Author: James

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Urge Village Council to Learn the Facts

clock_cbd_theridgewoodblog

Please read this compelling email from CBR Supporter, Lorraine Reynolds, and consider emailing Village Council Members.

Thank you!

Citizens  for  a Better Ridgewood
[email protected]

All,

As you may or may not know, on September 30th the village council will be continuing the 2 night hearing and voting on the 5 ordinances regarding the high density housing. These ordinances would increase the density allowed from 12 units per acre (current) to 35 units per acre (UPA) in our downtown. Here’s a comparison as to what some other towns in our area allow: Fort Lee 50 UPA, Teaneck 28 UPA, Englewood 12 UPA, Hackensack 22 UPA. If passed, Fort Lee would be the only town in our area, similar in population, with a greater density per acre. I do believe the majority of the town is accepting of development, but on a smaller scale. Maybe 25 units per acre? Do we really want to be built up more than Teaneck? I certainly don’t want to be anywhere near Fort Lee’s density.

The planning board spent approximately 3 years in discussions and 1 1/2 years in a public hearing before voting. The village council had a small portion of their Sept 16 meeting devoted to this and now the council will be coming to the sept 30th meeting with their written statements prepared on how they are voting and why. The Ridgewood News had an editorial last week about “what’s the hurry?”. I have to agree with them. While I don’t want this to drag out, I do want the council to do their due diligence and get all of the facts before they vote. During the Valley hearings at the council level, the council brought in the traffic expert, planner, geotechnical engineer, etc and each council member asked questions of these experts and based their vote on what was discussed at council.

It appears that the majority of the council does not want to bring in any experts. They are ready to vote without asking any questions of any experts as to how this will effect Ridgewood. At the planning board level, a concern about the increase this would bring to our taxes was brought up several times by residents. The discussion was always shot down, because “it is not in the purview of the planning board to consider finances.” In fact, the village planner stated, “residential housing almost always increases taxes, we should not be doing this if we think taxes will go down, but there are other benefits to residential housing.” The council has a much broader scope of items they can discuss, finances being one of them. You may remember that Tom Riche voted yes to the Valley amendment at the PB level, but no to it at the council level. That is because the council is able to look at a broader range of issues. Finances should definitely be discussed.

I would like to see the council bring in several experts in addition to a financial expert. Water must be discussed. I know this year is an exception with the lack of rain, but we have mandatory water restrictions every year. Can you imagine an additional few hundred apartments to supply? I can’t.

Schools must be discussed. The planning board did not have a member of the BOE at their public hearings. The council needs to ask Dr Fishbein to appear at the council hearing to answer questions.

The traffic expert, the engineer, the planner, etc should all be questioned. I do hear the planner will be there, but that’s it.
I don’t know how anyone could possible vote on something so monumental without questioning all of these experts to see what the impacts will be for Ridgewood.

I urge you to e-mail our council and ask them to have these experts at the hearing, get the facts first hand, and then vote.
These people are our elected officials, and we have a right to make sure they have done their due diligence before they vote.
Whether you are for or against the increase to 35 units per acre, I think we can all agree that each council member needs to be able to ask questions of the experts to help them in their decision making process.

Below are the e-mails of all the council members. Please send them an e-mail today and forward this to friends. Thanks

[email protected]
[email protected]
s[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

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Hackensack teen accused of making Internet threat against Obama

Faith in Government

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015, 4:24 PM    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015, 9:40 PM
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

HACKENSACK — A 17-year-old city resident was arrested today on juvenile charges related to Internet threats he allegedly made against President Obama and the White House, saying he was going to be part of an attack at the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero in Manhattan and that he has friends in ISIS who are planning to attack New York City, authorities said in a news release.

The boy, who was not identified because he is being charged as a juvenile, is also a suspect in swatting incidents in New Albany, Ind., and an investigation into those incidents uncovered “threats being made from the suspect’s residence in Hackensack,” Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.

Authorities searched the suspect’s house on Tuesday morning after receiving a search warrant in court, Molinelli said, adding that “additional charges” could be filed after authorities examine “electronic devices that were seized.” The prosecutor said charges related to the incidents in Indiana “are expected to be filed shortly.”

Molinelli did not provide details about the alleged threats and did not immediately respond to requests for more information. He said in the release that the boy, identified only as J.C., allegedly “used the Internet to send threatening messages” toward the president of the United States and White House and also “made threatening references to being involved in an attack on the 9/11 Memorial and having ‘friends’ in ISIS who are planning an attack on New York City.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/hackensack-teen-accused-of-making-internet-threat-against-obama-1.1415577

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Pope Francis: I am not a “Liberal”

Pope Francis waves as he delivers a "Urbi et Orbi" message from the balcony overlooking St

Pope Francis: I am not ‘left-ish’
September 22, 2015, 04:45 pm
By Jesse Byrnes

Shortly before Pope Francis touched down on U.S. soil for the first time on Tuesday, he assured journalists that he is not a liberal, according to reports.

“Some people might say some things sounded slightly more left-ish, but that would be a mistake of interpretation,” Francis said aboard his flight from Cuba to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

“It is I who follows the church … my doctrine on all this … on economic imperialism, is that of the social doctrine of the church,” Francis added,according to Time.

Francis arrived to cheers and chants welcoming him to the U.S. when he landed outside Washington, D.C., where he will address a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, with speculation running rampant about what he might discuss.

The pope shook hands with President Obama, the first lady and their daughters, as well as the vice president and his wife after he landed.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/254558-pope-francis-i-am-not-left-ish

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The Left Has Its Pope

Pope Francis

by THOMAS SOWELL

 September 22, 2015 12:00 AM
Pope Francis has created political controversy, both inside and outside the Catholic Church, by blaming capitalism for many of the problems of the poor. We can no doubt expect more of the same during his visit to the United States.

Pope Francis is part of a larger trend of the rise of the political left among Catholic intellectuals. He is, in a sense, the culmination of that trend. There has long been a political left among Catholics, as among other Americans. Often they were part of the pragmatic left, as in the many old Irish-run, big-city political machines that dispensed benefits to the poor in exchange for their votes, as somewhat romantically depicted in the movie classic, “The Last Hurrah.” But there has also been a more ideological left. Where the Communists had their official newspaper, the Daily Worker, there was also the Catholic Worker published by Dorothy Day.

A landmark in the evolution of the ideological left among Catholics was a publication in the 1980s, by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, titled “Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy.” Although this publication was said to be based on Catholic teachings, one of its principal contributors, Archbishop Rembert Weakland, said: “I think we should be up front and say that really we took this from the Enlightenment era.”

The specifics of the Bishops’ Pastoral Letter reflect far more of the secular Enlightenment of the 18th century than of Catholic traditions. Archbishop Weakland admitted that such an Enlightenment figure as Thomas Paine “is now coming back through a strange channel.” Strange indeed. Paine rejected the teachings of “any church that I know of,” including “the Roman church.” He said: “My own mind is my own church.“ Nor was Paine unusual among the leading figures of the 18th century Enlightenment.

To base social or moral principles on the philosophy of the 18th-century Enlightenment and then call the result “Catholic teachings” suggests something like bait-and-switch advertising. But, putting aside religious or philosophical questions, we have more than two centuries of historical evidence of what has actually happened as the ideas of people like those Enlightenment figures were put into practice in the real world — beginning with the French Revolution and its disastrous aftermath.

It is not poverty, but prosperity, that needs explaining. Both the authors of the Bishops’ Pastoral Letter in the 1980s, and Pope Francis today, blithely throw around the phrase “the poor,” and blame poverty on what other people are doing or not doing to or for “the poor.“

Read more at: https://www.nationalreview.com/article/424365/pop-francis-left-poverty-social-teaching

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Garrett Pushing Transparency and Accountability for “To big to fail” bailout rules

scott-garrett

Garrett Introduces Bill to Hold FSOC Accountable to the American People
Sep 18, 2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, today introduced H.R. 3557, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) Transparency and Accountability Act, to bring much-needed transparency and accountability to the FSOC.

“The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) is one of the most notorious examples of the kind of secretive and unaccountable government bodies that could only be a creation of Washington, D.C.  The Dodd-Frank Act vested the FSOC with the authority to designate nonbank financial institutions as “too big to fail,” essentially giving them unprecedented authority over an entire sector of the U.S. economy without adequate checks and balances.

“The Council continues to hold closed-door meetings, refuses to publish substantive transcripts, and stonewalls requests from the people’s representatives when we need more information about its operations.  No agency should be allowed to operate above the law in this way, and my bill will shed some much-needed light on this shadowy government body.”

Garrett’s legislation would:

Subject the FSOC to the Government in the Sunshine Act
Subject the FSOC to the Federal Advisory Committee Act
At all FSOC meetings, allow for the participation of all members of the Commissions and Boards represented
Require that any vote taken by the principal of a Commission or Board represented must first be taken by that Commission or Board and the principal must then in turn vote that same decision at the Council
Allow for Members of Congress on the Congressional oversight committees of FSOC to be able to attend all FSOC meetings

A previous version of the legislation passed the House Financial Services Committee in June, 2014.

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Members of Taekwondo All In were recognized by the Village of Ridgewood

Taekwondo All In

September 22,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood

Ridgewood NJ, Master Youngmin Kim competed and achieved championship medals at the highest levels in Korea.
He also earned full athletic scholarships from middle school through college.
In addition, he has a masters degree in sports management.

Since 2012, Master Kim has focused on teaching by founding and running Taekwondo All In in Ridgewood, NJ.
The efforts of his teaching and his students’ perseverance have amounted to exceptional results.

33 Chestnut St
Ridgewood, New Jersey
(201) 857-0445

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American Dream adding 10 more retailers

xanadu

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2015, 5:49 PM
BY JOHN BRENNAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Ten more retailers were announced for American Dream Meadowlands on Monday by developer Triple Five, which has set fall 2017 as the opening for the shopping and entertainment complex.

Familiar women’s clothing retailers Victoria’s Secret and Lulelemon are joined by venerable mall stores Banana Republic and The Gap; MAC cosmetics; and a Microsoft computer store. Also on the latest list are Aritzia, Uniqlo, Zara, and Pink.

Triple Five president Don Ghermezian called the latest round of announcements “just the beginning” of a rollout that he said would set a new standard for “the New York metropolitan market.” Ghermezian recently promised to make deals with “SoHo boutique-style” retailers that traditionally have not been found in malls.

The new signups follow last week’s announcement of Hermes as well as news earlier this month that a Saks Fifth OFF Fifth outlet store as well as 100,000-square-foot anchor tenants Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. Ghermezian said the latter two stores would be the largest at the site.

The 2.9-million-square-foot American Dream shopping and entertainment project is to include a 639,000-square-foot indoor water and amusement park currently under construction, as well as a 22-screen movie complex, an indoor snowdome, a 286-foot observation wheel, and other attractions.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/american-dream-adding-10-more-retailers-1.1415006

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A&P deal preserves jobs; 95 stores sold to Acme, Stop & Shop

stopandshop theridgewoodblog.net

file photo by Boyd Loving

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015, 1:11 PM    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015, 7:10 AM
BY JOAN VERDON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Workers at 11 A&P-owned stores in North Jersey, and thousands more at 84 other stores, breathed a collective sigh of relief Monday after learning that those stores had been sold to the Acme and Stop & Shop chains for $370 million.

The deals, approved Monday by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain in White Plains, N.Y., preserve the jobs of 10,750 union employees, including 4,000 workers represented by United Food & Commercial Workers Local 464a in Little Falls.

Acme and Stop & Shop have been negotiating with the unions representing the workers and are close to reaching an agreement, a union official said. A cornerstone of the deals with Acme and Stop & Shop is that current union jobs will be preserved, the official said.

A&P is selling its stores to pay off creditors in its bankruptcy case. But the company, Drain and the unions have argued that job preservation should be considered, along with sale price.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/judge-oks-sale-of-a-p-owned-stores-to-acme-stop-shop-including-11-in-north-jersey-1.1414836

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‘Cake Boss’ to make heavenly treat for the Pope

alg-cake-boss-shop-jpg

By Rebecca Panico | The Jersey Journal
on September 20, 2015 at 12:04 PM, updated September 20, 2015 at 2:44 PM

HOBOKEN – Hoboken’s very own “Cake Boss” will serve up some divine sweets for Pope Francis’ Philadelphia visit next Saturday, according to the New York Post.

Buddy Valastro, who stars in the TLC television series along with other family members, was asked to whip up a cake for the pope’s “Festival of the Families” event on Sept. 26, the newspaper reported. The event will feature performances by Aretha Franklin and The Fray.

Valastro opened a new bakery in Philadelphia this past summer, NJ Advance Media reported. It is the 10th Carlo’s Bakery to open, with the flagship location in Hoboken.

Valastro — “a devout Catholic,” according to the New York Post — described earlier this year what his cake for the pontiff would look like.

“It would be in the shape of his magnificent hat or the Vatican…That city is rich in history, and buildings. I wouldn’t know where to start!” he told The Telegraph.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/09/hobokens_cake_boss_to_make_heavenly_treat_for_the.html

 

Carlo’s Bakery Ridgewood  
“Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro’s bakery is known for a variety of cookies, cannoli & elaborate cakes.
Address: 12 Wilsey Square, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Phone:(201) 962-9080
Hours: Open today · 7:00 am – 9:00 pm

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Ridgewood Knights of Columbus – Annual Stickball Tournament.

Stickball 4

Ridgewood-NJ-September 21, 2015: The Ridgewood Knights of Columbus Council #1736 is once again proud to be hosting their annual stickball tournament, now in its sixth year, on Saturday October 10, beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Passaic Street in Ridgewood. The entrance fee is $100 for a team of four. There will be trophies for first place for seniors and juniors.

Refreshments, hotdogs, and hamburgers will be served at the Hall after the games.

Proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to the Street 2 Street Inner City Youth Basketball program. Street 2 Street specializes in helping kids almost everyone else has given up on to believe they can rise above their circumstances to make a positive impact on their world.

Local organizations are encouraged to sign up and join in the activities.

For an application or questions, email:

[email protected] or [email protected].

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Reader says The facts are ; there is no shortage of water, the issue is the lack of pumping and storage due to poor planning and management.

water_meter_theridgewoodblog

Some of the posts are making a different point. My suggestion is that a some point the village has become a place where neighbors blindly follow a restriction, call out neighbors for trying to maintain their properties, and never seem to push for understanding of how to address the issue or correcting it. The facts are interesting; there is no shortage of water, the issue is the lack of pumping and storage due to poor planning and management. Claims that we hit Stage 4 due to disregard for previous stages shows a complete lack of understanding of how the water systems work, there is no linkage. We expect our neighborhoods to have maintained houses with landscaping, etc and then call out those who invest to do so. When I was young I remember the local police pulling into a school event and participating, now the village has them shutting it down. Imagine how much goodwill would have been realized had the police car been ‘washed’ by the kids. Isnt that the relationships we should foster as a Village.

This weekend I traveled to another town in eastern Bergen, where I noticed the local fire department was sponsoring a ‘wash’ seemed odd that less them 12 miles away they had enough rain to avoid water issues.

The village needs to reset a bit and ask the right questons to the right authorities, when we are the point where the police are shutting down fund raising events we all should be concerned.

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Reader says Time for a “Tip Line ” to catch Watering Violators in Ridgewood

ridgewood water

Why does it have to be a complaint if its illegal. Why not have an anonymous “tip” line?
For instance, if a call to the police asking if they still are writing a summons for sprinkling, the response is yes, what’s the address, what’s your name, address and phone number and will you sign a complaint, the only way they’ll issue a summons is when they send someone out, they actually have to see the sprinkler on when they get there.
Not true, he saw the sprinkler on watering, put the spot light on it, walked up to house, flashlight showed sprinkler on, talked to owner at front door, owner claimed they’re “new” didn’t know, police gave warning, didn’t give summons. Another neighbor saw and heard, told police they water all time. The owner knew about restrictions from other neighbors last year and repeatedly knew about it this year, ignored rules, sprinkler on at night whenever he felt like thru stage 1,2 and 4.
so, even when they actually see a sprinkler on, it don’t cut it for writing a summons? What gives?
“from the VOR website – Village Manager Regarding Stage 4 Enforcement”
“The only way a summons can be written is if the person sees the watering – unfortunately wetness around the area and having a green lawn do not cut it for writing a summons….so we have to be there at the right time.”

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Ridgewood Board of Education Continuing contract negotiations with the Ridgewood Education Association Update

BOE_theridgewoodblog

September 11, 2015 Dear Parent or Guardian:

In July, the Ridgewood Board of Education (RBOE) announced that contract negotiations with the Ridgewood Education Association (REA), which began in February 2015, were moving from official mediation through the NJ Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) to the fact-finding stage, also through PERC.
Our first fact-finding session will be held on September 16, 2015. During this time, the teachers and secretaries continue to receive their full salaries and benefits and work under the terms, conditions and protections of the expired contract that began on July 1, 2012, and ended on June 30, 2015. It is important to remember that our teachers and secretaries are working within the contractually specified hours listed below and that drop-off and pick-up times at our schools must be followed:
 Elementary schools: 8 a.m.-3:35 p.m. PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF PRIOR TO 8:35 A.M. AND PICK UP AT 3 P.M.
 Middle schools: 7:45 a.m.-3:20 p.m. PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF PRIOR TO 7:45 A.M. AND PICK UP AT 2:55 P.M.
 Ridgewood High School: 7:40 a.m.-3:15 p.m. DROP OFF AND PICK UP WILL BE THE SAME
In addition, please understand that during this stage in the negotiations, teachers may decline to do some activities that fall outside of the contract. For example, they may decline to chaperone overnight/after school field trips, decline to participate or volunteer in activities that they had in the past, or may adhere to the 7.5 hour daily contract hours by arriving and leaving on time each school day. If any such actions occur that result in changes or cancellation of certain activities, school principals and other administrators will explain the reason why.
Many parents have offered to volunteer and take over these responsibilities. Some activities can be sponsored or supervised by parents, while others can’t for various insurance and personal liability reasons. Please see your principal for guidance. While changes to activities may be an unfortunate reality during this period, it is important to stress that the RBOE and REA are working towards an agreement that satisfies both parties. Throughout the State of New Jersey, negotiations are taking place between teacher associations and Boards of Education.
The vast majority of contract negotiations, almost 80 percent, are not completed prior to the expiration of the preceding contract. Finally, if the fact-finder is unsuccessful in mediating an agreement, both parties will present their “case,” and a written report will be prepared that will be made public 10 days after they receive his non-binding findings. Thank you in advance for your understanding as the RBOE and REA work through this process and complete the negotiations in the shortest time possible.
Sincerely,
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools
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Village of Ridgewood Manager Updates Watering Restrictions, Enforcement and Waivers

waterheader2

But the questions remains can I wash my car or not ?

Village of Ridgewood E-Notice

Water Restrictions

Dear E Notice Resident,

Your cooperation with Stage 4 watering restrictions as well as stricter enforcement has had a very positive impact on our water usage. We have seen roughly a 50+% decrease in usage from the highs of August and early September. That being said, weather forecasts over the next several days are not positive from a rainfall point of view and we will continue Stage 4 restrictions – with some ability to do case by case waivers – until further notice. We will continue our heightened enforcement – I know some of you have expressed dismay that we are not ticketing every residence and that there are still residents that are flagrant violators – we will continue to be vigilant about this.

Just a reminder: No irrigation of any kind is allowable on Mondays, Thursdays, or Fridays. Irrigation using only a hand-held hose with a spray nozzle is permitted for odd-numbered addresses only on Tuesdays and Saturdays and for even-numbered addresses on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Waivers for special circumstances such as irrigating newly planted lawns and shrubs, cleaning cars or houses, and filling swimming pools will now be considered on a case by case basis. In order to be considered for waivers, please contact Ridgewood Water at 201-670-5520 or email Customer Service at [email protected].

Several of you have asked me about why Ridgewood Water has instituted Stage 4 restrictions as opposed to some other water utilities. The Ridgewood Water System is unlike many other systems as it relies on a system of over 45 wells, associated treatment systems, piping, storage and more. These appurtenances have their limits and become extremely stressed when there is noncompliance with watering restrictions during a drought condition. This is part of the problem we had when we were in Stage 2 watering restrictions. During a peak summer day with irrigation systems running, water production can more than double reaching limits as high as 14 million gallons per day. Some think the crux of the problem is lack of storage but during the conditions we have been experiencing we cannot even fill the tanks completely.

Improvements are needed in certain areas to provide more resiliency and fire protection and we are working on those capital projects…….but the entire system cannot be overbuilt at the expense of providing unlimited irrigation supply. Conservation and better controls are important components of our overall answer. Ridgewood Water will be working closely with each community (besides Ridgewood, we service Glen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoff) to start building a conservation platform for the future. Considerations will include requiring the installation of weather, rain and soil sensors, and implementing new watering schedules – all of which can be controlled with smart irrigation technology.

Several of you have also asked me to discuss rates we bill our customers. We are one of the lowest cost providers of water in our immediate region. This year’s rates were kept flat, with no increase. It is important for Ridgewood taxpayers to know that Ridgewood Water is totally financed by the consumers of Ridgewood Water.

Apologies for the long E-Notice but I also had wanted to respond to some of the questions I have received from you as well as to communicate a status on our watering restrictions. We will continue to monitor conditions and inform you of any changes to the restrictions.

Best,

Roberta Sonenfeld

Village Manager

201-670-5500, ext. 203

-PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS

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George Will: Pope Is a False Prophet

pope_theridgewoodblog

By George Will   |   Sunday, 20 Sep 2015 09:04 AM

Pope Francis embodies sanctity but comes trailing clouds of sanctimony. With a convert’s indiscriminate zeal, he embraces ideas impeccably fashionable, demonstrably false, and deeply reactionary.

They would devastate the poor on whose behalf he purports to speak, if his policy prescriptions were not as implausible as his social diagnoses are shrill.

Supporters of Francis have bought newspaper and broadcast advertisements to disseminate some of his woolly sentiments that have the intellectual tone of fortune cookies. One example: “People occasionally forgive, but nature never does.”

The Vatican’s majesty does not disguise the vacuity of this. Is Francis intimating that environmental damage is irreversible? He neglects what technology has accomplished regarding London’s air (see Page 1 of Dickens’ “Bleak House”) and other matters.

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com https://www.newsmax.com/GeorgeWill/pope-francis-catholic/2015/09/20/id/692423/#ixzz3mP8V4NDA