Thursday, May 21, 2026
Poor Reading Proficiency: The Silent Crisis Engineered for Us
The reading crisis didn’t appear out of nowhere. It was engineered, slowly, predictably, and with a kind of bureaucratic confidence that assumed children would simply “bounce back.” They didn’t.
The Covid Lockdown Effect:
When COVID hit, one of the most drastic interventions was the nationwide shutdown of schools. Overnight, millions of children were sent home. Some districts scrambled to build online classrooms, but let’s be honest: expecting a 6-year-old to learn phonics through a laptop screen was a fantasy.
Grade-school attention spans are short under the best of circumstances. Put children in front of a glitchy Zoom call with 25 other kids and a stressed teacher, and the outcome was inevitable.
Now, six years later, the data is undeniable.
Across the country, schools are reporting historic drops in reading proficiency. Entire cohorts of children are behind by one, two, or even three grade levels. Teachers are sounding alarms. Parents are confused. Policymakers are pretending to be surprised.
But anyone paying attention could see this coming.
“Don’t Worry, Kids, AI Will Think for You”
Here’s the part that should make every adult uneasy.
Instead of rebuilding literacy, rebuilding attention, and rebuilding the ability to think, the cultural message is shifting toward something else:
“You don’t need to know how to read deeply.
You don’t need to think critically.
AI will do it for you.”
This is the beginning of a new dependency, one that feels convenient but is profoundly dangerous. Because if a generation grows up unable to read well, unable to analyze, and unable to question, then they also grow up unable to defend themselves.
A person who cannot read is a person who cannot verify.
A person who cannot verify is a person who must trust whatever the machine tells them.
We saw echoes of that during and after COVID: “Trust the science.” Anyone who questioned the dominant narrative was often sidelined or outright blacklisted. For many people, that period felt like a prelude to what may still be coming.
That is not empowerment.
That is not progress.
That is control.
We are drifting toward an AI-mediated society, where tools answer before minds can form questions; where convenience replaces comprehension; where speed replaces depth.
Some call it an AI utopia.
But a utopia where humans stop thinking is not a utopia, it is a soft cage.
And the reading crisis may be the first warning sign.
Mass Readings and Reflection on Thursday the Memorial of Saint Christopher Magallanes and Companions
First Reading: (Acts 22:30; 23:6–11)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 16:1–2a and 5, 7–8, 9–10, 11)
Response:
Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
Gospel Acclamation: (John 17:21)
Alleluia, alleluia.
May all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you; let the world believe that you sent me.
Gospel: (John 17:20–26)
“I ask not only on behalf of my disciples, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Reflection:
Today, the Church honors Saint Christopher Magallanes and his companions, courageous martyrs who remained faithful to Christ during the persecution of the Church in Mexico. They lived in dangerous times when priests were hunted, churches were closed, and openly practicing the Catholic faith could lead to imprisonment or death. Yet they remained faithful because they loved Christ more than they feared suffering.
Their witness connects powerfully with today’s readings.
In the first reading, Saint Paul stands before a divided and hostile council. Accusations surround him, tensions rise, and violence threatens his life. Yet in the middle of the chaos, the Lord comes to Paul and says:
“Take courage.”
Those words are important because they were not spoken after the danger ended. They were spoken while Paul was still in the struggle.
God often works that way in our lives. We may ask the Lord to remove every difficulty before we trust him, but instead, he gives us strength within the difficulty. His presence does not always remove the storm immediately, but it gives us courage to endure it faithfully.
Christian courage is not arrogance or aggression. True courage is quiet faithfulness. It is continuing to pray when life becomes heavy. It is remaining honest when dishonesty would be easier. It is choosing forgiveness over bitterness. It is standing for truth when compromise would be more comfortable.
The martyrs we honor today understood this kind of courage. They continued to celebrate the sacraments, preach the Gospel, and care for God’s people despite the threat of death. Their strength came from their deep union with Christ.
That leads us beautifully into today’s Gospel.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus prays not only for his apostles, but for all believers. That includes every one of us. And what is his prayer?
“That they may all be one.”
Unity is at the heart of Christ’s desire for his Church.
Yet unity is difficult because it requires sacrifice. It asks us to forgive, to remain patient, to listen, and to love even when it is inconvenient. Division often comes naturally because pride, anger, and selfishness pull people apart. But unity rooted in Christ calls us to humility and charity.
Our world today is filled with division: division in families, communities, nations, and even within the Church. People separate over politics, opinions, personal hurts, and misunderstandings. Yet Jesus continues to pray for unity among his followers so that the world may believe in him.
The unity Jesus speaks about is not based on sameness. It is based on sharing the love of Christ. The martyrs lived this unity so deeply that even death could not separate them from the Lord.
The Psalm today gives us the foundation for this courage and unity:
“Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.”
That is the prayer of a heart that trusts God completely.
Most of us may never be asked to die physically for our faith, but every Christian is called to daily sacrifice. We are called to die to selfishness, pride, fear, anger, and sin so that Christ may live more fully within us.
Today, the Lord asks us:
to take courage when living the Gospel becomes difficult,
to remain faithful when society pressures us to compromise,
to seek unity instead of division,
and to trust that God remains with us in every trial.
And the beautiful consolation is this: Jesus himself prays for us. Even now, Christ intercedes for his people before the Father.
So today, through the intercession of Saint Christopher Magallanes and his companions, may we ask for the grace to remain faithful, courageous, and united in Christ.
And whenever fear or uncertainty enters our hearts, may we remember the words spoken to Saint Paul:
“Take courage.”
Amen.
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
ZSCALER Cybersecurity Company Blocks 🚫 All Websites At Work Except This Blog
The only website I can visit.
Education as We Know It Will Never Ever Be the Same: AI Will End Us
Then you begin to realize that this is 2026, and the world is becoming as artificial as AI itself. That means intelligence, in many ways, is becoming super artificial too.
Now, this is by no means degrading the intelligence of those young people. Good Lord knows we need intelligence in our world. But what is scary is the fact that today, we are becoming more informed without necessarily becoming wiser, or even more human.
It is fair to say that we are slowly losing our common humanity.
Okay, that may sound like a lot, but AI has made it incredibly easy to access information for whatever you need, especially in education. Research that once took days in a library can now be done in minutes. Essays, explanations, tutoring, translations, calculations, and even critical analysis are now available instantly.
Those of us who went through school without such access might need to request readjustments to our grades and transcripts.
Just imagine that.
But all jokes aside, education has changed, and it will never, ever be the same in this age of everything artificial.
The question is no longer whether students have access to information. Almost everyone does. The real question is whether we are still teaching people how to think, how to reason, how to struggle through problems, how to be creative, and how to remain human in a world increasingly driven by machines. I am afraid not.
Artificial intelligence can give answers, but it cannot replace wisdom, character, empathy, discipline, or lived experience. Those things still have to be developed the old-fashioned way: through life, failure, relationships, sacrifice, and growth. Especially failure. Most of those young people will go through their years of formal formation without ever having to taste failure until they end up at the work place where they will have to solve some problems without AI. May not.
And maybe this new era will produce the smartest generation in history. But intelligence without wisdom can also become dangerous.
Education is no longer just about memorizing facts. It is now about learning how to navigate truth, technology, and humanity all at once.
And that changes everything. And as I read that people, I was wondering the problem solving skills of those young people. This by the way is not limited to the HS on LI, but around the nation and the world at large. With 21 intelligent boys and girls, who will give the speech? Please think about that question careful and apply it to the real world here everyone in the boardroom or the office is super qualified.
Wait until you read about the cheating that has taken place around universities in the past two years.
Drop a comment.
The Fall of Thomas Massie and the Growing Debate Over Foreign Influence in American Politics
I wrote sbput this yesterday and today, this is major political story that centers around Thomas Massie and his primary election defeat in Kentucky. For many observers, the race represented far more than a local congressional contest. It became a symbolic battle over the future of the Republican Party, the influence of lobbying groups, and the limits of political independence in Washington.
Massie had represented Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District since 2012. Over fourteen years in office, he built a reputation as an unconventional Republican-deeply libertarian, fiscally conservative, and often willing to oppose his own party leadership. Historically, his reelection campaigns were rarely competitive. He routinely defeated primary challengers by overwhelming margins, sometimes securing 70% to 80% of the vote.
This election, however, was dramatically different.
President Donald Trump and several major pro-Israel political organizations threw their support behind a challenger in an effort to remove Massie from office. Tens of millions of dollars poured into the race through advertising campaigns, political action committees, and outside spending groups.
Supporters of Massie argue that the campaign against him was not merely about party loyalty or ideological disagreements. They believe it was the culmination of years of tension between Massie and influential pro-Israel lobbying organizations, particularly American Israel Public Affairs Committee or AIPAC.
The Origins of the Conflict
The roots of the conflict trace back to 2024, during the height of the war in Gaza.
At the time, Israel requested an additional $26 billion aid package from the United States. Critics of the proposal argued that the United States was already heavily committed to supporting Israel militarily and financially through annual aid packages, missile defense support, and deployments in the Middle East.
Massie became one of the few Republicans to vote against the aid bill. And that was a big taboo if you are on that side of the political aile.
Soon afterward, he appeared on Tucker Carlson’s program, where he openly discussed the influence of AIPAC and other pro-Israel lobbying groups within Congress. During the interview, Massie claimed that nearly every Republican member of Congress had a dedicated AIPAC representative or “handler” who communicated with lawmakers, encouraged support for pro-Israel legislation, and coordinated political support.
Massie described himself as one of the few Republicans operating outside that structure.
The interview quickly became controversial and intensified tensions between Massie and pro-Israel political organizations.
A Voting Record That Created Enemies
Massie’s critics and supporters alike point to a series of votes that increasingly isolated him from Republican leadership and influential donor networks.
Among the most controversial were:
Voting against aid packages for Israel.
Opposing major Trump-backed spending legislation.
Supporting efforts to release files connected to Jeffrey Epstein.
Backing a war powers resolution intended to limit presidential authority regarding military action involving Iran.
Supporters viewed these actions as evidence that Massie was willing to challenge entrenched power structures regardless of political consequences.
Critics argued that his positions placed him outside the mainstream of Republican priorities and weakened party unity.
Trump, the GOP, and the Primary Challenge
As tensions escalated, Trump publicly turned against Massie.
The president endorsed a primary challenger, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, and repeatedly criticized Massie on social media and in campaign messaging. Trump allies framed the race as a test of loyalty within the Republican Party.
Several high-profile figures joined the effort against Massie, including members of Trump’s political team and conservative media personalities.
Meanwhile, pro-Israel political action committees and donors reportedly spent millions targeting Massie’s campaign. According to reports referenced in the discussion, the total ad spending in the race exceeded $30 million, making it the most expensive congressional primaries in U.S. history.
For many commentators, the race evolved into a proxy battle between:
Republican populists who favored political independence and non-interventionism.
Establishment Republican networks aligned with Trump and major donor interests.
The Debate Over Lobbying and Influence
A major theme running throughout the discussion is the role of lobbying organizations in American politics.
Critics of AIPAC and similar groups argue that enormous financial influence allows wealthy donors and lobbying networks to shape congressional behavior, discourage dissent, and punish lawmakers who oppose certain foreign policy priorities.
Supporters of pro-Israel lobbying organizations counter that such groups operate legally within the American political system, advocate for policies they believe strengthen a key U.S. ally, and represent legitimate political interests just like countless other advocacy organizations in Washington.
The controversy surrounding Massie reflects a broader debate over:
Campaign finance.
Foreign policy.
Lobbying power.
Media influence.
The independence of elected officials.
Media Narratives and Competing Interpretations
Another striking aspect of the controversy is the divide in how different media ecosystems interpret the race.
Mainstream coverage largely emphasized:
Trump’s continued dominance inside the Republican Party.
Party discipline.
Electoral strategy.
Republican infighting.
Independent commentators and anti-establishment voices focused instead on:
The role of pro-Israel lobbying groups.
Donor influence.
Media coordination.
Foreign policy disagreements.
The suppression of dissenting voices inside Congress.
These competing interpretations reveal how polarized political narratives have become in modern American politics.
The Meaning of Massie’s Defeat
For Massie’s supporters, his defeat represents more than the loss of a congressional seat. They see it as evidence that independent lawmakers who challenge powerful political interests face overwhelming institutional pressure.
Others argue that the result simply reflects the reality of party politics in America: politicians who repeatedly oppose party leadership often face primary challenges and eventually lose support within their coalition.
Regardless of interpretation, the race has become symbolic far beyond Kentucky.
To Trump supporters, the result demonstrates Trump’s continued authority over the Republican Party.
To Massie supporters, it raises questions about whether elected officials can meaningfully oppose influential donor networks and foreign policy consensus positions without risking political destruction.
A Larger Question About American Politics
At the heart of the controversy lies a deeper concern shared by many Americans across the political spectrum: who truly shapes political power in the United States?
The debate over Thomas Massie touches on issues that extend far beyond one congressman:
The role of money in elections.
The power of lobbying organizations.
The influence of donors and media networks.
The relationship between foreign policy and domestic politics.
The ability of independent voices to survive within major political parties.
Whether one agrees with Massie or not, his rise and fall have sparked a broader national conversation about political influence, accountability, and the future direction of American democracy.
What do you think about all this?
I like to hear your thoughts.
Pal Ronnie
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