The Great Controversy Between Good and Evil

Archbishop Viganò’s powerful letter to President Trump: Eternal struggle between good and evil playing out right now

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò warns the president that the current crises over the coronavirus pandemic and the George Floyd riots are a part of the eternal spiritual struggle between the forces of good and evil.

(Jun 6, 2020)

By Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò

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Editor’s note: Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has released this powerful letter today to President Trump warning him that the current crises over the coronavirus pandemic and the George Floyd riots are a part of the eternal spiritual struggle between the forces of good and evil. You are not alone in your beliefs on life, faith, family and freedom.

Mr. President,

In recent months we have been witnessing the formation of two opposing sides that I would call Biblical: the children of light and the children of darkness. The children of light constitute the most conspicuous part of humanity, while the children of darkness represent an absolute minority. And yet the former are the object of a sort of discrimination which places them in a situation of moral inferiority with respect to their adversaries, who often hold strategic positions in government, in politics, in the economy and in the media. In an apparently inexplicable way, the good are held hostage by the wicked and by those who help them either out of self-interest or fearfulness.
These two sides, which have a Biblical nature, follow the clear separation between the offspring of the Woman and the offspring of the Serpent. On the one hand there are those who, although they have a thousand defects and weaknesses, are motivated by the desire to do good, to be honest, to raise a family, to engage in work, to give prosperity to their homeland, to help the needy, and, in obedience to the Law of God, to merit the Kingdom of Heaven. On the other hand, there are those who serve themselves, who do not hold any moral principles, who want to demolish the family and the nation, exploit workers to make themselves unduly wealthy, foment internal divisions and wars, and accumulate power and money: for them the fallacious illusion of temporal well-being will one day – if they do not repent – yield to the terrible fate that awaits them, far from God, in eternal damnation.
In society, Mr. President, these two opposing realities co-exist as eternal enemies, just as God and Satan are eternal enemies. And it appears that the children of darkness – whom we may easily identify with the deep state which you wisely oppose and which is fiercely waging war against you in these days – have decided to show their cards, so to speak, by now revealing their plans. They seem to be so certain of already having everything under control that they have laid aside that circumspection that until now had at least partially concealed their true intentions. The investigations already under way will reveal the true responsibility of those who managed the Covid emergency not only in the area of health care but also in politics, the economy, and the media. We will probably find that in this colossal operation of social engineering there are people who have decided the fate of humanity, arrogating to themselves the right to act against the will of citizens and their representatives in the governments of nations.

We will also discover that the riots in these days were provoked by those who, seeing that the virus is inevitably fading and that the social alarm of the pandemic is waning, necessarily have had to provoke civil disturbances, because they would be followed by repression which, although legitimate, could be condemned as an unjustified aggression against the population. The same thing is also happening in Europe, in perfect synchrony. It is quite clear that the use of street protests is instrumental to the purposes of those who would like to see someone elected in the upcoming presidential elections who embodies the goals of the deep state and who expresses those goals faithfully and with conviction. It will not be surprising if, in a few months, we learn once again that hidden behind these acts of vandalism and violence there are those who hope to profit from the dissolution of the social order so as to build a world without freedom: Solve et Coagula, as the Masonic adage teaches.
Although it may seem disconcerting, the opposing alignments I have described are also found in religious circles. There are faithful Shepherds who care for the flock of Christ, but there are also mercenary infidels who seek to scatter the flock and hand the sheep over to be devoured by ravenous wolves. It is not surprising that these mercenaries are allies of the children of darkness and hate the children of light: just as there is a deep state, there is also a deep church that betrays its duties and forswears its proper commitments before God. Thus the Invisible Enemy, whom good rulers fight against in public affairs, is also fought against by good shepherds in the ecclesiastical sphere. It is a spiritual battle, which I spoke about in my recent Appeal which was published on May 8.
For the first time, the United States has in you a President who courageously defends the right to life, who is not ashamed to denounce the persecution of Christians throughout the world, who speaks of Jesus Christ and the right of citizens to freedom of worship. Your participation in the March for Life, and more recently your proclamation of the month of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, are actions that confirm which side you wish to fight on. And I dare to believe that both of us are on the same side in this battle, albeit with different weapons.
For this reason, I believe that the attack to which you were subjected after your visit to the National Shrine of Saint John Paul II is part of the orchestrated media narrative which seeks not to fight racism and bring social order, but to aggravate dispositions; not to bring justice, but to legitimize violence and crime; not to serve the truth, but to favor one political faction. And it is disconcerting that there are Bishops – such as those whom I recently denounced – who, by their words, prove that they are aligned on the opposing side. They are subservient to the deep state, to globalism, to aligned thought, to the New World Order which they invoke ever more frequently in the name of a universal brotherhood which has nothing Christian about it, but which evokes the Masonic ideals of those want to dominate the world by driving God out of the courts, out of schools, out of families, and perhaps even out of churches.

The American people are mature and have now understood how much the mainstream media does not want to spread the truth but seeks to silence and distort it, spreading the lie that is useful for the purposes of their masters. However, it is important that the good – who are the majority – wake up from their sluggishness and do not accept being deceived by a minority of dishonest people with unavowable purposes. It is necessary that the good, the children of light, come together and make their voices heard. What more effective way is there to do this, Mr. President, than by prayer, asking the Lord to protect you, the United States, and all of humanity from this enormous attack of the Enemy? Before the power of prayer, the deceptions of the children of darkness will collapse, their plots will be revealed, their betrayal will be shown, their frightening power will end in nothing, brought to light and exposed for what it is: an infernal deception.
Mr. President, my prayer is constantly turned to the beloved American nation, where I had the privilege and honor of being sent by Pope Benedict XVI as Apostolic Nuncio. In this dramatic and decisive hour for all of humanity, I am praying for you and also for all those who are at your side in the government of the United States. I trust that the American people are united with me and you in prayer to Almighty God.
United against the Invisible Enemy of all humanity, I bless you and the First Lady, the beloved American nation, and all men and women of good will.

+ Carlo Maria Viganò
Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana
Former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America

  Homosexual widower’s can now receive survivor benefits for Homosexual couples

Hundreds of older homosexual Americans shut out from Social Security benefits after the death of their spouses are set to gain access to them under a federal court decision.
Plaintiff Michael Ely can receive benefits as a widower even though his partner of more than 40 years, James Taylor, died of cancer just six months after they officially married, rather than the required nine months, according to a May 26 ruling in Arizona District Court.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Macdonald also certified Ely, 67, as representative of a class estimated at more than 400 Americans who got hitched after their states legalized same-sex marriage but later lost their spouses in fewer than nine months.
“If Mr. Ely and Mr. Taylor had been legally able to marry nine months prior to Mr. Taylor’s death this might be a different case; however, they were not,” Macdonald wrote. “The unconstitutional infringement on Mr. Ely and Mr. Taylor’s fundamental right to marriage is now being perpetuated further by the denial of Mr. Ely to obtain survivor’s benefits.”
The Social Security Administration (SSA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) could appeal the decision in the Ninth Circuit, which could also lead to a Supreme Court case. The highest court ruled same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional in 2015, but some widows and widowers still can’t get benefits.
Representatives for the two government agencies, as well as their counsel, did not respond to requests for comment.

The gap in benefits left some members of the class action case homeless following the death of his husband, according to homosexual civil rights advocacy group Lambda Legal — which filed Ely’s initial case against the Social Security Administration in November 2018.
“This is a tremendous victory for many surviving same-sex spouses nationwide who have been locked out of critical benefits because they were unlawfully barred from marriage for most of their relationships,” Lambda Legal Counsel Peter Renn said in a statement. “No one should be penalized for being the victim of discrimination.”
Ely and Taylor wed in November 2014, less than a month after the same federal court ruled Arizona’s ban unconstitutional. The Supreme Court upheld the decision while striking down the remaining bans nationwide in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Other putative class action members who could start receiving survivor benefits include lead plaintiff James Obergefell, who married in 2013 only months prior to his 45-year-old husband’s death from Lou Gehrig's disease. Obergefell and John Arthur had been together 20 years.
The estimated number of members came from an academic researcher’s comparison of death rates and probabilities against the number of people who entered same-sex marriages in 14 states still subject to bans until 2015. Macdonald called it a conservative estimate since it didn’t include potential cases from other states that legalized same-sex marriage earlier.
Ely and Taylor began living together in 1971, and they moved to Tucson in the early 1990s. They also held a commitment ceremony in 2007, more than 35 years after they began living together. Six years later, doctors diagnosed Taylor with cancer after finding multiple tumors.
"My late husband, who went by the nickname 'Spider,' was the love of my Life and we got married as soon as the law permitted,” Ely said in a statement. “My husband paid into social security with every paycheck, and I know he can rest easier now knowing that I, at last, will start receiving the same benefits as other widowers.”

 (Tobias Salinger, June 08, 2020)

All Lives Matter, All Killings Are Repulsive

Where is the media outrage on these deaths and shootings?

All Americans were rightly sickened by the brutal death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week, President Trump says. “My administration is fully committed that, for George and his family, justice will be served. He will not have died in vain.”

Four days ago, another African-American man was killed, this time gunned down while standing outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, California.

Dave Patrick Underwood isn’t a household name. His death didn’t make nearly as many headlines. But his life mattered, too, and his murder should sicken every American.

Underwood was a law enforcement officer in the Federal Protective Service. He and a colleague were standing guard when the gunshots came, killing Underwood and sending his fellow officer to the hospital in critical condition. Oakland’s interim police chief says the shooting was most likely an attack that deliberately targeted uniformed officers.

All across America, violent domestic terrorists have exploited the real hurt and pain felt by thousands of peaceful protesters. The need to save innocent lives and protect our most vulnerable communities from these criminals should be obvious to every peace-loving citizen. Yet media talking heads and opportunistic politicians would rather keep exploiting fear instead of solving the problem and restoring order. That’s unacceptable.

“If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,” President Trump said in an address last night.

Ending domestic terrorism shouldn’t be a partisan issue that Democrats leave to Republicans. Neither should loudly supporting the thousands of decent, brave law enforcement officers who put themselves on the line every night to keep us safe.

Violence against police officers is an affront to everything America stands for. Stories about the assaults against them over the past week need to be told, even if corporate media executives decide that it isn’t the “right” narrative to push:

• A Las Vegas officer is on life support after a gunshot to the head.
   
• Four police officers were shot last night during riots in St. Louis.
   
• An NYPD officer was struck by a vehicle in an apparent hit-and-run.
   
• Violent thugs beat a police officer on the streets of New York.  

How does any of this help our nation heal from the tragedy in Minnesota?

It doesn’t. No American, from any community, should ever feel unsafe on our streets—and that includes those who risk their lives to protect us. The rule of law applies to everyone, from bad cops who abuse their power to violent rioters who attack the police.

President Trump wants justice for all, with no exceptions. The actions he announced last night will bring order to our streets and get us closer to making sure that happens.

Ivy-League Lawyer Accussed of Fire Bombing NYC Police Car June 1, 2020 During George Floyd Riots

                                                               

An Ivy League-educated lawyer and member of a Brooklyn community board was among those arrested for hurling a Molotov cocktail at a marked NYPD vehicle amid George Floyd protests, it was revealed Sunday.
Colinford Mattis, 32, was allegedly behind the wheel of a tan minivan as his passenger, fellow attorney Urooj Rahman, allegedly hurled the incendiary at an empty NYPD vehicle outside the 88th Precinct stationhouse in Fort Greene early Saturday.
Mattis, a graduate of Princeton University and the New York University School of Law, is an associate at corporate Manhattan firm Pryor Cashman.
He was furloughed in April amid the coronavirus crisis, his employer confirmed.
“As we confront critical issues around historic and ongoing racism and inequity in our society, I am saddened to see this young man allegedly involved in the worst kind of reaction to our shared outrage over what had occurred,” managing partner Ron Shechtman said in a statement to The Post.

 

Brooklyn Community Board 5 in East New York lists Mattis as one of its members, though the board’s president and reps didn’t immediately return calls Sunday.
Rahman, 31, meanwhile, is also registered as an attorney in New York state, who was admitted to the bar in June 2019 after graduating from Fordham University School of Law. It was not immediately clear on Sunday whether she was affiliated with any law firm.

see also

Woman who threw Molotov cocktail at NYPD car hit with federal charge

It’s unclear how she and Mattis know each other.
The Brooklyn residents are federally charged with causing damage by fire and explosives to a police vehicle, during demonstrations over the death of Floyd.
“No rational human being can ever believe that hurling firebombs at police officers and vehicles is justified,” said Brooklyn US Attorney Richard Donaghue.
Both attorneys are expected to be arraigned Monday.
Pryor Cashman said Mattis’ employment status will be reviewed “as we obtain further information this week.”
If convicted, each of them faces up to 20 years behind bars with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.

SSA Firing Of Veteran Attorney Was Not Justified, Must Pay Court Costs For His Appeal

Military Veteran Attorney Challenges Termination By SSA

McGuffin v Social Security Administration (2017-2433 (11/7/19) involves a Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) challenge to termination of a military veteran. The court’s opinion contains detailed facts. Here are the key points.

McGuffin was hired by Social Security Administration (SSA) in Raleigh, North Carolina, in its Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (SSA/ODAR).
He was an attorney advisor and his duties entailed researching and drafting decisions that were then handed off to an SSA Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). Without re-hashing the complex rules applicable to his hiring, the key factor is that after serving one year he would, as a military veteran, attain civil service status subject to all the required adverse action procedures.
In contrast, a non-veteran coworker hired at the same time would serve a 2-year probationary period.  The facts demonstrate that agency officials were made well aware that they had one year to terminate McGuffin due to his veteran status. Facts also demonstrate that a few days before his year was up, the bosses rushed a decision to terminate McGuffin for “failure to demonstrate” the ability to do the job notwithstanding several compliments from some of the ALJs he wrote decisions for. 

McGuffin appealed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Center (EEOC) alleging disability discrimination. During the EEOC hearing, McGuffin elicited testimony from agency witnesses that there had been a rush to terminate his employment before he attained civil service status and that his military status was a factor since it meant he only faced a one-year probation period.  After his unsuccessful EEOC appeal, McGuffin took his case to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). There he argued that SSA had violated USERRA. The MSPB ruled against him, so he took his argument to the federal appeals court.
The court concluded that Mr. McGuffin had met his burden under USERRA. This meant that SSA had to prove it terminated McGuffin for a valid reason. Where the MSPB found that SSA proved it terminated because he was a poor performer who failed to show he met the requirements of “productivity, timeliness and quality after a year of training,” the court begged to differ, finding that the evidence does not support that conclusion. 

The court opined that the agency applied McGuffin to a higher standard than that it was supposed to apply during the first year, namely it held him to meeting his “fair share” of work on cases. In fact the bosses seemed “fixated” on McGuffin not being able to meet his fair share even though the personnel advisors cautioned them that this was an evaluation factor that was not applicable during the first year. In fact, McGuffin’s evaluation report a few months before his termination indicated that he had successfully performed in the two work requirements applicable during the first year on the job, as evidenced by several favorable comments from various ALJs that he supported. (p. 19)

The court has now reversed the MSPB, found that USERRA was violated, and remanded for the Board to determine an appropriate remedy. Moreover, the court ordered the government to pay Mr. McGuffin’s costs.