With regard to a pro-abortionist on the Vatican payroll . . .

David Warren fires both barrels.

But the truth is more desolating. There is no practical prospect for a recovery of any sort. And while God has worked miracles in the past, and the faithful may actually hope for Christ and His Angels to suddenly rescue us, this cannot be expected. There is, I think, little supplicatory prayer in secret, and what is offered in public has diminished radically.

It is in this light that I tend to be bored by the latest proposals or trends in apologetics, or other evangelical efforts. Where they have any chance of working, God bless them, but evangelizing we must do ourselves, not depend on external missions.

Mariana Mazzucato, pro-abortion economist.

From the Catholic News Agency.

Pope Francis appoints pro-abortion economist to Pontifical Academy for Life.

One of the newest members of the Pontifical Academy for Life appointed by Pope Francis is an outspoken advocate of abortion rights, having recently shared her opposition to the overturning of Roe v. Wade on Twitter.

***

In his 2020 book “Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future,” Pope Francis described Mazzucato’s work as “thinking that is not ideological, which moves beyond the polarization of free market capitalism and state socialism, and which has at its heart a concern that all of humanity have access to land, lodging, and labor.”

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition.

It doesn’t get any clearer than that; there’s no wiggle room. So why does the grossly offensive opinion of an abortion enthusiast make her worthy in the Pope’s eyes of appointment to the Pontifical Academy for Life, who holds views so hideously contrary to the very name the institution itself?

One can only suppose Francis finds this woman’s views on matters such as land redistribution so eminently attractive he is willing to overlook the teensy-weensy matter of her hearty endorsement of the murdering of babies in and out of the womb.

God save our deeply troubled Holy Catholic Church. We certainly cannot look to the pontiff, who obviously has far more important things on his mind.

And boy is it a final one!

From National Review:

Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee for governor in Georgia, floated abortion as a solution to voters’ concerns about inflation on Wednesday, explaining to Morning Joe viewers that ‘having children is why you’re worried about your price for gas, it’s why you’re concerned about how much food costs.’

‘You can’t divorce being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy from the economic realities of having a child,’ countered Abrams, who argued that ‘we don’t have the luxury of reducing it, or separating them out.’

Ms Abrams also announced the development of a sophisticated new app that will assist women in determining whether or not to bear a child. It will be loaded with such esoteric variables as future travel plans, upcoming desirable TV series, personal zodialogical and numerological readings and, of course, upcoming climate changes and political predictions.

“We will leave no stone unturned helping pregnant women determine whether to keep it or kill it,” Ms Abrams said proudly.

x 

Murdered by the Russians: his crime? Refusing to conduct for them after their invasion of Ukraine.

Your Tatler, who loves music with an unequaled passion, including Russian music, sees no reason listening anymore to performances by Russian Tartar artists, live or recorded, until all that nation’s artists renounce the unspeakable crimes committed against the Ukrainian people. This boycott must also include all ballet performances as well, even the New York City Ballet’s annual Christmas Nutcracker performances at the City Center. Everything, until Putin repents or is removed from office.

Something? Anything?

From Just the News.

[Sen. Charles””] Grassley said the scheme “to compensate the Bidens was supposed to consist of an unsecured $5 million loan, intended to be forgivable, from CEFC in 2017.” The senator said his office has information that a few months before the $5 million was paid “Hunter Biden yelled at CEFC officials at a meeting for failing to fund the joint venture” and that “James Biden considered calling CEFC officials and threatening to withdraw Biden family support from future deals.”

While it is true Biden was out out of office at the time of this sleazy deal, nevertheless, he was the former Vice President of the United States and seriously contemplating running for president. Did he have no regard for appearances?

Does he at least pay for his ice cream cones?

ADDENDUM: But wait! There’s more!

From the Daily Mail.

EXCLUSIVE: Leaked emails reveal Hunter Biden’s real estate company received a $40MILLION investment from Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina, the billionaire widow of corrupt Moscow mayor, who also paid president’s son $3.5million consulting fee.

The stench grows worse and worse.

Nike founder Phil Knight, who’s suddenly shifting his political donations away from the Democratic Party for being too “far-left,” said he’s all in with a non-Dem being in the Oregon governor’s seat after years of radically left policies.

And haven’t we heard this before, for two-squiillionth time?

Knight, a long-tenured Democrat, admits that he’s not leaving the political party; rather, the Democrats have shifted their platform so far left that it behooves him to vote for another party.

One senses there may be a bit of a movement in this year’s blue state elections, which has been lacking in the past.

So cumbersome and besides, what’s the point now?

From Fox News:

The New York Times tweeted out a rhetorically charged description of Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race candidates that led to familiar charges of bias against the liberal outlet. 

Leading into the Thursday night debate, the Times sent a tweet that labeled Republican Sen. Ron Johnson as a “leading peddler of misinformation” and Democratic candidate Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes a “rising star.”

The Times dropped their policy of strict objectivity in reporting decades ago, but perhaps out of nostalgia for the declaration of principles its modern founder Adolph Ochs issued in 1896, always insisted it was still in effect. Obviously, no more.

Here is an excerpt of Ochs’s declaration.

It will be my earnest aim that The New-York Times give the news, all the news, in concise and attractive form, in language that is parliamentary in good society, and give it as early, if not earlier, than it can be learned through any other reliable medium; to give the news impartially, without fear or favor, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved; to make of the columns of The New-York Times a forum for the consideration of all questions of public importance, and to that end to invite intelligent discussion from all shades of opinion.

h/t For What its Worth.

From TribLive:

LONDON — Climate protesters threw soup over Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” in London’s National Gallery on Friday to protest fossil fuel extraction, but caused no damage to the glass-covered painting.

The group Just Stop Oil, which wants the British government to halt new oil and gas projects, said activists dumped two cans of tomato soup over the oil painting, one of the Dutch artist’s most iconic works. The two protesters also glued themselves to the gallery wall.

The soup splashed across the glass covering the painting and its gilded frame. The gallery said “there is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed.” It was cleaned and returned to its place in the gallery on Friday afternoon.

These so-called “protestors” are barely out of their teens, if that old, and more to the point, emotionally in their pre-teens. In a more just society, rather than waste time and expense dragging them through the judicial system, they would simply be ordered, with zero due process, to spend 30 days or more of hard labor scrubbing off graffiti in the most visible public places.

In other words, letting the punishment fit the crime and far more fitting than their pretending martyrdom while sitting in a jail cell. It also would serve as a much more effective deterrent to their emotionally stunted peers.

Pass the popcorn.

From the Washington Times:

President Biden will travel to Pennsylvania next week to campaign for Democratic Senate hopeful John Fetterman, the White House announced Thursday.

Mr. Fetterman, who is in a tight, closely watched race against Republican Mehmet Oz, has come under increasing scrutiny since a stroke left him with auditory processing issues and raised questions about his ability to hold office.

It’s anyone’s guess who stands to lose the most in this circus act, but the entertainment value ought to be first rate. We trust linguists fluent in Trunalimunumaprzure will be on hand to provide simultaneous English translations at the garble-fest.

h/t Instapundit.

Just say no to censorship.

Bickerstaff just deleted his 22 year account with the Ministry of Truth and Thought Police, also known as PayPal. He is in astonishingly good company.