Marion Van Derveer

Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend and Grandma. Lover of Peace and Grace. Blessed woman.

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@1109Patricia Burt Reynolds was also married to Judy Carne

[Occupy Democrats @OccupyDemocrats]

BREAKING: A reporter CONFRONTS Karoline Leavitt about Pope Leo's announcement that God "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war" and she responds with a deranged screed about America being founded on "Judeo-Christian values."

The White House is really falling apart over this one...

"Since you mentioned Easter and prayers, I wanted to ask you about something the Pope said yesterday," said the reporter. "So Pope Leo said yesterday, and I quote him 'God does not listen to the prayer of those who wage war.' Can you comment on that?"

"I think our nation was a nation founded 250 years ago, almost, on Judeo-Christian values," replied the White House Press Secretary. "And we've seen presidents, we've seen the leaders of the Department of War, and we've seen our troops go to prayer during the most turbulent times in our nation's history. And I don't think there's anything wrong with our military leaders or with the president calling on the American people to pray for our service members and those who are serving our country overseas."

"In fact, I think it's a very noble thing to do," she continued. "And if you talk to many service members, they will tell you they appreciate the prayers and support from the commander-in-chief and from his cabinet."

Of course, anyone with even a cursory understanding of this nation's history knows that it was not founded on "Judeo-Christian" values, but rather on Enlightenment ones. The Founding Fathers were explicit in their embrace of a separation between church and state. They would be horrified by the Republican Party's push towards Christian Nationalism.

As for Leavitt's remarks about these "turbulent times" that we find ourselves in, we have only her boss to thank for that. Donald Trump started this illegal war of aggression with zero consideration of America's best interests because Israel wanted it. Now, our service men and women are dying overseas so that a foreign nation can expand its territorial borders uncontested.

Meanwhile, Trump's nemesis Pope Leo XIV has been offering bold moral leadership on this issue.

"Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them," Leo said at Palm Sunday Mass this past weekend.

The pope's remarks were a less-than-veiled rebuke of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's nonstop efforts to paint this war as some kind of holy and righteous endeavor waged in the name of Jesus.

As for Karoline Leavitt, we suggest that she remove that cross that she makes a big show of wearing during her White House press briefings. Jesus Christ would be ashamed to call her a follower of his. She stands for the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children and the continued rule of a literal pedophile.

Please ❤️ and share if you stand with Pope Leo!

[Zach W. Lambert @ZachWLambert]

If your pastor is an ICE agent, it's time to find a new church.

[Keith Olbermann @KeithOlbermann]

This is the Kent State of our time

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@RealSpikeCohen Mine too!

[Kirsten Allison @KirstenAllison]

Rob Reiner was Hollywood Royalty. This is a horrific, tragic loss. He blessed the world with a treasure trove of comedy gold. This is my favorite. Often when I'm putting on my shoes, I think of the 'Sock And A Sock' scene from All In The Family. ~ Rest In Peace 🕊️

[Special Olympics @SpecialOlympics]

On this #ThrowbackThursday, remember that your words have power and they matter.

Let’s be intentional. Let’s be compassionate. Let's #ChooseToInclude and stop using the R-word, today and always.

🔗: https://t.co/omdarULfHf

[Rev. Benjamin Cremer @Brcremer]

A Christianity that causes the hungry to go without food, the sick to go without healthcare, the stranger to be mistreated, and God’s creation to be ravaged, all while the greedy and cruel satisfy their every desire, is a Christianity that can no longer claim to follow Christ.

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@BulwarkOnline Ummm….Ozempic is used for diabetes, not weight loss! Wegovy, Mounjaro and others are used for weight loss. Same product, different names, different ways of using it. Ozempic is used only once a week. The others more frequently. Know your facts, Mr Prez!

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@CalltoActivism How flamingly disrespectful! I’d like to see what DT would do if the situation was reversed???

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@kevinmyoung It's just outright disturbing, hate to say it but even if that has been my church for 40 years I'd be out of there

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@vHandsomeLlama @swd2 I’ve been a believer for over 50 years and I find Jesus hugging a US flag draped Kirk incredibly telling of the type of idolatry which Christian Nationalists are disguising as true faith.

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@Djkeene1 You’re a bigot, you know. Think about celebrating or joining in! Get to know them. They’re hard working people just like you! You’re talking Nazi talk. Just stop!

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@kevinmyoung Praying for you as you journey through being your authentic self. Thanks for sharing your story and also for encouraging others to be themselves as well

[Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton]

This is how you stand up to bullies and aspiring tyrants.

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@mjfree ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@atrupar Most are free to get in and charges to park

[Marion Van Derveer @MarV1056]

@GuntherEagleman Women will die instead

[Occupy Democrats @OccupyDemocrats]

BREAKING: The Catholic Church enrages MAGA world by coming out forcefully against the "big, beautiful bill" as twenty bishops sign an interfaith letter stating that its "passage would be a moral failure for American society as a whole."

There is nothing less Christ-like than cutting healthcare and food stamps or the poor....

"First, it provides tens of billions of dollars to the government to undertake a mass deportation campaign which will separate US families, harm US-citizen and immigrant children, and sow chaos in local communities," the letter reads. "It will spur immigration raids across the nation, harming hard-working immigrant families essential to our economy and causing widespread unrest like we recently witnessed in Los Angeles."

The legislation would funnel over $150 billion towards Trump's border policies and immigration crackdowns, with the ICE budget alone ballooning from $3.4 billion to $45 billion until the end of 2029. It amounts to a 365% increase which Professor Donald Moynihan of the University of Michigan has pointed out is more than the combined funding for all 50 federal prisons.

In addition to being a gross waste of taxpayer money, this funding will create a self-perpetrating deportation industrial machine just like our private prison system and military complex. Just like pouring money into military contractors incentivizes new wars, pouring money into this fledgling deportation industry will incentivize more crackdowns and family separations. The more you feed the monster, the bigger and hungrier it gets.

"This funding also will be used to target faith communities, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has removed places of worship from its sensitive locations list, allowing ICE agents to enter them for enforcement purposes," the letter continues. "We have already witnessed a reduction in attendance at many of our religious services in our denominations, as the threat of enforcement has deterred many families from practicing their faith."

The signatories include numerous prominent bishops such as Cardinal Robert McElroy, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Bishop John Dolan, Archbishop Paul Etienne, Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski, and Bishop Jaime Soto.

In addition to the Catholic leaders, the letter was signed by the leaders of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas as well as respected faith leaders of the Episcopalian, Jewish, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Muslim communities.

"Moreover, the bill provides funding for a border wall along the US-Mexico border which we believe will drive migrants into the most remote regions of the border and lead to an increase in migrant deaths," the letter goes on. "It also would hurt the local environment along the border and force desperate asylum-seekers seeking safety to increasingly rely on human smugglers."

"As you should know, our faith organizations have long favored the creation of legal avenues for migration and a legalization program for immigrants who have lived in the US for years and contributed their hard work to our economy," the signatories wrote. "We believe the adoption of these policies, instead of the implementation of a mass deportation campaign, would not only benefit immigrant workers and their families, but be in the best interest of our nation."

"Second, the legislation makes severe cuts in health-care coverage and food assistance to millions of both low-income citizens and legal residents, including asylum-seekers and refugees, driving them deeper into poverty," the letter adds. "According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill transfers wealth from those in the bottom 10 percent of income to those in the top 10 percent of income in our nation, increasing the already large gap between the rich and the poor."

The bill will slash nearly $1 trillion in funding from Medicaid, a move that will directly result in the death and suffering of countless Americans. People will go blind, see their life expectancies cut in half, and end up bankrupt and homeless. Nursing homes and hospitals will shut down.

It also guts funding for crucial food programs like SNAP by roughly $186 billion by 2034. Americans are literally going to starve to death so that billionaires can afford a few new yachts.

"From our various faith perspectives, the moral test of a nation is how it treats those most in need of support. In our view, this legislation will harm the poor and vulnerable in our nation, to the detriment of the common good. Its passage would be a moral failure for American society as a whole," it concludes.

In a separate statement, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that the bill "takes from the poor to give to the wealthy."

"It provides tax breaks for some while undermining the social safety net for others through major cuts to nutrition assistance and Medicaid," he continued. "It fails to protect families and children by promoting an enforcement-only approach to immigration and eroding access to legal protections. It harms God’s creation and future generations through cuts to clean energy incentives and environmental programs."

"I underscore what my brother bishops said in their recent letter to find a better way forward and urge Senators to think and act with courage and creativity to protect human dignity for all, to uphold the common good, and to change provisions that undermine these fundamental values," he added.

Please retweet and ❤️ to thank these bishops for speaking out!