The Harvard Mess Untangled By M.E. Boyd Miss Constitution

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Steve Balich

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January 9, 2024

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The Harvard Mess Untangled

Posted on January 9, 2024 by steveba2103

The Harvard Mess Untangled

M. E. Boyd

1/9/2024

“He is led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention” – Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations.

What invisible hand led the President of Harvard University to promote the exclusion of black candidates from top jobs in America is unknowable, but that is a possible unintended consequence once her letter of resignation was released. By immediately going to racial animus as the reason for her ouster (through a “well-laid trap by Congressional demagogues”), she may have chilled minority hires as too dangerous for a private or public company, a charity, or even another educational institution to make. The Boards of these institutions have a high duty not to put themselves at undue risk of lawsuits and personnel toxicity that impacts their brand and/or their share value. Miss Constitution is sure this was not her intention but it may be one unfortunate outcome.

More important than her mistake in judgment regarding a narcissistic resignation letter that burns all bridges is the continued confusion regarding the Free Speech Clause of the 1^st Amendment to the United States Constitution. The President of any education institution that accepts public funds (taxpayer dollars) must know the rules around Constitutionally protected “free speech” by heart. Almost no commentators, even attorneys, got the analysis right. Here is what one must understand:

As a general rule, one does NOT have free speech rights to say anything one wants. Children are required to obey their parents and their parent’s rules for what is acceptable speech. In the movie A Christmas Story, Ralphie was constantly having a bar of soap placed in his mouth for copying the speech of his father. Students have limited free speech in and out of public schools. The Supreme Court has recently made an inexplicable ruling regarding texts by a student about a decision of a public school coach to which the student responded with obscenities. Rule #1 – children have limited Constitutionally protected free speech rights in taxpayer-supported schools. Private elementary and secondary schools that do not accept substantial taxpayer dollars may censor student speech.

Adults, and this would include college-age students, have Constitutionally protected free speech rights if the organizations they are in or the schools they attend receive taxpayer dollars. Harvard receives public funds and is subject to the requirements of the 1^st Amendment Free Speech Clause to the United States Constitution. However, there are rules about the type of speech that is protected from censorship by the organization or the school and there are rules about where the speech may be given (forum), the time it may be given, and the manner in which it is given. Rule #2 – the speech must be about public policy, also known as political speech. The speech may not be obscene, it may not be directed at an individual person so as to cause fear of harm, and it may not promote imminent violence. The publicly-funded school or organization can determine where the speech can be delivered, how long it can last, and in what manner it may be delivered. An opportunity for counter-speech must be provided following the same rules but not necessarily at the same time. Organizations that do not receive a “substantial” amount of public funds (determined by a court) may censor speech.

So, in general, those living in the United States do not really have generalized “free speech.” If what one wants to say is not a political viewpoint, one has no “right” to say it. One has no “right” to be rude; one has no “right” to get in someone’s face and yell and scream; one has no “right” to lace speech with obscenities; and one has no “right” to be disrespectful. But, if the speech is on public policy, is not personal or obscene, and is being delivered say, in a classroom at Harvard University, then the speech may even be hateful to some and still be Constitutionally protected from censorship. Rule #3 – Hateful speech that follows all the rules may not be censored. Nor can the counter-speech be censored. The idea is that institutions that take public funds present all sides of an argument. Excellent professors teaching certain subjects make sure students learn how to think critically.

Some of the confusion arises when speech is connected with protests, or assemblies, that are also protected by the 1^st Amendment to the United States Constitution. Protests do not have to emerge from publicly funded entities but they do have to follow rules regarding where the protest can take place, the manner of the protest, and the time of the protest. Protests that stop traffic, that involve destroying art, that involve violence against persons or property, that intimidate or cause fear of harm, or that invite criminality may be absolutely restricted, canceled or broken up whether or not the protesters carry signs or yell what would otherwise be Constitutionally protected speech if delivered in a proper forum. Rule #4 – viewpoint that is protected from censorship can easily morph into conduct that is not.

The mess made at a Congressional hearing by three Presidents of prestigious publicly funded institutions of higher education occurred because none of the three really knew the extent of the rules around “free speech” and “peaceful assembly” as interpreted by the Supreme Court regarding the 1^st Amendment to the United States Constitution. The question asked by Congresswoman Stefanak required that knowledge. She asked if “calling” (viewpoint) for the genocide of the Jewish people violates the code of student “conduct” (behavior) at Harvard University. Rule #5 – “viewpoint” is not the same as “conduct.”

Students at Harvard have a Constitutionally protected right to the view that Palestine should retain all territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea even if that means the removal of the Jewish people now there. This is hateful to some but may not be censored by the school. But students at Harvard do not have a Constitutionally protected right to translate that viewpoint into intimidating conduct at the school by threatening Jewish students or marching in front of their dorms or fraternities and sororities or by pounding on the windows of the library, forcing Jewish students to hide in the restroom.

The answer to the Congresswoman’s question is: We are an institution that receives a substantial amount of public funds so may not censor student political viewpoints. Those views are Constitutionally protected from censorship by the 1^st Amendment to the United States Constitution. We may and should, however, tightly restrict where and how those views can be expressed as conduct, including marches and protests, to honor our commitment to the safety and comfort of all members of our student body, faculty, and administration. As a person, not the President of the school, I must say that I vehemently oppose a viewpoint that calls for the genocide of any people and reject the inhumanity of that position as violating Moral Law. A full and vigorous debate on this issue should be held at Harvard and it is our duty as a school to allow and protect all points of view in that debate.

What invisible hand caused the President of Harvard to be unprepared for a question about the Constitution and its relationship to speech and conduct at her school, to be unaware that she was not prepared so made an irrelevant apology, and then resigned in anger, attacking the motives of her Board and others, remains a mystery. This event has been a giant lesson in the necessity of Civics Education, even and especially for those of great power and responsibility.

The costs of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Illinois universities

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The costs of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Illinois universities – Wirepoints

Several Ivy League schools have been put under a national microscope recently for applying the right to free speech inconsistently. But what also deserves attention are the growing DEI bureaucracies in Illinois’ universities and the significant financial costs associated with them.

The Equality of Failure in Chicago – Wirepoints cited in the Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board cited Wirepoints’ data on Chicago Public Schools’ student reading proficiencies in its new editorial criticizing the district’s decision to end selective enrollment schools. The board says those schools are on the chopping block because their success undermines the union line that public schools merely need more money.

IL Hospitals Urged To ‘Step Up’ Mitigations As Viruses Spike: IDPH

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January 8, 2024

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IL Hospitals Urged To ‘Step Up’ Mitigations As Viruses Spike: IDPH

State health officials are urging medical facilities to consider mask recommendations as COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in recent weeks.

Jeff Arnold,Patch Staff

Steve Balich Editors Note: Masks have you inhaling co2 which is good for trees and plants but not so much for people. There is no actual proof that the Mask stop the spread.

State health officials are urging medical facilities to consider mask recommendations and other mitigations as COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in recent weeks. (Shutterstock)

ILLINOIS – Months after most medical facilities across Illinois dropped mask requirements as COVID-19 cases dropped across the state, state health officials are now recommending that patients again mask up in the face of increased respiratory viruses.

The Illinois Department of Public Health made the recommendation late last week as 51 Illinois counties are now reporting medium or high levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Due to the increase, the state is recommending that hospitals and other medical facilities step up their mitigation efforts to minimize the spread of viruses such as COVID-19, the flu and RSV.

The health department issued a health alert on Thursday to hospitals, long-term care facilities, and local health departments outlining various mitigation measures such as masking and screening, especially in areas where more vulnerable patients are treated.

In a news release, health officials said that IDPH supports the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of facility-wide masking at healthcare facilities that are in counties rated at high levels for COVID-19 hospitalizations or per facility discretion in areas where data shows elevated transmission of other respiratory viruses such as flu and RSV, even if COVID-19 hospitalization levels are not high in those areas.

In Illinois, 1,225 new COVID-19 hospitalizations were reported last week, up 22 percent over the previous week.

IDPH also tracks ED visits and hospitalizations for flu and RSV, the department said. RSV is causing a heavy burden of pediatric hospitalizations, and the percent of lab tests that are positive for RSV have been rising for 10 consecutive weeks.

COVID-19 is causing the most hospitalizations among respiratory viruses, however, hospitalizations are also rising steadily for flu and RSV, the release said. The percent of positive lab tests for flu and COVID-19 have been rising for three consecutive weeks.

“With the alarming rise in respiratory viruses we are seeing across the state and the country, IDPH is recommending healthcare facilities take precautions to reduce the spread of these viruses and protect their patients, staff, and visitors,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a news release. “We are most concerned with healthcare facilities in counties with elevated respiratory virus transmission and hospitalization levels and recommend masking in patient care areas, especially in emergency departments and areas caring for patients who are immunocompromised.”

The number of counties listed at the “high” level for COVID-19 hospitalizations has doubled from five to 10 Illinois counties in central Illinois, including Sangamon, according to the CDC’s national COVID Data Tracker, as of the week ending December 2. That means they have seen more than 20 COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 population in the last week. Another 41 counties are at medium level for COVID-19 hospitalizations during the period, with between 10 and 20 COVID hospitalizations per 100,000, health officials said.

The state recently unveiled a new respiratory virus dashboard for Illinois that is updated each Friday. Under the guidance distributed today, healthcare facilities are advised to follow CDC guidance and implement facility-wide masking in counties that have high levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

In counties with increased incidence of respiratory illness in the community, hospitals are advised to screen staff and visitors for symptoms of respiratory viruses; to remind visitors entering patient rooms about hand hygiene and cough etiquette; and to encourage those with respiratory symptoms (such as fever, cough or sore throat) to defer non-urgent hospital visits and get tested for respiratory viruses before in-person visits or use telehealth services if possible.

Senate District 19 candidate Gasca: ‘Illinoisans should be aware when undocumented peoples— here illegally— are living in our neighborhoods’

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Steve Balich

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January 7, 2024

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The Will County News

Home #freedom Senate District 19 candidate Gasca: ‘Illinoisans should be aware when undocumented peoples—…

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Senate District 19 candidate Gasca: ‘Illinoisans should be aware when undocumented peoples— here illegally— are living in our neighborhoods’

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Senate District 19 candidate Gasca: ‘Illinoisans should be aware when undocumented peoples— here illegally— are living in our neighborhoods’

POLITICS

Senate District 19 candidate Samantha Gasca | Facebook / Samantha Gasca

By Will County Gazette reports

Jan 4, 2024

Senate District 19 candidate Samantha Gasca has called for comprehensive information regarding illegal immigrants, urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to provide detailed data on those entering the state.

Gasca emphasized the need for information such as the total number of individuals who have crossed the border illegally, health screenings, criminal background checks, tracking of their whereabouts and legislative measures to keep the public informed.

“We the People of Illinois must band together and rise up to demand our leader/governor inform us thoroughly regarding the illegal immigration issue,” Gasca said on Facebook.

“Some excellent/quality data we might like to see would be things such as: 1) Total number of peoples who have crossed the border illegally— federally, state-wide, and within/around local municipalities; 2) Have they been screened for sickness, especially Covid?; 3) What is the status of their criminal background checks (If any have been reviewed)?; 4) Have we tracked their whereabouts including location of residence (e.g., in case we find out someone is a sex offender or sex/drug/arms trafficker), 5) Do we have legislature imagined going forward to make sure neighbors are informed, and 6) Are we checking their luggage, like all must even submit to in order to fly?”

“During Covid, Mr. Pritzker held what may have been daily briefings providing large sums of data. However in a particularly ‘touchy’ bipartisan situation politically, there is much silence. PR move? Out of touch? Lack of concern for what the majority of the state wants, as opposed to the desire to drive forward personal agendas?”

“We Illinoisans should be aware when undocumented peoples— here illegally— are living in our neighborhoods… could this tracking system be wise for such reasons as we might track potential traffickers, drug distributors, predators, thievery, etc.? Parents should be informed when their children are among/being exposed and indoctrinated with anti-American rhetoric.”

“We have a right to know how much we are spending to house those who are not tax paying citizens… tax dollars skyrocketing and pension funds going deduct, yet we are playing political games with people’s lives. Absolutely terrible.”

There are significant concerns from many that the tens of thousands illegal immigrants entering the state have not had appropriate background checks.

Pat Gibbons, a Chicago activist, recently echoed Gasca’s concerns in a press conference, emphasizing the potential health risks associated with the migrant influx.

He pointed to reported cases of scabies and measles in police districts where undocumented immigrants have sought shelter.

Gibbons underscored the need for a thorough vetting process and proper background checks for individuals entering the city.

Highlighting the situation with Venezuela, he expressed worry about individuals being released from jails and arriving in Chicago.

“The fact is,Venezuela is emptying the jails, crossing the southern border illegally and coming into Chicago,” Gibbons said.

Despite the city’s welcoming nature, Gibbons noted that the community feels uneasy due to the lack of information about these newcomers, emphasizing the paramount importance of knowing the members of their community, especially for the safety of children.

“We are a loving people. At the end of the day, we accept all people. But the neighborhood, the community feels unsafe because we simply do not know who they are. But we know who our children are,” Gibbons said.

Ammon Blair, a former US Border Patrol agent, revealed an extensive network operated by Mexican drug cartels and criminal smugglers in producing fake documents for immigrants, contributing to rising child labor and human trafficking issues in the United States, according to Federal News Wire.

Blair highlighted that cartels create counterfeit State Identification cards, Driver’s Licenses and steal American Social Security Numbers (SSNs), selling these fraudulent documents to illegal aliens.

Blair pointed out that cartels exploit the vulnerabilities of the Southern border, engaging in the production of fake documents for Unidentified Alien Children (UACs), contributing to child labor and human trafficking problems in the United States.

Despite efforts by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to confiscate counterfeit IDs, the prevalence of this criminal activity persists, with significant challenges in verifying the accurate identification of individuals involved.

Meanwhile a record-high number of individuals, 160 in total, listed on the terror watchlist were stopped from entering the US illegally at its borders by Sept. 2023, according to government statistics reported by the New York Post.

This marks a significant increase from the previous year’s 98 apprehensions.

The identities of those on the watchlist are closely guarded to avoid diplomatic incidents, tip-offs to terrorists and cartels, or retribution, citing national security threats.

The surge in attempts to cross the US borders by individuals on the watchlist has been noted since President Joe Biden took office, with concerns about terrorists and criminal actors exploiting the complex security environment.

Despite the record numbers, government officials emphasize that encounters with known or suspected terrorists at the southern border remain uncommon, representing less than 0.01% of total encounters in recent years.

Gasca has a diverse background spanning radio, counseling and business.

Since March 2018, she has been actively engaged as the Radio Program Content Coordinator and Data Analyst at Moody Radio.

Gasca also owns and operates God Heard LLC, a multifaceted platform established in July 2021. Through this venture, she offers pastoral counseling, life coaching, and business consulting services, thereby expanding her influence in these interconnected fields.

Senate District 19 includes all or parts of Lockport, New Lenox, Mokena, Orland Park, Tinley Park, Frankfort, Frankfort Square, Homer Glen, Joliet, Richton Park, University Park, Matteson, Homewood, Flossmoor, Park Forest, Olympia Fields, Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest, Markham and Oak Forest.

District 19 is currently being represented by Michael Hastings (D-Frankfort).

TEXAS GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW GIVING POLICE POWER TO ARREST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

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Steve Balich

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January 7, 2024

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TEXAS GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW GIVING POLICE POWER TO ARREST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott delivers his 2023 State of the State address at Noveon Magnetics in San Marcos, Texas, on Feb. 16, 2023.

TEXAS GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW GIVING POLICE POWER TO ARREST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

The new law is likely to face legal challenges given that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.

By Savannah Hulsey Pointer

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a border security bill into law that will give state law enforcement broad authority to arrest migrants who have entered Texas illegally and will allow local judges to order such migrants out of the country.

The Dec. 18 move by the Republican governor puts into place one of the nation’s strictest immigration laws and sets up a clash with the federal government, which has authority over immigration policy. Under, all law enforcement officials in the state of Texas, including those who are hundreds of miles from the border, would have the authority to detain migrants suspected of entering the nation illegally.

Because the offense is considered a misdemeanor, the judge has the authority to order the defendant to leave the country.

“Biden’s deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself,” Mr. Abbott said in a bill-signing ceremony at the border wall in Brownsville, Texas.

Separately on Dec. 18, U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporarily shut down two railroad border crossings in Texas to shift officers to help process migrants. Rail operators said the closures at Eagle Pass and El Paso would hamper trade ahead of Christmas.

Opponents of the new law argue that it could result in racial profiling or the unlawful arrest of citizens and immigrants who are legal residents. Additionally, Democrats said it would make immigrant victims of crime apprehensive about calling the police.

The new legislation doesn’t apply to residents who have been in the nation for more than two years, according to state Rep. David Spiller, one of the Republicans who sponsored the bill. In its defense, he stated it would be implemented primarily in the vicinity of the border and that it contained adequate safeguards.

Legal experts and organizations that advocate for immigrant rights have voiced their opposition to the Texas legislation, arguing that it’s in direct opposition to the jurisdiction of the U.S. government to regulate immigration.

Democrats asserted that Texas Republicans are seeking to have the newly appointed conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court reconsider a case from 2012 that invalidated significant sections of previous immigration legislation.

The Mexican government, which has already voiced its opposition to other moves taken by Texas along the border, also expressed concerns about the new legislation.

It’s highly probable that it will face challenges in court. Opponents will argue that it is a blatant breach of the law in the United States, as the authority to deport individuals is entirely vested in the federal government.

Mr. Abbott, currently serving his third term as governor of Texas, has made the implementation of increasingly aggressive policies at the border between Texas and Mexico a central focus of his administration.

In addition to providing law enforcement with broader arrest powers, Republicans in Texas are on pace to approve $1.5 billion to fund continued construction of an addition to federal border wall sections.

In recent months, Texas has also filed a lawsuit in an effort to maintain a floating barrier on the Rio Grande and to prohibit agents of the Border Patrol from destroying razor wire.

Mr. Abbott also started Operation Lone Star, a program in cooperation with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard, in March of 2021.

The operation is an effort to secure the border by barring the entry of drugs, weapons, and people and to counter transnational criminal activities between ports of entry.

According to a Dec. 15 statement from Mr. Abbott’s office, Operation Lone Star’s collective efforts have resulted in more than 489,500 apprehensions of illegal immigrants and more than 37,500 criminal arrests, including more than 34,100 felony charges.

The operation has also relocated migrant groups to a number of locations, including more than 12,500 migrants who have been bused to Washington, D.C., since April 2022, along with significant numbers transported to New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and Los Angeles.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Texas Gov. Abbott Signs Bill Making Illegal Immigration a Crime in the State

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January 6, 2024

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Texas Gov. Abbott Signs Bill Making Illegal Immigration a Crime in the State

BeyondWords

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill making illegal immigration a criminal offense in the Lone Star State.

“The new law would authorize police to arrest people they suspect crossed the Rio Grande between ports of entry,” The Texas Tribune reported.

CNN noted that the soon-to-be-enacted legislation would also grant local judges “the ability to issue orders to remove [migrants] to Mexico.”

The New York Post clarified that suspects “arrested under the law will be able to choose whether to follow a judge’s orders to leave the country or be prosecuted and face either jail or a fine up to $2,000.”

“Repeat offenders will then be charged with a felony,” The Post reported.

The law is set to take effect in March.

In addition, it provides over $1.5 billion in earmarks to construction of Texas’ border wall as well as $40 million for law enforcement to protect areas where high numbers of illegal immigrants are thought to live.

“Texas is the first and only state in the history of our nation to build our own border wall,” Abbott posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) hours before he signed the bill. “I will soon sign new legislation to add even more funding for this historic project.”

According to The New York Post, the bill came as photos showed thousands of migrants in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody at Eagle Pass in the state, after illegally making their way into the country Sunday night and Monday morning.

Texas also halted two train crossings from Mexico at El Paso and Eagle Pass as of 8 a.m. Monday, on routes where thousands of migrants have been hitching rides through northern Mexico to the border.

Pope Opens Possibility of Blessing ‘Same-Sex Couples,’ Those in ‘Irregular Situations’

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January 5, 2024

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The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) on Monday issued a declaration officially opening the Church to the “possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.”

Prefect of the DDF Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández issued the declaration on December 18. The document reiterated the Church’s teachings on marriage while also explaining in more detail the basis and implications of Pope Francis’ response to dubia submitted in recent years regarding the question of blessing same-sex couples.

The dubia document mentioned in Monday’s declaration is one of five presented in July of this year by Walter Cardinal Brandmüller, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Juan Cardinal Sandoval Íñiguez, Robert Cardinal Sarah, and Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun. Fernández issued the Vatican’s response in October at the beginning of the Synod on Synodality.

The new declaration tries to explain some differences between liturgical blessings and “non-ritualized blessings” as well as the scriptural background of blessings.

Fernández wrote that

when a blessing is invoked on certain human relationships by a special liturgical rite, it is necessary that what is blessed corresponds with God’s designs written in creation and fully revealed by Christ the Lord.

For this reason, since the Church has always considered only those sexual relations that are lived out within marriage to be morally licit, the Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice…

When considered outside of a liturgical framework, these expressions of faith are found in a realm of greater spontaneity and freedom. Nevertheless, “the optional nature of pious exercises should in no way be taken to imply an under-estimation or even disrespect for such practices…”

He added that

it is essential to grasp the Holy Father’s concern that these non-ritualized blessings never cease being simple gestures that provide an effective means of increasing trust in God on the part of the people who ask for them, careful that they should not become a liturgical or semi-liturgical act, similar to a sacrament.

According to Fernández, Francis has stressed that “‘practical discernment in particular circumstances cannot be elevated to the level of a rule.’” “For this reason,” Fernández wrote,

one should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation. At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing…

In any case, precisely to avoid any form of confusion or scandal, when the prayer of blessing is requested by a couple in an irregular situation, even though it is expressed outside the rites prescribed by the liturgical books, this blessing should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them. Nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding. The same applies when the blessing is requested by a same-sex couple.

In his conclusion, Fernández wrote:

The Church is thus the sacrament of God’s infinite love. Therefore, even when a person’s relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hand to God, as Peter did in the storm when he cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” (Mt. 14:30). Indeed, desiring and receiving a blessing can be the possible good in some situations.

In a presentation of the document, Fernández explained:

As with the Holy Father’s above-mentioned response to the Dubia of two Cardinals, this Declaration remains firm on the traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage, not allowing any type of liturgical rite or blessing similar to a liturgical rite that can create confusion. The value of this document, however, is that it offers a specific and innovative contribution to the pastoral meaning of blessings, permitting a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective.

Such theological reflection, based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis, implies a real development from what has been said about blessings in the Magisterium and the official texts of the Church. This explains why this text has taken on the typology of a “Declaration.”

It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.

Fernández also referenced Francis’ previous response to the dubia. The cardinal wrote that the pope’s answer

provided important clarifications for this reflection and represents a decisive element for the work of the Dicastery. Since “the Roman Curia is primarily an instrument at the service of the successor of Peter,” our work must foster, along with an understanding of the Church’s perennial doctrine, the reception of the Holy Father’s teaching.

Later in the day on December 18, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement addressing the document:

The Declaration issued today by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) articulated a distinction between liturgical (sacramental) blessings, and pastoral blessings, which may be given to persons who desire God’s loving grace in their lives. The Church’s teaching on marriage has not changed, and this declaration affirms that, while also making an effort to accompany people through the imparting of pastoral blessings because each of us needs God’s healing love and mercy in our lives.

Landlords required to build EV chargers at renters’ request with new Illinois law

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January 4, 2024

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Landlords required to build EV chargers at renters’ request with new Illinois law

By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

FILE: Electric vehicle — husjur02 | Shutterstock

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(The Center Square) – Those in the housing industry are weighing in on the state’s new law that requires landlords to build electric vehicle charging stations into residential buildings upon tenants’ request.

Senate Bill 40 was approved earlier this year and starting Jan. 1, the law requires single-family homes and newly constructed residential buildings with parking spaces to provide a conduit allowing EV charging if needed. During fall veto session, the measure was amended to require a charging station capabilities for each available parking space.

Illinois home builder Dean Graven said changes were made to reduce costs.

“We have to put in a conduit or a pipe from the breaker box to one location in the garage,” Graven told The Center Square. “Teslas take 240 [volt], and other cars are 180, and if you get the cheapest electric car, you can plug into a 110 outlet. We got away from putting in something expensive that would cost thousands of dollars versus just a conduit system.”

Most of the debate during the legislative session centered around the costs involved in the construction. Paul Arena with Illinois Rental Property Owners Association, which was against the original bill, said costs would increase but not by that much.

“It will increase the cost of construction but not to the point where we felt it would be a deterrent,” Arena said. “Our concern was mostly around renovation and what activities the tenants were permitted to do.”

Graven said the amendment to the law also addressed concerns he had regarding future home prices.

“This did not affect new home construction,” Graven said. “That was our major concern when the bill came out because it was going to drive the cost of housing even higher.”

Arena said he does not anticipate a large number of stations being built.

“We don’t see there being this tremendous demand for electric vehicles. I don’t think there will be a lot of them,” Arena said. “I think what it will impact is new construction.”

Graven compared the process to one wanting to build a jacuzzi.

“To me, it’s like, do you want a hot tub in your bathroom,” Graven said. “It is an addition to a house cost that the consumer drives. They will pay for it if they need it. If they do not, they will walk away from it.”

The measure also allows landlords to charge a security deposit to cover the costs of restoring the property to its original condition once a tenant moves out.

Sounding the Trumpet By M.E. Boyd Miss Constitution

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January 3, 2024

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Sounding the Trumpet By M.E. Boyd Miss Constitution

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December 18, 2023

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Sounding the Trumpet

M. E. Boyd

12/18/2023

“He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat. . .” Julia Ward Howe, the Battle Hymn of the Republic, 1862.

As the national indignities pile up the American public is treated to books and ads on the “end times” or the “reckoning” in which the chosen (predestined) rise to glory in heaven and the rest of us simply disappear. Miss Constitution would respectfully say we are not in end times but paralyzed times. In trying to describe the satanic, the works of the devil, evil at its most glaring (Hamas taking selfies of outrages to infants and children, for instance), words fail, as English adjectives simply cannot capture the essence of what satanic is. The essence of what the satanic is, is fevered energy – evil is all fevered energy all the time. As Saul Alinsky advised – never stop the pressure; never stop creating chaos; never stop destroying; never stop defiling, never stop blaspheming, never stop lying, never stop looting, never stop burning, never stop disrespecting, never stop elevating the psychopathic and diminishing the devoted, never stop worshiping satan and the evil he lures us to acquiesce to.

“Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! . . .”

But we are not swift to answer Him – we are paralyzed, passive, and silent. Someone puts up an altar to satan at the Iowa State Capitol and we are told satanism is a religion that must be respected under the 1^st Amendment to the United States Constitution. Not true. It is not a religion it is an insult to religion. It is an insult to the very Foundations of this nation and our Moral Law. The Constitution of the United States and the bevy of mediocre and confused rulings regarding its intent and meaning over the last 200+ years is the Supreme Positive Law of the Land, it is not the Supreme Law of our land. Moral Law is the Supreme Law of the Land and it is based on Judaism and Christianity and our primary duty to God and our secondary duty to each other within the tenets of these two Faiths. A satanic altar by government actors need not be tolerated under our Constitutional system nor satanic after-school clubs promoted by Alinsky-inspired public school administrators.

Someone in authority in the Iowa Capitol allowed this display. To answer Him we must find out who did this and sound out the trumpet. We must then swiftly publicly cleanse the area that housed this display until its noxious toxicity is neutralized. This display is not protected symbolic speech and it is not a free exercise of religion, as maliciously reviling God has been, until very recent times, a punishable common law and statutory crime. Whoever thought this acceptable must face severe consequences. A Marine passerby (one who did answer) took it down immediately, thank goodness.

“He hath loosed the fateful lightening of His terrible swift sword. . .”

Where is the public energy when a teenage girl gets her teeth knocked out and her jaw broken by a post-puberty male who can only succeed through the notion that boys can be girls and girls can be boys? Where is the public energy when licensed surgeons and their surgical nurses cut off healthy tissue, rearrange healthy organs, prescribe life-altering drugs and call it gender-affirming care? Where is the terrible swift sword of exposure, of shame, of de-licensing? Where is the public energy when strippers are reading to your elementary school children; when drag queens are sexually grooming your children for future experimentation; when so-called librarians are introducing pornography to your 5 year-old? It is not God who should loose the fateful lightening, but parents, citizens, and those in public trust. Where are members of the Cloth?

Somehow satan has convinced some of the public that our Constitutional system tolerates the intolerable. Not true. Our system tolerates thought – it does not necessarily tolerate thought as action or thought translated into indoctrination. The Constitution is a simple set of Rules so that a stable society can provide the most opportunity and the most hope for the most people. The Rules already provide for equality under the law; the Rules already provide for Free Speech on public policy; the Rules already provide for worship as one sees fit. What the Rules do not provide for is public tolerance of disobedience, of the obscene, of the profane, of anarchy, of chaos, of equal outcomes, of the elevation of the meritless, or of incoherent ideologies foisted on a generally good people to freeze them into inaction. The Mayor of Boston, as a government actor, is not allowed to throw an official holiday party and say those of a certain skin color cannot attend. The terrible swift sword must force her to resign or she must be defeated at the polls. Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity spells “die” – as in the death of the American experiment in the development of the person within the Rule of Law.

“Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel. . .”

Crushing the serpent takes energy. Replacing evil with good takes energy. Saying “no” and “no more” takes energy. Putting God first takes energy. It is not just chaos, however, that freezes a good people – satan also wants to remove a remembrance of the fabric of American culture and history. The idea is that it will go unnoticed in the busy holiday season. A Commission was formed by the current federal administration to destroy commemoration of our history. Under the guidance of Ty Seidule, a retired general, a statue commemorating Reconciliation between North and South at Arlington Cemetery is to be removed right before Christmas. It was sculpted by a Jewish veteran of the Civil War and honored by every President since Woodrow Wilson. They would remove its base but Moses Ezekiel is buried there. A Naming Commission has changed the names of historic forts; has recommended Founding Fathers be removed and forgotten; is about to desecrate what is sacred to a landmark in American history. Our full and accurate history, free and open to the public, is how we learn and grow in personal and public virtue. Locals should stand in the way of tyranny, circle it, and protect the statue.

“I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,

They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:

His day is marching on.”

Miss Constitution would say, call out the trumpets, be swift with your sword, crush the serpent with your heel – take back your children, your sanity, and your country – satan can be defeated if you see him in your everyday life. Not only does he paralyze you with chaos, he works at the lowest levels of the engines of society. He joins Boards and Planning Commissions and low-level political entities. He knows that at these levels energy is at its lowest. This is where, however, the real destruction of society often takes place.

Be the watch-fire in your community. Stand in the way of the rope around George Washington’s neck; of the desecration of sacred graves and monuments; of the debauching of your children; and of the loss of knowledge of the great philosophers who gave our Founding documents life. Support those who, without need of validation, give their full measure in thought and deed to their country and its Judeo-Christian values. The satanic will always have high energy; the Righteous must have it, as well.

Shocking Video Reveals Democrats Stuffed Nearly 3,000 Illegals Into Chicago Warehouse

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By

Steve Balich

-

January 2, 2024

0

BY TYLER DURDEN

MONDAY, DEC 11, 2023 – 07:20 PM

A new video has surfaced on X showing the location of a warehouse in the Chicago metro area where nearly 3,000 illegal migrants have been packed into. This comes as the US southern border continues to spiral out of control as disastrous open border policies by the Biden administration have flooded major metro areas with hundreds of thousands of illegals, if not more.

“I honestly couldn’t believe it when I first heard it. 2700 illegals being housed in a warehouse in south Chicago (2241 S. Halsted St),” Ben Bergquam, a reporter for Real America’s Voice News, said in a post on X.

Bergquam continued, “People have no idea how bad this is going to get! The truth about the Democrat’s illegal invasion: drugs, prostitution, child trafficking, and modern-day slavery.”

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Ben Bergquam – Real America’s Voice (RAV-TV) News

@BenBergquam

I honestly couldn’t believe it when I first heard it. 2700 illegals being housed in a warehouse in south Chicago (2241 S. Halsted St). And this is only one of over 56 locations being used. People have no idea how bad this is going to get! The truth about the democrats illegal invasion: drugs, prostitution, child trafficking and modern day slavery. Mayor Johnson, Governor Pritzker, Joe Biden and the #DemocratsDidThis. #StopTheInvasion #Trump2024

In late September, local media CBS 2 reported that the 2241 S. Halsted St. warehouse would house upwards of 400 families with children, with plans to expand to 1,000. If Bergquam’s figures are correct, the warehouse is quickly running out of room.

Just last week, sources with the Customs and Border Protection confirmed to Fox News that Tuesday was the largest single-day illegal migrant encounter ever on the US-Mexico border.

According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, since President Biden took office, there have been more than 9 million illegal entries into the US on the southern border.

Meanwhile, other failing progressive metro areas, like New York City, are being overrun by illegal migrants

The Harvard Mess Untangled

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