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There's a run on rosaries after a piece in The Atlantic linked them to Christian Nationalists: report
August 16, 2022
The Catholic News Agency reported that rosary sales are up after The Atlantic posted a piece saying that Christian nationalists and gun extremists are adopting the practice of praying the rosary. Many Catholics already have a rosary, but obviously buy new ones whenever they see fit.
“The rosary has acquired a militaristic meaning for radical-traditional (or “rad trad”) Catholics," wrote Daniel Panneton for The Atlantic. “Militia culture, a fetishism of Western civilization, and masculinist anxieties have become mainstays of the far right in the U.S.—and rad-trad Catholics have now taken up residence in this company."
The report led to a number of comments raging that there was nothing extremist or nationalist about the rosary itself or saying the prayers. But sites like Deus Vult (“God wills it”) post memes that encourage people to rise up in arms and become soldiers in a kind of holy war.
One company posted on Twitter that she was hopeful when she sends out large orders that the people getting them would actually pray the Rosary.
The CNA noted that Shannon Doty, of Rugged Rosaries, sells double rosaries that are inspired by those used by the military during World War I. After making some for a friend's son in the Army, she began selling the "Soldier's Combat Rosary." She's certainly seen an increase in sales, she explained, since the Atlantic story. And hers isn't the only one.
Pierce Toomey, who manufactures rosaries, built his company because the rosary wasn't masculine enough for some users. His site has also seen a slight increase in sales since the article was published.
So, he's sought "To put the rosary back into the hands of young men it needs to appeal to them aesthetically and that won’t happen if the only rosary you can find is rainbow colored or an antique,” he said.
He promoted the story on Instagram giving a 20 percent off deal for anyone seeking a "masculine rosary."
"David Carollo, executive director of the apostolate told CNA Tuesday that there was a sure boost in sales of the rosary and other religious items," said the report. He called the article "insulting" and plans to write his own response.
None of the shops gave data on whether those purchasing the rosaries are Catholic or simply members of an extremist crusade.
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Trump suggests FBI agents acted like ‘common criminals’ would after Mar-a-Lago search
August 16, 2022
Donald Trump is continuing to suggest that FBI agents were guilty of thievery more than one week after a search warrant was executed at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
"In the raid by the FBI of Mar-a-Lago, they stole my three Passports (one expired), along with everything else," Trump posted to his Truth Social website on Monday.
"This is an assault on a political opponent at a level never seen before in our Country," Trump argued. "Third World!"
Jay Bratt, the Chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) of the National Security Division at the FBI, told Trump's team the passports would be returned.
"We have learned that the filter agents seized three passports belonging to President Trump, two expired and one being his active diplomatic passport. We are returning them, and they will be ready for pickup at [the FBI's Washington Field Office] at 2 pm today," Bratt emailed.
"The DOJ and FBI just returned my passports," Trump posted to Truth Social. "Thank you!"
"Unfortunately, when they Raided my home, Mar-a-Lago, 8 days ago, they just opened their arms and grabbed everything in sight, much as a common criminal would do," Trump added. "This shouldn’t happen in America!"
ALSO IN THE NEWS: Expert debunks 5 ‘myths’ Trump has pushed since Mar-a-Lago search
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On Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle reported that the entire election administration office of Gillespie County, Texas has resigned — following threats and stalking.
"The elections administrator in Gillespie County, which includes Fredericksburg, is stepping down Tuesday over death threats, stalking and understaffing that followed the 2020 election, according to the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post," wrote Megan Rodriguez, originally for the San Antonio Express-News. “'I’m understaffed and underpaid and I’ve been asking for help for a while, and at some point, you just have to take care of yourself,' Anissa Herrera told the Standard-Radio Post. But Herrera is not the only person to step down from the county’s elections department. Gillespie County Judge Mark Stroeher told the Standard-Radio Post that the entire staff resigned for similar reasons, leaving the county in a dire situation for the upcoming November election."
The original report that Herrera would resign came out last week; today was her last day.
Herrera did not elaborate on the specific content of the threats, but said they began in 2020 — the year former President Donald Trump started pushing conspiracy theories about mail-in voting and baselessly claiming the election would be stolen.
"Herrera told the Standard-Radio Post that she ... has been threatened and stalked and called out on social media after the 2020 election," said the report. "She told the paper that she reached out to the county attorney who suggested she forward the issue to the Fredericksburg Police Department and the county sheriff’s office."
IN OTHER NEWS: Expert debunks 5 ‘myths’ Trump has pushed since Mar-a-Lago search
Gillespie County ultimately voted for former President Donald Trump by 59 points, with President Joe Biden receiving barely 20 percent.
Although Trump ultimately carried the state of Texas by about 6 points, this was one of the worst showings for a Republican in decades. The legislature swiftly moved to enact controversial new voting restrictions, eliminating drive-through and 24-hour voting which had been enacted in the Democratic stronghold of Harris County, and adding new restrictions and fraud penalties to the state's already burdensome vote-by-mail process.
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