Published: July 2, 2012
Bishops take on Soros
Advisory memo to journalists
The following is part of a memo sent by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on June 27.
We became aware on June 7, that news media received a memo from John Gehring, casting aspersions on the Catholic bishops and their educational project on religious liberty, the Fortnight for Freedom.
Mr. Gehring is Catholic Program Director of “Faith in Public Life. . . ,” a group founded with help from a pro-abortion group long directed by John Podesta called the Center for American Progress. . . (CAP); like the CAP it has received funding. . . from billionaire atheist George Soros. . . . These do not seem like eminent qualifications for telling bishops how to guide the Church.
In his memo, Mr. Gehring juxtaposes what he calls the bishops’ “Fictions” with his “Facts” – and he provides the media with “questions to ask Catholic bishops” that he apparently thinks are embarrassing.In fact we’re happy to answer those questions in this memo.But we’ll begin by showing how fiction and fact is mixed up in his account.
Gehring: It’s especially important to scrutinize the bishops’ campaign because of “the charged political backdrop of this high-profile initiative -- five months before a presidential election.”
Fact: Mr. Gehring should have noticed that the bishops’ key insert for Church bulletins during the Fortnight for Freedom lists seven recent threats to religious liberty – only two of which have anything to do with the President or his administration.None of our materials, of course, say anything about an election.The Fortnight for Freedom responds to a broader trend in our society: We are in danger of forgetting our nation’s great legacy of religious freedom, and of neglecting to defend such freedom for everyone when that is most needed.Even regarding the HHS contraceptive mandate – the only one of the seven threats that Mr. Gehring seems to notice – the timing of the regulatory process and resulting controversy has been determined by the Administration, not by the Church.
Gehring: The bishops have accused the Administration of waging “a war on religion” and “a war on the Catholic Church.”
Fact: Though he puts these phrases in direct quotes,Gehring produces noevidence of this. Instead he pulls a bait-and-switch, citing (and misusing) other quotes.For example: Gehring accuses Cardinal Dolan of saying that the Administration is “‘strangling’ the Catholic Church.”What Cardinal Dolan said was: “The exemption given to the church [by the HHS mandate] is so strangling and so narrow. . . and it’s also presumptuous that a bureau of the federal government is attempting to define for the church the extent of its ministry and ministers… It’s almost like we’re being punished for the fact that we serve a lot of people.” The Cardinal was noting that the narrow religious exemption is “strangling” the Church’s ability to live out its mission, because a Church institution can’t be exempt from the morally objectionable coverage unless (among other things) it stops serving people of other faiths – thus it must violate one call of the gospel or the other.To point out this Hobson’s choice is simply to recognize reality.
Gehring says Bishop Jenky of Peoria has “compared Obama administration policies to those of Hitler and Stalin.”Actually Bishop Jenky expressed concern. . . that the federal government may have begun to distrust the churches as rivals to its own claims to authority – as happened with many European leaders of the past century and more, whether of the mainstream right and left (Otto von Bismarck and Georges Clemenceau) or of the extremist right and left (Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin). But then, “Bishop warns against government trend toward a century-old European view of religion that, for all their other vast differences, was shared by Hitler and Georges Clemenceau” would not make a racy headline.
Finally, Gehring says Bishop Cordileone has expressed worry about the “despotism” of the HHS mandate.Bishop Cordileone was citing an 1886 speech by Cardinal James Gibbons that said the U.S. has “liberty without license, authority without despotism.” Noting recent attacks on the conscience rights of individual Americans, and on the right of religious institutions to serve the public without violating their teaching on marriage, he worried that “we could be starting to move in the direction of license and despotism.”In this context the bishop did not mention the HHS mandate or the Administration -- and the conference at which he spoke distributed a list of ten recent threats to religious freedom, only three of which have anything to do with the Obama administration. Yet Gehring simply assumes that all this is a direct reference (and an overreaction) to one federal policy.
Gehring: The Obama administration has now provided a “wider religious exemption” to its contraceptive mandate, and the bishops initially welcomed this before “quickly moving the goalposts” so they could object to it and support the Blunt amendment in Congress.
Fact: There was no “moving of goalposts.”The bishops have voiced principled objection to coerced contraceptive coverage as part of HHS’s “preventive services” mandate since 2010; they have supported exemptions from such mandates on moral or religious grounds for many years; and they have supported the “Respect for Rights of Conscience Act” (identical with the Blunt amendment) since December 2010.What happened on February 10, 2012 was that the bishops initially welcomed the Administration’s announcement that its incredibly narrow religious exemption would be broadened; but before the end of the day they saw the actual “final rule” from HHS, and found that the mandate and narrow exemption had been finalized “without change.”. . . So “spin” gave way to grim reality. A widening of the exemption not only did not happen – it would actually now be illegal, unless a new rulemaking process were to nullify the current one.
Gehring: The “accommodation” to which the bishops object “makes sure no religiously affiliated institution will have to pay for services that violate its moral beliefs or even refer employees for this coverage,” and so has been welcomed by Catholic Health Association and other Catholic groups.
Fact: No, the Catholic Health Association has objected. . . to the proposed “accommodation,” as have others across the political spectrum, once they found that the coverage will ultimately be subsidized by premiums paid by employers and employees and that the Administration’s various proposals are unworkable.Religious employers are excluded from having to “provide” the coverage only in the sense that the decision about providing it to their own employees will be taken away from them by the government.And Gehring’s claim that the coverage will be provided only “if a woman employed by an objecting Catholic institution wants this coverage” is absolutely false: The Administration’s new notice says the coverage will be provided “automatically” to these women, and to their teenage children, even if the woman objects.So individual conscience rights as well as parents’ rights to guide their children in matters of sexuality are now also at risk.Gehring doesn’t notice that in this respect, the new advance notice promotes a more coercive policy than the original one he describes (which is now obsolete).The problems with the “accommodation” have been thoroughly explained in a recent comment letter and fact sheet from the USCCB.
Gehring: Covering contraception is nothing new for Catholic institutions because it is already required in 28 states.
Fact: This canard was thoroughly addressed in the USCCB’s August 2011 comment letter to HHS.The state mandates usually apply only to health plans that provide prescription drug coverage generally; only one state requires coverage of sterilization; the mandates can be side-stepped by self-insuring, or coming under federal ERISA standards; and only three states have a religious exemption as incredibly narrow as the HHS mandate.The federal government has the most inescapably draconian mandate and the narrowest religious exemption in the country.No, this is not “business as usual.”
Gehring: Most Americans and Catholics support the HHS mandate and reject the Church’s concerns.
Fact: The findings of public opinion polls are notoriously changeable and dependent on the wording of questions, but in fact many polls contradict Gehring’s claim.Majority or plurality opposition to the mandate and/or its application to religious institutions, among Catholics and the general public, has been seen in polls released between February and June by Rasmussen, CNN. . . , Gallup. . . , QEV Analytics. . . , CBS News/New York Times. . . , and Marist. . . .In any case, our entire history of religious freedom in the United States has been aimed at defending the consciences of minorities against coercion by majorities.
To read entire memo, Click here.
Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 3:34 AM By OSCAR
Soros supported several fake and heretical groups that called themselves "Catholic" during the last Presidential election as well. This was a successful attempt to garner Catholic votes for a marxist and anti-Christian candidate - Obama and Senators of like mind. Catholics need to be aware of deceptions. Glad to see the Bishops on their toes this year.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 5:12 AM By Canisius
This has always been the modus operandi of the Left, half truths, take statements out of context, as far as I am concerned, Soros is a satanic money changer,,,,
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 5:26 AM By Life Lady
Wow, great memo. Thank you for publishing it, I can study the "meat and potatoes" of the issues and speak to these issues if I am asked, as I have already been, by a Catholic! This memo should be included in all the bulletins in all the Catholic churches so that everyone can understand what is at stake, and what they are praying for.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 6:07 AM By AnnAsher
Im not sure these enemies of truth warranted a response.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 6:17 AM By Thomas Szyszkiewicz
This is certainly good. But the original memo came out at the beginning of June. This response came out at the end of June. If they're dealing with the likes of Soros, they're going to have to be much faster on their feet.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 6:31 AM By Dana
Soros has always reminded me of Shelob, the bulbous, scheming spider, always plotting Ill for her enemies in her corpse-ridden, evil smelling lair whose victims become deeply enmeshed in her sticky, foul web. The bishops have Sting, the sword of truth, and the only weapon that has the power to cut through evil and lies. Soros us as unnatural as he is a force for chaos. More exposure to light is what this over-rich nincompoop needs. Who the hell does he think he is? Is he even an American citizen? Who gave him the authority to usurp the authority granted the bishops alone? He's attempting the same thing to our government and presidency. When is this misanthropic anti-Christ going to take a break? He's way passed his sell-by date and he's really making a big stink. We can't vote him out but a good stiff breeze and exposure to light will sure help to diminish his power. I'm sick of reading about all his vile plots.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 6:37 AM By Diane
I'm not surprised Soros is behind Gehring but I didn't know Soros was an athiest. Wolf Blitzer of CNN belongs in their with them too. Wonder if they're secret German Nazis? The acronym Nazi does after all stand for "National German SOCIALIST Party" and this admin. is SOCIALIST. USSR stood for" Union of Soviet SOCIALIST Republic". Good god, can things become more obvious. Modern SOCIALISTS always use abortionists, homosexuals and anti religious bigots to destroy nations and impose their rule. If religious people of all denominations are calling out to god for help now, they must understand that they must reject abortion, homosexual"rights" or God will reject their plea. To ask God's blessing on those evils by word or vote, is Blasphemy.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 7:40 AM By JLS
This memo starts off by declaring that the USCCB is not violating its tax exemption status. It's all about money.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 7:42 AM By PJT
The USCCB is just like any other political lobbying group and should be treated as such.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 7:50 AM By Fr. JP
Fact: Gehring can't seem to get his facts straight. Pro-aborts tend to be this way.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 7:50 AM By lula
Gering should call himself and his group the Anticatholics and the church should excommunicate them all and be done with it! "Whoever i not with me is against me!" We, the Faithful, we follow the teachings of the Majesterium. whoever can't accept that teaching is not a Member Of The Mystical Body Of Christ The Body of Christ is HOLY and obedient to the Will Of The FATHER. "Satan be gone!!!!!".
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 7:51 AM By Ray Martin
Bishops are to late to the game, they and Soros were on the same side helping get Obama elected.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 8:15 AM By Catherine
Fact: Supernatural battles are won by the courageous uniting of Supernatural Means. Fiction: Supernatural battles are not won by tit for tat memos to journalists, especially when there are only two bishops being used as the backbone example.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 8:19 AM By grampsc
More evidence of our, the lay person, need to stand with our BIshops and clergy.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 8:53 AM By Jacqueline
What else besides this kind of twisting of the truth can you expect from a bunch of atheist, radical liberals who are tredding on thin ice because Americans are mustering up the courage to stop them, expose them, prosecute them and sentence them for their unscrupulous, evil, traitorous coup of this country and all of the suffering that they are inflicting upon the Catholic Church and the American people. MY GOD REIGNS!
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 8:57 AM By David Orton
Right off the bat, under the first fact, the Bishop's say "None of our materials, of course, say anything about an election". This is the problem with our neutered Church. What are you afraid of? Losing your tax exemptions? If Hitler was running you would not have the courage to say vote for the other guy!!!!! We have a sad excuse of a man running for the White House who promotes abortion to a degree that would make Hitler proud. You can't vote for him!!!! With that said, maybe Romney isn't worth voting for either, but you can't vote for Obama.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 9:11 AM By JMJ++++
WE WILL NOT COMPLY TRUE CATHOLICS !!
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 9:14 AM By PETE
On the internet see: "OBAMA'S COUNTERFEIT CATHOLICS" by RealCatholicTV. You will recognize many of the names including atheist Soros, the guys who headed up ACORN, and more who are bankrolling or participating in HERETICAL Catholic groups to confuse the Faithful and damage our Church in the public media. Even the head of a large insurance company is involved.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 9:30 AM By Sarah
Faith in Public Life is an organization, with a Catholic Program Director, that has already begun its attack on the Catholic Church, even though the election is more than four months away. The Obama regime is afraid of the Church and will lie and, orchestrate a smear campaign against the bishops and Catholic doctrine to get people to vote for him. Obama's Health and Human Services director Kathleen Sebelius (rumored to be excommunicated from the Church) ordered Church organizations to provide contraception and abortions in employee health plans. With this attack before the election, one can only imagine the all-out war on the Church if Obama is re-elected. As a lame-duck president, Obama would have nothing to lose by attacking the Church, including taking away its tax exempt status. We need to rebut these lies about the Church, but also I hope some group will organize a novena, well before the election, that we can all join to ask for God's help in these perilous times. Has there ever been such an generously funded and well-organized attack on the Church in the U.S.?
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 9:52 AM By Anne T.
Many of us knew that this was the man pulling Barak Obama's puppet strings all along.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 10:15 AM By JLS
One can choose either God or money, but not both, for man cannot have two masters. Soros and the Soros-ettes have made their choice clear.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 10:27 AM By scubby
The Bishop's 'tolerance' of liberal values and lack of consistent adherence to Catholic principles is what got them (us) into this mess. I often found myself asking: "Are the Bishops Catholic?" I guess now we will see what they are made of.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 10:55 AM By GINNY
WE NEED TO GET THESE ATHEIST OUT OF THE CHURCH AND STATE AND GOVERMENT...WE HAVE A LOT OT LIBERALS IN OUR CATHOLIC CHURCH RIGHT NOW. THE PRIEST AND NUNS ARE LIBERAL, AND THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT THE INJUSTICES THAT THE GOVERMENT IS IMPOSING ON US....GET THIS VATICAN 11, GROUP OUT, AND BRING US BACK TO A CHURCH WE LONG FOR...THE OLD CHURCH...WITH ALL THE OLD RITES AND CUSTOMS WE ONCE HAD....
DID THE JEWS CHANGE THEIR PRACTICES & CUSTOMS TO FIT A FEW LIBERALS ? WHY IS NANCY ALLOWED TO RECEIVE THE BODY & BLOOD OF JESUS
WHEN SHE SUPPORTS KILLING BABIES ? GIVE US BACK OUR CHURCH.....WHY IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE USA ALLOWED TO RECEIVE THE BODY & BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, HE TO BELIVES IN ABORTION..
GOD HELPS US, BECAUSE THE CHURCH HAS LOST IT'S BACKBONE, AND WE TRUE FOLLOWS, WANT THE CHURCH TO DO THE RIGHT THING & GET TOUGH... THESE ARE THE REASON WHY SO MANY CATHOLICS HAVE LEFT THE FAITH...THE CHURCH IS DESTROYING IT SELF...ALL OF THE DIFFERENT RITES & CUSTOMS
I GREW UP WITH, HAVE BEEN DONE AWAY WITH...THE TABENICAL HAS BEEN MOVED TO THE SIDE...THAT WAY THE PRIEST IS FIRST... THE BEAUTIFUL RAILS HAVE BEEN TORN OUT AND THROWN TO THE STREET, PEOPLE PICKED IT UP FOR FIRE WOOD....HOW WONDERFUL.!!!!
WE HAD A PARISH PRIEST FRIEND COME TO VIST US, AND HE REFUSED TO GO TO OUR LIBERAL CHURCH..WE HAD MASS IN OUR HOME INSTEAD EACH DAY...WELL I GUESS I SAID IT ALL...AMEN
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 12:57 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Sad to say that the "Chickens of most of the Bishops' love affair with the Marxist Socialist Demoncrat and Republicrat Parties are now coming to roost. I only hope and pray that the Bishops awakening is not too late.
grampsc, if they lead us in truth to the fullness of the Gospel, we will follow; however if they continue to play footsie with the Demoncrats and the Republicrats, we will and must take the lead!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 1:31 PM By JLS
Here's one for max: He Who reigns holds the reins even when it rains.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 1:41 PM By A. Gabriel
Soros is a devil, an arrogant, socialistic, too-rich, hateful, hate-filled, destructive, useless lump of protoplasm.He is simply a despicable human being, the worst of the Jewish people, giving Jews a really horrific name. It will be a good thing when he leaves the earth and has to answer for his crimes and sins.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 5:10 PM By John D
For A. GABRIEL....I agree absolutely with you! However, some bad news here. I have read that both Soros and fellow demon David Rockefella have sons who will step in when these satanic rats die....I hope it's not true but I fear it is. The devil takes care of his own and the Church is in a defacto state of apostasy because it will not obey Our Lady of Fatima and consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart..."Blessed" JPII never did it ...
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 5:43 PM By max
"JLS - Here's one for max: He Who reigns holds the reins even when it rains." verily, JLS! and i applaud you for not even mentioning the rain in spain. ("He who knows not how to dissimulate, can not reign." Louis XI)
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 6:05 PM By FYI
Has anyone else noticed how close the name "Gehring" is to "Goering?" Very Hitlerian. Which is not a great surprise, after what I've read today.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 8:23 PM By JLS
When the bishops become holy, then the world will follow. Don't hold your breath, rather use it to pray.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 8:43 PM By John Ghering
Just to set the record straight, this John Ghering supports our bishops in their efforts to defend religious freedom. I am praying for their success. To my distant cousin, Gehring: if the Catholic Church doesn't fit you, try another flavor that does.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 10:02 PM By JLS
Yes, FYI, and his name is also close to "goring", as in a bull goring the Church.
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Posted Monday, July 02, 2012 10:03 PM By JLS
max, what are you saying, that there is something similar to dissimulate and being king?
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Posted Tuesday, July 03, 2012 4:16 AM By Ed
Thank you PETE for your July 02, 2012 9:14 AM post about "OBAMA'S COUNTERFEIT CATHOLICS" by RealCatholicTV on the internet. I watched it yesterday - extremely informative.
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Posted Tuesday, July 03, 2012 11:30 AM By Dave N.
Sr. Mary Ann is doing a bit of tap-dancing here: "...the mandates can be side-stepped by self-insuring, or coming under federal ERISA standards; and only three states have a religious exemption as incredibly narrow as the HHS mandate." What she doesn't tell you is that many Catholic organizations have ALREADY chosen NOT to "side-step" existing state mandates. One of those three states (which Sr. Mary Ann tries to pass off as insignificant and very carefully avoids naming) is Massachusetts, with a mandate signed into law by then-Governor Romney--a state with, as I recall, a significant Catholic presence. One of the other states is California--hardly an insignificant chunk of the population. I don't remember the bishops ever saying anything at all when these mandates originally became law. As CCD has shown, East Bay Catholic Charities already complies with the contraception mandate, by the bishop's own admission. The bishops need to admit that they failed to speak out on this issue a long time ago before anyone will think they are remotely credible. They literally made the bed we all have to lie in.
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Posted Tuesday, July 03, 2012 5:37 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Dave 11:30 AM,
No we don't have to lie in it, we can FIGHT in it though!
VIVA CRISTO REY, LONG LIVE CHRIST THE KING!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Wednesday, July 04, 2012 7:55 AM By JLS
The bishops never failed to speak out on these govt taking over the Church issues ... they called for it; after all, how better to achieve wealth and power and prestige?
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Posted Thursday, July 05, 2012 7:46 PM By PETE
Dave N. - you have not read the mandate itself. One can not sidestep anything by being self-insured. That is why EWTN, Catholic University of America, and many others are suing. They are self insured and according to the Obama Administration, they must pay a huge daily fine if they do not provide abortive drugs, contraception, and sterilization. I agree that the CA Bishops need to be more pro-active where it counts.
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Posted Friday, July 06, 2012 6:23 AM By Abeca Christian
Blame it on the rain by Milli Villini
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Posted Friday, July 06, 2012 4:20 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
It has been written by personal witnesses, that Lenin died screaming of horror at the moment of his death. I predict the same will happen with Mr. Soros. His filthy riches won't help him a bit then!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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