“No matter how big a hammer you use, you cannot pound common sense into stupid people.”
–The Tao Of Frank.
This Sunday marks the beginning of the Pre-Lenten season. The three Sundays before Ash Wednesday are named by their relation to Easter Day. Thus Septuagesima falls approximately seventy days before Easter, Sexagesima sixty days, and Quinquagesima approximately forty days before Easter.
The wisdom in numbering the Sundays before Easter was to shift our focus from the manifestation of Christ to the world towards the reason for the Incarnation. Three Sundays were set aside before Ash Wednesday to allow the faithful to shift their focus meaningfully towards Lent and establishing their Lenten rule.
The Epistle for this Sunday alerts us to the Lenten task ahead: Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. Taking Lent seriously means treating it as an athletic competition, striving to win the prize. The ultimate prize is our salvation, which we are work out “with fear and trembling.” Lent assists us in this task as we examine more closely our lives and attempt to root out those things that ought not to be there.
Over the next several weeks, as we prepare for Lent, think about how we might dedicate ourselves to more prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Think about how we might draw more closely to God this Lent. May we fashion a Lenten Rule this year that will allow God’s grace to truly transform us. Then may we appreciate with greater depth the meaning of the Resurrection of Our Blessed Lord.
Virginia General Assembly Democrats are not taking it well that a Tazewell Circuit Court Judge is preventing them from amassing even more political power. The Democrats are asking the Virginia Court of Appeals to strike down the judge’s ruling, claiming it was interfering with their illegal and unconstitutional actions.
Virginia General Assembly Democrats are also emulating their counterparts in Minnesota and California, pushing legislation that would ban ICE agents from wearing masks, and prohibiting ICE agents from making arrests in and around courthouses. None of this legislation–if it became law–could be enforced, because it is unconstitutional. The States do not get to dictate to federal law enforcement how it operates.
“. . . That it’s clear . . . it”s clear that the far-right in this country, that they have not accepted the results of the Civil War, and that they have longed for a rematch . . . to have a republic that subjugates and subjects individuals to a permanent lower class.”
–Chicago, Illinois Mayor Brandon Johnson (D.).
What is he talking about? The man is a dolt. He is historically illiterate. It was the Democrats—not the Republicans—who protected the institution of slavery, who instituted Jim Crow, segregation, affirmative action and DEI, and who created the Ku Klux Klan.
Minnesota has agreed [FINALLY!] to honor ICE detainers, and to release illegal aliens from prisons and jails directly to ICE agents. This policy, as is practiced in most States, allows a safe transfer of criminals to federal authorities, without releasing the criminals back into society. Indeed, if Minnesota had been doing this all along, 2 Minneapolis residents would not have died.
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe is asking the faithful to financially support illegal aliens in the United States. Uh, no.
Sarah Mullally was confirmed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the 1st woman to hold that position in the Church of England’s 1,400 year history. More evidence of Great Britain’s decline and destruction.
“Do not compare ICE or Border Patrol agents to the Nazis. That’s an unfair comparison. The Nazis were willing to show their faces.”
–Stephen Colbert, on one of his last television appearances as host of CBS’s The Late Show.
Stephen Colbert is a disgusting, despicable excuse for a human being.
The Family Drive-In Theatre in Stephens City, Virginia has been given a reprieve. The longstanding business was originally slated to be closed, but a new owner has swept in, purchased the property, and intends to keep the business operating. WOO HOO!
In a taste test of commercial mayonnaises, Southern Living magazine deemed Duke’s Mayonnaise the best. No surprise there. But in a surprise decision, Blue Plate finished behind Kraft. The judges deemed Blue Plate to be too “fluffy” and “sweet”. Oh, my! Russell is not going to be happy about this development.
Mattel’s Ken doll, Barbie’s longtime boyfriend, has a full name. It is Kenneth Sean Carson. Who knew?
“No one is going to pay a $15,000.00 premium for a car that competes with a Corolla.”
— Johan de Nysschen, then President of Audi America, commenting on the debut of the all electric Chevy Volt.
Just two years ago, Mary Barra, chief executive of General Motors, declared: “We believe in an all-electric future.” She went on to claim that the challenges her company was facing in the EV market were merely temporary bumps on the road to net zero.
On January 8, 2026 GM announced it would take a $7.1 billion hit in charges against its earnings, of which $6 billion is due to Barra’s failed EV strategy. In a filing with the SEC, the company also warned that it would take more write-downs this year as part of a “strategic realignment of EV capacity.” In other words, GM is drowning in debt due to Mary Barra’s really, awful, bad bet.
Southern doughnut brand Krispy Kreme is kicking off all things chocolate with their beloved Chocomania Collection, back by popular demand. From January 27 through February 1, the North Carolina-based brand is partnering with chocolate pioneer Hershey’s for four new delectable doughnuts. Each begins with a perfectly pillowy Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut coated with Hershey’s chocolate. Yum!
Spain’s Socialist government is granting amnesty to more than 500,000 illegal aliens. Do not think that if returned to power, U.S. Democrats would not do the same thing. They would.
During recent Olympic trials in Lake Placid, New York, Team Canada manipulated the competition so as to make it mathematically impossible for American Katie Uhlaender to earn enough points to qualify for the games in Milan, Italy.
GFK
Observations From The Fifth Estate 