Cara Ellen Modisett

At Gypsy Hill Park, writing sermons and talking to ducks.

"The shattering of faith in America’s goodness is the hardest part to watch." motherjones.com/politics/2025/…

This is unreal: "As tensions escalated, one U.S. official went so far as to invoke the Avignon Papacy, the period in the 1300s when the French Crown leveraged its military power to dominate the papal authority. The Department of Defense and the Nunciature did not respond to requests for comment."

“You can see the surface of the Moon…we just went sci-fi.” On flight day seven, images from our @NASAArtemis II crew amazed, turning science fiction to reality. From the lunar far side to a solar eclipse from the Moon, the views are EVERYTHING. No pressure to pick a favorite.

Working on Maundy Thursday sermon and now I've got Huey Lewis and the News The Power of Love running through my head and I'm ok with it.

New: Under AG Pam Bondi, the DOJ has dropped 23,000 criminal cases — including hundreds of investigations into terrorism, white-collar crime and drugs — while prosecuting 32,000 new immigration cases in just the first six months of Trump’s second term. propub.li/4m4Vzmf

Palm Sunday sermon for this morning, Trinity Episcopal, Staunton Va.: trinitystaunton.org/hosanna-save-u…

Happy vernal equinox! 🍀 Today marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. After today, the Sun will shine more directly on the Northern Hemisphere than on the Southern Hemisphere until the autumnal equinox.

If the idea is really to "introduce prayer and Christian teachings into public schools," then why not post The Beatitudes? "Blessed are the poor." "Blessed are the peacemakers." "The States Pushing for Ten Commandments Displays in Classrooms" nytimes.com/2026/03/19/us/…

A year ago this week, Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Texas. But it was not until this past February, 11 months after the shooting, that ICE confirmed its involvement. It's now become the first publicly known instance of ICE fatally shooting a U.S. citizen as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. While the Department of Homeland Security says Martinez intentionally rammed his vehicle into an agent, recently released body cam footage — which shows shots being fired into Martinez's vehicle — calls that narrative into question. And one year later, Martinez's family is still searching for answers. @GeoffRBennett spoke with Ruben Martinez's mother, Rachel Reyes, and her attorney, Charles Stam.

Bishop Seitz: “The current national campaign of mass detention and deportations is a grave moral evil, one which must be opposed, with prayer, peaceful action and acts of solidarity with those affected." americamagazine.org/politics-socie…

@MarkWarner @timkaine @TheDemocrats @SenateDems @HouseDemocrats

With the potential for tornadoes Monday, here are safety guidelines for sheltering in your home. If you receive a tornado warning for your area, take shelter immediately! Inside a sturdy, well-constructed building is one of the safest places to be.

A tornado watch has been issued for parts of North Carolina and Virginia until 2 PM EDT

Of course no sooner do I say "no warnings" than this large block of counties south and east of Roanoke is placed under a severe thunderstorm warning. Localized 60 mph gusts are possible. ... Good to follow @NWSBlacksburg for latest warnings today.

@BrendanCarrFCC Do you understand what your job is about? Do you know how close to Orwellian you're treading? Have you read George Orwell? Take a step back. You're part of the problem.

Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions - also known as the fake news - have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not. And frankly, changing course is in their own business interests since trust in legacy media has now fallen to an all time low of just 9% and are ratings disasters. The American people have subsidized broadcasters to the tune of billions of dollars by providing free access to the nation’s airwaves. It is very important to bring trust back into media, which has earned itself the label of fake news. When a political candidate is able to win a landslide election victory after in the face of hoaxes and distortions, there is something very wrong. It means the public has lost faith and confidence in the media. And we can’t allow that to happen. Time for change!

Our students shouldn't be terrified of just walking into their schools. HB836 makes it clear that no child will be denied a free public education because of citizenship status. Public schools exist to educate our children, not to police our families. Schools should be safe places where kids can focus on learning, growing, and building their futures, not places where families fear deportation. Together we are guaranteeing every child in Virginia the right to an education. 📚

'Sausage mcmuffins' because sausage is the TYPE of mcmuffin. In 'attorneys general,' 'attorneys' is the noun being modified.

Where do we sign up to volunteer monitor if this program ends?

If Texas is, in fact, discriminating against Muslim schools, then this is an easy, easy case. The state cannot discriminate against Islam or any other faith in providing state benefits, including vouchers.