“This great masquerade of evil has played havoc with all our ethical concepts. For evil to appear disguised as light, compassion, historical necessity or even social justice is quite bewildering to anyone brought up on our traditional ethical concepts, while for the Christian who bases his life on the Word, it merely confirms the fundamental wickedness of evil. Mere waiting and looking on is not Christian behavior. Christians are called to compassion and to action."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martyred, Germany, April 9, 1945
“There isn’t time to breathe, and I am up to my eyebrows in this business of feeding those who have nothing. And they are many—those with nothing. As a rule my purse is as dry as [Mexican President] Calles’s soul. We ought to speak, shout out against injustices, with confidence and without fear. Viva Cristo Rey!"
Miguel Agustin Pro, Martyred, Mexico, November 23, 1927
"Any nation is bound to perish if deprived of bravery, if it pretends that everything is good when it is not, and if it is satisfied with half-truths. Every day we must be aware that when we are demanding truth from others we must live in truth ourselves, demanding justice we must be just, demanding bravery we must be brave."
Jerzy Popiełuszko, Martyred, Poland, 19 October 1984
"We live in a world where love itself is condemned. People call it weakness, something to grow out of. Some are saying: 'Love is of no importance, we should rather develop our strength; let each one become as strong as he can, and let the weak perish.' They come to you with such teaching, and even find people who take it up willingly. Their neo-paganism may well cast-off love but, in spite of everything, history teaches us that we shall be the victors over this. We shall not forsake love."
Titus Brandsma, Martyred, Germany, 26 July 1942
"The government soldiers cut him with a machete until he was bleeding from several wounds. They made him watch the execution of some of his friends. He cried and moaned with pain as they cut off the bottom of his feet, and made him walk through the town. The young Josélito would only say, 'I will never give in. Viva Cristo Rey y Santa Maria de Guadalupe.'”
José Sánchez del Río, Martyred, Mexico, February 10,1928
"The real conflict is the inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the the sacrifice of many victims of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we are ourselves are defeated in our innermost selves?”
Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Martyred, Poland, 14 August 1941
"Behind the concrete, the visible events, behind all objective, logical considerations, we find the irrational element: the struggle against the demon, against the servants of the Antichrist.
Everywhere and always demonic powers lurk in the dark, waiting for the moment when man is weak; when of his own volition he leaves his place in Creation, as founded for him by God in freedom; when he yields to the force of evil, he separates himself from the powers of a higher order; and after voluntarily taking the first step, he is driven on to the next and the next at a furiously accelerating rate.
Everywhere, and at times of greatest trials, men have appeared, prophets and saints who cherished their freedom, who preached the One God and who with His help brought the people to a reversal of their downward course."
Hans and Sophie Scholl, Martyred, Germany, 22 February 1943
"And the world will look at you and they won't understand you, for your fiery furnace will be around you. But you'll go on anyhow. But if not, I will not bow, and God grant that we will never bow, before the gods of evil."
Martin Luther King, Martyred, United States, April 4, 1968
"You are killing your own brothers. It is high time you obeyed your consciences rather than sinful orders. The church cannot remain silent before such an abomination. The ones who have a voice must speak for those who are voiceless. Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. In the name of God, in the name of this suffering people whose cry rises to heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you: stop the oppression."
Oscar Romero, Martyred, El Salvador, 24 March 1980
“Who shall resist Anti-Christ when he comes
if we show such patience
towards the vices and crimes of his precursors? By such leniency, we encourage kings
to become tyrants."
Thomas a Becket, Martyred, England, December 29, 1170
"I die the King's good servant, and God's first."
Thomas More, Martyred, England, 6 July 1635
"About an hour later still another of the crowd flatly stated, 'Surely this fellow is one of Jesus’ disciples, for he is also from Galilee.' But Peter said, 'Sir, I do not know what you are talking about.' And as he said these words, a rooster crowed in the distance.
And at that moment Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said— 'Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.'
And Peter walked out of the courtyard, and wept bitterly."
Luke 22:59-62
Today is the 61st anniversary of the visible rise of the deep state serving a plutocracy of the unspeakable.
"These vices first advanced but slowly, and were sometimes restrained by correction; but afterward, when their infection had spread like a pestilence, the state was entirely changed, and the government, from being the most equitable and praiseworthy, became the most rapacious and insupportable."
In some ways it was the nearly perfect crime, spawned from treachery and sealed by fear and greed.
The quiet rally in gold continues, stealthily in the background to the bubbles.
And so gold and silver finished higher.
The Dollar gained a little ground to finish around 107.50.
Stocks moved a little higher.
VIX fell, signaling the complacency in risk assets like stocks, and forgive me for pointing it out, Bitcoin.
And so we head into another weekend, led by Crazy Joe and His Merry Pranksters, who blithely roam the world fomenting wars of aggression and genocide.
“For these are a rebellious people, deceitful children, unwilling to listen to the commandments of the Lord. They say to their seers,‘Do not see!’, and to the prophets,‘Say nothing of what is right. Tell us only the things that please us — prophesy illusions.'"
Nuts.
Have a pleasant weekend.