Despicable hate and malice directed at the president and his cabinet...

I have been around since President Truman; now that's a lot of years!

But I have never, ever seen anything like the hate, malice, and lies that is directed each day at President Trump and his cabinet, not to mention his family, including his young son.

The leftist, radical, anti-American media and their lackeys, are themselves beyond despicable.  Lets face it, they want nothing but upheaval and anarchy.  But I would caution these merchants of hate, that, as in the French Revolution, the instigators of same, eventually went to the guillotine themselves, as a rabid dog turns on its master.

I must warn those that attempt to destroy our country, that I, for one, will fight to the end, and I'm not just talking about peacefully either.

So beware: this is one veteran that will act, and act hard with everything at my disposal to preserve and protect my country and my family from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

Gene DeLalla 

Sentimentalism: good or bad?

Being sentimental is good.

Why?

Because it is built into us as humans; it is part of what we are; it is part of our DNA, if you will.

Webster's describes sentiment as: an idea, opinion, or attitude based more on feeling than on reason.  A susceptibility to emotion.

Its brother, sentimental, is marked, swayed, or affected by sentiment... nostalgic or romantic feelings.

Nothing wrong or detrimental about that, right?

I'm sentimental (shock!).

Take, for instance, our dog, Dolce... We lost her about three years ago, right around Christmas time.  She was a great Lab/Retriever mix; warm and friendly; she loved us, and we loved her!

When she passed, we were saddened, and we still miss her to this day.  When I think of her now, I am being sentimental, very much so.  Again, nothing wrong with that.

But when it comes to judgment, can being sentimental steer us in the wrong direction, causing us to cast reason aside in favor of sentimentalism, sister to sentiment?

On a more serious subject, say religion or faith (here I'm talking about the Catholic faith, but this applies to anyone that believes that there is a Heaven and hell and judgment after we die) for instance, how can or does sentimentalism figure in?

Can it sway our judgment when someone we love; a family member, a close friend, a neighbor, a former military brother, etc., passes away, and we immediately place him or her "in a better place"?

How many times have we heard that?  I've lost count...

Sure, I know it's not my job -- or your job -- to say where that soul ended up, but to presume that we know he or she is "in a better place," is a grave error; it is a sin against the virtue of hope.

On the other side of the coin, is despair, a grave error; also a sin against hope.

Don't we also hear that God would never condemn anyone to hell?  I agree, He wouldn't; we condemn ourselves (rejecting God's grace) by how we live our lives.  Or, we save ourselves (with God's grace) by how we live our lives; it works either way; we have the free will to choose.

Always pray for the ability to discern fact from fiction, and leave the subjective judging to God Almighty.

Gene DeLalla

Render (give) to Caesar...

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's...

What is meant by this, and how do we reconcile the evil things that "Caesar" does with the money and goods we render (or, should I say, are confiscated from us to give) to "him"?

We, as a people, must be governed, that is, we must be controlled to a certain extent, lest we revert to the jungle mentality, where anything goes; where anarchy runs rampant.

We live in a society, and because we do, we obey most laws, such as motor vehicle requirements, pay income taxes (completely unjust!), etc.  Some of those very taxes are used for purposes that violate our personal beliefs; our faith; the natural law, yet short of the anarchy I just mentioned, we can fight back, if not in the physical sense, then, by means of how we live our lives, raise our families, and live by the Commandments, essentially, how we treat our neighbor.

This is a tough position to be in.  But our good example speaks a thousand words to those around us.

Of course there are other alternatives; teaching, writing, evangelizing, general conversations not only with extended family members, but also with strangers, that is, if they are open to such.  Each one of us has different talents, ministries, if you will, God-given abilities that we can use and share.

In other words, we have to be social; interact with others.  As the saying goes: no man is an island.

As was promised to us, He will not leave us orphans; He is with us all days, even to the consummation of the world.  Now if that doesn't give us hope, nothing will!

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.

Gene DeLalla

"We the people..."

"We the people..."  Taken from the Constitution of the United States; a document that I quote often along with the Declaration of Independence, but I think there must be some clarification regarding that iconic phrase.

These two fundamental documents are the cornerstones of our nation from its nascent formation to the present day.  However, my patriotism must yield to my Catholic faith, and not the other way around.

What do I mean?

As stated in the Declaration of Independence: ...Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

In reality, "their just powers" are not derived from the consent of the governed, but from above, from God.

Remember, when Christ stood before Pilate, He stated that he (Pilate) would have no power over Him if it were not given to him from above (from His Father in Heaven).

To their credit, the founding fathers refer to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" concerning our unalienable rights (granted by the Creator); those of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

But keep in mind, the French Revolution also received its powers from the "consent of the governed," in that case, a horde of anarchists, determined to trash the Natural Law and religion in favor of a do- whatever-I-want attitude so long as those "rights" don't violate the "rights" of others.

The majority rules ethos (democracy), can lead to another French Revolution mentality right here in our beloved country.  It's called mob rule.  As an example, even if a man-made bill becomes law, must it be obeyed no matter how unjust it is to basic rights, such as the right to life?

The answer is no.

Any man-made law or court decision that violates the Natural Law is automatically null and void.  That is not my opinion, but the constant teaching of tradition (and the Church!).

I admit that good and decent people have gone to jail, and will go to jail over this fundamental truth.

The "mob" in the case of the "right" to terminate a pregnancy, came to us from a supreme court ruling that directly violated the Natural Law and the Fifth Commandment: thou shalt not kill (murder).

We have no one to blame but ourselves; we are not perfect, but must hope and pray to become so, or else nothing will change.

Gene DeLalla 

Vietnam Veteran finds his brother's gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery..

From my book: Mutiny! The Battle of Dong Ha..

[Randy] … parked his car.  Entering upon the pedestrian walk-way, he gazed upon the expansive display of white crosses and headstones...

As he checked for names and locations to make the job of finding his brother easier, he could see that fateful day at Dong Ha as if it were yesterday.  He felt again the savagery of war with death all around him.  How could he ever put those thoughts to rest?  With his faith weakening, Randy became more superstitious, imagining the ghosts of those who died in past battles.  He could almost feel their presence.

After a while, he proceeded down the section of the renowned cemetery to search for, and locate Biffi.  It took nearly half an hour to finally come to the appropriate area of recent graves.  Some of those graves were filled with the veterans of the Dong Ha battle.  Some names he recognized from C Flight and his Bravo Flight.

Suddenly, his feet couldn't move.  He started to shake as if a fever or a deep chill had penetrated his very being.  But the day was sunny and mild.  He quickly thought about those lousy malaria pills that he was supposed to take for six weeks after his return from Vietnam, but threw in the garbage the day after he arrived home.

His eyes became fixed on the gravestone right in front of him.  He had found his brother, Lewis Biffi.  For nearly two years, he hadn't had the ability to cry.  There were no more tears left, so he thought.  But now, they flowed freely.

What could he say to his friend and brother that would make any sense, any difference?  It was too late for such things.  Or was it?

He had to clear his eyes in order to read the simple etching in the stone:

Air Force Staff Sergeant of Security Police Lewis Biffi; Born July 11, 1947; Died November 29, 1968 at the Battle of Dong Ha, Vietnam.

…

After a couple of minutes, he was able to compose himself.  In a half-broken, softly spoken voice, he said, "You made Staff, Biff."

Randy stepped back a couple of feet, came to attention and hand-saluted his brother for nearly a full minute.  Still, he could not reconcile the cold fact that his friend was now reduced to a number on a gravestone, and another name added to the Wall...

Gene DeLalla

America the intolerable?

If our country is so racist, so intolerable, so everything that is negative, why do hundreds of thousands, and, in fact, millions of illegal aliens risk their very lives to cross our porous borders searching for a better life?

The liberals conveniently overlook this obvious fact; it just doesn't fit their narrative, their malice, their hate for our country.

Their aim, I'm convinced, is to bring down our way of life in order to establish their new-world socialist, utopian order.

I would warn these elites that, just as in the French Revolution, some of the instigators of that revolution, themselves went to the guillotine, as a rabid dog turns on its master, so too will some of these progressives meet such an end.  

And one more thing, we, who love our country will not go down without a fight.  With God's help, we will prevail...

Gene DeLalla

Abortion: where is the father in all of this??

(I'm speaking to a woman considering an abortion: that is, erasing the life developing within her.)

"It's my right!"

It's your right to take the life of your baby?

"I have a right; the supreme court said so a long time ago."

But what about your baby's right to Life?

"My baby's right to life?  Who are you to judge me?  I have a right..."

But what about your baby's rights?

You do believe that the child inside you is a child, right?

"Keep your 'religion' out of my body!"

Who's talking about religion?   I'm talking about your baby's right to breath air, that's all.

It's simply the Natural Law that tells me -- and you -- that your child has a right to life.

And, can I ask, where is the father of your baby?   Doesn't he have any say in this?

Have you discussed your decision with the father?

"We had an affair; this baby is a mistake.  I don't love the father."

I would sure like to talk with the father; can you contact him so I can have a conversation regarding...

"Mind your freaking business!  Stay the hell out of my life!"

I'm not trying to interfere in your life, I'm just trying to give you some time to think about keeping your baby alive...

"I have a right... I can't have a baby at this time; it'll screw up my entire life!  I don't love the father!"

But have you ever thought about adoption?   There are plenty of married couples out there that can't have children that would love to adopt a newborn...

"What?  Adoption?  You want me to give my baby away to some strangers after carrying her in my body for nine months?   Mind your freaking business!"

You just said: "You want me to give my baby away...after carrying her..."  Your baby is a girl?

"I'm getting tired of you bugging me... I said, it's a girl.  Now leave me the hell alone!"

Please, give your baby a chance at life.  That's all I'm asking; please.  Please, just talk with the father one more time before you make the final decision...

I will pray that you do the right thing...

Gene DeLalla