The Making of the Deporter-in-Chief, 2018

 Did you know that President Obama, once known as the "deporter-in-chief," dismissed from the country more than  twice as many people, in his prime years of 2010 and 2011, as the Great White Father's administration deported last year? You wouldn't if you spent most of your time with Republicans who get their attitudes from Fox and radio talk. I knew about Obama's title, but I had no idea of the discrepancy -- more than 300,00 human beings vs. fewer than 150,000.
 Bloomberg, picking up from a report by the Migration Policy Institute, notes that President Trump is getting all the credit/blame for doing half as much about illegal/undocumented people. And that is true. The Hispanic community in Palm Beach, which consists of naturalized citizens, green card holders, people in Temporary Protected Status, and third generation Americans. That community is currently suffering much more anguish and fear than it did when Obama's Immigration and Enforcement Service rode the range.

For the man who influences everything

 Monday was a wonderful day for Sheldon Adelson. One might say that Mother's Day was followed by Godfather's Day.
 And who, you ask, is Sheldon Adelson? He is the casino owner the President of the United States can only wish he had been able to be: Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., which makes him owner also of successful gambling emporia in Macau, Singapore and Bethlehem, PA. He has been a huge backer of Republican political candidates. Just the other day, he took $30 million out of petty cash and tossed it into the GOP pot to hold the House of Representatives in the fall. Paul Ryan had dropped in on him a couple of days earlier. Wisconsin House members always did hang out in Las Vegas.
 And Adelson is a huge supporter of Israel. As a matter of fact, Republicans who want his money have to do honor not only to Adelson but to Bibi Netanyahu.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem

A) Why is there widespread support in the U.S. for moving the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, as NPR is reporting just now?

B) How will it benefit the U.S. to move the embassy to Jerusalem? 

C) How will the move benefit Israel if it heightens tensions with Palestinians?

D) What is the train of thought that leads President Trump to proclaim that this will help stabilize and bring peace to the region?

I don't get it. Israeli soldiers are shooting stone-throwers with live ammo. Over 50 are dead now. This seems like a big disaster politically, globally, and from a p.r. point of view. What am I missing.

It's our turn

At our parish, the wives of deacons preach on Mother's Day weekend.  Here is what my wife Therese preached earlier today.

The Old Evangelization

"... you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
--- Acts of the Apostles, 1:8, part of the First Reading for the Solemnity of the Ascension

Some old-time religion, Catholic style, broke out at a recent school mass at Incarnation School in Palos Heights, IL.  From the Palos Patch:

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL -- Parents at a south suburban Catholic elementary school that is slated to close permanently in June are enraged over remarks made by a monsignor to students during mass, which they claim were verbally abusive and bullying ... The Incarnation parents say their children will all have to start at new schools in the fall and already feel bad enough without being berated publicly by a church authority figure.

How, you may ask, did the good Monsignor fill these young Catholics with the joy of the Resurrection during this Easter season?

Robot ethics

A couple of days ago, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, got the kind of reaction that every hi-tech visionary craves when s/he demonstrates cool new technology.   But amid the clamor of oohs and aahs and whoops and hollers, we can just barely discern the uneasy murmur of ethics qualms.

Happy Ascension Day

Some dioceses celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord today, others on this coming Sunday.  Ours celebrates it today.  So happy feast day to everyone.
I have always liked this poem, Ascension Day, by Sheila Kaye Smith: