Enemy Reaction 2020: Los Angeles Rams

Cigar Thoughts, Game 15: HANG THE F***ING BANNER

Adeste fideles laeti triumphantes
Venite, venite in Bethlehem
Natum videte regem angelorum

Venite, adoremus,
Venite, adoremus,
Venite, adoremus, 

Dominum!

Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,
Gestant puellae viscera
Deum verum, genitum non factum.

Venite, adoremus,
Venite, adoremus,
Venite, adoremus, 

Dominum!

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Venite, adoremus,
Venite, adoremus,
Venite, adoremus, 

Dominum!

 

Points to Ponder:

Your entrance and your exit should be devastating, and everything in the middle is filler. [Keith Moon]

A Tale of Two Packages...

It was the worst of shipping times, it was the even worse still of shipping times...

Two packages were ordered and shipped recently. Package #1 was of a decent size and shipped standard FedEx, Package #2 was via standard USPS. 

Package #1 was originally to ship out of Shanghai on 12/10, a delay meant it did not actually ship until 12/13. It arrived in Anchorage, AK on 12/14 and shipped out same day to Memphis, TN where it arrived on 12/15 and had to clear customs. After a 5 day customs delay, it cleared customs on 12/20 and departed Memphis arriving in Jamaica, NY at 7:21pm. From there, it was a short turnaround to get to Stamford on 12/21 and finally to my residence at 5:00pm on 12/22. Halfway around the world in 9 days with a 5 day customs layover? Not too bad considering the circumstances with understaffing due to Covid and all.

Package #2 is in a very small box and was ordered on 12/14 at 11:00pm and shipped out of Philadelphia, PA on 12/15. It took four days to get out of Philadelphia and to Jersey City, NJ on 12/19. From there it departed Jersey City arriving in Stamford, CT on 12/20 whereupon for the past four evenings, I have been told it was "arriving late" only to not arrive. Fortunately on nights I am not home, my neighbour is available if said package were to arrive to retrieve it for me but now we are going on 5 days of "arriving late tonight" texts from USPS and no package. To recap:

Package #1:

-Big Package

-Shipped FedEx

-Shipped from 8,387 miles across the world

-Took 12 days to arrive but involved two separate delays including an unavoidable customs delay of 5 days

Package #2:

-Small Box weighing not even half a pound

-Shipped USPS

-Shipped from Philadelphia or 134 miles away

-Took 6 days to get to Stamford and did not have to clear customs 

-Has been in Stamford for 3 days with false promises of late delivery on 3 straight nights so far and it has not arrived as of this status

Exit Questions:

1) Which outfit would you prefer handling your parcels?

2) Why on earth should we give USPS any more money?

Points to Ponder:

Never take a full humidor for granted. In fact, never take anything for granted. 

Is it Morally Permissible to Use the Covid-19 Vaccine?

I am normally very hesitant to say much about the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) for a number of reasons. However, when the above article was brought to my attention shortly after its publication, I took some time to read it. I found myself very impressed by how the aforementioned article handled the issue of Covid and the issues of vaccines for Covid and their liceity (validity) thereof. 

As some friends and I have discussed the above matter in various and sundry private social media platforms in the past few weeks, it dawned on me this morning{1} that I had not publicly said anything about it. Considering the seriousness of the issues touched upon, I feel in the interest of ethics and charity compelled to do so now. I therefore give the material at the above thread my full endorsement.

Note:

{1} While posting other material to this site.

Seahawks have three weeks to keep this franchise streak alive 

Never Trumpers Play the Moral Authority Card on Anti-Lockdown Conservatives, Get the Responses They Deserve

It would be less than honest if I did not admit that I was #NeverTrump back in 2015-2016 including supporting Gary Johnson in that election. (Not a chance in hell was I going to vote for #Hildabeast.) But over time, my views of President Trump changed insofar as I both liked many of his policies but did not like him personally. In some areas, he governed a lot better than I thought he would. And I am unaware of any president who was treated as unfairly as he has been by the loathesome media industrial complex so that factor brings about a certain degree of sympathy from me for what he has gone through -even if some of it was self inflicted by not knowing when the hell to shut up. But that is neither here nor there.

Despite all of that and much more, I grew over time to dislike and eventually loathe Never Trumpers for the skeevy grifting pieces of trash most of them are. The above article is just one example of countless ones I could post showing the depths of mental and other sickness prevalent on these most disgusting of people. And may they never be given relevance again by anyone with a normal intact functioning brain.

Apostolic Letter Patris Corde of Pope Francis on the 150th Anniversary of St. Joseph Being Made Patron Saint of the Universal Church 

As someone with a personal devotion to St. Joseph, I am looking forward to reading this apostolic letter in full and reflecting on its contents.

Cigar Thoughts, Game 13: Seahawks steal parachute, push New York out of the jet

 More on the End of the Road For 2020:

This was brought to my attention after my most recent election musings were put up on social media the other day. My response to it is to follow. 

All the states have been certified.

Almost all lower courts are rejecting these cases on procedural grounds and the ones that are not are being appealed to courts that likely will. 

SCOTUS is rejecting election cases that come before it on standing.

The electoral college meets [tomorrow] to vote and they will vote as the certified states indicate.

The new Congress on January 6th will not fail to certify the electoral college results. From there, nothing stops #SkeevyAndTheHo from being sworn in at noon on 1/20/21.

The train has run out of track.

More on the End of the Road For 2020:

This was a response to my most recent election musings were put up on social media the other day. My response to it is to follow. 

2022 might be too late

For what? Secure the Senate January 5th and Biden is about to be the most ineffective president since Jimmy Carter and that is even before the 2022 bloodbath to come. And I am not even counting the about to be bigly gerrymandered district map which will lock Dems out of holding the House for about ten years. Whether it is Skeevy or the Ho after 2022, they will face opposite party control in both chambers and about half the country viewing them as illegitimate: not exactly a good recipe for effective governance.

On the End of the Road For 2020, Etc:

The path forward is clear now with no election cases even getting heard on merits; namely, pivot to Georgia. Win there, solidify the Senate, and prepare for 2022.

Remember, fraud makes a difference only in very close races. The way to fight it is by winning the governorships of MI, WI, PA: all of which are up in 2022. From there, there can be a push of Republican state lawmakers to clean up their state election system. The emphasis above all needs to be on vote security. 

And those thinking any other cases are getting past procedural rejections are only fooling themselves.

Today was our first trip to the mausoleum where my wife's parents are buried since they finished engraving the names. The latter was done a few months back but my wife was not able to visit again after the internment until today. 

Please pray for the eternal repose of the souls of Raffaelina Illiano Barone and Frank Diego Barone.

Eternal rest grant unto their souls oh Lord and may thy perpetual light shine upon them...May their souls and all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

O God of our Fathers, we guard in our hearts today the sacred memory of those who gave their lives on that day which will live in infamy. Bless us, O Lord, as we humble ourselves in Thy presence to remember our shipmates and friends who served our country so valiantly. Let us not disgrace those who still lie in the quiet places through our indifference or forgetfulness. Rather, help us to always remember Pearl Harbor and help us to keep America alert. May we never forget that more than 2,000 of our sons, fathers, brothers, and friends were killed and more than 1,000 citizens of our land were wounded on December 7, 1941. Their sacrifices were not in vain. They defended America’s freedom and demonstrated America’s goodness. Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the brave men who embodied your love by making this ultimate sacrifice. You have declared “greater love hath no man than this, than to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). May we be willing to follow their example when duty calls. We also give thanks for those who survived the attack on our country and who went on with their lives in a way that portrayed honor to a watching world. They carried on with life even as they bore deep within them the haunting memories of what they witnessed, heard, and felt. Bless them with continued grace and mercy from your holy hand. Guide us and direct us in all that we do. Let us live to bring glory and honor to Thee. This we pray in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

On Dogmatic Facts and Pope Francis' Election as Pope:

This is in response to the following poll which was sent to me from social media.

A few musings come to mind when reading the above; namely:

1) Those people saying Benedict XVI are still Pope are schmucks.  

2) Dogmatic facts are "any fact connected with a dogma and on which the application of a dogma to a particular case depends." [Catholic Encyclopedia: Article on Dogmatic Facts (circa 1913)]  

3) The Church is infallible in dogmatic facts:

"According to Catholic doctrine, the  infallibility of the Church's Magisterium extends not only to the deposit of faith but also to those matters without which that deposit cannot be rightly preserved and expounded." [CDF: Instruction Mysterium Ecclesiae 3 (circa 1973) referencing Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium 25 (circa 1964)]

"With regard to those truths connected to revelation by historical necessity and which are to be held definitively, but are not able to be declared as divinely revealed, the following examples can be given: the legitimacy of the election of the Supreme Pontiff or of the celebration of an ecumenical council, the canonizations of saints (dogmatic facts)." [CDF: Doctrinal Commentary on the Profession of Faith (circa 1998)]

4) Pope Benedict XVI abdicated the papacy by his own free choice in February of 2013.

5) The College of Cardinals elected Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina as Pope in March of 2013. He chose the name of Francis.

6) Pope Francis is the lawfully elected Pope of the Catholic Church.

7) As the Church could not err in a matter of dogmatic facts and the selection of Pope involves dogmatic facts, upon the man selected accepting the election, he becomes at that moment Pope.

8) The identity of Pope Francis as Pope as a dogmatic fact falls under the secondary realm of truths connected to revelation by logical necessity. Ergo, the fact that Pope Francis is Pope is considered infallible.

9) Those voting for Benedict XVI as the current Pope in that poll are in dogmatic error which if willfully doubted or denied means they should not present themselves for communion and priests or deacons aware of said willful doubt or denial by said persons should refuse to give them communion.

10) Benedict recognizes Francis as the lawful Pope along with the rest of the Catholic faithful.

Life's a cigar: the wasting body glows.
The head turns white as Kosciusko's snows.
And, with the last soul-fragrance still in air,
The ashes slowly sink in soft repose. [George Gordon McCrae]

Seahawks defeat Eagles week 12 with good defense again