The Home Front

Show Notes:llinois Gov. JB Pritzker just signed a bill making it LEGAL to knowingly expose others to HIV — including through BLOOD DONATIONS.The Dangers of Compelled Speech by Jake WarnerThe Power of the Powerless, by Václav Havel Live Not by Lies, by Aleksandr SolzhenitzynFor when people renounce lies, lies simply cease to exist. Like parasites, they can only survive when attached to a person.We are not called upon to step out onto the square and shout out the truth, to say out loud what we think—this is scary, we are not ready. But let us at least refuse to say what we do not think!This is the way, then, the easiest and most accessible for us given our deep-seated organic cowardice, much easier than (it’s scary even to utter the words) civil disobedience à la Gandhi.Our way must be: Never knowingly support lies!Robert Reilly, Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything (affiliate link)Sword of Honor trilogy, by Evelyn Waugh (affiliate link)“Evelyn Waugh,” Rev. Paul Mankowski, S.J., Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome [Update: the links in this series are broken; I will try to see if we can get a fix from the Center. Meanwhile, please read this book review, in which Fr. Mankowski discusses Waugh’s satire, including in his historical novel, Helena: Waugh on the Merits, First Things, Oct. 1, 2017. ~ Leila]Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast in your email for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:We both wrote pieces, and in this episode, we discuss the topics (which are related) just the way we do at the dinner table (with a bit extra to fill in the blanks for you). Join us! Phil’s article:My article:From the archives:More on Amoris Laetitia: More on the inopportune document suppressing certain Marian titles:Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love): apostolic letter of Pope FrancisMichael Haynes on X: Debate about Amoris Laetitia has renewedThe president of the Episcopal Conference reminds everyone that one cannot receive communion if the marriage breaks down and there is another relationship.God Has No Grandchildren: A guided reading of Pius XI’s encyclical Casti Connubii, On Chaste Marriage (affiliate link) by Leila M. Lawler, Foreword by George Cardinal PellFiducia Supplicans — Vatican document on “gay” blessingsCoptic Orthodox Church report on May 2024 meeting between Pope Tawadros and Cardinal Fernandez May 4 letter from Pope Leo to Pope TawadrosNgaio Marsh, Inspector Roderick Alleyn mysteries, Death in Ecstasy (affiliate link)Agatha Christie novels reworked to remove potentially offensive language — other works as well!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode:16 Likes∙ Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Note Bene: We read the entire encyclical and we didn’t use AI. And we don’t use AI to draft, write, or edit our own writing!Show Notes:Full text of the encyclicalAnthropic co-founder Chris Olah’s remarks on Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical “Magnifica humanitas”The importance of Pope Leo’s first encyclical (Phil’s preview of the encyclical— posted before it appeared)Pope Leo breaks new ground with encyclical on AI (News/Analysis by Phil, posted on the day it appeared)No, the just-war tradition is not ‘outdated’ (Phil’s comment on the encyclical’s treatment of just-war theory, which we didn’t even have a chance to discuss in our podcast)Promise and problems in Magnifica Humanitas (Phil’s reflections a few days after publication)Other interesting analyses of the encyclical:Idols of the Valley (Yuhal Levin in New Atlantis)Pope Leo Isn’t Standing Athwart the Singularity (Ross Douthat in the New York Times) (archived here)Between Thomas Aquinas and Silicon Valley: The first encyclical of Leo XIV (David Berger)AI Chatbots are Evil by Marc BarnesMore on what we recommend on Catholic Social Teaching and Natural Law in general:Whether the intellect is a power of the soul? Thomas Aquinas, The Summa Theologiae Divini Illius Magistri, encyclical on Christian education, Pius XI (1929); good overview of “the three societies” of flourishing human life.Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching by Anthony Esolen (affiliate link)Knowledge and Decisions, by Thomas Sowell (affiliate link)Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Abortion Drug Makers Admit They Care About Money, Not Women by Jordan BoydOn Application for Stay: GENBIOPRO, INC. v. LOUISIANA, ET AL. Why the Left lies about Amber Thurmon by Leila M. Lawler (survey of the black box warnings on the abortion pill ingredients)The importance of Pope Leo’s first encyclical by Phil LawlerYour paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:The SSPX, the German bishops, and the parable of the two sons by Phil LawlerHow A Feminist Info Op Convinced Moms To Leave Their Babies With Strangers Every Day by Leila M. Lawler (The Federalist)The government’s war on romance by Phil LawlerThe American Book of Fables (affiliate link) — beautiful hardcover book, almost 400 pages, written by Matt Mehan and illustrated by John Folley (our son-in-law). If you are interested at all in this book, consider pre-ordering or ordering on the 19th! Doing so greatly increases the visibility. It would make a fantastic Father’s Day gift! Thank you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:The Story of Everything, a documentary - “The Story of Everything takes us on a journey into the origins of humanity and the cosmos, illuminating mankind’s most important scientific discoveries and revealing that everything has been created by a designer.”Leila’s post about Michael Knowles’ interview with Stephen C. MeyerMore in-depth information about the origins of the universe and Intelligent DesignVestige of Eden, Image of Eternity: Common Experience, the Hierarchy of Being, and Modern Science, by Daniel Toma, Department of Biological Sciences at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He earned a PhD in behavioral genetics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.The Intelligent Universe by Fred Hoyle (affiliate link)Darwin’s House of Cards: A Journalist’s Odyssey Through the Darwin Debates by Tom Bethell (affiliate link)Andrew Schmiedicke’s Substack (Genesis as history)The American Civil War: A Military History by John Keegan (affiliate link)Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

The ‘special relationships’ built on pretense (Phil for CatholicCulture) Pope receives Anglican primate, calls for removal of stumbling blocks to Christian unityThe Vatican’s Feting of the First Female Archbishop of CanterburyShawn McAnally’s viral video: “There’s no Mama”A warranty on your purchase (of a baby) — not dystopia but realityNancy Mace’s bill in the Senate: Protecting Children in Surrogacy (from sex offenders — this is not currently forbidden)Surrogacy is Already Illegal by Josh Wood, First ThingsYour paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:The Flight 93 Election by Publius Decius Mus (Michael Anton) The Claremont ReviewAaron Siri on the new CDC directorSouthern Poverty Law CenterFBI Director Patel and Acting AG Blanche Hold News Conference (C-Span coverage of press conference)Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo (Truth Social) Who started the Trump ‘feud’ with the Pope? by Phil Lawler Trump’s own derangement by Phil LawlerTrump’s Blasphemy Is a Warning (Ross Douthat) (archived here)Blasphemy is not just a Trump Thing Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz has openly announced that Israeli forces are going to wipe out civilian homes in areas of Lebanon bordering Israel and occupy the Litani areaDumbarton OaksDown the Garden Path by Beverley Nichols (I recommend these older editions for the nostalgic cover art)Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Brown v. Board of EducationIs the Constitution Colorblind? by Edward J. Erler, Co-Author, The Founders on Citizenship and ImmigrationMinority Schools and the Politics of Education by Thomas Sowell Judicial Hubris by David Lewis SchaeferPolicy Brief: The Threat of Judicial Tyranny Is Far from Over by Ken CuccinelliAdult conversions soar in dioceses across U.S. (National Catholic Register)Roman Catholic Churches See a Surge of New Converts (New York Times)America’s new Catholics, by the numbers (Brendan Hodge, The Pillar)Catholic Church should focus on getting ‘nones’ back, Bishop Barron saysThe Symbolism of the Christian Temple by Jean Hani (affiliate link) Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:NCLA Reaches Historic Settlement, Strikes Major Blow Against Government’s Social Media CensorshipIn Historic Settlement, NCLA Strikes Fatal Blow to State Department’s Censorship Industrial ComplexAmerica’s Most Infamous Serial Baby Killer Kermit Gosnell Dead At 85Sins of omission: The Kermit Gosnell defenses the press dared not mention by Tim Carney (archive version)New York Times obituary for Kermit Gosnell (archive version)Kermit Gosnell Grand Jury ReportYour paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Them Before UsGreater ThanYou think you are just for helping the infertile? Read this:Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Vatican appeal court orders review of financial trial investigation (The Pillar)Vatican appeals court declares mistrial in the ‘trial of the century’ against a cardinal (AP)Phil on that New York Times obituary for Paul Erlich The Resourceful Earth: A Response to Global 2000 (edited by Julian Simon and Herman Kahn) (affiliate link)The coming population implosion (Phil Lawler)How does bottle-feeding relate to the extraordinary amplification of Paul Erlich’s Zero Population Growth message? Listen here: Carrie Gress, Something Wicked: Why Feminism Can’t Be Fused with Christianity (affiliate link)Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Bishop Robert Barron on the potential closing of La TrappeArchived version of “I Regret Having Children”Pope Pius XII on Large FamiliesMassive funeral in Lebanon for the Maronite priest Pierre El-Raii“This is our home”: Christians from southern Lebanon resist evacuating the area after the death of Father Pierre el-RaïLebanese Foreign Minister requests Holy See’s help for Christians in South (Vatican News)Cardinal of Tehran evacuates to RomeWhat a Session looks like at MacMaster-Leahy house (and it’s very much like the concert!)Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil: What to listen for.Lawler Family Book Club - 2026 (here’s our Amazon affiliate link — anything you buy when you open this tab, for 24 hours, sends a little change our way at no cost to you — thank you!)February: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David GrannApril: Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace StegnerJune/July: Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom WolfeAugust: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy TooleOctober: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthyDecember: City of Bells by Elizabeth GoudgeYour paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Exclusive: The Trump-Netanyahu call that changed the Middle East ~ Axios (archived link here).Iran: Is this war just? The questions are clear; the future is not by Phil LawlerU.S. Supreme Court Delivers Historic, Groundbreaking Victory for Parental Rights, Dismantles California’s Secret Gender Transition Regime ~ Thomas More Society Blessed: The martyrs of Compiègne — film by François Lespes with subtitles.Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed listening to this one episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:What if I’m wrong? Phil’s CatholicCulture column on the SSPX imbroglio. “For all these reasons I deeply regret the SSPX plan to proceed with the episcopal ordinations. But what if I’m wrong?”The reckoning the SSPX requires by Phil LawlerCardinal McElroy’s Conscience Trap (Synodality) by Leila Marie LawlerFilm: For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada (2012) The Cristero Counterrevolution and the Battle for the Soul of Mexico Os Justi PressViva Cristo Rey! The Cristeros Versus the Mexican Revolution (This Rock) by Christopher CheckCatholic World News News Feature: Beatification for Cristeros martyrs September 02, 2005Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoy listening: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Bishop Rhoades expresses ‘strong opposition’ to pro-abortion professor’s appointment at Notre Dame (EWTN)Amid criticism by bishops, Notre Dame says pro-abortion professor ‘well prepared’ to lead institute (EWTN)More bishops call for Notre Dame to drop appointment of pro-abortion professor (EWTN)Notre Dame must choose courage. An excellent piece by a Notre Dame undergraduate, Liam Kelly, in the independent campus newspaper, The Observer. “Notre Dame is now at a time for choosing. It must decide whether it will remain resolutely and unapologetically a Catholic university or if it will continue down the slow and lamentable drift of secularization.”Why I’m Done with Notre Dame (Professor Christian Smith in First Things)The Land O’ Lakes Statement Has Caused Devastation For 50 Years (Essay by Patrick Reilly of the Cardinal Newman Society, from 2017)God and Man at Yale, by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1951) (affiliate link)Josef Pieper, Not Yet the Twilight: An Autobiography 1945-1964 (affiliate link)Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s address to the Munich Security ConferencePope Benedict XVI: The quote about Zionism can be found on pp. 16 and 17.IHRA working definition of antisemitism. (US Dept. of State)Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our podcast for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoy listening: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Them Before Us: Katy FaustGreater ThanIs Germany facing ‘synodal fatigue’? by Luke CoppenSome favorite history books, military and otherwise (if it’s an Amazon link, a small amount goes to us without costing you more — thank you!):Thucydides: The History of the Peloponnesian WarThe Face of Battle by John Keegan (all his books)Shelby Foote: The Civil War (3 volumes)WWI: Barbara Tuchman: The Guns of August; The Sleepwalkers by ChapmanWWII: The Storm of War by Andrew RobertsHistorical fiction:The Killer Angels by Michael ShaaraIn a Dark Wood Wandering by Hella HaasseThe Red Horse by Eugenio CortiAugust 1914 by Aleksandr SolzhenitsynYour paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our updates for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Confidential to the commenter who asked about Phil’s history reading recommendations (sorry, it’s impossible to search Notes here and I didn’t record your name, alas): We will get to his list next week!Show Notes:Xi Jinping Is Accelerating China’s Collapse by Steven MosherChina’s demographic crisis threatens the Party’s grand plans by Phil LawlerMatt Walsh: The Solution To The Immigration Problem That No One Is Talking About (plus a discussion of an AI history series). Taking Religion Seriously by Charles Murray (affiliate link)A social scientist seeking faith by Phil LawlerNetflix: The Seven Dials based on a book by Agatha ChristieThe Making of the American Mind: The Story of our Declaration of Independence by Matthew Spalding (affiliate link)Lawler Family Book Club: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (affiliate link)Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our updates for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Minnesota DHS Employee on Welfare Fraud: “This Is Real” - City JournalTHE LAW on “Excessive Use Of Force Claims” -- Public Sentiments Do Not Reflect The Realities Of Legal Principles. (Bio of the author of this post from X: 22 years as DOJ prosecutor; Rep’d 91 Jan 6 clients.)Tim Walz compares Minnesota ICE actions to Holocaust and Anne Frank: ‘Hiding in their houses’ - Fox NewsFederal Affidavit: Church Invaders Blocked Parents from Kids, Told Them Their Parents Were ‘Nazis’The Bill of Rights: The First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”The Making of the American Mind: The Story of our Declaration of Independence by Matthew Spalding (affiliate link)Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out MysteryYour paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our updates for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:{Our apologies for the quality or lack thereof of Leila’s audio. We’ll try to do better next time! Thanks for sticking with us!}Finland’s president is a bit overconfident about not needing US military help — and immediately contradicts himself!President Trump’s full speech at Davos — in Leila’s opinion, even the seeming digressions off topic have meaning, and the whole thing will go down in history as a watershedEmmanuel Macron wants massive Chinese investmentNATO General Secretary declares Trump correct on the need for a strategic resetNew York Times: Top Catholic Clerics Denounce U.S. Foreign Policy (archived here)Broglio: US troops could refuse Greenland orders (The archbishop’s statement is more nuanced than the headline, but concerning nonetheless for reasons we discuss.)Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work, but we are happy for you to receive our updates for free!Want to tell a friend? Please do! It’s a great way to help us!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:This week, Phil and I are really just talking about larger social issues creating a serious divide in our country, so we don’t have any particular show notes.Here is the tweet Leila read: Rob Henderson on X: 95% of children in 1960 were raised by two married parents regardless of social class… For on-the-ground reporting: Andy Ngo is a good source.Megyn Kelly has lots of information on events in Minneapolis and their effect on the public on her site, including a story about women reacting on social media and losing their minds. Black Lives Matter Activists Executed A Shocking $83 Billion Shakedown Of American CorporationsDo you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:A Consistory to Revitalize the College of Cardinals by Fr. Daniel Gallagher (The Catholic Thing)Charlotte priests submit Dubia to Vatican over liturgical changes (The Pillar)Is our society normalizing dark things while our bishops polish their managerial skills? Nicole Shanahan: Burning Man; Mike Cernovich: Ayahuasca trips. What does the Church teach? Here is a more optimistic take.Phil Lawler:Pros and cons on the politics of the Venezuela action: Rich Lowry and Megyn KellyAnd what about the Just War aspect? Phil:My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (affiliate link) and the whimsical movie based on the book (highly enjoyable, not without mild adolescent themes, in keeping with the “coming of age” aspect).Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Nick Shirley’s report on MN daycare fraud.Minnesota’s Massive Somali Fraud Scandal Is a Warning to Every State, Including Maine by Ben Midgley, Republican candidate for governor (not an endorsement; we don’t know anything about him)Andy Ngo addressing claims that the legacy media already reported on the MN fraudWashington State AG Warns Citizen Journalists To Stop Investigating Somali Daycares Or Face Potential Hate Crime Charges ~ ZerohedgeLegislators move to protect fraudstersPeachy Keenan: “You had to send your baby to a real daycare to pay a Somali to open a fake one.”The New York Times moves in to neutralize Nick Shirley (I said this article was unlocked but I’m not sure about that now.)There was even a Strange New Respect award! Tom BethellThe Bishop’s WifeSeven housewifely [and mostly universal] New Year’s resolutions that will actually change things from The School for HousewivesDo you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Eclipse of the boomers by Christopher CaldwellBottle feeding: an unexamined societal factorJacob Savage: The Lost Generation, Compact MagazineBlack Lives Matter Activists Executed A Shocking $83 Billion Shakedown Of American CorporationsHelen AndrewsMerry Christmas! See you in two weeks!Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Controversial “ICE was here” nativity display in Massachusetts to remain until priest speaks to archbishop - CBSNewsICE acting director, Boston Archdiocese demand ‘ICE was here’ Nativity be removed from Massachusetts church: Todd Lyons says display adds to dangerous narrative as archdiocese calls for removal - Fox NewsWhy it’s wrong to deprive the community of religious displays: Beauty will save the neighborhood by Leila M. LawlerIt’s Historically And Theologically Ridiculous To Compare The Holy Family To Illegal Immigrants by Maisey Jefferson Marriage is an exclusive union requiring ‘tender care,’ Vatican saysI’m finding it difficult to get the English translation of the document “ ‘Una Caro’ (One Flesh): In Praise of Monogamy. Doctrinal Note on the Value of Marriage as an Exclusive Union and Mutual Belonging.” (Obviously you can get your browser to translate it, but must remember that is not official.) I read it on the Inside the Vatican site, but awkwardly, as it is spread over three “letters” that are not linked together. This is the final post there. You can see how thinly the topic of procreation and children is treated.Catechism of the Council of Trent: MarriageFor my critique of Amoris Laetitia, see the appendix to my book God Has No Grandchildren: A Guided Reading of Pope Pius XI’s Encyclical “Casti Connubii” (On Chaste Marriage), 2nd Edition, by Leila M. Lawler. This book makes a great Christmas gift, by the way!Is Vatican ‘satisfied’ with China’s contempt for diplomatic accord?Our Lady of Guadalupe: the stories behind the storyGuadalupe and the Flower World Prophecy by Joseph Julian and Monique Gonzalez (Affiliate link)The Like Mother, Like Daughter Library ProjectGo here for the Lawler Family Book Club list from the past year.Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Pope visits famous Istanbul mosque but does not pause to prayIn Unitate Fidei: Apostolic Letter on the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea by Pope Leo XIVPope Leo speaks out on the situation in Germany Neglected highlights of Pope Leo’s first voyage by Phil LawlerFDA Memo Links COVID Vaccines to Child Deaths in Internal Review ~ X threadOne of the children likely to have been one of the 10 cited by the FDA ~ Maryanne DemasiEarly on, the media, in collusion with Pfizer, covered up the truth, that covid poses no threat to children.My post with many resources so you can find your own information:The Lawler Family Book Club list for 2025, as promised (some time ago, sorry)!Our family (seven grown children, five with families of their own) has a book club in which we nominate books, vote on them, and choose our collective reading for the year, one book every two months. We meet by Zoom for about an hour or two and it is really fun! We started in February and did have one in-person meeting during our family reunion in Maine; the grandkids had a book club meeting as well! They mostly discussed Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes this past year. I think Phil and I at least briefly touched on our thoughts about the books so far in the podcast episode after the respective meetings.Lawler Family Book Club - 2025 here’s our Amazon affiliate link — anything you buy when you open this tab, for 24 hours, sends a little change our way at no cost to you — thank you!)February: Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel NayeriApril: Laurus by Eugene VodolazkinJune: The Fathers by Allen TateAugust: The Children of Men by PD JanesOctober: The Double by Fyodor Dostoevsky December: The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark. *These are affiliate links; a small amount comes to us when you buy anything through our link at no cost to you. Thank you!Feel free to propose good books for us to consider! Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Bishops vote to ban gender transition treatments at Catholic hospitals - AleteiaBishop Joseph Strickland interjects at US Conference of Catholic Bishops - Catholic Herald — his subsequent statement can be found here.Catholic Vote quotes the Catechism on immigrationMore: Catholic Vote has provided a response to the bishops’ statement on immigration, emphasizing the nation’s duty to protect its own citizens: Immigration Enforcement and the Christian Conscience: The ReceiptsEXCLUSIVE: I have obtained a copy of the Diocesan Synod Leaders’ meeting schedule for this year, not posted on their website as far as I can tell. Note that this is how the “synodal path” will be distributed to the dioceses and from thence to the parishes, by means of these meetings:And what is Porticus, featured on this schedule? AI process content, hard to get a handle on, with one extremely rich sponsor, the Brenninkmeijer family of entrepreneurs, the philanthropic arm of which’s only substantive goals, if you can call them that, seem to be climate change and social action, and DEI. Refugee Revenue: US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ $455 million in grant awardsLepanto Institute on the latest Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) scandal: BOMBSHELL: US Catholic Bishops Give $1 Million to Marxist MovementLepanto research reports (see specific reports on CCHD awards)Bait and Switch by Diogenes (Catholic Culture, from 2007)The time is now for reform of the CCHD by Phil Lawler (from 2010)CCHD lost $11.4M in 2023Is it Time to Abolish the USCCB? by Leila Marie LawlerPope Leo supports the US bishops’ immigration position as stated in this videoPew Report — 12th grade girls less likely than boys to say they want to marryPhil’s novel! Ghost Runner makes a great Christmas gift! Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:A British WWII veteran speaks his mind, but the BBC doesn’t want to listen; neither do many othersA veteran’s haunting question: Was his sacrifice worth it? by Phil LawlerKaty Faust | How Obergefell Commodified Children — a must listen!Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to same-sex marriage decision — The FederalistThe Obergefell ruling rode rough-shod over religions and dozens of state constitutions on the bases of a moral — not legal — opinion. — The FederalistThe Three Necessary Societies by Russell HittingerDo you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:What is a good age to have a baby? by Leila Marie Lawler — embedded link re: progesterone treatment in IVFThe Facebook post, “40 is not the onset of menopause” — up to 300 likes/loves and 146 testimonials and commentsLeila on how silencing works — this strategy applies to all sorts of issues:For a long time, many of good will wanted to extend a charitable interpretation of whatever seems disturbing in Fr. Martin’s work, especially when it comes to rejecting Church teaching (and normal morality) on something as important as homosexuality.Their relentless overlooking of his intent is in part due to the success of LGBT+ activists in creating an identity to substitute for mental illness and perversion, and thus effecting a handy self-silencing culture among opponents.Fr. Martin is good at this. He has maneuvered many Catholics into thinking they have to approve him in order to avoid being thought “mean” (a term he often uses for bigoted and hateful).Why now? The Vatican’s odd ‘clarification’ of Marian piety by Phil LawlerThe Vatican and the trolls — Or: Is Cardinal Fernandez spending too much time online? by Phil LawlerDo you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Nigeria once again declared world’s deadliest country for Christians Catholic VoteCatholic Church Cries Out Over Renewed Herdsmen Attacks In Taraba Communities As Hundreds Are Displaced Sahara ReportersThe Trump Card That Could Free Jimmy Lai by William McGurn Wall Street Journal (go here for archived version)Vatican confirms papal approval of new Chinese bishop Catholic CultureThe Vatican’s one-sided deal with China Phil LawlerHong Kong Catholics Deserve the Church’s Leadership, Not Silence by Frances Hui A Brief History of Baby FeedingBaby Formula: The Story of How America Helped Invent One of the Great Life-Saving Technologies for Babies, Made Parents Dependent On It, Then Let the System Collapse Is…Uniquely AmericanHere’s why a patriarch gave Sox-fan Leo a Cubs jerseyThe Dean’s Watch by Elizabeth Goudge (affiliate link)Elizabeth Goudge in the Library Project by Leila Marie LawlerDo you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Helen Andrews: The Great Feminization, Compact MagazineHarvey Mansfield: Manliness (affiliate link)Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:* Morale, Leadership, and Pastoral Priorities: Highlights from the 2025 National Study of Catholic PriestsSome reports on the report:Younger American priests more conservative, traditional, survey shows (Catholic World News)U.S. priests report high confidence in Pope Leo XIV, less trust in bishops (Catholic News Agency)Study sheds light on generational divide among US priests (The Pillar)* Leila wrote about Fr. Carter’s letter to Latin Mass parishioners here, and why I think it puts Bishop Martin of Charlotte in a better light — didn’t think that was possible, to be honest:* Turns out we did talk about Pope Francis’s deception about the bishops’ survey, back in July.* Beauty Will Save the Neighborhood — a podcast I did on this subject. An article I wrote about it.Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Jay Jones’s texts.Is violence “across the board” in politics today? And what about that Cato Institute study? Bruce GilleyConservatives Urge The Cato Institute To Withdraw Its Deeply Flawed Political Violence StudySome left-wing violence the legacy media wants you to forget.Man arrested outside cathedral found to have explosivesPope Francis: “There is no such thing as a just war.” Not helpful, as the alternative to reasoning through this problem is… not reasoning through and going with whatever that is.Exploring Just-War Principles: Phil’s in-depth seminar on classical Catholic thought on the morality of warfare, and how it could be applied to contemporary conflicts.Cardinal Parolin on October 7, Gaza: Human beings are not collateral damageIsrael in Gaza: a just cause, an unjust campaign by Phil Lawler Israel forces threaten Catholic community in Gaza (CWNews): The Israeli defense ministry announced on October 1 that troops would move into Gaza City, having ordered residents to leave. “Those who remain will be considered terrorists and terror supporters,” the defense ministry warned.Catholic and Orthodox Church workers in Gaza have vowed that they will not leave the city, explaining that they are dedicated to the care of elderly, disabled, and sick people living in their church compounds, who are unable to leave.Lawler Family Book Club book (we discuss one book every two months — next week I will try to post the previous books we’ve read, and upcoming ones): The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevsky The Revolution of the Saints by Michael Walzer (affiliate link)Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Statement of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, on the Keep Hope Alive AwardPope Leo’s comments on Cardinal Cupich’s intention to award Sen. Dick DurbinThe Pope’s statement on the Durbin award: wrong, and irrelevant; if Pope Leo is quoted here accurately (and I have no reason to think otherwise), it’s a terribly disappointing statement for several reasons; Durbin’s decision to decline the Chicago award has the ‘look and feel’ of a negotiated solution; Pope Leo describes American immigration policy as “inhuman.” Well…Dick Durbin says he was ‘overwhelmed’ by pope’s support (Politico)Phil Lawler on the Durbin award: The Cupich assault on episcopal unity Cupich needs fraternal correction by Phil LawlerMaybe it’s a coincidence that the Archdiocese of Chicago was forced to cancel a meeting of the board of the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI), right after a board member indicated that he would raise an objection to the plan to honor Senator Richard DurbinThe Faithful Departed by Phil Lawler (affiliate link)How the Government Built the American Dream House by Joseph Lawler, New Atlantis, Number 81, Summer 2025“Across the United States, it is functionally illegal to build housing like what you find on Elfreth’s Alley, Philadelphia, one of the most photographed residential areas in the country, famous for its gorgeous row houses in the middle of the city. At the same time, the federal government subsidizes the construction of McMansions in greenfield locations miles from the nearest town center.” “This system is a deliberate creation of the government, going back many decades. It is not a product simply of demand meeting supply at agreed-upon prices. Ostensibly, it is meant to promote homeownership. But in reality, it does not. Instead, it encourages mass financial speculation on housing, urban sprawl, and widespread resistance to new construction.”Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:JD Vance’s Sharp-Elbowed Theology by Tony Badran, The Tablet — I don’t know what he’s saying, and neither do youCharlie Kirk DM’d me before he was murdered. Here’s what he said by Van Jones, CNN — what’s missing in this statement is any call to the Left to stand down.Paprocki ‘shocked’ by Durbin’s Chicago award (The Pillar)Archbishop Cordileone supports PaprockiStatement of Cardinal Blase J. CupichThe Scandalous Case of Cardinal Cupich and Senator Durbin, by Jayd Hendricks - Catholic World Report. Hendricks, who studied in a seminary where Cupich was the rector, and later worked on the staff of the US bishops’ conference, has some interesting background on the cardinal’s rise through the ecclesiastical ranks.John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons (affiliate link). Sermon 22, The Gospel a Trust Committed to Us Barnaby Rudge by Charles DickensThe Cypresses Believe in God (affiliate link), by José Maria Gironella (A novel about the onset of the Spanish Civil War.) Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Leila on Pam Bondi’s errorActually, Tim Walz [and Pam Bondi! —Ed.], the First Amendment Does Protect Misinformation and “Hate Speech,” by David Inserra and Jennifer HuddlestonLaw & Liberty: Freedom of expression in the university: excellent essay by John O. McGinnis Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode:Ida Friederike Görres: A Forgotten Catholic Rediscovered by Jennifer S. Bryson Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Part One:* President Trump on Truth Social, about the Covid shots: “…I hope OPERATION WARP SPEED was as “BRILLIANT” as many say it was. If not, we all want to know about it, and why??? Thank you for your attention to this very important matter! President DJT” * Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. invokes compulsory vaccination as a principle to justify the verdict regarding sterilization laws in the landmark case, Buck v. Bell, 1926, quoted in this excellent article analyzing vaccine mandates by Roman Bystrianyk. He also looks into the Jacobson case that forms the basis of today’s mandates.* The full announcement of Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Surgeon General of Florida, announcing his department’s determination to eliminate vaccine mandates in that state entirely.* My post with resources on the questions about vaccine safety and resources including about moral issues:Part Two:Perspectives on organ donation— all from the New York Times:• The Times reports on the federal investigation that uncovered abuses in organ procurement. Doctors Were Preparing to Remove Their Organs. Then They Woke Up (New York Times, June 2025)• Then the Times adds its own report, underlining the problem. A Push for More Organ Transplants Is Putting Donors at Risk (New York Times, July 2025) • No doubt in response, three cardiologists write an op-ed in the Times, arguing that the solution is to accept an even broader definition of “death” so that more organs can be harvested! Donor Organs Are Too Rare. We Need a New Definition of Death (New York Times, July 2025)• Actually doctors have advanced a new definition of “death”— to be used alongside the spurious diagnosis of “brain death.” Removing organs after a proclamation of “circulatory death” was recognized quickly as “kind of a creepy thing to be doing.” But it’s still being done. When Does Life Stop? A New Way of Harvesting Organs Divides Doctors (New York Times, November 2023)Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially if you are able— either way, we appreciate you!Your paid subscription means a lot to us and helps us continue our work.Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Fr. James Martin SJ puts his spin on the meeting with Pope Leo: Notable quotes:The message I received from him, loud and clear, was that he wanted to continue with the same approach that Pope Francis had advanced, which was one of openness and welcome. So, it was very much a hopeful message of continuity.So while LGBTQ issues are on his radar, other things may be more pressing for the time being. And even when addressing LGBTQ issues, he may not move as fast as some might like.“Diogenes” (Fr. Paul Mankowski, SJ, RIP): Just the facts, ma’am — “To speak of a gay Catholic is a contradiction in terms, like calling someone a pro-abortion Catholic.”Pontifex Minimus: Fr. Mankowski’s review of Fr. Martin’s book, Building a Bridge in First ThingsTames in Clerical Life by Fr. MankowskiProfessor Robert George challenges Martin to say he accepts the Church’s teaching.Phil: Charitable take on Professor George’s view: “Still, I think a case can be made that, whatever Fr. Martin is doing, he is not exactly lying.Though George also wrote this glowing report: Fr. James Martin, Friendship and Dialogue, and the Truth about Human Sexuality, which to Leila is “a bridge too far,” to reference Fr. Mankowski’s assessment, especially when he leans on those of us who still have questions (simply by reading Fr. Martin’s statement) with this:If Fr. Martin is lying, which I resolutely do not believe he is, then he, of course, is answerable for that to God. But please note that by the same token, anyone who falsely accuses him of lying is also answerable to God.{We offer these links as an extension of our mild disagreement in the podcast, to recover the discussion as it transpired at the time. As we say, we respect Prof. George’s efforts to reconcile rather than divide, when possible.}Ex-CDC vaccine chief Dr. Demetre Daskalakis: "I only see harm coming... Based on what I'm seeing... they’re really moving in an ideologic [sic] direction where they want to see the undoing of vaccination."Secrets inside the Westman Family: Has Mary Westman Been Wrongly Vilified? by Andrew NgoNo One Is Talking About The Direct Pipeline From Divorced Parents To School Shooters by Beverly WillettGuardian article: Book burning, Latin prayers – and a lot of kids: inside the American ‘trad family’ movement: The movement towards simple, Christian living can be a yearning for order in a chaotic age. It’s also alarmingly retrograde by J. Oliver ConroyDo you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially — either way!Your paid subscription means a lot to us! Thank you!Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this, if you enjoyed this episode: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Prohibition detached our will to protect the common good but it also stole our orchard economy: How the government almost killed the appleRussell Kirk on the Errors of Ideology by Bradley J. BirzerLink fixed: In the First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (affiliate link)“In 2023, the "Old Country Store" celebrated Pride by unveiling rainbow-colored rocking chairs. Cracker Barrel sponsored the Nashville Pride Parade in 2024.” Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially — either way!Your paid subscription means a lot to us! Thank you!Want to tell a friend? Please do!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Exploring Just-War Principles: An in-depth discussion of classical Catholic thought on the morality of warfare, and how it could be applied to contemporary conflicts.Is Phil good at predicting things? A Just-War Perspective on the War in Ukraine: An address given by Phil Lawler three years ago.Do you love our podcast and look forward to it? Don’t miss an episode!Gay man explains embryo selection processLesbian talks about her “embryogate” — I can’t say I understand what’s going on in this account (there’s this and much more but I’ll spare you), but I know it’s a — how shall I put this — scatological meteorologic event and it is to be prevented in the future at all costs, as is Gay Man’s.Meet the man suing to end no-fault divorce — The FederalistPaul Jernberg, composerDo you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially — either way!Your paid subscription means a lot to us! Thank you!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this: Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:My Hero, Kim Davis by Leila Marie LawlerWill the Supreme Court revisit its ruling on same-sex marriage? SCOTUSblogKim Davis: Political Prisoner? Culture-War Martyr? Kim Davis: Shipwreck of Religious Liberty by Rod DreherKentucky clerk case driving wedge into conservative Christian camp Daily AmericanFilm: The Well Digger’s Daughter One beautiful aspect of this film is the refined delicacy with which the transgression of the daughter is handled. The theme is how to handle the matter of the out-of-wedlock child; the treatment is anything but vulgar. Parents have to decide for themselves, but I consider it suitable for mature teens’ viewing. A Thought on Teen Pregnancy by Leila Marie LawlerOur civilization’s death wish by Phil Lawler Film: True Confessions Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially — either way!Your paid subscription means a lot to us! Thank you!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this:We are so grateful when you share our episodes! Sharing is a great way to support us! Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:The Just-War debate: last call to join Phil Lawler’s Substack SeminarA Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate Climate Working Group United States Department of Energy July 23, 2025The Ultimate Resource, by Julian Simon- 1983 (affiliate link)The Resourceful Earth, edited by Julian Simon and Herman Kahn— 1984Washington Post: White House has no plan to fund IVF (archived article)California Bill 495, “Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025”: “Presto, Someone Walks Away with Your Child”: Critics Slam AB 495’s Threat to Parental RightsDo you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially — either way!Your paid subscription means a lot to us! Thank you!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this:We are so grateful when you share our episodes! Sharing is a great way to support us! Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:How and why the American Academy of Pediatrics wants to take away parental rights (Vaccines are only the thin edge of the wedge)The media just don’t report that Big Pharma funds itA convicted pedophile and his “husband” procure a child via surrogacy and no, there are no laws against that: Brandon Keith Mitchell: Sex Offender’s Surrogacy Journey With HusbandArchbishop Weisenburger and the episcopal double standardDetroit archbishop fires seminary professorsDo you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free! Or you can choose to support us financially — either way!Your paid subscription means a lot to us! Thank you!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this:We are so grateful when you share our episodes! Sharing is a great way to support us! Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:Israeli forces strike Catholic Parish in Gaza (Vatican News)Pope Leo’s Angelus audienceIsraeli ambassador to Holy See says actions of Hamas reason for war in Gaza (Cruxnow)Gaza: History will not forgive this barbarism and complicity (Caritas International)Jerusalem’s Christian leaders deplore ‘heinous’ Israeli attack on Gaza’s Catholic parish (CWN)Holy See Press Office Press Release: Telephone conversation of the Holy Father with the Prime Minister of Israel, 18.07.2025Pope speaks with Palestinian President, urges respect for Humanitarian Law (Vatican News)HHS Finds Systemic Disregard for Sanctity of Life in Organ Transplant System (US Department of Health and Human Services)Living Organ Donation (Health Resources & Services Administration)Donor DNA is detected in recipient blood for years after kidney transplantation using sensitive forensic medicine methods (PubMed)Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free, or you can choose to support us financially.Your paid subscription means a lot to us!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this:We are so grateful when you share our episodes! Sharing is a great way to support us! Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show NotesDemographics, fertility: Jesús Fernández-Villaverde on X (thread): 2023 fertility ratesArguing about Slavery: John Quincy Adams and the Great Battle in the United States Congress by William Lee Miller (affiliate link)Supreme Court Clears the Way for Trump’s Cuts to the Education Department (New York Times) Report: NPR is not indispensable for rural Americans and emergency alerts, despite claims (CatholicVote)Bishop Conley the Beekeeper Enjoys Time in the ‘Really Real’ (National Catholic Register)Scottie Scheffler's take on success in golf: 'What's the point?'Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free, or you can choose to support us financially.Your paid subscription means a lot to us!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this:We are so grateful when you share our episodes! Sharing is a great way to support us! Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes:EXCLUSIVE: Official Vatican Report Exposes Major Cracks in Foundation of Traditionis Custodes by Daine MontagnaThose Views of the Bishops on the Old Rite That Francis Forbade to Be Published. Because They Went Against His Will (Diakonos)— includes full text of Overall AssessmentVatican says leaked documents were only part of information Pope Francis used to restrict Latin Mass (AP)RFK Jr.'s vaccine policy sparks a lawsuit from the American Academy of Pediatrics NPRNo More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner HarrisDo you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free, or you can choose to support us financially.Your paid subscription means a lot to us!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this:We are so grateful when you share our episodes! Sharing is a great way to support us! Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Can bombing Iran satisfy just-war criteria? by Phil LawlerPreventive war and the U.S. attack on Iran by Edward FeserAttacks ‘Effectively Destroyed’ Iran’s Program (Wall Street Journal) — Note: “It will be a long time before Iran comes anywhere near the capability it had before the attack. That being said, there are residuals such as stocks of 60%, 20%, and 3-5% enriched uranium and the centrifuges manufactured but not yet installed at Natanz or Fordow. These non-destroyed parts pose a threat as they can be used in the future to produce weapon-grade uranium.”“In many respects, democratic socialism was and is close to Catholic social doctrine and has, in any case, made a remarkable contribution to the formation of a social consciousness.” --- Pope Benedict XVI Christopher Caldwell: Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West (affiliate link)Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free, or you can choose to support us financially.Your paid subscription means a lot to us!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this:We are so grateful when you share our episodes! Sharing is a great way to support us! Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes: Archbishop Broglio, USCCB president, supports immigrants, rips ICE raidsWhat We Can’t Not Know by J. Budziszewski (affiliate link)The Hell There Is: An Exploration of an Often-Rejected Doctrine of the Church by Msgr. Charles Pope (affiliate link)The Weaponization of Loneliness by Stella Morabito Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis by Michael Ward (affiliate link)Do you look forward to our podcast? Do not hesitate to subscribe! It’s free, or you can choose to support us financially.Your paid subscription means a lot to us!Don’t wish to take out a paid subscription just now? We understand!How about this:We are so grateful when you share our episodes! Sharing is a great way to support us! Get full access to Happy Despite Them at leilamarielawler.substack.com/subscribe