The Sign Of The Lord

Opinion

Tiberiu Dianu


The Divine Sign

One of the most popular festival events in Puerto Rico takes place every year
on August 15 in the municipality of Cayey, about 30 miles south of the capital
city of San Juan: the Matron Festivities of Nuestra Señora de Asunción. The
festivities are celebrated during 10 consecutive days, bringing singers and ba-
nds from around the island. Cayey is relatively close to the southern shores of
Puerto Rico, the southernmost part of the United States.

This year, on the same day, in one of the northernmost largest cities of the Uni-
ted States, the popular Christian feast was observed being accompanied by a
special event. Almighty God has chosen the skies of Chicago to cast his vote for
President.

A “yuge” heavenly Donald Trump - displayed on the Lord’s ceiling - has dem-
onstrated to us that neither the place, nor the day have been chosen randomly.

The Place

Thus, for the Chicago place: God is reminding us of his displeasure for the un-
healthy policies of the former Illinois senator, now president of the United Sta-
tes, Barack Hussein Obama. These policies have targeted constantly the most
blessed country on earth, which the Almighty – still – loves and protects. It is
also a reminder to the (lefty) Chicagoans of their ugly manners and despicable
reception they had prepared in their Windy City for the Republican presidential
candidate. On March 11, they brutally infringed Trump’s constitutional right to
free speech by blocking his rally in the city.

This did not prevent Trump from easily winning the Illinois primary on the fo-
llowing Tuesday, March 15, exactly five months before the Divine Sign. Indeed,
God sees and takes care.

The Time

As for the date, rare are the days of the year loaded with so much religious sig-
nificance and variety of human events as August 15. Let us review some of them.
A few are related to the acute problems that concern the American society of to-
day...

-  the Assumption of Mary,  one of the most important Christian feast days and
holidays; according to some sources,  Mary’s death occurred 11 years after the
death – in 30 A.D. - of her son, Jesus (in 41 A.D.);

- the beginning of the Arab-Byzantine wars (in 636);

- the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople (in 718);

- the foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the
Three Wise Men, is laid (in 1248);

- the end of the Byzantine Empire, as a result of the Ottoman victory in Tre-
bizond (in 1461);

- the Sistine Chapel is consecrated by Pope Sixtus IV (in 1480);

- Paraguay's capital city of Asunción (the Assumption) is founded (in 1537);

- The Battle of Fort Dearborn (now Chicago) is fought between the U.S. troops
and Potawatomi, during the Anglo-American War (in 1812);

- the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral (Our Lady of Peace) in continuous use
in the United States is dedicated in Honolulu, Hawaii (in 1843);

- the Panama Canal opens to traffic (in 1914);

- coincidentally or not, my maternal grandmother, called Maria, is born on the
Assumption Day, also known (in her native Romania) as the Falling Asleep of
the Blessed Virgin Mary (in 1915);

- The Wizard of Oz premieres in Los Angeles (in 1939);

- effective surrender of Japan in World War II (in 1945);

- the birth of stadium rock, with The Beatles playing to 60,000 fans at Shea
Stadium in New York City (in 1965);

- The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in upstate New York (in 1969);

- a radio telescope operated by Ohio University, The Big Ear, receives a radio
signal from deep space, named “Wow! Signal” from the notations made on the
project (in 1977).

The Identity

In case anybody still doubts the significance of the Divine Sign, take another
look at the profiles of Earthly Donald and Heavenly Donald. They are…
I-DEN-TI-CAL!



TIBERIU DIANU is a scholar and author of several books and articles in law and post-
communist societies. He studied law, human rights, and criminal justice at the univer-
sities of Bucharest (Romania), Strasbourg (France), Oxford and Manchester (U.K.), Am-
erican University (Washington, DC),  and University of Maryland at College Park (Ma-
ryland). He currently lives in Washington, DC, where he works for various government 
and private agencies.

The opinions expressed in the preceding article are those of those of the author alone and do not 

necessarily represent the views of The Puerto Rico Monitor, its contributors, editors or advertisers.

Puerto Rico News Digest For April 14, 2016

HOUSE COMMITTEE RELEASES PR FINANCE BILL

From Caribbean Business:

"The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources released Tuesday H.R. 

4900, the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act 

(PROMESA), which if passed as is will impose a seven-member financial 

oversight board over Puerto Rico that would be appointed by the president

and will have broad encompassing powers over the island. The Financial 

Oversight & Management Board’s members would be selected from a list 

of candidates submitted by the U.S. House speaker, Senate majority leader, 

and minority leaders of the House and Senate. The board, which will have 

offices in Puerto Rico and anywhere else needed, will appoint an executive 

director. The governor of Puerto Rico would be an ex-oficio member with-

out voting powers..."

PR NAMED AS TEST SITE FOR 2020 CENSUS

From News Is My Business:

"The U.S. Census Bureau announced Tuesday it plans to conduct a test
census in selected areas within Puerto Rico beginning February 2017. The
Census Bureau will test new technologies, operations and procedures for the
2020 Census of Puerto Rico, the agency said. The test will take place in three
towns within the San Juan metro area — Carolina, Loíza and Trujillo Alto --
which represent some 123,000 housing units..."

POLICE SEIZE $13M WORTH OF COCAINE

From Fox News Latino:

"Authorities in Puerto Rico say they have seized $13 million worth of cocaine
and arrested four men after a chase off the island's southeast coast. Police said
Wednesday that some of the cocaine was seized from a boat located near the
town of Patillas. Police said two Dominican men aboard the boat threw a por-
tion of the drugs into the ocean and were arrested..."

PR CHURCH STRIPS TEACHERS OF PENSION

From The San Juan Daily Star:

"Archdiocese officials in recent weeks informed...several hundred current and
retired teachers that their pensions will be eliminated because payouts excee-
ded contributions. Enrollment at Catholic schools in Puerto Rico has plunged
with so many families leaving the island for the U.S. mainland amid the island’s
economic crunch. It has been a devastating blow to Catholic school teachers who
had counted on those pensions to supplement the Social Security checks they’ll
be getting..."

Puerto Rico News Digest For June 19, 2015

FBI ARRESTS FOUR FOR CHIILD PORN

As reported today by El Nuevo Dia, FBI agents in Puerto Rico are serving
four arrest warrants in different parts of the island this morning, all related
to the production and distribution of child pornography. The arrests, which
are being carried out in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Police, are taking
place in the cities of Aguadilla, San Juan, Quebradillas and Carolina. Once
the suspects are detained, they wil be taken to Federal Court in San Juan.

POLICE: PUERTO RICO HOMICIDES DOWN

From The San Juan Daily Star:

At a period almost halfway through the calendar year, the Police Department
of Puerto Rico has reported 249 murders for the year to date, less than half
compared to the same time four years ago. This would  indicate that while
homicide is being checked, as Police note, the island rate is still considerably
higher than any mainland city or state, while still trailing many Caribbean
and Central American cities in deadliness quotient.And while Puerto Rico
has a rate of 30.1 murders per 100,000 people, officials estimate that about
60 percent of homicides on the island are linked to drug trafficking. The to-
tal number of killings between June 13, 2011 and June 13, 2015 decreased
by 261, according to a written communication from the Police Department
released this week.

PR EX-PRIEST GETS 11 YEARS FOR SEX ABUSE

From San Diego Union-Tribune:

A former Roman Catholic priest was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in pri-
son for taking a teenage boy on a cruise ship vacation with the intent to en-
gage in illegal sexual conduct. The U.S. Attorney's Office on the U.S. Cari-
bbean island announced the sentencing of expelled priest Israel Berrios, who
had pleaded guilty in August 2014. Prosecutors accused Berrios of giving the
15-year-old boy money, a computer and a camera and taking him on a four-
day cruise to the Bahamas with his mother's permission in July 2008.

DON YOUNG RAISES FUNDS BEFORE PR HEARINGS

From Politico:

Alaska Republican Don Young is holding a fundraiser in Puerto Rico Friday,
just days before he chairs a controversial hearing on the territory’s political
and economic status. The close proximity of the hearing and the fundraising
event has sparked ethical concerns among some of Young’s colleagues on a
Natural Resources subcommittee, but committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-
Utah) told POLITICO that Young is free to set his own schedule. Young’s
fundraiser at a San Juan restaurant is hosted by Igualdad Futuro Seguro, a
pro-statehood political action committee.

PREPA GETS ANOTHER EXTENSION

From Caribbean Business:

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (Prepa) and its creditors entered
Thursday into yet another forbearance agreement extension, until June 30,
while they continue to hammer out consensus on a restructuring plan for the
financially troubled utility that would keep it away from a potential default
and court-mandated receivership. Although prior negotiations to further ex-
tend the grace period have usually lasted until the last minute, CARIBBEAN
BUSINESS sources on Wall Street had said both sides were closing in on an
additional extension to the forbearance period until the end of the month.

WATER RESERVOIR LEVELS FOR THIS MORNING

From AcueductosPR.Com:

Levels for Carraizo and La Plata are down again, after recent rains failed to
raise water levels at either reservoir. Cidra is down as well. 48-hour rationing
continues for users in the Carraizo zones and 24-hour rationing is in effect for
users in the La Plata zones.