Her Immaculate Heart Prevailed

The Soviet Union Was Dissolved on December 8th, 1991
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT:  On this day, 20 years ago, the Soviet Union was dissolved.  Just as she foretold to the three Fatima children, in the end, her Immaculate Heart would prevail.  On the 8th of December in 1991, leaders from across the USSR came together and signed a treaty officially ending the 69 year-long regime.  The ceremonial end of the USSR came with the resignation of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, and the lowering of the red Soviet flag from the Kremlin on December 25th, 1991.  I believe this was just the first of her victories.  I also believe we will likely see the completion of her victories very VERY soon!

Mother of the Americas

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The year is 1521 AD. The capital city of the Aztec empire falls to Spanish imperial forces, who have just conquered the Mesoamerican culture of the New World. This marks the end of the most advanced civilization ever produced by the Native American peoples. From this time forward, all Native Americans would fall under submission to European power. Conquered and humiliated, the Aztec people become second-class citizens in Spanish America. European settlers have no problem perpetuating this status quo. Millions of Aztec people are now living as strangers on their own continental soil. They've lost their sovereignty, power, homeland and in some cases even their freedom. Pride is all they have left, and daily this is subjected to the status quo of second-class citizenship. The Aztec people have every reason to hate the Spaniards, and everything they brought with them to the Americas -- especially their religion. But less than 20 years later, virtually all of them simultaneously accept Jesus Christ and convert to Catholic Christianity by their own free will. The Spanish are left speechless, astonished by what just happened.

WHY?

Why would an entire civilization of people, who had been Pagans for thousands of years, and had every right to hate everything the Spanish settlers represented, suddenly and unexplainably embrace the Spaniards' religion as their own?

The answer is in a supernatural and miraculous visitation from heaven. In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a poor Christian Aztec named Juan Diego at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Mexico City; she identified herself as the "Mother of the True God," instructed him to have the local bishop build a temple on the site, and as a sign she left an image of herself imprinted miraculously on his cloak (or 'tilma'). The tilma is a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 470 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin.

The image appeared instantly and miraculously in front of many witnesses, some of them local dignitaries. The Lady instructed Juan to gather some roses from the site where she made her appearance to him. Since roses were out of season (it was December), this was to be a sign to the local bishop that the 'Lady from Heaven' had truly appeared to Juan Diego, and his story was true. He gathered the roses into his tilma and carried them to the local bishop who was meeting with some Spanish dignitaries at the time. As he dropped his garment to release the roses, the image of the Lady from Heaven miraculously and spontaneously appeared on the tilma. The bishop and his guests immediately fell to their knees in astonishment.

The Lady's only request was that a temple be erected on the hill where the apparition took place. The reason she gave for this was as follows: "I am the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth. I wish that a temple be erected here quickly, so I may therein exhibit and give all my love, compassion, help, and protection, because I am your merciful mother, to you, and to all the inhabitants on this land and all the rest who love me, invoke and confide in me; listen there to their lamentations, and remedy all their miseries, afflictions and sorrows." As the bishop agreed to grant the request, he sent Juan home to his uncle who had been sick with a terminal disease. During the course of the Marian apparitions to Juan, she had promised him that his uncle would be healed, but he had not seen him for a long time. So when he returned to his village, the bishop sent escorts to go with him and record everything they saw. When they got there, they found Juan's uncle well and joyously celebrating his healing. It was then Juan learned that on the very day the Lady promised Juan that his uncle would be healed, his uncle saw a vision of the Lady exactly as Juan had described to the bishop some time earlier. The two (Juan and his uncle) had not communicated during this whole time. Yet, their description of the Lady was exactly identical. The Lady told Juan's uncle that when he would go to see the bishop, to reveal to him what he had seen and to explain the miraculous manner in which he was healed, that she would properly be named the blessed Image, the ever-virgin Holy Mary of Guadalupe.

Now why should the Virgin Mary, appearing to an Indian in 16th century Mexico, and speaking to him in his native language of Nahuatl, call herself “Guadalupe”, a Spanish name?

It is believed that the Lady used the Aztec Nahuatl word of coatlaxopeuh which is pronounced "Gwad-a-lup-eh." Coa meaning serpent, tla being the noun ending which can be interpreted as "the", while xopeuh means to crush or stamp out. So the Lady may have called herself "the one who crushes the serpent." We must remember that the Aztecs worshipped the serpent-god Quetzalcoatl, and annually offered at least 20,000 men, women and children in human sacrifice to their Pagan gods. In 1487, in a 4-day long ceremony for the dedication of a new temple in Tenochtitlan, some 80,000 captives were killed in human sacrifice. Certainly in this case, the Lady 'crushed' the serpent, beacuse within a few years after her apparition to Juan Diego, nine million of these natives were converted to Christianity.

Modern infra-red studies of the image reveal unexplainable phenomena: The image was not painted, and the color did not penetrate the fibers as would paint. Weaving with such irregular fibers also produced a rough surface which would have distorted any simple surface painting, yet the image one sees is clear and undistorted.

Most remarkable about this image is the recent scientific research done on the Lady’s eyes. Magnified studies reveal the startling image of reflections, as if they were frozen onto the image the moment it appeared to the bishop and his guests nearly five-hundred years ago. One of the first doctors to study the eyes was Dr. Javier Torroella Bueno, MDS, a prestigious ophthalmologist. In what is the first report on the eyes of the image issued by a physician, he certifies the presence of the triple reflection (Samson-Purkinje effect) characteristic of all live human eyes and states that the resulting images are located exactly where they are supposed to be according to such effect, and also that the distortion of the images agree with the curvature of the cornea. In both eyes, the largest and most obvious reflection is of a "bearded man," probably the bishop's translator who interpreted the exchange between the Spanish speaking bishop and the native speaking Juan Diego.

A new and fascinating kind of analysis of the eyes started in 1979, when Dr. Jose Aste Tonsmann, Ph D, graduated from Cornell University, while working in IBM scanned at very high resolutions a very good photograph, taken from the original, of the face on the tilma. After filtering and processing the digitized images of the eyes to eliminate "noise" and enhance them, he made some astonishing discoveries: According to Dr. Tonsmann, from left to right we can see the Indian, Bishop Zumarraga, the translator, and Juan Diego showing the tilma.

The image of the Lady of Guadalupe has great symbolism. The Lady's image is surrounded by luminous light, standing on the moon, and the stars on her mantle reflect the description found in the Book of Revelation: "A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Revelation 12:1).

These are also symbols of divine victory over the pagan religion of the time. Sun rays were symbolic of the Aztec god Huitzilopochtle. Therefore, the Lady, standing before the rays, shows that she proclaims the true God who is greater than Huitzilopochtle and who eclipses his power.

She stands also on the moon. The moon represented night and darkness, and was associated with the god Tezcatlipoca. Here again, the Lady’s standing on the moon indicates divine triumph over evil.
Moreover, in Christian iconography, the crescent moon under the Lady’s feet also symbolizes perpetual virginity and is connected with the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception and the Blessed Assumption.

The stars on her mantle indicate that she comes from Heaven, her dress is also modeled after that of an Aztec queen. Interestingly, some research attests that the stars on the mantle appear exactly as they would have in the sky before dawn on the Morning of December 12, 1531, when the vision appeared.

The face of the Lady, with its complexion, dark hair, and dark eyes, reflects the physiognomy of a Native American. Her eyes are also cast downward, showing humility and compassion. In Aztec iconography, a god looked straight ahead with wide open eyes; the picture here then shows that the Lady does not claim to be God, but only His messenger and loving mother. The Lady is supported by an angel, another symbol of royalty among Native American cultures.

Her clothing also has special significance. The rose color of the Lady's dress has two interpretations, either as a symbol of the dawn of a new era, or as sign of martyrdom for the faith. A red dress is also interpreted as a symbol of virginity in eastern Christian iconography. The gold brooch under her neck represents sanctity. Finally the bow around her waist is another sign of virginity. However this bow has several other meanings in Native American culture: this bow was the nahui ollin, the flower of the sun, which was a symbol of plenitude, fecundity and new life. The high placement of the bow and the apparent swelling of the abdomen of the Lady have led many to conclude that she is pregnant in this image.

This image became a symbol of unity between European and Native American cultures in Central America. Both peoples could easily identify with it. As a result, virtually the entire Aztec empire (some nine million people in total), all of them Pagan, accepted Christ and converted to Catholic Christianity within a space of just a few years.

Today she remains the patron not only of Mexico, but of all the Americas, including Canada and the United States. She is the symbol of racial unity between the children of European settlers and American natives. She speaks to us only of the Lordship of her divine Son -- Jesus Christ -- and of his victory over the powers of hell. Through this image, the message is clear. The old ways of Pagan devotion to the false gods, must give way to true worship of the one true God. In this truth, all the American peoples (regardless of race and culture) will find unity and peace.

In today's modern world, she is also honored by Catholics on both American continents as the patron of our hemisphere and the protector of all children -- especially the unborn. In particular, this image of our Blessed Mother has been closely associated with the Pro-Life movement, because of the modern similarity of surgical and chemical abortion to the human sacrifice of ancient Aztec society. The Aztecs sacrificed human beings to their gods, particularly the serpent god Quetzalcoatl, in the hope of gaining favor and prosperity. While modern Americans no longer worship Aztec idols, many do still sacrifice their unborn children to the "gods" of prosperity and convenience. Instead of counting children as a blessing from the Lord, regardless of the circumstances in which they were conceived, modern American culture views them as a burden and an obstacle to material happiness. This attitude can only be spawned by Satan -- the Biblical serpent depicted in Genesis 3 and Revelation 12. The pregnant image of Our Lady reminds us of the blessings of the unborn and identifies the sin of abortion for what it really is -- human sacrifice. The image of Our Lady is the Mother of all the Americas, and she is calling us to remember her unborn Son -- Jesus Christ -- as we work to defend the unborn here in the New World.

U.S. Bishops Snookered By Obamacare

President Obama Signed the Healthcare Bill on March 23, 2010

(EWTN News) — President Barack Obama has not kept his promises about conscience protections for abortion opponents, and those who trusted him to exclude abortion from the health-care bill seem to “have been played,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami said.

“His administration is running roughshod over conscience-protection provisions’ long part of the law that find their justification in the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion, a foundational human right,” the archbishop wrote in a Dec. 2 essay in the Miami Herald.

“It is one thing for an administration to support and promote an agenda; it is quite another to force those who disagree with it to violate their moral and religious principles.”

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: You were warned your excellency. You and your brother bishops were all warned. We Catholic bloggers told you this day would come. We yelled it from the top of our lungs. YOU CANNOT TRUST PROGRESSIVE LIBERALS!!! YOU CANNOT TRUST BARACK OBAMA!!! YOU CANNOT TRUST THE LIKES OF NANCY PELOSI!!! (My God! Is she still in the Church? Have you not excommunicated her yet!?! What does this woman have to do to be excommunicated???) WE WARNED YOU. YOU DID NOT LISTEN. WHERE IT NOT FOR YOUR SUPPORT, OBAMACARE WOULD HAVE NEVER PASSED. BUT YOU DID SUPPORT IT, AND YOU TRUSTED THOSE WHOM YOU KNEW WERE NOT TRUSTWORTHY. NOW WE MUST ALL PAY THE PRICE!!!

The first to pay will be Catholic healthcare workers. Doctors, nurses and technicians will become the first martyrs of your naivety. Next it will be you! I do hope your excellencies will lead us now by example in martyrdom. I do hope you would not permit your sheep to be fined and jailed before you. I do hope you have not left us, the laity, to fight for the faith in your place. You led us into this situation, and since you cannot now lead us out of it, we do hope you will at least lead us into martyrdom.

In HIS Majesty's Service,

The Catholic Knight

(PS - I work in healthcare. I am prepared to be martyred for this. If I'm lucky, I may only lose my job. If necessary however, I am prepared to face fines and a prison sentence for following my conscience. It's just too bad my kids will have to go into poverty should it come down to that. Maybe you could help them out when the time comes?)

Who is Santa Claus?

Saint Nicholas

(St. Nicholas Center) - The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, December 6th...

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: While some of my readers may object to this, please know I'm not telling you what to do on this matter. I'm simply conveying what my wife and I did. We chose not to tell our children about the Christmas myths concerning Santa Claus, the flying reindeer, the chimney, the elves or the toy shop at the North Pole. No, we keeps our stories of Christmas limited to the Nativity, and we told them about the REAL St. Nicholas.

One day, when my 7-year old son was playing outside, some older neighbour boys (pre-teen) began teasing him about Santa Claus, asking him very sarcastically if he had been a 'good boy this year,' and if Santa was going to bring him presents. My son, being a very conscientious young man, was careful not to let on that these myths meant nothing to him. Then he came into the house, closed the door behind him, laughed and shook his head saying 'Ha! They still believe in Santa Claus!'

We never told our kids that the Santa myths were not real.  We never had to.  We simply took them to department stores and let them sit on Santa's lap.  We showed them the Christmas specials about Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, etc.  Then one day the questions came.  'Mommy, Daddy, is Santa Claus real?'  To which we simply answered 'Well, what do you think?'  In every case, our kids said something to the extent of 'No, probably not'  or 'I don't think so.'  So that's where we left it.  We neither confirmed nor denied.  We simply let our own kids figure it out, with no help or hindrance from us.  They came to their own conclusion at about age 4. 

Now I have no objection to parents who want to tell their kids the Santa myths.  If that's your family thing, than have at it.  However, when the time comes to tell them the truth, I request you please stock up on the real information about the real Saint Nicholas, so when the time comes to burst their bubble, you'll be ready to re-inflate it with something more meaningful.

The Patron Saint of Dixieland

Catholics make up a sizeable portion of the
modern Dixieland Nationalist Movement.

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Those who read this blog know I am a Southern Nationalist, a Son of Dixie, and unreconstructed to the core. Those who regularly read this blog also know I am descended from Cherokee Natives who fought for the South during Lincoln's War, as well as white men who lived in the South and fought for the South, and white men who lived in the North and refused to fight for the North. (They moved West instead.)  Yes, I have good historical reason to be a Southern Nationalist, but heritage is not the sole reason. You see I was raised in California, before moving back to the Ozarks as an adult, and my Arkansan mother never instilled a deep love in me for the Confederacy. To her the South is just Dixie, and she never really was one for politics. My father, the Yankee in the family, privately tells me he too believes the South was right during the war, which is why his ancestors moved West, but he also tells me not to tell my mother or she'll never let him hear the end of it. I figure if he passes before she does, I'll probably tell her some years afterwards, just to watch her jaw drop. She'll swear I'm lying.

All that anecdotal stuff aside, I am not so much a Southern Nationalist because of my heritage, though that is part of it, but rather because of choice. I could go through a dozen reasons why the South was right during Lincoln's War that robbed her of her short-lived independence, but that is not the purpose of this blog entry. If you want to read my apologetic for Dixieland, just mash on the "Dixie" category below and read to your heart's content. This article is not about the past. It's about the future, and I've chosen today, the Feast of St. Andrew, to release this essay to the public.

The Martyrdom of St. Andrew
Brother of St. Peter
First Disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ

St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter, both fisherman, but it was Andrew who was the first disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Andrew immediately recognised Jesus as the promised Messiah, and introduced him to his brother Peter as such. After the death and resurrection of Christ, the Church historian Eusebius quoted Origen as saying Andrew preached in Asia Minor and in Scythia, along the Black Sea as far as the Volga, Kiev and Novgorod. Hence he became a patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia. According to tradition, he founded the See of Byzantium in AD 38. St. Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras in Achaea (Greece), on the northern coast of the Peloponnese. He was crucified on an 'X' shape cross, in which he was tied as opposed to nailed. This 'X' shaped cross is called a 'saltire' or 'Cross of St. Andrew.' It is said that he preached the gospel for two days on this cross until his death by dehydration. His feast day is today, November 30, and he is the patron saint of Russia, Ukraine, Romania.

Flag of Scotland

Some time passed after his death, and a monk named Regulus was charged with watching over the remains of St. Andrew.  He had a vision of an angel who told him to take the relics to the far west.  Obeying the command, Regulus set sail for the west coast of Europe when he came to be shipwrecked on the shores of Scotland.  He then evangelised the people there and named the city founded on the place of his shipwreck after St. Andrew.  As a result St. Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland.  Centuries later, the Scots would settle much of the American south-eastern states in what has since come to be known as Dixie or Dixieland.  He is now the unofficial patron saint of Dixieland, and his saltire cross became the symbol of many Southern states and the old Confederacy.

Alabama State Flag

After all is said and done. After all the Civil War re-enactment canons are silenced. After all the real history comes out, in spite of Yankee revisionism, and the South is finally vindicated. It really doesn't mean a whole lot until you look at the future. Dixie is an occupied nation. It has been occupied for 145 years now, and like the Hebrews after the Babylonian exile, we have been occupied for so long that most of us have forgotten who we are. Not all of us have forgotten though, and thanks to the advent of the Internet, we are beginning to remember. Long gone are those terrible days of institutionalised slavery and segregation. Dixie has emerged as a free land for people of all races, colours and ethnicity. Even the modern secessionist movements, such as the 'League of the South' for example, have officially condemned racism in a public policy statement (see here), calling upon its members to act with Christian charity toward all men regardless of race, colour and ethnicity. Now when Southern secessionists are calling for racial harmony, in a Christian context, you know something has changed for the better!

Florida State Flag

Dixie is occupied by a federal regime that the states consent to, but only for one reason really -- THEY FEAR IT!  That's right, I dare say that the ONLY reason why the Southern states of the former Confederacy remain within the United States of America is because they honestly FEAR what the federal government will do to them should they ever try to regain their independence. For if Washington DC ever issued a declaration, stating that democratic secession is perfectly legal, and states that want to secede may do so without fear of military attack from the federal government, than I guarantee the Southern states would peal off one by one, and likely reinstate the old Confederacy, or some modern variation of it.

Mississippi State Flag

Why wouldn't they? They certainly have good reason. When we look at the federal government's war against God in public schools and other public places, it only makes sense that a deeply Christian people would reject that. When we look at the federal government's war against babies, by mandating abortion-on-demand in all fifty states, it only makes sense that a deeply moral people would reject that. When we look at the federal government's current attempt to make homosexuality 'accepted' and 'normal,' it only makes sense that the family-centred South would reject it. When we look at the federal government's ungodly wars against Arabs and Muslims, it only makes sense that a deeply Christian people, who themselves were once conquered by the same government, would object to it. When we look at this unimaginable debt the federal government has amassed over the years, equalling approximately $200,000 per American family, it only makes since that such a fiscally conservative people would reject it. Sadly, it doesn't matter what the people of the South think about these things, for Washington DC has made it crystal clear that it doesn't care.

Originally the Confederate Naval Jack
This flag has become the symbol
of Dixieland Culture and Identity

There are those who say 'the South will rise again,' but I say it won't have to. You see, while I am a Southern nationalist, I am not a secessionist.  Secession has been tried once already, with disastrous results.  The U.S. Constitution makes no provision for secession, though the nation itself was founded on it in the Declaration of Independence.  Besides, the character of Washington DC has already revealed itself.  The U.S. federal government is an EMPIRE and it proved this in Lincoln's War.  It has continued to prove this more and more with each passing decade.  It is more of an empire than the British Empire ever was.  It demands absolute allegiance, and will accept nothing less than total submission.  Children are trained in public schools to revere former American presidents almost to the point of idolatry.  The greatest of all these gods (er, I mean 'presidents'), so the children are taught, is none other than Abraham Lincoln himself -- America's first Caesar -- the man who suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus in the North, and waged war against what he deemed to be his own citizens in the South.  For fifty years (1892-1942), America's school children were taught to salute the American flag in stiff-arm fascist style, (eventually imitated by the Nazis), as they pledged their allegiance to the government as an 'indivisible nation.'  It was a direct assault on the concept of state secession.  Yes, we the people of Dixie, are an occupied nation, like ancient Israel or modern day Scotland.  We are the 'Bavaria' of North America.  We are very much in America, but not necessarily of it.  Nobody can deny that the character of the South is different from the rest of the Union.

Old St. Andrews Episcopal Church
Charleston, South Carolina
Antebellum Chapel Still Standing Today

Besides all that, the federal government has made its point clear, if not by law, than with the end of a bayonet, that secession is illegal in the United States of America.  Even though these United States were founded on secession, it does not matter, because the federal government will not allow the same right to anyone else within U.S. territory.   The federal government has become everything the British Empire once was, but worse, and just as that empire fell, so this one will too.  History demands it.  So that being said, Christians are called to obey the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.  'My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight.' - John 18:36.  Jesus instructed his disciples to obey the Roman authorities, even though they occupied the Holy Land in the most cruel and corrupt way.  As bad as Washington DC is, the Romans were far worse.  If the early Christians were compelled by Christ to obey the Romans, than we too must be compelled by Christ to obey the U.S. federal government -- for as long as it lasts -- until it is gone (or defunct) and the way is made clear to rebuild as an independent Christian nation!  Until then all we need do is rebuild our Southern culture, and refine our Southern language, because this is what will define our borders when the day of our independence finally comes.  The word 'culture' is based on the Latin word cultus meaning 'religion.'  It means what we define as 'culture' is the way in which a religion interacts with certain people in a particular region.  It is the character of these people, defined by religion, and expressed by their religious experience in their environment.  To revive a 'culture,' one must look back to the religion of the Old South which was dominated by high-church Episcopalianism (Anglicanism), especially in the inner cities of the Confederacy.  Both President Jefferson Davis and General Robert E. Lee were high-church Episcopalians.  Today, this type of religious tradition is best preserved in Protestantism among the more traditional Anglican jurisdictions.  On the Catholic side it is best preserved by Anglo-Catholics both within and outside the Catholic Church's U.S. Ordinariate for Anglicans. 

St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Orange, Virginia
On November 22,1863 General Robert E.Lee
and President Jefferson Davis attended mass here.

There will be no need to take up arms and fight Washington DC ever again. Because in time, perhaps after a brief period of open dictatorship, culminating in the outright persecution of Christians (even high ranking Vatican officials see this coming), Washington DC just won't put up a fight any more. It will collapse under the weight of its own colossal size and crushing national debt. Can there be any doubt that our federal government has incurred the wrath of God? How many babies does it have to kill before God says enough? How many children's prayers does it have to silence before God says enough? How many homosexual marriages have to be performed before God says enough? How many third-world nations do we have to destroy before God says enough? How much debt has to be amassed before God says enough? How many family-owned businesses have to be run into bankruptcy before God says enough?  How many fomerly independent families have to be put into poverty before God says enough?  How many Catholic charities have to be shut down, over gay adoptions, before God says enough?  History is not on America's side. Nations such as ours have always fallen -- and fallen hard -- there is no reason to believe the same won't be true for us. The United States federal government will fall -- eventually -- and when it does, the Confederate States of Dixie will only need to pick up the pieces and start over where she left off in 1865.  Secession is unnecessary and a waste of valuable resources, when we should be saving our energies to rebuild Dixie as an independent nation after the federal government collapses.  And yes, it will collapse, just as sure as there will be a tomorrow, this federal government has signed its own death certificate.  No government in the history of the world has done what ours has done, and lasted long enough to write its own history thereafter.  I am convinced that some other world power will be writing America's history within several decades. 

So what should a future Confederate States of Dixieland (CSD) look like?

1. The CSD should honour the place of Jesus Christ in our nation's culture and people's history.
2. The CSD should allow prayer in public schools and all public facilities.
3. The CSD should have no "Department of Education" and allow states to run their own education systems as they see fit, respecting of course the parental right to homeschool or use private and parochial education. State voucher programs should not be challenged by the CSD.
4. The CSD should allow states to outlaw abortion, and set their own regulatory statutes on matters related to birth control.
5. The CSD should not recognise homosexual marriages, and honour state constitutional amendments forbidding them.
6. The CSD should pursue a foreign policy of armed neutrality in all international conflicts not involving a direct confrontation with the CSD.
7. The CSD should require a balanced budget for the Confederate government by constitutional law.
8. The CSD should structure laws to favour small family-owned businesses and cooperative ownership of large businesses.  

Well that certainly seems like a much more 'Catholic' and 'Christian' nation than what we currently have. You've got to admit, it's something to think about for the future.  In the mean time let us look to the example of St. Andrew, who boldly and tirelessly preached the gospel from the saltire cross for two agonizing days.  His is our example of patience and long suffering.  His is our example of how to deal with the tyranny our people have faced for a century and a half.  Our brothers and sisters in Scotland (and Northern Ireland) understand our plight.  Our day of independence will come.  Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.  Saint Andrew -- Ora Pro Nobis.

Happy St. Andrew's Day!
Deo Vindice.

Vatican Official Sees Persecution of Christians In America's Future

Cardinal Raymond Burke

(LifeSiteNews.com) – One of the highest ranking cardinals in the Vatican has said that the United States is “well on the way” to the persecution of Christians.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, former Archbishop of St. Louis and now the head of the Vatican’s highest court, told Catholic News Agency that he could envision a time when the Catholic Church in the U.S., “even by announcing her own teaching,” is accused of “engaging in illegal activity, for instance, in its teaching on human sexuality.”

Asked if the cardinal could even see American Catholics being arrested for their faith he replied, “I can see it happening, yes.”...

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Why should this surprise us? The United States is already working to crush Christianity in the Middle East. Why not here at home too? We all know however, that the form of persecution the U.S. Federal government (and some state governments) will level against American Christians will be subtle and insidious. It works its way in the form of moral relativism and institutionalised political correctness. This is particularly evident in the debate over 'gay rights,' wherein churches are forced to change their teaching and policies to accommodate the state-sponsored homosexual orthodoxy. Already this has forced Catholic charities to shut down in three U.S. states -- California, Massachusetts and Illinois. This is just the beginning and the tip of the iceberg. The warnings of Cardinal Burke should not be taken lightly. He is a very wise and powerful man within the Vatican -- one of the Catholic Church's highest ranking officers, and potential candidate to the Chair of Peter (the papal throne). He has been right about many other things before. There is no reason to doubt him now.

In all likelihood, the rising economic and social crisis in the United States will eventually result in an 'unofficial' form of dictatorship, in which the president will eventually be given extraordinary powers to quell some unrest or perceived national security matter. Already the United States Congress is doing this very thing with the latest defence spending bill...

(CBS News) - The Senate on Tuesday voted to keep a controversial provision regarding military detainees in a Defense spending bill, setting up a showdown with President Obama.

The controversial language in question would require the military to detain terrorist suspects, including U.S. citizens, allowing for their indefinite detention....

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The legislation is designed to combat radical Islamic terrorists found in the U.S., however, we all know that the word 'radical' is a relative thing, and one doesn't have to be Islamic to be considered a 'terrorist.' The measure gives the president unprecedented powers not seen since the Civil War. (No president since Lincoln has suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus on U.S. soil.)   It also allows the president to use the military against U.S. citizens. (We haven't seen that since the Civil War either.) The potential for abuse of this legislation is phenomenal. To his credit, President Obama has promised to veto it. Hopefully he keeps his word on this.

We have seen now what this Republican Congress is willing to do to our civil liberties and the U.S. Bill of Rights. These are the defenders of Christian America? These are the candidates produced by the TEA Party? My God! Something has run terribly amok!

This however is just the beginning, as we will see similar efforts by future congresses to do the exact same thing, and one of these days, the president (whoever the next one may be) will take them up on it. Such powers lead to dictatorship, and such dictatorship leads to absolute tyranny. This is the future that awaits the American Empire. This is the final product of the Civil War. The shadows of Lincoln are resurfacing in the most terrifying way. Combine these proposed extraordinary powers of the president with today's politically-correct orthodoxy, and you have the perfect storm, a combination for a catastrophe in civil rights, pure government persecution of any Christians that cling to orthodoxy. Yes my readers, Cardinal Burke is right, persecution is coming.

Now that I've scared the pee out of you, let me balance this article with the good news. Nations rise and nations fall. Empires have come and gone. In all of this, the Catholic Church remains. We will survive this time of trial and tribulation. We will endure. We will overcome. If not us, than certainly our children, but I predict our time of American tyranny will be short-lived, because the United States no longer has the resources to foot the bill of a dictator for very long. The end result will be the collapse of our federal government, sometime after it has been exposed for the anti-Christian tyranny that it has become. When that happens, we will likely see the breakup of the USA into multiple smaller nation-states. As Our Lady of Fatima warned 'entire nations will be annihilated,' but in the end her 'immaculate heart will prevail.' This last prediction forecasts not only the restoration of the natural law and a time of peace, but also the triumph of the Catholic Church within the Christian faith, for no other Church honours her Immaculate Heart more than the one head-quartered in Rome.

The Christmas Plan

Written by Etienne Figueroa

With the change in liturgy and with the growing commercialism of Christmas, it's time for an official plan of attack. Follow these steps to win our Christmas back:

1. Take responsibility.

This may come off as a little unusual for a first step, but think about it for a moment: the only reason why stores put their Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving (and in growing numbers, before Halloween) is because they think it will make them more money. If we give them money for it, we are enabling their behavior. Before we can ask others to change, we must change ourselves.

2. Follow your family's old traditions.

If you don't know them, learn about them. Even if you don't understand them at first, there's most likely a reason why they have existed as long as they have.

3. Don't put your decorations up until the start of Advent.

Do I really need to explain this one?

4. Don't buy anything the day after Thanksgiving.

If emergencies happen or you want to pay off a bill, then okay, but nothing retail related. Buying on Black Friday will only breed crass consumerism, greed and un-Christian behavior. So, don't buy anything--it just encourages them.

5. Observe all of Advent.

One of the smartest things I've ever read about Advent and Christmas came from an article on AmericanCatholic.org (which was part of the inspiration for this list). In the article, it compared the season to a buffet, with Advent as the main course and Christmas as the dessert. It further stated that too often stores want us to skip the dinner and go right to desert, and as we all know, too much desert makes someone sick.

Advent is supposed to be a time of preparation for Christmas, and Christmas is not supposed to be for just one day. It is supposed to last from Christmas Day until the Epiphany (aka Baptism of the Lord).

So put up not just the lights and the tree, but also the Advent Wreath and Nativity Scene.

6. Attend Mass on at least ALL the Holy Days of Obligation.

This means Dec 8th, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Epiphany but can also include Dec 6th (St Nicholas Day) as well as Dec. 12 (Our Lady of Guadalupe). If you want to attend more often, you are greatly encouraged to do so.

7. If you are going to buy gifts, be sure said gifts are made in America or make something yourself.

This isn't so much Christmas related but it is a a way to bring jobs and revenue back to America. Economists say if we just buy 1% more American goods, we can create 200,000 jobs right here at home. And who knows? Perhaps if you make something yourself, you might discover a talent you didn't know you had.

8. For home cooks out there, consider making your goods with produce from a co-op and with Fair Trade ingredients.

This goes especially for any recipe that calls for chocolate and/or coffee. More information on Fair Trade can be found with this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_h99DDa39E

9. Arm yourself.

Tired of not hearing "Merry Christmas" at a store? Frustrated over the fact you can't find any religious themed Christmas cards? This can help you out with that.

Catholic Daughter's Court #2554 sells online little buttons that say "It's Okay to Say Merry Christmas to Me." ChristisChristmas.com sells paper Christmas cards or if you prefer online greetings, sign up for e-cards at catholicgreetings.org. And of course, it's easy to find car magnets for the Knights of Columbus "Keep Christ in Christmas" campaign.

10. Join Advent Conspiracy.

http://www.adventconspiracy.org/