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Norbert Bufka

Author  ·  Historian

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Dangerous times

We are living in the most dangerous time in the history of the United States since 1860 when southern states decided to secede from the union. President Abraham Lincoln rose to the challenge but it cost the lives of more than 600,000 americans in the bloodiest war of our history. Today we are facing…

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“A rigged election ” is fake news

Donald Trump continues to do what he does best: create chaos and diversion. He has maintained that the election was rigged, but this is not new of course. He claimed the 2016 election was rigged, that he actually won the popular vote then and that he won it again in 2020. He is relying on the old ad…

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10 Lessons from the Election 2020

The 2020 election is over. We must learn several important lessons from this election.

  1. If we are to continue as a democracy we must face our differences and polarization with a bond of love for our country and each other.
  2. Our republic will continue only if all citizens are allowed to take an…

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Originalism is not good for our country

   The United States Senate confirmed the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday October 26, only six weeks after Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away.  The speed of the confirmation is not the only problem with this nomination,  it is Barrett herself. She is an originalist and a …

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What is a Faithful Citizen?

 

Overview

Since 1975, the United States Conference of Catholic bishops (USCCB) has been issuing a document every four years to help Catholic citizens be responsible voters. It is called Forming Conscience for Faithful Citizenship. It can be downloaded here:  https://www.usccb.org/issues-and…

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A Lesson from History

I recently read Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler which he wrote in 1924.  He had two fundamental beliefs: the first is that the German (Aryan) race is superior to all others and must be preserved in its purity for the world to advance. His second belief was that the Jews were responsible for everything w…

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Save the US Postal System

The Continental Congress in 1775 established a postal system which has been an integral part of our tradition and culture. It is now under serious attack by our President, who does not want it to deliver the millions of mail in ballots this fall.  In other words, he opposes the post office for his o…

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Vigano’s letter to Trump is not Catholic

I was extremely distressed this morning when I read in NCR that Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, former Papal Nuncio to the United States wrote an open letter to Donald Trump. In this letter he said “we have been witnessing the formation of two opposing sides that I would call Biblical: the children o…

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The killing of George Floyd is reprehensible

I am not sure what to write today about the video taped killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but I feel compelled to say a word of support to my fellow Americans who happen to have a skin color different than mine and the majority of people in this country. Does this fact of minority make them le…

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Mail-in voting is necessary

 

Due to the pandemic we face a challenge in securing the right to vote by every citizen who wants To vote.   The solution is mail in voting and a secure postal system.

Five States already conduct elections entirely by mail: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. In the April 14, 2…

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Civil service under siege

in the first century of our country’s existence, the president made many appointments as favors to friends. The assassination of James Garfield in 1881 by a disappointed office seeker, resulted in the creation of civil service under the Pendleton Act of 1883. After a few years of adjusting to the ch…

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Free markets need regulation

One of the realities of a capitalist economy is the cycle of boom and bust, said more academically, prosperity and depression. The cycle became so serious  in the long decade of the 1930’s and the Great Depression that Congress passed the Glass-Stegal Act in1938 which kep  the investment, insurance,…

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The Divine Plan

Surgeon General Jerome Adams has publicly and repeatedly stated his belief in a divine plan.  During the covid19 crisis. Adams is a Catholic and expressed the view that it is not coincidence that the pandemic is happening during Holy Week. We were sad that Jesus died, but then there was salvation an…

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The meaning of Good Friday

Today Christians all over the world remember the crucifixion and death of Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago. I was taught that my sins as well as all the others were responsible for his death. I was also taught that Jesus died so that our relationship with God would be restored. Adam and Eve destroyed th…

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Prayer during pandemic

Most Merciful God,

We come to You in our weakness.

We come to You in our fear.

We come to You with trust.

For You alone are our hope.

We place before You the disease present in our nation and in our world.

We turn to You in our time of need.

Bring wisdom to doctors.

Give unde…

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Wanton ignorance is evil and dangerous

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in a sermon, : "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

With the ease in communicating through the social media, far too often messages are sent without regard to the facts or the truth. Each of us must b…

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Thoughts during a pandemic

 

 

The pandemic we are fighting is a time for all of us to work together individually and collectively so we can get through the crisis with as little damage as possible. Here are some ideas:

Donate to organizations that are already helping people in need. They will need more resources n…

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Catholic voters: do not be deceived by Trump!

After the 2016 election, I learned that 40% of Catholics cat their vote for Donal Trump. I was sick to my stomach. I could not believe that my fellow Catholics could be so off track. After watching Trump in office for over three years, I thought they would come to their senses, but alas! a poll rel…

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Joe Biden is the best candidate for President

Joe Biden was US Senator for many years and Vice President for eight years. He has experience working with people across the aisle and foreign leaders. He knows how government works.

 

Brian Burch of CatholicVote sent an email blasting Biden for his lack of policy initiatives, supporting abor…

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Joe Biden is the right man for President

Joe Biden was US Senator for many years and Vice President for eight years. He has experience working with people across the aisle and foreign leaders. He knows how government works.

 

Brian Burch of CatholicVote sent an email blasting Biden for his lack of policy initiatives, supporting abor…

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