Issue 2024-23

18208 Preston Road, Ste D9-552
Dallas TX 75252

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For they will be made holy who observe holy things in holiness.

Read this newsletter in PDF format for greatest clarity.

As we end 2024 (I thought we’d never get here), the country is on a new path, and so is CORAC. So much of what we dreaded from a Deep State victory has passed out into the sewage system and away from our immediate notice. We may not be Mayberry yet, but we have at least begun to turn the ship. It is my private opinion that we would faint from shock and horror if we saw the enormity of what we avoided. That is even more good reason to give thanks and celebrate Christmas with merry hearts!

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

Sheryl Collmer, editor
December 20, 2024
sherylc@coracusa.com

From the cockpit of the Subaru

CORAC founder Charlie Johnston travels from coast to coast in his trusty Outback to speak in person to those now weathering the Storm.

A SIGN OF HOPE

Unifying the Spiritual and the Material

Our own Steve Baker formulated one of the more penetrating questions to a piece I wrote... more >

CHARLIE’S BRIEF

Remove Obstacles

Some thoughts about where we’re at, what we’ve been called to do... more >

NEWS

Cramnibus and
the MAGA Army

The MAGA Army is the mass of content tweeters on X. When this loose coalition of post-ers gets excited… more >

New to X

If you’ve never had a Twitter/X account before, you may want to consider it…. more >

Ten Stories the Media Buried
This Week

What the media won’t tell us… more >

What We Avoided

Do you want to feel really, really grateful for the Trump victory? Go see Homestead… more >

All I Want For Christmas

Thirty years ago I became dear friends with a woman, Cindy, who was mother to seven children. She was the sister of a dear friend, all part of a big family of pro-life activists. The close friendship began one night when we went over to pick up one of her sons who was in the same age range as my children.

I was doing radio at the time and had gotten a complimentary pass to the opening night of the Milwaukee Zoo’s Christmas Lights celebration. We had invited him to come with us to the zoo that night – and were over to pick the boy up. We sat and talked for a while with her and one of her brothers, Joe. I was enthusing over how beautiful the setting was supposed to be and the special activities ahead. Cindy got caught up with fervor and asked Joe if he could come with her so they could take all of the kids. I enthused that my pass covered as many people as I wanted to bring, so it would be a great outing for all of us.

Alas, Joe had something else he had to do that evening. Cindy shrunk in disappointment. I asked her why didn’t we just load up all nine of our collective kids in her van and go? (When you have such a brood, you need at least two adults to keep an eye on all of them.) She looked at me cautiously and asked if I really understood what a task it was to care for that many children on an outing. I laughed and told her I was the oldest of six siblings myself, so I was a past master at herding such a crowd. She asked carefully again if I was sure. I laughed and said it would be a ball…and as a bonus, it would drive the Planned Parenthood types there nuts. So she jumped up, told the kids to all get their coats, we loaded up the van, and were off.

It was an incredible evening. When we got there we all took a little park train to the interior of the zoo. As we were riding, one of those truly magical light snows began, delicate and sparkly. The Christmas lights and the animals in the central section were a source of wonder for the kids. I was struck with the raw beauty of a Bengal Tiger, regally resting atop a cliff with the snow falling and twinkling all around him as he gazed at us. What laughter and fun as we got hot chocolate for all!

On the way home, it was unceasing, joyful chatter among the kids in the back of the van. We stopped at a McDonald’s and went through the drive-through. The gal who gave us our rather large order asked, in wonder at the raucous cheer of the kids in back, if these were all ours. I started to explain from the passenger seat – but before I could Cindy gave a much better, more concise answer: “Yes.” We were fast friends from then on. When you have that many kids and you find someone who is not only willing, but enjoys helping to ride herd on them all for outings, it cements a friendship.

At the time, I used to go for Daily Mass at St. Anastasia before going into the radio station to begin my shift. Turns out, she frequently took her kids there for the same. After we started hanging out together, whenever I came in, one of her pre-school girls would break the quiet in Church by saying, in her best little radio voice, “I’m Charlie Johnston…” and the call letters of my station. At first, everyone in Church would giggle as Cindy tried to get the child to hush. But the little girl would not be deterred so it became part of the contemplation before Mass each day.

When I would call Cindy to set up an outing, usually her husband would answer the phone. After a while, he took to calling out, “Cindy, it’s your boyfriend!” It was amusing, but I worried it might have an edge to it. So I asked him at a large family gathering one evening if he was concerned or offended. “Lord, no!” he exclaimed. “You’re alright and, even if I were not sure about that, I know Cindy. Please, keep calling. I work a lot and am exhausted when I get home. It takes a lot of pressure off me.”

One Christmas Eve, Cindy’s parents had a huge Christmas Eve Party with all their kids, their kids’ families and a few friends. As friends with most of them, I was invited along with my kids. During the course of the evening, Cindy pulled me aside and, with her face aglow, told me, “I’m pregnant – and I wanted you to be the first to know.” Overjoyed, I congratulated her…and then noted wryly that that didn’t sound quite right. She colored a bit and said, “You know, Charlie, even from a big, pro-life family, when you have as many as I do, you don’t only have to deal with the disapproving looks of outsiders, but some of your own family sometimes wonders what you are thinking. You are the one person I know who would simply be delighted with no hedging, so that is why I wanted you to be the first to know.”

I still count it as one of the greatest compliments I have ever gotten. All I want for Christmas is for everyone to be at least half as unreservedly happy as I am about the arrival of new little souls.

Ave Maria, Stella Maris!

If communication goes out for any length of time, meet outside your local Church at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings. Tell friends at Church now, in case you can’t then. CORAC teams will be out looking for people to gather in and work with.

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NEWS

Cramnibus and the MAGA Army

The MAGA Army is the mass of content tweeters on X. When this loose coalition of post-ers gets excited about an issue, it goes big in a hurry. You participate by reposting significant tweets and using pertinent hashtags. For example, Wednesday afternoon, I was reposting excerpts from the scandalous omnibus spending bill with the hashtag #ShutItDown. Others used #KillBill. The cumulative effect is millions of people aware of an issue that would previously have gone down without our notice. X makes it possible for our voices to be heard.

Specifically, the 1600-page bill (nicknamed Cramnibus, or Porkulus) was introduced in Congress six hours before the vote was scheduled on Wednesday. Congress is so accustomed to our passivity and ignorance (thanks to the media) that they assumed the bill would pass with no one reading it.

Vivek Ramaswamy went to work, reading the dang thing, and apparently finishing it, which is a magnificent feat and speaks very well of our future DOGE deputy. I think Vivek was the only person who actually read the monster.

Vivek, Thomas Massie, Nancy Mace, Elon Musk, Rick Scott, Cory Mills, and a host of others began posting what was actually in the bill Wednesday afternoon:

  • Congressional 40% pay raise (while operating with only 19% public approval)
  • New football stadium for Washington DC
  • Regulations for vaccine and mask mandates
  • Gain-of-function research (new pandemics)
  • Expands government powers for (next) plandemic response
  • Strengthens liability shields for mRNA vaccine manufacturers
  • Shields Congressional offices who participated in J6 Committee fraud
  • Funds censorship projects
  • $3 million for inspecting molasses inspectors (“Calling DOGE, come in, DOGE.”)
  • Another $60 billion to Ukraine
  • Language mandating criminals be called “justice-involved individuals”

(See what’s going on there?)

The response from MAGA on X was overwhelming, and convinced RINO Congressmen that they would not retain their apparently quite profitable seats if they voted for the Cramnibus. The scheduled vote on the bill was cancelled. Say thank you to X, Elon, and the MAGA army.

Mike Johnson, who seems to have lined up for Biggest Disappointment in Congress Ever, helped author and hide the behemoth bill with his Democrat buddies, until the last minute. I doubt he will be Speaker for much longer.

Right behind him in line is Dan Crenshaw from Texas, who viciously ripped into a few X post-ers (notably the humorously named CatTurd2, who has over 3 million loyal followers) with filthy language and an I’m-Better-Than- You attitude. Crenshaw was just overwhelmingly re-elected from District 2 of Texas, but will undoubtedly face a strong primary challenge in 2026.

Legislators are starting to realize that they will be held accountable for their actions. If they oppose the will of the people, they will be primaried, and their access to the giant teat will be cut off.

Other fallout from X: DOGE has proposed that all Congressional bills be posted online so the The People, who are paying all the invoices, can actually know what is being done with our money. Speaker Johnson finds this undesireable, because the people don’t know “how the sausage is made.” He is undoubtedly correct about that, but since Congress has been so untrustworthy for so long, they are going to have to be transparent and accountable to us now. It is also proposed that bill sponsors be named, so we know who to hold responsible. O, change is a-comin!

We the People have arrived.

New to X

If you’ve never had a Twitter/X account before, you may want to consider it. Critical events are known on X 30-60 minutes before they get reported on legacy media. Errors in reporting are called out quickly, and you hear from people “on the ground,” not up in a cubby on the 70th floor of somewhere.

One example: Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina states to the media that everything is fine, everyone is happy. Residents of North Carolina post videos and interviews, showing devastated towns, people living in tents and testimonials about the utter lack of FEMA presence. You see teams of civilians moving road obstacles and riding supplies in by mule train. Who you gonna believe?

The quality of news you get on X is largely going to depend on who you follow. Some recommendations: Trump, Vance, Musk, Ramaswamy, James O’Keefe, General Flynn, Dan Bongino, Tucker Carlson, Gunther Eagleman, Lara Logan, DC Draino, Edward Pentin, Bishop Strickland, Cardinal Sarah, Charlie Johnston, Eric Sammons, LifeSite Catholic, Billboard Chris, Charlie Kirk, Complicit Clergy, Catholics for Catholics, Janet “Retired and Recycled” Smith, A Midwestern Doctor. There’s a starting platform. You’ll find more as you go and can refine your “follows.” You won’t like everything you read, but that’s not the point: we are adults who can be trusted to sift varying viewpoints and discern the most accuarate accounting of events. X has become the way we make our leaders responsible to us in between their election cycles. Stand by for squeals and accusations from those making a fortune off their Congressional seats.

Coffee and Covid

The daily C&C newsletter has become as necessary as brushing my teeth in the morning. Jeff Childers covers the couple biggest issues of the prior day in a concise and often amusing manner. Today’s edition, “Killing the Blob” addresses something BIG that happened yesterday that you may have missed if you aren’t on X. We the People convincingly told Congress the shocking truth that THEY WORK FOR US, and we will not reward their treacherous behavior.

You can sign up to receive Jeff’s posts in your email each day, and I highly recommend. He is an attorney and a stellar researcher.

Sign up >

Ten Stories the Media Buried This Week

Prepare To Be Skeptical

The attempt to make avian flu (H5N1) the next pandemic has been going on for a while now. In order to induce panic, it has to be shown that the virus can jump from the bird population to humans. It has apparently jumped to cattle. Cows have now “tested positive” (what test was used? the same PCR that gave entirely manipulable results during the last plandemic?) California is now under “emergency restrictions” which means residents have to do whatever nutty things the governor can come up with. If Newsome does the bidding of the Deep State and manages to produce another “pandemic,” he will have earned his right to be a serious contender in the 2028 election.

Read the Coffee and Covid edition linked above for real data about bird flu, which is just like seasonal flu. Best protection: plenty of sunshine and Vitamin D, exercise, healthy diet, plenty of solid sleep at night.

It is our job to mock and civilly disobey any mandates. We will show what we have learned from 2020.

Read more >

Viganò on Trump’s Victory

The Archbishop understands the American people better than our own government does. Read the whole letter for context, but here are a few jewels.

“The people are tired of being trampled on daily, of being humiliated for their honesty, of being mocked for their Faith, of being criminalized because they love their homeland.”

“The people who have elected Donald Trump – a number that is far greater than the official figures, if we consider the voter fraud that nonetheless took place – first and foremost have affirmed their right to remain human.”

“Our prayers have reached the Throne of the Divine Majesty and have been heard: let us make ourselves worthy of God’s Mercy by exemplary living and bear witness to Our Lord Jesus Christ by a life consistent with the Gospel.”

Read more >

What We Avoided

Do you want to feel really, really grateful for the Trump victory? Go see Homestead. The film depicts the US after a nuclear detonation occurs in Los Angeles. The nation devolves into chaos, which gradually approaches the boundaries of “The Homestead,” an eccentric prepper’s fortress nestled in the mountains. A frightfully plausible story of survival and resilience, Homestead begins its theatrical run on December 20.

Trailer, tickets and showtimes >

J6 Road Home

The J6 Road Home Project is an in-person program offered free of charge to January 6th defendants. A couple in central Texas (the wife was arrested for J6) has turned their beautiful 11-acre B&B into a place of healing and growth for those whose lives were gutted by the Unjustice Department and whose health and well-being was crushed by the prison conditions. Doctors, financial professionals, counselors, business mentors are offering their services to the men and women who need them.

The project is most in need of contributions to build tiny houses on the property, professional services for the Sixers, and job openings for those returning to the workforce.

This is the first comprehensive effort to address all the issues the J6ers will have upon their release.

j6roadhome.com >

This is another chapter in the ongoing story, “Americans Helping Americans.” We can not rely on the government to help those in need. The current government has set itself up as the enemy of ordinary people, in East Palestine, Ohio, Maui, western North Carolina. The same people who persecuted the J6ers are not going to help them get on their feet. It has to be us, and frankly, it’s better that way.

CORAC WEBSITE

Do explore the website! It’s rich with helpful information. Start on the home page.

PRAYER

December Prayer Intentions

  • That CORAC members respond with patience and kindness to family members, neighbors, friends, and other people of good will who have been Made To Be Afraid™ of the November 5, 2024, election results; and that we be signs of hope for those around us

  • For Charlie as, with a lighter heart, he revises CORAC’s manual: Revival: A Handbook and Manual for Building Functional Communities

  • That CORAC members experience renewed vigor and hope as we work to help renew the culture, neighborhood by neighborhood, with God’s grace and assistance to lead people back to Him

  • For CORAC members to seek and receive gifts of discernment as we continue to face and resist cultural efforts that oppose or disregard God’s design and commandments

  • That many people be healed in body, mind, and spirit through the online Physical Healing Prayer Session via Zoom (usually on the last Wednesday of each month); and through many other healing prayer ministries in which CORAC members are engaged

  • That CORAC members may strongly desire and find the means to participate in financial support for our vital ministries

  • For all intentions carried in the hearts of CORAC members and those posted on the CORAC Prayer Hotline, with gratitude for prayers answered in our daily lives

St. Gabriel, enlighten us.
St. Michael, defend us.
St. Raphael, protect us.
Ave Maria, Stella Maris!

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