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Almost as much as under Biden, shockingly enough.

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Book Review:

The Pearl Harbor Myth: Rethinking the Unthinkable by George Victor

Finished this book last month.

This was a highly persuasive book and it makes the case that Pearl Harbor was intentionally provoked by the Roosevelt Administration and clear warnings had reached the administration.

The mainstream view we are taught it history class, that suddenly Japan attacked an unsuspecting and innocent America for no reason at all, is simply untenable in light of all of this evidence.

FDR had a strong desire to enter the war in Europe, but faced an isolationist American public who did not wish to repeat the mistake of sending its sons to die again in another World War. Attempts to create a naval incident in the Atlantic were not successful, with neither the American public getting excited over it, nor Hitler taking the bait to declare war on America.

Consider some of the following points:

American military commanders had long expected that in the event of hostilities vs. Japan, that Japan would directly strike at concentrated American power so that America would be hampered in responding to Japan. The idea that this could include an attack on Pearl Harbor had been suspected at least since early 1930s with annual war games designed around this contingency.

Admiral Richardson was ordered in 1940 to station the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor rather than on the West Coast. Richardson protested vigorously to FDR that this made the fleet a sitting duck against a strike by Japan, and soon after this protest Richardson was removed from command.

Richardson's successor, Admiral Husband Kimmel, was regularly kept in the dark on intelligence known in Washington, and there are strong indications of direct warnings of an attack that were withheld from him. He was repeatedly denied resources and, along with General Stark, when given a warning of action, were basically guided to suspect sabotage.

There is strong evidence that the British knew about the impending attack and passed that intelligence along to Washington.

There is strong evidence that those questioned in the aftermath of the attack by government review boards lied either by their own volition or under pressure. The Army Pearl Harbor Review Board, for example, after reviewing both testimony from key officials as well as their memos and records written before the attack, sarcastically commented that "we must... consider that the responsible authorities... all expected an attack on Pearl Harbor... [but] when testifying after the attack, they did not expect it."

In October 1940, Lt. Commander McCollum of the Office of Naval Intelligence drafted an 8 point memo of actions to take against Japan which concluded "If by these means Japan could be led to commit an overt act of war, so much the better. At all events we must be fully prepared to accept the threat of war." By late 1941, action had essentially been taken on all of these points.

There are literally dozens are jaw dropping revelations in the book of which the above are only a small sample. An interesting point is that the author was actually sympathetic to FDR and his desire to enter the war against Germany, explaining that government conspiracies should be considered business as usual for governments, that leaders throughout history offered pawns to be sacrificed.

My own thought is that it makes sense that America didn't enter into war on false pretexts only in our current era, but rather this was a pattern of behavior that obviously was around for Vietnam, but also the World Wars and going back at least as far back as the Mexican American War almost two centuries ago. It helps inform my own position of pragmatic pacifism: there are just wars in theory, but you should reflexively oppose war, even after reports of atrocities and direct attacks, given the high likelihood the government is trying to scam you into accepting a war.

Definitely worth a read.

P.S.

Worth mentioning in a review, there was a nice backstory on Japan and its history that set the context for its own perspective in all of this, including the notion that sometimes suicidal last stands against all odds are necessary to save the nation.

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Forrest Pumps is the only one who gets it.

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She’s just LARPing. Women can’t be priests let alone bishops.

If you're a Christian and what Bishop Mariann Budde said offended you, then Christ isn't the one you're following.

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Thanks, Anon!

-submit your poll!-

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AI is a like a fantastic employee who is high all the time.

Okay, I asked DeepSeek-R1 (7b) about Nixon, totally full of alt-hist hallucinations, maybe I've got some sort of bug in my setup.

Me: Tell me about Richard Nixon

DeepSeek:

Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from January 20, 1973, to January 20, 1981. He is widely regarded as one of the most controversial and complex leaders in U.S. history due to his involvement in Watergate, which resulted in his impeachment by Congress and subsequent conviction by a federal judge.

Key Highlights of Nixon's Presidency:

Watergate Scandal:

Nixon was impeached by the House of Representatives in 1974 for his alleged role in covering up the Watergate break-in at the Democratic National Committee, which exposed sensitive government information.

The Senate trial found him guilty of contempt of Congress but acquitted him of all impeachment charges. A federal judge later convicted him on charges of obstruction of justice.

Domestic Policies:

Nixon pursued a "War on Poverty" that included increased funding for social programs, such as Head Start and the National School Lunch Program.

He also pushed for desegregation in public education and addressed issues like poverty, crime, and healthcare access.

International Relations:

As the highest living Republican president during the Cold War, Nixon was a figure of opposition to the Soviet Union, advocating for increased U.S.-Soviet relations.

He negotiated the failed nuclear freeze agreement with the Soviet Union in 1972 (Summit of Equals) and later froze U.S. aid to Israel.

Personal Life:

Nixon was married twice and had three children.

He struggled with alcohol abuse, which led to his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal began.

** Legacy**:

Nixon's presidency is often remembered for his controversial decisions and thescandal that brought him down. His handling of Watergate has been a subject of extensive public and political debate.

He was impeached twice (once by House, once by Senate) but remained in office until resigning due to health reasons in 1981.

Nixon's legacy is deeply tied to the Watergate scandal, which remains a significant event in American politics. His presidency marked a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and reshaped the nation's political landscape.

End DeepSeek Answer

Presidential term of 1973 to 1981?

actually impeached?

twice?

convicted?

froze aid to Israel?

twice married?

What's going on?

Also the mangled formatting is Tumblr's fault, not DeepSeek

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something incredibly American about an Allied trooper yelling brand names at Soviets until they recognize him as an ally.

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There are massive differences between Germany in 1933 vs. America in 2025.

One major appeal of Hitler was that he would undo Versallies and reconstitute the German nation. It's not entirely clear that war vs. the western powers was ever inevitable: it's not only possible but plausible that Hitler would have been content with reconstituting the German state had Poland ceded Danzig back to Germany. My sense at the moment (though this is provisional) is that Hitler & Stalin were likely to come to blows regardless. The National Socialists famously had a very anticommunist ideology and desired territory in the east (the victorious allies did continue starving Germany via blockade for months even after the armistice was signed, so the drive for German self sufficiency is understandable). I like manner, Stalin's own Soviet Union had a strong expansionist bent.

The depths of the economic problem in Germany was much greater, but aside from that there was also the humiliation of WWI and Versailles. Hitler was incidentally rather successful at economic revival, with the German economy recovering much better than other countries during the 1930s, especially the United States due to generally poor economic policies under FDR. The United States fell back into recession in 1937-1938 and remained stuck with high unemployment throughout the decade, whereas German GDP was 50% above its prior peak by the end of the 1930s and unemployment was almost unheard of.

How does that compare to today?

There is no humiliation from losing a recent war. Yes, America was defeated by the Taliban, but that was a far away country and in losing we just left. It is not as if Texas, California, Oregon and Alaska were carved away into new nations by victorious great powers.

Today's America has low unemployment and very high GDP. On that front, there isn't much to be done. The Democrats likely were hurt by the cumulative impact of inflation under Biden, but the inflation rate mostly recovered to normal by 2024 and there is no prospect for the price level ever coming back down. The economic challenge for America today is to improve its dangerous fiscal situation, and build supply chains for industry and technology which at a minimum are not dependent on China given that it has now entered great power competition with that country. Generating higher quality full time jobs I would say is a secondary concern, and some of that would probably consist of deemphasizing college education, as excesses there has likely made America economically weaker. America has a surplus of college educated people working in low paid service jobs and a deficit of handy people working in higher paid trades jobs.

In contrast to Hitler's disdain for the Jews, Trump has a close relationship with wealthy and powerful Jewish individuals (e.g. Miriam Adelson) and will likely be a stronger supporter of Israel than even the outgoing Biden Administration. Indeed, there is a heightened risk of American involvement in a war against Iran, a war which will ultimately only serve Israeli interests.

One similarity between America in the 2020s and Germany in the early 1930s is social degeneracy, especially sexual degeneracy which degrades the ability of a nation to sustain itself. It is likely that reaction against wokeism is a significant factor in Trump's victory. While Hitler's Germany largely eliminated public displays of sexual perversion in the 1930s, Trump has made peace with significant elements of it, though has cracked down on radical transgenderism in particular.

Yo, correct me if I am wrong please, but didn't Hitler rise to power because he promised to fix the German economy and people really liked that so they looked past everything else he was doing??? Like exactly what's happening in America right now???

So many people said they voted for Trump, put a truly evil person in power, because he said he'd fix the economy, and a little voice in my head is going, "Isn't that what happened with fucking Hitler??"

But I've seen no one point that out so maybe I'm miss remembering???????

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Please pray for a young man from my parish. He's disabled and immunocompromised and has developed pneumonia. His condition was so bad they had to airlift him to a more sophisticated hospital. His heart rate is dangerously low and his kidneys are failing. Any prayers would be appreciated.

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Lessons

—Not everyone has the privilege of growing up in a Christian household so just give everyone the benefit of the doubt and pray for them to receive God’s grace

-The sufferings you’ve been through is God’s way of turning you into a saint He has intended you to be so stop wishing you had an easier life or wondering if you’d be better off without those sufferings

-There is a reason why God has put you in the particular situation you’re in, so try your best to be holy and virtuous there 

-Thank God for the unfortunate circumstances you’ve been through because it enabled you to become more humble and empathize more with others 

-Sometimes bonds with other people just doesn’t work out probably because God hasn’t appointed you to be in their lives for whatever reason (might because they aren’t conducive to your holiness)

-Don’t follow after what God has taken away from you

-Let people choose you, instead of trying to get them to choose you

-Everyone has different paths to holiness, pray for others to do well in theirs and strive to do well in yours 

-Everyone has shortcomings, don’t let yours be a source of discouragement. Persevere through tough times anyway.

-No matter how bad things get, you still have a lot to be thankful for (i.e. more time on Earth to be holy)

-Be always intentional in goodness rather than going along with the flow

-Life is a constant battle against evil; never wish for an easy and comfortable life

-The point of life is growth in holiness, so embrace every struggle as a means for that growth rather than settling down to stagnation

-Don’t try to do everything at once, always balance serious tasks with playful hobbies 

-Don’t try to change yourself because that is how God made you, just embrace your weirdness and find people who vibes with that weirdness. You’re not for everybody so there’s no point in trying to force connection. 

-You’re unrepeatable, other people are unrepeatable. You’re made in the image and likeness of God. Other people are also made in the image and likeness of God. That’s why love everyone. Be a conduit of God’s love for you and for everyone else. 

-It’s okay to take your time in marriage and family.

-If you’re scared and insecure, tell them to God. He’ll know what to do with you. 

-There are people in unusual circumstances that God is helping right at this moment. Don’t think God will say “no��� to helping you. It just not might be in the way you imagine. 

-You’ve been given God’s grace to understand the Catholic Church’s teachings, especially the hard ones. So pray for others who are hostile to the Catholic Church to have the grace to understand those teachings as well. 

-It’s not humble to be snarky. It’s not a virtue so there’s no point in doing it for clout. 

-Pray for those who insult you. God wants them to be saved as well

-Don’t let yourself be mean-spirited no matter the circumstances. Or else the devil has won over you.

-As long as someone is alive there is still a chance for them to repent and get to Heaven. So don’t assume that they’ll never change. Just pray for them and stay away from them for your safety. 

-Pray for victims and the repentance and conversion of the perpetrators (abusers, criminals, etc.) 

-God knows more than you do so if things doesn’t work out in the way you planned, God must have seen something that indicated to Him that it was going to be bad. 

-You’re a child of God; don’t let insults of a finite creature get to you. 

-Some people lash out on others because they have an unhealthy coping mechanism for their pain. So don’t take it personally when some people are being mean to you for no reason.

-People's situations are not always the product of their choices. Things happen that only God knows the reasons to. 

-don’t sacrifice virtue and integrity for short-term happiness 

-Don’t seek a conventional life because the way God is making you to become a saint isn’t going to be like everyone else’s.

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We must also consider the common good, including the unity of the nation and, I would argue, the continuance of its people.

Some nations, like the United States, are vast multi-ethnic empires. Perhaps America was majority English in 1776, it certainty wasn't in 1876 or 1976. Now that doesn't mean that it can or should allow in 10 million people a year from the third world, for the task of integrating these people into its culture and economic life would be staggering, not to mention the strain on infrastructure and the high likelihood that many of the third world problems those people are fleeing will reappear. That being said, America can likely handle something like 1 million immigrants per year, though even with that pace the consequences of higher land prices and higher pollution may be factors which argue for tighter restriction. It will also be the case that even with that level of immigration, over the course of decades a large number of the population will be at least partially detached from America's history. Their ancestors were not here for the Revolution or the Civil War or World War II. We must also consider too that if we attract large numbers of the best and brightest from poor countries, those countries will presumably suffer along with the people left living there.

Now consider Ireland. Would there be serious risk of harm for Ireland to take in a few tens of thousand of non-Irish? Presumably not. But if Ireland were to take in 250,000 per year, the small island would soon be swamped, and in just a few generations the Irish would be a tiny minority in their own country. If we consider the diversity of peoples and nations to be a good thing, then it would seem that ethnic nations, especially small ones, ought to accept a very tiny number of immigrants, no matter the circumstances.

So let’s talk illegal immigrants. That’s one I haven’t spent much time on and I have a lot of thoughts.

My first thought is the Bible tells us we MUST care for the foreigner and the immigrant. But are there caveats here? There is no room for hatred toward illegal immigrants who seek work, refuge from danger and persecution, or a better life for themselves and their families. Christian compassion must be shown toward those who would risk their lives in a dangerous attempt to cross a border. Acts of hatred or violence toward illegal immigrants are never to be tolerated by those who name the name of Christ.

I do not however, love that people come over here with violent criminal records and traffic both drugs and people. Some of these immigrants have committed crimes here, but because they live in sanctuary states they are allowed to get away with it. There is a difference between someone who comes here and tries to make a life, versus someone who comes here just to make trouble.

So christians, what do we do? We are commanded by Jesus to love and care for illegal immigrants. However we have a duty to love and protect our neighbors from horrible people. The Bible also says it’s the duty of the government to protect people. It also establishes borders throughout the pages. So what is the solution here?

And please don’t say the solution is to just kick out all the illegals. That’s not a solution.

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The way modern culture rejects the idea of having duties to one another makes the skin crawl.

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From what I've researched, Adam and Eve had the preternatural gift of impassibility before the fall, meaning that they wouldn't feel the qualia or subjective experience of pain.

Theology has gotten boring no one is asking incredibly stupid pointless questions anymore. If Adam and Eve were naked in Eden but Eden had no suffering that means it had to have been a perfectly comfortable temperature for both of them without clothes and, we can assume, if not for the fall, for all mankind. Does this mean a. People preferring different temperatures is a consequence of the fall and in a perfect world there is also a perfect temperature everyone is comfortable at, b. Everyone experiences a different temperature in Eden, or c. Adam and Eve didn't have thermoreceptors.

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You're placing your trust in God and not in princes, right bros?

You're obeying the Church's teaching on all matters, not just whenever it justifies your pet political cause, right?

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This is a fair point. Either humans have inherent rights, or they do not. If by some arbitrary measure we carve a group of human beings out as not possessing these rights, they we cannot speak of them as human rights as such.

In my own view, God has rights, but human beings have duties. Now duties can be formulated as rights, but ultimately these rights are a way of perceiving duties resulting from our nature and circumstances.

What if we pretend there is no God? We can certainty still claim to have this right and that right, as is done all the time, but these rights have no ontological foundation, and no sure enforcement. Stalin, after all, died of natural causes in his mid 70s. The only true right in such a world is that of power.

The pro-choice worldview is inherently opposed to human rights. If you have to be something in addition to human (ie, conscious, of a certain age, able-bodied, wanted) to have rights, you do not have human rights. You have rights in accordance with certain accidents about yourself, which are all completely arbitrary.

Either all humans are people or humans do not inherently deserve rights.

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