Smartphones in use at railway station, Author Rawpixel.com, Source https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1559045 (CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
We cannot, it seems, live without the latest technological devices: computers, tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, smart locks, smart doorbells, smart thermostats, smart refrigerators, smart speakers, and virtual assistants to coordinate them all.
We are, meanwhile, being told that “green” technology is the wave of the future; that electric cars are the ethical choice [1].
But there is a hidden cost to this technology.
Rare Earth Minerals Lost
Irreplaceable rare earth minerals like cerium, dysprosium, indium, neodymium, praseodymium, and terbium are being depleted for our smartphones, flat screen TVs, electric cars, solar panels, and wind turbines [2A][3].
Pollution Increased
Unfortunately, the refinement of rare earth minerals for so called renewable energy produces toxic byproducts. The Chinese mines and factories churning out these gadgets for sale to the West are generating pollution on an epic scale [2B].
Slavery and Child Labor
Worse still, global supply chains extending into the United States for smartphones and designer clothing far too often rely on slave or child labor [4]. Read more…
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Prov. 25: 11).
By the time of the American Revolution, 7 of the original 13 colonies had abolished slavery through the efforts of Quakers, Methodists, and other Christian denominations.
The practice of slavery clearly ran counter to the principle of liberty, but slavery as an institution was not viewed as unconstitutional prior to the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln respected the Constitution, but recognized this inherent contradiction.
As Lincoln knew, the Constitution does not exist merely for its own sake, as though it were only a set of procedural rules. It is intended to preserve the principle of liberty for all [1]. Read more…
US Postage Stamp: The Immortal Chaplains (1948), Author Bureau of Printing and Engraving, Source US Post Office (PD as work product of federal govt.)
On the night of February 3, 1943 the Allied troop transport SS Dorchester was struck by a torpedo from a Nazi submarine [1]. The ship sank in 27 minutes. Coast Guard escort ships, Comanche and Escanaba, were able to rescue only 231 of 904 servicemen from the icy waters.
Amid the chaos of the scene aboard, four chaplains calmed sailors and distributed life jackets. The men were Lt. Alexander Goode, Jewish; Lt. George Fox, Methodist; Lt. Clark Poling, Dutch Reformed; and Lt. John Washington, Roman Catholic. When life jackets ran out, the chaplains gave away their own.
As the Dorchester went down, survivors could see the four chaplains, arms linked and heads bowed in prayer [2A]. Survivor Grady Clark wrote [2B]:
“As I swam away from the ship, I looked back. The flares had lighted everything. The bow came up high and she slid under. The last thing I saw, the Four Chaplains were up there praying for the safety of the men. They had done everything they could. I did not see them again. They themselves did not have a chance without life jackets.”
In 1998, Congress honored their sacrifice by designating February 3 as “Four Chaplains Day”.
—
[1] Wikipedia, “SS Dorchester”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Dorchester.
[2A and 2B] “Miracles in American History, Volume 2” by Susie Federer (2019).
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Schematic showing global human trafficking, Author Genetics4good (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported).
January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
Because human trafficking is frequently hidden in plain sight, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, the non-profit Innocents at Risk, and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office have identified the following warning signs [1]:
Appearance
- Impoverished, with few if any personal possessions.
- Malnourished, with poor physical or dental health.
- Indications of physical injury.
- Tattoos or branding, especially on the neck or lower back.
Demeanor
- Avoidance of eye contact.
- Scripted social interaction or avoidance of such interaction altogether, with individuals not allowed out in public alone.
- Avoidance of law enforcement.
Documentation
- Official identification documents lacking.
Portrait of Bernardo de Galvez, Source http://bdgsar.org/galvez.htm (PD-Art, PD-old-100)
Few outside Texas are today taught about the 18th Century Spanish leader, Bernardo de Galvez [1]. But that Colonial Governor of Spanish Louisiana played a crucial role in the American Revolution.
Mustering men from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela, and the Canary Islands, Galvez defeated the British at Baton Rouge, Natchez, Mobile, and Pensacola [2]. This opened the Mississippi, allowing essential munitions and supplies to reach Americans.
The City of Galveston (Galvez’ town) is named after Bernardo de Galvez.
Migrant Caravan of 2018
“The caravan..started out…from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, one of the most dangerous cities in the world…I have walked the dirt lanes of that gang-ridden [city]…If I lived [here]…I would do anything to protect my children from being recruited into a gang, murdered by a gang or gang raped. Walking more than 2000 miles to the US border? You bet. Until I dropped from exhaustion and had to be carried.”
-Lynn Monahan, “The roots of the caravan”, Maryknoll Magazine, March/April 2019
Fast forward to 2018, when a Central American migrant caravan approached the US border [3].
Fleeing poverty, corruption, drug wars, and gang violence in their countries of origin, some were seeking refuge. Others were hoping to secure jobs that would allow them to send money to families back home.
The large group size was meant to serve as a defense against human traffickers. Read more…
Isolation at Glacier Point, CA, Author Ben Bowens rndmben13, Source https://unsplash.com/photos/ooxY4kyg79g (CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
During this coronavirus pandemic, many have experienced loneliness, isolation, and alienation. The following is excerpted from an articled titled “We Belong to God – and one another” by Joseph Venerosa which appeared in the March/April 2019 edition of Maryknoll Magazine:
“…One of the ironies of modern life is that while the world is more populated than ever, people feel more isolated and alienated from one another. One of the worst feelings is of not belonging…
In the Gospels, we see Jesus…going to the margins of society, to the sinner and outcast, the sick and the poor, and accepting people where they are, without preconditions, and making them family….So when did we become such strangers to one another – and to God?”
American flag, East Burke, VT, Author Artaxerxes (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
These are profoundly dangerous times.
Our nation’s Capitol was this week assaulted by followers of Pres. Donald Trump, incited to violence by the president. This was not peaceful protest. It was insurrection.
Yet, 147 Senate and House Republicans persisted in objecting to legitimate electoral outcomes in Arizona and Pennsylvania – perpetuating a lie that many have been led to believe, a lie that the election was “stolen” [1].
In so doing, those Republicans ignored numerous unsuccessful lawsuits contesting the election; a brazen attempt by Pres. Trump to pressure Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, to subvert election results; and the impassioned plea below from a fellow Republican [2].
Please, pray for America.
“I don’t think we want to tell the Americans that come after us that this Republic is broken; that this is just a banana republic; that our institutions can’t be trusted…
America isn’t Hatfields and McCoys, blood feuds forever. America’s a union. There’s a lot that’s broken in this county, but not anything that’s so big that the American people can’t rebuild it…
Generations of our…ancestors have spilled blood to defend the glories of this Republic. Why would they do that? Because America is the most exceptional nation in the history of the world. And because the Constitution is the greatest political document that’s ever been written.
Most governments in the past have said that ‘Might makes right’ and we saw some of that…today. Might makes right. No, it doesn’t! God gives us rights by nature, and government is just our shared project to secure those rights.
America has always been about what we choose to do together…
[B]ut the heart of America is not government. The center of America is not Washington, DC. The center of America is the neighborhoods where 330 million Americans are raising their kids, and trying to put food on the table, and trying to love their neighbor. That’s the center of America.” Read more…
“King of Sorrows” by William Burton (c. 1897).
“Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!” (1 Chron. 16: 29).
Enmeshed in our own lives, we often take for granted the beauty of the Lord. Our needs, our desires take precedence, despite the fact His beauty is all around us.
That beauty is reflected in infinite ways by the natural world – not only by flowers and trees or majestic vistas, but by the relationship of His creatures to one another. Great and small, they are interconnected. Great and small, they are dependent on Him.
We are not excluded from this picture. We, too, depend on Him for our existence. Were He another kind of god, He might demand our obedience on pain of death. Instead, He asks for our love. Read more…
Illuminated manuscript showing Cistercian monks at work and prayer, Cambridge Collection (PD)
Scientists have succeeded in extracting DNA from a 1000 year old manuscript known as the York Gospels. The manuscript contains the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, along with clergy oaths and land records [1].
Illuminated Manuscripts
Medieval monks crafted illuminated manuscripts which other churchmen read and handled, down the centuries.
Human and Animal DNA
That DNA from such individuals should have been obtained is nothing short of amazing. DNA has, also, though been obtained from the cows and sheep whose skins became the parchment onto which the York Gospels were written.
Using animal DNA, researchers can trace medieval trade routes, or discover how a particular disease pathogen impacted medieval herds. Three samples yielded enough DNA to compare cattle genomes from the Middle Ages with today’s. The most complete parchment genome was similar to modern Holsteins and Norwegian reds. Read more…
Newborn nursing in the NICU, Author Czechpeas (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9: 6).
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 8.28% of American infants (some 240,000) are born with low birthweight [1]. Over 194,000 are born to teen mothers as young as 15 [2].
More than 5 in every 1000 will die in infancy – a rate 71% higher than that of other developed nations [3][4]. Another 862,000 will be aborted before birth [5].
Approximately 40% of American children are born out of wedlock [6]. 19.7 million (1 in 4) live without a father in the home [7]. Read more…
A Lawyer's Prayers 