Writes Tim McGraw:

Today is the feast day of the Apparition of Mary to the three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, 108 years ago. A parade of over 100 faithful just went by our house. They were all holding lights, maybe their smartphones, and singing Ave Maria. They stood in the middle of Tucker Street in front of the entrance to the school and listened to a prayer. More praying. Then, more singing.

We’ve never seen this before here in Healdsburg. All this is happening 30 yards from our door. We’ve seen the Mexicans carrying the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe around the block and singing on that feast day, but not for the Apparition of Mary.

Back in May of 1917, Mary told the three children that people had to pray the rosary to end WWI. There was the usual controversy. One official even locked up the children for a while. Typical. The first Portuguese soldiers were just then going off to war, and the bureaucrat thought the children were being political.

Two of the children died soon after in the flu epidemic. Lucy became a nun and lived to 97. She had visions all her life. After Lucy died, her cell was walled up as part of her canonization as a saint.

Our Lady of Fatima, May 13th, 1917

Gail Appel wrote:

White farmers and their families are being tortured, raped and murdered, their farms ,land , equipment and homes seized. The terrorist government, which includes the “ performers” vow to kill all the white people.

Trump granted 57 South Africans asylum after their farms were seized and given to Black  S Africans.Ergo, Trump is a White Supremacist.

Unlike the millions of ingrates who cross our border illegally and hate us, this group smiling ,teary eyed with gratitude- waved handheld American flags.

See here.

Tim McGraw wrote:

This is a good interview. Casey Murph is very knowledgeable. The government doesn’t want independent people on the land.

Grand Canyon Mules, Casey Murph, Video Interview

Thanks, Saleh Abdullah. 

Martin Averick wrote:

In a period of serious financial and political turbulence in Europe, the endless attempts of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland to extract money from the EU budget under allegedly “plausible” pretexts are particularly worrying. Instead of solving global problems, Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn are creating new ones in the hope of filling their own coffers. However, it is far from clear why the Polish and Baltic “feast” is being paid for by the partners, among whom the United States still plays a significant role.

Thus, indicative was the attempt of the Lithuanian government in January to obtain from the EU 34 million euros under the pretext of the restoring the damaged part of communication infrastructure and securing critical cables running along the Baltic seabed, which, as the Lithuanians claimed, had been damaged as a result of naval sabotage. At the same time, just a few days before the Lithuanian Prime Minister’s address to the EU, the Ukrainian media published a message about Vilnius’ allocation of more than 30 million euros to Ukrainian refugees. Given that after a thorough investigation of the incident the Swedish authorities found no evidence of deliberate interference, and since the task of protecting the seabed infrastructure had already been assigned to a special NATO mission, the suspicion arises that the Baltic state was just trying to “do its duty” to the ally at the expense of the EU.

The European Commission’s refusal has not become a reason to give up the attempts to get money from the European budget. However, they can hardly be called successful. Thus, in March, the EU has rejected a funding request by Lithuania and Estonia to support the development of a cross-border “drone wall” aimed at enhancing surveillance and protection the region from possible provocations and threats from Russia and Belarus. In fact, this project would only provide states with the opportunity to uncontrollably spend money on the purchase of UAVs. It is particularly interesting to note that Lithuania and Estonia agreed to cooperate in the project, while the European Union was supposed just to finance its implementation.

Poland, unlike its neighbors, decided to take a more radical approach and began to spread panic in European society. Recently, Warsaw announced its intention to place anti-personnel mines on its borders, as a part of the Eastern Shield project. These mines are not only considered inhumane weapons and banned by the UN Convention, they are also extremely expensive and complex to produce. As usual, the burden of financing the idea of the Poles falls on the shoulders of the EU. It’s pertinent to note, that Warsaw has previously tried to “line its pockets” at the expense of the allies. Thus, according to the European Anti-Fraud Office’s (OLAF) report on the investigation into the purchase of power generators for Ukraine (within the framework of an EU-funded project), published in February 2025, serious violations and data falsifications were identified. As a result, Warsaw must return to the European Union more than 90 million euros spent inappropriately.

Against the background of the above, it becomes clear why Washington has begun to gradually turn away from NATO and the EU, and to shift its focus to the solution of the internal problems. Under the pretext of the need to strengthen their own defense and security, which, by the way, is not always in the interests of the United States, the “allies” constantly demand money from the White House. Given that the EU and NATO have been demonstrating their political incompetence for a long time, one can only wonder why the previous U.S. administration has ignored it and why Biden has not taken steps to distance himself from a “sinking” Europe.

Thanks, John Smith. 

Antiwar.com

Thanks, John Smith. 

Express

Click Here:

The Kennedy Beacon

Writes David Martin:

The West’s capacity for power projection these days, particularly in terms of its morale, reminds me a lot of the modern U.S. Democratic Party with its increasing underpinnings of open borders, fluid sexuality, and climate war.  It’s hard to get people to rally behind that flag.

See here.

Thanks, Saleh Abdullah.  

John Miltimore

Tim McGraw wrote:

Pearly Gates

Click Here:

Louis Conte

Thanks, Patrick Foy 

Click Here:

Republic Broadcasting Network » When you hear “Real ID,” think “Papers, please” 

Writes Steven Wallace:

Hi Lew,

Thank you for the article titled, The War Against Religious Freedom. Very thought provoking!

All individuals, here in Idaho, are statutorily required to report child abuse to the prevailing authority or jurisdiction in which the abuse is taking place with a very narrow exception for certain clergy. Obviously, there is a moral imperative to do something positive to alleviate a bad situation of which we become aware, but the statutory requirement presents a moral dilemma for us all. Often is the case when an abused child is removed from parental control the child then becomes abused by the state agency charged with the child’s care and placement. Child Protective Service is notorious for losing track of these children and many of them wind up being trafficked or placed with people who’ve not been carefully vetted. What is a person to do in such a dilemma? Even with stupid laws there are practical considerations in weighing what course of action to take in the context of there being a higher law than man’s law in which we may be held to account for.

The state, as an institution, isn’t the only abuser of children. Religious institutions, protestant or catholic, all have a sordid history of abusing children under the veil of authority. I can’t help but think that an abuser of children going to confession knows the confidential and incriminating nature of the information he is giving a priest during confession could be used by that priest, if they are so inclined, to satisfy their own deviant inclinations and setting up a co-dependent relationship with the one doing the confessing. In my view the question is this, does absolution related to confession contribute positively or negatively to the child abuse dilemma? If the law requiring priests to report child abuse discourages confessions and the wannabe confessor can’t obtain absolution through the confessional process, might that inspire one, with a genuine conscience, to quit the behavior that was driving the need for confession in the first place?

I’m not Catholic so the sacrament issue associated with this law, from my perspective, is minuscule in comparison to the unchecked abuse of children by the church or the state. Priests and other individuals statutorily required to make this report have a moral dilemma as the cure could be as bad as the dis-ease. The upside, however, is those not trusting the priests or clergy because of this law may have to put on their big boy pants and become more personally responsible for their behavior to maintain a clear conscience. This would be a form of spiritual decentralization in the removal of earthbound intermediaries (men of the cloth, whether church or state) that have proved themselves to be less than trustworthy in many cases. Fewer children of parents, with a conscience, would be abused. I would submit that confessions by those seeking absolution, without a repentant heart, are null and void in the spiritual realm and represents an attitude and dogma not flattering to any religious institution. When dogma becomes superior to morality, it’s game over in the spiritual realm.

Thanks again,

Thanks, Saleh Abdullah. 

The Washington Post

Cpcondon wrote:

Stunning moment Pope Leo XIV caught on camera at 2005 World Series game in Chicago

The new pope was born in Chicago in 1955 and half a decade later he was among the crowd at the then-US Cellular Field for Game 1 of the World Series against the Houston Astros.

See here.

Ginny Garner wrote:

Lew,

Come and sing a simple song of freedom
Sing it like you’ve never sung before
Let it fill the air
Tell the people everywhere
We, the people here, don’t want a war

Bobby Darin is back in the news. The new Broadway musical “Just in Time” is based on his life and his son Dodd is promoting it. Darin wrote, recorded and performed an antiwar song in 1969 called “Simple Song of Freedom” that was a hit for Tim Hardin. Darin became very political, supporting RFK for president due to his stance against the Vietnam War. 

Ginny Garner wrote:

Lew,

For those of us who have opposed every war since Vietnam, or all wars, and whose hearts are broken and our sensibilities sickened by US foreign policy funding the bombs and weapons in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere, we need to be reminded sometimes that there will be peace in the valley when we are reunited with the Lord. Pat Boone was a guest on The Johnny Cash Show in 1969, and the two of them performed the beautiful gospel song, “Peace in the Valley.”

Writes a good friend:

Lew:

I am taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the new Pope even though many conservative Catholics seem extremely disappointed in this pick. 

It is my understanding that during his many years in Peru, he witnessed the terror, death, and destruction of the infamous Communist Maoist Shining Path guerrillas who ravaged the area.

Rather than embrace them as Pope Francis may have done with his liberation theology sympathies, Leo opposed them vigorously and spoke out against them, which was a brave thing to do at the time. 

And being a homeboy from old Chicago, growing up under the shadow of Mayor Richard Daley, who was a staunch old school Democrat and Catholic, makes me think Leo is more moderate in his leanings than first advertised. 

We shall see.  

P.S. Today, some commentators are now saying Leo was a Registered Republican.  

Thanks, Bruce McLane. 

 https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1aBL79aekJ/

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/165Y2wDmKU/

Thanks, John Smith. 

The Guardian

John McClain wrote:

Dear Lew,

I am a practicing Methodist, I read your site because we Christians must stand together. These litigious haters have simply continually upped the ante for standing on Godly principle and we are simply going to have a religious war at some point if they keep pushing it further.

As a retired Marine, I am against war and violence, I hate it but unfortunately know it is a necessary fact of the Human condition. As my best friend has said “the violence card is always on the table”. Watching the right to life movement attacked ever more ferociously, I believe we are rapidly approaching the point of civil war.  It’s not something I am eager to engage in but something I believe is inevitable.

Semper Fi,

Thanks, John Smith. 

Mondoweiss

Thanks, John Frahm.

The Economist

Writes Murray Sabrin:

The letter writer (May 11) who criticizes a previous letter writer who decried increases in the national debt and praised President Trump and the Republicans for addressing the issue is half right.  

The May 11th letter asserts the national debt rose $8.18 trillion under President Trump (2017-2021) while the national debt increased only $4.16 trillion during President Biden’s tenure in the White House.  He thus implies Trump and the Republicans are hypocrites regarding the hyperbolic rise in the national debt.

According to the chart posted by the Federal Reserve of St. Louis Economic data series (FRED) using US Treasury data, the national debt rose from $19.97 trillion (last quarter of 2016, three weeks before Trump was inaugurated) to $27.7 trillion at the end fourth quarter of 2020, or slightly less than $8 trillion. 

The national debt increased from $27.7 trillion from the fourth quarter of 2020 (three weeks before Biden was inaugurated) to $36.2 trillion by the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, or $8.5 trillion, not the $4.16 trillion the May 11th letter writer asserted.  In short, the national debt increased by virtually identical amounts under Trump and Biden.

The bottom line is that both Trump and Biden exploded the national debt highlighting the reckless spending of the Washington establishment.  

Thanks, Gail Appel.

Facebook

Thanks, Gail Appel. 

Public News

Gail Appel wrote:

The hypocrisy is staggering.

Thanks, Johnny Kramer.

Antarctica’s Astonishing Rebound: Ice Sheet Grows for the First Time in Decades