Michael Kelly ن
@MichaelPTKelly
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Views=My Own. Public Affairs for @Ireland_acn Broadcaster, author, media trainer, voiceover guy. Tyrone man.
Dublin/Omagh/Rome/Jerusalem
Joined March 2010
My wonderful nephew Eoghan has been through so much with his Dad’s illness and death 11 months ago - so proud of him starting big school tomorrow. I had to look away for a minute, something in my eye… 😢
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The Universal Social Charge (USC) was introduced as a _temporary_ financial emergency measure TWELVE years ago. It should be scrapped immediately to help workers with the rising cost of living.
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I’m not afraid to say, I watched in tears five years ago as the cathedral dedicated to the Mother of God went up in flames, and crumbled before our eyes. I felt sure we’d never see a resurrection like this - thank God for this day. #NotreDameDeParis
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BREAKING: Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, head of the Church in the Holy Land, was able to enter Gaza this morning to bring #Christmas presents to the children of Holy Family Pariah and celebrate Mass. This is the first visit possible since May. Pray for peace. 🙏
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Rural Ireland is charmingly populated by elderly men in the bodies of children - and it’s a wonderful antidote to mid-Atlantic conformism!
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This is beautiful - those firefighters disregarded their own safety and raced in to save #NotreDameDeParis- they knew that there was something more than bricks and mortar here.
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An Italian friend is renting a small room in Dublin (€800). Landlady tells him she now has another tenant to join him in the room. She takes out his single bed, replaces it with a double for them to share and no discount on rent - €800 each. Unbelievable.
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The Blessed Sacrament was transferred from the cathedral in Kyiv today for safe-keeping ahead of the expected Russian onslaught. Catholics knelt in reverence as the poignant procession passed. #UkraineUnderAttaсk
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Mikhail Gorbachev, born under Stalinism, was secretly baptised. In 2008 he visited the tomb of St Francis of Assisi. Staying for 30 minutes, he cryptically said Francis - patron saint of peace - played a “fundamental” role in his life. #RIP
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Two of my neighbours - a retired couple - are serial objectors to housing/apartment developments. Bumped into them - wistful they see little of grandchildren in Athlone/Monaghan b/c families priced out of Dublin. 🤷♂️ No dots joined.
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My beautiful mother Ann died at 03.37. We are heartbroken, but her passage to Eternal Life was so peaceful. She was the most wonderful mother, guide and confidant that any boy could wish for. May the angels lead you into paradise gentle woman.
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Tens of thousands of Irish people refused to spend last Christmas with their families to “keep them safe” based on NPHET advice - many thousands of their elderly relatives died since (not of Covid). I’ll be spending Christmas with my father this year again.
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Very moving scenes in Paris where young Catholics are praying and pleading with the government to allow them to go to Mass. I never thought I’d live through such times.
PARIS - Prières de rue devant Saint-Sulpice : les fidèles demandent la réouverture des églises malgré le confinement. #COVID19
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I held my 65-year-old mother’s hand as she died, and my 49-year-old brother as he died. Both had peaceful deaths in their own homes with palliative care. The assisted suicide lobby is giving the impression such deaths are horrible - that is very rare, and usually a care failing.
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Heart-breaking: the Franciscans left Clonmel today after 753 years. The friars survived everything, including the horrors of the Reformation and centuries of anti-Catholic persecution - but not the vocations crisis. A sad day.
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I make no apology for saying the North is a failed state - those now saying Catholics are welcome had 100 years to demonstrate that and didn’t.
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The NPHET argument seems to be: we’ve locked everyone down for 15 months, it evidently doesn’t work and we’ve no idea why - but keep them locked down anyway. Maybe something will change.
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Here’s an idea: make lockdown voluntary, then those hugely keen on it can have a very pleasant time in their homes free from the worry of us horrible people who don’t want lockdown.
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“Open wide, you gates. Open wide, you ancient doors. Then the King of glory will come in.” #NotreDameDeParis
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A 10-minute walk across Dublin at 8pm: people kicking taxis, banging the windows of fast food places, shouting at passers-by and aggressively begging from tourists - zero gardaí…the new government needs to make out streets safe again.
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The fact that so few Irish people take history seriously leads to the lazy caricature that we lived in the Dark Ages until about a fortnight ago.
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I’m double-vaxxed, but as a healthy 42-year-old I won’t be taking a third vaccine while hundreds of millions of vulnerable people in developing countries haven’t had a single dose. Ireland’s policy of hoarding vaccines is unethical and not in keeping with my values.
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Fellow Catholics: you’ll see people at Mass in these days who don’t come every week. Make them welcome. Don’t grumble if they sit in your seat - smile. Rejoice at their presence and pray they’ll know God’s love and become regulars.
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Candle lit and praying for our emergency services and first responders. They don’t get to choose not to go into harm’s way - you do, don’t be foolish and make their job more difficult, #StormEowyn
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Very little reporting or commentary in the Irish media on the booing of the national anthem of England at the soccer game in Dublin. If the Irish national anthem was booed in London, we'd be calling for a meeting of the UN Security Council.
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What is most shocking about the fight at Dublin Airport is just how long it went on for with no intervention from the authorities.
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Whatever you say, don’t dare say CHRISTmas….
The ever popular Millennium Bridge shines brighter than ever as part of the magical Dublin City Council Dublin Winter Lights festival. Come experience the festive sparkle for yourself! ✨️. #DublinWinterLights #FeelTheMagic
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Dear Twitter friends, foes and observers - if you’re the praying type please storm Heeaven for my amazing mother Ann who will undergo major brain surgery in the morning. God is good.
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We Irish are funny - when our economy was collapsed due to greed and bloated public sector pay, we would’ve been furious if the Brits reacted the way we’re now gloating at their, comparatively, modest current difficulties.
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I’m so pleased the Government has banned people from visiting Ireland. Imagine if they caught a glimpse of our tv in their hotel room and realised we invite lads wearing plastic bags to offer opinions on serious issues.
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Yer man that wears the plastic bag on his head is on RTÉ Radio One "revealing" that St Patrick was not the first Christian in Ireland. I assume anyone who has been to school in Ireland knows that, no?.
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I’m constantly scratching me head about where Catholics - particularly older ones - picked up the habit of clapping at the end of Mass.
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"It’s okay to have a bash in the Merrion, but not to take your child for Communion or Confirmation” - quote of the day goes to Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell.
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If we're all for separation of Church and State why are so many secular people trying to tell a priest what he can and can't say. inside a church where people have voluntarily decided to attend?.
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'Winterval' in Waterford and 'Yulefest' in Kilkenny? We're such an immature country. It's called Christmas. If you don't want to celebrate it, don't - but don't try to rip it off for cynical commercialism.
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Just left a packed supermarket but will now have to tune in to Mass from Co. Armagh where people are free to attend. Where I live in Dublin, going to Mass is a criminal offence that could land a priest or parishioner in prison. What a deranged country.
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Talking to friends, it’s amazing how many Irish people think that the rest of the world is as locked down as we are. Most people seem entirely unaware that public events take place all over Europe.
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The glee with which some peope - including some journalists - are greeting the prospect of further #COVID19 restrictions is a sign of an even deeper sickness.
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If you're rude to waiting staff, people working in shops or delivery drivers, you are a person of low character - regardless of how you like to pretend to be nice to your friends. #Christmas.
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Unpopular opinion: having spent the day in Armagh at the service marking (not celebrating) partition, I suspect that President Higgins will in time be found to be on the wrong side of history. It was a complex and painful anniversary that the Church leaders handled with grace.
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Touching to see on the news the young Garda on duty bless himself as this poor woman was carried out. Decency matters.
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They really need to turn off Roderick O’Gorman’s mic or ask him to leave…the ‘nice guy’ mask is off tonight, and he’s trying to bully everyone else and shout them down. Appalling behaviour. #RTEUpfront.
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It’s now clear that the Universal Social Charge (USC) - introduced as a _temporary_ financial emergency measure TWELVE years ago - should be scrapped immediately to help workers with the rising cost of living.
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Distressing news from Nigeria: Fr Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo of Nnewi Diocese, Anambra State was shot dead yesterday by unidentified gunmen along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway. He was a pharmacist and priest in charge of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala. May he rest in peace.
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Whatever your personal feelings about Enoch Burke, his cause or his behaviour - if you feel the need to use Twitter to express ‘delight’ that he’ll be in prison for Christmas, you need to be a better person.
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Peadar Tóibín was stunning in this debate, he is by far and above the best political leader in Ireland - fantastic across all of the issues. #RTEUpFront #LeadersDebate #GE24.
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One homeless man freezes to death…another is scopped up like trash…bits of a dead teenager found in a sack and another in a burnt-out car - 24hours in Dublin. I wish we’d stop congratulating ourselves on how compassionate Ireland has become. #GE2020.
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Public health spending in Ireland - where half the population has private cover - is one of the highest in the world: €23.4billion. Yet it’s permanently in crisis. Where does all the money go?.
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A dark, dark, dark day - it will be very, very hard to come back from this. Asking doctors to help their patients take their own lives really is a rubicon crossed.
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Ireland has one of the most draconian lockdowns in the world, Government acknowledges that it doesn’t work as cases are rising…but the answer is: more lockdown.
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So @Buseireann are reintroducing the bus to London from tomorrow for €70 return. Given the state of @DublinAirport that is a very attractive offering.
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An article in The Irish Times last week actually referred to the 1980s in Ireland as our ‘Taliban years’ - when you see this, the lack of perspective about our own history is truly shocking.
In Afghanistan under Taliban, women are now banned from being visible through windows or even cooking near them. The Taliban supreme leader in a new directive forbids building windows that could reveal women. This follows earlier rules silencing women entirely.
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I’m so sick of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil TDs texting me their outrage at Catholics being criminalised. YOU are the Government. Stop this madness.
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51% of black people living in Ireland say they’ve experienced racial harassment in the last five years. In the UK, it’s 21%. We’re not as welcoming or tolerant or open as we like to tell ourselves we are. (Source: EU Agency For Fundamental Rights).
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Just months ago, Roderic O'Gorman wrongly claimed that his doomed referendums would cause no legal uncertainty. while he knew for a fact they would. #GE24
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Says millionaire who profiteers by buying and selling property…he must have some laugh at those who fall for the ‘man of the people’ shtick. 🙄
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Best wishes to all the Catholics in Northern Ireland returning to Mass this morning. As the Republic of Ireland stands virtually alone in the world in continuing a draconian ban on public worship, we’re with you spiritually.
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The stench of drugs and lack of visible policing in Dublin city centre is terrible…really just doesn’t feel like a safe environment.
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Settle an argument for me, Twitter: one *should* tip the pizza delivery guy on top of the delivery fee, right!?!.
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A blood-stained statue following the murderous attack on Catholics this morning in #SriLanka - the blood of the faithful is again mixed with the blood of Christ.
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I think it good to see Prince George and Princess Charlotte walk behind their great-grandmother’s cortège. Grief affects us all - it’s important that children get to participate and mourn in an age-appropriate way. Trying to pretend death isn’t real is unhealthy. #queensfuneral
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You’d miss the sharp wit and analysis of @Michael_O_Regan at times like #GE24 - God rest him.
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On the 50th anniversary of the entire island of Ireland joining the European Union, it’s bittersweet that the North was forced out against the will of the people. The only way to rectify this is Irish unity.
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Ryan Tubridy angrily rants this morning that #RoeVWade being overturned is “regressive” - is this public service broadcasting that we all have to pay for under threat of imprisonment?.
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I appreciate that those who have no faith see no benefit in religion, but I don’t get the sneering at those who do and the desire to deprive them of that succour. I can’t stand jazz music - but I delight in the fact it brings joy to so many. It’s about respect.
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It’ll be so wonderful when SF is in government. Everything will be free, and be paid for by some mythical group known as ‘other people’ - just like how cheap everything in in the North (where I’m from) where SF actually runs the show…and poverty is catastrophic.
Disgraceful! FF/FG/Greens just voted NOT to reduce home energy costs for struggling households. You and your family deserve so much better. #Time4Change
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Cancelled my Irish staycation - back to Italy for me where I can at least have something to eat.
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For all the grandstanding and self-congratulatory rhetoric, this new tax is not reducing littler - it’s just costing hard-working people a fortune.
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“We’re running out of ICU beds, we better lock everyone up again…” Wouldn’t the sensible thing be to, er, build capacity in the hugely well-funded health system?.
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Very sad to hear the news that Irishman Archbishop Noel Treanor died in Brussels this morning. The Monaghan native was Vatican ambassador to the EU, and before that served as Bishop of @DownandConnor - he was 73. May he rest in peace.
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If Irish Twitter cared half as much about holding our own politicians to account as they do about Boris Johnson, our discourse would improve markedly.
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Friends often ask why I remain Catholic in the midst of scandalous crimes and awful shortcomings in the Church. I tell them these things don’t have the last word: it’s still in the Church where I touch grace, mercy, holiness and most of all - encounter Christ Present.
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Evidently there are many people who want to continue to live under #COVID19 restrictions - good luck to them. Me? I’ll be cheerfully getting on with my life.
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God be with the days when journalism was about speaking truth to power, rather than massaging egos.
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The shift in Ireland has been so rapid - when I was growing up in the 1980s in my community we didn’t know a single person who didn’t go to Mass. The thought never even occurred and I was blessed by such a warm and loving parish community with heroic priests.
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Irish people rampaging around Twitter about UK COVID-19 failings on nursing homes seem unaware Irish policy was also to send untested people to nursing homes thus spreading the virus - 62% of our deaths were in nursing homes.
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It truly is a ‘happy day’ here at St Stephen’s Green where the live crib which the Green Party tried to block will be opened shortly thanks to people power.
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The vast, vast majority of priests, brothers and nuns in Ireland lived lives of great service and gave their lives for the education and welfare of our people in tough times. Hollywood never takes an interest in their stories, and the many, many lives they changed for the better.
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Heart-breaking to hear that the Franciscans are leaving Athlone after 800 years - the friars survived everything, including the Reformation but not the vocations crisis. A sad day for Ireland.
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Some commentators on twitter who usually have a view on everything, seem entirely unaware of the attack on the priest in Galway - reportedly by what gardaí describe as a radical islamist. a curious silence.
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Spare a thought for the zero-Covid crowd…can’t be an easy evening.
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The clerical abuse crisis is not a crisis of liberal Catholicism or conservative Catholicism - it is a cancer in our Christian community. People need to face up to it rather than trying to score points against Catholics they disagree with.
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The Sinn Féin press office spiel about Mrs McDonald being the “people’s Taoiseach” is laughable - it’s pretty simple: you win elections by getting the most votes…she lost.
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Great news that the Christmas Crib will go ahead in Dublin despite the Green Party attempt to block it.
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As far as I can see, the President is the only one with knowledge of Israel’s plan to invade and occupy Egypt.
President Michael D Higgins has said that to say the Irish people are anti-Semitic is a "gross defamation and slander", and it is a "very serious business" to do so simply because people disagree with the actions of the Israeli Prime Minister. Read more:
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Why is @rtenews reporting that China “sent” medical equipment to Ireland? They didn’t: taxpayers bought it. China no more sent it than Germany “sends” Mercedes cars to Ireland. #Coronavirus #COVID19.
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The vast funding of NGOs in Ireland is basically an elaborate form of CAP payments for the mates of politicians and failed election candidates. It has a hugely corrupting influence on public debate.
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The dozens of well-funded NGOs set up to monitor the ‘far right’ might be better to widen their focus…
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This should’ve happened from day one. Counting a lad who broke his leg and just happened to have the virus as a covid hospitalisation is daft verging on the cynical.
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Church leaders can’t sit back and await government approval for Mass 13 weeks from now. Our buildings are large enough and our people responsible enough. We can find creative ways for public Masses sooner. #coronavirus.
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Aontú has dramatically increased its vote in every tally I’ve seen, often outpolling all the other smaller parties. Time will tell if it translates to seats, but it’s a political party that’s here to stay and will only grow. #GE24.
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There is a glorious irony in the fact that the Irish Republic has now gone so rogue that Poland and Hungary are rightly raising concerns about the rule of law here.
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If your life consists of getting into a rage every time the Angelus comes on the radio, I suggest that you probably need that moment of reflection more than most.
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