Legalize It All: How to win the war on drugs

In 1994, John Ehrlichman, the Watergate co-conspirator, unlocked for me one of the great mysteries of modern American history: How did the United States entangle itself in a policy of drug prohibition that has yielded so much misery and so few good results? Americans have been criminalizing psychoactive substances since San Francisco’s anti-opium law of 1875, but it was Ehrlichman’s boss, Richard Nixon, who declared the first “war on drugs” and set the country on the wildly punitive and counterproductive path it still pursues. I’d tracked Ehrlichman, who had been Nixon’s domestic-policy adviser, to an engineering firm in Atlanta, where he was working on minority recruitment. I barely recognized him. He was much heavier than he’d been at the time of the Watergate scandal two decades earlier, and he wore a mountain-man beard that extended to the middle of his chest.

At the time, I was writing a book about the politics of drug prohibition. I started to ask Ehrlichman a series of earnest, wonky questions that he impatiently waved away. “You want to know what this was really all about?” he asked with the bluntness of a man who, after public disgrace and a stretch in federal prison, had little left to protect. “The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”

Read the rest here.
HT: MG

Memory Eternal: Dad 1 year ago today

Deeply missed. May your memory be eternal.

Report: Catholic Priest Crucified by ISIL on Good Friday

Details are sketchy and the reports appear to be mainly coming from the Austrian press/media who got the news from Cardinal Schönborn. While no formal confirmation has yet come from the Holy See, it has been rumored for a while that ISIL was planning on doing this.

Source

Update: The Indian Government is throwing cold water on the report. Let us pray they are right. Source

Memory Eternal: Mother Angelica, foundress of EWTN

The iconic Catholic nun reposed on Easter Sunday. She was 92.

Former Pope Benedict XVI said to be "slowly fading"

Rome (AFP) - Pope emeritus Benedict XVI is "slowly, serenely fading" but remains "very lucid", his personal secretary said in an interview published Thursday.

Joseph Ratzinger is "an old man, of course, but very lucid. Unfortunately, it's become difficult for him to walk and he needs to use a walking frame," Georg Gaenswein said in an interview with the Italian magazine BenEssere.

In 2013, Benedict became the first head of the Catholic Church to resign in seven centuries, amid speculation he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, unable to cope at the top of an institution beset by scandals.

He said he no longer had the strength of mind or body to carry on, but his health appeared to improve after he stepped down and moved into a former convent in the grounds of the Vatican.

"In April, Benedict XVI will be 89 years old. He's like a candle which is slowly, serenely fading. He is serene, at peace with God, himself and the world," said Gaenswein.

Read the rest here.

Some Rare Good News for Investors (and bad news for Wall Street)

Any day now, the U.S. Department of Labor is expected to finalize new rules that would change the way financial advisors are allowed to give advice to their clients.

The controversial changes are meant to reduce the conflict of interest among broker-dealers and financial advisors who advise consumers on how to invest their savings. And the rules would apply to both major firms like Fidelity and Vanguard as well as smaller independent ones. As it stands, broker-dealers receive commissions based on the products they sell their clients, which critics say creates an inherent conflict of interest. Under the new rules, broker-dealers would be required to act in their clients’ best interest rather than encouraging money moves that directly benefit the broker’s bottom line. The fancy word for this is “fiduciary duty.”

Read the rest here.

The British View the War of 1812

...By contrast, the British historiography of the War of 1812 has generally consisted of short chapters squeezed between the grand sweeping narratives of the Napoleonic Wars. The justification for this begins with the numbers: Roughly 20,000 on all sides died fighting the War of 1812 compared with over 3.5 million in the Napoleonic. But the brevity with which the war has been treated has allowed a persistent myth to grow about British ignorance. In the 19th century, the Canadian historian William Kingsford was only half-joking when he commented, “The events of the War of 1812 have not been forgotten in England for they have never been known there.” In the 20th, another Canadian historian remarked that the War of 1812 is “an episode in history that makes everybody happy, because everybody interprets it differently...the English are happiest of all, because they don’t even know it happened.”

The truth is, the British were never happy. In fact, their feelings ranged from disbelief and betrayal at the beginning of the war to outright fury and resentment at the end. They regarded the U.S. protests against Royal Navy impressment of American seamen as exaggerated whining at best, and a transparent pretext for an attempt on Canada at worst. It was widely known that Thomas Jefferson coveted all of North America for the United States. When the war started, he wrote to a friend: “The acquisition of Canada this year, as far as the neighborhood of Quebec, will be a mere matter of marching, and will give us experience for the attack of Halifax the next, and the final expulsion of England from the American continent.” Moreover, British critics interpreted Washington’s willingness to go to war as proof that America only paid lip service to the ideals of freedom, civil rights and constitutional government. In short, the British dismissed the United States as a haven for blackguards and hypocrites.

The long years of fighting Napoleon’s ambitions for a world empire had hardened the British into an “us-against-them” mentality. All British accounts of the war—no matter how brief—concentrate on the perceived inequality of purpose between the conflict across the Atlantic and the one in Europe: with the former being about wounded feelings and inconvenience, and the latter about survival or annihilation.

Read the rest here.

HT: MG

The Price of a Life in Europe

21 years after being charged, eleven years as a fugitive then a five year trial followed by eighteen months for the judges to deliberate on the verdict, today the International Criminal Court in the Hague convicted Radovon Karadžić of Genocide and directly ordering the murder of 8,000 men and boys at Srebrenica.

The court promptly sentenced him to 1.8 days in jail... for each victim.

He now has 30 days to file an appeal which lawyers expect to take between three and five years to hear and between another year and two years for the judges to adjudicate.

I personally think the definition of Genocide has has been so watered down that it is almost meaningless these days. But there is no question that the premeditated murder of 8,000 people ranks as a great war crime and atrocity.

Long time readers of this blog will know that I am no fan of capital punishment. But I have always recognized certain rare exceptions. This is one of them. In any civilized society, following such a conviction, Mr. Karadžić would have been given enough time to dictate his will and confess to a priest before being marched to the gallows.

This is a perversion of justice.

A 95 Year Old Mystery of the Sea Solved

Click to enlarge

The USS Conestoga left the Navy yard at Mare Island, Calif., on Good Friday, 1921, bound for Pearl Harbor, with a complement of 56 sailors.

It cleared the Golden Gate at 3:25 p.m. and steamed into the Gulf of the Farallones in heavy seas. Conestoga was a rugged oceangoing tug that had once hauled coal barges for a Pennsylvania railroad.

But 17 years after its launch in Baltimore, it had undergone hard use and had a reputation as a “wet boat,” one that shipped water easily.

At 4 p.m. that day, as the San Francisco light ship recorded big waves and gale-force winds, Conestoga passed Point Bonita and was not heard from again.

Wednesday, 95 years later, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Navy announced that the wreck has been found a few miles from Southeast Farallon Island, just off the California coast.

The announcement came at a morning ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, attended by relatives of the lost sailors.

Read the rest here.

Patriarch Kirill Condemns Heresy of Modernism and Secularism (English subtitles)

The Great Anethemas from the Synodikon of Orthodoxy

How U.S. Foreign Policy Made 2015 the “Worst Year in Modern History for Christian Persecution”

2015 was the “worst year in modern history for Christian persecution,” according to Open Doors, a human rights organization that has been documenting the persecution of Christians since 1955.

According to its latest data, more than 7,000 Christians were killed for their faith in 2015 — almost twice as many as in 2014. In addition, more than 2,400 churches were attacked, damaged or destroyed — again, more than double the number of the previous year.

In the words of Open Doors’ CEO, David Curry:

The 2016 World Watch List [which ranks the 50 nations where Christians are most persecuted] documents an unprecedented escalation of violence against Christians, making this past year the most violent and sustained attack on Christian faith in modern history. … This research has concluded that after the brutal persecution of Christians in 2014, 2015 proved to be even worse with the persecution continuing to increase, intensify and spread across the globe. … The level of exclusion, discrimination and violence against Christians is unprecedented, spreading and intensifying.

Who or what is behind these unprecedented levels of persecution? Some of it is related to the tendency of non-Western nations to associate Christianity with the “hated West.” Four are Communist nations — Vietnam (ranked #20), Laos (#29), China (#33), and North Korea (#1), where “Christianity is not only seen as ‘opium for the people,’ as is normal for all communist states, it is also seen as deeply Western and despicable,” notes the report. Three are reclaiming their religious heritage in contradistinction to what is portrayed as a depraved West — Hindu India (#17), Buddhist Bhutan (#38) and Myanmar (#23). And two — Mexico (#40) and Columbia (#46) — are fueled by organized crime and drug cartels.
“Islamic extremism” is cited as the source of persecution for the remaining 41 nations that make the list of 50 worst persecutors of Christians. North Korea aside, the rest of the eight nations where Christians experience the worst form of persecution (“extreme persecution”) are all Islamic. In 35 nations, Islamic extremism “has risen to a level akin to ethnic cleansing” of Christians.

Read the rest here.

On the Eve of the Great Fast

Please forgive me for any offense I may have caused, especially through anything written on this blog.

Barring something very urgent there will be no blogging until after Clean Wednesday. I wish everyone a blessed fast.

Ted Cruz'a Weird Father

I didn't know he was a Dominionist. Seriously bizarre theological heresy that. Nor did I realize that he left the Catholic Church after his divorce and remarriage.

HT: Rod Dreher who has a piece up on this via an email tip from Dr. Tighe.

Patriarchate of Bulgaria: On the Pan-Orthodox Synod and the Appearance of Heresy as a Gift from God so that Orthodoxy can be proclaimed.

 The Church of Christ is not of this world but is founded by the Holy Trinity so that she might serve in the world; that she may be penetrated with the truth of Christ, that she may sanctify and lead one back again to God. In this sense, the Church coexists with all phenomena in different epochs of human history, including also that of the pluralism of opinion, one of the characteristic scars of the time in which we live. This pluralism, however, is not inherent in the Orthodox faith and in its dogmatics, just as diversity of opinion is not intrinsic to God, in Whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning (John 1:17).

Certainly, the Holy Orthodox Church does not deny freedom of human thought, but attempts to direct this freedom in a salvific direction. This way, in connection with confirmed and true Church teaching, many personal theological opinions arise—for example, the teaching of St. Gregory of Nyssa on the "garments of skin," the interpretation of St. Filaret (Drozdov) on the petition "For the peace of the whole world, the well-being of the Holy Churches of God and the union of all," the position of Fr. Sergey Bulgakov on the "feminine principle" ("Sofia") in God. Over time, mass heretical communities are also appearing and are frequently privileged through political protection. But this cannot, in some way, weaken or violate the holiness of the Church and her uniqueness, neither can it deny her creed, her sacred tradition, and her holy scripture.

Today the entire Orthodox world is excited about the upcoming Holy and Great Council, which is planned for June 2016 on the island of Crete. Various expectations and positions, apprehensions and hopes, are being expressed.

Right now the community of the Church is exchanging and discussing a host of letters, petitions, documents, and epistles. Everyone is expressing his view in accord with his internal feelings. But in as much as no person is infallible, and in as much as none of us is more great or wiser than the teachings of the Church that have been confirmed in the Ecumenical Councils throughout the centuries, personal bias should give priority to the true, eternal, ubiquitous, and unanimous confession of the Orthodox faith.

This is essential for all of us in as much as it is not theoretical theology, theological "diplomacy," or the cultural and social activity in the Church that are the means for the eternal salvation of our souls, but our trueness before God, humility, faithful love, and life in His Spirit and His truth, in Him Himself, Who is absolute Truth. It is not possible for any of our particular, variable, and self-servingly adjustable "truths" to save our lives.

It has always been a gift of grace for the Church when heresies appear and intensify, in as much as she has thereupon formulated and reconfirmed the pure teachings of holy Orthodoxy. Such is the case today—different heresies and sects, including the heresy of ecumenism, allow the Church to express its unchanged and principled position through its archpastors, pastors, theologians, and laity, which is just as beneficial for us, Orthodox, as it is for the non-Orthodox.

Read the rest here.

Chinese Military Buildup in S. China Sea Raises Alarm

HONG KONG — When the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis and four other American warships sailed into the South China Sea last week for what were described as routine exercises, the message was clear: The United States is the dominant military power in the region and plans to keep it that way.

But numerous Chinese naval ships were operating nearby, the United States Navy said, noticeably more than in past years. A Chinese officer told the state-run news media that the ships were there to “monitor, identify, follow and expel” foreign vessels and aircraft, depending on how close they came “to our islands.”

The encounter, which passed without incident, was the latest episode in a wary standoff between the United States and China over two contested island chains known as the Paracels and the Spratlys.

Since taking office three years ago, President Xi Jinping has used the isles to expand China’s military footprint in the region, taking one step after another to build and equip outposts far from the Chinese mainland over protests from its neighbors and from Washington.

Read the rest here.

Swedish group wants 'legal abortions' for men

Men should have the same right as women to decide not be parents, according to a controversial new proposal from the Liberal Party’s youth wing in western Sweden (LUF Väst).

Men who don’t want to become fathers should be permitted to have a “legal abortion” up to the 18th week of a woman’s pregnancy, say the young liberals.

The cut-off date coincides with the last week in which a woman can terminate a pregnancy in Sweden.

“This means a man would renounce the duties and rights of parenthood,” LUF Väst chairman Marcus Nilsen told The Local.

By signing up for a “legal abortion” then, a man would not have to pay maintenance for his child, but neither would he have any right to meet the child.

Read the rest here.
HT: T-19

Dallas has a Saint!

The incorrupt body of Archbishop Dimitri (OCA) exhumed almost five years after his burial. He was not embalmed per-Orthodox burial custom.

See the story from Rod Dreher.

Political correctness devours yet another college

On Saturday, two members of Bowdoin College’s student government will face impeachment proceedings. What heinous transgression did they commit? Theft, plagiarism, sexual assault?

Nope. They attended a party where some guests wore tiny sombreros. 
 
Two weeks ago, some students threw a birthday party for a friend. The email invitation read: “the theme is tequila, so do with that what you may. We’re not saying it’s a fiesta, but we’re also not not saying that :).” The invitation — sent by a student of Colombian descent, which may or may not be relevant here — advertised games, music, cups and “other things that are conducive to a fun night.”

Those “other things” included the miniature sombreros, several inches in diameter. And when photos of attendees wearing those mini-sombreros showed up on social media, students and administrators went ballistic.

College administrators sent multiple schoolwide emails notifying the students about an “investigation” into a possible “act of ethnic stereotyping.” 

Partygoers ultimately were reprimanded or placed on “social probation,” and the hosts have been kicked out of their dorm, according to friends. (None of the disciplined students whom I contacted wanted to speak on the record; Bowdoin President Clayton Rose declined an interview and would not answer a general question about what kinds of disciplinary options are considered when students commit an “act of bias.”) 

Read the rest here.

Left-wing Fascism continues its sweep of American university campuses.

Episcopalian Priest Aborted Her Baby So She Could Finish Divinity School

Abortion advocates across the nation are trying to send the U.S. Supreme Court a message: Women need abortions to be successful.

This insulting notion has been the underlying theme of dozens of stories pro-abortion women have submitted to the high court ahead of its hearing on a Texas pro-life law, which has been credited with saving more than 10,000 babies’ lives. The law is responsible for closing abortion clinics that could not guarantee they could protect the health of Texas women.

The latest pro-abortion story to be highlighted in the mainstream media is that of the Rev. Anne Fowler, an Episcopal priest from New England, who said her abortion allowed her to finish divinity school and become a priest.

Here is her story, according to an amicus brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court:

Read the rest here.

The English language contains no words or expressions that can adequately describe this kind of undiluted evil.

In Defense of Western Rite Orthodoxy

In recent years, some Orthodox jurisdictions in the United States and Great Britain have accepted whole parishes that converted from Anglicanism or Catholicism to Orthodoxy. These few parishes have the unique distinction of providing Orthodox services in the "Western Rite"—high Church services somewhat rewritten to adapt to the Orthodox cycle of services. A deacon of the Orthodox Church, Eastern Rite speaks in defense of this practice:
 
For over a century, the question of the Western Rite within the canonical Orthodox Church has been one of tremendous debate. Many Orthodox Christians of Western ancestry find within it a home, an answer to their deepest longings for a “rebaptism” of Western Christianity, and an opportunity to draw Western Christians back into the fold of the True Church. Others see the Western Rite as something foreign, misleading, and dangerous. These see the Western Rite as an innovation, and even (possibly) heretical.
 
What, though, are we Orthodox, to think of the Western Rite? Is it dangerous and wrong, or is it holy and good? What is the substance of the objections which well-intentioned Orthodox people have, clergy and laity alike? In what follows, I will look at several frequent arguments which are utilized in the opposition to the use of the Western Rite. I will examine them, and will answer them, not only from a Western Orthodox perspective, but also with honest evaluation from Eastern positions.

I will apologize here at the outset for the blunt, and possibly even polemical nature of much of what is said here. However, as our culture quickly descends into a politically correct world, where no one says what he or she actually means, bluntness is sometimes needed to make a firm point. Forgive me, a sinner, for the sake of Christ.

Read the rest here.

Vatican newspaper publishes arguments for allowing women to preach at Mass

The Vatican newspaper has published essays suggesting that women should be allowed to preach at Mass.

Under existing canon law, only priests and deacons are authorized to preach at Mass. But in a special section of L'Osservatore Romano dedicated to women's role in the Church, three writers call for a re-examination of that policy.

"This topic is a delicate one," acknowledges Enzo Bianchi, the founder and head of the Bose ecumenical community; "but I believe it is urgent that we address it." He says that allowing women to preach would be "a fundamental change in their participation in Church life."

Sister Catherine Aubin, a Dominican theologian, adds an observation that women have been effective evangelists throughout the history of the Church, and today are regularly invited to lead spiritual retreats. Sister Madeleine Fredell remarks that she is allowed to preach in Lutheran churches, and says, "I believe that listening to the voice of women at the time of the homily would enrich our Catholic worship."

Source.

The Long Shadow of 1912

The last time the Republican Party was this divided we wound up with the worst President in the history of the United States being elected and we have never really recovered from that disaster.

The Governing Cancer of Our Time

We live in a big, diverse society. There are essentially two ways to maintain order and get things done in such a society — politics or some form of dictatorship. Either through compromise or brute force. Our founding fathers chose politics.

Politics is an activity in which you recognize the simultaneous existence of different groups, interests and opinions. You try to find some way to balance or reconcile or compromise those interests, or at least a majority of them. You follow a set of rules, enshrined in a constitution or in custom, to help you reach these compromises in a way everybody considers legitimate.

The downside of politics is that people never really get everything they want. It’s messy, limited and no issue is ever really settled. Politics is a muddled activity in which people have to recognize restraints and settle for less than they want. Disappointment is normal.

But that’s sort of the beauty of politics, too. It involves an endless conversation in which we learn about other people and see things from their vantage point and try to balance their needs against our own. Plus, it’s better than the alternative: rule by some authoritarian tyrant who tries to govern by clobbering everyone in his way.

As Bernard Crick wrote in his book, “In Defence of Politics,” “Politics is a way of ruling divided societies without undue violence.”

Over the past generation we have seen the rise of a group of people who are against politics. These groups — best exemplified by the Tea Party but not exclusive to the right — want to elect people who have no political experience. They want “outsiders.” They delegitimize compromise and deal-making. They’re willing to trample the customs and rules that give legitimacy to legislative decision-making if it helps them gain power.

Ultimately, they don’t recognize other people. They suffer from a form of political narcissism, in which they don’t accept the legitimacy of other interests and opinions. They don’t recognize restraints. They want total victories for themselves and their doctrine.

Read the rest here.

Christian student expelled for opposing gay marriage

A Christian postgraduate student has been expelled from his course, effectively ending his chances of a career as a social worker, for voicing opposition to gay marriage in a Facebook discussion.

Felix Ngole, a 38-year-old father of four, expressed support for Kim Davis, the county clerk from Kentucky in the US who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licences after the introduction of same-sex unions in September last year.

 He argued that homosexual activity is against the teaching of the Bible, quoting a verse from Leviticus describing it as an "abomination".
 
The post, from his private Facebook account, was part of a discussion thread in which other users voiced their opinions on all sides of the debate. It was not until two months later that he was summoned to a disciplinary hearing at Sheffield University after a fellow student complained about his post. He said he was initially not even told what he was accused of doing. He was eventually told that it involved breaching social work guidelines on "personal conduct" and "bringing the profession into disrepute".

Read the rest here.

Pope calls Italy’s foremost abortion promoter one of nation’s ‘forgotten greats’

February 25, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) -- In a February 8 interview with one of Italy’s most prominent dailies, Corriere Della Serra, Pope Francis praised Italy’s leading proponent of abortion – Emma Bonino -- as one of the nation’s “forgotten greats,” comparing her to great historical figures such as Konrad Adenauer and Robert Schuman.  Knowing that his praise of her may be controversial, the Pope said that she offered the best advice to Italy on learning about Africa, and admitted she thinks differently from us. “True, but never mind,” he said. “We have to look at people, at what they do.”

At 27, Bonino had an illegal abortion and then worked with the Information Centre on Sterilization and Abortion which boasted over 10,000 abortions. There are famous photos of Bonino performing illegal abortions using a homemade device operated by a bicycle pump.  Arrested for the then-illegal activity she spent a few days in jail and was acquitted and entered politics.

When she was appointed Italy’s foreign minister in 2013 there was a general outcry from life and family leaders at the appalling situation.

Responding to the Pope’s praise of Bonino, pro-life leaders in Italy expressed disbelief.  “How can the pope praise a woman that is best known in Italy for practicing illegal abortion and promoting abortion?” commented Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro, who was until last year the head of the Rome office of Human Life International.

Read the rest here.

This Pope is an unmitigated disaster.

ANAXIOS!

Grand Imam of al-Azhar denounces Episcopal Church bishops for being un-Christian

The Grand Imam of the al-Azhar in Cairo has denounced the bishops of the Episcopal Church of the USA for endorsing gay marriage saying the innovation was contrary to the clear words of Scripture. Speaking at the University of Syarif Hidayatullah in Indonesia this week Sheikh Amhed el-Tayeb asked American Christians whether their actions were faithful to Christ. Sheikh el-Tayeb, held to be the highest Sunni religious leader and Islamic jurist in the Muslim world, also denounced US government policy of pressuring less developed nations to adopt its views on homosexuality in return for foreign aid. He further stated liberal church leaders in the US were complicit in this blackmail by giving moral sanction to an immoral agenda.  “Unfortunately some Heads of Churches in the United States accept same-sex marriages. I wonder what is left of the Bible in those Churches. And what will they say in front of Jesus, peace be upon him", Sheikh el-Tayeb said in a question and answer session, according to a spokesman for the university. Speaking at a question and answer session at the School of Theology at the University of the South on 11 Feb 2016, the chairman of the Anglican Consultative Council, the Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga, said that in the eyes of many African and Asian religious leaders, the Episcopal Church was an arm of US foreign policy. Dr. Tengatenga said the heavy handed approach taken by the State Department under the Obama Administration in advancing gay rights in Africa, Asia and the Middle East was resented as a colonialist intrusion into the affairs of independent states. The retired Malawian bishop said it was not uncommon for local activists in Africa to be undermined by the well-intentioned but misguided support from overseas groups, often leading to the unfortunate outcome of a hardening of attitudes against gays and lesbians.

Source.

You just can't make this stuff up.

Ceterum censeo Trump delendum esse

Donald Trump’s victory in South Carolina proves that in 2016, the GOP has split into two. There is the Trump party. And there is the not-Trump party.

In raw terms, the Trump party isn’t especially strong. Voting has concluded in three states. The results there and all kinds of polling on favorability among Republicans suggests he’s got a natural ceiling between 35 and 40 percent. An AP poll conducted this week says 60 percent of GOP voters—60 percent!—have a negative view of Trump.

This is the not-Trump party.

And yet, in that same AP poll, 86 percent of Republican voters say they think Trump can win in November. In light of their dislike, Republicans appear to be making a depressing concession to the dark reality of the present moment—the same dark reality with which everyone who is not in Trump’s thrall is grappling.

With apologies to Shakespeare, Trump is the Colossus of 2016, bestriding the narrow election while other candidates walk under his huge legs and peep about, seeking a little media attention.

The not-Trump party doesn’t want him but to its members and to everyone else he is beginning to seem inescapable.

So what does the not-Trump party do now?

Everybody knows what needs to happen. The GOP field needs to consolidate so that the not-Trump party can speak with one voice, back one candidate, and knock him over.

But that’s not going to happen...

Read the rest here.

Donald Trump is probably going to win the GOP nomination. But with one exception, I see no reasonable possibility of his winning the general election. (If Hillary is indicted all bets are off.). With Trump as its nominee the GOP is likely heading for a once in a generation electoral shellacking. He is going to be the Republican George McGovern.

Quote of the day...

"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian..."

-Pope Francis responding to a question about Donald Trump's views on immigration.

Justice Scalia's Funeral

It's going to be at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. Given his staunchly Traditionalist Catholic faith, he used to drive for hours to attend the pre-Vatican II Mass, one wonders if his Requiem Mass will be celebrated using the old rites.

Caricatures

If I wanted to do a satirical rif on the occasional nutty convert to Orthodoxy that we all hear about (but happily is not all that common) there is no way I could have equaled the commentary of Mr. R Michael Warren, a sampling of which can be found here. Unfortunately, I am pretty sure he is serious.

My response can be found near the bottom of the com box.

Update: It has been suggested in a comment that this may be a "false flag" propaganda stunt. I am compelled to admit that the thought had crossed my mind as well. As a rule I have little use for conspiracy theories, but the commentary of Mr. Warren is so over the top and nutty, that it fits like a glove with the caricature that anti-Orthodox Catholics like to paint. Honestly I have never encountered this level of unvarnished polemical idiocy even among the most rabid Old Calendarists. Who knows.

Memory Eternal

Justice Antonin Scalia, quite possibly the greatest public servant of the age

Pope invites divorced, remarried Catholics to Vatican audience

ROME — As the countdown builds toward a major document in which Pope Francis is expected to address the controversial issue of Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, the pontiff has invited a group of divorced and remarried believers to a private audience.

While the outreach certainly confirms Francis’ interest in better pastoral care for divorced Catholics who have remarried outside the Church, it doesn’t quite tip his hand in terms of which way he may be leaning on the Communion debate.

Francis invited a diocesan group in Italy that started a program to reach out to those who are in what the Church calls “irregular unions.” A date has not been set.

Read the rest here.

ROCOR and the "Catholic Church of the East" - It's not looking good

OK, it is all over the web. And since it has been the topic of discussion on multiple recent posts on this blog... here is the latest, less some of the more salacious details. The hoped for reception of the self identified Catholic Church of the East into Holy Orthodoxy has hit a major speed bump and is now in doubt. Metropolitan Hilarion is directly involved and dealing with the situation.

Let's keep the comments classy and avoid unnecessary gossip. Prayers for all involved would be appreciated.

The Council of Havana

Is Ted Cruz Eligible to be President? No - Says U of Chicago Law Professor

With Ted Cruz the victor of the first contest of the GOP nominating calendar, we can no longer avoid the question mischievously posed by Donald Trump: Is Cruz ineligible to be president? Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father. The Constitution says that only a “natural born citizen” can be president. Is Cruz a natural born citizen? (You may recall that before he attacked Cruz on this front, Trump spent months flogging a ludicrous version of this critique against President Obama, who was actually born in the United States, unlike Cruz.)

The words natural born citizen, and their original meaning at the time that this constitutional clause was crafted, go a long way to answering this question. In founding-era America, like today, a person could be a citizen by virtue of birth on American territory; a citizen by virtue of a statute that granted citizenship to him at birth; a “naturalized” citizen, meaning one who entered the country as an alien but later obtained citizenship via a process determined by law; and a foreigner.

A natural born citizen cannot be a foreigner. Foreigners are not citizens. A natural born citizen cannot be a person who was naturalized. Those people are not born citizens; they’re born aliens. Most important for the purposes of the Cruz question, a natural born citizen cannot be someone whose birth entitled him to citizenship because of a statute—in this case a statute that confers citizenship on a person born abroad to an American parent. In the 18th century, as now, the word natural meant “in the regular course of things.” Then, as now, almost all Americans obtained citizenship by birth in this country, not by birth to Americans abroad. The natural way to obtain citizenship, then, was (and is) by being born in this country. Because Cruz was not “natural born”—not born in the United States—he is ineligible for the presidency, under the most plausible interpretation of the Constitution.

Read the rest here.

US Court of Appeals Strikes Major Blow for Civil Liberties

In a major victory for gun rights advocates, a federal appeals court on Thursday sided with a broad coalition of gun owners, businesses and organizations that challenged the constitutionality of a Maryland ban on assault weapons and other laws aimed at curbing gun violence.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit said the state's prohibition on what the court called "the vast majority of semi-automatic rifles commonly kept by several million American citizens" amounted to a violation of their rights under the Constitution.

"In our view, Maryland law implicates the core protection of the Second Amendment -- the right of law-abiding responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home," Chief Judge William Traxler wrote in the divided ruling.

Provisions that outlaw these firearms, Traxler wrote, "substantially burden this fundamental right."

Read the rest here.

Delaware judge: priest-penitent privilege may be unconstitutional

A Delaware superior court judge has questioned the constitutionality of a state law that protects the secrecy of sacramental confession.

State law mandates the reporting of suspected child abuse except in cases covered by the attorney-client privilege and conversations “between priest and penitent in sacramental confession.”

Ruling in a case involving the failure of elders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses to report child abuse, Judge Mary M. Johnston said that if “priest,” “penitent,” and “sacramental confession” are interpreted narrowly, then the law is unconstitutional because its “effect would be to advance certain religions over others.”

If, however, the law were interpreted broadly to include confidential conversations in which members of any religious body express sorrow for their deeds to their religious leaders, then a ruling that the law is unconstitutional could be avoided, Judge Johnston said in her January 26 decision.

“A broader reading may be justified because the terms at issue are neither defined nor upper case,” she added.

Source.

Statement from Metropolitan Hilarion regarding the Conversion of the "Catholic Church of the East" to Orthodoxy

Over the past several months, the leader of an independent church movement called the "Catholic Church of the East," the former Archbishop Ramzi Mussalam, has begun a remarkable transition: to bring his entire movement, of over 60 parishes, into the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). The former archbishop was received into the Orthodox Church and ordained a deacon and priest with the encouragement and blessing and by the hand of Metropolitan Hilarion, ROCOR’s First Hierarch. The former archbishop is now Hieromonk Elias. Father Elias grew up in the Scranton area of Pennsylvania as a communicant of the Polish National Catholic Church, in which he was ordained to the priesthood.

The process of Orthodox catechization has now commenced, with the gradual reception of the former clergy and faithful of the "Catholic Church of the East" into Orthodoxy, with their regularization within the canonical embrace of the Orthodox Church. It is expected that this will be a long and complex process but one of that will bear an abundant spiritual harvest. A number of parishes have already been received: St. Irene Church in Pittston, PA; St. Ann Church in Pottsville, PA and St. Mark Church in Milford, CT.

Let us welcome these people with joy and do all that we can to help them integrate into the Orthodox community. Let us give thanks to God that He has led Fr. Elias and his faithful people into Orthodoxy.

Source

Thanks to blog reader Thundercat for the link.

Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill to Meet in Cuba on February 12

Moscow, February 5, Interfax - - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will meet with Pope Francis on Cuba on February 12, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations, told a press conference in Moscow on Friday.

"The issue of the persecution of Christians will be central in this meeting," the metropolitan said.

He said the patriarch and the pope will discuss issues relating to bilateral relations and international policy. The meeting will comprise a meeting in person at the international airport in Havana and will lead to the signing of a joint declaration.

"This meeting will become the first meeting in history and it will mark an important stage in the relations between the two Churches. The Moscow patriarchate and the Holy See want this meeting to become a sign of hope to all people of good will and it causes Christians to pray much for the upcoming meeting to yield good results," the hierarch said.

Metropolitan Hilarion said the problem of the actions taken by Greek Catholics (Uniates) in Ukraine has not been resolved in the relations between the two Churches, specifically, "the destruction by the Uniates of three dioceses of the Moscow patriarchate in Western Ukraine, the transfer of the center of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from Lviv to Kyiv, the persistent desire of this Church to give itself the status of patriarchate, the spread of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to the traditional lands of Eastern and Southern Ukraine, and the support of schismatics by the Uniates."

"The situation that now develops in the Middle East, in Northern and Central Africa and in some other regions, where extremists are carrying out true genocide of Christian population, requires urgent measures and even closer interaction between the Christian churches," he said.

"In this tragic situation, there is a need to set disagreements aside and unite efforts to save Christianity in these regions where it is being subjected to the toughest persecution," he said.

The metropolitan said it was stated from the very beginning that the meeting should take place on neutral territory, and that the patriarch did not want the meeting with the pontiff to take place in Europe "because the difficult history of division and conflicts between Christians is associated with Europe."

The fact that the patriarch is visiting the countries of Latin America at the same time when the pope is visiting Mexico provided an opportunity "to hold a meeting in the New World, which we hope will turn over a new page in the relations between the Churches," the metropolitan said.

Source 

Wow. I did not see this coming.

Iowa

The GOP: It's a three man race now. Everyone else can go home. Trump got schlonged by Cruz but is hardly out. The (un)civil war within the right wing of the party is likely to continue. Meanwhile it looks like the GOP establishment have finally found their candidate.

The Democrats: Hillary is in trouble. She needed a win badly and she ended with a statistical tie. Sanders is very likely going to win comfortably in New Hampshire which means he now has the momentum. Efforts to declare Clinton's nomination inevitable or to convince the left wing of the party that Sanders was a pipe dream have categorically failed. That said, South Carolina comes after NH and the deep South is not likely to be friendly territory for a self described socialist, even among Democrats.

The Bottom line: This is likely going to be a long and bruising campaign season in both parties.

Venezuela is on the brink of a complete economic collapse

The only question now is whether Venezuela's government or economy will completely collapse first.

The key word there is "completely." Both are well into their death throes. Indeed, Venezuela's ruling party just lost congressional elections that gave the opposition a veto-proof majority, and it's hard to see that getting any better for them any time soon — or ever. Incumbents, after all, don't tend to do too well when, according to the International Monetary Fund, their economy shrinks 10 percent one year, an additional 6 percent the next, and inflation explodes to 720 percent. It's no wonder, then, that markets expect Venezuela to default on its debt in the very near future. The country is basically bankrupt.

That's not an easy thing to do when you have the largest oil reserves in the world, but Venezuela has managed it. How? Well, a combination of bad luck and worse policies. The first step was when Hugo Chávez's socialist government started spending more money on the poor, with everything from two-cent gasoline to free housing. Now, there's nothing wrong with that — in fact, it's a good idea in general — but only as long as you actually, well, have the money to spend. And by 2005 or so, Venezuela didn't.

Read the rest here.

An Update on" Bishop" Ramzi R. Musallam

Updating this previous thread which attracted much commentary...

Metropolitan Hillarion has confirmed that Fr. Elias (Ranzi Musallam) is in fact a priest (not bishop) in good standing with the Russian Church Abroad. He was brought in by Metropolitan Jonah. Apparently the news story contained a number of inaccuracies.

Great & Holy Council Moved to Crete - Will Convene on June 19

Via Interfax

God preserve us from bored bishops who decide to convene a Great Council without a compelling reason. We can leave that sort of thing to the Romans.

Ecumenical Patriarch addresses Synaxis of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches on preparations for the Great and Holy Council

From 22 to 27 January 2016, at the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, the works of the Synaxis of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches are being carried out.

At the opening of the event, His Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, delivered a speech thanking the other Primates of the Orthodox Churches, as well as the delegations, for accepting to change the place of the Synaxis from the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s residence in Istanbul, Turkey, to the Chambésy Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is “meant for serving the pan-Orthodox unity, and which for a long time has hosted and still hosts many inter-Orthodox and pan-Orthodox meetings”.

Next, the Ecumenical Patriarch referred to the themes that will be discussed at the Holy and Great Synod, themes that have been established at the first Presynodal Pan-Orthodox Conference of 1976, namely:

   1. The Orthodox Diaspora;
   2. Autocephaly and the way it is to be proclaimed;
   3. Autonomy and the way it is to be proclaimed;
   4. Diptychs;
   5. Common Calendar;
   6.  Impediments to marriage;
   7.  Adaptation of the fasting ordinances;
   8.  Relations of the Orthodox Churches with the whole Christian World;
   9.  The Orthodoxy and the ecumenical movement;
   10.  Contributions of the local Orthodox Churches to the promotion of the Christian ideals of peace, freedom, brotherhood and love among peoples, and elimination of racial discrimination.

Nevertheless, His Holiness noted that consensus hasn’t been reached on some themes during the meetings of the Commission for the Preparation of the Holy and Great Synod, thus asking whether the 8 themes that were validated at a Pan-Orthodox level are sufficient for the agenda of the Synod, or is it necessary to postpone the convocation of the Synod until the pan-Orthodox unanimity will be reached upon all the other themes (autocephaly, diptychs, impediments to marriage and common calendar).

The Holy and Great Synod is of direct and vital interest both for the Orthodox lay faithful, clergy and monastics, and for the rest of the Christian world

Emphasizing the fact that “the Holy and Great Synod is of direct and vital interest both for the Orthodox lay faithful, clergy and monastics, and for the rest of the Christian world”, His Holiness added that several other persons should attend to the works of the Holy and Great Synod as observers: both clergy, monastics and lay faithful of the Orthodox Church, and those of other Christian Churches or Confessions, found in dialogue with the Orthodox Church. The Ecumenical Patriarch offered as an example the fact that at the works of the Second Vatican Council, the Orthodox Church delegated persons as observers to attend the Council.

Referring to the fact that even before the meeting of the Holy and Great Synod, some “fighters for Orthodoxy” call it a robber council, the Ecumenical Patriarch asks what kind of authority will its decisions have, and which are going to be the canonical consequences in case of disobeying these decisions.

The Patriarch of Constantinople also spoke about the significance of the words consensus and unanimity. Furthermore, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew emphasized the fact that “if a synod meets under the threat of its dissolution, it had better not taken place” and referred to some Ecumenical Synods that met even when some local Churches were absent.

His Holiness addressed to other practical details: the duration of the Holy and Great Synod, and the establishment of a common secretariat of the Synod. The Ecumenical Patriarch proposed that the Pan-Orthodox Synod should be carried out for at least two weeks, and its works should be accompanied by religious manifestations.

“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Corinthians 13: 11) were the biblical words with which His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew concluded his speech.

Source.

My Travel Adventures Continue

So I made it to Binghamton very late on Monday night after driving through a wicked lake effect snow storm that started in Cleveland and did not abate until I was just west of Elmira. Most of the way I was averaging 25mph in 70mph speed zones.

Some routine business took up most of Tuesday and I spent yesterday visiting with family while eyeing the weather forecast. Although I had hoped to be on the road back to Florida today, it now looks like I will be sitting here through Saturday. My projected driving route runs right down the East Coast/I-95 corridor, which is, of course, about to get blasted with a once every 5-10 years blizzard in the Middle Atlantic states.

Washington DC, which was paralyzed yesterday and last night by an inch of snow, is expecting between 12 and 30+ inches over the next few days.

Thanks, but I will pass.

People in Ohio and New York understand winter weather, know how to drive when you can't see asphalt through all the snow and slush, and the roads are serviced by a fleet of snow plows and salt/sand trucks. Once you get south of Pennsylvania all of that goes away.

So yeah. I am going to wait until Sunday before even thinking of heading south. Why do I feel like the star of "Escape from New York II?"

Russians Celebrating Theophany

Russians taking the traditional ice water dip on Theophany.

The Slippery Slope of Nullification

“The big deal is simply this: once you allow the government to start breaking the law, no matter how seemingly justifiable the reason, you relinquish the contract between you and the government which establishes that the government works for and obeys you, the citizen—the employer—the master." John Whitehead.

Nullification is a constitutional theory that a state has the right to nullify, or invalidate, any federal law which that state has deemed unconstitutional. Under this theory, States may reject, or nullify, federal laws that the States believe are beyond the federal government's constitutional powers. Under the theory of nullification, in the 1800s, states attempted to ignore Federal legislation ranging from the Alien & Sedition Acts to certain federal tariffs to the Fugitive Slave Act. The theory has never been legally upheld by federal courts.

Andrew Jackson spoke to the concept of nullification: "Nullification means insurrection and war; and the other states have a right to put it down." President Jackson never anticipated nullification on a macro basis or nullification on other than constitutional grounds. He never anticipated blatant acts of nullification by the White House, states, cities and now, universities. Universities appear to be both emboldened and encouraged by the Federal government to act as small monarchies with respect to federal and state law and to participate in the act of nullification with respect to discrimination in housing and hiring along with implementing the standard of a preponderance of evidence with respect to alleged sexual issues.

Where does nullification by government and governmental entities lead? It leads to nullification by our institutions and ultimately, perhaps to nullification in everyday life by everyday folk, the classic slippery slope. (Note the Oregon militia taking over a federal building – This is a non-governmental act of nullification.)

Nullification from the White House is easily documented whether it be actions with respect to the release of prisoners from Guantanamo, waivers under the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, or the lack of any serious attempt to protect the borders of the United States of America. Acceptance of nullification by the federal government with respect to states and cities can be seen in the federal government's refusal to direct actions against states and cities that flaunt Federal laws on drugs and/or immigration.

This leads to the slippery slope of nullification. If the Federal government can nullify, if the states can nullify, if the cities can nullify, why not other institutions such as our universities? Why cannot our universities practice segregation via ignoring the Federal Housing Act of 1968, discriminate in hiring by requiring specific racial makeup for employment, and/or severely limiting free speech? Where does nullification ultimately stop? Note every university in the country is under pressure by the federal government's Department of Education to adopt a “preponderance of the evidence" standard in terms of subjecting a life changing expulsion from the university for no more than the reasonable possibility of sexual misconduct.

At one of the fine academic institutions in the world, in early 2015, the Black Student Union demanded (1) hiring specifically Black employees for specific roles and (2) "the creation of a Black Scholar's Hall with a dedicated Housing Assistant to house first year Black students by reserving two floors in the new ............ for such purposes". These demands appear both to being accepted and being implemented by the administration at this university. (Note that neither a respectful letter requesting amplification of the ability of this university to move forward with their housing plan under the Fair Housing Act of 1968 did not result in any response nor did an e-mail request for information regarding current housing demographics. Is there de-facto housing segregation in place today?)

The requests by the Black Student Union and apparent actions by this university appear to be a nullification of federal and state laws with respect to discrimination as to fair housing and hiring statutes. While intellectually not relevant to the discussion, this university is not exactly the University of Alabama in June, 1963 with George Wallace trying to block black admissions. The University is located in a city regularly considered one of the safest cities in America; College Data reports that their student population is almost 50% Asian, almost 30% Hispanic/Latino, less than 20% Caucasian and about 2% Black.

Universities, with the federal and/or state governments as their accomplice or leader, are becoming the worst of the nullifiers. Beyond what is discussed above, nullification at the university level often results in severe limitations to free speech, limitations to reasonable justice and difficult as it is to believe in 2016, segregation.

Universities around the United States with some uniformity are now crippling the concept of free speech. Universities are changing curriculum to avoid triggering events. To be “triggered” means to have a feeling, an immediate sensation of repulsion culminating in aggrievement. Imagine trying to teach virtually anything and simultaneously being concerned about a “triggering event”. (This apparently limits history to discussions about soil cultivation over the centuries.) Universities are creating “safe zones” to prevent free speech among those who might be offended by free speech (or more likely, ideas with which they disagree). If universities limit free speech…………………

Where is the solution? It may rest with exactly the wrong people in the federal government and in many states. It is time for the Attorney General of the United States and the attorneys general in every state to wake up and do their jobs. Laws need to be enforced. The Constitution needs protection.

Source

Theophany 1916

Czar St.Nicholas II attending Theophany services with the troops.

Back (sort of) and a generally tough day

I have been at St. Sabbas monastery in Michigan for the last several days and thus somewhat out of communication. However my travels are likely to continue for at least the rest of the week. I appreciate the comments on the two preceding posts, and will try to respond in due course.

Betrayed by technology...

I departed the monastery early this afternoon hoping to make it to my next destination, Binghamton NY, before stopping for the night. I told my GPS where I wanted to go and it gave me directions which I followed though they seemed a bit odd. I assumed it knew what it was doing and maybe it was giving me a shortcut. About an hour and a half later I notice a giant sign announcing "Last Exit Before Canada!"

I will refrain from quoting my immediate reaction; we can just say it was colorful and leave it at that.

...and then my car...

None too happy I turn around and tell my now somewhat suspect electronic guide to take me to Toledo Ohio from which I figure I can point myself east. Irritated at the loss of driving time I decide to grab a very quick bite and pull off looking for fast food. Just a couple of blocks from the interstate is a BK where I get a tolerable meal. But no sooner do I start driving again then I realize I now have a flat tire!

Thank God for AAA.

It's about twelve degrees outside before the brutal windchill gets factored in and if I had to change the tire in this weather I would have just checked into a hotel and waited until spring. But AAA came through, just about the only thing that went right today.

In a half an hour give or take the guy showed up and soon the flat is in the trunk and the annoying little emergency doughnut tire is on the car.

...and then the Sabbath

As most of you will be aware, those little emergency spares are not intended for long distance driving. Thus my first priority is to get the flat actually fixed or the tire replaced as necessary.

Alas; it's Sunday and almost five in the afternoon. Incredibly it appears that in Michigan some people, or at least car mechanics, like to take Sundays off! So here I am, actually farther from my next stop then I was when I started and I am pretty much hunkered down for the night in a blessedly warm hotel room. I have an appointment for 930am to get the tire fixed. All that remains is the hope for a decent supper, and maybe a stiff bourbon before bed.

A highly suspicious news story (bogus Orthodox bishop?)

St. Rocco’s Church in Pittston reopens as St. Irene Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

PITTSTON — After being vacant for more than three years, the former St. Rocco’s Roman Catholic Church on the corner of Tompkins and West Oak streets has reopened its doors as St. Irene Russian Orthodox Outside Church of Russia.

The church plans to open more doors in the community by purchasing homes in the Greater Pittston area for parishioners in need.

Leader of the church Bishop Ramzi R. Musallam, whose orthodox name is Bishop Elias, wants the new church to have a positive impact on the community, which includes a program that provides housing in apartments and single family homes for those in need.

Read the rest at the linked site.

This so called bishop has no connection  with ROCOR and I seriously doubt he is even Orthodox. His background is pretty murky but as far as I can tell he is some kind of Catholic episcopus vagans. Why he is claiming to be affiliated with the Russian Church Abroad is a question I would like to hear an answer to.

In the meantime, see this old post.

When "Orthodox" is Not

Why I Will Never Vote for Donald Trump

Beginning with Ronald Reagan, I have voted Republican in every presidential election since I first became eligible to vote in 1980. I worked in the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations and in the White House for George W. Bush as a speechwriter and adviser. I have also worked for Republican presidential campaigns, although not this time around.

Despite this history, and in important ways because of it, I will not vote for Donald Trump if he wins the Republican nomination.

I should add that neither could I vote in good conscience for Hillary Clinton or any of the other Democrats running for president, since they oppose many of the things I have stood for in my career as a conservative — and, in the case of Mrs. Clinton, because I consider her an ethical wreck. If Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton were the Republican and Democratic nominees, I would prefer to vote for a responsible third-party alternative; absent that option, I would simply not cast a ballot for president. A lot of Republicans, I suspect, would do the same.

Read the rest here. 

I am not sure I have ever been able to say this about an op-ed in the New York Times but there is a first time for everything... 

I agree with every single word of this piece. Were it possible, I would add my signature to it.

Ross Douthat: A Crisis of Conservative Catholicism

 Let’s begin with a story. It’s one I’ve heard many times; it’s one I’ve told more than a few times myself. It’s a story about the Catholic Church in the second half of the twentieth century, and it goes something like this.

Once, fifty years ago, there was an ecumenical council of the Church. Its goal was to reorient Catholicism away from its nineteenth-century fortress mentality, to open a new dialogue with the modern world, to look more deeply into the Catholic past in order to prepare for the Catholic future, and to usher in an era of evangelization and renewal.

This was not intended to be a revolutionary council, and nothing in its deliberations, documents, and reforms was meant to rewrite doctrine or Protestantize the faith. But the council’s sessions coincided with an era of social upheaval and cultural revolution in the West, and the hoped-for renewal was hijacked, in many cases, by those for whom renewal meant an accommodation to the spirit of the 1960s, and the transformation of the Church along liberal Protestant lines.

Soon, two parties developed: One followed the actual documents of the council and urged the Church to maintain continuity with Catholic teaching and tradition, and the other was loyal to a “spirit of the council” that just happened to coincide with the cultural fashions that came in its wake.

The second party had its way in many Catholic institutions—seminaries and religious orders, Catholic universities and diocesan bureaucracies—for many years. The results were at best disappointing, at worst disastrous: collapsing Mass attendance, vanishing vocations, a swift erosion of Catholic identity everywhere you looked...

Read the rest here.

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard reflects on the question of British secession from the EU

...David Cameron did not, of course, know that the world was about to turn nasty when he first set the EU referendum in motion in early 2013, but critics are clearly right that this is a terrible time for Britain to throw a tantrum.

Even so, it is a stretch to argue that Britons should forgo their one chance to restore full parliamentary control over their laws, courts and borders, given that this referendum is surely the only chance they have to issue their verdict on 40 years of EU conduct. Alea iacta est.

Read the rest here.

Traveling again

I will be traveling for at least the next week. During this time there will be limited or no posting.

P.S. OK so I can't type.

General Warns: Military Will Face 'Great Pressure' to Lower Standards for Women in Combat to Please ‘Agenda-Driven’ in D.C.

(CNSNews.com) - Marine Gen. John Kelly, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, said at a Pentagon press briefing on Friday that he believes that future generals will face “great pressure” to lower the standards for women in combat in order to get more women into combat roles.

“My greatest fear---and we see this happen a lot over the 45 years I've been in the Armed Forces--is right now they're saying we are not going to change any standards,” said Kelly. “There will be great pressure, whether it's 12 months from now, four years from now, because the question will be asked whether we've let women into these other roles, why aren't they staying in those other roles?

“Why aren't they advancing as infantry people—persons--I guess? Why aren't they becoming, you know, more senior?” he said. “And the answer is--I think will be--if we don't change standards, it will be very, very difficult to have any numbers, any real numbers, come into the infantry, or the Rangers or the Seals, but that's their business.”

“So,” said Kelly, “I think it will be the pressure for not probably the generals that are here now, but for the generals to come, and admirals, to lower standards because that's the only way it'll work in the way that I hear some people, particularly, the agenda-driven people here in Washington--or in the land--the way they want it to work.

Read the rest here.

"Denzinger Bergolio: Suprising Contributions by Francis to the Magisterium" (Wow!)

A few minutes after eight o’clock in the evening, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica announcing to the world the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church. A few weeks before, Benedict XVI had surprised everyone with his sudden resignation from the office as Bishop of Rome, Successor of St. Peter. This happening was as unexpected as “a lightening bolt in a clear sky”, as Cardinal Angelo Sodano commented in his address to the renouncing Pope directly following the shocking news.

The first appearance of the new Vicar of Christ was sufficient for all to perceive that a new era had begun, characterized by his unusual way of living and projecting the papacy. Ever since the first day of his pontificate, Francis surprised everyone by his words, as well as his gestures. This change — which some perceived as a positive breath of fresh air in the ecclesiastical circles, supposedly lacking during the last months of Benedict XVI’s reign — quickly went from perplexity to concern, then to blatant disorientation for many who perceived that the most undeniable Catholic truths were being questioned, both from within and without.

The audacity of his gestures — which some see as calculated with ominous goals — together with an ambiguous and confused way of transmitting doctrine, in contrast with the crystalline Magisterium of the previous popes, has raised concern among many sheep of the Lord’s flock. Who is Francis? What is his goal? The fervent, or even hysterical applause of those who in previous pontificates attacked the Church for its fidelity to the Truth of Christ, was coupled with an impression that something new was being transmitted. Soon an abundance of news items tried to give the faithful the idea that the Vicar of Christ would soon be applying radical changes to the deposit of the Faith, to its moral precepts and to the already bi-milennary pastoral practice … In response to the turmoil, there were only perplexing words for the faithful — not to mention directives with a ambiguous connotation that few could really understand — coupled with smiles, hugs, and gestures of approval for those who had attacked the Church earlier. Disorientation, perplexity, indignation, scruples, worries and desperation…. the faithful reacted in the most varied manners with regards to the situation created by “Hurricane Francis”.

Faced with this state of affairs, the shepherds in contact with the ‘little flock’ had to struggle to clear up the doubts of their sheep in the midst of such chaos. With this objective, there was no better recourse than the most secure source, the Magisterium of the Church. Consequently, the “Denzinger-Bergoglio” was born, bringing together a group of acquaintances — Spanish priests, who were undergoing the same difficulties, and who shared the same concerns. With the blessings of the Lord, we admit that our network of friends has grown more than we ever imagined. Amongst these are an ever-growing group of English speaking clerics – that started out from an initial core of US priests – who are behind the English DzB.

After several months, we have reached a centenary, with one hundred studies analyzing diverse affirmations of Francis, in contrast with the two thousand years of Church teaching; from the Sacred Scriptures to a total of 54 popes, 10 Councils, 25 Fathers of the Church, 15 Doctors and several fundamental Church texts, as well as the pronouncements of Roman Congregations, the Episcopal Magisterium, and various Saints.

We would like to thank our many readers and followers, as well as those who have helped us by sending documentation with less divulged affirmations of Francis, or priceless videos which are difficult to find, all of which has been useful for the consolidation of our theses. We wish to greet the many priests from around the world who belong to our network, and those who have sent words of encouragement and prayers.

So much has occurred since March 13, 2013… And we are already on the way to a second ‘centenary’….But as you can imagine, this is a slow and painstaking task. However, given the volume of our studies, and to facilitate apologetic research, we would like to commemorate the hundredth post of the “Denzinger-Bergoglio_EN” with a compilation of the studies in PDF format. Once again we especially request your collaboration, with the most valuable assistance — your prayers, but also by the promulgation of this digital book. Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam!

Read the entire work in PDF here.

Source.

Texas governor joins Marco Rubio in call for new constitutional convention

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday revealed his plans for a "convention of the states," the first in more than 200 years, as part of a larger effort to reshape the U.S. Constitution and expand states' rights.

"We are succumbing to the caprice of man that our Founders fought to escape," Abbott said in a statement followed by a speech at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. "The cure to these problems will not come from Washington, D.C. Instead, the states must lead the way."

Abbott, despite deep ties to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, has yet to endorse a candidate in the GOP's 2016 presidential primary race, but he might now have some common cause with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who in scattered comments over the past month and then more explicitly in a USA Today op-ed on Wednesday, proposed a constitutional convention as a means of "reduc(ing) the size and scope of the federal government."

Read the rest here.

Church of England fears gay rights talks could end global Anglican communion

The Church of England is braced for a de facto split in the worldwide Anglican communion next week over the issues of gay rights and same-sex marriage. Church leaders from six African countries are expected to walk out of a pivotal summit called by the archbishop of Canterbury.

Bitter divisions among Anglicans on the issue of sexuality are expected to intensify at the week-long meeting of the 38 leaders of national churches at Canterbury cathedral. Archbishops from conservative churches in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Rwanda and Congo are likely to walk out of the summit within a day or two of its opening on Monday.

“There’s going to be a lot of drama,” said a senior C of E source. “It’s 90% likely that the six will walk out. If we get past Tuesday, we’ll be doing well.”

The meeting of Anglican primates was called by Justin Welby in a last-ditch effort to move the global church – which claims 85 million followers – beyond the issue of homosexuality in order to focus on other pressing matters such as religious violence and climate change. Welby is proposing that, in the face of intractable differences, the communion reshapes itself as a loose confederation of churches rather than adherents to a common doctrine.

But the six African churches are insisting on sanctions against the US Episcopal Church, which tipped the simmering conflict over gay rights into open hostility when it consecrated gay priest Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.

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Full Christmas Liturgy

Christmas liturgy from Christ the Savior Cathedral.

Christmas Sermon of St. John Chrysostom

BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery.

My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised.

Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed; He had the power; He descended; He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God. This day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassability, remaining unchanged.

And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.

Since this heavenly birth cannot be described, neither does His coming amongst us in these days permit of too curious scrutiny. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech.

For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works.

What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth. The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend.

Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace! The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see. For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, and so He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt.

Christ, finding the holy body and soul of the Virgin, builds for Himself a living temple, and as He had willed, formed there a man from the Virgin; and, putting Him on, this day came forth; unashamed of the lowliness of our nature.

For it was to Him no lowering to put on what He Himself had made. Let that handiwork be forever glorified, which became the cloak of its own Creator. For as in the first creation of flesh, man could not be made before the clay had come into His hand, so neither could this corruptible body be glorified, until it had first become the garment of its Maker.

What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of days has become an infant. He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infants bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness.

For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit that He may save me.

Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been ¡in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.

Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things are nourished, may receive an infants food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star.

To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Spirit, we offer all praise, now and forever. Amen.

St. John Chrysostom

German women report string of sexual assaults by 'Arab and North African men'

 Police in Germany are investigating an alarming series of sexual assaults on women trying to celebrate the New Year by large groups of single men “of Arab or North African appearance”.

Authorities in the city of Cologne are to hold a crisis meeting on Tuesday after police described a group of some 1,000 men who took over the area around the main station on New Year’s Eve.

Women were robbed, groped, and had their underwear torn from their bodies, while couples had fireworks thrown at them.

Police have received 90 criminal complaints, around a quarter of them for sexual assault, including one case of rape.

Police in Hamburg say there was a series of similar incidents in the city’s Reeperbahn red-light area. Witnesses described groups of five to 15 men of who “hunted” women in the streets.

In Cologne, the attacks took place around the main station, opposite the cathedral, a traditional gathering spot to see in the New Year. 

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Take a look at The Young Fogey's car

Friend of the blog The Young Fogey has posted photos of his very cool auto. We may disagree on religion and his predilection for conspiracy theories, but we are both cultural and social reactionaries trapped in the wrong time.

You may color me green with envy.

Happy New Year

May you and yours enjoy a blessed and happy new year. And please let the new year be a better one than the last.