Thursday, September 30, 2021
United Is Firing Just 320 Employees Who Refused to Get a Covid Shot
United Is Firing Just 320 Employees Who Refused to Get a Covid Shot. Nearly 300 Decided to Get a Vaccine.
By
Sabrina Escobar
Updated Sept. 30, 2021 2:55 pm ET / Original Sept. 29, 2021 4:16 pm ET
DANIEL SLIM/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
United Airlines said Thursday that almost 300 more employees had uploaded proof of vaccination, cutting down the number of employees that would lose their job for failing to comply with the company’s vaccine mandate.
On Wednesday, 593 U.S.-based employees were facing dismissal. By Wednesday, that number decreased to 320, as many employees rushed to upload vaccination cards. United expects that number to continue decreasing.
“Our vaccine policy continues to prove requirements work – in less than 48 hours, the number of unvaccinated employees who began the process of being separated from the company has been cut almost in half, ” United said in a statement.
More than 99.5% of United’s (ticker: UAL) 67,000 U.S.-based employees chose to get vaccinated before the deadline, excluding those who filed for a religious or medical accommodation.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision but keeping our team safe has always been our first priority,” wrote United (UAL) Chief Executive Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart in a letter to employees.
United became the first U.S. airline—and one of the first major U.S. employers—to enforce terminations for employees who don’t comply with a vaccination mandate.
Protein giant Tyson Foods has a similarly stringent vaccination policy. In August, the company announced that all its U.S. employees needed to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1. The deadline for employees working in corporate offices is Friday.
About 50% of its 120,000 U.S. employees were fully vaccinated in August, the company said. As the Oct. 1 deadline approaches, a little over 100,000 employees, or 80% of Tyson’s (TSN) workforce, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, a company spokesperson said. After the deadline, being vaccinated against Covid-19 will be a condition of employment, and those who do not comply will be terminated, the spokesperson added.
CVS Health announced in August it would require corporate staff and patient-facing employees, such as nurses, care managers, and pharmacists, to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 31. Pharmacists will have until Nov. 30 to be fully vaccinated, and other roles at the company are being reviewed.
“Under our new policy, vaccination is a condition of employment with CVS Health,” the company said in an emailed statement.
In New York state, New York-Presbyterian Hospital fired a little under 250 employees who refused to get vaccinated in accordance with the state’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare provider, has already fired two dozen employees and plans to lay off the rest of its unvaccinated staff in the following days.
Lacking clear federal or state-level guidance, businesses have been left to their own devices to implement vaccine policies.
Starting in November, Delta Air Lines will require unvaccinated employees to pay an extra $200 a month for their company health insurance. Unvaccinated Delta (ticker: DAL) workers have been required to submit to weekly tests and are required to wear masks indoors on company property. Other airlines, such as Southwest Airlines and American Airlines , have encouraged their employees to get vaccinated but have not mandated it.
Other companies are requiring vaccines for employees who want to return to the office or in-person events. These include tech giants Twitter , Alphabet’s Google, Microsoft , and Facebook , as well as major financial institutions such as Jefferies , Morgan Stanley , Citigroup , and Goldman Sachs . Workers who refuse to be vaccinated will be allowed to work remotely.
That may change soon, as the Biden administration implements an emergency standard that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to require their workers to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. The federal government is already requiring all workers and contractors to be vaccinated without the option of testing.
Amtrak, a quasi-public for-profit company, will follow guidelines for federal entities and contractors. All Amtrak employees are expected to be vaccinated by Nov. 22, 2021, the same day as the federal deadline. New hires have until Oct. 4 to show proof of vaccination before their first day.
“Failure to comply with the vaccination mandate will be handled in accordance with our disciplinary policy and code,” an Amtrak spokesperson said in an email. “Employees will face disciplinary action, including termination of employment, consistent with other situations where employees fail to comply with Amtrak policy.”
DANIEL SLIM/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
United Airlines said Thursday that almost 300 more employees had uploaded proof of vaccination, cutting down the number of employees that would lose their job for failing to comply with the company’s vaccine mandate.
On Wednesday, 593 U.S.-based employees were facing dismissal. By Wednesday, that number decreased to 320, as many employees rushed to upload vaccination cards. United expects that number to continue decreasing.
“Our vaccine policy continues to prove requirements work – in less than 48 hours, the number of unvaccinated employees who began the process of being separated from the company has been cut almost in half, ” United said in a statement.
More than 99.5% of United’s (ticker: UAL) 67,000 U.S.-based employees chose to get vaccinated before the deadline, excluding those who filed for a religious or medical accommodation.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision but keeping our team safe has always been our first priority,” wrote United (UAL) Chief Executive Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart in a letter to employees.
United became the first U.S. airline—and one of the first major U.S. employers—to enforce terminations for employees who don’t comply with a vaccination mandate.
Protein giant Tyson Foods has a similarly stringent vaccination policy. In August, the company announced that all its U.S. employees needed to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1. The deadline for employees working in corporate offices is Friday.
About 50% of its 120,000 U.S. employees were fully vaccinated in August, the company said. As the Oct. 1 deadline approaches, a little over 100,000 employees, or 80% of Tyson’s (TSN) workforce, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, a company spokesperson said. After the deadline, being vaccinated against Covid-19 will be a condition of employment, and those who do not comply will be terminated, the spokesperson added.
CVS Health announced in August it would require corporate staff and patient-facing employees, such as nurses, care managers, and pharmacists, to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 31. Pharmacists will have until Nov. 30 to be fully vaccinated, and other roles at the company are being reviewed.
“Under our new policy, vaccination is a condition of employment with CVS Health,” the company said in an emailed statement.
In New York state, New York-Presbyterian Hospital fired a little under 250 employees who refused to get vaccinated in accordance with the state’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare provider, has already fired two dozen employees and plans to lay off the rest of its unvaccinated staff in the following days.
Lacking clear federal or state-level guidance, businesses have been left to their own devices to implement vaccine policies.
Starting in November, Delta Air Lines will require unvaccinated employees to pay an extra $200 a month for their company health insurance. Unvaccinated Delta (ticker: DAL) workers have been required to submit to weekly tests and are required to wear masks indoors on company property. Other airlines, such as Southwest Airlines and American Airlines , have encouraged their employees to get vaccinated but have not mandated it.
Other companies are requiring vaccines for employees who want to return to the office or in-person events. These include tech giants Twitter , Alphabet’s Google, Microsoft , and Facebook , as well as major financial institutions such as Jefferies , Morgan Stanley , Citigroup , and Goldman Sachs . Workers who refuse to be vaccinated will be allowed to work remotely.
That may change soon, as the Biden administration implements an emergency standard that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to require their workers to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. The federal government is already requiring all workers and contractors to be vaccinated without the option of testing.
Amtrak, a quasi-public for-profit company, will follow guidelines for federal entities and contractors. All Amtrak employees are expected to be vaccinated by Nov. 22, 2021, the same day as the federal deadline. New hires have until Oct. 4 to show proof of vaccination before their first day.
“Failure to comply with the vaccination mandate will be handled in accordance with our disciplinary policy and code,” an Amtrak spokesperson said in an email. “Employees will face disciplinary action, including termination of employment, consistent with other situations where employees fail to comply with Amtrak policy.”
Dangerous speech versus free speech; mobs of ignoramuses
Sep30 by Jon Rappoport
by Jon Rappoport
September 28, 2021
(To join our email list, click here.)
“For if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter.” George Washington, 1783
Many, many people believe that spreading COVID falsehoods can be so dangerous that censorship is absolutely necessary.
This view happens to be the central refuge of liars.
It turns out that big-time liars always want to censor their opponents. It’s the only leg they have to stand on. In an atmosphere of free discourse, they would fall.
And of course, who decides what is false and what is true? Who hangs out that shingle and makes judgments that affect the lives of millions of people?
There is an astounding level of ignorance here: many people believe “the truth” should carry the day. Once it is established, there is no need to permit freedom of speech.
These people have a very low ceiling of understanding. They’ve never explored what freedom of speech is all about. They’re citizens in name only.
“If someone says the vaccine is harmful, people will be dissuaded from taking it. That would be dangerous.”
Putting aside the fact that the vaccine is a destroyer, free speech implies living with danger. The remedy is intelligence and knowledge. The only workable remedy is raising people’s ability to consider all sorts of judgments, opinions, and conclusions, without being irrationally swayed to one side or another.
Otherwise, we have Fascists on parade. Mobs of clueless ignoramuses.
Once upon a time, there was a never-never land called Dolt with millions of traffic lights. A writer penned, “Always cross the street when you’re facing a red light. Stay on the curb when the light is green.”
Outrage followed. The writer was censored for dangerous speech.
The rulers and their followers were so impressed with this victory, they established a national task force to root out falsehoods of all kinds and censor them. Pursuing this path, the society turned into a police state. And the majority of people approved.
We’re heading in that direction now.
“Strange it is that men should admit the validity of the arguments for free speech but object to their being ‘pushed to an extreme,’ not seeing that unless the reasons are good for an extreme case, they are not good for any case.” John Stuart Mill, 1859
It’s no surprise that modern civilization, intellectually based on a fool’s version of “science,” has built science as a new religion, with all the restrictions that organized religions have enforced.
After all, when the teachings of a man called Jesus were incorporated into a powerful Church, that Church set about censoring, imprisoning, torturing, and burning dissidents. As if Jesus would have approved.
Centuries later, people were shocked to learn this Church was rife with pedophile priests. I would be shocked to learn the Church isn’t filled with pedophiles.
Many are the OTHER secret crimes the men in power today are committing, given that they’re already relentlessly pushing a highly destructive vaccine into the arms of a billion people.
They HAVE TO demand censorship of dissidents.
So no, I’m not surprised that the press and social media and politicians are trying to censor COVID information which doesn’t serve their purposes.
Consider this. A week ago, at a standard FDA conference to discuss recommending COVID boosters, several scientists testified that convincing data to support the additional shots were entirely lacking. Two leading in-house FDA scientists had just resigned because they opposed the push for boosters. And finally, the FDA committee as a whole rejected the present need for boosters.
Yet the following day, the head of the NIH, and the White House itself, ignored the FDA and said that boosters were coming. Even the FDA was effectively censored.
There are thousands of scientists all over the world who strenuously oppose the official COVID narrative, and they can’t even get a glance from editors of medical journals, when they submit papers.
Talking news heads are feeding the population fast-food COVID science—a manufactured product consisting of synthetic bullshit about cases, deaths, the virus, the vaccine. It’s cardboard. And no dissenters allowed.
Since I stopped writing for mainstream and so-called alternative outlets in the early 1990s, I’ve gone my own way. As of this writing, I’m still here. My videos have been taken down. My site was hacked. We restored it. I’m still here.
I take freedom of speech seriously. No matter what.
Only low scum want to censor us. They make an absurd pretense of claiming WE’RE liars. But we don’t want to censor THEM. That’s called a clue.
Right now, as I write this, Australian men with balls, union construction workers, are staging an insurrection against their union bosses, who are colluding with corrupt politicians to enforce COVID restrictions and vaccine mandates. The workers are facing off against cops in the street. This is one of the biggest stories in the world.
The New York Times and the Washington Post and the news networks should be leading with it and covering breaking developments wall to wall. Instead, they’re downplaying and hiding it. These news whores and their pimps are holding the line for Fascism.
I’ll close, for now, with this story. Months ago, an “alternative journalist” approached me, urging me to stop saying the pandemic virus doesn’t exist.
I sized up the complaint. It seemed to have several roots. One, I was “confusing people,” who couldn’t decide what to believe. Two, there were far more important COVID issues that needed to be explored. And three, that journalist was receiving emails citing my work and asking for clarification—and this was bothersome, especially when the emailers agreed with me.
The journalist off-handedly and blithely assumed I would obey and stop writing about the existence of the virus.
Of course, I reacted oppositely. I always do. I dig deeper and farther along the track I’m pursuing. In this case, I found and wrote about more evidence for the non-existence of the virus.
That issue happens to be CENTRAL and BASIC to the whole COVID story. And if writing about it confuses some people, that’s what happens when free speech is still possible. There’s nothing wrong with confusion. It’s productive. It’s supposed to be a prelude to more profound understanding.
I’m not running some sort of operation that seeks uniformity.
That journalist was trying to censor me by having me censor myself.
No dice.
“He who stifles free discussion, secretly doubts whether what he professes to believe is really true.” Wendell Phillips, 1870
Those fools who can only “opt for the truth” will never grasp the meaning of the 1st Amendment. They’ll never see the freight train of Fascism coming.
YouTube bans all anti-vaccine misinformation.
Sept. 29, 2021, 10:00 a.m. ETSept. 29, 2021Sept. 29, 2021
By Davey Alba
YouTube said it was banning the accounts of several prominent anti-vaccine activists from its platform, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s.Credit...Clemens Bilan/EPA, via Shutterstock
YouTube said on Wednesday that it was banning the accounts of several prominent anti-vaccine activists from its platform, including those of Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as part of an effort to remove all content that falsely claims that approved vaccines are dangerous.
In a blog post, YouTube said it would remove videos claiming that vaccines do not reduce rates of transmission or contraction of disease, and content that includes misinformation on the makeup of the vaccines. Claims that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that the vaccines contain trackers, will also be removed.
The platform, which is owned by Google, has had a similar ban on misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccines. But the new policy expands the rules to misleading claims about long-approved vaccines, such as those against measles and hepatitis B, as well as to falsehoods about vaccines in general, YouTube said. Personal testimonies relating to vaccines, content about vaccine policies and new vaccine trials, and historical videos about vaccine successes or failures will be allowed to remain on the site.
“Today’s policy update is an important step to address vaccine and health misinformation on our platform, and we’ll continue to invest across the board” in policies that bring its users high-quality information, the company said in its announcement.
In addition to barring Dr. Mercola and Mr. Kennedy, YouTube removed the accounts of other prominent anti-vaccination activists such as Erin Elizabeth and Sherri Tenpenny, a company spokeswoman said.
The new policy puts YouTube more in line with Facebook and Twitter. In February, Facebook said it would remove posts with erroneous claims about vaccines, including assertions that vaccines cause autism or that it is safer for people to contract the coronavirus than to receive vaccinations against it. But the platform remains a popular destination for people discussing misinformation, such as the unfounded claim that the pharmaceutical drug ivermectin is an effective treatment for Covid-19.
In March, Twitter introduced its own policy that explained the penalties for sharing lies about the virus and vaccines. But the company has a five “strikes” rule before it permanently bars people for violating its coronavirus misinformation policy.
The accounts of such high-profile anti-vaccination activists like Dr. Mercola and Mr. Kennedy remain active on Facebook and Twitter — although Instagram, which Facebook owns, has suspended Mr. Kennedy’s account.
YouTube started looking into broadening its policy on anti-vaccine content shortly after creating a set of rules around Covid-19 vaccine misinformation in October, according to a person close to the company’s policymaking process, who would speak only anonymously because he was not permitted to discuss the matters publicly. YouTube found many videos about the coronavirus vaccine spilled over into general vaccine misinformation, making it difficult to tackle Covid-19 misinformation without addressing the broader issue.
But creating a new set of rules and enforcement policies took months, because it is difficult to rein in content across many languages and because of the complicated debate over where to draw the line on what users can post, the person said. For example, YouTube will not remove a video of a parent talking about a child’s negative reaction to a vaccine, but it will remove a channel dedicated to parents providing such testimonials.
Misinformation researchers have for years pointed to the proliferation of anti-vaccine content on social networks as a factor in vaccine hesitation — including slowing rates of Covid-19 vaccine adoption in more conservative states. Reporting has shown that YouTube videos often act as the source of content that subsequently goes viral on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, sometimes racking up tens of millions of views.
“One platform’s policies affect enforcement across all the others because of the way networks work across services,” said Evelyn Douek, a lecturer at Harvard Law School who focuses on online speech and misinformation. “YouTube is one of the most highly linked domains on Facebook, for example.”
She added: “It’s not possible to think of these issues platform by platform. That’s not how anti-vaccination groups think of them. We have to think of the internet ecosystem as a whole.”
Prominent anti-vaccine activists have long been able to build huge audiences online, helped along by the algorithmic powers of social networks that prioritize videos and posts that are particularly successful at capturing people’s attention. A nonprofit, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, published research this year showing that a group of 12 people were responsible for sharing 65 percent of all anti-vaccine messaging on social media, calling the group the “Disinformation Dozen.” In July, the White House cited the research as it criticized tech companies for allowing misinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines to spread widely, sparking a tense back-and-forth between the administration and Facebook.
Several people listed in the Disinformation Dozen no longer have channels on YouTube, including Dr. Mercola, an osteopathic physician who took the top spot on the list. His following on Facebook and Instagram totals more than three million, while his YouTube account, before it was taken down, had nearly half a million followers. Dr. Mercola’s Twitter account, which is still live, has over 320,000 followers.
YouTube said that in the past year it had removed over 130,000 videos for violating its Covid-19 vaccine policies. But this did not include what the video platform called “borderline videos” that discussed vaccine skepticism on the site. In the past, the company simply removed such videos from search results and recommendations, while promoting videos from experts and public health institutions.
Daisuke Wakabayashi contributed reporting. Ben Decker contributed research.
Explainer: Why the US govt may shut down and what the debt ceiling crisis is all about
There have been 14 government shutdowns in the US since 1981.PHOTO: AFP
PUBLISHED5 HOURS AGO
WASHINGTON (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) - A partial shutdown of the US government looms this week, as politicians battle over its funding.
Funding for most federal agencies in the United States is set to expire at midnight on Thursday (Sept 30), US time.
Unless Democrats and Republicans arrive at an agreement in time over whether to lift a debt ceiling - the limit that the US government can borrow - the operations of these federal agencies will come to a grinding halt when their funds expire.
It would be the United States' second government shutdown in three years.
The debate over the debt ceiling comes as the US government risks hitting its US$28.4 trillion (S$38.7 trillion) borrowing limit around Oct 18.
Exceeding the limit could trigger a historic default and long-lasting economic fallout.
The issue is a regular topic of partisan rancour in Washington. The debt ceiling has been raised about 80 times since the 1960s.
What government functions will be affected in the case of a shutdown?
Non-essential government functions such as tax audits, oversight of financial swap markets and investigations of workplace civil-rights complaints are among activities expected to stop.
Economic reports from the Labour and Commerce departments could be delayed.
Museums and national parks will close, and roughly three in five workers - out of a federal civilian workforce of 2.1 million - will be barred from working.
Furloughs could hit 62 per cent of employees at the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC), the agency at the centre of the US fight against Covid-19, according to an agency shutdown plan.
PUBLISHED5 HOURS AGO
WASHINGTON (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) - A partial shutdown of the US government looms this week, as politicians battle over its funding.
Funding for most federal agencies in the United States is set to expire at midnight on Thursday (Sept 30), US time.
Unless Democrats and Republicans arrive at an agreement in time over whether to lift a debt ceiling - the limit that the US government can borrow - the operations of these federal agencies will come to a grinding halt when their funds expire.
It would be the United States' second government shutdown in three years.
The debate over the debt ceiling comes as the US government risks hitting its US$28.4 trillion (S$38.7 trillion) borrowing limit around Oct 18.
Exceeding the limit could trigger a historic default and long-lasting economic fallout.
The issue is a regular topic of partisan rancour in Washington. The debt ceiling has been raised about 80 times since the 1960s.
What government functions will be affected in the case of a shutdown?
Non-essential government functions such as tax audits, oversight of financial swap markets and investigations of workplace civil-rights complaints are among activities expected to stop.
Economic reports from the Labour and Commerce departments could be delayed.
Museums and national parks will close, and roughly three in five workers - out of a federal civilian workforce of 2.1 million - will be barred from working.
Furloughs could hit 62 per cent of employees at the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC), the agency at the centre of the US fight against Covid-19, according to an agency shutdown plan.
Which functions would remain unaffected?
Military operations, air traffic control, medical care of veterans and federal criminal investigations are among the essential activities that will go on. The US Postal Service and US Federal Reserve have their own funding streams and so will also be largely unaffected.
US Senate deal has been made to avoid govt shutdown: Schumer
Biden agenda at risk as Democrats squabble ahead of shutdown deadline
How does a shutdown take effect?
After funding expires, some workers can clock in briefly to set department shutdowns in motion.
Much of the government would continue on autopilot, including mailing Social Security pension checks and paying hospital bills for the elderly. Soldiers can still fight wars, but many civilians in the Department of Defence will be furloughed.
Eventually, essential services will still suffer.
How many times has this happened in the past?
There have been 14 government shutdowns in the US since 1981, ranging in duration from a single day to a 35-day shutdown in 2018-2019.
How can a shutdown be avoided? How does the debt ceiling feature in the debate?
The Congress must pass a spending Bill that will keep the federal agencies afloat, preventing the government from shutting down, or to reopen it.
Democrats in the House of Representatives last week passed a Bill that would renew government funding, but it included raising the cap on federal borrowing.
Republicans object to increasing the debt limit, and they have blocked a Democratic effort to approve a 14-month suspension together with a temporary budget.
US Senate fails to advance debt ceiling, government funding measure
US to exhaust funds by October if debt limit not raised: Yellen
One way to end the impasse would be for Democrats to drop the debt ceiling measure from the funding legislation. It would then have to be passed swiftly by both chambers of Congress to avert a shutdown.
Alternatively, the Republicans could also place a standalone continuing resolution without the debt limit provision.
Democrats could also present a standalone debt limit increase as a gamble that there would then be so much pressure on Republicans to go along that they either vote for the Bill or decline to "filibuster" it in the Senate.
The latter would allow the Bill to pass by a simple majority of 48 Democrats, two independents and a tie-breaking vote by Vice-President Kamala Harris.
What about budget reconciliation?
Budget reconciliation is a manoeuvre that bypasses the normal Senate requirement of 60 votes to advance a Bill.
It is the technique that the chamber's top Republican Mitch McConnell used to pass a sweeping tax-cut Bill skewed to the wealthy when his party controlled the Senate in 2017.
Now in the minority, he wants Democrats to use this to address the debt so that no Republicans have to vote for, and take responsibility for, a debt limit increase even though they want one.
US debt default date is estimate Congress wants, Yellen can't give
Debt limit, bond yields and Delta Covid-19 variant hammer Wall Street
But it's complicated.
Democrats could try to tuck language on the debt ceiling into Mr Biden's sweeping US$3.5 trillion social spending Bill. But the party is deeply divided on that Bill and it is not clear that moderates and progressives can agree on a compromise package in time to avert a default.
Another option would be to write a reconciliation Bill focused on just the debt ceiling. That is also time-consuming as Bills trigger a much-despised process called a "vote-a-rama" with the potential for hundreds of amendments. The Senate has held multiple all-night sessions of that kind over the past year.
A stand-alone debt ceiling increase using the reconciliation process would likely have to be approved by the Senate parliamentarian since there are tight controls on its use.
Meanwhile, the Bipartisan Policy Centre now estimates that the Treasury Department will fully exhaust its borrowing capability sometime between Oct 15 and mid-November. Unless Congress acts in time, the US government will likely lapse into default.
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
'The View' addresses COVID testing fiasco that upended Kamala Harris interview: 'Mistakes were made'
Published September 27, 2021
Producer apologized for announcing COVID-19 tests that turned out to be false positives
By Brandon Gillespie | Fox News
ABC's "The View" spent its first segment Monday addressing the chaos from Friday when co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro were forced to leave mid-show after receiving what turned out to be false positive coronavirus tests.
The program quickly went off the rails as the two remaining co-hosts, Joy Behar and Sara Haines, were left confused by the sudden exit of Hostin and Navarro and had to delay the interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, which ultimately took place via video feed from backstage.
Executive producer Brian Teta, who notified Navarro and Hostin that they would have to leave the show, was put on the spot as he apologized for sharing the results of their tests while the program was live. He also admitted that "mistakes were made," which led to "some really awkward television."
DRAMA AT ‘THE VIEW’: COVID TESTS WERE ‘FALSE POSITIVES’ CO-HOST REVEALS
"We found out moments before we came back on the air, and in that moment all I could think of was that we had to keep the hosts safe and we had to keep the vice president safe. She could not walk out no matter what. And that led to some really awkward television that I’d like to have back if I could," Teta said, addressing why he asked Navarro and Hostin to leave on the air.
"I really want to acknowledge and apologize to Sunny and Ana because in this midst of all this chaos they were put in this position where they had this information put out on television, and then to make it even worse it turned out not to be true later on," he added, referring to the co-hosts' tests being false positives. "So, it was unfortunate that mistakes were made."
Hostin became emotional as she talked about her experience following the false positive test, telling her co-hosts that she was "really uncomfortable" having her results released to the public in the way that they were, and describing how it affected her family.
CONCHA BLASTS ‘THE VIEW’ HOSTS BEING PULLED FROM SET DUE TO POSITIVE COVID TESTS
"For me it was particularly triggering because not too long ago I delivered the eulogy at my in-law’s funeral. So you could imagine how I felt thinking that I could be possibly be COVID-positive, and my family could experience another loss, a loss that I don't think my husband could handle," she said.
Navarro, who like her co-hosts and Harris is fully vaccinated, said she feared she might "wipe out the entire Harris family" by exposing them to coronavirus, noting she had spent time with Harris' family members earlier that day.
She also addressed a disparaging tweet about Donald Trump Jr., who suggested her weight had something to do with her "positive" test, calling him a "dimwit" who was "living off his father's name."
Kathy Hochul is wrong: There are legitimate religious reasons to oppose COVID vaccination
September 28, 2021 - 1:53 PM
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul claimed this week that there is no “legitimate” request for a religious exemption from her vaccine mandate, which requires all state employees and healthcare workers to get the shot, because no “organized religion” has asked for one.
But Hochul’s reasoning is baseless. From the government's perspective, the legitimacy of religious beliefs is not dependent upon organized religion.
She’s also flat-out wrong about religious exemption requests. While there may certainly be people who seek to use religion as a way out of the vaccine mandate, there are plenty of other well-meaning people of faith who have reasonable ethical concerns about how the vaccines were developed. Fetal cell lines, or cells grown using aborted fetal cells collected decades ago, were used in the testing and development of Pfizer's and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines and during the production of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. Thus, there are some in the pro-life movement who see vaccination against COVID-19 as an indirect benefit of abortion that they cannot bring themselves to condone.
It is true that church leadership, specifically within the Catholic Church, has ruled that it is morally acceptable to get the vaccines regardless of how they were developed. But that does not mean individual practicing believers who dissent from the church’s decision on this matter have lost the right to be heard. That’s not how religious freedom works.
Hochul might disagree with religious persons’ reasoning, but she does not have the right to dismiss their concerns outright and force them to violate their consciences. If she keeps moving in this direction, it's only a matter of time before the courts tell her the same thing.
Religious Americans Demand Climate Action
By Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons and Maggie Siddiqi
July 21, 2021, 9:00 am
Getty/Kerem Yucel/AFPCalls for climate action and Line 3 pipeline protest signs are seen during a faith gathering and prayer circle in Minnesota, June 2021.
President Joe Biden has pursued a bold agenda to address the climate crisis. On his first day in office, he had the United States rejoin the Paris climate agreement.1 A week later, he signed an executive order to “Tackle the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.”2 On Earth Day, April 22, he convened world leaders to address the urgent need for collective action on the climate crisis. During that summit, he announced that the United States will target reducing planet-warming emissions by 50 percent to 52 percent across the economy by 2030 compared with 2005 levels.3 The Biden administration also proposed the American Jobs Plan,4 part of the administration’s economic recovery proposals that includes historic investments in climate action through infrastructure that would create good-paying jobs while making the American economy more equitable and sustainable.5 These positive actions have been well-received by religious leaders, who continue to call for bold action in defense of God’s creation.
Pope Francis, who attended the Earth Day summit, encouraged the leaders of the world’s largest economies to “take charge of the care of nature, of this gift that we have received and that we have to heal, guard, and carry forward.”6 These words are increasingly significant because of the challenge the world faces in the postpandemic era. As the pope said, “We need to keep moving forward and we know that one doesn’t come out of a crisis the same way one entered. We come out either better or worse. Our concern is to see that the environment is cleaner, purer, and preserved. We must take care of nature so that it takes care of us.”7
President Joe Biden has pursued a bold agenda to address the climate crisis. On his first day in office, he had the United States rejoin the Paris climate agreement.1 A week later, he signed an executive order to “Tackle the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.”2 On Earth Day, April 22, he convened world leaders to address the urgent need for collective action on the climate crisis. During that summit, he announced that the United States will target reducing planet-warming emissions by 50 percent to 52 percent across the economy by 2030 compared with 2005 levels.3 The Biden administration also proposed the American Jobs Plan,4 part of the administration’s economic recovery proposals that includes historic investments in climate action through infrastructure that would create good-paying jobs while making the American economy more equitable and sustainable.5 These positive actions have been well-received by religious leaders, who continue to call for bold action in defense of God’s creation.
Pope Francis, who attended the Earth Day summit, encouraged the leaders of the world’s largest economies to “take charge of the care of nature, of this gift that we have received and that we have to heal, guard, and carry forward.”6 These words are increasingly significant because of the challenge the world faces in the postpandemic era. As the pope said, “We need to keep moving forward and we know that one doesn’t come out of a crisis the same way one entered. We come out either better or worse. Our concern is to see that the environment is cleaner, purer, and preserved. We must take care of nature so that it takes care of us.”7
Tell Congress: I Support Faith Leaders in Uniting Around Climate
Our diverse faith traditions all teach us to look out for one another, which means fighting for environmental justice. Sign the pledge to tell Congress it is time to join us in this fight!TAKE ACTION
The majority of religious Americans share Pope Francis’ and President Biden’s concern for taking urgent action on climate change. Sixty percent of Christians and 79 percent of Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims believe that “passing a bill to address climate change and its effects” should be a top or an important priority for Congress, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll conducted in April 2021.8 The broad support for Congress to take action on the climate crisis includes 57 percent of evangelical Americans, who tend to be the most conservative of the United States’ religious blocs.9
These findings are mirrored in another national survey. According to a Climate Nexus poll, the majority of religious voters think that “passing a comprehensive bill to address climate change” this year should be a top or an important priority for Congress and the president.10 This includes 84 percent of Black Protestants, 81 percent of non-Christian faith groups, 64 percent of white Catholics, 58 percent of white mainline Protestants, and 53 percent of white evangelical Protestants.11 The majority of religious voters also support Congress passing legislation that would set the goal of achieving a 100 percent clean U.S. economy—which entails eliminating fossil fuel emissions from the transportation, electricity, building, industry, and agricultural sectors—by 2050. This includes 88 percent of Black Protestants; 76 percent of non-Christian religious groups; 61 percent of white Catholics, 53 percent of white mainline Protestants; and 50 percent of white evangelical Protestants.12
69th Annual Red Mass
Sun., October 3, 2021 · 10:00am
The 69th Annual Red Mass, sponsored by the John Carroll Society, will be held at the Cathedral on Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 10am. Public seating for the Red Mass is very limited.
See the full schedule of Sunday Masses for October 3, 2021.
See the full schedule of Sunday Masses for October 3, 2021.
Red Mass (from the John Carroll Society calendar webpage)
The Red Mass is celebrated annually at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, traditionally on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, which marks the opening of the Supreme Court's annual term. Its purpose is to invoke God's blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials.
His Eminence Wilton Cardinal Gregory
Archbishop of Washington
Principal Celebrant
Most Rev. Gabriele Caccia
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations
Homilist
To learn more about the history of the Red Mass, please click here.
Masks are required inside the Cathedral.
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Monday, September 27, 2021
Rome’s Evil Doctrine of the Universal Destination of Goods
Immigration, Citizenship, and the Bible Part 12: Rome’s Evil Doctrine of the Universal Destination of Goods
Ruth and Naomi Leave Moab, 1860, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872).
Due to time demands at work, it has been some time since the previous installment of my series Immigration, Citizenship and the Bible. Those circumstances now ended, it is my hope, Lord willing, to complete the final postings this spring.
But before moving on to break new ground, it seems good to me to circle back and review the topic of the Roman Church-State (RCS) and immigration. I say this in the first place, because an honest inquiry into the current problems surrounding immigrants and refugees in the United States finds their source in the theory and practice of the RCS..
In the second place, the RCS has conducted its immigration campaign, a campaign with the ultimate goal of furthering its globalist agenda by undermining the sovereignty of the United States, with almost no scrutiny from the press or from Protestants. It is high time someone pointed out the treachery of the her prelates.
Third, a recent speech by San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy laid bare the corrupt theory that lies behind Rome’s immigration policy. This post is a critique of McElroy’s speech.
Rome, Immigration, and the Universal Destination of Goods
Details of the speech by Robert McElroy were related in a story that appeared in the National Catholic Register on February 19, 2017 titled “In a powerful speech, San Diego bishop challenges organizers to disrupt, rebuild.”
It is not my intent to comment on the many anti-Christian statements made by the bishop in this short article. To do so would take more time than is available to me. My aim today is to focus on the polluted theoretical source of Rome’s teaching on immigration, the unbiblical doctrine of the Universal Destination of Goods (UDG).
Sunday, September 26, 2021
"Build Back Better": Why Are Both Biden and Boris Now Using This Phrase?
LEE ESTO EN ESPAÑOL
10/12/2020
Mark Tovey
Listen to the Audio Mises Wire version of this article.
The Trump campaign shared a video on social media this week, claiming Joe Biden had ripped off a slogan from British prime minister Boris Johnson.
“We have a great opportunity to build back and to build back better” (emphasis added), Biden said in the video, dated July 9, 2020. Then rolled a video of the British PM, using the same phrase on May 28: “We owe it to future generations to build back better.” Damning evidence—it seemed—that the Democratic nominee had, once again, copied his homework. (Biden was famously caught passing off a Robert F. Kennedy quote as his own during his ill-fated 1988 run for president.)
In fact, the story here is not one of lazy speech writing or plagiarism. The use of the phrase “build back better” by both Biden and the British PM spells something far more sinister. “Build back better” is the rallying cry of a globalist plot to exploit the coronavirus pandemic for the sake of narrow-minded, well-connected lobby groups—particularly of the “environmentalist” stripe.
Boris Johnson did not coin the phrase “build back better”. It first surfaced on April 22 in a UN press release, marking “International Mother Earth Day”—a faux holiday created by the UN in 2009.
As the world begins planning for a post-pandemic recovery, the United Nations is calling on Governments to seize the opportunity to “build back better” by creating more sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies.
“The current crisis is an unprecedented wake-up call,” said Secretary-General António Guterres in his International Mother Earth Day message. “We need to turn the recovery into a real opportunity to do things right for the future.”
But would “Brexit Boris” really swallow a globalist scheme hook, line and sinker? On October 6, the British PM unveiled a plan at the Conservative Party conference to dump £160m into powering every home with wind energy by 2030—all part of a harebrained scheme to “build back greener.”
The Conservative lawmaker Lord Matt Ridley excoriated Boris’s “build back greener” policy in a radio interview the next day: “It takes 150 tonnes of coal to build one wind turbine…if we want a zero-carbon future by 2050, the only way we’re going to get it is nuclear. Wind is messing around and rewarding rich people at the expense of poor people.”
But it is not just Boris Johnson and Joe Biden who are being played like cheap violins by the UN. All around the world, politicians are echoing the same sentiment.
The European Commission used the slogan when announcing their €750 billion stimulus fund on May 27: “Through this fund, officially titled Next Generation EU, the Commission hopes to “build back better,” through channels that contribute to a greener, more sustainable and resilient society.”
In Canada, PM Justin Trudeau signaled his allegiance to the globalist “green” lobby in August, saying: “We need to reset the approach of this government for a recovery to build back better.”
The UN have even taken the liberty of translating the slogan into Spanish (reconstruir mejor), Portuguese (reconstruir melhor), French (reconstruire en mieux), and many other tongues—so that politicians all over the world can sing from the same hymn sheet. The No Agenda podcast, hosted by Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak, is a fantastic resource for keeping track of the growing number of co-occurrences of the “build back better” meme.
Some environmentalists are twisting the covid-19 pandemic into a pretext for extreme “green” policies, of the type that would have been unthinkable less than a year ago. During lockdown, countless commentators waxed lyrical about how “nature was coming back to life” during our miserable house imprisonment. Now, economist Mariana Mazzucato, of University College London, is floating the idea of “climate lockdowns”—that is, forcing people to stay in their homes to limit carbon dioxide emissions. And the UN is pushing a global propaganda campaign to get a good percentage of national bailout budgets siphoned off into “green” gravy train projects with highly questionable environmental and economic returns.
Talk of “building back better” and “green growth” obfuscates the tradeoff between growing GDP and limiting carbon dioxide emissions. Globally, GDP is forecast to plummet a whopping 4.9 percent in 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Lifting lockdowns, cutting taxes and deregulating would quickly get the world turning again. On the other hand, financing a global racket with billions of dollars of funny money—or “building back better”—will only cause us to sink deeper into this malaise.
Listen to the Audio Mises Wire version of this article.
The Trump campaign shared a video on social media this week, claiming Joe Biden had ripped off a slogan from British prime minister Boris Johnson.
“We have a great opportunity to build back and to build back better” (emphasis added), Biden said in the video, dated July 9, 2020. Then rolled a video of the British PM, using the same phrase on May 28: “We owe it to future generations to build back better.” Damning evidence—it seemed—that the Democratic nominee had, once again, copied his homework. (Biden was famously caught passing off a Robert F. Kennedy quote as his own during his ill-fated 1988 run for president.)
In fact, the story here is not one of lazy speech writing or plagiarism. The use of the phrase “build back better” by both Biden and the British PM spells something far more sinister. “Build back better” is the rallying cry of a globalist plot to exploit the coronavirus pandemic for the sake of narrow-minded, well-connected lobby groups—particularly of the “environmentalist” stripe.
Boris Johnson did not coin the phrase “build back better”. It first surfaced on April 22 in a UN press release, marking “International Mother Earth Day”—a faux holiday created by the UN in 2009.
As the world begins planning for a post-pandemic recovery, the United Nations is calling on Governments to seize the opportunity to “build back better” by creating more sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies.
“The current crisis is an unprecedented wake-up call,” said Secretary-General António Guterres in his International Mother Earth Day message. “We need to turn the recovery into a real opportunity to do things right for the future.”
But would “Brexit Boris” really swallow a globalist scheme hook, line and sinker? On October 6, the British PM unveiled a plan at the Conservative Party conference to dump £160m into powering every home with wind energy by 2030—all part of a harebrained scheme to “build back greener.”
The Conservative lawmaker Lord Matt Ridley excoriated Boris’s “build back greener” policy in a radio interview the next day: “It takes 150 tonnes of coal to build one wind turbine…if we want a zero-carbon future by 2050, the only way we’re going to get it is nuclear. Wind is messing around and rewarding rich people at the expense of poor people.”
But it is not just Boris Johnson and Joe Biden who are being played like cheap violins by the UN. All around the world, politicians are echoing the same sentiment.
The European Commission used the slogan when announcing their €750 billion stimulus fund on May 27: “Through this fund, officially titled Next Generation EU, the Commission hopes to “build back better,” through channels that contribute to a greener, more sustainable and resilient society.”
In Canada, PM Justin Trudeau signaled his allegiance to the globalist “green” lobby in August, saying: “We need to reset the approach of this government for a recovery to build back better.”
The UN have even taken the liberty of translating the slogan into Spanish (reconstruir mejor), Portuguese (reconstruir melhor), French (reconstruire en mieux), and many other tongues—so that politicians all over the world can sing from the same hymn sheet. The No Agenda podcast, hosted by Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak, is a fantastic resource for keeping track of the growing number of co-occurrences of the “build back better” meme.
Some environmentalists are twisting the covid-19 pandemic into a pretext for extreme “green” policies, of the type that would have been unthinkable less than a year ago. During lockdown, countless commentators waxed lyrical about how “nature was coming back to life” during our miserable house imprisonment. Now, economist Mariana Mazzucato, of University College London, is floating the idea of “climate lockdowns”—that is, forcing people to stay in their homes to limit carbon dioxide emissions. And the UN is pushing a global propaganda campaign to get a good percentage of national bailout budgets siphoned off into “green” gravy train projects with highly questionable environmental and economic returns.
Talk of “building back better” and “green growth” obfuscates the tradeoff between growing GDP and limiting carbon dioxide emissions. Globally, GDP is forecast to plummet a whopping 4.9 percent in 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Lifting lockdowns, cutting taxes and deregulating would quickly get the world turning again. On the other hand, financing a global racket with billions of dollars of funny money—or “building back better”—will only cause us to sink deeper into this malaise.
Saturday, September 25, 2021
Friday, September 24, 2021
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Anthony Fauci and Christine Grady honored with award at CTU event
Anthony Fauci and Christine Grady give remarks as they jointly accept Catholic Theological Union's 2021 "Blessed are the Peacemakers" award. (NCR screenshot)
Dr. Anthony Fauci and nurse-bioethicist Christine Grady were honored for their work against the coronavirus with Catholic Theological Union's "Blessed are the Peacemakers" award at an online event April 28.
Fauci was praised for being "a voice of reason, compassion and integrity as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to the president" during the pandemic, while Grady was hailed for her work "identifying, researching, and documenting ethical issues concerning COVID-19 vaccines, resource allocation and the safety of health care workers during the pandemic through her role as Bioethics Department chief at the National Institutes of Health."
Dominican Sr. Barbara Reid, CTU's president, thanked Fauci and Grady, who are married, for providing an example to health care workers, including CTU-educated hospital chaplains, three of whom were highlighted in a video shared during the event for their ministry during the pandemic. "Their life's work has been a beacon of hope for our spiritual first responders," said Reid of Fauci and Grady.
In his remarks, Fauci said that when faced with a "formidable adversary" such as the coronavirus, "we need to pull together as a nation and recognize the pathogen as our mutual foe."
"In all we do, we must be guided by the data and science-based evidence. But only by working side by side towards a common purpose and for the greater good will we prevail," he added.
Grady, chief of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, also stressed the need for cooperation and solidarity. "The turmoil, disruptions and suffering that the world has experienced during this past year or so has emphasized to me how absolutely imperative it is to try to be a peacemaker, to try to be compassionate and fair to all, and to strive for harmony and love instead of hate and divisiveness," she said. Grady has a doctorate in philosophy.
Fauci and Grady both expressed gratitude for their Catholic educations for giving them knowledge and inspiration that have helped them throughout their careers.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago and Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois both gave welcomes at the beginning of the event, Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, opened with a prayer, and past award winners including Sr. Helen Prejean, Dr. Paul Farmer and Ireland's former President Mary McAleese spoke to congratulate Fauci and Grady.
Dr. Helene Gayle of the Chicago Community Trust specifically highlighted the early parts of Grady's and Fauci's careers, acknowledging Grady's promotion of the field of bioethics and Fauci's work with communities of color during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and '90s.
Prejean thanked Fauci for his decades of public service and expressed admiration for "[his] ability to maintain composure at all those press conferences with the past administration where all we got was anti-science political rhetoric."
"Thank you for maintaining the relationship with that president so that you could continue to serve the people," Prejean said.
Veteran television journalist Carol Marin, the event's host, praised Fauci and Grady for their honesty by proposing a new beatitude: "Blessed are those who tell life-giving truth based in reality. They will be cherished in the midst of the storm that will surely follow," she said.
"Thanks be to God for the work of Dr. Fauci and Dr. Grady, who show us what authentic science in the hands of good and courageous people can accomplish," she said.
From left: Catholic Theological Union president Dominican Sr. Barbara Reid, board of trustees chair Fr. Jim Halstead, vice president for institutional advancement Colleen Kennedy, and event host Carol Marin share a toast in honor of Anthony Fauci and Christine Grady, this year’s Blessed are the Peacemakers award recipients. (NCR screenshot)
After the official conferral of the award by Fr. Jim Halstead, chair of the CTU board of trustees, Colleen Kennedy, CTU's vice president for institutional advancement, led a celebratory toast. Though most of the event's speakers had pre-recorded their messages or else appeared virtually, Kennedy, Halstead, Reid and Marin were all together in the same room and stood side by side for the toast.
Typically, the annual Blessed are the Peacemakers event is held in person as a CTU fundraiser. Though attendees could not gather in person this year because of the pandemic, those who bought tickets were each sent a physical party favor in the form of an aloe plant. "The healing and renewal so needed in our world today is symbolized in the aloe plant," Reid said, holding one of the plants in front of the camera.
A recording of the event can be viewed online here.
The USA East Ignatian Year Celebration Honoring Senior Jesuits
@ 30:00 Mins. timestamp -
An opportunity to present the Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam Award to Dr. Anthony Fauci and his wife, Dr. Christine Grady.
Haitian Americans in D-FW say they’re fed up over deportation of thousands of countrymen at border
Multiple groups are mobilizing around the issue, saying they feel migrants who have arrived at Del Rio in hopes of finding U.S. asylum are being treated inhumanely.
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Haitians deported from the U.S. recover their belongings on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021.(Joseph Odelyn)
By Hojun Choi
8:43 PM on Sep 21, 2021 CDT
Haitian American organizations in North Texas say they are frustrated over elected officials’ response to the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border near Del Rio, saying that the thousands of Haitian migrants who have arrived there in recent days are receiving inhumane treatment.
Migrants, many of them gathered under the international bridge at Del Rio, have been waiting in squalid conditions for a chance at U.S. asylum. Images of law enforcement chasing them on horseback have helped put the crisis even more squarely in the international spotlight.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday blamed President Joe Biden for the humanitarian crisis, but the Biden administration has defended efforts to deport migrants from the area.
Plano resident Marie-Frantz Rene, who is president of the Haitian American Association of Dallas-Fort Worth, said she’s angry and overwhelmed over the situation, saying she feels helpless to assist her fellow Haitians at the border.
“They have been through so much. This is a humanitarian issue, OK?” she said. “By sending them to Haiti, they are going to be in more misery. There is no education, no health care, no security in Haiti. Why would they not leave to try to go somewhere else?”
Rene said multiple North Texas groups are mobilizing to find ways to help the migrants. She said migrants need help with translations and means to find relatives already in the U.S. One of her biggest frustrations, she said, has been the lack of help from elected officials, both in Texas and Washington.
“We’re thinking about going to Austin to protest, because we’re not getting any answers,” said Rene. “We may have to go to the Capitol building in Austin. .... We do vote. So if they don’t want to hear our voices and know what is going on with this situation, we will answer to them when voting time comes.”
Rene estimated that about 3,000 people in Dallas-Fort Worth are of Haitian descent.
Earlier this month, the association held a fundraiser to help Haitians recover from the earthquake on Aug. 14 that killed some 2,000 people and injured over 12,000, based on estimates from ReliefWeb, an information service provided by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The magnitude 7.2 quake followed the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, which plunged the Caribbean nation into political turmoil.
Rene said her organization is turning its focus to the U.S.-Mexico border, and is calling for empathy for the migrants, even from people without a connection to Haiti.
“Haiti is your neighbor, and this is how you treat your neighbor? You’re going to treat your neighbor like that?” Rene said.
Dallas resident Maggie Augustin, treasurer of Dallas Haitians United, said the group is looking for volunteers to travel to Houston, where the organization is expecting Haitian migrants from Del Rio to arrive to apply for asylee status.
Augustin described former President Donald Trump’s treatment of migrants at the border as treacherous, but she said she has been especially hurt by the Biden administration’s handling of the current crisis, saying that she feels he has broken his promise of better treatment for immigrants.
“At the end of the day, I have not seen that promise come to pass,” she said.
She, like Rene, said the images of Haitian migrants being chased down by horse-riding law enforcement has taken an emotional toll on her and the Haitian community.
“In all honesty, it’s so appalling. The type of treatment they’re getting is baffling, it’s ridiculous, it’s crazy,” she said.
Fort Worth resident Rose Pierre is a member of the Haitian Social Circle in Dallas. Pierre said that organization also has started shifting some of its humanitarian efforts to the border.
Pierre said 2021 has been particularly difficult for people of Haitian descent. She described her current emotions as similar to driving on a dirt road.
“One minute you’re OK, the next minute, you’re in a pothole, the next minute you don’t know what you’re going to get,” she said. “You try your best to try to prepare your mind for it, but you can never be 100% mentally or emotionally prepared because you don’t know what’s coming next.”
By Hojun Choi
8:43 PM on Sep 21, 2021 CDT
Haitian American organizations in North Texas say they are frustrated over elected officials’ response to the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border near Del Rio, saying that the thousands of Haitian migrants who have arrived there in recent days are receiving inhumane treatment.
Migrants, many of them gathered under the international bridge at Del Rio, have been waiting in squalid conditions for a chance at U.S. asylum. Images of law enforcement chasing them on horseback have helped put the crisis even more squarely in the international spotlight.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday blamed President Joe Biden for the humanitarian crisis, but the Biden administration has defended efforts to deport migrants from the area.
Plano resident Marie-Frantz Rene, who is president of the Haitian American Association of Dallas-Fort Worth, said she’s angry and overwhelmed over the situation, saying she feels helpless to assist her fellow Haitians at the border.
“They have been through so much. This is a humanitarian issue, OK?” she said. “By sending them to Haiti, they are going to be in more misery. There is no education, no health care, no security in Haiti. Why would they not leave to try to go somewhere else?”
Rene said multiple North Texas groups are mobilizing to find ways to help the migrants. She said migrants need help with translations and means to find relatives already in the U.S. One of her biggest frustrations, she said, has been the lack of help from elected officials, both in Texas and Washington.
“We’re thinking about going to Austin to protest, because we’re not getting any answers,” said Rene. “We may have to go to the Capitol building in Austin. .... We do vote. So if they don’t want to hear our voices and know what is going on with this situation, we will answer to them when voting time comes.”
Rene estimated that about 3,000 people in Dallas-Fort Worth are of Haitian descent.
Earlier this month, the association held a fundraiser to help Haitians recover from the earthquake on Aug. 14 that killed some 2,000 people and injured over 12,000, based on estimates from ReliefWeb, an information service provided by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The magnitude 7.2 quake followed the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, which plunged the Caribbean nation into political turmoil.
Rene said her organization is turning its focus to the U.S.-Mexico border, and is calling for empathy for the migrants, even from people without a connection to Haiti.
“Haiti is your neighbor, and this is how you treat your neighbor? You’re going to treat your neighbor like that?” Rene said.
Dallas resident Maggie Augustin, treasurer of Dallas Haitians United, said the group is looking for volunteers to travel to Houston, where the organization is expecting Haitian migrants from Del Rio to arrive to apply for asylee status.
Augustin described former President Donald Trump’s treatment of migrants at the border as treacherous, but she said she has been especially hurt by the Biden administration’s handling of the current crisis, saying that she feels he has broken his promise of better treatment for immigrants.
“At the end of the day, I have not seen that promise come to pass,” she said.
She, like Rene, said the images of Haitian migrants being chased down by horse-riding law enforcement has taken an emotional toll on her and the Haitian community.
“In all honesty, it’s so appalling. The type of treatment they’re getting is baffling, it’s ridiculous, it’s crazy,” she said.
Fort Worth resident Rose Pierre is a member of the Haitian Social Circle in Dallas. Pierre said that organization also has started shifting some of its humanitarian efforts to the border.
Pierre said 2021 has been particularly difficult for people of Haitian descent. She described her current emotions as similar to driving on a dirt road.
“One minute you’re OK, the next minute, you’re in a pothole, the next minute you don’t know what you’re going to get,” she said. “You try your best to try to prepare your mind for it, but you can never be 100% mentally or emotionally prepared because you don’t know what’s coming next.”
Religious leaders offer prayers before start of U.N. General Assembly
Sep 15, 2021
United Nations diplomats and other guests gather for a prayer service Sept. 13, 2021, at Holy Family Church in New York City. The service, hosted by the Vatican's permanent observer mission to the U.N., was held on the eve of the opening of the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz
NEW YORK — In the face of widespread evidence of humanity's dark side, speakers a prayer service Sept. 13 — on the eve of the opening of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly — identified unmistakable signs of hope.
Bishop Gregory J. Mansour of the Maronite Diocese of St. Maron of Brooklyn said there is a "great and edifying effort" by the United Nations to counter "totalitarian forms of government that trample the rights of the people they are called to serve."
He also highlighted the "global work to alleviate human trafficking, assist refugees and people on the move, work on nuclear disarmament, combat climate change and so much more."
The bishop referred to remarks made at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington this summer, which stressed that the right to religious freedom "is not conceded to us by any nation or by governments but is innate by virtue of being human."
"Our relationship to God defines who we are as persons and must be understood and respected as even more important than our allegiance to any worldly power or government," he told the congregation gathered at the Church of the Holy Family near U.N. headquarters.
The leader of a Maronite Catholic Diocese in New York said that greater protection of religious freedom is a buttress against attacks on the dignity of the human person by overreaching governments, groups and individuals.
He also urged the assembled ambassadors and diplomats to support Lebanon as an ongoing "inspiring sign of interreligious and political harmony."
Although he said the ongoing pandemic is a deep concern he said it also serves as an invitation from a loving God to greater solidarity among people and has demonstrated the generosity of international humanitarian aid agencies and some developed nations.
Similarly inspiring, he said, is the growing resolve to use international cooperation to remedy human-caused harm to the Earth.
Bishop Mansour said Pope Francis' recent visit to Iraq, where he met with Shiite and Sunni leaders, holds great promise for the future.
There is increasing respect for the dignity of the human person and his or her inalienable rights in the world today, the bishop said. More people work to honor the truth that human life in "all its stages is a sacred gift."
"If we do not treat each person as an unrepeatable gift, we risk becoming transactional beings, simply a means to an end for governments or anyone else to use or exploit," he said.
In a videotaped address, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the last year has brought more death and sadness to the world than the previous year, but also more solidarity and caring. "In these difficult times, people turn to faith. I turn to faith communities because they can transform the world," he said.
He also said leaders draw strength from the annual prayer service before they meet to address the world's worst problems.
"The agenda this year is heavy: the pandemic, climate change, war, humanitarian emergencies, human rights abuses, poverty. But we will hear ideas, forge partnerships, listen to young people, show results, protect our planet, and save lives," Guterres said.
He thanked participants for their prayers, noting: "We need these prayers for the wisdom to find solutions, the energy to act on them and the unity that this gathering represents."
Abdulla Shahid, foreign affairs minister of the Maldives and the General Assembly's incoming president, said hope is sorely lacking and desperately needed in the world today. Those who participate in the U.N. have a responsibility to inspire hope through their words and actions and by working hand-in-hand across borders.
Shahid said the new session of the assembly is challenged to "make our world greener, bluer and more resilient" and to support human rights, among other tasks. "The General Assembly cannot afford morally or otherwise to kick the can down the road. We must stand up for the most vulnerable."
The annual interreligious service has been sponsored since 1987 by the Vatican's Permanent Observer Mission to the U.N., the Archdiocese of New York and the Church of the Holy Family, the self-described "United Nations Parish."
Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, papal nuncio to the U.N., presided at the service. In addition to diplomats, invitees included U.N. staff members, religious leaders, parishioners and representatives of nongovernmental organizations.
Although pandemic safety considerations limited attendance and required masking, participants were undeterred in joining communal prayers and singing uplifting songs.
Prayers were drawn from texts of Pope Francis as well as a Prayer for Racial Healing distributed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Prayers of petition were offered in Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, English and French. Musicians from the Schola Cantorum of St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in New York performed a cappella preludes, hymns and choral responses.
In his welcoming remarks, Father Gerald E. Murray, Holy Family pastor, recalled that St. Paul VI met with religious leaders at the church after his historic 1965 address to the General Assembly.
"Our annual gathering is an ongoing response to St. Paul VI's desire that those who work for peace be united in prayer to God for his gift of peace," he said.
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
A weekly day of synchronised rest time for citizens and workers
The EU should seek a weekly day of common rest time for workers, as enshrined in Art 2(5) ESC.
Sunday as a common day of rest was part of the EU working time directive 93/104/EC with Art 118a(2) TEC as legal basis, which allows the EU to protect the health workers, but annulled by the CJEU in case C-84/94 (merely) because it “failed to explain why Sunday, as a weekly rest day, is more closely connected with the health ... of workers than any other day of the week”.
The EU should continue to pursue a common weekly day of rest, where the choice of the day is left open.
1. While working times fragmentise & reach out to weekends, much time is lost which in the past was used for civic engagement, joint social, sports or faith-related activities, domestic & care responsibilities and, more generally, to spend time together. This trend should be countered through more synchronised resting time.
2. Many workers have lower stress levels & recover better during common time off with families, friends & communities as opposed to spending time alone and are more performing at work & less often ill & absent. Beyond increased presenteeism, better work-life balance and less stress would bring further benefits to firms’ competitiveness: Healthy working conditions, which also include recreation, allow workers to be more creative, involved & performing to drive innovation.
3. A common day of rest would strengthen the cultural identity & is crucial for common European volunteering & engagement.
Monday, September 20, 2021
‘If you don’t have religion, get it now’: Religious exemptions may circumvent vaccine requirements
A sign at Grace United Methodist Church in St. Louis encourages passersby to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Photo by Daniel Shular, dshular@post-dispatch.com Daniel Shular
Katie Kull , Annika Merrilees
ST. LOUIS — As the St. Louis County Council prepared Tuesday to pass an ordinance requiring all employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, resident Zina Hackworth stood up and offered hesitant workers a solution.
“If you don’t have religion, get it now,” she advised.
Religious objections to vaccines, once used sparingly around the country to be exempted from various required immunizations, are becoming a more widely used loophole against the COVID-19 shot.
And its use is likely to grow with President Joe Biden’s sweeping new vaccine strategy aimed at more than 100 million Americans, including executive branch employees and workers at businesses with more than 100 people on the payroll.
In the St. Louis region, an increasing number of municipalities, schools, hospitals and businesses are requiring workers to get the shot. But many also allow employees to abstain for religious reasons and get tested regularly instead.
Maryland Heights and Webster Groves require city employees to fill out forms attesting to their need for religious exemptions. They caution applicants that they may need supporting documentation to back it up.
BJC HealthCare workers had a Sept. 15 deadline to be vaccinated or to seek an accommodation. The hospital’s Chief People Officer Jackie Tischler noted the same policy has been in effect for other required immunizations, such as the flu vaccine, for over a decade.
St. Louis University created a portal for students and staff to submit proof of vaccination or provide a reason why they couldn’t comply, said Terri Rebmann, an epidemiology professor and special assistant to the university president.
Meanwhile, some local religious leaders appeared eager to provide documentation for exemptions.
Sunday, September 19, 2021
Saturday, September 18, 2021
Health Equity Highlighted as Top Priority at AdventHealth’s 31st Conference on Mission
September 09, 2021
AdventHealth
The World Health Organization has, since its inception in 1948, endorsed health as a fundamental right for all, regardless of race, religion, political belief, economic status or social condition. Falling short on this foundational concept results in health inequity, where unjust health outcomes negatively impact certain people groups.
AdventHealth’s Conference on Mission 2021, therefore, provided an avenue for discussions around the state of health equity within the organization, as the topic remains one of the key pillars underpinning AdventHealth’s mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ.
“Today, we will embark on a journey of self-reflection and removal of our own unconscious bias,” said AdventHealth President/CEO Terry Shaw in his opening remarks. “We will address critical areas of health equity through exploring examples like social determinants of health, statistics, actionable next steps and what we can do to promote health equity in our communities. We want to explore the complexity and discomfort in solving problems that will raise awareness of experiences and stories that do not look like our own.”
The two-day virtual conference, held Aug. 27 and 28, convened more than 300 people comprising AdventHealth Board members, executives, health equity experts and mission and ministry leaders, as well as Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders across the country.
The inspiration for the conference theme “Healing Together” was drawn from Apostle Paul’s words in Galatians 3:28: “We are all one in Christ Jesus,” which depicts Christ’s expectation of relating with one another beyond our differences.
Joseph Betancourt, MD, the keynote speaker on the first day of the conference, shared his top three lessons from leading health equity efforts in a conversation with Shaw. First, he emphasized that leadership buy-in is essential. He also mentioned that analyzing data is paramount to achieving health equity, and added that a strategic plan is always necessary to move aspiration into execution.
Commenting on the state of health equity within AdventHealth, Alric Simmonds, MD, chief health equity officer for AdventHealth, revealed that everyday discrimination among minority groups causes chronic stress, which in turn has a physiological impact on life expectancy.
“Compared to white women, the cumulative effect of the chronic stressors that affect Black women reduces their life expectancy by seven-and-a-half years,” he said. In central Florida alone, research has proven that Black women have less access to prenatal care leading to pre-term births with low weight, and consequently resulting in high infant mortality rates. Based on these daunting statistics, Dr. Simmonds called on health care providers to join the cause of making it easy for underserved populations to access care at AdventHealth.
To support AdventHealth’s move from aspiration into execution, Dr. Simmonds announced a $2 million grant by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, aimed at tackling issues of health inequity within the walls of AdventHealth.
Julie Zaiback-Aldinger, executive director of community advocacy and health equity for AdventHealth, noted that the disparities index, a technical indicator used to identify and measure the impact of health care disparities within communities, was helping AdventHealth to take action on issues arising within the communities it serves.
For the first time at Conference on Mission, the Sabbath requiem featured the AdventHealth Orchestra, which performed Samuel Barber’s “The Adagio” in honor of those we’ve lost to COVID-19. The musical group is the first of its kind at AdventHealth and is solely made up of AdventHealth team members, some of whom have felt the pressure of the front lines since the pandemic hit.
“Talking about others who are different from us isn’t an easy conversation to have,” said Ted Hamilton, MD, senior vice president and chief mission integration officer for AdventHealth. “This year’s conference has brought attention to the significant work we still need to do in the health equity space as we strive to emulate Christ’s healing ministry.”
Friday, September 17, 2021
General Mark Milley
Mark Milley
This article is about the United States Army general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. For the Irish athlete, see Mark Miley.
Mark Alexander Milley (born June 18, 1958) is a United States Army general and the 20th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He previously served as the 39th chief of staff of the Army.[2]
Mark Milley
Official portrait, 2019
Allegiance United States
Service/branch
United States Army
Years of service 1980–present
Years of service 1980–present
Rank
Commands held
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
United States Army Forces Command
III Corps
International Security Assistance Force (joint)
10th Mountain Division
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light)
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
United States Army Forces Command
III Corps
International Security Assistance Force (joint)
10th Mountain Division
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light)
Battles/wars
Awards
Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2)
Army Distinguished Service Medal (4)
Defense Superior Service Medal (3)
Legion of Merit (3)
Bronze Star Medal (4)
Alma mater Princeton University (BA)
Columbia University (MA)
Naval War College (MA)
Army Distinguished Service Medal (4)
Defense Superior Service Medal (3)
Legion of Merit (3)
Bronze Star Medal (4)
Alma mater Princeton University (BA)
Columbia University (MA)
Naval War College (MA)
Spouse(s) Hollyanne Milley (m. 1984 or 1985)[1]
Children 2[1]
Early life and education
Milley's father, Alexander (1924–2015), enlisted in the U.S. Navy in March 1943 as a Navy Corpsman. He was assigned to the 4th Marine Division and landed at Kwajalean, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. After the war, he worked as a restaurateur and food-broker.[3][4] Milley's mother, Mary Elizabeth (nee Murphy), served in the Navy at a Seattle-based hospital.[5]
Born in Winchester, Massachusetts, Milley attended Belmont Hill School.[6] Milley's father was a Roman Catholic as implied by his father's obituary which mentiond his father's membership in the Knights of Columbus whose membership is limited to practicing Catholic men.[7]...