Nostalgia

So I am in a town I have not been in since 2007. It's a very weird feeling.

I took a brief spin around town to pass by places I used to go or stay. Places where I have memories good, bad, and indifferent. Places I am no longer welcome through no fault of my own. It's kind of strange, seeing this place through eyes that have changed so much. Melancholy. Bittersweet. Especially considering the reason why I am here.

"What has happened has happened – it is in the past. Just keep on going, all the while asking for help from God."
~Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

Lord have mercy on me, a sinner, and make the memory of Your handmaiden, Norma Jean, eternal.

Relevant Reading
Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives

Understanding the Posse Comitatus Act and the Insurrection Act

“The Insurrection Act consists of four statutes enacted at different times for different reasons that, when considered as a whole, provide the power that Presidents have used many times as the legal basis for using troops to enforce the law. The four sections of law are as follows:

Title 10, Section 334 was enacted in 1792 as the Calling Forth Act to give President George Washington authority to call forth the militia when in his judgment they were needed to repel invasions, suppress insurrections, or enforce the laws. To assure that this authority was not abused, a reluctant Congress specified that before using the troops, the President would have to issue a proclamation calling on the insurgents to disperse in a limited time.

Title 10, Section 331 is a combination of two laws. One was enacted in 1795 to correct weaknesses in the Calling Forth Act (1792) when it was used to suppress the Whisky Rebellion in 1793. This law gave the President specific authority to call forth the militia upon the request of a governor or state legislature, if the governor were unable to apply for the assistance. The second law was enacted in 1807 at the request of President Thomas Jefferson to extend Presidential authority to call forth the standing army as well at the militia. This section allows the President to use the armed forces to enforce the laws or suppress a rebellion whenever, in his opinion, unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages or rebellion against the authority of the United States make it impractical to enforce the laws using the course of judicial proceedings.

Title 10, Section 332 was enacted in 1861 at the request of President Abraham Lincoln to increase Presidential authority to use the militia and the regular army to suppress insurrections and enforce the laws. This law was the legal basis for waging the Civil War. This law allows the President to use federal troops on his own initiative and act on his own judgment without waiting for a request from a governor.

Title 10, Section 333 was enacted in 1869 at the request of President U. S. Grant to empower him to use federal troops to suppress the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction. The original version of this law said that it was the duty of the President to use the armed forces or militia to respond to insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracies that deprive any portion or class of people their Constitutional rights and privileges when state authorities are unable or refuse to protect such people.

The Insurrection Act empowers the President, either upon his own initiative or at the request of a governor to use federal troops to address a variety of civil disturbances that could be provoked by a major terrorist attack. Sections 332 and 333 make it clear that it is up to the President to determine when and where to use federal troops to enforce the laws. The prudent reader should see for him or her self by going to the Internet and reading the statutes cited.”

~ UNDERSTANDING THE POSSE COMITATUS ACT AND THE INSURRECTION ACT
John R. Brinkerhoff, Colonel USA Retired (2008)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,

Relevant Reading 
10 U.S. Code Chapter 15 - INSURRECTION

Not Anonymous

"You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness. You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing." Exodus 23:1

"Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame." 1 Peter 3:16

"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family." Proverbs 6:16-19

"Better the poor walking in integrity than one perverse of speech who is a fool. Desire without knowledge is not good, and one who moves too hurriedly misses the way. One’s own folly leads to ruin, yet the heart rages against the Lord...A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will not escape." Proverbs 19:1-5

"If you cannot be merciful, at least speak as though you are a sinner. If you are not a peacemaker, at least do not be a troublemaker. If you cannot be assiduous, at least in your thought be like a sluggard. If you are not victorious, do not exalt yourself over the vanquished. If you cannot close the mouth of a man who disparages his companion, at least refrain from joining him in this." ~ St. Isaac the Syrian

"Do not regard the feelings of a person who speaks to you about his neighbor disparagingly, but rather say to him: “Stop, brother! I fall into graver sins every day, so how can I criticize him?' In this way you will achieve two things; you will heal yourself and your neighbor with one plaster. This is one of the shortest ways to the forgiveness of sins; I mean, not to judge. `Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.” ~ St. John Climacus

I have a problem with the good Christian folks who are clamoring for the blood and flesh of those on Anonymous' list of so-called KKK members and that problem is this:

WHO MADE YOU JUDGE JURY AND EXECUTIONER?

Why are you eating the swill shoveled out by a bunch of folks whose agenda you are not privy to? How do you know what they actually want? How is the revelation of personal information by people who refuse to reveal themselves actually a good thing? I can respect Eric Snowden because he, at least, is out there willing to take the fall for what he revealed. he had the guts of his conviction and the integrity to walk in it, come what may. These people? They hide. They shy away from the light. They do their work in darkness. If their information is false, old, made up, or wrongly pinned they don't suffer from their own fallout and those they have accused have no recourse. Too bad, so sad. The list compilers' lives aren't shattered. They aren't getting threatening phone calls. They aren't losing their jobs and livelihoods. They aren't losing family and friends.

But it's all in good faith right?

Until they come for you. And me. And my priest. And your priest. And your family suffers. And my family suffers.

But that's fair right? That's perfectly fine and dandy.

Right?

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. Holy Mary Mother of God pray for our salvation

Relevant Reading
Exodus 23:1-9
1 Peter 3:13-18
Proverbs 6:16-19
Proverbs 19:1-5
St Isaac the Syrian
St John Climacus of the Ladder
About The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Read The Ladder
Thinking and the Lack of Civility

Deep Philosophical Questions of the Day

When did we stop defending the widows, the orphans, the fatherless, the poor, the defenseless? Where isn Scripture does it say blame people for their situation and point out everything they have done wrong because you feed them? Where does it say the rich guy needs the good seat because he might right us a check? At what point in time did "might makes right" become a tenet of the Christian faith? Where in Scripture (and do give me chapter and verse) does it say the bottom line is all that matters and Christians should never suffer? Where does it say sickness and suffering are signs of a lack of faith in God and incorrect speech? What example did Christ set that says the blessing of God is manifest in obscene wealth and denigration of the poor? What part of "do not exasperate your children" do we not understand? Where does it say it is possible to beat sin out of a child or obedience and respect into one? When did welcome the stranger become keep them out because they might be criminals and terrorists? When did FEAR NOT become FEAR EVERYTHING? When did faith in God to manage the universe become God is a vending machine and I'll do it myself? When did indulging evey desire become manly? When did having a penis and a Y-chromosome make you a woman and having a vagina and two X-chromosomes make you a man? When did FEELINGS become facts and facts become just your opinion? Because I damn sure FEEL like a billionaire but the FACTS of my bank account make their OPINION mean my feelings are a freakin' fantasy and I might want to grok to reality. When did we become a bunch of thin skinned, overly offended, fearful, spoiled brats who strut around demanding we have our way and that the world bow down to our individual needs and phobias and anxieties?

Where in hell did that come from?

Oh.

Duh.

Lord have mercy on me a sinner.

I Miss My Dad

"I held my father's hand...It was just cool flesh. That feeling of terrible emptiness when I touched him was like going into a house that you thought would be full of people you loved, only to find it empty, and even the furniture taken. You walk from room to room, hearing your footsteps echo on the naked floors. Your voice bounces back from the empty walls, where the lines of beloved photos still show like the line around the body at a crime scene. He was gone. My tall, handsome, amazing father. He was supposed to have been immortal..." 

~ Merry Gentry, A Stroke of Midnight, p41

The word used at his homegoing service last week was "inimitable".

May God make his memory eternal.

Lord have mercy on me a sinner.

O God, my Lord, in You I seek refuge

Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; protect me from those who are violent, who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually. They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers. 

 Selah 

 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent who have planned my downfall. The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net;* along the road they have set snares for me. 

 Selah

I say to the Lord, ‘You are my God; give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.’ O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle. Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot. 

Selah

 Those who surround me lift up their heads; let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! Let burning coals fall on them! Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise! Do not let the slanderer be established in the land; let evil speedily hunt down the violent! 

 I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence. 

Psalm 140

I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you. 

 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, 
 and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. 
 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. 

 Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let me eat of their delicacies. 

 Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head, for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.

When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that my words were pleasant. Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol. 

But my eyes are turned towards you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless. Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape. 

Psalm 141

Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

Relevant Reading
Vespers - The Dynamic Horologion

How I Live My Life

"You see, the fly only knows where the unclean things are, while the honeybee knows where the beautiful iris or hyacinth is. As I have come to understand, some people resemble the honeybee and some resemble the fly. Those who resemble the fly seek to find evil in every circumstance and are preoccupied with it; they see no good anywhere. But those who resemble the honeybee only see the good in everything they see. The stupid person thinks stupidly and takes everything in the wrong way, whereas the person who has good thoughts, no matter what he sees, no matter what you tell him, maintains a positive and good thought." 

~ + St. Paisios of Mt. Athos, “Good and Evil Thoughts,” Spiritual Counsels III: Spiritual Struggle

I try to be the bee. That is what I strive for. It's not that hard to seek that which is good. I am always Looking for Something Good. I tend to find whatever it is that is good whan I look for it. I also tend to find whatever is icky when I look for it. I decided a few years ago to seek joy.  

Joy smells better.

By no means does this mean everything is hunky dorey, sunshine and puppy dogs. What it means is that I seek the sun. I seek the blessing of God; His Holy Face and not just His Hand. I expect to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I am always Looking for Something Good! He has said that He delights in me and I have been given a calling and a new name to live up to.

Alleluia! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Relevant Reading

St Paisios of Mt Athos
Looking For Something Good
Isaiah 62 (Isaiah 62:2)

Give Rest Also to the Soul of Your Servant

For my father 

20 May 1932 - 16 September 2015 

 May God make his memory eternal. 

Lord have mercy upon me, a sinner.

Wisdom...Let Us Attend

Some fiction books that have affected me (I've read a lot more than 10 fiction books in my lifetime, and during this last year, but these came to mind and the quotes are some of the wisdom I drew from that book):

1. Kushiel's Dart "That which yields is not always weak."
2. The Destroyer Goddess "Impetuous acts and ungoverned passions always cost too much and should never be indulged."
3. Eon Incompetence is inexcusable because it can be remedied.
4. The Sharing Knife: Horizon Don't let fear swallow all your happiness. Don't forget to take joy.
5. Fool's Errand "You should leave off sniffing the carcass of your old life...There is no shame in walking away from bones...nor is there any special wisdom in injuring yourself over and over."
6. Lover Revealed She might not have any clue who she was, but better to be lost and searching than shoved into a social box by someone else.
7. Shalador's Lady Don't fail until you fail.
8. The Broken Kingdoms It's all right to need help. All of us have things we can't do alone.
9. Raven Calls There isn't a day in the year that someone doesn't hold high...There is always a reason to give thanks to God, always a good reason to worship.
10. Aristoi "You are insuffiently serious." "On the contrary. I am quite serious. I am, however, never solemn."
11. Parable of the Sower "Respect God: Pray working. Pray learning, planning, doing. Pray creating, teaching, reaching. Pray working. Pray to focus your thoughts, still your fears, strengthen your purpose. Respect God. Shape God. Pray working."
12. Sourcery “It's vital to remember who you really are. It's very important. It isn't a good idea to rely on other people or things to do it for you, you see. They always get it wrong.”

There are so many more. I could spend the next several hours simply writing down all the wisdom I have gained from fiction books, specifically science fiction and fantasy.

Respect God. Pray working.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Political Correctness and Hypocrisy

I recently had to rant about a few things. A person I am acquainted with on a message board was accused of cultural appropriation because she (a non-Jew) was wearing her head-covering in a Jewish style.

Really? REALLY???

Frankly I am tired of folks assigning negative intent to every single blinking thing other people do. Sometimes a scarf is just a scarf and a hairstyle is just a hairstyle. I am SO very tired of the words "microagression", "cultural appropriation", and "sensitivity". I could just spit. Some of these sensitive folks need to take a long walk off a short dock and quit masturbating their purposeless lives by protecting folks who don't need or want their freaking protection. Sometimes people just need to mind their own business.

And on top of that people need to just be kind.

Leveling accusations at people you don't know is not kind. Get over yourself. You aren't a freakin' mind reader.

The really ironic thing is that the main culprits of these sorts of accusations tend to be appropriators of the worst kind.

If you are eating food from another culture than your own--I think you're appropriating. So next time your friends ask you what you want for supper, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, Cuban are all out. Because...appropriation.

If you are wearing a kilt or any plaid, stop now. Appropriation.

Do you have a poncho? I suggest you take it back because, well, you know.

Taking a yoga class? Tai chi? Any non-American martial art? Shame on you!

Do you see where this goes? I mean how about we think someone is just admiring something enough to actually want to do it themselves instead of assuming someone is being evil?

Sometimes people need to grow some skin instead of being so damned sensitive for other people who honestly don't care that much about what folks do with themselves.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled blog drifting.

Lord have mercy on me a sinner.