Grieving the Death of the Republic

Posted on by charliej373

By Charlie Johnston

Before honest people can work together effectively on the way forward for Western Civilization, they have to work through their grief over the death of the American Republic. The late Elisabeth Kubler-Ross proposed the Five Stages of Grief people go through in dealing with the catastrophic loss of a loved one.

For people my age (67) and near, the loss is grievous and painful. We have a living memory of a world where backyard barbecues, community picnics, homecoming bonfires and church socials were the norm. In the circle of friends we hung out with there were multiple ethnicities and political beliefs, all united by the quest for beer, girls and food. We would actually show our affection by poking fun at each other’s ethnic foibles. We would laugh and bond whether we were the targeters or the targeted. If, as a kid, we were in trouble, we could stop at almost any house and get help (and a call to our parents). It was a glorious world where Democrats, Republicans and libertarian oddballs shared a love of God (or at least of Judeo-Christian precepts of what the good is). At elections, you fought the good fight and either won or lost – but were pretty sure you got a fair count…and so moved on to the next. Democrats would appoint some of their Republican buddies to various commissions and vice versa – because regardless of your political affiliation, everyone wanted to make their towns better for all. Both Democrats and Republicans would be horrified at hometown corruption and would react in united anger against any assault on a person’s rights under the Constitution. Losing all that is like losing a close member of the family – and so is the grief that comes with it.

For people around 40 or under, the loss is muted, but still real. It is like losing a grandpa or favored aunt; someone you knew and liked but didn’t see all the time. For people under 30, there is not much of a sense of loss – only the nostalgic tug of family members you never knew but heard a lot about. You wonder why it is not like that anymore – and your sense of what is and is not normal is badly warped. I have discovered a lot of quiet rage among normal young people that our generation did not preserve for them what was bequeathed to us. I can’t argue with them on that point.

Like many entrepreneurs who have gone bankrupt, we cannot recover what we lost, no matter how nostalgic we are for it. (Alert – the content of the link is solid; the title of the website is offensive). We can only build anew. Before that can begin, we must go through the five stages of grief for what was lost.

  • Denial: Into this category put all those who argue that if we work harder and organize better we can win the next election cycle. The problem is that we are not being beaten; we are being cheated out of the victories we earn. You don’t win your way out of a crooked poker game by betting more. It is senseless to expect to win under honest rules that are dead and buried.
  • Anger: There is plenty of that. Many people spend almost all their time collecting new outrages. To what end? I don’t need more evidence to convince me that modern society is utterly corrupted. When do we start lighting the candles of ordered liberty under God?
  • Bargaining: In this category put all who say, “If everyone would just…” Everyone won’t just. The godless left is not interested in a just or good society. They are only interested in how to game the system to hold and expand power. The abandonment of God has left people bereft of meaning. So, they try to fill the hole that is left with a mad quest for power. Also in this category are those who restlessly cite the Constitution and obscure statutes as dispositive. A working constitution is a visible sign of the reality of an invisible social unity. When that unity is gone, that constitution is a mere piece of paper. Liberty will not be regained by shaking paper at the vandals.
  • Depression: These are the folks who simply grieve and believe that all is lost. They believe the vandals have won and that is all there is to it. The only thing to do is sit back and wait for God to clean up the mess we have made or die. Sadly, the devil traps many into this stage – sometimes by deluding themselves into thinking they have the most hope because they count on God to do everything and, so, won’t do anything. The global collapse of Godly culture will, indeed, require divine intervention to rise again, but God requires we faithfully do the little we can while trusting Him to cover what we can’t. We must row our little boat that He might steer us to renewal.
  • Acceptance: This is the healthy stage when we can begin to act. When we accept that what we loved and now pine for is truly gone, that we cannot use old methods of engagement when the vandals among us who have seized power have intentionally stripped the gears of honest engagement, we can begin to work to build anew. Just as we can take inspiration from beloved elders who have passed to refine our own character, so we can take inspiration from the noble examples of a world gone by to build anew. But both those elders and that world are gone – so it is up to us to stake out the contours of a new world, of Western Civilization born again, with a solid commitment to love of God, demonstrated through love of our neighbor and defense of all against the depredations of those whose only meaning is to be found in the shrieking, but ultimately doomed, quest for raw power.

Now is the time of choosing. We must choose who we will serve. As Bob Dylan memorably said, everybody must serve somebody, whether it be the devil or the Lord. We don’t serve by sitting in our easy chair waiting for the Master to serve us. Give the acolytes of the devil their due: they know that they must prowl about like their dark master seeking whom they may devour to secure their pointless power. When people of faith match the devil’s imps’ work ethic, the devil’s time will be up.

*********

The 2006 election cycle was a memorable one for me. Working in a command position in two campaigns I spent a lot of time in Washington working with the Republican high command. It was memorable because I mark it as the time I completely gave up on the idea that there could be any political solution to our civic dysfunction. Sitting in the Capitol Hill Club (the Republican clubhouse in D.C.) I was appalled that the big fantasy of GOP bigwigs – including those who gave fervent lip service to traditional values – was that we could set aside the cultural issues for a few cycles in order to solve the economic issues. I was adamant that the economic issues could never be solved until we had vigorously solved the cultural issues. I was regarded as a solid and original strategist so I was not shunned for this political heresy. Rather, I was treated as a solid, valuable guy who had this charming, naïve quirk that was neither to be challenged nor taken seriously. I realized that, while faith was treated with hostility by the left, it was treated with indifference (and scarcely concealed contempt) by the right. Both sides are united by the conviction that they are the masters of the universe – and the right is glad to indulge its faithful country cousins to solidify its coalition, but never to take them seriously.

Understand that most conservative leaders do NOT share our vision of what the good is. Their alliance with us is a matter of convenience rather than conviction. GOP megadonor Peter Thiel has announced his intention not to fund any candidates in the 2024 cycle because he is not happy with Republicans’ fighting abortion, transgender and other cultural issues instead of just focusing on economic issues. Republican candidates are going to have to choose whether they will really lead on the social issues, issues which animate the most active people in the base, or just give them lip service in order to secure money from the donor class. They will have to choose who they will serve, God or Mammon. (Mammon, by the way, does not just mean money. It means the things of this world.) I am not optimistic about what they will choose.

Already, Donald Trump Jr. has argued we should back off of any boycott of Budweiser because it donates to Republicans. Both former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley have sided with Disney, the most public grooming organization in the world. Trump has backed off of his once comprehensive pro-life position. I will always be grateful for the magnificent term Trump gave us, but he is sounding more swampy by the minute to me.

The conservative establishment is quietly, but effectively, looking to purge itself of any serious Christian influence while trying to calibrate just how much lip service it must give to people of faith to effectively harvest their votes. The left is completely insane on economic, social and foreign policy. The right is partly rational on economic policy, eager to surrender on social policy, and schizophrenic on foreign policy. The truth is that we no longer have debates on policy: we are engaged in a spiritual and cultural battle of good versus evil. That the right is not as vicious and violent as the left does not make them people I am interested in making common cause with in the great battle before us. They are allies of convenience sometimes, but they are not our leaders – and most will gladly knife us if the donor class demands it. This truly is the hour of the ordinary man. Our leaders will come from those who will accept power for a time to secure ordered liberty under God, but not from those who seek power as the source of meaning in their lives. God is giving us an opportunity to choose Him. To do so is to choose life, to choose peace, to choose prosperity. He is showing us, with ever starker clarity, what is at stake. And now the time has come where all must choose or perish. We cannot have God when our hearts are set upon Mammon.

*********

It is that time again. CORAC has an ambitious agenda this year, with no little urgency to get it done. We are focused on drilling down to the local level with Go Forth Teams to work together to make their communities stronger and more connected. I am working on means of alternative currencies that local and regional groups can effectively create to build an economy when the old economy collapses. We have built teams to help with health and wellness, education, communications, prayer, crisis scenarios, sustainability and more. We depend on your donations to keep it moving – and we expect great growth this year. Actually, as society continues to deteriorate, we are going to have to deal with a great flood of people, awakened at last, to help them cooperate and collaborate with each other to build the City of God. We need more printed materials, more staff to guide the movement into deeper local efforts, and easy accessibility to critical resources on how to function when society doesn’t anymore. I’ll be blunt with you: I work quietly with many officials on how to prepare to deal with societal collapse in effective ways that will help people to thrive while not degenerating into violence. This takes massive time and effort – which I am capable of. Thanks be to God, we have a large core of committed people donating their substantial talents and great sacrifices of time to build now, even as the old is falling. But we have to depend on you to keep us funded and growing. Yeah, I know, when it all falls apart the money won’t mean much. But it does now – and helps us to prepare to cushion the fall for our members and for all people of good will. When it falls apart, I have plans. Some will fail, some will work, but we will continue to build with the resources God gives in the moment. At this moment, we need your money to keep building. Please donate generously to CORAC. Think of it as the most important insurance policy you ever took out. And if you have not yet donated your time and talent, get kicking with that, too. We do not charge for any of the resources we offer. Just today, I am facilitating getting Ivermectin to some people who need it. We are only able to do this because of your continued generosity and support. Thank you and God bless you.

 

If communication goes out for any length of time, meet outside your local Church at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings. Tell friends at Church now in case you can’t then. CORAC teams will be out looking for people to gather in and work with.

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53 thoughts on “Grieving the Death of the Republic”

  1. 100% agree with your assessments, Charlie, and it didn’t happen overnight. It’s been downhill for a long, long time. Because God is doing so many things new, I aim to live the Era of Peace in my heart and pray for any barriers within (that would prevent the reception of what He brings) to be melted away in the focus on taking TNRSs in whatever He asks and to wherever He calls.

    Liked by 8 people

  3. As you said, cash will be worthless (worth less/) soon, so I was thinking of divesting my paltry cash to those charities to drill wells in Africa or build homes in the Caribbean. Maybe another dollar to Corac. They will use the money NOW to do good, and the communities they help should be better able to survive. Anyone think this is wise?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Mercy, Nance. Just “maybe” donate to CORAC? Only a dollar? I know you to be a person with a lotta’ heart who does great good. I’m just shaking my head a bit at this comment after Charlie’s heartfelt plea to seek support for the good works of CORAC.

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Nance,
      I don’t have any money to lose.
      I’ve lived hand-to-mouth my whole life and God has seen to it I’ve needed nothing beyond what I needed at the moment I needed it. I’m self employed and when I get a big job that has a large payout the money always seems to be needed somewhere. It’s mostly the kids, other family members, etc. Nowadays I just ask myself :”I wonder what big event is going to happen after this job?”
      My go-to prayer these days is “God, you take care of me and I’ll take care of the rest”. Thing is, He’s been doing this for decades and I’m just now starting to recognise it! My “prayer of doing” is to be doing my job all the time but not “getting ahead” as the world would consider it.
      Life is funny that way. We skate along doing God’s will and then one day we actually WANT to. It’s a good feeling to be online with it though instead of just being unconsciously pushed along by grace.
      Unprofitable servant I am!
      I can’t help but trust in the future since I have been carried along for so long now by God’s hands I’d be foolish not to. If I come to need anything, I expect I’ll be supplied with it wether it be $$, grace or the like.
      And so…Jesus, I Trust in You.

      Liked by 5 people

  4. Ah, Charley…
    …patting the dirt on the grave, wiping away my tears…let’s roll.
    I am all in.
    Going to do my little part and encourage my partners to gather. It’s the time of the Hobbits for us, for we are small, agrarian and motivated to take the next right step.
    Love & God bless you all, katey in OR ✝️🙏🏽💙

    Liked by 5 people

  5. Great piece Charlie!!! I ran into two women yesterday while at a store. The one young beautiful lady was named Tatiana from Russia! She was so downtrodden I just had to share with her the story of Fatima and how Russia 🇷🇺, in the end, will be a beacon of hope to the world and that we are soon to enter the era of peace! Then I told her about medjugorje and she was all excited to look these two things up! By George, I saw Hope in her eyes! Then while talking to the second young lady who rang me up, I found an opening to share again the same two stories but this one already knew! She was pretty sure peace would come in about 8 years!!! Ha! I told her that sounded good to me!😂

    I’ll be sure to mail out another donation to you asap! I want to order a few more books for you first!!!

    God bless you dear Charlie and thank you ever so much for all you do for all of us!!!

    I am forever grateful to you for saying “yes,” to God and for helping us to all live in the hope of Christ in these very troubling and grievous times!!!

    Liked by 7 people

  6. Well done! I believe this ‘post’ was truly inspired, and reminiscent of the parables provided by our Priest, Prophet and King – our Lord Jesus Christ.
    I recognized myself as being simultaneously in several of your listed ‘stages’ of grieving; and I admit to spending too much time looking for additional ‘proofs’ of society’s demise. My tendency has been to ‘do it my way’, and it took many years to learn to “let go, and let God.” Now, I believe I have to get up out of my easy chair and do my part again.
    Praying for humility, and for God’s Will to be done in and through me.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Attaboy, Fred! Now that you’re up and at ’em again, have you joined CORAC yet? The website is chock full of information regarding stuff you can do as a means of acknowledging God, taking the next right step, and being a sign of hope to those around you. If you have any particular interest in Health and Wellness, Sustainable Living, Communications (ham radio), Education, and so forth, we’d love to have you on board. God bless you and yours. :

      Liked by 5 people

      1. Thanks, Mick. I’ve looked over some of the CORAC website and drilled down in some areas for info. It would seem that there is nothing at this time in Canada, which is where I’m located. However, I’ve now made a donation and will “watch and shoot” – as we say in the military. 😉

        Liked by 2 people

  7. Generally speaking, we oldsters are unhappy about the shift of our culture away from traditional Judeo-Christian values to the short-lived values adopted by self-indulgent humanists and narcissists. Those cohorts below age forty grew up with liberal minded educators, K thru college, who were being paid directly and indirectly by the federal government, and so propagandized the virtues of Socialism. Ironically, narcissism (e.g., indulgence of exhibitionist transexual fetishes) was and is disguised now as the liberation of the socially oppressed, to include the promiscuity that leads to repeated abortions.

    That the media have not denounced outright by now the staggering incompetence of the Brandon/Harris Administration is a tell on the mental state of our younger generations. It is not only that church attendance is down, but reliance on biblical values has been replaced by whatever is fashionable among Woke leadership spread by the internet– and Democrat politicians participate with the population in this self-reinforcing degeneration of the former religious America.

    American (and European) society is going to Hell, and anyone voting for any Democrat must be blind or oblivious to the evil times they are generating.

    China is overtaking the USA as global leader without having to fire any shots. The USA is now publicly self-destructing as it succumbs to Socialist/Communist ideals adorned with vulgarity.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Jack, this oldster is unhappy and appalled at this turn of events! Where was I when all this happened? School, work, raising sons.. I just totally missed it. 😳 Now I must pull my ancient (or maybe no so ancient) self together and quit whining and start working. I sure thought my retirement would be different than this…
      God bless us as we each take that next right step.
      Katey in OR

      Liked by 5 people

      1. I’m with you on that, Katey. It all seems surreal, can’t really be happening b/c it’s such a huge shift for our generation. If I ever get to Oregon to visit our son and family, I wish I could meet you! 😘

        Liked by 1 person

  8. For starters, your link to Mr. Kunstler was a very good essay. Pithy and logically analytical, the way you write, Charlie!
    I must be receiving a great deal of Grace, through Mother Mary also, for without that I’d be a ball of mush about now.

    Liked by 3 people

  9. Sadly, I recognized myself in that last stage. Need to rise up and get to work!

    Charlie, you mention needing to “print more materials”–is there any chance these materials could be put in PDF form and accessed by us so we could print them?

    I will be sending out my donation (sorry, snail mail it must travel!) ASAP.

    God bless you and all Corac!

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Jewel, I second what Charlie said. And not only do all the teams have lots of material available for download now; but all of the teams are also diligently working to put up even more downloadable material. So please do check frequently on all of the teams’ pages on CORAC site; more downloads are coming. 🙂

      Liked by 4 people

      1. I was actually thinking more along the lines of: everyone has printers and we could all help with printing (and handing out info)…unless the printing needs are more along the lines of the Bronze Serpent prayer cards. 🤷

        Liked by 3 people

        1. Good point, Jewel. Some basic informational material can be printed out at home or at a local copy place. Ease of replication and distribution is a primary value here.

          Other things, like prayer cards and brochures, warrant a more professional quality and beauty ~ in my view. We also want to get these out to many people, but in a somewhat different way.

          Liked by 1 person

        1. I love them, too. Especially in a thick gravy over rice. 🙂 In fact as I tell folks on the farm. Absolutely no hunting squirrels on Granny’s Farm – we may need those easy to trap critters when push comes to shove.

          Not quite joking aside, I do tell folks about our squirrel mascots. “Have you EVER seen a squirrel that did NOT find a way? “Go, Squirrels, Go, beat the Swamp!”

          Liked by 3 people

  11. Great post Charlie, thanks!!!
    Makes me think of what someone said quite a few years ago…
    With Democrats in country, we’ve got 10 years till crash… With republicans in control, we’ve got 15 years… (Or something along those lines…both being corrupt, and one just not as obvious)

    Liked by 4 people

  12. Charlie, you said, “Trump supports transgender “rights” and has backed off of his once comprehensive pro-life position.” However, you didn’t link this statement to any article or report.

    So I’m perplexed as to where your information is coming from because when Trump was in Texas recently, my husband and I decided to go to his first rally in Waco, Texas in March 2023. At the rally, he specifically stated that he was against the mutilation of children through this transgender insanity. Plus he was also against biological men participating in women’s sports and going into women’s bathrooms. (See article for a summary of his transgender statements at the Waco rally…”Trump attacks transgender rights at Waco rally saying he will ban ‘disfigurement of our youth’…Donald Trump also said that he would “keep men out of women’s sports” if re-elected.”)…

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-transgender-waco-rally-b2308177.html

    Trump said at the rally, “I will immediately sign an executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other racial, sexual or political content on our children.”

    How do Trump statements like this support transgender “rights?”

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You are right, Tex, at least in the largest part. The clip I heard was of support for trans rights for adults. Trump is adamantly against it for kids or for any “teachers” trying to steer kids that way and he has not backed down a whit on that point. I have edited that line out of the article as, though it is true for adults, it most emphatically is not concerning kids – and that is what everyone thinks of when the subject is mentioned now.

      Liked by 3 people

  13. Carole and I went to the Flight 93 national memorial site this cold rainy weekend. it is very inspiring to be reminded of, and learn more deeply, the tell of ordinary men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to “take the next right step” when confronted with evil. It convicted us all the more to do the same!

    A few points to remember as we all face our own versions of Flight 93 (metaphorically or actually). 1- China is also in deep trouble, still very dangerous, but its own cancer is rapidly metastaticizing too (evil tries to destroy all things, even those that are most helpful to it for awhile), and 2- evil tries to discourage good people into giving up! Let us stay tethered tightly to the foot of Christ’s Cross and not be discouraged or fooled into losing hope. Trust God, act in holy righteous ways by doing well the small tasks He places in front of us all. TJTM…Rich

    Liked by 5 people

  14. “There is plenty of that. Many people spend almost all their time collecting new outrages. To what end?” I see a lot of that! I get tired of folks emailing me articles of such and such of how bad this person is or what that person did. I find it to be a distraction.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Me too, and I think the biggest distraction is to ignore the outrageous stuff in ourselves that needs dealing with. Of course Our Lord tips us off to this in Matthew 7:3-5 and refers to it as a “plank” no less. Who doesn’t want to see more clearly? A whole bunch of folks collecting outrages in a fallen world apparently. Really, there’s standing on the shoreline fretting and then there’s wading into the water with all the other trusting sinners. Some are even going to go deep and fish out some of the most outrageous people for a good haul. Get in the game, people!

      Liked by 5 people

      1. Maybe it gives folks a sense of control by digging into outrages and perpetuating information?  I can understand that things are out of control and folks want to “feel” like they are doing something.  Maybe it’s the rights version of virtue signalling?  Ouch!  Why does my eye hurt?—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I was curious how long the average grieving process lasts so I did some research. Seems there’s no set duration and it can come and go in waves. However a 2020 study concludes that the symptoms of common grief largely resolve in 1 to 2 years. So I’m tempted to suggest that if a person has been collecting and popping off about outrages for years and years and years, then it’s time to seek some help, because at some point it leads to an inability to have joy and can completely spin out of control. On the other hand, dealing with grief is a process that may take a lifetime to fully resolve. That’s understandable, but I harken back to Charlie talking about overcoming sin and how he discovered that focusing on eliminating sin in his life was not the answer. Focusing on living his Faith was. Seems like this same approach would help overcome grief too.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. I think you are so right, here, MP.

            There was a mom local to me back in NJ. We lost our oldest children at about the same time. Hers to a tragic car accident, mine to an overdose.

            She is still posting memorials to her daughter as if she just lost her yesterday. Once a religious person, she now looks to seances and fortune tellers. Her hanging on to her grief as if it were a measure of her love has become a grotesque thing.

            It’s tempting to sit in the pit and wallow in sackcloth and ashes. I understand the numbness, and shock and all of the other emotions that can keep you stuck, and I am not saying that those feelings should not be felt. But we can’t forget that Christ is right there with us, mourning with us, and much of my most healing times were lying face down in the church in front of the altar, crying in an empty church.

            He is no less with us now, and mourning with us, and beckoning us to come back to the land of the living, because there’s a lot of wood to chop if we’re going to make it through this. I would hate to be so stuck that I wasn’t able to be used or to help.

            And to what Doug said, the harder it gets out there, the more you see people cling to visions, and visionaries, and wild prophecy–and also rigid and harsh practices that adhere to the letter of the law but kill the spirit.

            It’s a good time to check who we see God represented as. Keeping his face undistorted in times like this is important. I’m seeing a lot of more strict Catholic folks become almost unbearable pedaling some sort of secret formula of harshness that will attain heaven and absolve us of this mess.

            Liked by 1 person

            2. Good insight Briana.  I wonder if your mom friend is still dealing with anger?  Maybe angry at God?  I have a daughter who suffered some trauma and is mad at God.  We are all a work in progress.  Love, pray and sacrifice……..—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

              Liked by 2 people

            3. It’s a type of PTSD. This mechanism is a natural safeguard against death or injury but in humans it can become a neurosis. Since our nature is fallen, the mechanism is flawed while in animals, it is a safety mechanism that is used to avoid danger in a stress moment and is imprinted along with an avoidance behavior.
              In humans, we can reason but this too can become stressed by trauma and the “knee-jerk” reaction following trauma can be quite unreasonable.
              Since our nature is fallen, we must rely on the supernatural grace of God to help us. “The peace the world cannot give” is given by grace from above. Those that try to rely on themselves or other forms of “peace” like drugs, spiritism, memorials, etc only prolong the effects of the fall that God wants to transform us away from.
              “My peace I give you my peace I leave you” is part of the mass prayer. If the world could have given us this peace, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to come and give it to us Himself. But He wants to give us an everlasting peace while the world gives us a false peace.
              “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
              Philippians 4:7

              Liked by 2 people

          2. MP, it may be harder for older folks to deal with the grief and distress of the cultural changes because they lived back in a time where our culture lived pretty aligned with Judeo Christian values.  Kinda like losing someone you have been happily married to for more than 50 years.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

            Liked by 1 person

  16. Ever since they made the voting unreliable I gave up hope that things could be saved. Our hope is in God. No one can mess with that unless we allow it. In grief it is also normal to go back and forth among the stages and that is what I see in myself from day to day. It is hard to know the truth but I am glad I do.

    Liked by 4 people

  17. JESUS = GOOD NEWS … 🙂

    St Joseph the Worker.
    https://catholicexchange.com/st-joseph-shows-us-the-love-dignity-of-work/
    https://mailchi.mp/jkmi/ieqqdb3iy6-1068181?e=b654649ef1

    https://catholicvote.org/the-dobbs-leak-one-year-later-attacked-churches-and-prcs/

    If Pope travels to Russia for “Peace Deal” some folks will be waiting for a Garabandal Prophecy to unfiold. As some worthy once noted: “Prophecy is just conjecture …. till it happens!”
    https://globalnews.ca/news/9662956/ukraine-russia-secret-peace-mission-pope-francis/
    https://mysticpost.com/2021/12/prophecy-of-garabandal-pope-franciss-trip-to-russia-will-mark-the-start-of-the-warning-and-the-great-tribulation/

    https://catholicexchange.com/the-real-marie-antoinette-feat-elena-maria-vidal-2/

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/opinion/did-the-resurrected-christ-appear-to-his-blessed-mother

    https://spiritdailyblog.com/strange-things/did-padre-pio-and-blessed-mother-indicate-extraterrestrial-life

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/opinion/reigniting-charlottesville

    RESISTANCE!
    https://www.foxnews.com/media/middle-school-student-allegedly-sent-home-refusing-change-shirt-said-only-two-genders

    https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/major-blue-states-hemorrhaging-adjusted-gross-income-residents-flee-irs-data-shows

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/supreme-court-ethics-complaints-democrats

    https://townhall.com/columnists/humbertofontova/2023/04/29/media-defamation-fine-how-bout-the-new-york-times-n2622595

    https://www.breitbart.com/border/2023/04/30/exclusive-mexican-migrant-wanted-for-murder-of-five-hondurans-deported-3-times-says-texas-sheriff/

    https://www.prageru.com/video/the-wrap-up-special-report-crisis-at-the-u-s-southern-border

    https://hamradioprepper.com/shortwavefrequencylist/

    https://links.glennbeck.com/view/55d278157d0973635efe6258inmi8.20pu/adb92038
    https://amgreatness.com/
    https://www.americanthinker.com/
    https://www.frontpagemag.com/
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 2 people

  18. VD Hanson suggests the Left likes having a “figurehead” president that is easily controlled and this is why Biden is being considered for a second term.
    “In other words, for the Left having no president at all certainly has its advantages. No one in the Oval Office is warning the socialists, “You guys are crazy and will cost me the election if you keep it up!” Instead, with no one in charge, everyone is in charge.”

    https://amgreatness.com/2023/04/30/the-crazy-contours-of-the-crazier-2024-election/

    Liked by 1 person

  19. “We do not have to be protected from dangerous thoughts by the media. A far greater danger lurks in the indoctrination and orthodoxy that comes from censorship.”
    https://jonathanturley.org/2023/05/01/abc-news-censors-democratic-presidential-candidate-robert-f-kennedy-jr/

    Another article lamenting the skewing of truth.

    “You’ve probably heard that 97 per cent of scientists are agreed that humans are the cause of climate change. It comes from “research” carried out in 2013.
    Do you know how that team obtained that number?
    They gathered nearly 12,000 scientific papers dealing with global climate change. They didn’t read the papers – heavens no, that would have been proper research – instead they looked at just the summary paragraphs on the front covers.
    On that basis they grouped them into four piles. 3,896 papers agreed humans were to blame for climate change; 7,930 took no position either way; 78 rejected the idea of it being humanity’s fault and 40 were uncertain altogether.
    That initial pass gave a figure of just 32 percent blaming humans for climate change. Obviously, that wasn’t nearly scary enough. So then came the gross and clumsy cheat: the 7,930 papers that took no position on whether humans are to blame were removed from the final analysis.
    With them gone, the figure of 32 percent went up to 97 per cent. And the likes of Barack Obama, Al Gore, etc have been quoting it ever since.”
    https://www.gbnews.com/opinion/a-green-agenda-that-absolutely-is-not-green-says-neil-oliver/404894

    Liked by 2 people

  20. Goodness, Charlie, so much good here.

    Firstly, I want to thank you as a person who is going into a mental health profession for bringing up the 5 stages of grief. I know you know them well, and I do as well. We grieve ALL losses in this way, and the most beautiful thing about grieving well is that it fertilizes the soil for new growth. You can’t have a feast without a fast? You can’t have new growth without grief. You can’t have a Promised Land without an Exodus. So thank you for really fleshing out what that looks like for us right now, in this time of destruction. I pray that everyone grieves well, and that together we can also grow and build anew with more love and purpose.

    I so heartily agree with you in that there is no way to fix this. I knew that living up in NJ that there was zero way to ‘take back’ and correct the voting up there (I firmly believe that NJ would flip red if there was an honest vote and you know they’ll never let THAT happen.) And in choosing where to move to, one of my deciding factors was looking at the integrity of the voting system in the state. I know that I am privileged that I was able to make that move. And you saw what happened in FL in the last election. It’s sad and hilarious that the democrats in FL can’t put two and two together in that the things they say that they hate most about the state are the very things that give them the most freedom, and opportunity that they love the most. Such cognitive dissonance! And then they also tell me how they are going to Move Out just for spite! Poor souls.

    Lastly, I want to give everyone some hope. I had the pleasure of going on a short cruise to Cozumel, and let me tell you of the absolutely amazing people that I had the pleasure of encountering! All colors were evenly represented, and what conversations and experiences we shared!! We developed ‘cruise families’ and would meet at the piano bar every night, young and old, black and white. We showed each other our kids, and pets. We had really hard conversations about life. We encouraged each other, and I walked off that boat so grateful for every person and every special encounter. There are exceptionally GOOD people out there, of all religion and color. It gave me such renewed hope for us.

    Prayers and much love for all of the CORAC family!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Briana, I love the comments about your cruise and agree completely. When we are fortunate enough to get some good news about a wonderful thing someone has done for another, I think the same thing you said. There are really good people all over. You know, it often comes out when there is a tragedy of some kind and people show their true colors, helping others.
      Congratulations and blessings in your “new life”!

      Liked by 4 people

  21. JESUS = GOOD NEWS … 🙂

    https://catholicexchange.com/did-jesus-ever-laugh/

    https://catholicexchange.com/jesus-is-always-present-in-his-humanity-maximally-in-the-eucharist/

    https://thewandererpress.com/catholic/news/frontpage/in-this-month-of-may-spreading-devotion-to-mary-more-needed-than-ever/

    https://www.newoxfordreview.org/documents/its-time-the-church-declared-the-personhood-of-the-unborn/

    https://www.catholicleague.org/how-to-end-the-bud-light-controversy/

    https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254210/bishop-paul-coakley-of-oklahoma-releases-pastoral-letter-on-gender-dysphoria-and-the-transgender-movement

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/opinion/turning-toward-the-lord-with-benedict-xvi

    https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/05/02/investigations-launched-hospitals-refused-abortion-care/2781683001889/

    https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-supreme-court-spurns-challenge-indiana-abortion-cremation-or-burial-law-2023-05-01/

    https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/disney-alternative-provides-wholesome-family-faith-entertainment-that-missing-culture

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/coco-cola-shareholders-vote-down-proposal-targets-pro-life-states

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2023/05/a_hardleft_lgbtq_activist_lets_the_cat_out_of_the_bag_about_kids_and_gay_porn.html

    https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/27-states-ask-biden-end-his-disaster-policy-forcing-good-credit-borrowers-subsidize-risky-mortgages
    …… “Lies, Damned Lies & Statistics!”
    https://www.foxnews.com/media/karine-jean-pierre-roasted-claiming-illegal-immigration-90-people-think-stupid

    https://thefederalist.com/
    https://links.glennbeck.com/view/55d278157d0973635efe6258invg5.1vbg/27fcb2be
    https://www.newsmax.com/
    https://newsbusters.org/
    https://spectator.org/
    https://www.floppingaces.net/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 1 person

  22. JESUS = GOOD NEWS … 🙂

    https://catholicexchange.com/the-art-of-easter-the-good-shepherd/

    https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/2023/05/03/may-3-philip-and-james/

    https://catholicexchange.com/why-we-linger-on-mary-in-the-holy-rosary/

    https://www.becketlaw.org/media/breaking-feds-tell-catholic-hospital-to-blow-out-sanctuary-candle-or-face-penalties/

    https://www.ncregister.com/news/leaving-the-church-to-stay-catholic-german-faithful-face-church-tax-dilemma

    https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/how-republicans-can-win-on-abortion-issue/

    https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/chase-bank-warned-religious-discrimination-gop-attorneys-general

    https://spiritdailyblog.com/news/secrets-of-the-garden

    https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/05/01/kiss-twisted-sister-rock-stars-slam-rash-push-trans-children/

    https://www.bizpacreview.com/2023/05/01/seth-dillon-lays-waste-to-chelsea-clinton-for-coming-out-in-favor-of-porn-for-kids-1354898/

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/teachers-sound-alarm-growing-problems-schools-colleagues-leaving-droves

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/05/sick-north-carolinas-leading-medical-institutions-duke-unc-and-ecu-offers-transgender-treatments-to-2-3-and-4-years-old/

    https://dailycaller.com/2023/05/01/us-navy-drag-queen-recruitment/

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/people-standing-national-anthem-horrifies-progressives-viral-video-dangerous-situation

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/kansas-teacher-rips-district-for-diversity-training-amid-teacher-shortage-repeated-white-shaming
    https://readlion.com/2023/04/21/kansas-public-school-teacher-yes-your-children-are-being-indoctrinated/

    FBI + IRS + DHS = Lord Obama’s National Civilian “Security” Force ;-(
    https://amgreatness.com/2023/05/03/watchdog-irs-has-spent-10m-on-weapons-ammunition-and-combat-gear-since-2020

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/
    https://www.zerohedge.com/
    https://www.floppingaces.net/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 1 person

  23. I JUST SAW THIS!!! It was a beautiful read!!! I hope to live it every day of my life!!! Thank you Charlie!

    “He Who Has Ears, Let Him Hear…
    How often have you talked with someone who didn’t listen to you, but impatiently waited for you to finish what you were saying to use it as the platform from which to launch his next rhetorical assault? A fellow who didn’t care what you had to say but only regarded you as the exhibition stage to display his brilliance? It is the stock in trade for some cable TV hosts – and it always leaves the victim feeling frustrated, angered and used.
    We can’t control the fact that there are a lot of jerks in life, but we have complete control over whether we are going to be one or not. Our refusal to be a jerk often does inspire others to do the same, thus reducing the sum total of jerks in the world. Far more endearing to a person than generic flattery is to see them, to hear them, to notice what the things are that make them unique. I have made far more friends and allies by affectionately noting their little foibles than most have by dishing out copious amounts of flattery.
    Among my family and friends, almost all are deeply pleased when I give them a compliment. It is not because it is coming from me, but because (though I am diplomatic) I simply do not offer false praise. Thus, those who know me best trust me to tell them true rather than blow smoke at them. When I see what is best in them, it allows me to hold a mirror up so they can see, freshly, what is authentically best in them as well. And it is enabled by a refusal to blow smoke in the first place.
    People have a deep hunger to be known for who they are, their foibles acknowledged with affection and their virtues acknowledged with admiration. To do this, though, you must pay attention. You must see them; you must hear them, you must treat them as something more than just a setting from which you can display your brilliant facets.
    Every life is ultimately an epic saga, filled with hopes and fears, dreams and anxieties. If you can get beyond the clinical details of a curriculum vitae and see the full person behind those details, you can participate in that saga with them. The truth is that every story worth hearing is a human story – and you need to understand what makes a person tick to hear the swelling music of their epic saga.
    When I was still in grade school I wondered why some grown-ups were grouchy all the time and others were cheery. In all cases, I was fascinated to know what made them that way. I thought about it a lot and tried to discern clues. A big part of it was that I did not want to grow up to be grouchy all the time – and if I could figure out what caused it, I could avoid it. Along the way, I fell in love with the epic saga that is every person’s life.
    In my twenties, I was a hotel manager. Big place, 180 rooms, two dining rooms, a show lounge, and banquets for up to a thousand. I liked to spend a little serious time in each department getting to know the people that worked with me and that I managed. In the housekeeping department there was an older lady (well, actually, in her 50’s – at least 15 years younger than I am right now) to whom all the young maids would go with their troubles and whom they all loved. I spent some time talking with her, eager to find why she inspired such confidence and affection in those around her. Turns out she was Hungarian.
    After some time visiting with each other, she told me the harrowing story of how the Soviets murdered her son and her husband before her eyes when she was a young woman there – and the even more harrowing story of her escape to America. After she told me, she caught herself and asked me not to reveal these things to the other people she worked with. She said having a life in America was a great second chance for her, but it could not heal the wound of the loss of her family. By caring for the troubles of other women the age she was when she lost her family, she honored her husband and son and got the most effective revenge against the Soviets possible – by helping others learn to live the full and joyful life those Soviets tried so hard to rob her of (and nearly succeeded).
    The people around you are an unquenchable library. Take the time to hear them – not just what they say, but what they mean. Sometimes fear presents as anger. Sometimes hope presents as skepticism. Sometimes insecurity presents as cockiness. Get outside yourself and see the people around you. See what they mean by what they do. Become a safe repository for their hopes and dreams and you will become privy to a whole host of glorious, epic sagas.
    And in the process, you will help knit together anew the social fabric of solidarity under God. It doesn’t take much: just hear – and care.”

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  24. The artifice and very foundation stones of this civilisation have no place. All have claimed that what they say, do, and stand for is ordained by God Himself. If this were true then such a thing can not fall. God has permitted many things to occur both good as well as evil. Even the saints do not necessarily know & do the Will of God. They just try harder. Genghis Khan once spoke something remarkable, paraphrasing “I am the punishment sent by God to those who claimed to be godly” don’t remember where coming across this, but interesting nonetheless. Today there are many Genghis Khans in the world. Governments are reflections of the people & societies they serve. They just don’t decide unilaterally to become evil one day. When we see Napoleons, Lenins, Hitlers, Stalins, & Maos things have already collapsed. They just gather up enough pieces to cause more disarray & evil while portending societal renewal. Satan in his narcissism divides, pretends to be a unifier, pretends to be the light, as do those who serve him. From our own point of view The Age of Republics has ended, the Time of Usurpers has come, the Time of Collapse Chaos & War will follow, then the Monster itself will emerge pretending to be the answer, then finally rising out of the ashes a renewed Kingdom of God comprised of many realms & only one Church comprised of a multitude of Rites. Perhaps the plans of God are for something new to emerge. If this is the case, then we’re good with that. Godliness must be built from the inside out & from the bottom up. It must be done in the every day ordinary affairs of the people themselves. Only then will it reflect throughout the world at large.

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Published by charliej373

Charlie Johnston is a former newspaper editor, radio talk show host and political consultant. From Feb. 11, 2011 to Aug. 21, 2012, he walked 3,200 miles across the country, sleeping in the woods, meeting people and praying as he went. He writes on cultural, global and political issues from an orthodox Catholic perspective. He emphasizes that we find God most surely through the ordinary, doing the little things we should with faith and fidelity. His constant refrain is that, to live real joy, we must acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around us. He lives in the Archdiocese of Denver in the United States.