This week on Faith On Trial radio

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Registering prison inmates to vote; what do they expect?

By Deacon Mike Manno

          There was an interesting news item this week: the president had ordered the attorney general to establish procedures to identify and register to vote inmates in federal prisons. What was even more interesting was that the order was signed March 7, 2021, some 47 days after assuming office.

          So why is it just becoming public?

          Now think about this: most people who find themselves incarcerated in a federal institution are there because they have been convicted of a felony which, in most states, disqualify a person from voting until, if allowed by state law, they have taken the proscribed steps to re-qualify as a voter. Additionally, many such inmates will not be released for many years, and some not at all. And there is no accounting in the order for those on death row.

          Yet the order directs the AG to provide “educational materials related to voter registration and … to facilitate voter registration …” Additionally the AG “shall establish procedures, consistent with applicable law, to ensure the United States Marshals Service includes language in intergovernmental agreements and jail contracts to require the jails to provide educational materials related to voter registration and voting, and to facilitate voting by mail …”        

          You notice when the subject turns to the marshals and intergovernmental agreements, the beneficiaries of the order are expanded to include inmates of state, county, and local jails.

          So why?

          The order is a wide effort to make voting easier for a number of various groups including:

          Increasing opportunities for employees to vote, which includes granting time-off for voting and ensuring employees have the opportunity to participate in early voting, or service as a poll worker or observer; ensuring equal access to persons with disabilities; assistance with voting by Native Americans by working with tribal nations and leaders including by mitigating barriers to vote and increasing “language access;” and to assist military personnel on active duty and citizens overseas.

          In his stated purpose, the president notes, “many Americans, especially people of color, confront significant obstacles to exercising that fundamental right [to vote]. These obstacles include difficulties with voter registration, lack of election information, and barriers to access at polling places, including long lines, and voting by mail.

          “For generations, Black voters and other voters of color have faced discriminatory policies and other obstacles that disproportionally affect their communities. … Limited access to language assistance remains a barrier for many voters,” he wrote.

          The order then requires various agencies of the federal government to act to find ways to provide relevant voting information including voting by mail, such as: distributing vote-by mail ballot applications, providing registration materials and seeking the assistance of nonpartisan third-party organizations to provide registration services on agency premises.

          Unfortunately Mr. Biden did not give us the name of any nonpartisan, third-party organizations that might be suitable.

          Okay, let’s look at this as a whole. Of course nobody minds helping those with disabilities or soldiers to vote. Neither does anyone (or most anyone) want to interfere with the ability of any legal voter. But we need to ask ourselves what is the proper level of assistance needed by the average voter and what is the legitimate roll of government in providing such help?

          I’m not sure that all need the same assistance. For example, unless you are living in a cave in the middle of a desert, or have a handicap that prevents you from easy travel, you don’t need any assistance to register. That is easy, so how much of this order will be used by federal bureaucrats to nudge people who have no interest in voting to now register and get a ballot. How might that person’s ballot become available to someone who has a high degree of interest – especially with mail-in ballots? “Now, Mr. Citizen, if we can get you that ballot, where would you like it mailed?”

          And how much language access is needed? And what is meant by that? Do we need the ballot translated into a foreign language? Shouldn’t an American citizen know English? I can understand if someone cannot read or is blind, but doesn’t the citizenship process require understanding English?

          And what is all this focus on inmates, most of whom lost their voting privileges when convicted. I can understand the state providing information on how their voting rights might be restored at the time they are released, but is this order assuming voting by felons from the comfort of their cells? And except for a few references to the “appropriate” law, what assurance is there that there will be any attempt by those charged with enforcing the order to determine if the inmate was ever eligible to vote in the United States?

          And what about those who are held by intergovernmental agencies and local jails which are located in sanctuary jurisdictions where local authorities are forbidden to ask about the immigration status of a detainee?

          It’s a wonder from all the criticism we’ve heard about the administration’s border policies, sanctuary cities, and the president’s party’s stand on mail-out and mail-in ballots, lengthy early voting periods, signature verifications, and now the attorney general announcing that he will move to challenge voter ID laws. Why this was done under the radar? And why were the prisoner rules buried in the middle – page 4 – of a six page, single spaced, small-type document?

          Voting is wonderful, but only if the proper safeguards are in place. Seems to me this order is an attempt to by-pass those safeguards. 

Mother Cabrini

          My wife and I had the pleasure of watching the new movie “Cabrini” at one of our local movie theaters with several of our parishioners. While there we also ran into several parishioners from a nearby parish. I think we all had the same opinion of the movie: it was great, two thumbs up, as the reviewers would say.

          For many of us the name “Mother Cabrini” invokes memories of the nuns of our childhood Catholic elementary schools teaching us about the woman who was considered a Catholic superstar. If you have never been introduced to the woman who became the first American saint you should take the opportunity to meet her at a theater near you. And if your memory of her is only a fleeting reference to what the good nuns told you, go back to the theater and find out what makes the Church so proud of this, her daughter.

 (You can reach Mike at: DeaconMike@q.com and listen to him every weekend on Faith On Trial or podcast at https://iowacatholicradio.com/faith-on-trial/)

Rubio calls on admin to investigate Planned Parenthood

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, this week sounded the alarm about reports that Planned Parenthood is providing aborted baby body parts to researchers in exchange for “valuable consideration” and intellectual property rights over the results of experiments on the remains. Rubio wrote a formal letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and HHS Inspector General Christi Grimm calling for a federal investigation.  READ

School choice movement grows

Earlier this month, Alabama became the 15th state in the nation to enact a program providing education savings accounts and the 10th state to enact universal education choice. Last week, South Carolina and Louisiana took steps to become the 11th and 12th states to make every K­-12 student eligible for education choice. Read more about the progress of the school choice movement here.  READ

Judge gags Trump in ongoing case

A New York judge has placed a gag order on former President Donald Trump restricting his ability to speak out about witnesses, prosecutors, and jurors involved in the criminal case brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.  READ

Veterans warn dei is ‘weakening’ military

In a panel discussion hosted by The Heritage Foundation, three military experts slammed the armed forces’ ongoing embrace of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices, arguing that the policies are weakening the nation’s ability to defend itself. READ

DeSantis signs law protecting kids from social media

During a March 25 ceremony held in Jacksonville, Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed one of the most protective social media laws for minors in the country. Slated to go into effect in January, the new law bars all children under 14 from social media. Fourteen- and 15-year-olds will be allowed to have social media accounts with permission from their parents or guardians.  READ

NYC Council pushes to let migrants vote

The Democratic-controlled New York City Council this week petitioned the New York State Court of Appeals to unblock a controversial law that would give non-citizens the ability to vote in the Big Apple’s elections. An appellate court deemed the law unconstitutional and struck it down last month.  READ

Southern Poverty Law Center Is A Hate Group , Part II

By Bill Donohue, Catholic League president 

 

Part I of this two-part series on the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) focused on six conservative organizations that SPLC falsely labels as “hate groups”; to read it click here. Part II assesses its claim that two genuine hate groups, Antifa and Black Lives Matter, should not be treated as such.

 

“Designating Antifa as Domestic Terrorist Organization Is Dangerous, Threatens Civil Liberties.”

 

That is how SPLC views Antifa. The evidence shows that its characterization is seriously inaccurate.

 

Antifa is a loosely-knit group that espouses, and engages in, violence. In July 2019, police shot and killed Willem van Spronsen after he tried to ignite a 500-gallon propane tank attached to a government building in Tacoma, Washington. He was armed with a rifle and incendiary devices. Shortly before the attack he sent a manifesto to friends, saying, “I am antifa.” After his death, Antifa colleagues called him “a martyr.” Memorials were organized in Washington and Oregon.

 

A month later, Connor Betts killed nine and injured dozens in a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. Though he was not a member of Antifa, he openly supported them on social media.

 

Mike Isaacson is the founder of an Antifa group in Washington, D.C. He proudly justifies violence. According to Mark Bray, a Dartmouth historian, people like Isaacson justify their use of violence as self-defense against fascists. Their idea of self-defense includes hurling glass bottles and bricks at the police. This has led liberals such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi to condemn Antifa’s violence.

 

Attorney General William Barr, under President Donald Trump, referred to Antifa as a “new form of urban guerrilla warfare,” similarly to what Mao Zedong promoted.

 

Antifa members have been arrested many times for carrying guns, knives, hatchets, gasoline, clubs, chemical irritants, pipes, hammers, fireworks, and homemade explosives.

 

A Baltimore Antifa activist explained that when peaceful protests don’t succeed, you “fight them with fists,” and if that doesn’t work, you “fight them with knives,” and if that fails, you “fight them with guns,” and if that doesn’t get the job done, you “fight them with tanks.”

 

In 2016, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI warned state and local officials that Antifa was engaging in “domestic terrorist violence.”

 

Yet SPLC says it is dangerous to label Antifa a domestic terrorist group.

 

“Black Lives Matter Is Not a Hate Group.”

 

After George Floyd was killed by a police officer in 2020, Black Lives Matter (BLM) labeled it a hate crime committed by a white cop, Derek Chauvin. That led to over 600 attacks on 220 American cities.

 

Yet when the left-wing African-American Minnesota attorney general, Keith Ellison, examined this case, he said it was not a hate crime. “I wouldn’t call it that because hate crimes are crimes where there’s an explicit motive and bias.” He added, “We don’t have any evidence that Derek Chauvin factored in George Floyd’s race as he did what he did.”

 

This led author David Horowitz to comment, “All the outrage against police racism and all the mayhem fueled by that outrage, was based on no evidence whatsoever.”

 

The fact is that during the 103 days of unrest following the death of Floyd, there were 633 violent protests all across the nation, and BLM was involved in 95 percent of those incidents. The riots were responsible for an estimated two billion dollars in insured property damage and untold more in uninsured property damage. There were twenty-four deaths and countless others who were injured, including many cops.

 

Yet SPLC says “Black Lives Matter Is Not a Hate Group.”

 

But guess who is a hate group? White Lives Matter. SPLC calls it a white supremacist group, led by a middle-age homemaker, Rebecca Barnette. If she doesn’t sound like a violent Antifa or BLM analog on the right, that’s because she isn’t.

 

The only violence associated with White Lives Matters occurred years ago when they clashed with counter-protesters in Anaheim, California. White Lives Matter was responsible for stabbing three of them. As it turned out, the five who were arrested were released by the police after it was determined that they acted in self-defense.

 

Are there things that White Lives Matter has said that are hateful? Yes, and it stands to reason that they should be included in any list of hate groups. But in comparison to BLM, these racists are at least not a violent threat to the social order. They are more kooky than a menace.

 

SPLC not only unfairly labels respectable social conservative organizations as hate groups, it shamelessly exculpates left-wing violent organizations, defending them as if they were the Boy Scouts.

 

Worse, the mainstream media cites SPLC’s list of hate groups as if it were the Gospel truth. It is for these reasons that the Catholic League concludes that SPLC is a bona-fide hate group—it goes to the mat for true hate groups while smearing those that are not.

 

As with Part I, we are sending Part II to Washington lawmakers and many other interested parties. It’s time SPLC was outed as a dangerous fraud. 

Women’s advocates confront Connecticut bill

The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) slammed Connecticut Democrats’ ongoing attempt to amend the state’s Constitution to promote the “transgender” movement and appease the abortion lobby. “We don’t allow adults to compete against children,” said ICONS co-foundress Kim Jones. “We don’t allow doped athletes to compete against clean athletes. We don’t allow men to compete against women.”  READ

Vatican again turns off lights for ‘Earth Hour’ to promote ‘respect for Our Mother Earth’

By Michael Haynes

VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican once again turned off its external lights for an hour this weekend to “raise awareness of respect for Our Mother Earth.”

In a statement issued to journalists accredited to the Holy See late Saturday afternoon, Father Enzo Fortunato – the recently appointed director of communications for St. Peter’s Basilica – announced the darkening of the basilica that evening: 

On the occasion of the Earth Hour initiative, the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica will be turned off this evening for one hour starting at 8:30 pm. A symbolic gesture to raise awareness and inspire women and men of our time to respect Our Mother Earth and to take action against the climate crisis. 

Fortunato, coordinator of the upcoming World Children’s Day and former director of the press office in Basilica of Assisi, pointed to Pope Francis’ ecological encyclical Laudato Si’:

In his Encyclical Laudato Si’ Pope Francis reminds us that the ecological issue must be centered on ethics and social justice and that what is happening to the earth, “our common home,” is an unprecedented challenge that concerns our responsibility to others and future generations. 

Fortunato attested that by turning off the lights at the papal Basilica “we unite in prayer and action, testifying to our willingness to protect the ‘common home’ that God has entrusted to us, so that after this brief darkness, the light as a sign of hope for a sustainable future in harmony with creation.”

The Vatican has taken part in the annual ecological virtue signaling event since at least 2009. “Earth Hour” is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and began in 2007 in Australia when more than 2.2 million people turned off their lights to express their shared concern for “climate change.” 

Announcing the 2024 event, the WWF stated “[n]ever has it been more important to show our leaders we must tackle the nature and climate crisis with urgent action.” They described the event as “a moment of unity that brings the world together, shines a spotlight on the climate and nature crisis, and inspires people to act and advocate for urgent change.”

Pope Francis has made “climate change” a key aspect of his 11-year pontificate, in his official writings, speeches, and interventions. In what was set to be the culmination of all of his “climate change” activism, Francis was due to attend the COP28 climate conference in Dubai last November. However, due to ill health, he had to cancel the trip less than two days before he was intended to leave.

Shortly before that, Francis released a follow up to Laudato Si’ – the apostolic exhoration Laudate Deum – in which he issued stark calls for “obligatory” measures across the globe to address the issue of “climate change.”

“It is no longer possible to doubt the human – ‘anthropic’ – origin of climate change,” wrote the pontiff, before later calling for mandatory alignment with green policies:

If there is sincere interest in making COP28 a historic event that honors and ennobles us as human beings, then one can only hope for binding forms of energy transition that meet three conditions: that they be efficient, obligatory and readily monitored.

Bottom of Form

The pope’s personal commitment to the “climate change” agenda is well documented, and has emerged as one of the central themes of his ten-year reign. His continued promotion of the Paris Agreement, which underpins the majority of the current “climate change” agenda, comes despite the agreement’s fundamentally pro-abortion principles which connect to the stated U.N. goal of creating a universal “right” to abortion in line with Goal No. 5.6 of the organization’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Francis has also gone as far as to sign the Vatican up to the principles of the agreement in 2022. His previous environmental text, Laudato Si’, led to the birth of a global movement that links “climate change” activism to the pope’s words. The Laudato Si’ Movement issues calls to divest from fossil fuels, and aims to “turn Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’ into action for climate and ecological justice.”

Border Patrol chief: crisis now ‘a national security threat’

During a Sunday CBS News appearance, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens said that the nation’s unprecedented migrant surge is a “national security threat.” Asked if violent people-smugglers are “setting the rules of engagement” at the border, Owens said: “Yes, they absolutely are. They dictate what the flow is going to look like.”  READ

24 states now protect kids from ‘trans’ surgeries

Wyoming on Friday became the 24th state to protect children from being subjected to “transgender” surgeries when Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed Senate File 99 into law. The legislation overwhelmingly passed the state’s House and Senate, and prohibits “physicians from performing procedures for children related to gender transitioning and gender reassignment.”  READ

Southern Poverty Law Center Is A Hate Group Part I

By Bill Donohue, Catholic League president

 

There are many radical organizations in the country, but none has achieved a more inflated status than the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Its undeserved status is due to its perceived expertise in assessing hate groups. While its tracking of hate groups includes some that are undeniably hateful, its list also includes many that are merely conservative organizations who are anything but hateful. By smearing these entities, SPLC is proving that it is the master of hate.

 

[This is Part I of a two-part series.]

 

The following organizations are listed by SPLC as hate groups, and the quotes are cited by it as proof that they are a Klan-like organization. Judge for yourself.

 

Alliance Defending Freedom

 

"Allowing males to compete in the female category isn't fair and destroys athletic opportunities. Males will always have inherent physical advantages over comparably talented girls – that's the reason we have girls' sports in the first place. And a male's belief about gender doesn't eliminate those advantages." ADF legal counsel Christiana Holcomb

 

"Men who self-identify as women are still biological men. Sure, they can take synthetic hormones to make themselves appear more feminine, style their hair, and wear makeup (or not). But being a woman is more than a physical appearance or a feeling – it is a biological reality." Marissa Mayer, senior web writer, on the ADF website

 

"The only surprise is the rapidity with which this degradation of our human dignity has occurred. It has occurred, with raging effect, and within twelve months, on the heels of government mandated recognition of same-sex 'marriage' – an oxymoronic institution if ever there was one.” ADF-affiliated attorney Charles LiMandri

 

American College of Pediatricians

 

"Transgenderism is a belief system that increasingly looks like a cultish religion – a modern day Gnosticism denying physical reality for deceived perceptions – being forced on the public by the state in violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment." Andre Van Mol, co-chair of ACPeds' Committee on Adolescent Sexuality

 

"Conditioning children into believing a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex is normal and healthful is child abuse." Gender Ideology Harms Children, ACPeds article

 

"Sex is hard-wired from before birth, and it cannot change." Michelle Cretella, former president of ACPeds

 

Family Research Council

 

"People with gender dysphoria or transgender identities are more likely than the general public to engage in high-risk behaviors, which may result from or contribute to psychological disorders (or both).” FRC senior fellow Peter Sprigg 

 

"I know they'll mock at the idea, but look, if you are a male – genetically you are a male, biologically you're a male – and you say, ‘Well, I'm not a male. I'm a female.’ I mean what's to keep you from saying that you're an animal?" Tony Perkins, president

 

"By ignoring underlying conditions, the demands of transgender supremacy ignore our unique kids, especially those with autism and mental health diagnoses. They deflect much-needed resources away from the pandemic of autism." Sarah Perry, FRC director of partnerships and coalitions coordinator

 

Liberty Counsel

 

"Homosexual conduct can result in significant damage to those involved who engage in such conduct. There is no evidence that a person is born homosexual. And there is evidence that people can change.” Liberty Counsel website.

 

"One of the most significant threats to our freedom is in the area of sexual anarchy with the agenda of the homosexual movement, the so-called LGBT movement. [It]  undermines family and the very first building block of our society [and] secondly…it's a direct assault on our religious freedom and freedom of speech." Mat Staver, president

 

"Statistically, sexual promiscuity is increased among those who engage in homosexual conduct, the result of which is disease found predominantly, if not exclusively, among homosexuals." Mat Staver

 

Pacific Justice Institute

 

"It is fundamentally unjust for the government to treat some crime victims more favorably than others, just because they are homosexual or transsexual." PJI president Brad Dacus

 

"Most parents do not want their first through fifth graders bombarded with pro-homosexual messages at school. If LGBT advocates really want to stop name-calling and bullying, they should start with themselves." Brad Dacus

 

"Forcing boys and girls to share bathrooms, locker rooms and sleeping arrangements is not equality; it is insanity." Brad Dacus

 

Ruth Institute

 

"Transgender is a political category. Invented for political purposes. It has nothing to do with either psychology or medicine. It is a political category." Jennifer Roback Morse

 

"Compared to children raised by their own biological parents, married to each other, children whose parents had a same-sex relationship are at elevated risk for the following…emotional problems, pleading guilty to a non-minor offense, learning disabilities.…" Ruth Institute pamphlet

 

"It's really important to be well informed about what the church actually says about homosexual practice…The church is very clear that same-sex sexual action are intrinsically disordered and can never be morally acceptable." Jennifer Roback Morse

 

Note: Because of its outsized influence, we are sending our series to Washington lawmakers and many others.

Report from the Iowa Catholic Conference

AEA bill bounces back to Senate

The Iowa Catholic Conference has been engaged at the state capitol regarding the governor’s Area Education Agencies (AEA) reform plan since the first announcement in January. AEAs are regional groups which provide services for special education and professional development for schools across the state. 

The chambers are working on the final language of the bill (HF 2612). The Senate’s version, passed on March 18, included an amendment that provided a welcome clarification that AEAs shall furnish educational and media services and programs to nonpublic schools. The AEAs would receive funding through the local school district to provide these services.

Last Thursday, the House changed the Senate's version of HF 2612, making the provisions for educational and media services for nonpublic schools less clear. You can weigh in with your opinion. We’ll probably find out what the Senate’s response is this week.

HF 2612 also includes a 2.5% increase in funding for public schools and an increase in minimum public teacher salary to $50,000.

Immigration bill goes to governor

Unfortunately, the Iowa House passed SF 2340 on March 19 and sent it to the governor. It’s similar to a Texas law that has been stopped up for now by a federal appeals court. SF 2340 sets up new state criminal penalties for irregular border crossings by people who don’t have legal authorization to be here and allows Iowa officials to carry out what are effectively deportations. The governor has indicated she will sign the bill. 

It is problematic that SF 2340 would explicitly allow state officials to prosecute an individual for state immigration crimes, even if that person’s application for immigration relief is pending before federal authorities. 

The Catholic Church recognizes a country’s right and responsibility to manage its borders in accordance with the common good. 

CLINIC, the Catholic bishops’ legal immigration arm, is concerned that having state judges and magistrates decide immigration cases without the requisite experience in immigration law could result in a lack of due process and inhumane results for immigrants fleeing persecution. Families should not be separated and should receive special consideration. Further, if local law enforcement is tied to immigration enforcement, it can hurt community trust and lead to fear of reporting crimes.

It’s unclear if the federal courts will allow states to apply their own policies in regard to migration.

This week at the state capitol

Attention turns to debate on appropriations and tax bills as legislators are targeting mid-April to adjourn for the year.

HJR 2006 is on today’s debate calendar for the House. The ICC opposes this constitutional amendment which would require a supermajority (two-thirds) approval of the legislature for tax increases. The amendment also requires a “flat” income tax, which would prohibit the state legislature from adopting a lower tax rate for lower-income people. The amendment says nothing about making it more difficult to raise sales taxes, which might end up requiring low-income people to pay a greater percentage of their income for necessities. 

The ICC encourages the Senate to pass HF 2617, which requires middle and high school curriculum to include a video showing fetal development.

Other bills supported by the ICC and eligible for debate in the Senate include HF 2637, increasing the state income tax credit for adoptive parents to $20,000, and HF 2276, requiring maternity group homes to be zoned as residential properties. HF 2276 would help the group homes to avoid “not in my backyard” problems when they purchase a home.

We’re also encouraging the Iowa House to act on SF 2251, which extends Medicaid health insurance coverage to new mothers to a full year after the birth of the baby. Now the coverage lasts for only 60 days after.

Keep an eye on our Action Center for further alerts.

And finally,

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that has the potential to make a major impact in the widespread accessibility of chemical abortion (abortion pills). Chemical abortions are now the most common form of abortion in the United States. The case is in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) promoting the availability of chemical abortion while ignoring risks to women and violating federal law. You are invited to pray daily through June on this issue. For more information go to www.respectlife.org/prayer-to-st-joseph.

In addition, the U.S. bishops’ president and the chair for International Peace and Justice have issued a Holy Week call to prayer for an end to the Israel-Hamas war.

We pray you have a blessed Holy Week as well.