I'm running very late again. So, I'll just comment on a few DRUDGE headlines.

For most of my life I've viewed the Democrat Party as just the normal, liberal side of American politics. But the scene changed forever for me as the highest, most powerful agencies of our government (FBI, CIA, NSA, IRS) and their top employees, with the Democrat Party, have proven themselves utterly criminal, to the point of treason. I will never trust these agencies again until all of the villains have been tried, convicted and jailed - especially Hillary Clinton, who is responsible for the entire fraudulent (three-year, $35-million) Russia-collusion investigation.

I'm watching the latest devious Democrat tactic, holding Attorney General Robert Barr in contempt for withholding files he is not permitted to hand over. Once again we see the extent of Democrat duplicity, as we saw with the supremely outrageous confirmation process inflicted upon now Justice Brett Kavanaugh. I can never forget that quasi-criminal attack upon one of the finest, most distinguished men ever to be nominated to the Supreme Court.

I believe Robert Barr will also distinguish himself once again in defeating the Dem's trap.

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"Students at Hofstra University are demanding the school remove a Thomas Jefferson statue" DRUDGE.

Destroying our nation's history seems to be the attitude among members of the "marketplace of ideas" these days. I've lost my respect for most colleges to the extent they omit academic openness to different ideas in their curriculum. "Students at Hofstra University are demanding the school remove a Thomas Jefferson statue." The destruction of historic images is all the rage now. The desire to do this signals a disturbing trend in student ability to welcome views other than their own. How boring!

*******

Those who have watched the invasion of illegal immigrants at our southern border don't have to be told that we have a true crisis on our hands. Once again, Democrats refuse to cooperate with Republicans to pass critically necessary laws to control our borders and defend our sovereignty.

How stupid must we be to ignore this massive crisis?!

A response to Mary Scoles, below.

Hello again, Mary.

I really enjoy our discourse.

You are absolutely right in taking offense at that particular statement "...shot in their day.", and I must apologize. It was inartfully used to explain the huge difference in American public sensitivity to accusations of moral impropriety, even dueling over a point of honor - when a sense of honor was more deeply understood than now.

President Andrew Jackson exemplified this sensitivity to personal honor. He is said to have challenged from 5 to 100 persons to duel. Of three of his duels, one resulted in the death of the man he challenged for insulting his wife. Jackson was also wounded by the other man's first shot, which struck him one inch from his heart. He carried that bullet the rest of his life.

Not looking to write a biography here, just wondering what Jackson would have done if anyone had dared to call him a homosexual. In those days life, death, and honor were taken seriously.

Actually, reading my column after we went to press, I recognized two poorly-worded sentences. The other referred to burning and being tarred and feathered, both early "American" activities. "In their day" Americans took Judeo-Christian morality very seriously, especially when it came to allegations of personal immorality. I doubt anyone would have shot a woman in those days (though they did hang Mary Surratt for her part in Lincoln's assassination).

We do have different views of Christianity, Mary. I tried to mention what I thought was the most basic ideas - like life after death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Many no longer believe in Hell- can't please everyone; this may prove to be an eternal surprise for many. Some no longer believe in the Old Testament, but I do. Some no longer believe in the New Testament, but I do.

And some no longer believe in Jesus - these are the folks who have "un-believed" themselves to some place outside Christianity. But others don't even believe this.

I guess that leaves you with something like 5 billion folks who agree with you, That's a lot more company than I have.

I don't seek to vilify individuals for views contrary to my own - the villainy I challenge is the false ideas they promote (which are offensive to my Judeo-Christian views). But I enjoy the debate when debate is permitted.

I defend President Trump because he is a man of his word, the rarest form of political species, who is restoring America to its Judeo-Christian greatness.

There is no "one-size-fits-all mandate for acceptable moral practice" as you say. But America is unique among the world's nations for its particularly strong Judeo-Christian Constitutional foundation - and traditions. Very strong efforts are made by liberals today to change our heritage and create some sort of homogenized hodgepodge of secular, Orwellian newspeak. I disagree with that. Those ideas endanger the continued existence of our Republic.

Lastly (whew) I have no interest in changing what is "historical fact or what opinion is acceptable in the eyes of God." Facts are stubborn, and God has told us (for a long time) what is "acceptable" opinion in His eyes.

We have always enjoyed free will to choose how to live our lives. Isn't choice great!?

***

To the Editor:
We have different views of Christianity, humanity, politics, “natural order,” and heaven knows what else. I have questioned why you vilify fellow human beings for not sharing your view of the world, defend people in power who give little to no evidence of respect for anyone who does not believe in exactly what they are selling, and believe in a "one-size-fits-all" mandate for acceptable moral practice. It is beyond my pay grade, and yours, to decide what is acceptable historical fact or what opinion is acceptable in the eyes of God. What is certain is that, in this day and age, reference to anyone "being shot" for a point of view is irresponsible and dangerous. Pull it together, man.
Kelly Scoles, Fillmore

A response to Kelly Scoles letter below:

Hello Kelly,

Thanks for the letter.

I fully acknowledge the many scholastic and military honors Buttigieg has earned during his short life. These achievements are honorable and extraordinary. But I don't believe he is "married" to a man or that he is that man’s “wife”. As he is so bright, he knows the reality of his Y chromosome, which makes him immutably male. This is as much a debate over morals as it is science, calling for a moral response.

As a Christian I believe there are two parts to human life - one material and mortal, the other spiritual and immortal. Every Christian has a duty to defend his/her faith against what has been clearly defined as evil. This Easter Sunday Christians worldwide celebrated the ultimate victory over evil in the death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Those not believing in Jesus read no further. This demonstrates the reality of our immortality. The ultimate facts for Christians are stark, life, death, judgment, Heaven or Hell. America was founded on this common understanding. Let's not quibble about denominations here.

Scripture, both Old Testament and the Christian New Testament, clearly defines what is good (Beatitudes) and evil (violation of Commandments). Mr. Buttigieg's and his partner's behavior, by this standard, is evil. That being the case, all the honors of this world are as nothing in contemplating eternity. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36). And, cliché as it sounds to a pagan world, this is the pure truth, the reality within which I live, and hope to die.

I'm neither priest nor preacher, and I realize you do not believe, as I do, in the tenants of the Christian faith. Billions of people agree with you and disagree with me. In America especially that is your right - as it is my right to disagree with you, and warn our youth of the peril in Mayor Pete's fraudulent "religious reality".

I find Buttigieg's public behavior revolting and scandalous, particularly as it misinforms our youth by being shown as normal conduct, which it is not. The opinions of all the psychiatrists in the world, liberal media, educational savants, and politicians, cannot create a truthful new reality by calling what is evil, good, and what is good, evil, despite their novel definitions and magical logic. You suggest that I am unaware that a string of geniuses are alleged to have been homosexual. I don't know about the ancient Greeks, they were pagans. There is no certain evidence for this allegation in any of the others you name. To accuse Shakespeare and Lincoln, in particular, slanders their reputations (and would have gotten you shot in their day.) A little research will inform you that both were devout, normal, Christian men. The best source for Shakespeare is Joseph Pearce: Shakespeare, and most of his family, were courageous "Requisants" during the bloody reign of Henry VIII. "Shakespeare lived at a time when the practice of Catholicism was illegal. In 1534, King Henry VIII had declared that he and his successors would lead a statecontrolled church and that only this state-imposed religion would be tolerated. Priests were tortured and put to death, as were those who tried to hide them..." Yet Shakespeare practiced his faith in secret during his lifetime.

What angers me most about your energetic defense of Buttigieg's outrageous "marriage" parody is just that he actually seeks respect while mocking sacred matrimony. I find it amazing that while less than two percent of the nation's population claims the status of some form of make-believe deviant sexual anomaly, the other 98-percent of normal Americans have been cowed into believing the 2-percent is entitled to novel extra-Constitutional rights and privileges, which earlier in our history would have had them burned or tarred and feathered. This judicial corruption has happened in just the last 50-years of our 240-year history. This Constitutional tragedy can be attributed to the dark work of the Liberal Left through the Supreme Court. Again, the Liberal penumbras have provided camouflage during this demise. If sodomy is to be honored in America, why not bestiality? America from its birth was infused with the spirit of Judeo-Christian faith. Though weakened by a recent depraved secular surge, our country's strength still lies entirely in its religious roots.

Buttigieg's onstage presence with "husband" seeks to cut those roots. It's up to traditional Christians to stop him.

Your letter ends: "I think God can probably handle the soul of his child, Mayor Pete of Indiana."

That's what worries me, Kelly. We are informed that the souls of many of His children are lost. Every conceivable power was afforded him this Easter Sunday, but attempting to popularize sodomy will cause him to miss the boat. Mayor Pete is a leader - like the Pied Piper, he's leading our children away from Christianity - he's leading with the most defiant challenge in all creative history - "Non serviam!" - Lucifer's "I will not serve!" Which instantly brought the battle cry of St. Michael the Archangel: "Who is like unto God?!" Answer - no one!

Which is where it all began, and where Mayor Pete would have it all end. Let's not go there.

***

To the Editor:
The reason I am writing this letter is your April 17, 2019, comment on presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa undergraduate of Harvard, first-class honors in philosophy, politics and economics from Pembroke College, Oxford (Rhodes scholar), speaks 8 languages including English (Norwegian self-taught), Afghanistan veteran, 37-year old mayor of South Bend, IN for the last eight years. Religious and married. Whom God made gay. You do know that there is significant historical evidence that Aristotle, Socrates, Shakespeare, DaVinci, Michelangelo, and thousands of other remarkable human beings, including likely Abraham Lincoln, were homosexual or bi-sexual? Does this make them any less great?

It’s no one’s right to chastise you for your objection to the fact that Mayor Pete is gay, though your reaction to it seems extreme. It is just one aspect of a life lived well so far, a life of achievement, one devoted to public service and a willingness to serve further. True, Mayor Pete is not out there paying off porn stars, or separating children from their parents, or making the rich richer, or calling the Fourth Estate "enemies of the people,"or making up juvenile names for elected officials, or threatening our small farmers with bankruptcy under tariffs. No, Mayor Pete is offering for our consideration another way of looking at our country’s future. He appears to be resurrecting the Middle-America Social Justice Movement of the early 20th century. He may not be elected president, but his voice is worthwhile.

Close your eyes when he kisses his husband, Martin, if love offends you. And if you are troubled by the fact that he sees himself as the “wife” in the relationship, perhaps he just honestly thinks he’s the stronger partner. I’m not sure why it should matter to you. I think God can probably handle the soul of his child, Mayor Pete of Indiana.

Kelly Scoles,
Fillmore

One of the world's most majestic religious monuments, Notre Dame Cathedral, was almost completely lost to fire. Thankfully, most of the structure can be restored, and its famous rose windows were spared.

Many churches in France are dedicated to Mary the mother of Jesus, and it is particularly sad to lose the Cathedral a few days before Easter Sunday, when hundreds of thousands of Catholics and others planned to attend Mass there, as during the previous 850 years.

It's difficult to understand how work on the building's steeple, involving some sort of burning device, would be undertaken without essential fire-fighting equipment on site. Many questions remain as to the cause of the fire. Bottom line, French workmen didn't value the structure sufficiently to provide for such emergencies. I'm sure they cared, but not enough. Had a large bag of jewels been kept in a box at the middle of the Cathedral, I'm sure it would have been better guarded. But with this unique French jewel the country became careless.

A wrought-copper rooster topped the Cathedral's spire as an historic symbol of France. "The origins of the Gallic Rooster or cockerel became an emblem of France in the Middle-Ages due to the homonymy of the Latin words gallus (cock, rooster) and Gallus (the inhabitants of Gaul)". It was battered during the spire's fiery collapse, but is salvageable.
"However it is the role that the rooster played in the Passion of Jesus-Christ that was retained by medieval France. This symbol of vigilance was indeed mentioned in Matthew 26:34,73-74:"
Copyright © French Moments Ltd.

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As Christians around the world gather to celebrate the death and resurrection of their Lord, Jesus Christ, the Gazette extends its wishes for a happy and holy Easter season, and blessings to all.

******

Tomorrow, Thursday April 17, 2019, the properly redacted report by special counsel Robert S. Mueller will be released. Claims of so-called Russian collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government, by Democrats, etc., are completely discredited. Much to the chagrin of the true conspirators - FBI, CIA, DNC, etc., the report concludes that President Donald Trump is not a traitor to his country.

But discovery of the real traitors in high office is just being revealed.

******
The photo of Madonna at 60, inaugurating her "comeback of the century" by a lip -to-lip sharing a squared slice of something, makes me sick. She should consult that TV ad for crepey skin.

Beyond that, what really makes me want to vomit is the campaign video of presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg kissing his male "husband" on the lips and beckoning young Americans to be more tolerant of sodomy. Pete proclaims himself to be the "wife" in this twosome.

Pete - you might get a hold of some of those gay Vatican bishops for some hefty financial support.

But don't give up hope - Easter was meant for you as well.

Once again I have to remind the past president of the Fillmore Library Association that the pronunciation of the word "library" is not lie-bary. A library is a place we find books. A lie-bary is a prevaricating fruit.

****
Members of the Democrat Party are prime examples of prevaricators, but I just call them liars, which has nothing to do with libraries.

Lies come in various sizes, from white lies, to mega whoppers. We can find mega whoppers bouncing around on the U.S. Senate floor; even more plentiful in the House of Representatives because it has many more mythomaniacs, or as social scientists sometimes define the problem, pseudologia fantastica. Virtually all Democrat office holders suffer from pseudologia fantastica. Just look at this pair.

Well, enough said. When you go to vote shun these folks, because, as the Russia-Collusion case begins to shed the light of truth, we should remember all of the mega whoppers the Dems have fed us for the past two years in order to take President Trump out. The truth here is we are now witnessing a rare and massive, prima facie case of treason by coup d'état. Let's see if our judicial system still works as designed, to punish these Deep State Democrats.

Bullying of students by other students has been a problem as long as schools have existed. And it's a problem in Fillmore schools today. I'm sure the Greeks and Romans had the same problem, but probably had less sympathy for the victims.

I'm convinced that since our Supreme Court is determined to ban the teaching of Judeo-Christian virtues (even as non-denominational values) our children have become more paganized. That is, they don't value other persons' rights. We've become essentially a "me first" society.

With the millions of suggestions proffered to fix this issue it seems almost humorous for me to add anything more. I'll just say that schools at every level were far better ordered, and rules respected, when those of my generation were educated. Of course, never perfect, but vastly better.

Today many students, particularly in middle school ages, show very little respect for authority (teachers) and boldly obstruct classroom order. These students should be quickly identified, truly disciplined, and if this doesn't work, expelled for the health and safety of normally behaving students.

Victimized students fear the bully, but the bully has no fear of authority. One has to go.

******

KB Homes is moving dirt at last to build-out housing sited immediately south of Central Avenue and River Street. I will prophesy here, that in two years River Street and its immediate surroundings will have unmanageable traffic. It's bad now, but just wait. Far too many housing units with insufficient parking. We will rue the day we permitted so many 3-story units. These kinds of mistakes can plague us for 100 years.

Furthermore, (while I have my Johnny Carson's Carnac the Magnificant's hat on) I worry about how far development has extended into the Santa Clara River. During my 30 years in Fillmore I have witnessed shore to shore flooding, with whitecaps, down that river. I have always respected the expert advice of the late Clarence Freeman, highly distinguished hydrologist, who warned against much of the work then being planned near the River.

******

As the Deep State conspiracy now quickly unfolds, identifying criminal conduct of the Obama White House, through the Department of Justice, the FBI, CIA, NSA, etc. to subvert the 2016 election, grim-faced losers like Jerrold Nadler (House Chairman of Judiciary Committee) demand immediate release of the complete Mueller report. These criminally complicit Democrats, responsible for the 2-year Mueller investigation, which has exposed their own fraudulent Russian collusion, are about to be nabbed. Terror of exposure drives their anti-Trump activity now. Let's see how this greatest of treasonous conspiracies to achieve the upset of the 2016 election is handled.

I really had to laugh at the photo of Rachel Maddow at the top of DRUDGE this morning. She hosts the Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC, and has been one of the most outspoken Never Trump commentators. Her photo shows her staring blankly at the camera, with a bewildered expression. The caption reads "What now?". We might remember the triumphal moment she had years ago when she waved a single page of Trump's tax returns. How things have changed since Attorney General William Barr's memo to Congress about the conclusions of the Mueller Report. She has lost a half million viewers since the country finally discovered that she had been feeding her audience and endless stream of lies and scurrilous wishful thinking about President Trump, as has ABC, CBS, NBC, and virtually every liberal "news" outlet - for nearly three years!

It's a sad and scary thing to discover so much treachery in American political culture today. Who can we trust? The highest positions of government have betrayed the people. The FBI, CIA, NSA, Justice Department, Democrat Party, and 90 percent of the media, have been caught in an audacious attempted Coup d'état to defeat Donald Trump as a candidate, and later to remove him from office and inaugurate Hillary Clinton.

This is an historical series of treasonable actions by a large group, suffering similar mental disorders, who conspired to upset the 2016 election. I do not mean this as hyperbole. I'm not exaggerating. We are dealing with a sort of mass hysteria (fear of Trump) never before witnessed in American political history. It's like a psychotic riot, a continuous mental conflict among Liberals, Leftists, and otherwise mentally unstable people who can't face reality.

A recent example of this sick mind-set can be seen (video)in the behavior of a lady who had to be removed from a plane before departure. She had a seat next to a man wearing a Trump hat. Her reaction to him was hysterical, and threatening. Discovering her seatmate was conservative, her verbal attack included asking the Trump supporter if he believed in gravity, or global warming. Like Liberals today, she was psychologically unhinged.

This whole mental thing afflicts every hopeful Democrat lining up to run for President. They are all goofy. But goofy inexperience is not what America needs today. We need the steady, determined actions of an unflappable man like Donald Trump to run the country.

The Catholic Church continues to bleed from the thousand cuts inflicted upon her one billion-plus faithful members by its corrupt cardinals, bishops and priests. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the tens of thousands of faithful, devoted priests, nuns, and a handful of bishops and cardinals, for what must feel like a thankless effort at times. They should be reassured that their fidelity to the faith is, however, never unappreciated. They are the heroes in this worldwide war against apostasy and the diabolical Leftist surge to form a global "Christian" church.

I recently viewed a video of a bevy of Catholic bishops participating in the recent Vatican summit on the clerical sexual abuse of children. I must confess (I'm a Catholic myself) that I wished that group of purple hats had been instructed as follows. "Would all prelates present in this room please pass, single file, through the door to your right. Thereafter, you will encounter a large room full of polygraph stations with technicians. You will each comply with instructions, beginning with a sacred oath to give the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God.

The single question to be answered is: "Have you ever sexually abused a child, or seminarian, sought to conceal such activity by others, during the years following your consecration into Holy Orders as a priest? Mental reservations are strictly prohibited under the oath. Those of you found to have lied under oath will be immediately excommunicated; you may turn in your purple hats at the cloakroom upon departure.”

I know that this imagined procedure would be both legally and sacramentally invalid. But it satisfies my personal hope for justice. The problem is huge because nothing has been done for generations to flush, scour, and dredge-out the Vatican's own stinking deep state. That deep state functions very much like our Congressional deep state. The great distinction, however, is that while Washington deals with secular wickedness, the Vatican, particularly under Pope Francis, deals with a much more deadly spiritual wickedness, with eternal souls, and laws making no exceptions.

This is a problem which affects everyone, somehow, world-wide. Australian Cardinal George Pell was recently sentenced to six years in prison by a Melbourne court, for crimes against children. The court in the southeastern French city of Lyon found another Bishop guilty of failing to report allegations that a priest, Bernard Preynat, had abused young men. The law is catching up, but the list of offenders is long. Many found it odd that the name of former Archbishop (now Mr.) McCarrick, dismissed from the priesthood recently, following his conviction for sexual abuse of minors, was not even mentioned during the Pope's recent synod.

The central problem with the Vatican today is that it has allowed itself to be infested with pedophiles, and homosexuals at the highest levels. While these people may receive some protection and sympathy in civil society, in the church, where death, judgment, Heaven or Hell determine that these states are fatally sinful, these individuals and their practices are anathema. All of the Supreme Court decisions in the world which might claim to find them tolerable are meaningless and powerless. In the Catholic Church, and most other Christian churches, this conclusion is Commanded.

Bottom line: The cause of massive sexual assaults against young men (89 percent) and children (11 percent) within the Church today is documented: “The plague of the homosexual agenda has been spread within the Church,” said the two cardinals, [Walter Brandmüller and Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke] “promoted by organized networks and protected by a climate of complicity and a conspiracy of silence.”

It's time for many Catholic prelates to be Laicized - and for Francis to step down.

Yeah, I know, that may sound very un-Christian to some. But, how else can young men and women be protected against these vicious predators?

I look at our new, $9-million, County of Ventura fire station nearly every day and wonder what has caused the one-year delay in its completion. It has been impossible to contact the project supervisor. I'm told that a prime contractor was unable to complete performance. Is there no cure for this? It sat idle during the entire fire season when it could have saved some of those thousands of homes that were destroyed. Concrete work remains unfinished, and only half of adjacent C Street was paved, ignoring serious cracks and erosion on the other half.

This is about as beautiful a fire house as you can imagine. It has to be at least 90-percent finished. Maybe arrangements can be made for paid tours?

It's more than a year late!

******

As pigs are delivered to slaughterhouse, activists offer water and comfort to the doomed...

I didn't need much more evidence to understand how vile and heartless our culture has become during my long life, but it was provided anyway with the above headline from DRUDGE. Gustavo Arellano did his job well for the Los Angeles Times today. His was no fake news - I have to commend him for giving us just the facts. He found expressions of sympathy and comfort for swine at the slaughterhouse, shortly before they were to be slaughtered.

"Baby boomers and millennials, black-clad anarchists and Patagonia-sporting Westsiders pushed water bottles through the trailer’s grates to the startled hogs. People with pump-action sprayers splashed the upper deck. Two men lighted everyone with floodlights as others recorded the action, took photos or offered gentle massages to doomed 250-pound Yorkshires." "The pigs lapped up the water and offered satisfied grunts. “Good baby!” said a woman to one as it suckled on a bottle. “All for baby!”

"These protests — or “vigils” as organizers call them — have occurred every Sunday and Wednesday night since early 2017. Advertised by word of mouth and on social media, they regularly draw 50 to 100 people..."

Meanwhile, back at the clinic:

Providing comfort for mammals about to be slaughtered is popular these days, whether at the hog slaughterhouse or the neonatal clinic. Virginia Gov. Northam, a Democrat, tells us that if a child is born after a failed attempt at abortion, “the infant would be resuscitated (and "made comfortable") if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother” (as to whether the newborn infant should have his or her spinal cord severed). The important thing here is comfort for the newborn before a life or death decision is made.

Today in America there is little difference between the handling of aborted humans and processing pork. Here's someone who can verify this fact: Former Abortionist Dr. Levatino at Virginia Tech studentsforlife.

So, don't pity the pigs, they were created as food to feed humans. But do feel some sympathy for newborn infants who will be slaughtered, not for food, but for their valuable body parts, or perhaps for bizarre scientific experiments like grafting body parts to mice.

America, how vile and degenerate you have become. I no longer recognize the beautiful Judeo-Christian culture I was born into 80-years ago.

I'm thinking maybe I should not have gotten so deeply involved in answering a letter last week. It's not that I don't appreciate and thoroughly enjoy challenges like that, but, in this case I'm afraid I've unintentionally scandalized some very good people - members of my own church.

For those who may hate the Catholic Church, or wish to avoid news of its current crisis, please turn the page.

However, despite the fact this is not a religious newspaper, last week's letter prompted me to comment on what is already the biggest scandal in Catholic Church history - bigger even than the fourth century Arian heresy. Bigger because while Aryanism involved mostly a single heresy, the recent conflict in the church involves many. It effects far more than the one billion, four hundred million Catholics in the world today (2016 count).

"Cardinal Raymond Burke and Cardinal Walter Brandmüller have written an open letter to the presidents of bishops’ conferences attending this week’s Vatican summit on clerical sex abuse, calling on them to end their silence and return to upholding the divine and natural law." Letter (released February 19, 2019).

“A decisive act now is urgent and necessary,” the cardinals say, and call for an end to the “plague of the homosexual agenda in the Church, organized networks of protection, and a climate of complicity and a conspiracy of silence.” (Letter of February 19, 2019).

World opinion today has retreated from historical, traditional Judeo-Christian ethics. Despite the horrendous damage that has been inflicted upon countless thousands of innocent children and young adults by sexual predators, pedophiles and aggressive homosexuals, we hear mostly sympathetic news of their activities. More than 80 percent of victims of this abuse are 15-years old or older. Even the law has been defensively twisted in favor of these groups, and supported by many of society's richest people who fly the world in search of their prey.

The facts finally being exposed are frightening. The Pope has surrounded himself with pedophiles and homosexuals, Cardinals and bishops, who have preyed upon children and others for decades. “The even public denial, by words and by acts, of the divine and natural law, is at the root of the evil that corrupts certain circles in the Church,” the cardinals continue. But “in the face of this situation, cardinals and bishops are silent,” they observe, and ask the Pope and bishops if they, too, will be silent during the Feb. 21-24 Vatican summit (which they were). The public disgrace of former-Cardinal McCarrick is what sprung this casket of stinking spiritual liability. But, his name was not even mentioned during this summit.

The central issue here focuses on the legitimacy of Pope Francis' election to the Papal chair. He is immediately complicit with the shielding of many members of this homosexual-pedophile gang. Most recent statistics reveal that nearly 90 percent of these sexual crimes are perpetrated by homosexual prelates and other members of the clergy. The problem goes back for decades, (McCarrick was a sexual predator for 50 years) and he propagated untold hundreds of eager sexual predators during that time. There is also an incredible Soviet Union connection which began shortly after WWII, which infiltrated sexual predators into the clergy for the purpose of destroying the Church from the inside. These facts are incontrovertible. A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Pope Francis has just appointed Cardinal Kevin Farrell to be the camerlengo, the person responsible for administering the Vatican conclave when the pontiff dies.

While not accused of sexual improprieties, Cardinal Farrell (no relation) lived with Cardinal McCarrick for 6 years. He states, during that time he never heard a word about McCarrick's crimes. This, and the fact that the Pope has already appointed nearly half of the bishops who will elect the next Pope, makes it probable the silence about sexual abuse will continue.

At the present time, the Catholic Church is set for another historic schism, and Pope Francis is the wedge. Cardinals Burke and Brandmüller are heroes here, and undeserving of the isolation and abuse from the protected group around Francis.

Just a note on the subject of this column. The sexual predators here have always been dogmatically condemned by the Church. What society thinks is irrelevant.

A Response to a letter from Kelly Scoles

[My apologies to our non-Catholic readers for this religious screed. I just had to answer this letter.]

Hello Kelly,

Beware that "pesky curiosity". Remember, it did that cat no good.

Do you think I pontificate too much? I am also a graduate of Catholic grade school, high school, and university (when USF still had a whiff of traditional Jesuit presence.) Since this discussion involves the Vatican (political structure) more than the faith itself, we're talking about the pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, religious (sisters and brothers - the clergy) and laity. This is ancient hierarchy that has "recently" disappeared.

I have not, as you claim, been silent on Church affairs. I have always had a keen interest in religious issues. But, as I've said, this is not a religious paper. I have nevertheless constantly voiced my strong objection to America's pro-abortion license, and have been actively Prolife since Roe v. Wade in 1973, many millions of souls ago. My conscience and ethics have been primarily informed by the Church for 80 years. I condemned Cardinal Mahony for being a heretic, apostate, and schismatic, (which status automatically excommunicates) without judicial pronouncements. His outrageous protection of pedophiles over the years merits harsh condemnation. I recall meeting him one day when he landed his small Bell helicopter in Fillmore's St. Francis Church parking lot. He was an arrogant Modernist then, with a pilot's license. Today he seems to have disappeared under comfortable prelate penumbras. I would have no trouble writing a tome on the sins of the archdiocese, but this is neither the time nor the place. Money, since the time of Judas, has been a persistent inducement to Church corruptions - for that matter, of all the churches.

If, as you claim, Pope Francis "appears to be trying to shed a light on the failures and excesses of the Church, etc.", he's using a mighty small bulb. I don't understand your allusion to disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. After Francis rescued McCarrick from Pope Benedict XV1's "Devil's Island-type” punishment, he provided a plumb Vatican job for him - only later did he have to kick McCarrick out of the nest completely. The stench of scandal got to be too much even for Francis' nostrils. Who can argue with the conclusion that McCarrick was an evil prelate regularly promoted through the ranks for two generations by other equally evil prelates who had lost their faith?

You seem to be a Modernist, Kelly, as all the "Novus Ordo" folks are today. For you, apparently, this "modern era" is all about social justice, climate change, people-centered sing-alongs, green proposals, clown Masses, etc. Some good stuff there (minus the clowns), but the traditional Catholic Church is, and always has been, entirely Christ-centered, in the pursuit of individual salvation, calling to others for the same. This is the crux (Modernism) of the present, bitter conflict between traditionalist Catholics and Modernist "Novus Ordo" (new Mass) believers. On the one hand many Traditionalists believe Pope Francis, due to his many formal heretical pronouncements concerning dogmatic facts taught by the Church for 2,000 years, is not a valid Pope. Furthermore, his alleged status as a schismatic and apostate, precludes him from a valid election from the start. From a Traditionalist point of view it creates a state of "sedevacantism" or no pope on the Chair of Peter. So, some Traditionalists await a validly elected pope. It's a question (a crisis) of valid authority, and even Modernist bishops no longer obey Pope Francis.

The Catholic Church today has not seen such confusion in many centuries. This conflict was precipitated by the devastating Second Vatican Council which changed dogmatic traditions. There is the Vatican, which is basically political, and the Church itself, which is spiritual and never-changing. Maybe Constantine the Great, Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, is responsible. In 313, he declared religious tolerance for Christianity in the Roman empire (the whole known world at the time). In 325 he called the First council of Nicaea, which gave us the statement of Christian belief known as the Nicene Creed. But he also deeded civil-political power to the Church which it has always been loath to forego. We would be far better off giving-back civil authority (the Vatican is a sovereign country as well as the "Holy See") and returning to pre 313 Catholicism. Those who conspired to initiate Vatican II (Pope John XX111) et al, had a huge New World Order church in mind, all inclusive. They didn't intend to destroy the Church, they wanted to use it, without all that religious stuff. They have been about 80-percent sucessful.

Your final paragraph puzzles me, Kelly. Francis must resign for the above-mentioned reasons. Ironically, however, "Sometimes, you say, he sounds like...a Christian liberal." That may be the beginning of his problems - he's a liberal! He's a liberal doing what religious liberals love to do, ignoring dogma (foundational church law) while coddling heretics, schematics, and criminals, as the bishops are on a lark of their own, creating a New-World church. So the Church is ending-up with a plethora of independent popelets answering only to themselves. "Pope" Francis is a general without troops. The question remains: is there any valid authority remaining in the Catholic Church to correct the monstrous dogmatic errors of Vatican II?

I always enjoy arguing with you, Kelly. But I would appreciate you being more accurate when alleging my beliefs.

Last week’s REALITIES should have been prefaced with a personal note. My criticism of Pope Francis was not an arbitrary condemnation at religion. For those Catholics who might have been offended by my comments, I am, myself, a Roman Catholic from birth. I have not paid sufficient attention to the incredible extent of corruption within the Vatican.

The second Vatican Council destroyed most of 2000-years of sacred tradition and opened the door to much evil and confusion (according to true, pre-Vatican Two members of the Roman Church). This is manifestly true of the Church hierarchy, Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, and laity. As the late, great Malachi Martin stated, “This can be fixed, but it will be difficult”.

So I apologize to those of my fellow Catholics who might have been shocked by my statements; but I have to reaffirm them following much research of the issue. Pope Francis must step down.

I know this is not a religious newspaper, and I don’t intend to make it one. But I have to rejoice in the fact that I enjoy
the full protection of our First Amendment like so many small community papers which existed from the beginning of our republic. Compared to the typical daily paper, I’m truly free. I do not criticize any other religion, with the exception of deadly Sharia law Islam, as a matter of principle.

******

With a half-hour left to write something today, I’ve hit the wall. Glad to hear Trump continues to build the wall; only 6
miles in Texas, but it’s a welcome start. He should take some of the billions taken from El Chapo to finish the work. Would rather see a concrete slab wall than a steel barrier. A person could cut through the steel with an acetylene torch in about 5 minutes.

That new lady Muslim congress person hates Jews, and says so. Is this a surprise? That orientation is commanded by Sharia law. Her pathetic “apology” is an affront to normal thinking people. Hurray for Israel!

I warned Fillmore City Hall many years ago that they were making River Street too narrow. Anyone paying attention could see that new development expected east of Highway 23 would flood River Street with cars and trucks. It will soon be choked for through traffic.

Sorry, that’s all I have this week.

This edition is produced under unusual circumstances. Our printer of many years suddenly quit the business and we have had to make new arrangements.

*******

I have to give 5 stars to President Trump for his magnificent State of the Nation address. These days, the only policy I strongly criticize him for is the sudden withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the Middle East. I can't believe we have not learned our lesson since the disastrous pull-out of Iraq. He is keeping all of his promises, including the building of a wall on our southern border in the face of an onslaught of tens of thousands of illegal invaders. This is a major emergency for the nation and should be declared as such, if citizenship still has some value.

******

America still struggles with the idea that human life has value, at every stage of development. Abortion is again being shown for the horror that it is. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is promoting partial birth abortion (third trimester) as a socially acceptable practice. He wants to have the mothers of Virginia warm to the idea of determining whether to keep their newborn boys or girls, or kill them; of course after a thoughtful discussion with doctor, maybe even the father. However, this decision would only be made after the baby is made "comfortable". My God! - can anything in this world be more beautiful or precious than a newborn infant? Shades of Dr. Josef Mengele and Kermet Gosnell.

This is, again, the war between Judeo-Christian ethics and new world atheism. America's soul is slipping away.

******

To be fair, I would also have to say that the world's soul is also quickly headed for a fiery place. Another explosive outrage is being reported within the Vatican. The immediate responsible party is none other than Pope Francis, who has ignored massive sexual outrages throughout his 5-year pontificate. Francis is using the Catholic Church, through his power in the Vatican, to hide and protect sexual predators from the law. By refusing to identify individuals within the pedophile-homosexual infestation he has nurtured, he is also guilty of their crimes. It is time for this pontiff to step down - in infamy. The popeletts he has spawned in hundreds of fawning bishops should also step down.

I found this AP piece today. I substitute my usual comments for this poignant story on the present state of newspapers because I believe newspapers are still valuable to sustain a healthy community. Newspapers are being killed off by the internet's various electronic productions. Ironically, most websites wouldn't exist long without newspapers that take the photos and cover local news. It's a busy business. There were 8 newspaper web presses in Ventura County when the Gazette was launched in 1989. Today there are none. The Gazette greatly appreciates those readers and advertisers who have supported us over these past 30 years. Without that support we would also quickly fade away.

"Some 1,800 newspapers shut down since 2004, the vast majority of them community weeklies"

NEW YORK (AP) — By DAVID BAUDER

The steady loss of local newspapers and journalists across the country contributes to the nation’s political polarization, a new study has found.

With fewer opportunities to find out about local politicians, citizens are more likely to turn to national sources like cable news and apply their feelings about national politics to people running for the town council or state legislature, according to research published in the Journal of Communication.

The result is much less “split ticket” voting, or people whose ballot includes votes for people of different parties. In 1992, 37 percent of states with Senate races elected a senator from a different party than the presidential candidate the state supported. In 2016, for the first time in a century, no state did that, the study found.

“The voting behavior was more polarized, less likely to include split ticket voting, if a newspaper had died in the community,” said Johanna Dunaway, a communications professor at Texas A&M University, who conducted the research with colleagues from Colorado State and Louisiana State universities.

Researchers reached that conclusion by comparing voting data from 66 communities where newspapers have closed in the past two decades to 77 areas where local newspapers continue to operate, she said.

“We have this loss of engagement at the local level,” she said.

The struggling news industry has seen some 1,800 newspapers shut down since 2004, the vast majority of them community weeklies, said Penelope Muse Abernathy, a University of North Carolina professor who studies the contraction. Many larger daily newspapers that have remained open have effectively become ghosts, with much smaller staffs that are unable to offer the breadth of coverage they once did. About 7,100 newspapers remain.

Researchers are only beginning to measure the public impact of such losses. Among the other findings is less voter participation among news-deprived citizens in “off-year” elections where local offices are decided, Abernathy said. Another study suggested a link to increased government spending in communities where “watchdog” journalists have disappeared, she said.

Dunaway said voters in communities without newspapers are more likely to be influenced by national labels — if they like Republicans like President Donald Trump, for example, that approval will probably extend to Republicans lower on the ballot.

The diminished news sources also alter politicians’ strategies, Dunaway said.

“They have to rely on party ‘brand names’ and are less about ‘how I can do best for my district,’” she said.

NEW YORK (AP) — The steady loss of local newspapers and journalists across the country contributes to the nation’s political polarization, a new study has found.

With fewer opportunities to find out about local politicians, citizens are more likely to turn to national sources like cable news and apply their feelings about national politics to people running for the town council or state legislature, according to research published in the Journal of Communication.

The result is much less “split ticket” voting, or people whose ballot includes votes for people of different parties. In 1992, 37 percent of states with Senate races elected a senator from a different party than the presidential candidate the state supported. In 2016, for the first time in a century, no state did that, the study found.

“The voting behavior was more polarized, less likely to include split ticket voting, if a newspaper had died in the community,” said Johanna Dunaway, a communications professor at Texas A&M University, who conducted the research with colleagues from Colorado State and Louisiana State universities.

Researchers reached that conclusion by comparing voting data from 66 communities where newspapers have closed in the past two decades to 77 areas where local newspapers continue to operate, she said.

“We have this loss of engagement at the local level,” she said.

The struggling news industry has seen some 1,800 newspapers shut down since 2004, the vast majority of them community weeklies, said Penelope Muse Abernathy, a University of North Carolina professor who studies the contraction. Many larger daily newspapers that have remained open have effectively become ghosts, with much smaller staffs that are unable to offer the breadth of coverage they once did. About 7,100 newspapers remain.

Researchers are only beginning to measure the public impact of such losses. Among the other findings is less voter participation among news-deprived citizens in “off-year” elections where local offices are decided, Abernathy said. Another study suggested a link to increased government spending in communities where “watchdog” journalists have disappeared, she said.

Dunaway said voters in communities without newspapers are more likely to be influenced by national labels — if they like Republicans like President Donald Trump, for example, that approval will probably extend to Republicans lower on the ballot.

The diminished news sources also alter politicians’ strategies, Dunaway said.

“They have to rely on party ‘brand names’ and are less about ‘how I can do best for my district,’” she said.

I'm looking at a photo of protestors gathering outside the Catholic diocese of Covington, Ky. Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019.

This was another gathering of mindless liberals, radicals, racists, and a free assortment of sign-waving Democrat bigots. This was a true hate ambush against high school kids. The important thing here is the fact that the kids not only did nothing wrong, they did everything right! They were waiting for a bus after the Pro-Life March. The hate and bigotry came to them, not the other way around. The kids responded courageously in the face of possible physical harm.

However, the diocese in Kentucky lost no time apologizing for the behavior of its high school students who had attended that march near the Lincoln Memorial. Videos had emerged showing students from Covington Catholic High smiling at members of a provocative, racist group calling themselves Hebrew Israelites. Confrontation is their gospel. "Out-of-town protesters were showing up with signs, chanting in the street. And death threats had shut down Covington Catholic High School. No one knew when it would be safe to open again."

A Catholic priest appeared on TV who also apologized for the alleged bad behavior of the students. I'm surprised one of the church's gutless bishops or cardinals didn't jump in as well. Fake News reports flooded the airwaves shaming the kids. Everyone wanted to get into the shoot-first game. Kids are an easy target, and so is the Catholic Church, for journalist hunter-killers.

Only after two days of reflection did the shameless media begin to re-think their defamatory attack, too late to save young reputations and the safety of group members. Sadly, this is the new standard for American journalism. Most of our news sources can no longer be trusted. As an industry it has been almost completely infested with the odious fungus of political bigotry, an irrational epidemic of propaganda. It's all about political power now, sparked in this case by the wearing of Trump hats.

I think Rush Limbaugh got it right in this morning's radio broadcast. In a crude paraphrase of his comments: We see here an example of the new Left's attack on traditional American values. The new Left, exemplified by the Democratic Party, most of our media, virtually all of the Hollywood influence, big government, etc. For the past 50 years America has been robbed of its traditional, Judeo-Christian morals. Everything that was good is now bad. The Left hates, and attempts to destroy, what good remains. Traditional conservative forces are now at war with the Left; it has taken too long to react.

So, white kids are infamously defamed, for their race and attacked for false notions of so-called "white privilege." These assaults come from deep, intense feelings of envy and social instability. These feelings spark violence and so are dangerous. In the case of the "Hebrew Israelites", who support only "God’s chosen ones - black, Hispanic and Native American people" (leaving out a couple billion souls) this envy will inevitably produce violence, demanding a defensive response.

The new liberal ethic has brought American journalism down, where it will probably remain for a generation or two.

Trump is doing what has to be done - but I fear he is 8-years too late.

Thank you Lord for the rain! For those of you who may find it annoying, think of the drought.

******

I think pastors and other group leaders would be wise to accept advise from our national health departments to avoid shaking hands during their gatherings. It's the flu season, and some dangerous bugs threaten serious ailments.

******

I'm not unfamiliar with bad art. I even find some in works by "genius artists" such as Picasso. But there are things such as bad art and there are crafts put together by malicious pretenders with intentional blasphemy in mind. While some religions are set to murder those who dare to blaspheme their religious beliefs, others, Christians in particular, are reluctant to retaliate with any sort of violence. For example, if you happen to be a sharia-believing Muslim, you are commanded to take violent action against anyone responsible for blaspheming the faith. I certainly do not wish to indorse any such extreme reaction. Except for the age of Crusades, Christians are extremely tolerant - I think too tolerant. But we have a duty defend the Church.

I am thinking about the most recent outrage against Christianity, the extraordinary blasphemy of Finnish "artist" Jani Leinonen who is exhibiting his “McJesus” (Jesus Christ rendered as Ronald McDonald fixed to a crucifix). It is being exhibited in Israel's Haifa Museum of Art. Blasphemy at this level, I believe, is Satan-inspired. Had this outrage occurred with Mohammad as the subject, instead of Jesus, it is likely the Museum itself would be destroyed, with dire consequences for the "artist" as well.

A billion and a half Christians around the world worship Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and God, which He is. But God is not mocked. This hideous example of fanatic anti-Christian thought will certainly be avenged, possibly later than sooner, but that is certain.

As for the Museum's responsibility to screen out virulent, violence-intending fake art, it has failed. As a fervent supporter of Israel I vehemently oppose the fact that this piece of trash was accepted into the Museum in the first place. Christianity has been Israel's closest and most generous friend since its foundation in 1948. This blasphemy is therefore also an act of treachery. I am still a strong supporter of Israel, but I'm waiting to see what can be done to remove this piece of trash from the Museum.

Please let's not hear an argument about First Amendment rights. In this case the abomination created by Mr. Leinonen is tantamount to fighting words, in a theater. If a correction will not be made, let the fight begin.

Contrary to popular belief, Christianity if not a pacifist religion.

I'm coming down with a cold; please excuse any thought irregularities.

I really grow tired of writing about negative things, especially because responding to what I see as critical issues, most people are inclined to ignore. What worries me most about America's new political Left (socialism and the New World Order) is that it has become attractive to our new crop of citizens hungry for power. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez typifies the character of new freshmen Democrat House leaders, as does Freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. who scandalized her young son by cursing the president. Both are bold, foul-mouthed liars. So much for these new Dem. socialist-communists; they try to lead the nation downhill. If Rashida talks like a slut, without apology, she must be a slut.

But I would like to address some of the headlines on DRUDGE, to illustrate the nation's alarming state of decline, morally, mentally, and spiritually. Conservatives of sound mind - read them and weep.

"NYC GUARANTEES HEALTHCARE FOR ALL"

Really? For the whole world? The world will come to that call. That's an invitation for state bankruptcy.

"California promises total sanctuary."

Just think of it. Now, California's new Governor, socialist Gavin Newsom, has opened the door to international immigration, without restrictions or regulations. This also opens the rest of the nation to a virtual flood of criminals and terrorists. We will now enjoy the same upheaval that western Europe has, or all of South America for that matter.

"House Budget Chairman lays groundwork for single-payer [healthcare]." This is the biggest effort to socialize our medical care. Well, that's what our new Democrat House does - grow the government as never before.

"Record number of migrant families crossing border."

There are billions in this world's "huddled masses yearning to breathe free", and we sympathize, and have always helped those billions. But there are logical limits to assistance beyond which things fall apart. Let's assist the border crashers where they live. As things stand now, we are under direct attack and our sovereignty is in jeopardy.

"Tuberculosis, flu, infections rampant"

Members of the border siege are bringing diseases to this country that we haven't seen in a hundred years.

"Trump: Emergency declaration coming IF no deal..."

Defending America is the President's highest priority. Democrats in Congress refuse to help him do his job, for mostly PERSONAL reasons. An emergency does in fact exist. Trump has a duty to declare an emergency and build the wall (barrier) to keep us safe.

"'Traditional masculinity" deemed harmful by medical group...."

This declaration has to have been thought-up by a family of eunuchs. It is "traditional masculinity" that has fought, died, and saved America's freedom for nearly 250 years. Why is it today that the most profoundly simple truths have to be explained, and fitted into that nihilist trap, the New World Order? Like it or not, America was created to live under its Judeo-Christian-constitutional laws. Those laws demand that men defend their families and country. It's a part of that eternal Natural Law that liberals hate. Men, it's time to stand up and be counted.

As a famous man once said; That's all there is, there isn't any more.

Happy New Year everyone! Let's all pray for a safe and successful 2019.

I have about 30 minutes to say a few words before going to press so I'm just going to comment on a few things.

The Democrat Party has now taken possession of our House of Representatives. The Party has "distinguished" itself by threatening to continue to attack President Trump in every conceivable way for the next two years, by obstructing legislation, slow-walking the process of government in general, etc. They promise to do this in the face of grave threats to our nation from Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and of course, millions of people trying to crash through our southern border, the wall, and the global disease of Islamic Sharia dreamers.

President Trump has had extraordinary success in many important areas of government, especially in the revival of our national defense.

All of these challenges should be on the front burner at this time - which makes it a very crowded hot spot, but Dems are focused on destroying our President.

Let's just take our national defense for example.

Russia (Putin) has bragged for several years now about his ultimate weapon, something capable of "wiping-out the entire US Naval force in a few hours or so." He demonstrated this capability against one of our multi-billion dollar atomic destroyers in the Black Sea a few years ago, by utterly paralyzing the ship's electronic systems. It had to be towed back to port. This was accomplished by a simple fly-around of the ship by a single Russian war plane. Making a long story short, from a non-scientist like me, Russia developed (during the cold war) and produced and supplied this Electromagnetic Pulse weaponry to all levels of its military. It is no longer necessary for an enemy to explode a nuclear weapon 150 miles above to US to wipe-out our entire electric grid. The weapon has been miniaturized.

These weapons are derivatives of ideas from Nicholas Tesla who claimed a "cheap as dirt" new energy, which was passed over by American industry because they could not make money from it. Anyway, check out scalar energy, a new, unique energy force capable of wiping out a billion people and all of their earthly belongings in a matter of seconds.

Hate to leave you hanging there, but please do a search on scalar energy and its military uses. The Russians have it - America does not. Again, the United States of America has no defense against these new energy weapons.

Maybe it would be a good idea to stop attacking our President and begin constructing a defense against these new scalar weapons. That might assure a Happy New Year.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. We've certainly have had beautiful weather as we approach the new year.

*******

Like many people I have been disappointed with our president's behavior during his first two years in office from time to time. I still strongly support him, but three recent decisions deserve equally strong condemnation.

His decision to withdraw from Syria and Afghanistan really shocked me - the loss of General Mattis was the third. This (Afghanistan and Syria withdrawal) was an abrupt decision, against the advice of his most experienced military advisors, which precipitated the resignation of his Secretary of Defense, James Mattis. This move leaves our most faithful military friends, the Kurds, at the mercy of Turkey and its Muslim turncoat leader, Recelp Erdogan.

As I type-out these words Erdogan is massing his tanks and troops in preparation for an attack on the Kurds, to wipe them out. We are leaving them hanging as we did South Vietnam troops before abandoning them in that war. Again, the vacuum we create by withdrawing from Syria will be quickly filled by the disease of Sharia law terrorists.

The same will happen in Afghanistan. It makes far more sense to maintain a very small and powerful base in both nations to secure what we have achieved by such a tremendous expenditure of blood and treasure, than to throw it all away. All of our most dangerous enemies will gain substantially from this foolish decision. When I first heard of the president's decision here I thought he had lost his mind. That's how serious a mistake he is making. Which of our allies can trust our president's national and international defensive strategic thinking now?

I have learned, a short time ago, of the death of Joseph Kern. Joe was a long time friend and indispensable advocate for the Fillmore Gazette. Without his assistance over the years, and his generous nature, this newspaper would have disappeared long ago.

I will have more time next week to expound on Joe's helpful presence for more than 30 years.

My condolences to Mrs. Lynda Kern and the entire family.

Rest in peace Joe, you were a friend indeed, which I will never forget.

******

After learning of the passing of such a friend I don't feel much like discussing politics. I would, however, comment on the last Fillmore City Council election. I find it alarming that the Democrat Party is now helping to determine Fillmore's city government. It's bad enough having to deal with federal Democrats shredding the fabric of our democracy. Now it appears that local Democrats are obstructing the natural, historical way residents of Fillmore chose their Council members. The word Democrat (large D) has taken on a new meaning for me since the 2016 election, it now simply means underhanded obstruction. Now, as never before, we have to consider the political party each Council member belongs to. Edmonds is quoted as saying: “It’s a nonpartisan race, but I am a strong Democrat”. I wish that were still true, but, obviously, future races will never again be "nonpartisan," because "Party" is where the money is. Fillmore's political races are no longer local.

Of course our system is still democratic (small d) it will just be less local and congenial. For example, we will be asking if the candidate is a Never-Trumper, or a Hillary supporter. What could be more divisive?

However, warm thanks to Carrie Broggie for her fine performance on the Council, and congratulations to Diane McCall for winning a second term. I also congratulate and welcome Lynn Edmonds to our Council and wish her the very best.