Twenty years after the biblical drama The Passion of the Christ smashed records by grossing more than $611 million worldwide its long-awaited sequel The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection is under production this Christmas season.  But 2024 will be the 60th anniversary of another Gospel movie‚ one that is far more anomalous and strange than the Mel Gibson franchise‚ depicting the most riveting realization of the Messiah ever put to the screen. Irazoqui’s Messiah is not a high-minded philosopher with his head in the clouds. He’s a fault-finding firebrand spitting nails in the street. In 1964 Pope John XXIII invited non-Catholic artists to work alongside the Vatican to create great Christian art.  Inspired by the Pope’s outreach an Italian filmmaker‚ Pier Paolo Pasolini‚ an atheist and Marxist‚ who had been sentenced to jail for blasphemy only the year before‚ accepted the papal challenge.  Studying all four gospels with the intention of bringing one to the screen Pasolini determined that “John was too mystical‚ Mark too vulgar‚ and Luke too sentimental.” He chose Matthew‚ the only Gospel that chronicles Herod’s slaughter of the innocents‚ a choice that would thoroughly shape his Scriptural interpretation‚ exalting the triune God as the supreme protector of children.  (READ MORE from John Singleton: Today’s Real Systemic Injustice: COVID and Our Kids) Upending Hollywood pomp and risk-aversion with a risk-taking‚ stripped down style The Gospel According to Matthew reflects the Italian director’s desire to inflict discomfort on the comfortable adult world.  Like Gibson’s Passion‚ this film skirts the studio system‚ as it clings to the old-fashioned virtues of righteousness and judgement. Using only Gospel language and elevating amateur actors to lead roles‚ the paradoxical Pasolini exchanged big Hollywood vanity and exhibitionism for a lesson in power and glory by way of lowliness and poverty. Art is made perfect in simplicity. Artifice purified by innocence. To Pasolini only the poor could achieve such spiritual heights.  So he placed them front-and-center of a Biblical epic. And his gambit paid off bigly. Once Christ arrives on the scene‚ played by 19-year old non-actor Enrique Irazoqui‚ past-and-future celluloid depictions of the Savior of the World are eviscerated. Strikingly younger than his disciples this Son of God bristles with the contempt of a petulant teenager incensed at the incompetence of the grownups in charge. Sporting a prodigious unibrow and an ample forehead he’s not Hollywood handsome. But Enrique Irazoqui as Jesus is enormously attractive and persuasive as a Messiah who is both irascible and holy‚ evoking Isaiah 53:2 “There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him‚ nor appearance that would attract us to him.” Beauty is not forsaken in The Gospel According to Matthew.  The opening sequence includes a montage of iconic shots of the Virgin Mary that resemble fearsome frescos from the Italian Renaissance.  Our Lady of the Grotto.  The Virgin of the Rocks.  Mother and Child. Filmed in black-and-white silence these glimpses are portraits of solitude that attract and unsettle. In splendid isolation the Mother of God ponders her fate comforted in secret by her Holy Child.  Employing jump cuts as religious iconography Pasolini offers his audience an Eternal Virgin as inaccessible as his Messiah‚ who is wise and wondrous and anything but derivative. Like the casting of Christ‚ 14-year old Margherita Caruso as Mary‚ is unsurpassed in the history of movie Madonna’s‚ not because she’s a trained actress but because Pasolini adorns each frame in a poverty‚ purity‚ and pace that invites Marian devotion.  Effortlessly embracing the art of visual storytelling the recalcitrant director comes to the same conclusion as the long tradition of Italian Masters before him. Mary is the most important person other than God himself ever to walk the earth. The former Marxist didn’t undertake Pope John’s challenge to overturn tradition. But to fulfill it.  Despite her dearth of dialogue in Matthew’s Gospel Pasolini venerates the Blessed Mother with an abundance of screen time‚ aligning his magnum opus with the history of maternal reverence that has long differentiated and distinguished the Catholic Church.       Full disclosure here. I was born in southern Italy and grew up surrounded by statues and shrines to the Eternal Virgin. My Neapolitan mama never attended school past the 2nd grade and practiced a grudging form of faith that might be called pre-Catholic. Pasolini’s primitive landscapes and harsh judgments suit me. His deference to the poor and uneducated‚ too. (READ MORE: Father Jenkins Doesn’t Seem to See the Problem) When the disciples ask‚ “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus answers‚  “Truly I tell you‚ unless you change and become like little children‚ you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus proclaims his guardianship over the young with menace. He goes full gangster.  Surrounded by a passel of apostles‚ Irazoqui’s Christ delivers each line like a lashing‚ machine gun style‚ as the camera lingers over the Italian faces of Pasolini’s unknown actors. “If anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble‚ it would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the sea.” Concrete boots are nothing compared to what Jesus has in store for transgressors of the innocent. Listening attentively to the invective of Irazoqui’s uncompromising standard bearer‚ the twelve disciples look like a posse of Coppola’s thugs guarding a beloved paterfamilias. For the record my mother hated Pasolini. She said his movies‚ other than The Gospel According to Matthew were infamita. It’s fitting that‚ in the end‚ the poor and lowly of Italy cast their judgment on one of their own and found him wanting.         Much has been made of Pasolini’s atheism and Marxism‚ but in press junkets he rebuked political indoctrination. “I did not want to do that‚ I am not interested in profanations: that is just a fashion I loathe‚ it is petit bourgeois. I want to consecrate things again‚ because that is possible‚ I want to re-mythologize them.” Dedicating his film “to the dear‚ joyous‚ familiar memory of Pope John XXIII” who died prior to the release of the film Pasolini was an unlikely keeper of tradition.  At another press conference in 1966 he scolded the media for their fixation on his unbelief. “If you know that I am an unbeliever‚ then you know me better than I do myself. I may be an unbeliever‚ but I am an unbeliever who has a nostalgia for a belief.” In carrying out the work of salvation God raises champions of his own choosing.  Defying the rules of mainstream moviemaking Pasolini placed huge bets on his youthful cast’s ability to proclaim the Gospel message simply by their presence.  In crowd scenes children are focus not filler. Angels stand watch over gangs of roughhousing boys in the streets of Bethlehem.  Children shadow and pester the wise men as they arrive at the manger. Children are the first to enter God’s temple after Jesus has cleansed it. When Herod’s massacre of the innocents occurs on screen it illuminates an age-old enmity recalling the famous line from Revelation 12. “The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth‚ so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.” Tyrannical powers are always inimical to those succeeding generations poised to unseat them. On his triumphant donkey ride into Jerusalem‚ as the crowd presses Him from every side‚ the Savior of the World casually cups the brow of a blond-haired baby in subtle blessing. If you blink you’ll miss it. Many reach for Jesus. Only an innocent babe obtains his loving touch. It’s a glancing no-look gesture that prioritizes the primacy of children in Pasolini’s Gospel rendering.  Despite the family friendly feeling‚ approachability is not the point of The Gospel According to Matthew.  Staged like terrifying works of art there are shots of the Son of God that agitate and appall.  Waiting for Satan in a stark desert setting Christ prays so profoundly it looks as if he’s kneeling at the bottom of the sea. Palms skyward his posture projects an unexpected vibe —  aggression — as he anticipates the arrival of a deranged and defeated foe. When the devil finally shows his face he’s a thick-tongued lightweight compared to Irazoqui’s vigorous‚ thin-skinned Christ. Walking on the Sea of Galilee is played like a horror sequence without special effect.  Draped in shadow Christ advances across the water toward the open boat like an angel of death. Frightened at the approaching phantom his disciples scramble for safety‚ but Pasolini affords them no quarter.  Perhaps‚ the atheist director was familiar with Philippians 2:12‚ “When you contemplate your salvation do it in fear and trembling.” (READ MORE: Raising Hares at Mount St. Mary’s University) Playing his protagonist like a stranger on the edge of town‚ more than a small town boy with no place to rest his head‚ Pasolini gives us the Jesus that the Pharisees marked for death. Irazoqui’s Messiah is not a high-minded philosopher with his head in the clouds. He’s a fault-finding firebrand spitting nails in the street. Because of the daring of a director with pronounced personal flaws‚ who was ultimately murdered soliciting prostitution in 1975‚ we have been gifted an unlikely screen Gospel that will never be duplicated. Big studio Hollywood can’t bow low enough.  It’s no coincidence that the two best films about the life of Christ‚ Gibson’s Passion and Pasolini’s tour de force‚ were made by outsiders at odds with the studio system.  Despite the bottom-up nature of the Jesus revolution‚ The Gospel According to Matthew clings to the hierarchical qualities of righteousness and judgment‚ refusing to sacrifice the life of Christ at the altar of accessibility.   John Singleton is the author of The Meaning of Mount St. Mary’s a new book that makes the case that the Emmitsburg‚ Maryland college is the “Mother of Catholic Education in the United States.”  The post Keep Pasolini’s Christ in Christmas appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Let’s construct a game with the following outcomes: win‚ loss‚ draw. Team A has only two possible outcomes‚ either win or draw; Team B also has two outcomes‚ lose or draw. If enough games are played according to these rules‚ Team B‚ who can never win‚ will eventually lose. Instead of pressuring Israel for yet another ceasefire‚ the voices from the West should insist that Hamas unconditionally surrender. This is precisely the rule of engagement that has governed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1948. In military terms‚ win means “victory‚” lose means “defeat‚” and draw means “ceasefire.”  Israel has been restricted from pursuing complete victory by world pressure to accept a ceasefire. Even when they have scored an unequivocal victory as in 1967‚ the Palestinians have not accepted defeat. It’s been noted that only in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the victor‚ Israel‚ the one who must sue for peace. (READ MORE: In Their Words: The Families of Hamas’ Victims) When Israel is allowed only a draw or defeat‚ with enough repetitions‚ eventual defeat is inevitable. As evidenced in the current battle‚ the Palestinians with the help of Iran and their proxies‚ will develop more powerful weapons and expertise. This will increase the chances of moving beyond a draw or ceasefire and they will pursue victory as the only outcome. The assurance that their worst outcome is a ceasefire has emboldened Hamas to launch the brutal and barbaric October 7th terror attack. Given the frequent threats of Hamas and Iran that deny the legitimacy of Israel‚ their vow to annihilate the “Zionist entity‚” and the haunting mantra “From the river to the sea‚” when they sense victory no world pressure will reign in their blood lust. The War of Independence in 1948 ended with a ceasefire and armistice in 1949. In 1956‚ Israel‚ Britain‚ and France were pressured by the United States to withdraw despite military success‚ giving Egypt victory and control over the Suez Canal. Despite the resounding victory by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967‚ the United Nations Security Council called for a ceasefire on June 7. This was immediately accepted by Israel and Jordan‚ and shortly after by Egypt and Syria. In 1973 Israel was attacked by Egypt and Syria on Yom Kippur‚ the holiest day of the year‚ a surprise attack that nearly brought Israel to destruction. American arms helped Israel to re-establish control‚ but again the United Nations Security Council‚ backed by international pressure‚ reiterated calls for a ceasefire with Resolutions 339 and 340. Israel accepted the ceasefire. This asymmetric war where one side is allowed only a ceasefire‚ never victory‚ is another instance of the double standard that prevails when Israel is involved. Wars of other nations end with the unconditional surrender of the defeated who sues for peace. In the American Civil War‚ General Lee was given the respect of a military general. He reluctantly appeared before Grant to surrender and accept the terms of peace. If peace is achieved with “malice towards none”‚ the long-term results can be as auspicious as seen in today’s triumphant South. After WWII the unconditional surrender by Germany and Japan led to their resurgence as national and economic powers. (READ MORE: Achieving Victory in Gaza: Some Questions) Gaza‚ many have noted‚ has the potential to become the Singapore of the Middle East if it changes course and invests the billions provided by Arab and Western nations in economic development rather than underground tunnels. A profound change is needed that replaces the culture of death with the culture of life‚ that accepts the 75-year-old reality that Israel exists and will endure‚ and that re-writes the narrative and textbooks that educate its children with a different model of heroism that eschews murdering Jews as the path to heavenly reward. Regrettably‚ from a Jewish perspective that prefers compromise over confrontation‚ the only way to achieve such a change is to speak the language of the Palestinian zeitgeist‚ which is that compromise is an unacceptable humiliation. As with Germany or Japan‚ both the ruling political power and the general population must be left with no alternative except defeat and unconditional surrender. The previously endless cycle of attack‚ limited war‚ and ceasefire encourages more terror until the next iteration. If any good emerges from the viciously sadistic torture and murder of so many‚ it will be this: The world will see in bold relief the goal of Iran and its increasingly empowered proxies is‚ as repeatedly stated‚ the death of Israelis‚ Jews‚ and ultimately the West (It’s worth noting that in 1979 America suffered a smaller scale but similar hostage crisis at the hands of Iran). It’s encouraging that America has expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself. The next critical step is for America to also understand that for Israel to “protect itself‚” this time the enemy must be driven to an unconditional surrender. The innocent Gazans that America and Israel want to protect from harm must be ready to accept the terms of defeat so the moral restructuring and economic development of Palestine can begin. (READ MORE: Muslim Women Visit Israel to Show Solidarity Against Hamas) Reuters News recently reported that there were 15‚000 Palestinian casualties and that an impending health crisis could take even more lives. Assuming that this figure is close to the actual number‚ in other wars this would be the time to hear talk of surrender. Israel has stated that because of the heinous crimes of Hamas terror they must be destroyed and a ceasefire is off the table. Now is the time for the world to support an end of the asymmetric war strategy of ceaseless ceasefires that render Israel vulnerable to existential threat. Instead of pressuring Israel for yet another ceasefire‚ the voices from the West should insist that Hamas unconditionally surrender. 75 years of ceaseless ceasefires have failed to end the conflict. Giving Israel a new option of victory rather than draw or defeat is the only path to lasting peace. The writer‚ who holds a Ph.D.‚ is a psychologist and former assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He has published pioneering scientific articles on positive psychology and coping with stress‚ as well as social and political commentaries in the Jerusalem Post‚ Arutz Sheva‚ Christian Science Monitor‚ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‚ the American Thinker‚ and others. The post Israel Must Obtain an Unconditional Surrender appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

During a recent Fox News interview‚ House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) insisted that he’s “a rule of law guy.” Johnson didn’t elaborate‚ but it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s planning to call on the House to impeach Attorney General Merrick Garland for trampling on the rule of law by obstructing prosecution of a brazen $5 million shakedown by Hunter Biden. Here’s the story of Hunter’s shakedown and what Garland did to make sure he could never be prosecuted for it. (READ MORE: The Merrick Garland Insurrection) On July 30‚ 2017‚ Hunter sent this threatening WhatsApp message to an executive of CEFC‚ a large Chinese corporation he thought he had talked into giving him a seven figure “representation” deal. I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand‚ and now means tonight.  And‚ Z‚ if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you‚ Zhang‚ or the chairman‚ I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction.  I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father. And the threat worked. Records obtained by Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) show that on August 8‚ 2017‚ CEFC wired $5 million to Hunter’s account at a U.S bank. Hunter probably thought none of this would ever come to light‚ but three years later an IRS investigation of his 2017 taxes turned up a copy of his extortionate WhatsApp message‚ and not long afterward‚ that copy made its way to Garland’s desk probably with a transmittal pointing out that Hunter’s shakedown was a felony punishable by imprisonment for up to two years under U.S. Code § 875(d). Big problem.  The matter had to be investigated‚ but investigation of the President and his son would involve the Justice Department in a massive conflict of interest. Given that conflict‚ long-standing Justice Department regulations (28 CFR §§ 600.1 and 600.3) required Garland to appoint a Special Counsel from outside the U.S. government to investigate Hunter and his father. But instead‚ Garland took control of the case himself and sat on it until August 8‚ 2022‚ when the matter became too old to prosecute under the federal five-year statute of limitations‚ and Hunter went Scot free. That’s the case for Garland’s impeachment‚ and‚ once opened in the House‚ here’s how it would eventually be brought to trial before the Senate. (READ MORE: Five Quick Things: Garland Drowns in a Swamp of His Own Making) After swift introductory proceedings in the House‚ the Senate would appoint Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) as Presiding Officer of the trial‚ and all the other Senators would be sworn in as jurors and instructed that 67 guilty votes would be required for Garland’s conviction. Garland would then be required to submit written answers to Articles of Impeachment charging him with defying the Special Counsel regulations and obstructing prosecution of Hunter’s shakedown. That done‚ representatives appointed by the House would be required to submit written responses to Garland’s answers‚ and then it would be off to the trial. On the witness stand‚ Garland would probably deny that he did anything to prevent prosecution of Hunter Biden’s shakedown‚ arguing that all criminal charges against Hunter were automatically assigned to David Weiss‚ U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware‚ and that Weiss alone was responsible for leaving the shakedown case unprosecuted until it had to be closed under the statute of limitations. However‚ the House’s representatives would immediately challenge that contention and obtain two key rulings from Senator Leahy: first that Weiss was subject to Garland’s supervision and direction‚ and second that it would be up to the jurors to decide whether Weiss let the shakedown case wither away because Garland directed him to do so. So‚ after hearing all the evidence‚ what would the Senate’s verdict be? Although many Democrats would probably vote for Garland’s acquittal‚ the most likely outcome would be Garland’s conviction and removal from office by the votes of 50 Republicans‚ 3 Independents and at least 14 like-minded Democrats. (READ MORE: Was Last Week the Beginning of the End for Biden?) A stinging defeat for Garland‚ but a big win for Johnson and the rule of law. The post A Clear Case for Merrick Garland’s Impeachment appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

by Jim Quinn‚ The Burning Platform: Something is not right‚ and the drastically divergent messages from Powell and his cronies at the Fed over the last month and a half con firm this suspicion. It does remind me of September 2019 when the repo market revealed the underlying mechanisms within the financial system were malfunctioning […]

by Jonathan Rawles‚ Survival Blog: The current real estate market‚ economic situation‚ and high interest rates continue to limit options for buying real estate. While prices have come down from their peak in many areas‚ the recent increase in interest rates means that affordability has not improved for the average buyer. There is also very […]

from And We Know: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

by Donald Jeffries‚ “I Protest”: If you do a search for “Caucasian” on Google images‚ you’ll see a few pictures of actual Caucasians‚ interspersed among lots of images of nonwhites. This is similar to searching for “Happy White woman.” Do it. You’ll be surprised by what images come up. Actually maybe you won’t be. This […]

In the early days of COVID‚ Dr. Vladimir Zelenko became a hero for using hydroxychloroquine to save his patients. Until his efforts were halted by a Democrat governor. But Dr. Zelenko didn’t let politicians stop him from helping sick people. He kept working — and found a legal‚ over-the-counter way to get patients what they need. He called it “a gift from God in response to tyranny.” It’s a combination of quercetin‚ zinc and vitamins — he created what became the widely popular Z-Stack. Why are quercetin and zinc so important for stopping viruses? Watch Dr. Zelenko explain “the bullet and gun” approach for understanding zinc ionophores (transcript of highlights is below): Rumble("play"‚ {"video":"vowxhh"‚"div":"rumble_vowxhh"}); From the video: “Zinc is the bullet – it kills the virus. The only problem is the bullet doesn’t get to the place where it needs to be. The virus is inside the cell. The enzyme is inside the cell. And the zinc on its own cannot get into the cell. You have a bullet without a gun – useless. Now‚ it turns out there’s a class of medications called ‘zinc ionophores’ or a class of substances called ‘zinc ionophores’ — what they do — is they open up a channel‚ a door‚ which allows zinc to go from outside the cell to inside the cell . . .  . . . They’re the guns that shoot the bullet. The bullet then gets into the cell and stops the virus enzyme from helping the virus replicate. So you have a gun and bullet. Only the synergy of the two creates a functioning unit . . .  . . . Patients were having trouble sourcing it‚ because it was four different ingredients that weren’t always available in the same place. They had trouble finding the right doses. It was a puzzle that was a little too complex for people to put together. So I was asked as a necessity — as a favor to people — to produce something that has everything in one package. It made sense to me‚ so with the help of my colleagues‚ we were able to produce a substance — a compound called Z-Stack — that has Vitamin C‚ Vitamin D‚ and most importantly has quercetin and zinc.” Carrying on Dr. Zelenko’s legacy‚ Z-Stack is now available to everyone. Z-Stack is: — Made of real‚ all-natural ingredients — Gluten-free — GMP-certified — Proudly made in the USA To order Z-Stack directly from Dr. Zelenko’s store‚ click here. Click here to go directly to Dr. Zelenko’s store. Stay SAFE and stay HEALTHY! (Note: Thank you for supporting businesses like the one presenting a sponsored message in this article and ordering through the links provided‚ which benefits WLTReport. We appreciate your support!)

AC/DC confirm their first drummer Colin Burgess has passed away at the age of 77