Memo to the NY Yankees

Fr. Anthony Bondi: The Secret to Preserving Anglicanism (Western Rite Orthodoxy)

It was suggested to me that I give a bit of history from the writings of Metropolitan Hilarion of the External Affairs Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, then focus on the Continuum, and finally to open the floor to any of the questions you may have, keeping in mind that having established the Western Rite Vicariate in The Russian Church Outside Russia, we are still growing into our identity.

The first difficulties in relation to the Church of England emerged in 1992 when its General Synod agreed to ordain women to the priesthood. The Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church came out with an official statement expressing regret and concern over this decision as contradicting the tradition of the Early Church. One might ask why our Church should have concerned itself at all with this matter?

By the early 90s the Protestant world had already ordained many women pastors and even women bishops. But the unique point here was that the Anglican Community had long sought rapprochement with the Orthodox Church. Many Orthodox Christians recognized the existence of apostolic continuity in Anglicanism.

From the 19th century, Anglican members of the Association of Eastern Churches sought 'mutual recognition' with the Orthodox Church and its members believed that 'both Churches preserved the apostolic continuity and true faith in the Saviour and should accept each other in the full communion of prayers and sacraments'. Much has changed since.

Read the rest here.
HT: Fr. Anthony Chadwick

Sorry folks, there's still no such thing as mermaids

Meanwhile the Animal Planet Network is laughing all the way to the ratings bank with their recent hoax (they are calling it  "docufiction"). But lots of people, including a friend of mine, were taken in by its realism and lack of disclaimer.

Why We Can't Be Sweden

Daron Acemoglu, an eminent economist at M.I.T., has ignited a firestorm by arguing that contemporary forces of globalization bar the United States from adopting the liberal social welfare policies of Scandinavian countries.

“We cannot all be like the Nordics,” Acemoglu declares, in a 2012 paper, “Choosing Your Own Capitalism in a Globalized World,” written with his colleagues James A. Robinson, a professor of government at Harvard, and Thierry Verdier, scientific director of the Paris School of Economics.

If the “cutthroat leader” – the United States — were to switch to “cuddly capitalism, this would reduce the growth rate of the entire world economy,” the authors argue, by slowing the pace of innovation.

Acemoglu, Robinson and Verdier put their argument technically, but there is no mistaking the implications:

A longish but interesting article. Read the rest here.

Quote of the day...

"It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
- C.S. Lewis

HT: Rocketdog

Trouble in the SSPX?

I am not sure what to make of this. Damian Thompson is a well respected columnist who does have a clue about matters Catholic. But the source he is citing strikes me as questionable. Don't get me wrong, I have long held the view that Williamson is several fries short of a Happy Meal. But I seriously doubt that this watchdog group that supposedly keeps an eye on the lunatic right has a serious grasp of Catholic ecclesiology or the internal politics within the SSPX. Absent some more details, my guess is that this may just be a plot to set up yet another schismatic splinter group. And while Williamson is without a shadow of a doubt an anti-Semitic Holocaust denier who attracts others of a similar ilk, I think they are overstating his influence. Yes there is a nasty undercurrent within the society but it is not as open as Williamson and his crowd.

Ultimately I agree with Thompson's conclusions. The SSPX had their chance but that ship has now sailed. Their mentality (though they heatedly deny it) is basically that they are the Church and Rome needs to run up the white flag. They have been on their own for too long. I doubt they will ever reconcile with Rome. And their baggage is such that the Holy See would be better off just ignoring them.

Why The World Does Not Suck

If you are as tired as I am of all the gloom doom war crime disaster and political backbiting in the news this should put a smile on your face.  As happy as I am about the decline of slavery I will concede that # 18 is the one for which I am perhaps most grateful.

Why the world does not suck in 31 charts.

Chinese Hackers Steal Secret Plane and Weapons Designs

Designs for many of the nation’s most sensitive advanced weapons systems have been compromised by Chinese hackers, according to a report prepared for the Pentagon and to officials from government and the defense industry.

Among more than two dozen major weapons systems whose designs were breached were programs critical to U.S. missile defenses and combat aircraft and ships, according to a previously undisclosed section of a confidential report prepared by the Defense Science Board for Pentagon leaders.

Read the rest here.

This is outrageous and a very serious threat to national security. I would prefer to be left alone and at peace with the world, but if China is determined to continue these provocations and aggressive assaults on our security we need to respond. The US Ambassador to Beijing should be recalled and our national defenses need to be reoriented to treat China as the principal danger to our country.

Memory Eternal

Old men declare war, but it is the young who must fight and die.
-Herbert Hoover

Next to a battle lost, the saddest thing is a battle won.
-Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Anglicans and Women Bishops: The voting will continue until the correct result is obtained

Senior bishops have raised the prospect of asking the Queen to dissolve the Church of England’s ‘Parliament’, the General Synod, if it continues to oppose the creation of women bishops.

The unprecedented proposal was made in a confidential meeting chaired by the Archbishop of Canterbury last week and reflects Church leaders’ frustration with the Synod for narrowly defeating legislation in November to allow women priests to become bishops.

The House of Bishops unveiled fresh plans on Friday to push through the historic reforms within two years and is preparing for a battle with traditionalists.

Read the rest here.

The Last Inspection

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. — The soldier bent to his work, careful as a diamond cutter. He carried no weapon or rucksack, just a small plastic ruler, which he used to align a name plate, just so, atop the breast pocket of an Army dress blue jacket, size 39R.

“Blanchard,” the plate read.

Capt. Aaron R. Blanchard, a 32-year-old Army pilot, had been in Afghanistan for only a few days when an enemy rocket killed him and another soldier last month as they dashed toward their helicopter. Now he was heading home.

But before he left the mortuary here, he would need to be properly dressed. And so Staff Sgt. Miguel Deynes labored meticulously, almost lovingly, over every crease and fold, every ribbon and badge, of the dress uniform that would clothe Captain Blanchard in his final resting place.

“It’s more than an honor,” Sergeant Deynes said. “It’s a blessing to dress that soldier for the last time.”

About 6,700 American service members have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and almost every one of their remains have come through the Dover Port Mortuary. Yet only since 2009 have journalists been allowed to photograph coffins returning from the war zones, the most solemn of rites at this air base. The intimate details of the process have been kept from public view.

But recently the Air Force, which oversees the mortuary, allowed a reporter and a photographer to observe the assembling of dress uniforms for those who have died. A small slice of the process, to be sure, but enough to appreciate the careful ritual that attends the war dead of the United States military.

Read the rest here.

California Debates How to Blow a Windfall

LOS ANGELES — After years of grueling battles over state budget deficits and spending cuts, California has a new challenge on its hands: too much money. An unexpected surplus is fueling an argument over how the state should respond to its turn of good fortune.

The amount is a matter of debate, but by any measure significant: between $1.2 billion, projected by Gov. Jerry Brown, and $4.4 billion, the estimate of the Legislature’s independent financial analyst. The surplus comes barely three years after the state was facing a deficit of close to $60 billion.

At first glance, the situation should be welcome news in a state overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats, who have spent much of their time slashing programs they support. After last November’s elections, the party has two-thirds majorities in the Assembly and the Senate, relegating Republicans almost completely to the sidelines.

Instead, the surplus has set off a debate about the durability of new revenues, and whether the money should be used to reverse some of the spending cuts or set aside to guard against the inevitable next economic downturn.

Read the rest here.

California is a one party state (always a bad thing). I will be astonished if they don't blow the money like the man with several maxed credit cards who suddenly gets a bonus from work.

Former Senator Bob Dole Sharply Criticizes Modern GOP

The current GOP ought to be “closed for repairs” because it lacks a vision and is unable to strike deals with Democrats, Dole said during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday”.

...Asked whether he would be welcomed by the Republican Party today, Dole said, “I doubt it. Reagan wouldn’t have made it, certainly Nixon wouldn’t have made it, because he had ideas. We might have made it, but I doubt it.”

Read the rest here.

Jim Rickards: We are in a depression, and its not over

The whole video is interesting but the relevant part starts at around 12 minutes.

HT: Reub from the Permanent Portfolio Forum.

Britain: The Lords Stand Against Populist Tyranny

Lords from all main political parties will unite next week in a last-ditch attempt to block the Government’s introduction of gay marriage.

Peers expect the Upper’s House debate over same sex weddings will go through the night or even into a second day, with a key vote that could scupper the policy regarded as “too close to call”.

The former head of the British army Lord Dannatt and Lord Lothian, a former Conservative Party chairman better known as Michael Ancram, are amongst those set to criticise the draft legislation in next Monday’s session.

Other opponents will include Lord Waddington, a former Home Secretary, Lord Luce, who served as a minister in Baroness Thatcher’s government, and Lord Singh of Wimbledon, a respected figure in the Sikh community.

The Sunday Telegraph has also established that the senior Tory Baroness Warsi, a practising Muslim, refused to lead the bill through the House of Lords when asked to do so by David Cameron, the Prime Minister.

Some peers believe dozens [of] Lords who rarely attend Parliament will flock to Westminster to make their position on homosexual marriage clear.

Read the rest here.

One wonders, is this the last gasp of the House of Lords? This latest and most vulgar expression of populist tyranny is the best argument in years for why we need an unelected component in government that can say "No, you can't have this because it's a bad idea" to the people. Thank God for the Peerage and confusion to all forms of damnable Whiggery!

Fr. Z Again: Contrasting Orthodox and Really Bad Catholic Liturgy

Fr. Z has posted a youtube video that ostensibly compares the modern Roman Rite with the Orthodox Byzantine liturgy. The video contrasts clips from the services for Great and Holy Friday in Christ the Savior Cathedral with clips from a "pontifical" Mass from the Archdiocese of LA.  It goes without saying that the video was intended as a polemical shot at the Romans. My guess is that Fr. Z saw it as reinforcing his longstanding crusade to restore dignity to the Western liturgy.

As for the video itself, it is grossly biased. On "our side" the producer shows one of the most solemn services of the year being done by the Patriarch of Moscow. And let's be frank here. Say what you will about the Russians, but they do know how to do liturgy right. For "their side" he chooses a liturgy in probably the worst run and most liberal diocese in North America. Not surprising the comments on Fr. Z's post reflect sadness and indignation at everything from the fact that such a liturgical travesty was possible in the Roman Church, to the obviously cherry picked scenes chosen for contrast.

I give it an A for propaganda and polemics. and an A+ for tragic comedy. But for fairness and accuracy it gets a C-. It would have been far better to contrast a typical OCA parish liturgy with a typical Novus Ordo Mass. Of course even that sort of comparison would likely have been jarring for many Catholics. The sad truth is that the once great Western Liturgical Tradition has been battered in the wake of Vatican II. That's not hyperbole or a polemical attack. It is simply an observation of fact. And to the extent that Fr. Z has posted this silly video to drive home the point, I can't argue with him.

I also note from one of the comments that apparently there is a companion video of the same sort which may be seen here.

Concelebrated Patriarchal Liturgy

His Beatitude Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Assumption Moscow Kremlin on the Feast of Sts. Kyrill and Methodius Enlighteners of the Slavs.

California Unveils Obamacare Insurance Rates

Amid anxiety over rising costs from the federal healthcare law, California received better-than-expected insurance rates for a new state-run marketplace, but many consumers still won't be spared from sharply higher premiums.

Three years after President Obama's landmark law was passed, the state unveiled the first details Thursday on what many Californians can expect to pay for coverage from 13 health plans offering policies in the state's exchange, in which as many as 5 million people will shop for coverage next year.

Developments in California are being watched carefully around the country as an important indicator of whether the healthcare law can deliver on its promise to expand health coverage at an affordable price. Many Republicans, insurance executives and other critics of the law have been warning that consumers are in for a shock next year when insurance companies raise rates to comply with the law's many new requirements.

Supporters were upbeat after an initial look at the proposed premiums, while critics remain unimpressed.

"These rates are way below the worst-case gloom-and-doom scenarios we have heard," said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, the state agency implementing the healthcare law. "But let's be clear, some consumers will have prices that go up. There may be some sticker shock."

Read the rest here.

Sweden: Muslim Immigrants Engage in 5th Night of Rioting

The trigger was the shooting dead by police of an elderly man wielding a knife. But the riots convulsing Stockholm suburbs such as Husby and Rigby-Kista have been a long time in building.

As in France — which is periodically affected by similar outbreaks — many of the rioters are young and unemployed, members of an urban underclass that feels abandoned by the modern state.

More importantly, they are also mainly immigrants. The statistics explain the problem: although people born abroad or to immigrant parents make up only about 15% of the Swedish population, unemployment in immigrant neighbourhoods of Stockholm is much higher than that elsewhere in the city.

Read the rest here.

China Takes A Hard Line With North Korea

BEIJING — The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, bluntly told a North Korean envoy Friday that his country should return to diplomatic talks designed to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons, according to a state-run Chinese news agency.

“The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace on the peninsula is what the people want and also the trend of the times,” Mr. Xi said in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People with Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, a personal envoy of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, the China News Service reported.

Vice Marshal Choe, who has been in Beijing for three days on a mission to repair the prickly relationship between North Korea and China, handed Mr. Xi a letter from Mr. Kim. The contents were not disclosed.

In telling the North it should return to the negotiating table, Mr. Xi appeared to strike a stern tone, saying, “The Chinese position is very clear: no matter how the situation changes, relevant parties should all adhere to the goal of denuclearization of the peninsula, persist in safeguarding its peace and stability, and stick to solving problems through dialogue and consultation.”

Read the rest here.