the country and now face murder charges, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Just to be clear, these were convicted criminals, in ICE custody, who had been ordered deported but were instead released back into U.S. communities, and then went on to murder Americans. Most were released simply because the administration didn’t want to detain them. Only for two dozen does the administration have any excuse at all, saying that they had to be released because their home countries wouldn’t take them back. And even that’s no excuse . . .

Do read more, but be warned it is distressing reading, including crimes against children by Obama’s releases.

So these weren’t just illegals that the Obama Regime let fall through the cracks by their incompetence, although that would be bad enough.  They were already convicted, in custody, and ordered deported . . . and yet the Regime dumped them on Americans with deadly consequences.

Obama has innocent blood on his hands.

Not a Good Week for the Church of England

This has not been a good week for the Church of England.  But there is at least one bright spot – some evangelicals are speaking up and clearly.

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JOINT PRESS RELEASE from Reform and Oxford Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship

Evangelicals call for the Church of England to uphold the gospel of Jesus Christ

This week began with Katherine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (TEC) of the USA preaching in Westminster Abbey, it will end, we are told with Canon Michael Smith of York Minster blessing the York Gay Pride March. In between we have seen the Bishop of Buckingham describe doctrine that he swore to teach and pass on as ‘lousy’.

Nowhere in any of this has there been the clear message of the Gospel that despite our rejection of his ways we are all loved by God and can find forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not surprising then, that the majority of the world’s Anglicans now look to the Primates of Global Anglican Future Conference GAFCON for leadership – the only question is whether after weeks like this one, those in the Church of England who wish to proclaim this Gospel will be forced to follow the same path.

“Christianity is based on revealed doctrine, enabling individuals to live rightly before a Holy God as followers of Jesus Christ. He tells us how to live in all areas of life, including in areas of sexual behaviour. No denomination is at liberty to invent its own doctrine or to sacrifice revealed doctrine on the altars of contemporary fashion. We cannot be authentically Christian whilst simultaneously rejecting the teaching of the one we claim to follow.” Rev Simon Austen – Rector of St Leonard’s Church, Exeter Diocese

“York Minster’s leading the way in the Gay Pride march is symbolic of what the Church of England’s leadership is doing generally on this issue – leading people away from the clear teaching of the Bible and the Gospel. It exposes the sham of the consultation process for what it is – a means by which the church can validate homosexual activity. One would hope that the Archbishop of York would do his duty and speak clearly, upholding the Bible’s position.” Rev Melvin Tinker, St John’s Church, Newland, York Diocese

“I am deeply disappointed that Alan Wilson persists in undermining the teaching of the Church by his overt support of those who have gone against the clear rules governing clergy discipline. Describing the Church’s teaching and doctrine as “lousy” is quite breathtakingly arrogant and not language that one would expect from a senior leader in the Church. Were I in secular employment and so at odds with the leadership and core values of the company that employed me, I would resign forthwith as a matter of conscience.” Rev Will Pearson-­‐Gee -­‐ Rector of Buckingham, Oxford Diocese

“The Bishop of Buckingham courts publicity for his revisionist agenda and gets it. He has sadly become a figure of disunity in the Oxford Diocese and a cause of grief to many faithful Anglican Christians. The version of marriage he espouses is incompatible with Biblical Christianity.” Rev Will Stileman – Vicar of St Mary’s Church, Maidenhead and Chair of the Oxford Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship

“Sooner or later everyone in the Church of England will have to decide whether they have confidence in what God says about marriage and human sexuality in the Scriptures. If we are not willing to trust what God says is good for us and for our society then we lose the claim to be authentically Christian. And in the course of time God will make it plain that our claims to be Christian are hollow. Jeremiah 7:28 speaks of truth perishing and being cut off from the lips of God’s people, and the prophet is clear about the disastrous consequences of that”. Rev Mark Burkill –Vicar of Christ Church, Leyton, Chelmsford Diocese

“The Bishop of Buckingham is a runaway train, and has lost the confidence of many of the clergy in the Diocese of Oxford who would have him nowhere near their churches. There is now a crisis of leadership in Oxford Diocese, shown in the fact that the Diocese was unable to appoint a Diocesan Bishop who can work with Buckingham. The Bishop of Buckingham thinks he can make up doctrine on the hoof to suit his own revisionist agenda. That is not how the Church of England does things”. Rev James Paice, Vicar of St Luke’s Wimbledon Park, Southwark Diocese

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That the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have chimed “Me, too!” on Climate Change does not make the week any better.

The Mundanity of Madness

I have long resisted the allures of Netflix.  But I finally have given in, particularly now that my knee has given me an excuse to watch more TV.  I am not quite a binge watcher and hope I never become one.  Besides, I hardly have the attention span for that.  But I do enjoy (if that is the appropriate word) the WW2 and Nazi documentaries.

Something that has struck me as I watch these is how societal madness and profound evil can and often does seem normal, mundane even, when one is in the midst of it.  Indeed, for the average German, life did not seem that much out of line until bombs finally began dropping on Germany.  Oh, the flag was different; Nazi propaganda was everywhere.  But, if anything, life superficially improved for many – the economy improved after the 1929 crash and the following depression that strengthened the Nazis politically; there was certainly more national pride.  As long as one was not Jewish or on the wrong side of the Nazi Party, life seemed relatively good and orderly, especially when compared to the chaos of the Weimar Republic.  At the very least, life went on.

Beyond the Nazis, there is a tendency to think episodes of societal madness and evil happen at other times or in other places.  It is hard to grasp that one is in the midst of such an episode.  Most do not want to comprehend it if their own country is mad and evil; it would not be a pleasant realization.  And it is not too hard to fool oneself to keep from such a realization.  If one is surrounded by dysfunction, it seems normal if that is what surrounds you all the time and one gets used it.  And people can be remarkably adaptable - even (especially?) when they should not adapt.

At times lately I wonder if we are going through such a time now in the U. S.  Yes, I know that surely seems alarmist.  No one I’m aware of wants to send Christians or freedom-minded people to camps, at least not openly.  But look at the sudden change of political discourse in very recent years.  There is a large contingent in this country that acts more like Brown Shirts than Americans, smearing and attacking as bigots, racists, homophobes those who disagree with their once radical agenda and seeking to silence them, to put them out of business, and worse.  Now it has even gotten to the point that seeking to quietly practice one’s religion is attacked as “discrimination.”

Have we not gone mad when cake makers are required to bake a wedding cake for a gay “wedding” or face ruinous fines?  And when a substantial part of the population and leading corporations and politicians (including, yes, Hillary) approve and even cheerlead such persecution?

But, lets admit it.  Even while this is going on, everyday life does not seem that much different, not even for most Christians.

Of course, I recognize that every country has its excesses and bouts of madness even.  And often people respond and/or muddle through, and the society pulls back, at least for a time, before it falls into profound and systematic evil.

But more than we may like to admit, societies, even “civilized” ones, do give into insanity and evil.  And usually it happens with enough subtlety and mundanity that it seems not a big deal . . . except to those who are the victims and to those who later wonder how a society could have gone so wrong.

We are fools if we think the United States is immune to such societal sickness, especially now.

Standing vs. Kneeling to Receive

Last week, an Anglo-Catholic friend advised me that kneeling was not a good idea while trying to recover from a torn meniscus in my knee.  And when an Anglo-Catholic advises against kneeling . . .   Looking back, I suspect I did aggravate my knee with this pious practice. (Actually, I was kneeling to piously place something in a kitchen cabinet, but that is beside the point.)

So yesterday was the first time for me to receive the Blessed Sacrament at my parish whilst standing.  I have received standing during morning Low Masses at Pusey House, but cannot recall receiving standing elsewhere.  (By the way, the common practice is to kneel to receive during Solemn High Mass at Pusey House.  But that is in a more padded and railed chapel.)

I think I prefer to kneel; it is easier for me to have a right attitude that way.  Posture does affect mindset I have found.  But I have heard it argued that standing to receive actually has more tradition behind it.  And I’ve experienced, particularly at Pusey House, that standing has a degree of solemnity and simplicity to commend it.

In any case, my right knee is being something of a dictator even in liturgical matters.  So standing it will be for me for a while at least.

(The knee has improved over the weekend by the way, but continued prayers are appreciated and probably needed.)

The Democrat News Media Summarized

I could get a good rant on about the New York Times and the rest of the Democrat News Media, I really could.  But I have had trouble getting motivated to blog lately.  And my favorite political cartoonist Michael Ramirez summarizes the matter far better than I could.  So . . .

Knee Update:  The knee is worse than I had thought.  I definitely have a tear in my inside right meniscus, and it’s not a small one.  I did think I was getter better.  But it flared up badly and suddenly yesterday morning.  So it is hardly better than it was weeks ago.

Please pray for my spirits and for wisdom on how to proceed . . . and, yes, for the knee, too.

MORE:  And a friend just informed me that I likely aggravated it by kneeling.

Giving up kneeling??? What will this Anglo-Catholic do?

The Clintons Try to Rig Elections . . . Again

After I posted on DemocRATS trying to rig the 2016 election for Hillary, she doubled down in a speech to mostly-Black Texas Southern University by calling for automatic Universal Voter Registration, in which just about anyone on a government list, such as for welfare or drivers licenses, would automatically be registered to vote.

But I’m sure her support of this has nothing to do with race-baiting, enabling vote fraud and stealing elections:

The problems with universal voter registration are numerous and obvious. Many states' lists include vast numbers of illegals, including some states which allow illegals to obtain drivers licenses; because many homeowners have more than one home, there will be duplicates; because so many people are on so many separate federal and state government agency lists, there will be duplicates; and because so many lists exist with little or no cross-checking capability, all of these duplicates are likely to go uncorrected. Add to this the fact that Dems hope to extend voting rights to felons, and the whole thing begins to look like a nationwide Democrat voter registration drive facilitated by taxpayers.

And that is putting it nicely.

This a good time to recall that the Clintons have a history of election rigging.  When Bill was President, they pushed the Motor Voter Law.  Yes, the one that required that those applying for welfare are given voter registration cards; the law that makes it more difficult to remove deceased or moved voters from the rolls, among other provisions.

Also recall that Bill was very busy in 1996 importing Democrats by speeding up citizen applications, which resulted in an increase in Democrat voters . . . and in serious errors in the naturalization process.  But, hey, priorities!

The Clintons cannot be trusted. . . . Yes, I can end the sentence there.  But to be specific, the Clintons cannot be trusted with elections, period.

And Queen Hillary is already at it again in trying to rig elections to “elect” her dynasty . . . again.

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Knee Update: Apologies if my post is low on details.  Not-so-fun adventures with my knee yesterday have worn me out.  I got it reexamined and should hear more today or Monday.

Democrats Prepare to Steal Election for Hillary (But Should They Want To?)

This is really not a new story.  Long-time readers know by now that enabling and committing election fraud is old hat for Democrats.  How do you think they got Obamacare passed?  By getting the felon vote to turn out for Al Franken and by “recounting” the ballots.  And trust me that is only one example.

The reason I bring this up again is I think Democrats would be wise to think twice about their usual election fraud.  Yes, I am helping out Democrats with advice.  I’m nice that way on a good day.

What would be the worst possible scenario for Democrats in 2016?  I contend it would be the “election” of someone as disreputable as Hillary Clinton with the assistance of obvious election fraud.  She would be seen as an illegitimate President and be that much more despised and disrespected at the very beginning of her administration.  Further, there would be the perception that the wishes of the Clintons and of the Democrat establishment are more important than the legitimate votes of Americans.

Making matters worse is the correct and widespread perception that the Democrat Party already doesn’t give a damn about democracy or the Constitution.  (See just about the entire Obama Administration and its supporters.)  Americans have been remarkably patient in dealing with this.  But would they remain patient if, after these long and trying years, Hillary is “elected” fraudulently?

I will refrain from going into details with Big Brother watching, but it would be awful and ugly, not only for the country, but likely for Democrats as well.

I am not predicting that happens.  (If you want a prediction, I think Scott Walker is the next President.)  But it is a distinct possibility.  The only way I can see Hillary being elected in a relatively clean election is if Republicans are so foolish as to nominate Jeb Bush, driving much of the GOP base to stay home or vote 3^rd Party.  Otherwise, I think Hillary will have to get a massive turnout of the non-citizen vote, the felon vote, and the deceased vote to win.

And she is power hungry enough and her supporters morally bankrupt enough to attempt just that.

God help us all if they manage to succeed.

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Knee Update: My x-rays were clear to my surprise.  But the doctor said I likely have slightly torn ligaments.  I am wearing a brace, but the knee is taking a long time to heal.  Prayers for my knee and my patience would be appreciated.