VOX DAY'S FUNDING FURTHER QUESTIONED

     After our last post questioning the rather shady connections between Vox Day's fundraising figures and his actual sales numbers, an astute reader pointed out that tax laws in the European Union and the United States have a noticeable difference. EU countries impose a Value-Added Tax (VAT) for goods manufactured within member nations. Now if Vox' sales are really so formidable that "industry leaders are quaking in their boots', then this should be reflected in EU tax records. 

    As a background here, Vox started up Castalia House in 2014 after getting kicked out of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association for trolling and doxxing other members. This project was supposed to dominate the publishing industry---which of course it hasn't. In 2017, Arkhaven Comics was added to the CH 'empire'. Vox outsourced the company to Finland, where it is registered as a domestic corporation. 

     Vox himself is an expat to Italy---which by the EU's own admission is a notorious haven for EU tax cheats. From there and from Finland, both former members of the WW2 Axis Powers, Vox is constantly undermining American culture, religion, and politics as furiously as the domestic parasites on the Far Left do. 

     But that aside, we find some interesting things about Castalia House by consulting the Finnish tax records. Here is their entry in the Business Index:

      One of things that is noteworthy is that CH isn't even listed as a publisher; which is rather odd considering that Vox is constantly boasting about being an 'industry leader.' The main line of business listed here is 'computer programming activities.'  It's somewhat strange that when one goes to the CH link at Vox' blog, this page comes up:

     But when one goes to the website at the Finnish Business Index, this page comes up instead:

    'Alpenwolf' does provide a link to CH, but it's mostly a video-game site. CH is actually listed as an alternative, or affiliated name for Alpenwolf. But it does seem a bit fishy that Vox is representing to his followers one thing and to the Finnish Government another. Which brings up the secondary question of where donors' money to Vox' crowdfunding campaigns actually go. The defunct campaign on Indiegogo lists 'Arkhaven Comics' of Helsinki as the sponsor. But as we've seen, Arkhaven operates under a company not even registered as a publisher. 

     Under Finnish Tax Laws, publishers are subject to a VAT of 10%, which is collected by the European Union Tax Authority. And there is no VAT registration number connected with Alpenwolf, Castalia House, or Arkhaven. According to the Business Index, this company held a VAT Registration until 2015, and has not been renewed. 

      What does this mean? Finland has an exemption from VAT for businesses whose products gross less than 10,000 Euros per annum. (about $11,470 US dollars) Thus it means that CH's entire output grosses less than $11, 470---this includes all of their 'groundbreaking' science-fiction; Arkhaven Comics; Jordanetics; Vox Day's writings: etc. Divided by 12, this figure comes out to a paltry $955.83 in average monthly sales, at best. 

    To put that figure in perspective, consider that the average SSDI benefits for an American welfare recipient is $1,125 monthly. And we have a series of misrepresentations on top of it all. 

     And all of those hundreds of thousands of donated funds? Well, their whereabouts still remains a mystery. 

WISCONSIN JUDGE SLAPS DOWN ATTEMPT TO BREAK CHURCHES

    Shortly before Christmas, Judge William Atkinson of Brown County, Wisconsin, annulled a De Pere city ordinance which attempted to force homo acceptance onto area churches. The degenerates on the De Pere City Council passed the ordinance late last year---to go into effect in March---which required businesses, employers, landlords, and others "in the public venue" to submit to homo infiltration under the pretext of non-discrimination. De Pere's ordinance also demanded that churches obey the edict.

  The week before the law was to go into effect, the City was sued by five area churches and a Christian radio station on the grounds that the ordinance was unconstitutional. Judge Atkinson agreed. Not only that, the Judge found the case so clear that he issued a Summary Judgement against the City, avoiding a jury trial.

 "Court finds that churches and their campuses are not public accommodations and the city of De Pere's ordinance infringes on the freedom of religion. Court grants plaintiff's motion for summary judgment and denies defendant's motion to dismiss," the Judge flatly stated, without further comment. But Kevin Snyder, one of the Plaintiffs' attorneys told CBN News the detailed legal ramifications of the case:

 "The ordinance was calculated to re-label religious institutions as places of public accommodation. Had the court gone the other way, it would have been the first time in the country that a church or religious ministry was deemed a place of public accommodation...The city is entitled to its own worldview on religion, marital status, and sexual orientation. But it cannot use the power of the state to pry open the doors of a church to force it to participate in conduct against its faith through the guise of an anti-discrimination law."

  Thus, we can see that if the De Pere Ordinance had stood, religious liberty would have been placed in serious jeopardy. 

   The Whacko Left Wing was infuriated over the decision, to say the least. City Attorney Judy Schmidt-Lehman stormed out of the courtroom without even a word to the Media. The Media, of course, was rooting for the City and against the churches. The local press, with the Green Bay Press-Gazette surpassing all of the others in its virulence, could barely contain their collective outrage. All of this is very symbolic of our gains in 2018. 

    And let's hope that the next year sees the pushback move from churches to other venues that social venues co-opted by the Rainbow Gang. 



     

      

ALT-HERO COMICS' DISASTROUS YEAR

   In January, Red Pill cultist Vox Day announced, with considerable hoopla, the launch of Arkhaven Comics and the 'Alt-Hero' series. This series was supposedly going to dethrone industry leaders Marvel and DC Comics by celebrating the 'Alpha' ubermensch and the Game philosophy. A crowdfunding campaign netted about $250,000 to finance the project.

    After getting banned from his crowdfunding platform and nearly sued for co-opting the Comicsgate logo, a year has passed and Alt-Hero has been a complete and total failure in the marketplace. 

    According to Comichron, a website monitoring industry sales figures, Vox' publications haven't even reached the Top 500 in sales after all of this considerable publicity and crowing. It ought to have been a huge red flag---even for Vox' deluded followers---that The Supreme Dark Lord discreetly never mentions what his actual sales figures are. 

     Comichron shows that October's top-selling issue was DC's Batman #56, at 107, 578 copies, whereas the 500th spot was held by Scout Comics' Mall #2, at 1,212 copies sold. At a most optimistic estimate, Alt-Hero is doing no better than 1,200 copies per month, though we suspect that the actual number is a lot lower; probably not even into four figures. This suspicion is bolstered by the fact that Arkhaven doesn't even appear in any major retail venues. 

     Now astute readers have probably noticed that the hundreds of thousands of dollars expended in production costs nowhere near equal the profits from Arkhaven's sales. In a case like the aforementioned Scout Comics, the overhead is low because the company is essentially a consortium of independent producers. But Arkhaven is a standard industry business model where sales have to exceed expenses to be viable. 

     Alt-Hero produced five issues (with a sixth committed) before Vox went to the well for another crowdfunding infusion; meaning that each issue had a production cost of around $41,667 per month. Assuming the most optimistic sales-scenario of 1,200 copies; that figure is balanced against $4,788 in sales (at the standard industry rate of $3.99 per issue). This adds up to roughly an 88.5% FY loss; or, in more practical terms, $1 return for every $9 spent. (These numbers are of course inexact estimates, since Vox prefers operating with little or no transparency). 

     The discrepancies have begun raising some eyebrows within the industry. It does seem very strange that so many are willing to pump large sums into an unprofitable project, with no financial benefit. That's why Camestros' theory makes sense: Vox and some of his wealthy friends may indeed be using Arkhaven as a blind: donating large sums to a crowdfunding forum, grabbing headlines and fake publicity, then getting paid back or using the fund as a tax-shelter. None of this is illegal in the US (I don't know about the EU); but it is highly unethical and may explain why Vox got kicked off of Indiegogo lately. 

     Whatever the true story is, the undeniable fact is that donations to Alt-Hero are going up the chimney. Whenever the Alphas are involved, you can bet there's something fishy going on behind the scenes. 

     

TRASH CULTURE VS. THE TRUMP GIRLS

    It can't be denied that Melania Trump and the other women in the President's family and administration have made a significant impact on our culture. American women are slowly emerging from a deep social freeze and re-learning that femininity and glamour are nothing to be ashamed of.

   But Trash Culture dies hard; and both the Alt-RINOs and the Whacko Left Wing have been stoking their respective constituencies with their versions of 'Alt-Fashion'. Along with the Gay Mafia, the Red Pills and Feminists have a stake in not Making American Women Great Again. 

    The Red Pills, courtesy of Vox Day and Arkhaven Comics, present us with their version of the Alpha Super-Woman. Their constituency is primarily composed of uneducated, sexually frustrated, truculent men who watch porn when their 'Game' fails (i.e. 99.9% of the time). As part of this lifestyle, the Red Pills imagine themselves superior to all women and practically every other man. Thus the model of femininity they present is a combination of porn star and trashy reality-TV celebrities.

     The first notable thing with Alpha 'Alt-Fashion' is a dopey expression and what the Alphas call 'the thousand mile stare.'

     And, reflecting the exaggerated physiques of porn stars, things like bleach and silicon factor strongly in Alpha Fashion:

     The insalubrity of the Alpha lifestyle also leads to the glamorization of bad health and hygiene:

     And of their clothing, it's best described as cheap, tasteless, and minimal:

     The Whacko Left Wing has been spending the last few years "deconstructing social norms of beauty;' ---which in the case of most Feminists is making a virtue of necessity. However, outside of Big Media and Big Academia their efforts have met with little or no success. Cancelling swimsuit competitions, interposing homos and fatsos into beauty pageants, and promoting androgynous celebrities hasn't resonated with the public. So the Left trotted out Michelle Obama to show us some of their 'counter-culture look'.

     

     The Left's constituency is composed largely of disinformed Middle to Upper Class Whites who engage in virtue-signalling by aping the worst elements of the cultures whom they secretly despise as inferiors. Michelle Obama here is copying the retro look of an old-school ghetto streetwalker, whom---after having stolen her client's money---fled the motel using a bedsheet for cover:

    The 'stoned' look is also an interesting feature that both Alt-RINO and Leftist women affect. That says a lot about the men who find this look appealing: 

     And the Leftist version of  'Active Wear' makes both a fashion and a political statement. They show off their 'commitment to diversity' by sporting outfits evocative of Asian and South American revolutionaries.

    The hoodie, handkerchief, and combat boots make the Leftist fashionista ready for a riot at a moment's notice. And as most binary Leftist women are thug-chasers, riots are a natural place for them to meet the Bad-Boy of Their Dreams. 

      But for normal women who believe that they deserve better than a thug, an Alpha, or a mushy male feminist, the Trump women are good models to follow.

   

MRS. TRUMP UNVEILS CHRISTMAS AT THE WHITE HOUSE

    First Lady Melania Trump opened the White House for Christmas 2018 this week. Mrs. Trump again designed the whole project and managed---remarkably---to surpass last year's breathtaking designs. According to the White House website, there are over 100 Open Houses scheduled and 30,000 tours planned before the Trump Family and guests join in the annual Christmas celebrations.

    The jackals in the Mainstream Media have been engaged in a collective tantrum because they again have been banned (to wit, prevented from disrupting) this year's festivities. Well, they can always go to Pelosi's house and spend Christmas listening to Colbert telling anti-Christian jokes on Comedy Channel. But the White House looks like it's going to be a fun place to be.

     

     The theme of the decorations this year is called American Treasures, which Melania explained was displayed symbolically in all the different sections of the White House to form a unified central artistic message "displaying the many splendors found across our great nation." It's noteworthy in these displays that there are many color contrasts highlighting this theme.

    It appears that what Mrs. Trump designed was to create the artistic effect of synthesizing diverse themes, represented by these color schemes, into a crescendo of unity---by which she used the White House itself as actually symbolic of that totality. When she announced the choice of this theme, she made it a point to stress that, "this House is held in trust for all Americans," which implies that this is the effect. That really displays some sophisticated artistic talent on Melania's part. 

    Despite the obvious enormity of this project, Mrs. Trump paid considerable attention to detail. The picture above, I believe, is of the White House dining room. Notice how the artistic theme shifts here from the grandeur and splendor of 'the people's house' to a rather simple and cozy 'family space' to reflect on the important and personal features of the holidays. And the same with the living-room:

     At any rate, Melania puts much more spirit into Christmas than what we saw during the gloomy days of the Deep State.

     Any readers interested can check out Mrs. Trump's article on the displays with a video tour at the White House website. 

SOMETIMES A SAD STORY HAS A HAPPY ENDING

     One of the reasons that I've always had an interest in helping the public with unidentified persons' cases is, I think, because I grew up during the first generation that really felt effects of postmodern thought. Families and communities used to be cohesive; and such blatant examples of human expendability were uncommon. These really began to multiply during the 1970's and ever since have become a 'new normal.' 

    This phenomenon is, of course, a product of the narcissism, moral relativism, and the idolatry of political power that Cultural Marxism has sown in our society. There are a total of four still unidentified women from the 1950's on file. In contrast, of the 33 known men and boys killed by homosexual thug John Wayne Gacy, six are still unidentified from that case alone. 

    Worse still---like every other social ill---swarms of parasites swoop in and try to capitalize on the situation. Recently, while reading about a newly-solved case, I came across a blog on the story. I expected the worst when saw the two words "Red Pill" on the blog header. I got it, too. Here was some Alpha thumping his chest and showing off to the pee-wees; bragging that he'd singlehandedly solved the case. In reality, he had no more to do with solving that case than he had with tracking down John Wilkes Booth.

     But the worst of all of these freebooters on human misery are the Media Hyenas. They raked in millions on cases like Jon-Benet Ramsey's and Natalie Holloway's and obstructed justice far more than they ever served its cause. Recently, the Media has been pressuring authorities in New Hampshire to reopen some cold cases surrounding a serial killer who was then living there under the alias of Bob Evans. Evans was not only a mass murderer, he was also a serial rapist, kidnapper, paedophile, and arsonist among all of his lesser crimes. Evans was living with a common-law wife named Elizabeth in Manchester, New Hampshire. They were about to be evicted from their home when Evans burned the house down and Elizabeth disappeared shortly thereafter and is presumed dead. 

    So, Manchester authorities began looking for Elizabeth again, and some public tips came in that she resembled a girl named Elizabeth 'Liz' Lamotte who was a runaway from a girls' home in 1984. 

     The police were skeptical at first since nobody had ever reported Miss Lamotte missing. But when they visited the Youth Development Center in Manchester, there was indeed a file on her. It stated that she was given a pass to attend a high school football game in town in November of 1984 and never came back. On her 18th birthday---July 27th, 1985---the institution closed the file. They never bothered to look for her. 

     And neither did Liz' family. Consider that she would have been discharged from the home when she turned 18---nine months after she went missing---and none of this tribe even wondered why she hadn't come home. It wasn't until 2017, when the Evans case was reopened, that Liz' siblings, hoping to cash in on the publicity  find their missing sister, filed a police report so that they could submit DNA for official testing. 

     Many of our readers here are parents themselves, and many others would like to be. Some of Liz' childhood pictures surfaced. Now, consider that Christ taught us that children are a gift from God. Consider also that Liz' parents have since gone to meet Christ and account to Him for what they did (or didn't do) with that gift.

     But the Media hoopla did remind Liz' siblings that nobody had seen their sister in 33 years. Besides submitting their DNA, these sterling specimens of humanity also posted flyers which are absolutely nauseating in their repugnant hypocrisy.

    About a month ago, in breathless anticipation, the long-awaited DNA results were returned. The forensics team had a match. But it wasn't the match they'd hoped for. It matched a homicide victim found in April, 1985 who until then was known as Greene County Jane Doe.

     How Liz ended up in Tennessee, or who killed her, is unknown. But the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and a dedicated group of volunteers has been working on her case for a long time. “I’m happy to hear that a conclusion has come to the identity of the young lady. I’ll be even more excited to hear someone is eventually charged with taking this young lady’s life,” retired detective Hoot Bowers told The Greeneville Sun. Bowers was assigned the case originally in 1985. 

     So why do we say that this case had a happy ending? Because of four things:

1. Liz Lamotte got her name back;

2. People who actually did care about her saw their efforts rewarded;

3. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation got a major breakthrough in solving this case; and

4. Those who hoped to capitalize on the tragedy were left holding the bag. 

     And anybody with information about Liz Lamotte's murder can call the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-824-3463. 

TRUMP SIGNS LAW TO AID CHRISTIANS ABROAD

     This move was a long overdue one; correcting a policy enacted by Barack Obama and John Kerry that was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. On Friday, the President signed HR 390, The Iraq and Syria Genocide and Accountability Act of 2018 into law. Vice-President Pence and US Ambassador to the Vatican were present at the signing ceremony. 

     The President stated: "In recent years, ISIS has committed horrifying atrocities against religious and ethnic minorities in Syria and Iraq, including Christians, Yazidis, Shia, and other groups...This bill continues my administration’s efforts to direct U.S. assistance toward persecuted communities, including through faith-based programs.  It also allows the government agencies to assist a range of entities in investigating and prosecuting ISIS’s despicable acts.  And they are very despicable indeed. Today, we honor the memory of all those killed by ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and we renew our sacred commitment to religious freedom."

     The new law allows---for the first time---direct assistance to victims of religious persecution in areas formerly controlled by the ISIS Caliphate. Obama and Kerry turned a blind eye to these atrocities: in fact, John Kerry even specifically removed Middle Eastern Christians from eligibility for State Department recognition as a persecuted minority. Freed from the threat of international repercussions, ISIS descended on Christian communities and turned once thriving Christian populaces into hecatombs of wanton destruction and slaughter. Raqqa once had an estimated population of 25,000 Christians now has fewer than 100. 

    The Whacko Left-Wing, who covertly applauded ISIS' ethnic cleansing, is sneering at the new law, saying it's only symbolic since the Caliphate has collapsed. And some Conservatives are uneasy that the law seems close to 'reparations'. Understand though, that a civilized country corrects its mistakes. While the US isn't the only country which has ever paid reparations for bad policy, Americans were the first to initiate the practice---even before our independence. This happened in 1695, when the Massachusetts Colonial Congress authorized payments for surviving victims and families of those convicted unjustly during the Salem Witch Trials. You won't hear about that in PC Academia, though. 

     Carl Anderson, current head of the Knights of Columbus was present at the White House ceremony and told The National Catholic Register that the law is a 'victory for victims' and that “National strength is defending people who are defenseless, I think today really showed what is best about America, in a lot of ways.”

     I think that Anderson's words reflect the truth. When it comes to doing the right thing, there's no room for partisansip.

      

ONE OF SEATTLE'S CULTURAL ELITE OFF TO JAIL

     Liberals generally are a pack of disgusting virtual-signalling hypocrites. This is especially true of Liberals living roughly between Central California and the Canadian Border. One of Seattle's cultural movers-and-shakers, Joel Kurzynski, was sentenced today to 2 1/2 years in the slammer after mounting a vicious cyberstalking campaign against two Washington State natives. 

     FBI officials stated that Kurzynski's attacks were among the cruelest and most calculating on record. Part of the indictment reads:

    "Beginning in March 2017, Kurzynski orchestrated numerous spam phone calls to Victim 1. The conduct soon escalated to fake dating profiles wherein Kurzynski portrayed Victim 1 as seeking sadomasochistic or underage relationships. These profiles contained photographs of Victim 1 and his contact information, resulting in solicitations and harassing messages directed toward Victim 1 from multiple strangers. Kurzynski then sent several anonymous death threats to Victim 1, including the threat, “faggot. Time to die.” At one point, Kurzynski impersonated a journalist and contacted Victim 1, claiming that an upcoming article would levy sexual misconduct allegations against Victim 1 related to Victim 1’s work with a non-profit youth organization."

     Kurzynski worked as an IT specialist on cybersecurity at a Seattle law firm with a long history of taking on Liberal, PC causes. They were one of the law firms that sued a local florist for refusing to recognize homosexual 'weddings'. That's rather ironic considering some of the slurs Kurzynski employed against Victim #1. But then again, we all know how Liberals talk when they think that no one's watching. 

    According to KIRO-7, that particular victim had to move out of state to escape the harassment. And Victim #2 was tormented as thus:

   "Kurzynski also admitted that in November 2017, he began registering Victim 2 for numerous weight loss and suicide prevention programs, resulting in a wave of calls and emails from entities such as Overeaters Anonymous, Weight Watchers, Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention, and others. Within weeks, Kurzynski started sending anonymous death threats to Victim 2, many of which referenced Victim 2’s work address. One threat claimed that he was waiting for her in the lobby, and another that said, “Looking forward to seeing you today and how much you bleed. Don’t go to the bathroom alone.” 

   What a lofty specimen of humanity. 

    The Liberal Seattle Media has been downplaying the fact that Kurzynski was a leader in the effete cultural scene. He was a music producer and theatrical director with Twelfth Night Productions, Seattle Music Theater, and Rainbow City Band. In 2013, he directed a 'reinterpretation' of Charles Schultz' You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. On the premier of this no-doubt brilliant performance, Kurzynski reflected: 

     “Schultz embedded adult ideas in a world of small children to remind the reader that character flaws and childhood wounds are with us always. It was the central truth of his own life, that as the adults we’ve become, and as the children we will always be, we can free ourselves, of only we can see the humor in the predicaments of funny looking kids,”

     It seems that he put this philosophy into literal practice, taking malicious delight in those predicaments which he created. Of course, his interpretation of Schultz' work is absurd, but very politically-correct. 

    But the only music that Kurzynski will be producing for the next few years will be with a hammer on a rockpile. And that's music to everyone's ears, especially those whose lives he damaged. 

    
     

ARROGANT PUBLIC SCHOOL OFFICIAL SACKED OVER CHRISTMAS BAN

    Another PC doofus in charge of an American public school has suffered a humiliating chastisement at the hands of a public finally fed up with their bullying. Jennifer Sinclair, principal of Manchester Elementary School in Nebraska, issued a proclamation last week forbidding her young charges from offending anyone with public displays of Christmas cheer. 

    The list of Officially Forbidden Activities that the principal issued reads like something that a 1950's Iron Curtain Soviet Commissar would have written. Among the items prohibited include:

1. No Santa or other Christmas imagery on worksheets.

2. No Christmas Trees in classrooms, including pictorial depictions.

3. No Elves.

4. Singing Christmas carols or playing Christmas music is forbidden.

5. No making or exchanging Christmas ornaments as gifts.

6. No Christmas books. 

7. No Christmas films.

8. No images of reindeer.

9. No decorations containing red or green colors. 

10. No candy canes. 

  The principal went into explicit detail over point 10; explaining from who-knows-what-source that candy canes are a Christian symbol. According to her, the canes are an inverted 'J' standing for 'Jesus' with the red representing blood and the white representing resurrection. 

   Some of the parents contacted an activist group called The Liberty Council who filed a Cease and Desist Order against the Elkhorn School District. The District responded by countermanding Sinclair's insane directive, reprimanding the arrogant principal and obligating her to issue a public apology. Sinclair refused, and was placed on 'administrative leave' (i.e. fired).

    Good for the Elkhorn School District for taking a stand. 

    Kara Perchal, a spokeswoman for the School District told WTKR-3 in Omaha that the issue "did not effect any other school but Manchester." and that no other schools in the Elkhorn District proposed such over-reaching policies. 

    

     

    

      

CALIFORNIA ABORTION MILLS SCAM MILLIONS

    The website Life News reported today that scandal-ridden abortion mill Planned Parenthood of Mar Monte claimed nearly $110 million income during Fiscal Year 2016-2017. PPMM operates 35 slaughterhouses throughout Northern California. 

     IRS Form 990 shows that of this tidy sum, nearly $71 million comes from taxpayers.  About $9 million are from fees. The organization showed a final profit of $15.5 million. So where did the rest of this cash come? 

     Well, as it happens, PPMM is one of several abortion rackets under Federal investigation for their connections to sales of harvested fetuses. All of these are affiliates of Planned Parenthood. The investigation stems from an undercover video  in which a journalist posing as a potential buyer interviews Planned Parenthood's head abortionist---at a luncheon no less---about prices for harvested body parts. 

   A company called StemExpress has the contract with PPMM. Congressional investigators learned that technicians from this company were present during abortions---actually getting parts on demand. This led to potential violations of HIPAA laws. Also, there was no required consent from the patients, as admitted by a former employee of StemExpress who testified against them. This ex-employee was a young woman---indoctrinated by Feminist pro-abortion propaganda---who was sent to witness an abortion at PPMM as one of these technicians. When seeing the reality of an actual abortion procedure, the scales fell from her eyes, and she recoiled in disgust from her job. 

     There were also testimonies caught on video where StemExpress officials bragged about getting 'fully intact babies'; and vicious Feminists among them chortling over how much 'male gonads' would bring. The US is one of only 12 countries worldwide where late-term (3rd Trimester) abortions are legal. California State Law fully funds these operations with tax dollars. PPMM is the largest recipient of these taxes. 

      This kind of mercenary attitude is fairly typical. An e-mail released between PPMM and StemExpress during the investigation reads as follows:

     And this isn't even the worst case. Contractors with Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties were forced to pay $8 million in penalties and were banned from doing business in California after admitting to egregious violations of Federal Law. PPOSBC received $118 million in tax dollars during Obama's 2nd term. 

     Query: How is Planned Parenthood fighting for the rights of women? This is what NPC Liberal women are supporting---and they're being completely duped. Planned Parenthood is a scam---and a scam of the worst kind, preying on vulnerable women for profit while leaving them with the remorse of an aborted baby. Yes, remorse. Because Planned Parenthood isn't going to be there after they've taken your money and sold your unborn child to foreign research labs and you're feeling depressed and guilty. The fact that American women between 15-45 years old are the world's largest consumers of Antidepressants is no coincidence. 

     But the CEO's of these abortion mills aren't feeling any pain. They're too busy rolling in profits and laughing up their sleeves at their victims. And it's worth considering that many abortion-rights protesters end up in jail for 72 hours while their leaders are doing paid interviews on TV.

      See why MAWGA makes sense? Women need to stop worrying about 'control of their bodies' and start worrying about who's controlling their minds.

       

REMEMBERING ST. BARBARA

    The 4th of December is the anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Barbara. Her's is a story that goes back to the most ancient times of the Church: nearly 18 Centuries ago. Her life and death occurred---according to the best authorities---in the area around the Biblical city of Edessa. This city today is located in Syria and known as Homs. Like its neighboring city Palmyra, Homs' Christian populace and its wealth of historical treasures suffered brutally during the ISIS Caliphate. 

     But as much damage as the Jihad did, the reputations of early Christians like St. Barbara have also fallen victim to the parasitical and degenerative influences of Western Liberalism. Shamefully, even Catholic academics who should know better, are competing with Leftist institutions in a race to the bottom of society's lowest elements. It's become fashionable even there to affect a cynical sneer at the whole notion of Saints, Angels, and many other persons of traditional Christianity. 

     We should point out here that many Protestants misunderstand the Veneration of Saints in Catholicism and Orthodoxy. It should be understood that we don't 'pray' to Saints. The Catechism and the writings of several scholars make it clear that we believe that Saints are very much alive and dwelling with Christ in Heaven. As Christ taught us, "Where two or three gather in My Name, there am I in the midst of them." Intercession is simply a matter of inviting a Saint known for holiness to pray with us. Because those in Heaven see with the eye of the Spirit, their prayers for us are in a sense, purified. 

   Saints' lives also furnish pastors with rich material for sermons and object lessons. 

    St. Barbara lived during the early 3rd Century, roughly between the years 220-238 A.D. As her name suggests, her ethnic heritage was Hellenized Arabian. She lived on the frontier of the Roman East, an area economically dependent on the Roman military bases. The same region was heavily Christianized from the days of the Apostles. Barbara's father---who was a brutal and selfish man---was called in the stories Dioscorus. He was wealthy, a naturalized Roman, and probably a military contractor by profession. Dioscorus may have been a Romanized name he adopted related to that occupation since the Dioscurii (Castor and Pollux) were gods widely worshiped in the Roman Army. 

     Barbara befriended a servant girl who was a Christian and known to us today as St. Juliana. Juliana converted Barbara to Christianity, and was her life-long companion. As Barbara grew older, she became more beautiful; and her cunning father saw that her attractiveness could be leveraged into a marriage with a wealthy and prominent man. He secluded Barbara in the palace; but it appears that the provincial governor, Martinianus, was the husband for whom he intended her. 

     The fact that she was a Christian wasn't an impediment at first. She was born during the Severian Dynasty which was extremely tolerant and sympathetic towards Christians. It's founder, General Septimus Severus had served in the East and knew many Christians. It's argued by some that he may have been a Christian himself. At any rate, the Severan policy was characterized by religious syncretism. One of Septimus' descendants even put a statue of Christ in the Pantheon; and Christian speakers were regular guests at the Imperial Palace. 

     Things changed radically, however, when the Dynasty was overthrown in a coup led by General Maximinus Thrax in 235 A.D. Thrax was a thuggish killer who'd risen through the ranks by his sheer ruthlessness. He was coarse and uneducated and not of the Roman Aristocracy, whom he envied and despised. As might be expected of one of his character, Thrax was paranoid and power-mad as a ruler. Unlike Septimus Severus, Thrax feared the Church and imagined that Christians were plotting against him.  

     Martinianus and Dioscorus thus, were in a precarious position, especially the former, because he was not only an aristocrat, but related distantly to the Severans. This was a time when unscrupulous men like these two were eager to ingratiate themselves into the New Order by any means necessary. Like typical bullies, they were arrogant and overweening to those weaker; but cringing and fawning towards anyone whom they saw as more powerful. 

     Dioscorus was constructing a Roman-style bath-house to entertain his wealthy friends, but Barbara wanted to use it during its idle-times for Christians to congregate. The basic story is that, because Christians had fallen out of favor, Dioscorus cancelled any Christian-themed orders in the architecture. However, when he was away for a time, Barbara countermanded those orders. When Dioscorus returned, he flew into a rage, and beat Barbara severely. She ran away, but her father sent his guards after her, who then arrested her and threw her in jail. While this was going on, the brute turned his rage upon Juliana---who not being a Roman citizen like Barbara, was tortured and executed that night. 

     While Barbara was in jail, Martinianus and Dioscorus hatched a plan. What could prove their loyalty to Thrax more than if they sacrificed Barbara---the affianced of one and the daughter of the other? The sheer cold-blooded cynicism displayed here really illustrates the depths to which evil will sink. And it gets even worse. 

     At her trial, Barbara was ordered to renounce her faith, which she refused. The cowardly Martinianus was furious, because he offered an amnesty to her if she would deny Christ and marry him. That her faith was higher than him was a blow to his ego, and he sentenced her to death by beheading---the capital punishment used for Roman citizens. Completely abandoned now to depravity, Dioscorus invoked a little-used provision in Roman Law which gave a father the right to execute his own children!    

   The day of the execution was December 4th. The citizens around Edessa---pagan and Christian alike---were overwhelmingly opposed to the verdict. But nonetheless, the execution was public on a hill outside of town. The day was said to have been an ominous day with black storm-clouds gathering---fueling those of both faiths to see Divine disapproval in these portents. But sentence was carried out, and the fiendish Dioscorus lifted his daughter's head and raised his sword to the crowd. 

    Then, a remarkable thing happened. Whether one believes that what happened next was of Divine or natural origin---Dioscorus was struck by lightning and killed instantly. Now, Roman swords were made of an iron and copper alloy, and raising an instrument like that on barren hill under an impending thunderstorm and getting hit by lightning may not necessarily be an improbable or miraculous occurrence. But there was no doubt in the locals' minds. The indigenous pagan deity of that area was Baal, who like Zeus and Jupiter was known for slaying sinners with thunderbolts. 

    This situation turned very quickly into a riot. The crowd stormed Martinianus' palace and massacred him and his entire entourage before setting the place on fire. They then charged upon Dioscorus' estate, which met a similar fate. The rioters however spared the bath-house from destruction. A debate arose among them as to whether Baal or the Christian God was offended; so they decided to err on the side of caution and spare the bath-house which later became a Christian shrine. It's said that some of the Church Elders recovered Barbara's body and buried her near the shrine; and also that several miracles were reported to have occurred there. 

    Eventually, the Parthians conquered this region and the Roman citizens were dispersed abroad, carrying the story of St. Barbara with them. Legends inevitably grew around her, but we have presented the facts as best as were able to. 

     It's noteworthy that centuries later, Christian women in the same area chose martyrdom when offered the same choices by the ISIS commanders. It shows again how one person's act of faith can live on behind them and inspire others to do the right thing.