Cleansing Fire

Defending Truth and Tradition in the Roman Catholic Church

Ticker Posts — February 2019

February 8th, 2019, Promulgated by Diane Harris

Day of Mourning 2/23 added here on Valentine’s Day

With the ‘outing’ of those who would kill babies at birth, with those advocates almost being forced by their own natures to expose themselves, to introduce and push for laws which are outrageously sinful, the face of Satan is indeed being revealed in our very day. Still think we are not in the end times, or at least attending the dress rehearsal? Just look at the ticker to start February! Perhaps this post will be a good place to add some of the evidence. And, in the face of widespread persecution, there actually is a “good lawsuit:”

 

A Good Lawsuit 

LifeSite News (Feb. 1, 2019) has reported that a Jewish Therapist is suing NYC “for censoring treatment of unwanted gay attraction.”  I have suspected for some time now that the likely target of such squelching of the First Amendment isn’t just to avoid the depletion of a certain group of voters, nor is it to harass Jewish Therapists. No, the most likely target is the Seal of Confession.  Look back to “Reconciliation Rant Part III” at the effort made to break the Seal in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Even being able to call the yielding to same-sex attraction a “sin” will be argued as an effort to help that sinner overcome his or her temptation. Aha! Of course the turning from sin is an effort to put the sinner back on a holy road to God, through abstinence and obedience to Church Teaching. Fully launched, such a law will use whatever is necessary (e.g. covert recording) to target the priest, who will not be able to defend himself. But it has taken a hard working Jewish Therapist to bring the lawsuit. Now let’s see if Cardinal Dolan will offer an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the plaintiff, before the Cardinal has to bail out his own priests, or worse. 

Spoof Cartoons Removed

For a few hours earlier today, we had posted two spoof cartoons regarding a bloc of female Democrat US Senators and Representatives dressed all in white at the State of the Union Address. But those who missed the visual of the bloc (such as those who listened to the speech on the car radio, or who read the transcript) could have easily misinterpreted the meaning of the cartoons as referring to race, and that was not the point at all. Better to take down the graphic and go to specific words which are less likely to be misunderstood. The cartoons showed how clothes don’t make the person or even adequately reflect their values. One cartoon was the Little Sisters of the Poor, all in white, and the other was femi-Nazi’s under Hitler’s regime who regularly appeared dressed all in white.  Neither cartoon was about race.  Thank you to those who called attention to the confusion.

I’ll probably write a lot more about this in the future but, for the moment, here are the high points. In my opinion, the behavior and values of a significant segment of women today weaken the advances made by their sisters over decades toward a just equality between the genders. Equality, not equivalency.  Thematically, there seems to be a prideful regression toward immaturity. Unfortunately, the fault isn’t just a private matter among members of certain groups with a narrow agenda, but is widespread and seeks publicity for what is shameful and debilitating to all women. The seriousness of the work of women for decades, to achieve fairness in career, responsibility and reward, is being undermined by those who dress in vaginal costumes for parades before the media, use hateful and repetitive angry expressions which call into question any ability to sensibly see reality and effect change, failure to be able to formulate and engage cogent, intellectual argument and secure meaningful accomplishment for future generations, and an inability to stand alone when necessary in their own beliefs, values and opinions, even when other women, or men, may disagree.

It is the latter point which especially evokes a sadness and frustration at its damaging strategy, and was precipitated by the a bloc of female legislators attending the State of the Union Address, all wearing white, applauding or not at the same time, smiling or not at the same time, i.e. kept in tight check by their peers. Except for bonafide wearing of uniforms, such as for military, law enforcement, sports teams and some customs (like graduation gowns, or Augusta National green jackets) most adults after third grade no longer need others to dress the same as they to prove membership in a group, or to validate their own personal style. There seems to be a complete naivete toward such behavior actually weakening any manifestation of leadership, essentially conveying the individual’s lack of independence. In a corporate environment, for example, it would be completely counter-productive for advancement.

What these young women ignore (and many of them are quite young) is that the gains they enjoy today were purchased dearly by earlier generations; they barter away the past accomplishments for a dead-end “demonstration” without even a meaningful agenda. And the “values” which seem to hold them together only last until one tries to break away and stand on one’s own accomplishment. What the group controls today, it punishes tomorrow for breaking the rules. More to say, another time. For now, a picture is worth many more words.

 

Serious Tips for Victims who want to be believed:

We are clearly in an era where men who are in line to receive higher and higher responsibility are at risk of being accused of something, ANYTHING, that undermines perception of their personal trustworthiness, integrity and values. And the accusations are not regarding what is more easily verifiable; i.e. embezzlement, alcohol or drug addiction, or falsifying a degree or other records. No, lately the accusations in question seem to pertain to one person, usually a woman, preferably an attractive and somewhat competent woman, accusing a man of private and nefarious behavior, which is only documentable by what is currently in her mind and memory. That women are believed in such a situation, with virtually no proof, shows how unlevel is the gender battlefield. And it shows how difficult it is to distinguish truth from fiction, especially layered in sympathy, and especially under cloak of “Me Too.”

What can women do to improve their being believed that something is true? There are a number of strategies to improve such confidence, if a victim is willing to make the effort (and encourage family and friends to do the same.)

  1. Resolve at this very moment to tell only the truth and nothing but the truth for the rest of their lives. Yes, and the “whole” truth too, to the extent that courts and media space permit them to do so. (I have been amazed at how the drive for simplicity sometimes cuts short a plaintiff or defendant’s opportunity to address all the merits of a case, or tries to put words in their mouths.) But telling ONLY the truth, no matter what, builds an important foundation on which to be believed over an extended period of time on very difficult subjects.
  2. Behave above the level of question, in dress and speech and in any and all innuendo. Don’t leave room for other “spins” on what is said, or for misinterpretations or pseudo-invitations to banter as a ‘come-on.’ And guard against ambiguous invitations to intimacy, random touching, lingering eye-grabs, personal discussions on improper subjects, grooming and touching one’s own body casually during discussions with others, and tolerating off-color jokes or comments.
  3. Be clear, always, about one’s values. V.P. Mike Pence did a great service to men and women who would want to escape an awkward situation when he said he doesn’t go ‘out to dinner’ with any woman but his own wife. It was not just what he said, but that he is alert to what Catholics used to call “the near occasion of sin.” Better to be too careful, than not careful enough.

Keep in mind always that the prize isn’t a promotion in one’s job, but holiness for the sake of the after-life and heaven. But, along the way, it doesn’t hurt to bring credibility and consistency to every situation. Unfortunately, believability can be faked too; and supported as such by others with their own objectives, like “believing” a story from someone who is lying, when the targeted victim is on the other side of an issue, or the other side of the aisle.

Protecting the Real Truth even if “Unbelievable”

None of these comments above should dissuade someone from bringing forth a true complaint of having been abused, even if one believes it is a lose-lose situation. But that doesn’t mean such a complaint can’t be made in a much smarter way than we’ve seen to date, and all for the sake of Truth. What is less believable (but not necessarily untrue) is that someone would nurture a harmful memory for twenty or thirty years, all as best they can remember, and allowing the anger, resentment and antagonism to fester over decades, and then trying to summon up accurate detail as if it happened last week! Very unlikely to be believed.

The Nuts and Bolts of Protection

It is too late to go back in time, but not too late to now take immediate action. For every person with a horrendous story of abuse which might someday be brought to light (even if he or she doesn’t today believe that it will come to light) it is essential to document what happened in as much detail as possible. Where did it happen? When? Who else was there? Who wore what? What else was memorable from the situation? Food served? Alcohol? Drugs? Who said what? How did the event unfold? What happened afterward? Was a pastor, doctor, lawyer, police or other authority contacted for advice, or follow-up? Write the letter NOW, with as much documentation as possible. It will be far more believable if the letter is revealed a decade later, than if the details are spliced together then with no prior documentation. Such a document, with a postmark to an authority figure today, who will agree to hold the document, unopened, until needed, is far more believable than using 10-year old allegations from memory for accusation today.

What has been most shocking to me in some of the more public sexual allegations by women against men being considered for advancement, as in a Senate hearing, is the complete lack of evidence, even of diary notes, witnesses, police report or health care actions. That is what is not believable, no matter how many people vote ‘believable’ as on a Truth or Consequences game show. No, what is ‘believable’ is evidence.

While the point is particularly aimed at what we’ve seen most recently, often initiated by a woman with less power targeting a man of more power, it does not mean that the above advice doesn’t apply to other situations, including men harassed by women, minors abused by teachers or clergy, or seminarians or nuns being abused by superiors. But the principles are the same: write the detail asap, entrust it to a credible authority until the writer decides it is time to use it.  And not every use means publicity; sometimes just a perpetrator’s knowledge of a witness document’s existence is enough to make the offender retreat.

The reason a document written contemporaneously is so credible is that the writer can’t anticipate dozens of people against whom to write accusatory lies a decade earlier, but only those with whom there has been a real situation. And a fair question for the court would be how many of these accuser’s letters are in the file? Against one or two people? Or against dozens? Obviously that number distinguishes real documented injury from the fabricated investment portfolio of multiple likely future targets.

SCOTUS refuses to hear Abortionist Case

One of the most recent links on the Ticker is the refusal by the US Supreme Court to hear a Texas case brought by a Texas abortion provider (Whole Women’s Health of Fort Worth) against Catholic bishops who had offered to bury aborted babies free of charge. Their refusal lets stand the lower court ruling that the case especially sought to intimidate the Catholic bishops from the burials by demanding thousands of pages of documentation. The lower court stated: “Abortion groups may think the bishops ‘troublesome,’ but it is wrong to weaponize the law to stop the bishops from standing up for their beliefs.”

Many Catholic cemeteries have monuments to the aborted babies, and that is of course good and noble witness. But can this Texas example be expanded further so that most every Catholic cemetery has at least a tiny space as its own local witness to the value of life? Perhaps worth considering further?

Pell Trial

If you have noted the ticker post cancelling the ‘second’ Australian Trial of Cardinal Pell, and the revocation of the gag order on the entire case, what is left to see is how Cardinal Pell’s appeal of the first trial judgement will be handled. I have absolutely no opinion on the merits (or lack thereof) of the case itself, but I do have a question which perhaps can be answered by some of our readers. “If the court doesn’t like the results of Cardinal Pell’s appeal, can they reinstate the second trial? Or, regardless, is it once cancelled, always cancelled?” One can’t help but wonder if the cancellation is just hedging a bet. I wouldn’t even suspect such nefarious motivation except for the absolute hatred of the Catholic Church being pursued so many places in the world, even in the US. One wonders if any prelate can ever get a fair trial in this environment, and thus I have no opinion whether or not Cardinal Pell’s was fair or not. Someday we’ll know.

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2 Responses to “Ticker Posts — February 2019”

  1. Diane Harris says:

    See new entry to Ticker Posts for February — about SCOTUS’ refusal to hear abortionist case against Catholic Bishops in Texas offering to bury aborted babies’ remains in Catholic cemeteries at no charge.

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