USAFacts.org is an excellent source of what local, state, federal entities spend using all the statistical sources that are published such as crime, health, and education. But because most of these organizations lean left even with interpreting dry statistics, one can still see a bias in how the “facts” are presented. Today it is outlining which topics might come up in the debate between Biden and Trump, such as “defund” the police.” US Census Bureau’s 2017 State & Local Government Finance Historical Datasets is the source of the data.
It begins with a graph you should be familiar with—the drastic drop in crime since its peak in the early 90s. Then it goes on to break out how much counties and states spend locally on their responsibilities like education, law enforcement, public health, etc. Education, of course is the biggie—almost 50% of local budgets go for that (very little comes from the federal government). The second highest expense at the local level is law enforcement, but it’s only 9.2%.
So the way this is framed is that it law enforcement is the second highest expense, even though it pales in comparison with education. However, adding together what is traditionally called “social safety net” –public health, aid to disadvantaged, and children’s services—which total 10.4%, law enforcement is actually third. In per capita spending that is $2,106 for education, $451 for social safety net, and $397 for police protection.
And I’m sure its no shock to any of us to find out that large counties and metropolitan areas spend more on law enforcement than smaller counties. Yet, NYC actually spends a lower percentage of its budget on policing than the average—7.3%.
“In the 25 most populous counties—counting New York City’s five boroughs as a single county—local governments spent $573 per resident on law enforcement – which includes both police services and corrections. In the next 303 most populous counties, all with at least 200,000 residents, law enforcement spending stood at $388 per person. . .
Among the largest 25 counties, Broward County, Fla. spends the highest share of its local government budgets (18.2% or $723 per person) on law enforcement. The county spent less than average on education (37.4% of the total budget) but higher than average spending on child and social services (4.4%).
New York City, where the city government oversees all five of its boroughs, spends 7.3% of its budget on law enforcement. The city government spends 30.6% of its money on education and 12.4% on social services and aid to the disadvantaged combined. “
Some large metropolitan areas don’t follow the trends in police funding.
“Bexar County, Texas, home to San Antonio and nearly 2 million residents, spent $298 per person on law enforcement and $3,906 per person in total. The city of St. Louis, which as an independent city functions as its own county, spent $795 per person on law enforcement and $6,764 per person in total. St. Louis has a population of just 308,000.”
Is it different policing or different people committing the crimes? Would the people of St. Louis be safer if the law enforcement budget was cut or “defunded?”
Read the article here: https://usafacts.org/articles/police-funding-local-governments/?
We can't be anti-Catholic or anti-religion [about Barrett] claimed a Democrat apologist on Fox who used to work for Kerry, a Catholic. We just don't like her decisions [based on law rather than feelings]. Besides, Biden and Pelosi are Catholics. Right. Tell that to the millions of babies, 38% black, who will never be old enough to vote.
According to U.S. census data, there were 18,871,831 black American citizens in 1960. Since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973, abortion has killed an estimated 20 million black babies — more than the entire black population of 1960.
Alyssa Ahlgren is a millennial who's made a name for herself by being blunt and unapologetically conservative, calling out her generation, including AOC, for being spoiled and naive.
She wrote a nice piece in late May about standing up to fear. Now it's nearly October and I think maybe she was wrong about Americans and what they would put up with.
"Americans were willing to take temporary hits to their liberties to flatten the curve. We followed the rules. We were compliant with the “15 days to slow the spread.” What we are not compliant with is the continued abuse of power backed by zero evidence and practiced in the name of the “common good” and “safety.” As the country’s leaders remain divided on locking down and reopening, Americans are starting to stand together. We will not be vulnerable. We will not be complacent. And we will not shrink in fear. After all, the American spirit was derived from rebellion and the desire to be free. Good luck keeping that locked down."
My church has timidly offered some parking lot and mid-week services, and my library still has closed branches and appointment only computers. I guess our walk doesn't match our talk, especially on the First Amendment.
https://alphanewsmn.com/alyssa-ahlgren-what-the-shutdown-has-taught-us/
“The Office of Administration and Planning welcomes your feedback on revisions to the Sustainable Design and Construction policy (currently the Green Build and Energy policy). “ Ohio State University
I read my husband’s architecture journals and e-mails and see a lot about “sustainable” and “green” and “small.” Thousands of pages, gallons of ink, and angst filled pie-in-the sky millennial writers worshiping Mother Earth with religious green fever. And then poof. All it took was a pandemic and lockdowns from our governors. No committees or feedback from architects, pastors or librarians. No need even for new or remodeled buildings. Lock ‘em down. Send everyone home except truckers and grocery clerks, get a good internet connection, sign up for Zoom and we’re good to go. No pollution. No sustainable design. No energy plan.
“What was the one of the biggest challenges you faced during 18 years of serving as House Chair of Green Gables?” I posed this question to Becky Johnson who is stepping down from this responsibility at the end of the 2020 Lakeside Chautauqua season. This was Becky’s answer: “…resolving the feral cat problem while trying to be sensitive to the cat lovers.”
This response is so typical of this gentle, tactful lady, who, along with Bret, is quick to show concern for other people. Friends know them as a loving, selfless couple who work tirelessly to make life happier or easier for others. The Johnsons have been far more than mere custodians of the 137-year-old house at 161 Walnut Avenue. They are first and foremost caretakers of people.
“Green Gables has been a place filled with women for over 90 years,” Becky wrote recently, “and I love thinking about the stories of friendships forged and relationships strengthened. I love Green Gables when it is full of women learning and sharing, and I love it when it is a quiet fall evening and we are putting it to bed for the winter.”
Becky took on the job of Green Gables House Chair in 2002, a couple of years after they had completed work on their own cottage on Jasmine. Since the Lakeside Women’s Club was organized in 1928, a member or committee has been appointed or elected to this task. Husbands sometimes pitch in to help as Bret has. It’s all volunteer. The House Chair is in charge of the interior of Green Gables. A few of her duties are opening and closing in spring and fall, hiring cleaners, purchasing supplies, readying bedrooms and bathrooms for renters, calling exterminators, plumbers, and handymen, making decor decisions, keeping the furnishings in good repair, working closely with the Resident Hostess, Librarian, and officers of the Club, the Lakeside administration and security. And those are just the basics.
What makes the job daunting is not only the age of the house, but, as Becky explains, “Making decisions on a public place is very different from working in your own home. I was conscious of trying to make Green Gables appealing to everyone who visited. Budgeting repairs at Green Gables is different as I tried to be a good steward of the Club’s funds.” Then, being Becky, she adds this positive note: “ I learned that regardless of the décor, women love being together in a
place where they can feel at home.”
Becky explained, “The general rule is that the Association is responsible for the exterior and the Club takes care of the inside. However, on big projects (HVAC, new foundation, updated kitchen, replacement of rotted joists, etc.) we partner with the Association to get the job done. In more recent years, we have been able to rely on Lakeside maintenance for smaller inside issues. Our relationship has evolved into a real partnership. Without them, the Club would be
at a real disadvantage.”
The Lakeside Association owns Green Gables and maintains the exterior as they do their other 46+ buildings. But the Lakeside Women’s Club, a separate non-profit, is not a tenant in the usual sense. The Association generously lets the Club use the house
because of an agreement worked out when Arthur Hoover was general manager of Lakeside. In 1928, Hoover persuaded the woman who owned the house situated at 161 Walnut, a prime piece of real estate, to sell to the Lakeside Association. It had been a boarding
house, but at that time was standing vacant, 45 years old, and in need of paint. Mr. Hoover then negotiated with Lakeside Trustees that the cottage would be used as the club house for a newly-formed Woman’s Club with his wife, Bessie Hoover, serving as founding president.
Next, the Lakeside Association painted the outside, and Mrs. Hoover
donated some of her own furniture from the Hoover home across the street at 205 Park Row. Her wicker set still occupies the spot in front of the fireplace today. Perhaps this was the beginning of the tradition that the Association would maintain the exterior and the Women’s Club (it was called Woman’s Club then) would take care of the interior. Sounds shaky, but somehow this unique arrangement has worked for 92 years.
Green Gables is heavily used during the season. Somebody once told Becky that they thought Green Gables was a place where old ladies went to knit. Becky laughs, “It’s that and so much more!” She has a favorite memory from June, 2016. The Johnsons were glued to the upstairs TV along with Lois Weller, the former Resident Hostess. The Cleveland Cavaliers were playing Game 7 in the NBA finals. The Johnsons are from Bedford and Lois lives in Parma, and no major
Cleveland sports team had won a title since 1964, so of course they were excited. “When the Cavs won, how we cheered,” Becky remembers, “and you could hear people all around yelling!”
Lois Weller appreciates Becky and Bret very much. She is very aware of how much leadership, time, and effort this generous couple has contributed to Green Gables and the Lakeside Women’s Club. She knows firsthand of their dedication to family, church, schools in which they have taught, children and youth in Lakeside, and persons for whom they have caretaker responsibilities.
Another person who worked with Becky and Bret the entire 18 years was Betsy Kennedy, former librarian of Green Gables. “With the Johnsons, it’s always been a family affair,” she said in a recent phone conversation. Betsy can’t say enough about the kindness of Becky and Bret—carrying heavy boxes of books to and from storage, lugging in tables for the annual book sale—and they always responded quickly and cheerfully to any request.
From the beginning Bret did his part, and when daughter Grace, or “Miss Gracie” as Betsy and Lois fondly call her, came on the scene fourteen years ago, it became a trio. As Grace was growing up, Betsy said that if a house cleaner didn’t show up, it was sometimes Bret and Gracie who raced upstairs to clean, change the bed, and clean the
bathroom. Grace has always felt that Green Gables is her second home. Becky recalls one fall when she and Bret painted walls while baby Gracie slept in her bouncy seat on the floor.
During the season for many years, the evening before the Tuesday meeting, Bret could be found mopping the kitchen and downstairs bathroom floor on his hands and knees. His simple explanation
was, “I know how to wash floors, and I thought it would help Lois.”
Reflecting back, Becky wrote, “Green Gables is a unique place that has a sweet cadence to it. It’s a place where everyone is welcome. It is filled with tradition that makes it familiar to people, year after year.”
Thank you, Becky, for devoting eighteen years of your life to our grand old lady, Green Gables, and being a big part of what makes it such a welcoming place.
For those virtue signaling, self-righteous, perfect Christians who believe President Trump is a fake Christian based on your judgements of his past life, Jesus talked about you 2000+ years ago in a parable.
Matthew 21:28-32.
He's talking to the chief priests and elders of that time. The pastors, synod bishops, church board members, professors at elite colleges with "studies" programs, Christian counselors, workshop leaders, non-profit CEOs, the writers and editors of slick Christian journals, hymn writers, Sunday school teachers of note and faithful, tithing pew sitters in today's world.
Jesus said, "A man had 2 sons. He came to the first and said, "Son, go out and work in the vineyard today." That son said, "I will not," but later changed his mind and went.
The man went to his other son and gave the same order, and that one said, "Yes, sir," but he didn't go.
Which son did his father's will? Trapped, the wise ones said, "Of course, the first son."
And here Jesus really lays down the hammer. "Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes, real estate developers and entertainers, are entering the Kingdom of God before you self-righteous hypocrites . (I've paraphrased a bit)
There was no one better than Matthew to tell this story because he too was a bad person, a hated, corrupt tax collector, yet Jesus told him to follow him, and to this day we read his words. He was a master at detail and organization. Matthew included 4 women in his genealogy of Jesus--2 were were prostitutes, Tamar and Rahab, one an adulteress, Bathsheba, and one an outsider, a non-Israelite, Ruth.
Just in case you didn't get the message. . .
BLM advocates among white, guilt ridden, U.S. Christians should take a look at what is going on in Cameroon if they think every sin is about skin color or "racial justice." There are 250+ tribal/ethnic groups, all the same race (as Westerners define humanity) with many languages, plus a French speaking and an English speaking national division, and the usual divided Christian groups. And this is a simplification. Now riots to end the civil war. Loved hearing from the Cameroon-American woman who stood up to the rioters https://www.prageru.com/video/i-love-america-too-much-to-stay-silent/
When John McCain appeared with his adult POC adopted daughter during the 2008 campaign, Democrats accused him of having a "love child." Now they've progressed and are calling Judge Barrett a "colonialist" for having adopted children who are black Haitians. Democrats never see love, loyalty, compassion, humility, strength, wisdom, devotion, or even simple humanity. Only skin color.
Americans need to understand that BLM founders are Marxists, and even if they take it off their website (where millions have already seen it), the demand to destroy private property, remove religious liberty and dismantle the nuclear family isn't going to go away. They've got a catchy slogan, but it covers up their goals.
Mike Gonzalez is no light weight, know nothing like New York Times "reporters." NYT has met a real researcher/fact checker.
If you believe the MSM, the political hacks, critical race theorists, socialists, progressive church leadership and the community organizers/agitators life in the US is horrible, unjust, violent, bigoted, and extremely difficult. Further, from my position of White Privilege I can neither understand nor sympathize with the plight of the non-white populace. That may very well be true. However, those of us of any color in the US cannot even begin to understand how difficult daily life is in Venezuela and Peru and Honduras and Ecuador and Guatemala, etc. The inequity is truly incomprehensible. For my own tribe (Methodists) this is an appropriate time for a correction of perspective. “The least of these” may not be those of us living in the most prosperous nation in history. And yes, I know there are poor and oppressed people here. But we need to bring some comparable perspective to the current narrative.
Warren Lathem
Smartest Dollar this week features cities with the most single parent families--also the poorest in society (as a group--not all single parent families are poor). Ohio doesn't score well--Cleveland (73.3%) and Columbus (49.4%), #1 and #8. For smaller cities, Dayton (70.1%) was #1. https://smartestdollar.com/research/cities-with-the-most-single-parents-2020?
The solution for government workers (deep state and elected) is to throw more money at it. But when you look at the stats, either in print or in a graph, it primarily took off after the War on Poverty and affected more blacks than whites. In the worst days of Jim Crow, Blacks had a higher marriage rate and lower unemployment than whites. Driving dad out of the home with promises of government assistance in his place has been very harmful for the black family. But whites have followed the trend with marriage being considered a non-essential until other needs are fulfilled.
Also, not mentioned in this article is the effect of the pill and abortion in convincing women that they could go it alone.
Then when you see which ethnic group has done the best in solving this, it isn't whites, it's Asians, who have the highest marriage rate, the lowest unemployment and the highest education rate of any group in our society. It doesn't even mention that in the article, but you can check it in other sources.
Marriage, not government programs, is the solution to child poverty. What does BLM want to destroy? The nuclear family--i.e. marriage--because of its link to personal property and religion. Which group as the highest rate of child poverty because of unmarried parents--blacks. This is a statistic BLM will tell you is racist, because marriage is racist.
The party that is suggesting that Trump is a Nazi, is proposing a total lockdown of our society, taking that option away from the governors and mayors. They want to destroy the Electoral College which gives small states a say in our government. They want to pack the Supreme Court because they fear the Constitution that protects We the People. We are called the "United States" for a reason, and Democrats want to destroy that.
Pope Pius XI – 1937 https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius11/p11divin.htm
The Catholic Church has recognized the danger of Communism for over a century and three quarters. It was speaking out about the atheistic concepts in 1845. These paragraphs are from a 1937 encyclical—before I was born, and perfectly outlines the methods and goals and beliefs of Black Lives Matter, BLM—the messianic fervor, the ideals of “justice, equality and fraternity” (inclusion, equity and diversity), the deception, the violent hate and destruction and the eradication of private property. You don't need to reinvent an argument against the destruction of the family and private property--it's been done for you.
The Pope in this encyclical, 20 years after the Bolshevik Revolution, mentions the “world wide economic crisis” and of course, then it was a world depression, now a world pandemic. But Communists take advantage of our pain and real problems to achieve their goals. The whole racism, reparations, police chants are just a means to an end. Destruction of our society. There is no intention by BLM to return to an orderly society with injustices solved.
8. The Communism of today [1937], more emphatically than similar movements in the past, conceals in itself a false messianic idea. A pseudo-ideal of justice, of equality and fraternity in labor impregnates all its doctrine and activity with a deceptive mysticism, which communicates a zealous and contagious enthusiasm to the multitudes entrapped by delusive promises. This is especially true in an age like ours, when unusual misery has resulted from the unequal distribution of the goods of this world. This pseudo-ideal is even boastfully advanced as if it were responsible for a certain economic progress. As a matter of fact, when such progress is at all real, its true causes are quite different, as for instance the intensification of industrialism in countries which were formerly almost without it, the exploitation of immense natural resources, and the use of the most brutal methods to insure the achievement of gigantic projects with a minimum of expense.
9. The doctrine of modern Communism, which is often concealed under the most seductive trappings, is in substance based on the principles of dialectical and historical materialism previously advocated by Marx, of which the theoricians of bolshevism claim to possess the only genuine interpretation. According to this doctrine there is in the world only one reality, matter, the blind forces of which evolve into plant, animal and man. Even human society is nothing but a phenomenon and form of matter, evolving in the same way. By a law of inexorable necessity and through a perpetual conflict of forces, matter moves towards the final synthesis of a classless society. In such a doctrine, as is evident, there is no room for the idea of God; there is no difference between matter and spirit, between soul and body; there is neither survival of the soul after death nor any hope in a future life. Insisting on the dialectical aspect of their materialism, the Communists claim that the conflict which carries the world towards its final synthesis can be accelerated by man. Hence they endeavor to sharpen the antagonisms which arise between the various classes of society. Thus the class struggle with its consequent violent hate and destruction takes on the aspects of a crusade for the progress of humanity. On the other hand, all other forces whatever, as long as they resist such systematic violence, must be annihilated as hostile to the human race.
10. Communism, moreover, strips man of his liberty, robs human personality of all its dignity, and removes all the moral restraints that check the eruptions of blind impulse. There is no recognition of any right of the individual in his relations to the collectivity; no natural right is accorded to human personality, which is a mere cog-wheel in the Communist system. In man’s relations with other individuals, besides, Communists hold the principle of absolute equality, rejecting all hierarchy and divinely-constituted authority, including the authority of parents. What men call authority and subordination is derived from the community as its first and only font. Nor is the individual granted any property rights over material goods or the means of production, for inasmuch as these are the source of further wealth, their possession would give one man power over another. Precisely on this score, all forms of private property must be eradicated, for they are at the origin of all economic enslavement .
The hospital representative has spoken up and said they have evidence of two hysterectomies. The news has been full of the whistleblower version. You really have to search to get anything else on the story. However, I have another point.
I’m sure there are abortionists who don’t collect fetuses or baby feet, but the ghoul Gosnell in Philadelphia did. He even fed body parts to his turtles and the facilities were filthy. Then there was the abortionist Klopfer who died and they found thousands of preserved babies’ bodies and parts in garages in Illinois and Indiana. In Columbus, there’s a doctor on trial for “offing” his dying patients (25) with overdoses of fentanyl—Mt. Carmel (Trinity) system. Our local media paid some attention to local issues, but the Gosnell trial was completely ignored by MSM (he’s in prison). The Indian Health Service had a terrible expose published by WSJ last year (just found it) about the health of native Americans, and I doubt it even made a ripple, but the study covered 2005-2019. Three presidents. Charges were serious enough I’m sure it goes back much further, since the government’s cradle to grave health care has never had good results.
But somehow, Trump is responsible for the privately contracted medical system with a foreign doctor in one county in one state who the whistleblower says “collected uteruses.” And because Trump is president, the media make it a hot button issue implying it’s his problem, according to the national news and social media. I don’t recall our Ohio governor (forgotten which one) being responsible for what went on at Mt. Carmel, or the governors of Pennsylvania, Illinois or Indiana being responsible for what 2 abortionists did in their states. In fact, in order to protect the right of women to “health care,” those cases received only a fraction of the coverage of the hysterectomies. It seems all news is becoming political and “gotcha.”
Amin, the foreign Georgia doctor, has been working since 1988, and had already been charged and fined with Medicare and Medicaid fraud over 5 years ago. If the whistleblower’s charges (very serious, not just hysterectomies) are true, then there must be other workers who were negligent in not reporting this years ago. In Gosnell’s case, he was also having sex with some of his staff. Gross.
"According to the epidemiologist Sunetra Gupta, you should do just about the opposite of what’s being preached by college presidents, teachers’ unions, political leaders, and the scientific and media establishment. Unless you’re elderly or particularly vulnerable, you shouldn’t be wearing a mask all day, or shaming others for going unmasked. You should be careful not to endanger the vulnerable, but otherwise you should be exposing yourself to the virus in order to promote herd immunity."
https://www.city-journal.org/achieving-herd-immunity?
I was a medical librarian for 14 years, agriculture for 3 and I used to translate medical journals when I was a grad student. If I'd ever tried to present my clients or employers with the mish mash of so-called politicized science we've heard the last 6 months, I would have been fired. I have no idea if Dr. Gupta is right, or whether 6' is the optimal number, or whether masks do any good. This I believe: the elderly, like me, are at risk; those with other health conditions like smoking, diabetes, obesity and lung diseases are at risk even if not elderly; and rioting and looting and taking your exposure back to your family puts everyone at risk.
Yesterday I came across a new contemporary hymn called The Blessing, and it has caught the world by storm. I think it was released live in March, and by May, because of Covid, it had become a world favorite using people of many lands and languages all singing together, although they weren’t. Each group is passionate about Jesus and their own country. When Americans are patriotic, when they express love for country or Jesus, they are called xenophobic or racist by leftists, but when you see these people all working together despite their differences, you see that bond. And since so many are singing in their own homes, in their own settings, you see how technology, fashion and music are really global. I did this for over an hour yesterday, and it was mesmerizing.
https://youtu.be/m-UDnY1B0fI The India blessing, sung in English, Hindi, Urdu, Kannada, Gujarati, Odia, Malayalam, Punjabi, Nagamese, Bangla, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil.
And in Spanish https://youtu.be/13TuS5egUVI
And in French https://youtu.be/j1eCnolXi8s
And Arabic, 16 nations https://youtu.be/Qy0v69p5Jik
From Australia, asking blessings on their nation https://youtu.be/OOt7baaVSbE
And from Kenya, many blessings on their land https://youtu.be/G0BppDtl3_Q
Zimbabweans asking for blessing in time of Covid https://youtu.be/OA1tVs7VNcY
The Blessing Nigeria--tremendous creativity in this one--in English, Esan, Urhobo, Benin, Igbo, Tiv, Hausa, Brom, Yoruba, Kalabari, Ibibio, Okrika, Ijaw, and voice overs and prophecy. https://youtu.be/lewZ8ZhZB3Q
And the Swedes https://youtu.be/Z21Jyq7RPXo
Over 20 churches and groups in Lebanon sing for their country https://youtu.be/tQ818qHiHL0
“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”” Revelation 7:9-12 NKJV
All we need are the facts. We don’t have to call Fancy Nancy names like lunatic even though she’s gone on national television threatening to impeach the President for fulfilling his duty.
It’s a fact. This has happened 29 times according to Ted Cruz. Yes, and each time a president at the end of his term has done his duty, and the Senate did theirs. Period. Barack Obama did it too—and he lost. That also happens if the President and the Senate are not the same party. Democrats and some Republican RINOs like Murkowski and Romney are just uninformed (and suffering from severe TDS) when they say this is unprecedented. The RINOs are also stabbing their constituents in the back. The courts, for some, are a bigger deal than abortion or the 2nd amendment. Honor your voters wishes.
It’s also a fact that Democrats are threatening to pack the court.
It’s also a fact that Democrats want to add 2 more states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. to their “quiver” to take over the country.
It’s also a fact that Democrats want to destroy the electoral college so only the major metropolitan areas, which they control (most burning from riots and looting) will have a say in governance.
It’s also a fact that the far left of the Democrat party is pushing the “green new deal.” If you want to see how that works, take a look at California and Oregon burning from 40 years of bad environmental laws and regulations.
It’s also a fact that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was confirmed in 44 days from nomination, less time than we have now before the election.
So now my friends, you silent lurkers who read my posts every day, you can face your wild eyed friends and family with information. Let them do the screaming and yelling and the ad hominem attacks.
Today I learned it is very difficult to scowl wearing a mask and have people get your message. The church I attend is still closed, so when we're in Columbus I attend St. Andrew Catholic, which is only a mile away. This has never happened before, but there were 4 men chatting 2 by 2 in the entry and in the back of the sanctuary. Usually, in my experience, Catholic churches are very quiet and people go there to worship not to catch up on the local news. I love the architecture, but the acoustics are poor with a lot of echo, so having someone talking (that sound seems to travel) makes it especially difficult for others to hear. I tried turning my head and scowling at them, but they either didn't get the message or they figured out I was a visitor and they had rights. I would like to tell them that many churches in the U.S. are not open and they should appreciate what they have.
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