A Key Issue to Win This Election

To Anyone and Everyone,
I'm not at all the kind of person to publicly complain about any individual, group, organization, or movement I'm loyal to. I strongly believe that "washing your dirty laundry in public" is not only wrong but harmful in many ways. It's not only embarrassing to yourself but also discouraging to others. You don't want your speech or writings to become a deterrent for others who would otherwise embark on something that, even if some correctible imperfections, is basically good, uplifting, edifying, and helpful.

My family and I are proud ProLife Democrats. As devout cradle Catholics, we uphold equality, social and economic justice, friendly and welcoming immigration policies, universal access to healthcare, a living wage, climate action, gun control, and, needless to say, the sanctity and dignity of human life from conception to natural death.

That's why I'm doing this.

To anyone reading my post:

- If you're a Democrat ready and willing "to vote blue no matter who", you're all set. You don't really need to read this--but you might want to as I believe I can give you some good arguments to talk to others. And if you're a Dem in the public eye, please do read it--before it's too late!!!

- If you're a Republican and a fanatic right-wing Trump supporter, there's no need for you to read it--because nothing I or anyone says will make you change your mind.  And even if you claim to be avidly religious, you already closed your heart to more than half of the two components of being religious: not only to love God but also to love your neighbor.

- If you're a Republican but like Barbara Bush (George W. Bush's wife), Patti Davis (Ronald Reagan's daughter), John McCain, and countless others, you feel disillusioned with and betrayed by the current administration, or you're undecided only because you still believe Trump's false claims to be ProLife, please read!!!

Abortion is the murder of a defenseless victim. Hearing abortion propagandists talk, many people shudder and turn ProLife. The problem is when those infected by racism, xenophobia, and homophobia falsely claim to be ProLife . . . because they turn many away from the ProLife cause, hurting it much more deeply than the most recalcitrant pro-abortion activist can. They're the worst threat to the sanctity and dignity of human life--and are getting away with what they're doing!!!

This is my letter to fellow Dems who are in the public eye:

Fellow Democrats, 

I'm doing this NOT as a detractor but for Democrats to win--because my family and I are totally with you.

I'm deeply concerned, really appalled to see how many Democrats in key political positions refuse to take the only easy, costless, effortless, and failproof step needed to defeat Trump and his right-wing scoundrels in November.  Winning the upcoming election is in your hands--if only all of you stop being stubborn and allow some ProLife Democrats more visibility in this fight.  That's all you need.  No matter how much you spend on the campaign, Trump has big corporate interests backing him with much larger amounts. Yet, a few speeches from some ProLife Democrats will for sure win you the election without spending one cent. 

Even if you yourself are not ProLife, please acknowledge how much is at stake. Please do it for the sake of immigrants and refugees in need of more welcoming policies,  of individuals with pre-existing conditions and low-income families in need of universal access to healthcare, of minorities and foreigners in need of a society free from prejudice and xenophobia, of the LGBT+ community in need of acceptance with no homophobic attacks, and for the sake of the population at large, in need of social and economic justice, climate action, and gun control.

Trump is NOT ProLife. He never was and he's NOT ProLife now either. Why does he claim to be, then? Because that serves his political goals. And, by falsely claiming to be ProLife, he'll get himself four more years in office destroying thousands of human lives. 

I'm a ProLife Democrat--because I'm a Catholic. And I can assurer you that by just giving some more visibility to the over two million ProLife Democrats like me, you'll get the Catholic vote--and you'll win the election. Catholic Social Teaching upholds equality, social and economic justice, and respect for all. It breathes social sensitivity and is an exhortation to welcome the immigrant, shelter the homeless, and feed the hungry.  Therefore, most Catholics agree with the Democratic Party's platform.  The issue is that we also affirm and defend the sanctity and dignity of human life from conception to natural death. And here is where the Democratic Party creates a moral conflict for many. It is abhorrent for us to see immigrant families separated at the border, to see children placed in cages, to hear racial slurs coming from the White House and find white supremacists and KKK members parading on the streets. It is also abhorrent for us to think that anyone might be denied proper medical care due to lack of ability to pay or sexual orientation. We're NOT the so-called 'religious right'.  We understand 'religious freedom' as the right and the duty to refuse any participation in the murder of an innocent child--but NOT as the right to deny counseling to a gay couple or refuse to bake a cake.  No problem so far. Yet, it's also abhorrent for us the thought of a preborn baby being dismembered alive or having their little brains sucked out.  So, by trying to silence the over two million ProLife Democrats who could win you the elections, you force us to choose between our commitment to equality and social justice and our commitment to the sanctity of human life.

Some of us have the level of education and discernment to realize that the worst enemy of the ProLife movement is the right-wing pretending to be ProLife while endorsing death in so many ways.  Every time I hear a Trump supporter claim to be ProLife I feel sick to my stomach. By the same token, there is no better way to make the public opinion turn ProLife than letting abortion supporters saying that it's okay for a mother to kill her child.

Do you realize how horrible that sounds?  Maybe not everyone is able, ready, or willing to parent a kid. But--there are millions of families worldwide praying and crying for a child to love--or for more children to love.  The argument of the "unwanted child" is only a myth.  I have three biological children and five adopted ones--and am very involved in the adoption community,  There are plenty of families willing to adopt not only infants or toddlers but also school-age children and teens with the most severe physical and developmental challenges, with the most serious medical conditions, and the most concerning acting out behaviors. 

I'm NOT asking you to change your personal pro-abortion opinion.  But if you're truly progressive, and at least for the sake of winning this election, why can't you also talk about empowering those single somen who want to raise their babies to be able to do so with better assistance in any respect they may need?  Why can't you talk about making adoption less bureaucratic and more affordable so that any family that wants to add more children can do so?  

I'm not talking about a few extra votes--but about millions of votes pouring in, about millions of new Democratic voters from one day to the other.  By just opening up a little more to ProLife Democrats you can make it.  There are millions of people who'd vote Democrat if only you were not so much pro-abortion!  Moreover, you cannot be open to others if you're unable to allow different opinions within your same party.  Show the world that Democrats are better!!!  Don't imitate Trump who seeks revenge on those who testified against him or voted in favor of his impeachment. 

By giving some room to ProLifers, you'll be opening many more doors for yourselves--not only among Catholics but also among believers from all faiths.  You'll be getting most of the Hispanic and Native American votes too.  And the votes of many former Republicans who are disappointed in this deplorable present administration. 

 Just by expressing your intention to make adoption easier you could significantly increase your chances to win the election because many more ProLifers would vote Democrat. International and private domestic adoption costs are exorbitant and the fost-adopt process is too long and enervating,  Nevertheless, so, so many families want to adopt!!! In two lines I can summarize a personal story:  By voluntarily doing without needed treatment and surgeries for her cataracts and her knees, my Mom, Nydia Soracco-Godone, now with God, happily sacrificed her own mobility and eyesight for the sake of my international adoption expenses, first from Haiti and then from Bulgaria, for those five boys to become my sons--and my three oldest (bio) children gave of themselves much more than words can say, more than they should have given, and certainly more than I should have allowed them to give as they put many of their own goals and dreams aside--because in their hears and in their minds, their younger brothers' best interests came first. 

I'll wrap up this communication in just two lines---and please, take my advice into consideration:  Give some more visibility to some ProLife Democrats and for sure you'll win the election.  All that may prevent you from winning in November is your recalcitrant pro-abortion position.  Is it worth it?

My family and I don't want four more years of Trump.  I'm sure you don't either.  

Thank you--and, whether ProLife or pro-abortion, let's join Democratic forces to defeat the right-wing,

Lillian Godone-Maresca

On Father's Day, I need to make this story known--one more time.

I must admit that after watching "Heaven Is For Real" I felt very down. Undoubtedly, it's an uplifting movie--but what made me feel down is the thought that I do have a true, real, inspirational story to tell the world--and my telling never went past my own limited social circle and social media network. This is not about a near-death experience but about an indisputable intercession from Above. And, as such, is also a clear testimony that Heaven does exist. It's clear testimony that my Dad was watching over us. It's clear testimony that he was heard because he's really close to God.

My Dad, Armando C.E. Godone-Signanini, was called by Jesus on November 1, 1993. Coincidentally, it was on the Day of All Saints. The same as about my Mom, if there is anything slightly negative that could be said about him, it was to have been too overprotective.  By profession, he was a C.P.A., with a Ph.D. in Economics and an unusual gift for mathermatics. He was very serious, a little bit of a perfectionist, but he had a heart of gold, loved children, had a deep interest in all cultures, and a zeal for equality and social justice. He enjoyed traveling and trying anything new. Most importantly, he cared about making his family travel and try new things. He was a fervent, practicing Catholic, and, precisely as such,  was also open to people from all walks of life. He was used to the best but never really cared much about social prestige or profile. He was just a family man to the fullest extent of the expression. I still remember one Father's Day many years ago when the card I gave him made him cry.

Around late May of 2008, after the Haitian government had granted the adoptions of Thomas and Nicholas and they were legally mine already, the U.S. Consulate in Port-au-Prince came up with a nonsensical issue that could have jeopardized everything.  Basically, my sons' files were randomly selected for a third-degree scrutiny that could have delayed their homecoming for months, maybe years--and maybe could have held them and us in limbo forever.

My Mom, then still on this earth, my three biological children, and I were in sheer agony.  All doors seemed to be locked. Our senator's office in San Diego didn't even seem to be accessible within any reasonable timeframe.  Our local representative's office promised to get in touch with the Consulate--but their promise didn't sound very promising either.

My Mom, my children, and I were praying together. Still, there seemed to be little hope--if any at all. Then, one night I had that dream that will stay with me for as long as I live . . . until that day when I too will be called and will then see my parents again.  Well . . . I'm basically a good person--but not even remotely as good as they were.  Without keeping on digressing on what my ultimate destiny will be, I'll go basck to my dream. Someone was knocking at the door.  It was my Dad, carrying both Thomas and Nicholas in his arms. He smiled at me and told me, "I went to Haiti myself as the only way to bring them home." He added that he had filled out all the missing documents, having only left their middle names blank because he was not sure which ones I wanted for them. That was the only little detail that was not totally fitting with the reality of the situation because, at least ten years ago, an adoption decree from Haiti meant the change of the adopted children's family name but not of their first or middle names. That would need to be done once in their new country.

I tried to hug my Dad in my dream but he vanished. Thomas and Nicholas stayed--as real as if physically there, next to me.

in the morning, I called the Consulate one more time--and couldn't believe my ears. The same female officer who had told me that, even if unfair, the situation was beyond her power, apologized to me and told me that my boys' files, which apparently were already in route to the mainland, had been pulled back. Tbeir visas would be issued within the following few days--and I could go ahead and purchase the plane tickets to pick them up and take them home.

After praising Jesus, His Blessed Mother, and all the saints all together, after the hugs and the happy tears, I called our local representative's office and asked for the person who had promised to call the U.S. Consulate in Port-au-Prince. Without telling him that the problem had been miraculously resolved, I pretended to be still worried and asked him whether he had had any chance to contact the Embassy. He honestly replied that he had been swamped with lots of different issues--and promised to email the Consulate as soon as he got off the phone with me.  Then I told him that there was no longer any need for him to contact theVisa Unit. The seemingly unsolvable problem had been solved. It had been solved through a much more powerful kind of intervention than any political one can be. It had been my Dad's intercession from very near God. It had been exactly as he had told me, "I went to Haiti myself as the only way to bring them home."

Thank you all for reading this story. Please feel free to share it. You may want to think about it to help yourselves in keeping your faith strong and keeping up your hope or you may want to use it to help someone else to recover their fairth and/or hope. God bless. 

Do you ever read your Bible, Donald? A Brief Overview of How Both Testaments Favor Immigration and Condemn Racism and the Right-wing.

Do you ever read your Bible, Donald? Just a little overview of how the Bible favors immigration and condemns racism and the right-wing. The Bible is about love and understadning--not about hatred and persecution.

Let's start with when Jesus addresses the Samaritan woman and asks her for a cup of water. Back in those days, that was against the law. Jewish men were not allowed to drink from any cup that had been handled by a woman from Samaria. She was the first one to be surprised, astonished, bewildered, In asking her for water from a cup that necessarily she'd have held in her hands, Jesus was breaking the law--with a very clear, unquestionable, irrefutable message. He was condemning discrimination, racism, segregation, and inequality.

"The Samaritan woman said to him, 'You are a Jew. How is it that you ask me, a Samaritan, for something to drink?' -- Jews, of course, do not associate with Samaritans." John 4:9
That's not the only time when Jesus breaks a law for the sake of humans who were suffering--from illness as well as from injustice. I will transcribe the passage of Jesus healing a disabled woman on the Sabbath:
10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 13 When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” 15 But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” Luke 13:10-16

It was also on a Sabbath when Jesus healed a man with dropsy. Luke 14:1-4

Yes, Jesus broke the law again as He again cured a sick human being on the Sabbath.

Therefore, when in today's society many people tend to give priority to rules and policies even when to the detriment of another person's well=being. Well, the Bible is clear. They are doing exactly the opposite of what Jesus taught us to do. Please read carefully:
Matthew 15:1-3
1 Then Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus and said,
2 'Why do your disciples break away from the tradition of the elders? They eat without washing their hands.'
3 He answered, 'And why do you break away from the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?'
Even from before Jesus' time, in the Old Testament we can read that God's love is much more understanding and lenient than most people would even suspect. There we can already read that "One does not condemn the hungry thief who steals to fill his stomach;
' Proverbs 6:30.

So, if God in His love even justifies the taking of a small piece of property when desperately needed for survival, can anyone allege that He condemns those who put their own lives in danger by crossing a border and entering a country without inspection as their only way to save their lives from torture and much worse forms of death, or in order to avoid starvation and give a much more promising future to their young?

The immigrants are not the problem. The big problem is posed by those who due to their right-wing fanaticism and out of hatred are irrationally against immigrants--mainly against those immigrants whose skin tone is not light white. It appears to be a good idea to give those people a reminder that Jesus Himself identified with the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the immigrant--even the naked and with those behind bars:
"For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in: [Matthew 25:35] [Latin]
[36] Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. [37] Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? [38] And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? [39] Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? [40] And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. " Matthew 25:35-40

Those who reach out to their fellow human beings in need, danger, or distress are the ones who are doing Jesus' work in this world. Perhaps some people might also need a wake-up call about what Jesus says concerning those who ignore, despise, or are simply insensitive to the suffering of their fellow human beings. Do I need to spell it out? They might want to keep on reading the Gospel and get to Matthew 25:41-46.

Jesus' advocacy for equality for all with no distinctions is very clear: "There is no room for distinction between Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, foreigner, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all.
" Colossians 3:11

In His public ministry, Jesus sternly condemned any discrimination against the immigrant, the foreigner, or anyone belonging to a human group that others might dare look down on. It is worldwide known how, by means of His Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus selected a fictional man from a small, belittled, discriminated against, oppressed population to become the universal example of charitable, compassionate behavior. Luke 10:25-37

All those who dislike immigrants, all those who cannot free their own hearts from the invisible yet immobilizing chains of hatred, all those who judge others not by how they act but by how they look and where they come from, please come close and listen to the message so that you can free your souls once and for all, so that you can heal yourselves from the cancer of racist and xenophobic hatred that is eating you up. Please read the Parable of the Good Samaritan and think deeply about it. Jesus is very clear. Crystal clear. Water clear. Those who were deemed to be pillars of their community didn't care. Those who held a respectable position in society were not moved to compassion by the plight of an injured fellow human being. Those who were supposed to be the ones helping others just looked at the other side. Instead, a man who was faced with discrimination and scorn from others was the one who cared, the one who was capable of greatness, the one who showed true nobility of heart. Moreover, why did Jesus come up with that Parable? Who was testing Him? A lawyer, someone who also had a prominent position in the society of his time. Nowadays, there are jokes going around how many attorneys there are. Too many--and I can say so as I am one of them. In those days, though, being a lawyer meant having a prominent position in the community. So, that lawyer was trying to be 'clever' in the bad sense of the word. He was trying to test Jesus. He asked Jesus who one's neighbor was. And Jesus gave that lawyer an answer he didn't expect. Our neighbor could be someone whom many look down on. Our neighbor could be someone facing racism day after day. Our neighbor could be someone who looked different from us. Our neighbor could be any member of humankind. Our neighbor could be someone from far away.

Jesus was equally eloquent in His defense of the foreigner and the immigrant when He shows that, out of ten lepers whom He had healed, only one shows gratitude--and that one is a foreigner, a Samaritan. Luke 17:11-19. Jesus keeps on saying it over and over and over again, loud and clear: Stop discriminating against those from Samaria!!! Now, why don't we put it in current-day terms? Jesus is saying as repeatedly and equally clearly today as He said it then--and now He says: Stop discriminating against those from so-called "sh-hole countries"!!! Stop discriminating against D.A.C.A. recipients!!! Against discriminating against those whose skin looks tanner than yours!!! They are the ones I love. They are the ones Who deserve me. They are the ones who will inherit My Kingdom. Jesus stands up for those suffering oppression and exploitation. He condemns the oppressors and exploiters. Jesus stands up for the persecuted. He condemns the persecutors. Jesus stands up for those being discriminated against. He condemns those spreading discrimination. Jesus stands up for those being bullied. He condemns the bullies.

We can see that countless times and in both the Old and New Testaments:
"If you share your food with the hungry
 and give relief to the oppressed,
 then your light will rise in the dark,
 your night will be like noon.
" Isaiah 58:10
"He gives justice to the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free.
" Psalms 146:7
"Then he sat down, called the Twelve and said to them, “If someone wants to be first, let him be last of all and servant of all.” Mark 9:35
"(. . .) and anyone who wants to be first must be slave to all." Mark 10:44
"But he gives more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."James 4:6

It is pristine clear that Jesus condemns both economic and political oppression. He condemns social injustice and abuse of power.

There cannot be any stronger, more eloquent, more passionately vibrant condemnation of social injustice than the well-known passage in James 5:1-4 about the rich landowners who withhold the wages owed to those who work their fields:
1 Well now, you rich! Lament, weep for the miseries that are coming to you.
2 Your wealth is rotting, your clothes are all moth-eaten.
3 All your gold and your silver are corroding away, and the same corrosion will be a witness against you and eat into your body. It is like a fire which you have stored up for the final days.
4 Can you hear crying out against you the wages which you kept back from the labourers mowing your fields? The cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord Sabaoth.

A reading of the Beatitudes is very eloquent in that Jesus praises those who are kind, compassionate, considerate to others, those who are peacemakers, those who suffer persecution, those who shed tears.
Matthew 5:1-12 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)
The Beatitudes
5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In 2Maccabees 7:1-42 we can read about the horrendous martyrdom endured by a mother and her seven sons in the hands of a brutal king who wanted to make them eat pork in violation of the Jewish laws. Although hard to read due to the extreme cruelty of the torture those seven young men and their mother were put through, Chapter 7 of 2Maccabees is a very stern condemnation of any temporal power that goes against God's will. It is the condemnation of the Third Reich that thousands of years later would similarly torture and murder anyone of Semitic descent, anyone facing physical challenges, and anyone trying to shelter and hide any of those that the nazis wanted to get rid of.
The first Christians who were thrown to the lions are also perfect examples of how atrocious and despicable political power can be. Jesus Himself was nailed to the Cross by those having temporal authority those days. His life on this soil and excruciatingly painful death are an eloquent testimony of how awfully brutal some governments can be.

The concept of civil disobedience is as old as there are brave humans ready to die in the hands of brutal governments. And it was brought to the political arena not by politicians but by missionary Jesuit priests decrying oppression.

Throughout history, the inspiring lives of countless Catholic martyrs say it all. They were canonized precisely because of having reached out to and spoken out for the poor and the oppressed against tyrannic regimes. They were canonized precisely because of having opposed governments that were cruel to the people against the will of God. Examples are endless but will mention only three. St. Lawrence was burnt alive for defying the emperor and stating real gold and silver of the Church were those whom the Church loved the most: the poor, the sick, the disabled. He did use the three days he had been given to gather gold and silver--but instead of surrendering those worldly treasures to the emperor, he'd give them away to those in need in his community. Because of Deacon Lawrence's indomitable defiance of the temporal authority, the emperor deemed that death by decapitation wouldn't be painful enough for him. Instead, he was burnt alive on a grill--and as his body was slowly roasting, he'd keep firm on his defiance of the political power to the point of even joking about the horrifying death he was enduring.

As already said, amidst numberless examples, I'll limit myself to only three. Before voluntarily asking to trade his own life so as to save the life of a Jewish man who had children, Fr. Kolbe was already in Auschwitz because of having defended the Jewish and spoken out against the nazi regime. During his last week on this earth, St. Maximilian Kolbe offered his torture and pain for the Holocaust to come to an end.

Soon a new saint will be formally canonized. Blessed Luis Romero was an Archbishop in El Salvador who bravely spoke against the military dictatorship that was ruling his country and oppressing his people. Once again, I could come up with thousands of examples of Catholic martyrs all over the world. Yet, I don't think that anyone would be willing to read such an awfully long comment. Of course not every government comes from God. Bad governments are servants of the devil.

"Congratulations", Donald! The horns of the devil clearly show up once more with this.

"Congratulations", Donald! The horns of the devil clearly show up once more with this.  Everyone needs to know. Stop lying and admit to hating everything that is ProLife.
I want to let everyone know. Until now, unless in case of "extraordinary circumstances" warranting detention, ICE would release pregnant women from custody. The Trump administration ended that policy. Now pregnant women will be no longer released from immigration detention, which is totally ill-equipped to meet the basic health, hygiene, and safety needs of mother and unborn child. Pregnant women might be released only on a "case by case basis"--which means the need to prove the presence of extraordinary circumstances justifying their release. It means the need to remain in detention for uncertain and practically endless periods until able to prove the need to be released. It may mean the need to pay attorney fees that they cannot afford. It may mean putting the lives of unborn babies at risk.

Donald, how alarmingly and atrociously anti-life is that? Do you think that any Pro-Life supporter would have done such a thing? Spit it out once and for all: Not only you're NOT Pro-Life. You're the very worst enemy the ProLife cause could have.
I'm sure you don't like the way I'm addressing you, Donald, do you? That's not the way I talk either. I never did and never will. Yet, do you want to know why the "spit it out" expression came to my mind instead of having said something like, "admit to it" or "say it aloud"? From your own words when three years ago, back in April 2015, when at an event organized by Texas Patriots PAC you referred to undocumented immigrants with these words: “Everything’s coming across the border: the illegals, the cars, the whole thing. It’s like a big mess. Blah. It’s like vomit.”
Are human beings "like vomit", Donald? After you referred to some countries and their people as sh-holes, former Mexican president Vicente Fox correctly depicted your mouth as "the foulest sh-hole in the world". Paraphrasing his words, I'll say that what causes me to vomit is to hear you talk.
Today is Good Friday, the commemoration of the horrible, excruciatingly painful death nailed to the Cross that Jesus voluntarily accepted to save all of us. Not just those from certain parts of the world. Not just those who dress in a certain way. Not just those who can afford some minimal living standards. Not even just those who believe in Him. Jesus died for all. Jesus praised the immigrant. Jesus stood up for equality and social justice. Jesus only condemned those like you, Donald. Think about it--although I very much doubt that you care,
Lillian Godone-Maresca

ICE Ends Policy Of Presuming Release For Pregnant Detainees

Instead, pregnant women will be released from immigrant detention only on a case-by-case basis.

huffingtonpost.com|By Elise Foley

Meeting Street School: Meeting the Challenge. Today's School Walkout, March 14, 2018.

Let's go back to the time when most of the world was still in disbelief that the then newly installed current president of the United States could start his term at the Oval Office by openly showing his hatred for immigrants and refugees, particularly if from certain countries where the predominant skin tone is not light white. Meeting Street found a way to simultaneously do charity and deliver a clear message. They started a teddy bear drive for children of refugee and immigrant families.  That's not politics. That's just helping those in need.

Then, directly from the White House, the attacks on D.A.C.A. recipients followed. Only those with very cold hearts, not to say heatless, can think that illegally crossing a border in order to flee persecution or escape extreme poverty is equivalent to commiting a crime. Many undocumented immigrants have only overstayed their allowed period to remain in the country.  Whether one case of the other, there is no crime. And when it comes to minors who were brought across the border by their  parents, even from a strictly legal standpoint it doesn't make sense to attempt to find any apparently valid ground to send them back. Their parents were not criminals but heroes, looking to give to their young what they didn't have when growing up. Some were trying to keep their children alive.  Although not formally legl, entering without inspection or overstaying was an act of courage and love.  Long ago, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said that "the so-called 'illegal' immigrants are not so out of their own volition but because the same society that uses their labor does not afford them a way to regularize their situation. They are not breaking the law: the law is breaking them."  And the kids they brought into the country did not even commit the allegedly 'illegal' act. Because they were minors at the time.

Meeting Street did not look the other way as cowards do.  Instead, they stepped in and offered assistance to parents who were D.A.C.A. recipients--parents who were Dreamers making their dreams a reality for their kids.  Particularly, those parents were in even more dire need of help. They had grown up in their new country and then had been blessed in a very special way--with a little one with special needs. In all likelihood, if forced to leave the U.S., their special sons or daughters might no longer have the level of medical attention, therapies, and equipment they need. Because the reality of the situation is that, if coming from a country of origin with comparable healthcare, they wouldn't be at risk of getting kicked out.

Even though I don't remember the exact title or the author, a book recommendation for the middle school students was about "unnatural disasters". I believe the book was entitled that way. That's a very appropriate kind of reading at a time when environmental protections are being removed and the whole U.S. had been pulled out of the Paris Agreement.

With respect to the primary topic of my post, namely the National School Walkout on today's date, March 14, 2018, I want to highlight the beauty, the courage, and the sensitivity of a very valid point that Meeting Street lists as one of their primary reasons to participate. They say that students of all abilities have the right to be protected and to have their voices heard.

Whereas many schools are literally doing what over two thousands years ago Pontius Pilate did and are washing their hands out of the issue, Meeting Street is there, organizing the event for its students.

The underlying situation should be looked at with a twofold focus. First of all, in general terms, no school should limit itself to leaving it up to its students. Safety is not a luxury. It's not a want but a need. It's not only a matter of letting the students demonstrate if they decide to do so. Students cannot be forced to participate--but if they do, their schools should not only let them do it but should support them instread--as Meeting Street does. It is the adults' job to find the best and safest way to make the event a peacefully successful one. It may sound like a word game but the goal is for the event to transpire uneventfully. For that, also typically developing students can certainly benefit from grown-up help.

Then, when it comes specifically to Meeting Street, they show their commitment to special education in a very eloquent, vibrant way where they say that all students should be heard--independently of level of ability. They are a voice for all the special needs kids who also want to to be and feel safe and yet may not be able to express themselves the same as their non-challenged peers can.

Affording them that chance is going beyond academics and even beyond extracurriculars. It's helping them keep alive. It's teacxhing them about life. It's making life more understandable and meanigful to them.

For all that, thank you, Margaret!

Lillian Godone-Maresca


Further to my post, which I wrote prior to the actual walkout, I'd like to add a few pics of the event, showing Philip, who is my youngest son, some other kids, and also me as I joined the protest along Eddy Street in Providence. I want to mention that most vehicles passing by honked at us in support.

Here are the pics.  Thank you.





 


 

I'll Say It Once More, Loud and Clear: Trump Is NOT ProLife.

My second latest timeline post is a ProLife one. Someone's comment to it was that he'll "be more impressed when we start protecting those who are already born." That brought me to elaborate on a topic I'm totally passionate about--and thus came up with a new timeline post which I'm making into a blog post as well.

The ProLife is NOT hard line at all. BTW, I apologize for the capitalization--but this is what I've made a life commitment to fight for. Being ProLife is NOT having rigid, unmovable traditional values. Being ProLife is being compasionate and courageous. It is defying society and ignoring anyone who is insensitive and obnoxious enough to point the finger when love didn't wait.

Being ProLife is opening one's home to children with special needs. Those who are involved with the adoption community very well know that there are families willing to adopt children with the most severe challenges, with the most complex medical issues, even including reduced life expectancies. Even life-threatening conditions and terminal illness. Being ProLife is welcoming the immigrant and the refugee. Not too long ago, in one of his homilies, our priest said, "Because you are ProLife, we are pro-immigrant as well."

Pope Francis vehemently condemned the Mexican border wall and the Muslim ban. If you scrolled down my timeline and visited my older children's FB pages, you'd see posts after posts defending immigrants and refugees, denouncing racism, fighting against Trump and the right wing, supporting universal healthcare, and promoting gun control.

Life starts at conception. Nobody has the right to dismember innocent, defenseless human beings, to suck their little brains out. There is nothing progressive about supporting abortion. Getting rid of the baby is bowing to obsolete societal prejudice against unwed mothers. Supporting abortion carries the old-fashioned assumption that one-parent families are second-class families--not as good as two-parent ones. Supporting abortion implies the retrograde stereotype that single mothers cannot make a living. Supporting abortion goes hand-in-hand with Trump's view of women as sex objects.
From the very begging I've been trying to make others understand that, far from being ProLife, Trump is the worst enemy the ProLife cause could have ever had. By falsely pretending to be pro-life, Trump is causing more damage to the sanctity of human life than the most recalcitrant abortion propagandist ever could. Trump is Satan's most sophisticated plan to debilitate the ProLife cause, which was getting stronger and stronger by the day.

I'll capitalize again: by being racist, Trump is AGAINST human life. By being anti-Muslim, he is ignoring that Jesus came to earth to die not for some but for all. By using obscene language against people from certain counties where skin tone is not pale white, he is insulting the pregnant women and the children, born and unborn, from those countries. By doing away with environmental protections and repudiating gun control, he is exposing babies in the womb and small children to hazardous chemicals and is endangering kids and humans of all ages who can eventually end up being shot at school any day.

The sanctity of human life, equality, and social justice are three intrinsically intertwined concepts that cannot survive without one another.

God bless,

Lillian Godone-Maresca