Trump’s Mandate

Donald Trump was sworn in just before mid-day this morning, as the 45th President of the United States, launched into his new career with a prayer from Timothy Cardinal Dolan and other spiritual figures; as one article put it, the most prayer said at any inauguration, a good sign, and Trump is going to need all he can get. The America left after eight years of Obama is, to put it mildly, a fractious one, divided along many lines, with the clearest between those who believe in some sort of traditional Christian order, and those who do not. Soon enough, should immigration continue unabated, Islam will shake this up a bit, again to understate the case.  But the weakness of secular liberalism almost welcomes the (apparent) strength of Muhammad’s religion.

Trump promises to strengthen America, to make her what she once was, and could be again, in a direct, unadorned speech, unlike any inaugural in history.  Rex Murphy’s take is forthright and well-versed, as usual, arguing that Trump has left himself nowhere to hide, to take on the whole establishment, to reverse the self-aggrandizing and self-enriching nature of government as it now stands:

His address amounted to a noble, though forgotten, truism. The purpose of a government is to serve the people of that country whose government it is.

May God be with him in this Herculean endeavour.

Curiously, Bill and Hillary’s ‘charitable’ foundation has closed shop, and one wonders why.  Was it, as one pundit has argued, just a front for political grafting all along, and, with the Clinton’s now out of office, their graft has no grip?  May they both fade into a well-deserved obscurity, where they can reflect upon their lives, and prepare for the eternity that awaits them.
The Obamas, a generation younger, still have lots more time to go, to write memoirs and give speeches on how great and earth-changing their and his tenure was.  I will give this to Barack: He was an excellent speaker, just with not much to say.  Our Prime Minister also has not much to say, without the benefit of good oration.

Saturday is the Women’s March on Washington, which will be the usual suspects, advocating a ‘right’ to abortion and other things that will just harm women further.  I was glad to hear this afternoon, however, that there will be a pro-life contingent in the March, something the feminist organizers tried, in vain, to shut down.  So all is not lost. I do ponder whether we would have had a Men’s March had Hillary won.  Likely not, since even a private men’s club with one sole member in the basement of my house would now be denounced as a sexist enclave. Perhaps that will change with Trump, along with a lot of other soul-destroying political correctness. We can only hope for some rays of sunshine.

Carney’s Amoral Majority

After five defections – euphemistically described as ‘crossing the floor’ – and three by-elections, Mark Carney and his Liberals how have their coveted majority. One wonders what bowls of pottage were offered in back-room deals. In the archaic monarchical system that is the Dominion of Canada, this majority allows the newly-minted Prime Minister to rule[…]Continue reading→

Saint Kateri , Canada’s Protectress

This was the title given to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, by Pope Benedict XVI, when he canonized her on October 28th, 2012, along with six others, in Saint Peter’ Square (she had been beatified by Pope John Paul II back in 1980). With Saint Joseph as our protector, along with the Canadian martyrs, we seem to[…]Continue reading→

A Closed, Unsustainable, Descending Loop

As a follow-up to my thoughts on Payette’s payout, here be a stark image of where are here in Canada. As the graph shows in, well, graphic terms, since 2025, the public sector has contributed to 95.5% of economic growth. The private sector – which funds the public sector, or is supposed to – has[…]Continue reading→

A Tale of Two Benedicts

A grace-filled Holy Week to all our readers! As we await and prepare for the Resurrection about to dawn upon us, we might keep in mind two Benedicts: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, requiescat in pace, elected on this day in 2005; and today’s commemoration of the mystic pilgrim, Benedict Joseph Labre, who died on this[…]Continue reading→

My Name is Bernadette

April 16th is a propitious day, for besides the anniversary of Father de Valk’s death, who founded Catholic Insight in its print form decades ago, and the commemoration of the ‘two Benedicts’, mentioned in accompanying posts, today we also recall Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the young visionary to whom the Virgin Mary appeared numerous times at[…]Continue reading→

Presidential Pardon of Weronika Krawczyk

As a good news, follow-up to our story from Poland, of the persecution of Weronika Krawczyk for her pro-life views, we heard that she has been granted a presidential pardon. One might still wonder why one needs a presidential pardon for simply holding the long-held belief that the child within the womb is a child,[…]Continue reading→

Saint Lydwina of Schiedam and Suffering Joyfully

Saint Lydwina of Schiedam (1380 – 1433) was one of the countless and glorious ‘victim souls’ in the history of the Church, those whose lives are filled with suffering, often of an unimaginable intensity, but who suffer joyfully. She was a fifteen-year old Dutch girl, out skating one day, when she fell and broke one[…]Continue reading→

The Glorious Martyrdoms of Martin and Maximus

As we enter into Eastertide, we recall on this 13th of April Pope Saint Martin I (+655), one of the noblest, if most tragic, of the successors of Saint Peter. Born in Umbria, Italy, he was of noble lineage, with great intelligence combined with charity and love of the poor and the Church. While still[…]Continue reading→

Pope Leo and a Rosary for Peace

Pope Leo XIV has asked Catholics across the world to join him in a Rosary for peace today, at 18:00 Rome time (6 pm), which would be noon from where I write (EST). If you are able, whether at that time or another, and in whatever way you pray, to join in intercession with the[…]Continue reading→

Payette’s Payout

I was glancing through some headlines, and noticed a mention of Julie Payette – engineer and astronaut and sometime the Queen’s representative in Canada – which brought back vague memories. She was appointed Governor-General by Justin Trudeau in 2017. Ms. Payette resigned in 2021, amidst claims that she created a ‘toxic work environment’, with allegations[…]Continue reading→