The Pugil Stick

I Love This Man

2009-04-01T16:53:00.001-07:00

Don't you wish someone would stand up and say this to Congress and the President?

Scenes from a Tea Party

2009-03-16T11:39:00.001-07:00

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever...

2008-07-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

America the Beautiful...

Went to the Olympic Mountains, Hurricane Ridge, for a mini vacation during Independence Day holiday weekend and this is what we saw. (I guess I need to adjust the date on my camera!)

We also saw a four legged friend there, nibbling on the lupine.

Surreal

2007-09-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

Detroit, Michigan Airport. September, 2007.

Yes, the "security" person is a Muslima wearing a hiljab. And that's an elderly nun she is frisking.

Goofus and Gallant

2007-09-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Now...

In light of Sally Field's "mumbling incoherent" acceptance speech at the Emmys, I just wanted to poke Hollywood in the eye... And who else for a scapegoat than Rosie O'Donnell:

But seriously, folks:

From Brit Hume's Political Grapevine:

Safe Havens

A group of House Republicans has introduced a bill that aims to counter the growing number of so-called "sanctuary cities" around the country — cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Minneapolis that prohibit local police from enforcing immigration laws or cooperating with federal immigration investigations.

The Washington Times reports the bill, written by Florida's Virginia Brown-Waite, specifically states that local law enforcement does have existing authority to investigate immigration matters and make arrests. It also would require federal agents to take illegals into custody or reimburse local governments if they detain them.

Similar legislation has failed in the past and this bill faces an uphill fight in the Democratic-controlled Congress.

Remember this woman? She's the one who gave a CAIR spokesman a comeuppance on the Constitution and freedom of speech.

Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) is one Congressman to watch and support. She is doing her job to preserve our American way of life.

Europe's Powderkeg

2007-09-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Gestapo, brownshirts, stasi, you've seen it before; same old totalitarianism rearing its ugly head in Europe.

No word from the American media on this.

Watch how viciously they arrest these men who had the audacity to discuss with journalists the problems with the European government and the immigration issues.

Thanks to the Brussels Journal for the great coverage and photos.

Lie Down with Dogs, Wake up with Fleas...

2007-08-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

CAIR (Council of American-Islamic Relations), the unindicted co-conspirator to the Holy Land Foundation, a sponsor to terrorist Hamas, has been flexing legal muscle against one of its exposers, Robert Spencer of JihadWatch.

On July 31, 2007, on CNN's Paula Zahn Show, CAIR spokesman Ibriham Hooper slandered Robert Spencer by alleging that he supports genocide against Muslims. Dennis Prager and Christopher Hitchens were present and Mr. Prager defended JihadWatch and Spencer. Blithely, Zahn accepted Hooper's accusation without any question.

Truth is, a new reader posted the repulsive comment and it was deleted by Spencer within an hour after its posting. It's strangely serendipitous that CAIR just happened to be reading the MANY comments posted at JihadWatch and pounced on this comment before it was deleted...

On August 1, 2007, the Young America's Foundation received a letter from CAIR's Attorney, Sandler Reiff & Young concerning Spencer's appearance at a Student
Conference:

"...You should be aware that Mr. Spencer, a well-known purveyor of hatred and bigotry against Muslims, has a history of false and defamatory statements...

...For these reasons we demand that YAF cancel the the subject session, or else take steps to ensure that false and defamatory statements are not disseminated at that session...

...Our clients have instructed us to pursue every available and appropriate legal remedy to redress any false and defamatory statements that are made at the session..."

CAIR's attempt to silence Spencer clearly reflects the organization's contempt for the first Amendment. What's disturbing is CAIR's ability to do engage in such lawsuits with only 1700 members paying an annual fee of $50.00. Furthermore, Mr. Sandler of Sandler, Reiff & Young works for the DNC ... and for MoveOn.org.

YAF's Jason Mattera responded:

"We will not be intimidated by Islamic thugs... CAIR can go to hell and they can take their 72 virgins with them."

UPDATE:

A press release from the Middle East Forum:

Press Releases
The Legal Project to Defend Robert Spencer from CAIRNews
from the Legal Project, Middle East ForumAugust 2, 2007

PHILADELPHIA - The Legal Project of the Middle East Forum announces its support of Robert Spencer and the Young America's Foundation (YAF), the latest victims of what appears to be a targeted intimidation and defamation campaign by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to silence critics of its organization...
...CAIR's letter appears to be aimed at maliciously harming Spencer's reputation, interfering in his lawful employment, and aimed to discourage both Spencer and YAF from exercising their fundamental rights to free speech and assembly. Furthermore, the letter wrongfully implies that YAF has an independent duty to censor Spencer, and that it may be subject to suit for allowing Spencer to speak on private property. It is our opinion that CAIR's pre-emptive accusations are without merit, without any legal basis, and that CAIR has yet to prove any of its statements as true.
Therefore, the Legal Project hereby gives CAIR and its attorneys notice that it, too, will pursue "every available and appropriate legal remedy to redress any false or defamatory statements that are made" or have been made by CAIR and its attorneys against Spencer. We advise CAIR's staff to govern themselves accordingly.

The Legal Project, established by the Middle East Forum in June 2007, is dedicated to safeguarding the democratic liberties afforded by the Constitution to U.S. citizens, namely the rights to free speech and free assembly. The Legal Project protects researchers and analysts working on the topics of terrorism, terrorist funding, Islam, and Islamism against those who seek to silence them through intimidation, defamation, and predatory lawsuits.
Huzzah for The Legal Project! Let's keep it afloat!

LET'S ROLL

2007-07-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

It's time to stop sitting around and complaining, folks. We have to act.

Enough is enough. We are sliding towards totalitarianism like Europe and we have to stop it in its tracks.

We march on DC. Next year. Let's plan a Million Man March. We need planners, input, and volunteers. It's still incubating, so please feel free to offer ideas.

Jihad Watch posted news of a man who was arrested for a "hate crime" by dumping the koran in a toilet at Pace University in New York. While I think he should not have destroyed public property and screwed with the college's plumbing, he SHOULD NOT BE CHARGED with committing a HATE CRIME.

Since when is putting a crucifix in urine "art", yet throwing a koran in the hopper a hate crime? How about flag burning? Why is that freedom of speech, yet opposing a hate-filled ideology not?

Lefty moonbats have always been protesting something since the 60's. Isn't it about time we REAL AMERICANS stand up for our rights? Isn't it about time that we TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY from the leftist, suicidal ideologies that have been plaguing our media, our educational system, and our government?

We have to march on DC. We have to come in droves and make a stand. We cannot afford to sit back behind our computers in comfort while our national security, our way of life and our Constitution is being destroyed.

Look at Europe. There we see the steady erosion of free speech and open debate. We can see that occurring in our nation's universities where conservatives and dissenters from the right are silenced with violence by leftist academics and students. We have college professors like Ward Churchill teaching hatred for America to impressionable students. Fortunately, his exposure and the subsequent outrage got him fired. But how many more professors like him infest our universities?

We must tell our government that we are FED UP with partisan politics and they MUST focus on the job they were hired to do: PROTECT AMERICA. We want no more ILLEGALS on our lands so we need to secure our borders NOW. We need to reform our immigration laws and the way we naturalize immigrants. We need to stop the inflow of Saudi monies to our schools and universities which subvert our nation and brainwash our kids.

I propose a date: September 27, 2008, for our march. It's a Saturday, and it marks the 221st anniversary of when the United States Constitution was presented to the states for ratification. Let's petition our Congress for a re-ratification of our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. Let's demand that these boobs on the beltway pay heed to our umbrage.

I propose that we present a list of grievances to our government on that day. Immigration, erosion of First Amendment rights, political correctness, multiculturalism, etc... Please feel free to help with the list. If you're a blogger, get the word out and post about this March so we can get more people involved.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We MUST take back our country. WE THE PEOPLE!

Back In the Saddle

2007-01-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I'm back with a new modem and my notebook all fixed up. Had a very busy and pleasant Christmas and New Year's. I went through withdrawal from the blogosphere for about a week, but then after that I was fine without the internet! Funny how we can find other things to fill in the gaps.

I was addicted to Deadwood during the holidays, which isn't for the faint hearted or for kids, but for a gritty portrayal of life in a historical western outlaw camp (South Dakota) then go and see! Ian McShane's performance as Al Swearengen deserves the Golden Globe he won, and the profanity laced script is brilliantly written by NYPD Blue's David Milch.

On to more serious topics: President Gerald Ford: RIP.

And Saddam Hussein has joined Mohammed in the eighth circle of Dante's Inferno:

The poets are in the ninth
chasm of the eighth circle, that of the Sowers of
Discord, whose punishment is to be mutilated.
Mahomet shows his entrails to Dante and Virgil
while on the left stands his son Ali, his head cleft
from chin to forelock...

Inferno XXVIII, 9-42.

Saddam is fortunate that all he got was a hanging for his earthly punishment. He deserved worse. Some mourned his execution (talk about Stockholm Syndrome!), as one Iraqi woman said:

"He was not a normal human being but a god. I felt as if I lost my breath".

Uh, no, lady, it wasn't your breath you lost. It was your brain.

2006-12-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wishing all my friends and readers a joyous and blessed holiday season. May you find peace this Christmas.

I'll be back online when my modem and notebook are up and running! Till then, my warmest regards for you and yours.

Technical Difficulties

2006-12-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

ARGH! My modem died so all I have is dial up right now. Waiting for a new modem, so I won't be online as much.

Actually, this will force me to do other things I've procrastinated: Christmas decorating, housecleaning (of which I think is the basis for the Myth of Sisyphus), Christmas baking, and other chores.

I'll make periodic visits to all of my friends when I can!

I'm an AdSense Reject!

2006-12-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

Recently I signed up for AdSense by Google, and this is the response I received:

Thank you for your interest in Google AdSense. Unfortunately, after
reviewing your application, we're unable to accept you into Google
AdSense at this time.

We did not approve your application for the reasons listed below.

Issues:

- Sensitive content

---------------------

Further detail:

Sensitive content: Google believes strongly in freedom of expression
and offers broad access to content across the web. At the same time, we
reserve the right to exercise discretion when reviewing sites for
AdSense. We've found that your website contains content that we don't
allow at this time. AdSense policy doesn't currently accept sites that
advocate against any individual, group, or organization. Please review
our policies (https://www.google.com/adsense/policies?hl=en_US) for a
complete list of site content not allowed on web pages.

Whoo hoo! I'm not "sensitive" enough for Google! Google won't accept sites which "advocate AGAINST ANY individuals, groups or organizations"??? What if I had advocated against Nazis? What about against a political party? Would that also exclude me???

So much for their support for "freedom of expression." Google PC Police are in full force!

REQUEST:I would LOVE an "AdSense Reject" banner or button for this blog if anyone with Photoshop skills can make one for me? I'd be eternally grateful! And if any of my fellow "Islamophobes" care to sign up for AdSense to see if they get rejected as well, let me know!

Vote!

2006-12-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

Right now, at Jihad Watch, the annual elections for Dhimmi of the Year, Dhimmi Internationale of the Year, American Anti-Dhimmi and Anti-Dhimmi Internationale are open.

If you wish to participate, use your TypeKey account and vote for American Dhimmi of the Year 2006. The candidates are:

James Baker

George W. Bush

Jimmy Carter

Dean Esmay

Nancy Pelosi

Condoleeza Rice

The candidates for Dhimmi Internationale are:

Karen Armstrong

Tony Blair

Hugo Chavez

Jacques Chirac

Ehud Olmert

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero

American Anti Dhimmi candidates are:

John Bolton

Ginny Browne-Waite

Brigitte Gabriel

Wafa Sultan

Tom Tancredo

And lastly, the candidates for Anti Dhimmi Internationale are:

Pope Benedict XVI

John Howard

Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Robert Redeker

Jack Straw

Geert Wilders

My votes are in bold. After you've cast your ballot, the screen changes to show you who is in the lead. So, for all of you who are aware, go there and vote! (Or, if you don't wish to cast a ballot there, just post a comment here listing your preferences.)

UPDATE - AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Dhimmi Internationale 2006: JACQUES CHIRAC!!!

Anti Dhimmi Internationale 2006: JOHN HOWARD!!!

American Dhimmi 2006 (By overwhelming consensus):JIMMY CARTER!!!

American Anti Dhimmi 2006: JOHN BOLTON!!!

Interview with an Executioner

2006-12-09T21:49:00.000-08:00

Watch this video of an interview with Abdallah Al-Bishi, the Saudi appointed executioner of Mecca.

Besides heads, he also cuts off hands and legs.

Muslim journalist:

"This is the most renowned executioner in Saudi
Arabia, Abdallah Bin Sa'id Al-Bishi, who carries out the
executions. His sword delineates the border between
seriousness and play. There is no negotiating with him once
the heads have ripened. When it's harvesting time, he is the
most suited for the job."

Wonder if Oprah would invite him for an interview?

(H/T American Congress for Truth)

Islamic Hypocrisy

2006-12-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

There are many facets to Islamic hypocrisy, and some bloggers have already pointed out some:

Most recently is the incident about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s failure to cover his eyes when unveiled girls danced across a stage. True, Muslim hardliners criticized him for it, but he remains President of Iran and I doubt if he’ll drop the hardball condemnation against the West’s immorality.

Another are the reports that eyewitnesses identified Mohammed Atta and other 9/11 terrorists drinking alcohol and watching girls lap dance in Florida a week before they committed their crimes.

But one blatant hypocrisy stands apart and I’ve noticed this among MANY Muslims who comment on conservative blogs and websites. And that is their attempt to justify the need for Sharia Law in the West because of the West’s immorality ONLY TO THOSE WHO OPPOSE THEM. Homosexual marriage, adultery, fornication, immodest dress, pornography, drugs are all condemned by these critics:

“Don't you want to recognize that it is God's plan that Islam is progressing all around you because you need to be discipline and punished for the crimes that you have been committing to the humanity for long enough time and now is the time for God to take care of you by the hands of the true believers representative of human dignity and justice, the Muslims?”
by well wisher. He continues:

“Remember, besides your evil acts of imperialism and Zionism, you also represent homosexualism, fornication, and adultery. Don't you remember that in your society over 60% of the children are born out of wedlock? What about alcoholism and racism? Don't you remember what had you done to the black slaves and native Indians in this land? You better fear God and fix your faith and character. Otherwise you are doomed.”

First of all, after this breathtaking display of hatred towards Jews, he goes on to condemn slavery, which is a MUSLIM trade still practiced this day in Africa by MUSLIMS. Secondly, he completely ignores the Muslim SLAUGHTER of Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and Christians THROUGHOUT history. Mote in the eye, indeed.

But my main point is this. I have seen the same criticism over and over again by Muslims concerning Western immorality. They come here on this blog and do it, and I’ve seen plenty over at Jihad Watch. What puzzles me is that why are they telling me, a CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN, about it? Why aren’t they over at the Daily Kos or the Huffington Post condemning the LIBERALS there who support those immoral behaviors?

Muslim readers: You’re barking up the wrong tree. As a CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN I oppose homosexual marriage, fornication, adultery, pornography, immodest dress and other immoralities. That’s why I and my conservative friends are lambasted by the media, academia and the Liberals in this country.

However, I don’t see you Muslims going over to the Liberals’ blogs and sites and attacking them for this. Why? Why are you not putting your money where your mouth is and going into the belly of the beast if you’re so bloody concerned about Western immorality?

I have an inkling why and I’ll tell you this:

You won’t go there because it’ll blow your cover. You won’t condemn them to their faces because THEY SERVE A PURPOSE. You see, you’re really not that concerned about Western immorality. You really don't care about homosexual marriage, porn, adultery, and other vices in this country. If you were, you would go to those who support it and criticize them. But since they are your USELESS IDIOTS you keep quiet with them. Since they are your FIFTH COLUMN you will not rock the boat and let them see you without your mask of “peace.” If you were to go there and make waves, they might wake up and join us conservatives in this war against Islam.

COWARDS AND HYPOCRITES!

Must Watch

2006-12-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

This:

America Wake Up!

To the Enemy:

(Photo thanks to Jay.)

Trouble in Paradise

2006-12-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

Interesting developments from that bastion of freedom and democracy[/sarc], Iran:

Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s approval ratings have dropped from 60% last year to only 35% this past October. No wonder he wrote a letter to the American people, he probably realizes his approval ratings among the Left here are better than in his own country. His term will probably be shortened as the Iranian Parliament agreed to move their next elections nearer by eighteen months and awaits ratification by their constitutional committee which most expect will concur. (H/T Indigo Red.)

Now, at Jihad Watch, we see that he earned the disapprobation of Islamic hardliners for… get this: watching dancing girls!

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, who flaunts his ideological fervour, has been accused of undermining Iran's Islamic revolution after television footage appeared to show him watching a female song and dance show.

The famously austere Mr. Ahmadinejad has been criticised by his own allies after attending the lavish opening ceremony of the Asian games in Qatar, a sporting competition involving 13,000 athletes from 39 countries. The ceremony featured Indian and Egyptian dancers and female vocalists. Many were not wearing veils.

Religious fundamentalists, usually Mr. Ahmadinejad's keenest supporters, are asking why he attended a ceremony that violated his own government's strict interpretation of Shia Islam.

GASP! Could it be possible that the Muslims in Iran have a… HYPOCRITE in their midst??? Mahmoud, you naughty boy! And you think President George Bush is corrupt! And now you are caught watching women dancing without the seven veils!

Whatever is next? I’ll say this, Mahmoud, baby. President Bush is a helluva better Christian than you are a Muslim, and your days are numbered, INSHALLAH!

Combat Islam

2006-12-04T22:03:00.000-08:00

The 910 Group is a grassroots organization devoted to stopping Islamofascism, in support of the Anti Islamosfascism Movement , created by activists Steve Baldwin and Jack Wheeler, who founded the American Anti Communist Movement in the 1980’s.
Here is an excerpt of their Memo to all Conservative Groups:

We don't think anyone can dispute the fact that the forces of Islamofascism have embarked upon a World War of global conquest that may last for decades if not longer. Since Islamofascist terrorists have no boundaries, this war will be even tougher to fight than our battle was against the Soviet empire. Already, the Islamofascists have a beachhead in Western Europe. According to demographic experts, Europe will become Islamic in a generation - and it's not the moderates who hold sway in the Islamic communities in Europe. If these numbers are translated to political power - which undoubtedly will be the case - it will have dire consequences. Eventually, radical Islamic political blocs will take power in many European nations such as Belgium, Holland, France, and Britain.

The Washington Times reports (11/21/06) that Russia is well on its way to becoming an Islamic country. Within eight years (by 2015) over half the soldiers in the Russian Army will be Moslem. By 2020, over 20% of Russia's entire population will be Moslem.What happens when Moslems in political power have access to the nuclear arsenals of Russia, France, and Britain? Couple this with the increased presence of Islam in Africa and Latin America, and there is a distinct possibility that America, within a generation of two, will be alone in the world. We would be encircled by enemies dedicated to our destruction. No doubt by then, there will be thousands of Jihadists within the US prepared to carry out terrorist acts on command from international Islamic powers. We cannot allow this to happen without a fight. Western Civilization is worth fighting for. We cannot allow our grandchildren to live in Islamofascist tyranny. But we don't seem to be prepared for this war. Unlike the movement created during the Cold War, there doesn't seem to be much of an infrastructure to combat Islamofascism. If we truly care about our children and grandchildren, then we must create an infrastructure modeled after the Anti-Communist Movement. Here's a few areas off the top of our heads that an Anti-Islamofascism Movement could be addressing:

Investigate radical mosques. 80% of mosques in America are Saudi-funded and promote a form of Radical Islam known as Wahhabism. There aren't any groups that monitor them or call for congressional or IRS investigations of their activities. Yet we know from literature picked up by those who have signed up for classes at these mosques that many promote jihad against the West. If a Christian church did that, they would lose their tax-exempt status within a week.

Support Anti-Islamofascist freedom fighters. There are resistance and dissident groups within Iran and other radical Islamic countries who are willing to organize against their regimes if they had some outside assistance. Yet there are no groups set up to promote their cause or to lobby Congress to get them covert assistance.

Thwart attempts to impose Sharia Law. The ultimate goal of Islamofascists is to impose Islamic "Sharia" religious law upon us all. Groups could monitor and block every Fabian effort (imposing Sharia in small bites) like demands for prayer rooms and allowing headscarves in schools.

A Rapid Response media team to stand up to Islamic bullying. The US Airways story removing Moslem imams from a flight resulted in a barrage of denunciations from Moslem advocacy groups like CAIR with no one to give a "fair and balanced" rebuttal. What is needed is an "Anti-CAIR" media team that can praise the justifiable concern of airline passengers for their safety and demand that Moslems understand that concern. There must be no tolerance for Islamic bullying.

Form an Anti-Islamofascist publishing network. There is a great need for more publications and newsletters that focus on the Islamofascist threat both here and abroad. Remember the "Pink Sheet of the Left"? It launched an explosion of Anti-Communist publications.

Create an Anti-Islamofascist portal on the Internet. There's a need for a website "portal" coordinating efforts to monitors all the radical Muslim foundations, leaders, organizations, mosques, etc. now operating in the US who have already been tied to terrorists or are espousing radical viewpoints. Such a website would also allow private citizens to contribute intelligence to it. For example, Joe Sixpack reports picking up a flyer promoting jihad from a neighboring mosque. This intelligence would be checked for accuracy and if accurate, added to the entry on the website under the name of that mosque.

Establish an Anti-Islamofascist Speakers Bureau. There are many experts in addition to the small number now known to the media such as Frank Gaffney and Robert Spencer, who can talk about the world-wide Islamofascist threat. But most media people don't know who they are or where to find them. There's a need for a speaker's bureau marketing Anti-Islamofascist experts in a systematic fashion to all the major media outlets.

Monitor the billions now being spent on Homeland Security. There are already reports of large-scale waste and fraud occurring, which, of course, takes funds away from counter-terror efforts. There currently aren't any groups that monitor the effectiveness of various Homeland Security tactics or lobby to institute new tactics and strategies that may be more effective.

Wage an ideological assault on Islamofascism. Radical Islam is a totalitarian doctrine with numerous parallels to Marxism, yet intellectually crude and medievally primitive. A scholarly assault through think-tanks, seminars, and conferences can be conducted, targeting the multitude of weaknesses and vulnerabilities of Islamofascism.

Support the Chinese Christian. China is on its way to becoming a majority Christian nation within 20 years, with over 100 million Christians right now. Not only can they serve as a major bulwark against the spread of Islam in Asia, but many are determined to reverse that spread throughout the world. Teams of Chinese missionaries are already preaching the Gospel in many countries abroad, with tens of thousands to follow. Their efforts could be greatly assisted by the large network of Christian philanthropists who fund mission work.

Create a Global Anti-Islamofascist Coalition. We need to identify and work with other organizations in Europe and elsewhere who are working against the Islamofascist threat. They exist, but few know anything about them. The Anti-Islamofascist movement needs to become a world wide coalition.

Reframe the illegal immigration issue as one of national security. This is already being done by Congressman (and 2008 presidential candidate) Duncan Hunter. There is evidence that Moslem Terrorists may have crossed our porous borders and if it hasn't happened already, it certainly will. We also know that they have exploited other immigration issues such as the student VISA program so favored by the 9/11 terrorists. And yet, there is little evidence that much has changed in this regard. We still allow people in from terrorist-harboring countries with little checking, and the Democrats are determined to block the construction of a security fence on our southern border.

End our dependence on foreign oil that's funding the Islamofascists. Despite protests to the contrary, we know that Saudi money is being funneled to radical madressas and foundations that are the training grounds for Radical Islam. We also know that Hugo Chavez in Venezuela is using his oil billions to fund anti-American groups. It is time that we pushed our political leaders to get out of the way and allow America to become energy independent. We need to stop subsidizing our own enemies.

Does this sound good? If you want to help and join the fight, join the club and contribute whatever resources and skills you have. We must not allow Western society to die. We must not allow our children and grandchildren to grow up under Sharia Law. We must not sit on our hands and do nothing. Don't depend on the government to take care of things. We're in this mess because of them.

It is time to act.

Hope

2006-12-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

From The Brussels Journal, Josh Trevino reports on Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey, and the growing reconciliation of the the Western Church with the Eastern Church.

It is the peculiar genius of Byzantine history that its glory reached its apogee in the era known to the West as the Dark Ages. It has no great literary heritage – a half-millenium of Muslim domination ensured the annihilation from memory of its major works beyond the Alexiad of Anna Comnena, the anonymous epic of Digenes Akritis, and various religious texts. The latter survived because the Church survived, even as the Empire did not. Chief among them are the great liturgies, and chief among the great liturgies is the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom. It is the queen of liturgies: a Greek epic of its own, also of the Western Dark Ages, emphatic and deliberate in its insistent worship of Christ. The liturgy has a heavenly glory in its song and prayer. It also has a mundane length to it. Properly done, it lasts hours. Yesterday, it lasted five hours, from 8am to 1pm. It’s a feat of endurance for the best Christian – particularly as the great majority of it has one standing. I am not among the best Christians. But yesterday, I did it. Yesterday, I was in the Church of St George at the compound of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Fener district of Istanbul. Across from me sat the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, holder of the last office of the Eastern Empire, and spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christians of the world. Mere feet away, within arm’s reach, sat Pope Benedict XVI.

The Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople has always been a source of sorrow and misunderstanding for almost one thousand years. Now, a new hope emerges for Christendom and especially for the oppressed Orthodox Christians:

The Patriarchal compound is a small place, kept deliberately so by the Turkish authorities who object to the claim of an ecumenical title by the Patriarch. No matter that the Patriarchate in Constantinople has been the Ecumenical Patriarchate since nearly eight hundred years before the Turkish seizure of this city, and no matter that even the Ottoman Sultans acknowledged this fact: the modern Turkish state believes the Patriarch to be merely the religious leader of the Orthodox Christians of Turkey – reduced from a thriving community of millions to a mere two thousand in Istanbul proper in the 20th century – and nothing more. So vehemently do they deny any greater role for the successor to St Andrew, that in this very week, they sent police personnel to tear down English-language banners with the phrase “Archon Pilgrimage to the Ecumenical Patriarchate” on it. The Archons are properly the Order of St Andrew, and they are a collection of lay worthies of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. They also had passes allowing them entry into the Patriarchate for this Liturgy with the Pope, and to the previous night’s Doxology; but because it too mentioned an “Ecumenical Patriarchate,” they were made to put them away before the Turkish police would allow them entry into the Patriarchal compound. They complied – what else could they do? – and in a nice irony, were issued badges by the Turks which read, “Istanbul Rum Patrikhanesi.” The Patriachate of the Romans of Istanbul. Even now, five hundred fifty-three years after the conquest, Turkish idiom acknowledges what the Great Church and its people once were.

The Church of St George, sole church in the Patriarchal compound, acknowledges it as well. Embedded in its walls, and strewn about its tiny grounds, are fragments from the hundreds of churches of old Constantinople that were demolished in the centuries of Muslim rule. Here there is a frieze of Christ. Here there is an Apostle. Here there is a slab of marble in which a scarred IC XC is inscribed. And here there is an imperial double-headed eagle, symbol of the Eastern Imperium. It is a bit of symbology that has been inherited by several nations of the old Byzantine commonwealth, among them Russia and, improbably, Albania. The Patriarchal compound is strewn with them, giving truth to the phrase Istanbul Rum Patrikhanesi. For a moment, one may lose oneself in the fantasy that it is all still real, and all still alive – but then you look up, and see the mosque that the Turks have built athwart the compound on the overlooking hillside. The minarets peer down in the very courtyard of St George’s itself, and the message is clear: five times a day, every day of every year, the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Christians of the world must hear the muzzein at close quarters. The temporal victors are deeply unsure, even now, of their victory.
On this day, the minaret and all the surrounding rooftops are occupied by Turkish soldiers. They look down upon us in the courtyard and glare. There is security and insecurity in their presence: they will assuredly protect us from any Islamist who would seek to wreak mayhem – though none, not even unfriendly crowds, are in evidence – and they are assuredly not our friends. The Patriarch himself, Bartholomew I, once served in the Turkish Army, in keeping with the Turkish state’s stricture that the occupant of that office must hold Turkish citizenship. I looked up at the soldiery, and reflected on the pity of this state, which he served, that is now bent upon squeezing his ancient office out of existence.
Inside the chapel all is gilt and gold, a nineteenth-century version of Orthodox splendor, and it is possible to forget the scene outdoors. The place is suffused with holy relics: among them, the remains of Ss John Chrysostom, whose liturgy we celebrate, and Gregory the Theologian – both recently returned by the Vatican. Across the chapel, a supposed piece of the True Cross, and the purported pillar upon which Christ was scourged. There are sarcophagi in which various saints rest, and niches in which holy icons are venerated. It is a wonderland for the faithful. But not only the faithful are there: there is also the media of the world, armed with telephoto lenses and cameras, and looking shabby in the way that media typically do. It does not occur to them to dress appropriately – one may wish, after all, to look presentable before the putative Vicar of Christ on Earth – but then, it wouldn’t. They crowd onto platforms along the periphery of the chapel, and wait. Patriarch Bartholomew I arrives, decked in brilliant finery and surrounded by black-clad deacons and Metropolitans. Pope Benedict XVI arrives, dressed in thick red robes, and accompanied by bright red-and-purple Cardinals. The Liturgy, which has already been underway for an hour, assumes a new pitch. The lights brighten. The gold upon the icons flare. We pray. We worship for another four hours, with varying levels of comprehension of the thousand-year-old Greek of the Liturgy.

Over four hours of liturgical worship. I once went to a Tridentine Mass, which was over two hours and I was exhilarated, though I recall others complaining that it was "too long." I don't know if I would have the stamina for almost five straight hours of worship, mainly standing. But I would have loved to have been there.

Now, we file forward, toward the Ecumenical Patriarch His All-Holiness Bartholomew I, holder of the last office of the Eastern Empire, who gives us the Body of Christ. Mere feet away, Benedict XVI sits on the Papal throne, looking down upon us supplicants. I am overcome and cannot glance toward him. Behind me, others have more courage: they break from the line, rush forward, and kiss Benedict’s hand. He is calm and gentle. He smiles and clasps their hands, saying a few words in German and English, before urging them to go receive the Eucharist. It is profoundly moving too see these devout Orthodox who have come to pay homage to the bishop of the New Roman, and who are so overwhelmed with the presence and love of the bishop of the Rome that they must give him the same. The small space encompasses a universe, and we are at its center. Bartholomew ascends to the iconostasis and welcomes Benedict in Greek. Benedict, aware of the cameras surrounding him, replies in English. We must, he says, recall Europe to its Christian heritage before it is too late – and we must do it together. Then they emerge into the cold sunlight of a cold day. They ascend to a balcony overlooking the courtyard where we gather in expectation. They speak briefly. And then, they clasp hands, Pope and Patriarch, smile and raise their arms together. Tears come to my eyes, and I am shocked to see several media personnel crying openly. For an instant, the Church is one. For a shadow of a second, the dreams of Christendom are again real.

It brought tears to my eyes to read this and to comprehend the possibilities of a re-united Church. It's been no great secret why Joseph Ratzinger chose the name "Benedict" when he ascended to the Papacy. The first Benedict (of Nursia) established monastic orders in the early sixth century which preserved Christianity and the treasures of western civilization during the fall of Rome. Those monks kept and copied many of the works of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Church Fathers, as well as Holy Scripture, to be passed on to future generations during the Dark Ages.

Many Church watchers and Vatican insiders have speculated that Pope Benedict XVI perceives a new "Dark Ages" entering Europe. Western Civilization is on the brink of extinction, particularly within the place of its origin. Europe, with its atheistic, secularized society, no longer reproduces itself, and will be overrun by Islamism if no return is made to its once great culture. Benedict XVI has not given up on Europe. He calls for a rejection of nihilistic relativism, a "dictatorship" he sees as the most dangerous of all tyrannies. He calls Europe to a "metanoia", a change of heart, and to return to the faith and reason which are the major contributors to Europe's great past.

If Europe rejects his call and should die, like his early predecessor, Benedict also makes preparations for the diminishment of the Church in Europe. His recent appointments in the Curia point to the East, replacing many in offices in the Vatican with more "pastoral" type appointees, rather than political or diplomatic ones. He works to reunite a centuries old divided Church, preserving its purity of doctrine and all of the great works its followers achieved in its two thousand year existence, waiting faithfully once again for a rebirth, moved by the Hand of God.

Dalliance

2006-11-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

I'm so tired of politics right now. I keep on thinking of that line from the poem, "The world is too much with us..."

So I'm going to post a bit about other stuff. The snow is still here, and it's below freezing. I had cabin fever for not being able to go out for a walk because of the ice every where, but a girlfriend came and picked me up and we went back to her family's home out of town. There they had heavier snow, and much of it was still on the ground, so it wasn't icy, just snow packed, which was great.

The snow covered trees were breathtaking. I was so upset that I hadn't brought my camera, but then lo and behold, later that night, my other friend's daughter who is a freshman in college emailed me photos she took of the "winter wonderland" that is Western Washington right now. Thank you, Amy!

The weather forecast predicts possibly more snow tomorrow night, which may turn to rain later. I hope the temperature stays up so this ice will melt. Our side streets and parking lots are sheets of ice! This is certainly down coat season. Usually I can get away with a lined raincoat during the entire winter season, but now I had to dig out the heavy coat, scarves and gloves, and shoes.

Over at Mike's America we see the "Accuweather" forecast predicting dire hurricane warnings for 2006 because Pres. Bush didn't sign the Kyoto Protocol (/sarcasm) was blown out of the water. Gayle's My Republican Blog and Seth's Hard Astarboard shows data that the Antarctic ice sheet is actually growing, not shrinking as the ecochondriacs would have us believe.

Damn. These trees are just so majestic!

The brisk walk out in the pine filled air on crunching snow made us all sing Christmas carols! And it's not even December!

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful...

2006-11-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

Global Warming! The Polar Ice Caps are Melting! Earth's temperature is Rising! The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!!!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!! Ooops. 86 that!

Well, it's snowing here in the Puget Sound area right now, which is odd since it's not even December. We rarely get snow here, and if we do, it lasts for a few hours or a day and melts away because of the proximity of the water. However, I can hear my neighbor's kids outside screaming and playing in the snow with delight. Children in this area always bemoan the lack of snow in the winter for two very good reasons: fun to play in, and school is usually cancelled.

I remember a particularly heavy snowfall several years ago, where we actually got almost eight inches of snow. When I awoke that morning I was elated to find that work was cancelled and the neighborhood was beautiful. Early afternoon my doorbell rang, and it was my best friend and neighbor's 8 year old daughter, with her school chum in tow. "Can we play in your yard? We used up all of our snow already."

After the girls had "used up" my snow, I made them hot chocolate and sent them home. Later they brought me cookies they had baked.

Here is a photo of the view from my living room window. Normally I have a nice water view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Cascade Mountains, but the heavy cloud coverage obscured it all.

Hopefully we'll get some snow for Christmas!

Addendum: The cloud coverage lifted slightly a few hours ago and revealed the water view, but the mountains are still hidden.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

2006-11-22T17:26:00.000-08:00

“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

“Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplication to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our national government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.”

-Given under my hand, at the city of New York,The 3rd day of October, AD 1789

George Washington

Royal Pain in the Arse

2006-11-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

From the U.K. Telegraph Online, we see that Segolene Royal, the French Socialist Candidate for President has made a clarion call to Britain to break her ties with the United States and join a French-led European integration:

Ségolène Royal, the Socialist candidate for the French presidency, wants Britain to choose between being a "vassal" of the United States, and embracing a French-led drive for European integration, her adviser on Europe has revealed.

Throughout Miss Royal's spectacularly successful campaign to sew up the Socialist nomination, she kept the details of her EU policy under wraps for fear of reopening deep splits within her party.
However, in the hours after her victory on Thursday, Gilles Savary, a French MEP and her spokesman and foreign affairs adviser, spoke exclusively to The Daily Telegraph, revealing her EU policies in detail.

He set out a vision of an ambitious new EU treaty, replacing the EU constitution which has been in limbo since French and Dutch voters voted against it last summer.

Britain would be asked to sign up to the new treaty, but if it rejected calls for increased protectionism, an EU foreign minister, convergence on tax rates and moves to create a European army, then France and her allies would agree a treaty among themselves, he said.

A European army, you say! Let me guess, which country's forces will be the "core" of said army? Thinking about the um, track record of the French military in the past hundred years compared to the UK's, I'm willing to bet that it's the British who will be the primary ones who shed blood and treasure in any Euro military venture should they decide to join. It'd be another case of lions led by donkeys, for sure.

Tony Blair's successor as prime minister, whether Gordon Brown or David Cameron, now faces an inevitable crisis over Europe after France chooses its next leader in April.

Miss Royal, who has no foreign policy experience and has only ever held junior ministerial posts, will seek the immediate support of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, for her plans, and believes Spain and Italy can also be signed up.

From what statements I've read by the German Chancellor, I'm inclined to see her as no fool. However, considering the fact that the Germans have no army to speak of, it's to Germany's advantage to have Britain's military at their disposal.

Although Miss Royal "does not want a two-speed Europe," Mr Savary said, he admitted her plans could lead to a "quartet" of nations leading the way, with others scrambling to catch up. He complained that Britain currently led an "ultra-Atlanticist" bloc within the EU.

"Great Britain is absolutely indispensable to the European Union. It is great nation, a global power. But the question the English have to answer is – do the English consider the English Channel to be wider than the Atlantic? We on the continent have the right to deplore the fact that Great Britain appears to consider the Channel is wider," he said.

Funny, how they interchange "British" with "English". I guess the French Socialist Party is unaware of Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland. That'll make the disenfranchised Britons mighty inclined to join with them.

Miss Royal was confident that "Europe can be relaunched with Germany, Italy and Spain. It is perfectly possible to have treaties within the treaty, among four nations," he said. "If other nations want to sign up, that's good. But we cannot have a Europe where one part goes to war in Iraq, another part does not, and we all end up paying the bill."

Unlike the "bill" that the British pay to subsidize crappy French farmers? Hear that giant sucking sound? And it ain't a French bidet.

Deja Vu

2006-11-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

A few days ago a woman I know told me about a relation of hers named George Horton. George Horton was the US Consul to Smyrna during WWI who wrote a book which describes eyewitness accounts of the Turkish massacre of the Armenian Christians in Smyrna. This book, The Blight of Asia, is no longer in print in the U.S., but is available online courtesy of a retired Greek Admiral.

After I found the book online, I began to read, and discovered some strange “coincidences.” First, if one reads the Introduction, one will find a reference to the date which the Turks set fire to Smryna:

I was in Smyrna in May of 1917, when Turkey severed relations with the United States, and I received the oral and written statements of native-born American eye-witnesses of the vast and incredibly horrible Armenian massacres of 1915-16— some of which will be here given for the first time; I personally observed and otherwise confirmed the outrageous treatment of the Christian population of the Smyrna vilayet, both during the Great War, and before its outbreak. I returned to Smyrna later and was there up until the evening of September 11, 1922, on which date the city was set on fire by the army of Mustapha Khemal, and a large part of its population done to death, and I witnessed the development of that Dantesque tragedy, which possesses few, if any parallels in the history of the world.

Hmmm, perhaps no coincidence that they set fire to Smryna on September 11. After all September 11 is the day which Jan Sobieski defeated the Turks in the Battle of Vienna. Mustapha Khemal chose that date for that reason, I’m sure, as did the terrorists on our 9/11.

However, in Chapter 33, I found this:

There is less hope today of pan-Christianity than of pan-Islamism. Says Kurtz, already referred to: “To-day Mohammedanism is the one rival of Christianity to become a world religion,” and a writer in the “Moslem World” for January, 1925: “The Christian Church, after thirteen centuries of hard struggle finds Islam still a most baffling problem. It is true historically that Islam has been born after Christianity and has displaced it almost wherever it has spread. The history of the whole of North Africa, Palestine and Syria, and present Asia Minor shows this plainly.

The Reverend George Bush in his “Life of Mohammed”, published by the Harpers in 1830, makes the following reflection:

“Indeed in this, as in every other instance where the fortunes of an individual are entirely disproportionate to the means employed, and surpass all reasonable calculation, we are forced to resolve the problem into the special Providence of God. Nothing short of this could have achieved such mighty results”

If there is no other explanation of Mohammedan success, it is evident that the Divine intention has not varied in the last ninety years. This is the view-point of the deeply religious man, who believes in God’s personal management of all the affairs of this world, attributing to reasons of Divine wisdom matters too deep for human penetration. The student of history will understand the spread of Mohammedanism at the expense of Christianity, and the chief reasons have appeared or will become plain in the course of this narrative.

The Reverend George Bush? Now I don’t think the name George Bush would be all that uncommon. But it did give me pause to think that this name would be associated with Islam in a book written over 80 years ago concerning an event which occurred on September 11. Uncanny.

The Consul also writes of the bias of the American media towards the Turks and against the Christian Armenians:

I was sitting in the wardroom of one of our destroyers moored in the harbor of Smyrna. At moment when the massacre had begun to assume alarming proportions, a newspaper correspondent, a passenger on the same naval unit, entered the room, opened his typewriter and began to write. When he had finished about half a page, he read it carefully, took it out of the machine, and said:

“I can’t send this stuff. It’ll queer me at Constantinople. I must get busy on Greek atrocities.” I have often wondered what he meant. I was sitting quite close to him and heard him very distinctly.

That journalist must have worked for the New York Times.

In that same chapter he summarizes:

Let us briefly review the situation which enabled the Turks in the year of our Lord, 1922, to complete the extinction of Christianity in the Near East: The Germans were, as long as they lasted, the active allies of the Turks, and during this period nearly a million Armenians and many thousands of Greeks perished; after the Armistice and during the period which led up to the destruction of Smyrna and the accompanying massacre, the French and Italians were allies of the Turk, and furnished him moral and material support; the British gave no aid to the Greeks, but contented themselves with publishing an account of the dreadful events that had been taking place in the Ottoman Empire; the Americans gained the reputation of being pro-Turk, true friends, who would ultimately, on account of this friendship, be given the permission to put through great schemes, which would result in the development of the Ottoman Empire and, incidentally, fill certain American pocketbooks. The Turks confidently believed that commercial avarice would prevent us from interfering with their savagery, or even strongly condemning it.

Never in the world had the Turk so good an opportunity to glut his lust for Christian blood without fear of interference or criticism.

Some things never change, do they?

Mr. Horton prophesies:

If, as the Reverend Bush remarks, the wonderful spread of Mohammedanism can only be explained as some special Providence of God, He may be inspiring the Sennussi to spiritualize their religion and develop the better features of it. If the Christian faith has had so feeble effect upon the conduct of Christian nations and has so little harmony that it lacks the force to convert Mohammedans, then the only alternative open to wisdom, finite or infinite, would be to make the best of some other creed. When our missionaries have finished putting the Turkish administrations “on a sound basis,” they might come home and teach us to be better Christians. Unless Christianity is saved in those countries where it still has a nominal existence, it is doomed, and their civilization will go with it. The Bolsheviks understand this, as witness the war they are waging against religion.

Chilling.

Are Conservatives Better Educated?

2006-11-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hehe, got this quiz from Grizzly Mama's and we share the same score! Thanks Monica!

You paid attention during 97% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
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