Saw this tweet from old friend John Hawkins before I hit the sack:

How do you "reach the unvaccinated?" Stop demanding that people be vaccinated. Stop censoring people. Fire Faucci. Just post all information honestly, whether it seems pro or anti-vax, and let people reach their own conclusions.

— John Hawkins (@johnhawkinsrwn) July 21, 2021

While good advice it in my opinion didn’t summarize what needs to be done so I rephrased the advice for him:

Or to put it another way. If you want people to trust you act in a trustworthy way.

If you want people to believe you, don't lie to them

If you want people to think you have their best interests at heart don't take actions to harm them.

No charge

— Peter Ingemi (@DaTechGuyblog) July 21, 2021

Here is the text so this post can still work after I’m eventually banned from Twitter:

Or to put it another way:

• If you want people to trust you act in a trustworthy way.
• If you want people to believe you, don’t lie to them
• If you want people to think you have their best interests at heart don’t take actions to harm them.

This is simple and straightforward advice that would be a good idea for any section of government.

Unfortunately while it’s true that with God all things are possible given that we have an administration that is in power precisely because they were willing to violate all of these rules the likely hood that they will change their ways is slim at best.

But if you want to regain trust and confidence this is the way to do it.

As the post says, no charge but as I have to buy a car in the next month or so any tip jar hits will be happily accepted.

Don’t!

There is absolutely no upside.

The best case scenario is that the reporter(s) on the story do not misquote you or overly spin you as evil or fringe and their customer base, which has no intention either buying your product or voting for you, becomes aware you exist.

The worst case scenario is that the reporter(s) on the story spin, trick and our and misquote you to such a degree that your own customer or voter base believes you have abandoned them and dump you. Thus they manage to destroy you which is likely their goal in the first place if you are effectively supporting or advancing conservative goals or co-opt you.

If you’re lucky they will settle for the middle scenario where they misquote and spin you to make you a villain in the popular culture which will shun you and force you to remain a fringe product.

They hate you and want to destroy you, don’t help them do it. Avoid them, shun them and if they stick a camera in your face stick on in theirs at the same time so you can document any falsehood they attempt to advance.

You have been warned, no charge.

One of the two things that (the other being acknowledging the reality of the Devil as a real being) I have complemented Pope Francis on has been his stress on mercy. He has shown mercy in his dealings with Islam, he has shown mercy in his dealings with the Eastern Orthodox and has shown mercy in his dealings with others outside of the church.

Alas he’s not all that keen on showing mercy to the faithful within it:

In defense of the unity of the Body of Christ, I am constrained to revoke the faculty granted by my Predecessors. The distorted use that has been made of this faculty is contrary to the intentions that led to granting the freedom to celebrate the Mass with the Missale Romanum of 1962. Because “liturgical celebrations are not private actions, but celebrations of the Church, which is the sacrament of unity”, they must be carried out in communion with the Church. Vatican Council II, while it reaffirmed the external bonds of incorporation in the Church — the profession of faith, the sacraments, of communion — affirmed with St. Augustine that to remain in the Church not only “with the body” but also “with the heart” is a condition for salvation.

Not only does he reverse Benedict on the Latin Mass but he does it with immediate effect and as noted by Msgr Charles Pope is almost set up as a “loyalty test” for Bishops to see who will allow the Latin Mass and who will not.

The key quote:

this is the growing segment of the church you now most areas of the church our numbers dropping everywhere. This is the young vibrant and growing part of the church.

In other words Francis is being Basil Fawlty who thinks his hotel would be exactly the way it should be if it wasn’t for the guests who he considers riff raff.

My own initial reaction was this:

I don't go to a Latin mass but if @Pontifex wanted to cause an actual schism in the #catholic church I can't think of anything he could have done that would make it more likely than this.

It appears Francis will reach out to any group, except faithful #catholics

— Peter Ingemi (@DaTechGuyblog) July 16, 2021

Father Z has a few things to say on the matter:

So, a diocesan bishop can dispense from disciplinary laws, both universal laws and those particular laws made by the supreme ecclesiastical authority (read: Supreme Pontiff) for his territory and his subjects.  Since the provision that the Traditional Roman Rite ought not be celebrated in parish churches (cf. Traditionis Art. 3) is a disciplinary law, and has not been reserved to the Apostolic See, the diocesan bishop is free to dispense from that norm!

Do you want the TLM to continue in your parish church and not in the garage attached to the rectory, a hotel room or the nearby Lutheran church that the local pastorette will let you use for a contribution? Then calm down and think.

I urge everyone to think carefully about how to approach your local bishops and priests.

What sort of attitude and language are going to obtain what you desire?

Consider…

Joy and commitment to parish life?

Bitterness and being unengaged except for that hour or so on Sunday?

What have I been saying for YEARS?!?

You can lose what you have, people.  Now more than ever.

So, if you are inclined to lash out and make a big scene to your local bishop or priest, then consider how selfish you look in the eyes of those whose opportunities you are casting into the hazard.

This is good advice but there is one other thing to consider and that’s our faith in God.

Either you trust God to do things right or you don’t. Either you trust the Holy Spirit or you don’t. Either you trust Christ our you don’t. Either you trust Our Lady our you don’t.

Pray on this Trust God on this, Remember the Christ was dead and buried, right up until the moment he wasn’t, Paul was the implacable enemy of the Church, right up until the moment he wasn’t, The Roman Empire was the implacable enemy of the church, right up until the moment it wasn’t, the feast of Divine Mercy and St. Faustina was suppressed by the church, right up until the moment it wasn’t, the Latin Mass was completely surprised, right up until the moment it wasn’t.

All these things and many others seemed lost until they were not. The desire to schism or to lash out is the trap of the devil. DON’T FALL FOR IT! HAVE FAITH!