There will be one more newsletter before year-end, and hopefully it will be short, sweet and full of joy. We could all use a joyful intermission before 2026, which promises to be a monumental year. The CORAC global Zoom this Sunday afternoon will help us prepare for the new year!

Opinions expressed in the newsletter, unless otherwise attributed, are my own.

Sheryl Collmer, editor
December 4, 2025
sherylc@coracusa.com

Illegal Orders
By Steve Johnston

Last week, six Democrat lawmakers, all with either military or CIA backgrounds, published a video advising active-duty military to “disobey illegal orders”. These lawmakers were Senator Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona, Representative Maggie Goodlander, from New Hampshire, Representative Chrissy Houlahan, from Pennsylvania, Representative Chris Deluzio, from Pennsylvania, and Representative Jason Crow, from Colorado.

As a Navy veteran who retired after 23 years myself, I don’t have a problem with the actual message, but with how it was presented. You see, each military member is taught, upon entry, that they are not required to follow illegal orders. This is a given, and is a basic tenet taught early in the career of all military members. The problem here is that, by making a video of this, it insinuates that illegal orders have been, or are being, issued. This leads to confusion among the troops, leaving them to try to guess if, and what, illegal orders have been given.

I might have even been more forgiving if they had defined illegal orders or had given examples, yet they did neither. They made the statement “we have your backs,” but for what? Without guidance, training, or even examples, military members are left to determine which orders to disobey. If, in their determination, they ignore an order, but it turns out to be a legal order, will these lawmakers still
“have their backs”? I highly doubt it, but, even if they do, what can they do to help someone who ignored a legal order? You have a serious breakdown of good order and discipline if you have service members constantly questioning whether orders are legal or not!

Another issue here is that what they did constitutes an illegal order! During my time in the military, I eventually became a senior enlisted member. In that capacity, I was endowed with the authority to give orders to junior enlisted members. If I gave an order without ensuring that the member I had given the order to fully understood the order, then I had given an illegal order. For example, if I ordered a Sailor to fight a fire, without first ensuring that they had received all the proper training in how to fight fires, how to operate the firefighting equipment, how to wear their protective gear, then I gave an illegal order, and if that sailor obeyed that illegal order, and got injured or died, I would have been held accountable, possibly facing a courts martial, as Senator Mark Kelly may soon be facing. He gave an illegal order in that he told his military audience to disobey illegal orders but did not give any guidance in how to identify an illegal order. If any service member now disobeys a legal order, all six lawmakers, including Senator Kelly, should be subject to prosecution.

On top of this, I received an unsolicited text message from someone today purporting to be Senator Kelly stating that the “Department of Defense is coming after me”, crying that it is “political persecution”, of all things! They were asking me to contribute “$10, or whatever I could afford, so that they would have the resources necessary to fight back against what comes next”.

Do they not realize that by making that video, political persecution is exactly what they are trying to attempt themselves? They have the gall to also try to enrich themselves through this travesty of bad leadership!

Finally, Senator Rubin Gallego, Arizona, has come out and warned military members who participate in any attempts to courts martial any of these lawmakers that there would be “consequences”. He stated that Donald Trump would not be around forever to protect them. This is an open declaration of future retaliation, which is highly illegal! I am no longer surprised by the confusing theatrics and plots of the Democrats, but I believe that it is our duty to expose them at every turn.

Join the global Zoom this Sunday afternoon, December 7 at 3:00 pm Central Time. All are welcome. Charlie will speak and take questions. No pre-registration, just click here Sunday at 3 >

The CORAC mission “Go Forth” is meant to launch us all into the “prayer of doing”. All around us are people and situations that need a helping touch. Read through all these short little missions to become aware of all the easy things we can be doing day by day.

Check the posts here and click on the individual items that pique your interest. Here are just a few:

• • The Simple Nod
  • A Swift Sweep
  • Curated Info Care Package
  • Spotlight on the Other Guy
  • The Society of Page-Turners
  • Teach a Man to Fish
  • Keeping Vigil
  • Gratitude Jars
  • The Local Skill Mill
  • Pie It Forward
  • Block Party: The First Step
  • Love, Loaves and Fishes

Jule Lane, Region 12, gave a fabulous talk on the Holy Face of Jesus at the CORAC National Conference, but it was lost in a video mishap. Now she has been gracious enough to repeat much of it in an interview with Dr. Joe Brickner. Jule founded an apostolate, Defenders of the Holy Name of God, which she uses to advance the Holy Face of Jesus Work of Reparation—igniting a Revolution of Reparation and Hope to combat blasphemy of God, end moral corruption, defend the culture of life, and defeat modernism/communism.

Watch here >

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Subscribe to Coffee & Covid >

Thurs, 12/4 Science Café
HHS goes after parent-rights-smashing jab pushers; Trump strikes at runaway car prices; and we dismantle the $cience myth—plus what Secretary Kennedy plans to do about it

Wed, 12/3 Coon Capers
Pentagon swaps out aging press clique, spurring media hysterics; Tennessee special tests GOP turnout; billionaires boost Trump trusts; RFK eyes full pediatric vax review; and hairy bathroom bandits.

Tues, 12/2 Eye of the Beholder
Lawfare halts repainting of weathered executive building; haunted past resurfaces; Trump sees beauty in neglect; House boosts Medal of Honor pensions; lazy Congress risks lasting gains

Mon 12/1 Taking Root
Long knives for Hegseth; Obama double-taps; Dem hypocrisy; Mexico cash flow crunch; Treasury targets illicit transfers; spike protein found in tumors; and the Times exposes Somali fraud.

I’ve only recently discovered this gem on Substack. Chris writes incisively about theology and the currents in the Church. He’s not what I’d call optimistic, but his is a necessary viewpoint. Our beloved Church is at sea in a terrible storm, and we won’t weather it well by not paying attention to warning signs.

Read and subscribe here >

Here’s a teaser: Chris wrote a song titled “Hail Mary, Co-Redemtrix” shortly after Cardinal Fernandez issued Mater Populi Fidelis, ditching that title. I love a rebel with a good cause. “Hiraeth” is a Welsh word that vaguely translates to “longing for home.” It’s a good word to describe our pilgrimage on earth, always longing for Heaven.

There are three levels of membership in the Pillars of Faith Fraternity that Bishop Strickland has launched: the priestly, the professed religious and the lay associate levels. I think it is important to formally join the Fraternity, rather than just watching from the sidelines. There is strength in community, even virtual community.

In a certain way, the Fraternity is a little like CORAC: we are not sure what part it will play in the future, but it’s building a structure that God can use for His purposes.

The commitment of a lay associate is not heavy:

• • Daily Rosary
  • Weekly Holy Hour of Eucharistic devotion
  • Frequent reception of the sacraments
  • Works of mercy and reparation
  • Prayerful support of priests in their ministry

Begin the process of membership by requesting more information, at the bottom of this page >

You’ll receive an email in response with a link to the registration questionnaire.

One of Elizabeth Nickson’s most interesting themes is the role of British “elites” in some of the worst problems that plague the world. In this James Delingpole podcast, she elaborates on that theme, as a descendant of the historically noble Spencer family (Princess Diana).

Listen to podcast >

You can read more and subscribe here >

Nickson drops a weekly post, usually on Saturdays.

If you’ve read much about Eastern/Western church relations, then you know all about the Filioque clause, which was the ostensible cause of the Great Schism of 1054. It’s the reason the Eastern Orthodox churches have been separated from the Roman Catholic Church for nearly one thousand years. There’s a long, complicated history, as you might imagine, that you can begin to follow in these books:

• • Rome and the Eastern Churches: A Study in Schism, by Aidan Nichols, O.P.
  • Answering Orthodoxy: A Catholic Response, by Michael Lofton

Filioque means, literally, “and the Son.” It’s what we recite every Sunday in the Nicene Creed: “I believe in the Holy Spirit… who proceeds from the Father and the Son…” Eastern Orthodoxy would rather say, simply, that the Spirit proceeds from the Father.

When Pope Leo celebrated the 1,700-year anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in Turkey last week, the gathering of Eastern and Western leaders recited the Nicene Creed in its original Greek formulation, without the Filioque. It was a concession with repercussions not yet clear.

How we understand the Trinity has implications, because the universe itself bears the imprint of the Trinity. This is not inconsequential; what we pray determines what we believe and how we live, especially in marriage. I don’t think the Filioque should be tossed overboard as a goodwill gesture.

The reunion of Eastern and Western Churches would be a powerful testimony to the world of the unity that Christ prayed for in John 17, “that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you loved me.” Were Christians to be united in truth and practice and prayer, we would shake up the world!

May it be so, without further wounds to the Catholic faith.

More here >

Listen to, or read, Bishop Strickland’s response to the Pope’s Apostolic Letter In Unitate Fidei on the 1,700-year anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. As the Bishop says, “Something decisive is taking shape. Something eternal. And the Holy Spirit is urging us to see it clearly.”

Watch here >

Every region has its own natural theme: pine trees, seashells, grain heads, river rocks… and beautiful Christmas decorations can be made from them. Here in east Texas, we have loads of pine cones, magnolia pods and sweet gum balls that make great wreaths and garlands. Take your kids out foraging, and have a Christmas Crafts Day. All you need are glue guns, ribbon, twine and whatever you pick up off the ground. (Note: I have found it a good idea to put foraged materials in a 170º oven for an hour or so, to knock back any critters that may be piggybacking.)

10 Easy DIY Christmas Crafts Using Nature >

Simple Old-fashioned Orange and Pinecone Garland >

Natural Christmas Decorations >

Here in east Texas, we were going great guns on radio connectivity last year, with weekly practice, a newly certified HAM, and a dedicated CORAC repeater. The new year brought a needed rest, but I got so out of practice, I couldn’t remember my FCC call number when asked! So we scheduled a refresher, and I highly recommend it.

We met at a local lake park and structured it as a treasure hunt. There were three stations manned by volunteers, each on a different frequency. The participants had to tune the first frequency and request directions to that station, where they got their passports initialled. They repeated the exercise for two more stations, and the completed passports were put in a hat for a prize drawing. Everyone, even the kids, was successful tuning their radios to the particular treasure hunt stations, the NOAA weather station and the CORAC repeater.

This would be an easy event to organize, and a great way to bring your local CORAC’ers together. For us, it had been nearly a year since we’d all gotten together for CORAC.

The US Debt Clock.

Meanwhile, in another section of the data clock, there is good news! Those long caravans of unvetted “migrants” coming up the pipeline from central America have dried up almost entirely.

These pictures should show to anyone who still doubts… it was always deliberate.