Iron & Wine Perform "Long Black Veil"

A great American ballad I've set to learning today:

Ten years ago on a cold dark night
Somebody was killed 'neath the town hall light
There were few at the scene, but they all agreed
That the man who ran, he looked a lot like me

Now she walks these hills, in a long black veil
She visits my grave, when the night winds wail
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows, but me

The judge said, "Son, what is your alibi?
"If you were somewhere else, then you won't have to die"
I said not a word, though it meant my life
For I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife

The scaffold was high, and eternity neared
She stood in the crowd, and shed not a tear
But sometimes at night, when the cold wind moans
In a long black veil, she cries over my bones

Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows, but me

Catholicism's Middle Path on Alcohol

In ancient Egypt beer was a gift from Osiris, while in ancient Greece many praises were sung to Dionysus, god of the grape harvest and life of the party. However, many of the world’s younger religions have not been so friendly toward intoxicants. Buddhists, Muslims, and Mormons generally condemn drugs and alcohol as a form of evil, while Christians can’t seem to agree on whether intoxicants are a gift from God or a tool of Satan.

So writes The Humanist's "nontheist" Brett Aho — Prohibition & Humanism. Mr. Aho continues:

Christianity’s indecision on drug and alcohol policy is directly related to a number of contradictions in the Bible. In the beginning, it seems as if God tacitly accepts the consumption of booze. In Genesis, God’s right-hand man on earth, Noah, loves the stuff. Following the flood, he immediately plants a vineyard and lolls about naked and drunk once his wine has fermented (Genesis 9:20-25). As humanity repopulates, God’s people continue to sing praises for this apparent gift to man. The Song of Solomon contains beautiful poetry comparing the joys of love to the intoxication of wine (Song of Solomon 1:2, 7:9). Later, when the wine runs out at a wedding, God’s own son goes on a celestial booze-run, reinvigorating the party (John 2:1-11). Given that precedent, one would think that Christians would host keggers every Sunday. However, as Alcoholics Anonymous will tell you, there are many other Bible verses that simultaneously condemn the consumption of intoxicating beverages. - See more at: http://thehumanist.org/march-april-2013/prohibition-humanism/#sthash.gd9iqnU4.dpuf

Not quite. "Christianity’s indecision on drug and alcohol policy" is not "related to a number of contradictions in the Bible." Rather, it directly related to their proper use, and their improper abuse. Click on the link to learn which founder of a world religion said the following: “Whosoever drinks wine, whip him. If he repeats it for the fourth time, kill him.”

Only in America

And only from the John Birch Society's organ — Texas High-school Student Punished for Refusing to Recite Mexican Pledge.

Whatever you think about pledging allegiance to your own flag, you just cannot do it to someone else's. I remember being in South Korea at an official event and one of my Canadian colleagues out his hand over his heart during the South Korean national anthem. No. You stand respectfully, but anything beyond that is not a sign of respect to the other country, it is a sign of disrespect to your own.

Today, at 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time...

I joined the sedevacantists, and so did you.

Morten Lauridsen's Ubi Caritas et Amor Sung by Taipei Chamber Singers

The ancient hymn, in honor of American composer Morten Lauridsen's LXX^th birthday, and Pope Ratzinger's last day as Vicar of Christ.

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exsultemus, et in ipso jucundemur.
Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Simul ergo cum in unum congregamur:
Ne nos mente dividamur, caveamus.
Cessent iurgia maligna, cessent lites.
Et in medio nostri sit Christus Deus. Amen.
Where charity and love are, God is there.
Christ's love has gathered us into one.
Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him.
Let us fear, and let us love the living God.
And may we love each other with a sincere heart.
Where charity and love are, God is there.
As we are gathered into one body,
Beware, lest we be divided in mind.
Let evil impulses stop, let controversy cease,
And may Christ our God be in our midst. Amen.

Farewell, Pope Ratzinger

Mario Vargas Llosa, a "self-proclaimed atheist opposed to the moral teachings of the Church," reminds us that this pontiff "not only represented the conservative tradition of the Church, but also its greatest legacy: that of the high and revolutionary classic and renaissance culture that, let us not forget, the Church preserved and spread through its convents, libraries and seminaries" — Atheist Nobel prize winner mourns Pope's retirement.

Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, apostolic nuncio to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, on this pontiff's "cleansing of the episcopate" — Pope sacked 'two bishops a month'. "This Pope has removed two or three bishops per month throughout the world because either the accounts in their dioceses were a mess or their discipline was a disaster," said His Excellency.

Sandro Magister offers "central passages of the last address of pope Joseph Ratzinger, Wednesday, February 27, 2013" — The Testament of the Wise Helmsman. "I no longer bear the authority of the office, but I remain within the enclosure of Saint Peter." Unprecedented.

Two From Ivan Eland

From The American Conservative with a right reminder that "war makes government expand rapidly at home, even in areas outside of national security" — From War to Welfare — and from Antiwar.com rightly lamenting that "[t]he United States and Saudi Arabia appear to be ramping up aid to the Syrian rebels" — Hold US Policymakers to Their Abysmal Record on Foreign Meddling.

Obama Régime Thuggery

Spokane Orations has two must-read posts about renowned liberal journalists' opposition to "the shifting scope of basic liberty under the current regime" and its consequences — Nat Hentoff on our nation's changing national character in the Age of Obama and Woodward alleges White House threat.

Carolina Chocolate Drops Perform "The Briggs Medley," " Milwaukee Blues" & "Pretty Girl With the Blue Dress On"

Husbands, Take Off Your Aprons!

"Mar­ried men who spend more time doing traditionally female household tasks, such as cleaning, report having less sex than other husbands" — “Mr. Mom” is not so much Mr. Bedroom, study suggests. Since moving stateside, I have been doing zero housework, save for carving up chunks of pork for cooking Korean barbecue.

Benito Cuomo's Kafkaesque Fiat

"Gun dealers wonder how they are going do business after April 15, when the only magazines they can legally sell will not exist" — In gun law, Cuomo mandated something that doesn't exist. From the article:

New York will have the smallest gun magazine limit in the country starting April 15.

Gun manufacturers have never had a reason to make a magazine with fewer than 10 rounds, because no state required it until now. And, as far as local gun dealers and the Democrat and Chronicle have been able to determine, there are no manufacturers planning to make seven-round magazines.

This means that in less than two months gun dealers such as Paul Martin, owner of Pro-Gun Services in Victor, can only sell something that doesn’t exist yet.

“There was never a need for a (seven-round magazine),” Martin said. “Not many manufacturers are going to bother to make something just for the state of New York.”

The Persians Are Coming!

Patrick J. Buchanan dismantles those neocon nervous nellies who think our "greatest national security threat is Iran" — Infantile Conservatism. He writes:

Do conservatives really believe this?

How is America, with thousands of strategic and tactical nuclear weapons, scores of warships in the Med, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, bombers and nuclear subs and land-based missiles able to strike and incinerate Iran within half an hour, threatened by Iran?

Iran has no missile that can reach us, no air force or navy that would survive the first days of war, no nuclear weapons, no bomb-grade uranium from which to build one. All of her nuclear facilities are under constant United Nations surveillance and inspection.

And if this Iran is the “greatest national security threat” faced by the world’s last superpower, why do Iran’s nearest neighbors—Turkey, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan—seem so unafraid of her?

Paige Anderson & The Fearless Kin Perform "Long Black Veil"

"Another California bluegrass group" introduced by The New Beginning (along with many other fine musical acts) — Paige Anderson and the Fearless Kin - Greed & Lust.

States' Rights, Federal Power, and Old Order Anarchism

A Family Trip from Rochester, N.Y. to Washington, D.C. and Back Again

On the way down, we took an impromptu detour to Gettysburg National Military Park. I was surprised by how moved I was by the many monuments to my fallen home-staters. I was just as moved by the monuments from Louisiana and Arkansas, thinking, "Wow, those boys came a long way to die." The State of Alabama Monument was perhaps the most moving of them all, and the State of Virginia Monument the most majestic. I was as glad to spend a moment in front of the statue to Lieutenant General James Longstreet, who died a Catholic and a benefactor to black schoolchildren as I was before the statue of Father William Corby, C.S.C., chaplain of the "legendary Irish Brigade."

The capital of these united States was rainier and colder than we expected, so we spent much of our time in the Smithsonian. If this was all the federal government funded with our taxes, who could complain? The first day we spent at the National Museum of American History, where Benjamin Franklin's walking stick and Kermit the Frog can be seen incongruously in the same hall, and the National Museum of Natural History, with its bones and fossils. Day two was spent at National Air and Space Museum, whose highlight for me was the SS-20 and Pershing II Missiles, at the National Museum of the American Indian, with its great cafeteria of native foods, and the National Gallery of Art, where I lucked out with an exhibition titled "Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848-1900," having just read a book on the movement. Oh yeah, we saw The White House, Washington Monument, and the United States Capitol, too.

After all this, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania could not have been a more welcome place of rest. We stumbled upon the lovely Quiet Haven Motel, the only such place I've stayed at in years owned and operated by an American family. Not Amish, but at least they didn't accept credit cards, not that I would have used one if given the choice. We were there on the Sabbath, so not much was open, but the buggies where out and about enjoying the day of rest. From there, we headed north through the onion-domed hills of the coal-mining central region of the state with its immigrant members of the Russian Orthodox Church and Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to the former town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, whose "population has dwindled from over 1,000 residents in 1981 to 12 in 2005, as a result of a mine fire burning beneath the borough since 1962," and has been literally leveled by eminent domain.

Here's to the Village of East Rochester!

I could not agree more with the owner of this establishment within walking distance that "East Rochester is like a well kept secret" — A fresh start for East Rochester pizzeria.

The Church of Saint Jerome being my parish, spiritually, I am an East Rochesterian. Derided locally as the home of low-class eyeties, it is really a gem of a little town, not as snooty as Pittsford, New York, but not as run-down as the city to the west. It is also home to my favorite establishment, McGraw's Irish Pub, because I can always walk home if I drink too much. The town is also where my son and I get our hair cut.

The Senior Minister Speaks

One of my favorite statesmen, quoted by Steve Sailer as saying, "If you get immigration from the fruit-pickers, you may not get very far!" — Charlie Rose v. Lee Kuan Yew on whether "Immigrants has been America's strength".

The Devil Makes Three Perform "Statesboro Blues"

Could I Be a Hipster?

The first time I heard the term "hipster" was when reading the article that inspired this 2010 post — alt.porn. I had already been living overseas a decade-and-a-half, and hadn't bothered keeping up with American pop-cultural trends since the turn of the millennium. I had read about them from time to time after my 2011 repatriation, but hadn't really given them much until reading this Steve Sailer post a few weeks back — Why L.A. lags in hipster fashions. He wrote:

The basic idea is to look like President McKinley wasn't assassinated and the whole 20th Century thing never happened. Back in the old days, people wore a lot of layers of wool because everybody lived in England or Cleveland or someplace and the coal for your stove wasn't free. To the eye of a Californian with central heating, everybody in sepia-toned photos looks awfully sweaty under all those clothes.

He then writes about when his "nonagenarian grandfather drove himself to Urban Outfitters and bought one of his grandsons a present of a wool cap, the kind of tweed thingie that Bobbie Jones' caddie at St. Andrews probably wore." I wear one of those things (although the missus tells me they are one of the top men's "fashions" that Korean women hate), and have been off-and-on since before the term "hipster" acquired its current currency. I also have been known to wish that "the whole 20th Century thing never happened," but clothes-wise I am not so extreme, and pretty much draw the line at 1962. The hair-style I've had for the past two decades, I've recently discovered, makes me look like a Southern segregationist, although the hipster "thick rimmed glasses" I've been wearing for the same time once inspired my mother to suggest I bore a resemblance to Malcolm X, when I wore a goatee.

But it is my musical taste that really inspired the question posed in this post's title. This screed, upon which I stumbled when searching for the above musical post (and which could apply to the one below it), really got me thinking — Not More Fucking Banjos! The author is against his local radio station "turning major blocks of programming to 'Americana' or 'Roots' – generally, folk, blues, country and country rock." He continues:

Ok, I’m all for banjos and bluegrass and “Wagon Wheel,” and ironic tattoos and Pabst Blue Ribbon, but enough already! This Americana thing is not the end-all-be-all. (Whatever happened to rock and roll?) It’s already been an excruciating decade of weekend-redneck toothless hipsters forming Hank Sr. tribute bands. I’M OVER IT. Moving to Brooklyn, taking up banjo and heroin and getting a tattoo of bacon does not make you an artist. ENOUGH!

Let me say this as clearly as I can: WHITE TRASH IS NOT COOL. Occasionally amusing, but that’s it. Racist misogynists in slave-trade wife-beater tank tops make for distracting cable television, but they are not an ideal to be actively sought after.

Anybody who knows me has heard this rant already. I love Jim Waive – I love the Hogwaller Ramblers. More power to people who work in this genre from a position of authenticity. I think Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings are two of the most gifted songwriters/performers of our time. But that doesn’t mean everybody should be all dust bowl fabulous. ENOUGH ALREADY!

I, too, am "all for banjos and bluegrass and 'Wagon Wheel,'" and while I have no interest in "ironic tattoos," I understand those who drink Pabst Blue Ribbon, although I prefer my cheap beer to be local, and even wear "slave-trade wife-beater tank tops" when its hot, though not in public. Maybe I'm a folkster.

The Magnolia Beacon Perform "Waiting," "Walking," "In Your Eyes," & "Margarita"

Some of the loveliest music I've stumbled upon in a while, for you to enjoy while I'm away.

Our Trip to Babylon

As I take my family for their first visit to our nation's capital, I will keep in mind this reminder from Acton Institute's Ray Nothstine, taking note of "the multiplication of Homeland Security checkpoints and Washington mandates," that "as centralization progresses, the American identity will be compromised as it defers to federal power and control over more and more sectors of our life" — Is America the Federal Government?

Two From the "Hard" Left on the Obama Era

CounterPunchers Andrew Levine and Norman Pollack — Barack Obama: Two Kinds of Awful and Liberal Fascism in America. The latter concludes, "Liberalism has been a chief contaminant of democratic theory and practice, joined at the hip to a Democratic party solicitous of Wall Street and the whole flock of interests defining predatory capitalism, from health insurers to defense contractors, and further joined at the hip to a White House that can find no better exemplification of its stewardship than the nomination of John Brennan, closing tightly the circle of secrecy so as to hide the practically daily exhibit of war crimes."

David Schindler

The American Conservative's Jeremy Beer on a scholar whose works "show how Christians ought to feel liberated to engage the culture in a deeper and ultimately more faithful way" — Philosopher of Love. "By showing how the achievements of America and liberalism in general are grounded in the same intellectual foundations as their failings, and by showing how virtually all parties in the public square embrace the same metaphysical misconceptions, he turns down the apocalyptic culture-wars heat while putting the ephemera of electoral politics in their proper context."

Pope Ratzinger

"It is not yet the time for a new pope, because it would be that of an antipope;" Sandro Magister reports "reactions of the traditionalists to the renunciation of Benedict XVI" — Last-Ditch Appeal: The Pope Should Withdraw His Resignation.

Pope Turkson?

"Who better to tell white liberal lefties to f*ck off than a black pope?" asked Nicholas Farrell recently, a quote that comes to mind reading His Eminence's reminder that "African traditional systems kind of protect or have protected its population against this tendency" — Cardinal Turkson links gays with abuse.

A Local Election

A story explaining the political sign I saw on the drive home today — Rare political rancor in Pittsford. Matt Deturck begins:

Village elections are unique in the political world. They can bring out the best in government by giving constituents a direct, strong voice and allowing them to work hand in hand with elected officials to achieve common goals. But they can also become uncomfortably personal, and in some cases, downright vicious.

A Local Novel

"Pittsford native Jessie Atkin talks about writing for young adults and how the Internet helped her publish her first novel, 'We Are Savages' — A 'Savage' take on young adult fiction. The novel "tells the story of 12-year-old tomboy Tris Simon, who runs away from home one day and descends through a rain grate into a world called Nowhere, which is run entirely by children."

Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile and Aoife O'Donovan Perform "Here and Heaven"

TownHall.com Colmunist Takes Up the Cello in Middle Age

Mona Charen writes — Cello Notes.

Human Biodiversity and the Paleo Diet

A few decades ago, heavily carbohydrate-based diets were widely advocated by scientists on the grounds that East Asians who ate mostly rice had low rates of heart disease. But, my ancestors weren't East Asian, so it turned out it was easier for me to keep my weight somewhat in check when I started eating less starch and more meat and butter.

An excerpt from Steve Sailer's latest — The Paleo Diet v. "Paleofantasy". His advice:

I mainly advise people to experiment, but try to prioritize what you will experiment with based on the likelihood that it will work for your genome. At family gatherings, talk to your blood relatives. Pay more attention to how your slender aunt keeps the pounds off than how your slender sister-in-law does it, because what works for your aunt is more likely to work for you. Think about your ancestors and your racial group(s). Everybody tends to be descended from people who were reasonably well adapted to their environments as opposed to misfits, so think about their nutritional and exercise environments.

Westerns

LewRockwell.com's John W. Whitehead on this blogger's favorite genre — Western Flicks and the Academy Awards: The Values We Live and Die By.

I've seen most of the films that make his list, and own many of them, thanks to South Korean bargain bins. There was a point when every single critically-acclaimed film, foreign or domestic, disappointed. At that point, I discovered the Western.

What Me Worry? Sic Semper Tyrannis

The LRC Blog's Karen De Coster posts the above — Alfred E. Neuman and Abe.

The Lumineers Perform "Flowers In Your Hair," "Charlie Boy," "Ho Hey," "Dead Sea," "Slow It Down," "Classy Girl," "Elouise," & "Stubborn Love"

History Coming Full Circle

Clyde N. Wilson asks us to "to pause and remember February 17, 1865" — The Drone of Conquest — as cryptogon.com brings us today's headline — Drones Are Taking to the Skies in the U.S.

The Biggest Post-War War the US Won

Robert Wenzel reminds us that "the invasion resulted in thousands of Panamanian civilians killed by US forces" — The Truth About the Invasion of Panama. [The only other post-war war the mighty American Empire won was fought against Grenada.]

Ron Paul Talks to Tavis Smiley and Cornel West

Listen here — Ron Paul's Masterful Performance.

Thomas Tallis's Spem In Alium Sung by The King's Singers

In Lenten Music, Eric M. Johnson informs us that while "Tallis was regarded as an obedient English musician who adapted his religious views according to the ruler of the time, ... recent scholarship has revealed that Tallis, though he was employed by the Chapel Royal, never swerved in his devotion to Catholicism." The text:

Spem in alium nunquam habui
praeter in te, Deus Israel,
qui irasceris et propitius eris,
et omnia peccata hominum
in tribulatione dimittis.
Domine Deus,
creator coeli et terrae
respice humilitatem nostram.
I have never founded my hope
on any other than thee. O God of Israel,
who shalt be angry, and yet be gracious,
and who absolvest all the sins of mankind
in tribulation.
Lord God,
creator of heaven and earth,
be mindful of our lowliness.

Ice Wine?

Never tried it, but I almost bought some for the missus today, and reading about today's festival not ten minutes away I wish I had — Local vineyards showcase ice wine offerings at Casa Larga festival. "There’s [sic] only a few regions of the world that can produce ice wines," and it seems we live a few minutes away from one of them.

America's Instrument

Last night I watched Give Me the Banjo (2011), "a comprehensive look at a quintessential American musical instrument, the banjo, from its African roots to contemporary jazz and into the 21st century." Narrated by Steve Martin, the documentary appropriately begins with the Carolina Chocolate Drops and concludes with Abigail Washburn, both of whom you've heard here. Of all the new insights I gained, the most interesting was a new-found appreciation of Blackface Minstrelsy, which we are taught to see as embarrassing, but which the documentary rightly calls the first attempt to create an indigenous American cultural form.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Perform "Wayside"

"Who better to tell white liberal lefties to f*ck off than a black pope?"

So writes Nicholas Farrell — Praying for a Black Pope. Amen. Some excerpts:

Let us pray that the next pope is a black man. Better still, let it be a black African born and bred in the heart of the Dark Continent near the source of one of those massive snake-like rivers. The less contaminated the new pope is by the dominant Euro-USA secular liberal-left mindset, the better it will be for normal people everywhere, Catholic or not. So the blacker the pope, the better the chances not just of driving the liberal left bananas, but driving it out of the citadels of culture which it captured back about 1962.

[....]

There has never been a black pope, but such a pope might do what no white pope can do anymore: embolden and empower the West’s terrified silent majority, regardless of its take on God. He could enable real public opinion to make its voice heard once again and thus turn back the relentless tide that in the name of that iniquitous modern mantra “the right to equality” is eroding each foundation stone of Western Civilization.

[....]

True, Cardinal Turkson wants to regulate the excesses of capitalism, but I’m pretty cool about that. Who isn’t? Bankers? Line them up! The real crisis in the West is not economic but social. At least Turkson is brave enough to warn that Europe is becoming Eurabia. Sort society out and the economy will follow. And right now, society is in a very bad place.

My penultimate post on the prelate, a man "brave enough to warn that Europe is becoming Eurabia" — African Churchman Issues Wake-Up Call to Europe.

Senator John Calhoun

"The complicated truth is that the 'minority-interest' theory... can be employed to safeguard the institutions of racism as well as the individual liberties of racial minorities," writes Scott Galupo — Why Conservatives Still Share a Tent with Calhoun.

"The Literary Capital of the Mohawk Valley"

Bill Kauffman visits it — The Utica Club. "The glory and richness of America come not from its weaponry or wars, which debase us as much if not more than the relentlessly vulgar and witless products rolling off the entertainment industry’s assembly line," Mr. Kauffman writes rightly. "Rather, our numen is found in our regions, our little places, the unseen America beyond the ken of our placeless rulers."

The Civil Wars Perform "Tip Of My Tongue," "Forget Me Not," "From This Valley," "Years," "I've Got This Friend," "You Are My Sunshine," "Girl With The Red Balloon," "Barton Hollow," "Falling," "C'est La Mort," "I Want You Back," "Birds Of A Feather," "Disarm," "My Father's Father," "Poison and Wine," "Billie Jean," & "Dance Me To The End of Love"

Something for you to listen to while I'm away.

Camerata Trajectina Perform "Alle Mijn Gepeys Doet Mi So Wee" & " Den Lustelijcken Mey"

Hits from the Antwerp songbook.

Today's Anti-Statist, Anti-Militarist Catholic Holiday

The tradition of exchanging love notes on Valentine's Day originates from the martyr Valentine himself. The legend maintains that due to a shortage of enlistments, Emperor Claudius II forbade single men to get married in an effort to bolster his struggling army. Seeing this act as a grave injustice, Valentine performed clandestine wedding rituals in defiance of the emperor. Valentine was discovered, imprisoned, and sentenced to death by beheading. While awaiting his fate in his cell, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of a prison guard, who would come and visit him. On the day of his death, Valentine left a note for the young woman professing his undying devotion signed "Love from your Valentine."

Garrison Keillor today — Sonnet 109: O! never say that I was false of heart.

Feminazis

An appropriate epithet for those wanting to drum up support for more wars of aggression with the ridiculous blonde-haired blue-eyed image above.

Indefinite Detention

The John Birch Society informs us of the all-American resistance against "the power to apprehend and detain Americans indefinitely" — States Join the Fight to Nullify Indefinite Detention Under NDAA.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Performs "Annabelle"

Moralistic therapeutic deism this is not:

Lease twenty acres and one Ginny mule
From the Alabama Trust
Half of the cotton, third of the corn
Get a handful of dust

We cannot have all things to please us
No matter how we try
'Til we've all gone to Jesus
We can only wonder why

I had a daughter called her Annabelle
She's the apple of my eye
Tried to give her something like I never had
Didn't want to ever hear her cry

We cannot have all things to please us
No matter how we try
'Til we've all gone to Jesus
We can only wonder why

When I'm dead and buried, I'll take a hard life of tears
Everyday I've ever known
Anna's in the churchyard, she's got no life at all
She's only got these words on a stone

We cannot have all things to please us
No matter how we try
Until we've all gone to Jesus
We can only wonder why

Véronique Labbé Performs "Emmène-Moi," "La Théière," & "Je Vais Maintenant Vivre"

"La meilleure artiste country Québecoise" for Shrovetide. Expect somber music during Lent.

A Localist Lent

Bock's "long history of being brewed and consumed by Bavarian monks as a source of nutrition during times of fasting" inspired me to stock up on Genesee Bock Beer, our local brewery's "take on the 16th century German legend" for Lent. For years, I have been giving up beer. This year, I'll give up lunch and dinner, and have no more than two cans in the evening for sustenance.

James MacMillan's Tu es Petrus Sung by the Westminster Cathedral Choir

Irishmen Start Betting on Next (and Last?) Pope

Pope Betting from Paddy Power already has picked a front-runner with three-to-one odds, His Eminence Peter Kodwo Appiah Cardinal Turkson, whom this blogger predicted would be the next (and last?) pope two-and-a-half years ago — Next Pope, Black Pope, Last Pope? I wrote:

When I was an exchange student in Chile, I remember first hearing that the world would end after the election of a black pope. A Lutheran at the time, I dismissed such talk as just another silly Catholic superstition. An American, I thought such talk was racist. Now, I know it to be neither.

Could His Eminence be Petrus Romanus, mentioned in St Malachy's Prophecy of the Popes, "who will feed the sheep through many tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge his people"? This fellow seems to think so — The Coming Black Pope. See also Soloviev's Apocalypse, in which "resistance comes from Pope Peter II, John the Elder, leader of the Orthodox, and Professor Ernst Pauli, representing Protestantism" and under the "pressure of persecution the three churches in this eschatological situation at last unite."

Both Pope Betting from Paddy Power and the Prophecy of St Malachy come from the country whose story is told in How the Irish Saved Civilization. Pray for us, St. Malachy. Back in 2010, I also wrote, "Of course, none of the above have any official recognition by the Church."

Today's Colossal Announcement

"Quapropter bene conscius ponderis huius actus plena libertate declaro me ministerio Episcopi Romae, Successoris Sancti Petri, mihi per manus Cardinalium die 19 aprilis MMV commissum renuntiare ita ut a die 28 februarii MMXIII, hora 29, sedes Romae, sedes Sancti Petri vacet et Conclave ad eligendum novum Summum Pontificem ab his quibus competit convocandum esse — "I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome".

This blogger does not think he can improve upon Damian Thompson's commentary — Pope Benedict XVI resigns. This is unbelievable news, but evidence of his deep humility. Mr. Thompson sees this in light of the "radical and stubborn streak in him that means he would take advantage of the facility to resign the throne of Peter if he felt it necessary for the good of the Church" and "above all as an act of self-sacrifice by a man not prepared to see the Church suffer as a result of his increasing frailty." A brief assessment:

Benedict XVI's achievements as pontiff have been remarkable. He has renewed the worship of the Church, reconnecting it to the majesty and deep piety of the past. He has forged new links with non-Catholics, for example by bringing ex-Anglicans into the fold through the Ordinariate. He has promulgated teaching documents further integrating the love and teaching of Christ with the structures of the Church – structures that, it would appear, he feels now unable to continue ruling.

I heard the news from Rafael, our East Timorese student, whom I see at campus masses with our Togolese student. He showed it to me on his smart-phone, one again demonstrating that students from the world's poorest countries are usually more tech-savvy than me.

"Rightwing Peacenik"

The late, great Joseph Sobran, in 2006 — Confessions of a Right-Wing Peacenik. An exceprt:

[W]ar in our time — whatever was true in the days of the crossbow — can mean only mass murder, and we ought to face the fact. Oddly enough, it’s peace, not war, that has a bad name in some circles, where peacenik is a term of sneering contempt, but there is no such thing as a warnik.

In 1991 William Buckley remarked, more in sorrow than in anger, that I had become a virtual pacifist. At that point I’d opposed two consecutive American wars, so in his eyes it was already starting to look like an alarming habit. He went on to intimate that he and other conservatives were praying for me.

I wasn’t actually a pacifist, nor am I one now, and I’m well aware that the word peace can be abused. Still, it’s a holy word to me, as in “Peace on earth,” “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and “the Prince of Peace.” If war can sometimes be justified, it can be only as a regrettable necessity, not as a thing warranting pride or enthusiasm or self-congratulation.

War is the most destructive of human activities, and because it destroys everything worth conserving, I marvel that it has come to be associated with “conservatism.” Yet conservatives who oppose war find themselves isolated like lepers among “mainstream” conservatives, who regard them as puzzling eccentrics — charitably seen, perhaps, as in some spiritual peril requiring prayer. I guess if you find yourself preferring peace, at least your conscience should be troubled about it.

I really don’t want to preen my fine conscience; I’d rather say simply that war offends my reason. I dislike sappy platitudes about brotherhood; peace and harmony are often difficult achievements. Making war can be easier than loving your neighbor, and it’s always easier than loving your enemies; but loving your enemies needn’t mean pretending they are your friends. Sometimes the best you can do is swallow your pride and cut a deal with them instead of killing them. When you choose war, you may become your own worst enemy.

Where Was Townhall.com During the Bush Régime?

Where were principled conservative articles like these — Conservatives Should Take the Lead Against Government Injustice and Where is the Left's Uproar Over Obama's Secret Warmongering Drone Policy?

A Conversion Story

"[T]he story of Jesus’s crucifixion held a lot for a man who had spent his adult life putting people to death" — Ex-Virginia executioner becomes opponent of death penalty.

Nicolas Gombert's Missa Media Vita In Morte Sumus, Quam Pulchra Es, Ave Regina & Or Piangiamo Sung by The Hilliard Ensemble

Speaking Truth to Power

Spokane Orations posts the video of an incredible "example of speaking truth to power," in which "one of our nation's leading neurosurgeons... takes apart Obamacare piece by piece" with Mr. Obama sitting right next to him — Dr. Ben Carson's speech at the National Prayer Breakfast.

Nothing to Read Here

A quick search on the interwebs shows that the MSM, which has attempted to link any and every lunatic to its favorite bogeyman, the "radical right," is not really interested in linking this manifesto to the "vital center," which is why reading the John Birch Society's organ is a necessity — Cop-killing Ex-LAPD Officer Praises Obama and Gun Control.

We read that the manifesto "also applauded a range of politicians including Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, some 'moderate' Republicans, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), as well as media figures like CNN’s Anderson Cooper and extreme anti-Second Amendment zealot Piers Morgan."

Valentine's Day Studies for Married Couples

• Couples who drink together stay together: Divorce less likely if husband and wife consume the same amount
• Couples who share the housework are more likely to divorce, study finds
• More housework, less sex for married men: study

The first link above, from LewRockwell.com, reminded me of the latter two, linked to by Chateau Heartiste. Since moving stateside, my wife has been drinking more (she used to drink not at all) and I have been doing no housework.

"Just February in Rochester"

Nothing out of the ordinary — Rochester region shrugs off storm.

Sasha Masakowski & The Sidewalk Strutters Perform "Too Bad"

Old Right Reads

R. J. Stove hails Joseph Sobran as "the authentic literary heir of Mencken and Ambrose Bierce" — Conservatism’s Mozart. I was not aware of "his grand plan to exile himself by becoming the first illegal immigrant in the history of Haiti."

"The administration's drone memo," writes Pat Buchanan, "reminds us that perpetual war means power without check" — Obama’s License to Kill. "Under Barack Obama, we don’t have a Nixon 'enemies list' of folks who are not to be invited to White House dinners. Rather, we have a 'kill list'—a menu from which our constitutional law professor president selects individuals to be executed abroad."

Local News

"[S]nowstorm Nemo was just February in Rochester" — Snowstorm socks Rochester region.

I didn't know her, buut was at a conference with her last week — Hawaii woman shot to death in Rochester, N.Y. May she rest in peace.

A classmate of my kids — Pittsford student honors cousin killed in Newtown.

This kid can sing — Macedon's Baylee Morrison, 8, garners praise for singing anthems at Sabres game.

The Honeycutters Perform "Oh Me, Oh My" and "90 Miles"

Our local music critic Jeff Spevak informs us they'll be in town, and gives a great write-up on the band and its "tradition-laden, authentic sound" — Honeycutters out of Asheville, N.C., play Abilene Monday. Mr. Spevak palces the group within "the thoughtful, tradition-minded art form of roots music," "[m]ining the same rich vein of emotions as Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams and Iris DeMent. In Rochester, those types are drawn to Abilene Bar & Lounge."

"Who Will Step Up to Defend the Constitution?"

"If the Constitution is to have any relevance, and if America is to remain a free society, then there is really no alternative," writes CounterPuncher Dave Lindorff, arguing that "there must be a bill of impeachment drawn up and submitted in the House" — Why Obama Should be Impeached.

"It’s only a matter of time," he contends, before "drones, which will first be used to monitor and spy on our hitherto Constitutional protected activities, will eventually carry the same Hellfire missiles that have been blowing up men women and children in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya and Somalia, and will begin blowing us up here in America too." He continues, "If you think that is hyperbole, just imagine back to the year 2000, and try to recall if you ever could have imagined the US as a nation where the president could just order the termination of an American citizen or a 16-year-old kid on his own whim, or maintain a lengthy 'kill list' in the Oval Office."

Seventeen Hundred Years Ago This Week

"Christians were set free from three centuries of persecution" — Celebrating the Beginning of Freedom.

Roissy on Left and Right

"The old saw that liberals love humanity but hate humans while conservatives hate humanity but love humans is proven accurate over and over" — Leftoid Egocentrism.

"I prefer the human-lovers over humanity-lovers," he writes. "After all, humans are right here, right now, part of my reality and my experience, while humanity is an abstract entity that does not love me or receive my love, smile with me, cooperate with me, or share fun times with me."

Bad Brains Perform "Big Take Over,"Attitude,"I," I and I Rasta," "Supertouch / Shitfit," "King of Glory," "Right Brigade," "F.V.K.," "Supertouch," "Banned in D.C.," "How Low Can a Punk Get?," "The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth," "Riot Squad," "F.V.K., "We Will Not," "Big Take Over, "Coptic Times," "I,"At The Movies," "Right Brigade," "Rally Round Jah's Throne," "Redbone in the City," "Riot Squad," & "Pay to Cum"

Some alpha maleness to counter my previous post: "One of the sweet ironies of history is that the indisputably best act in a genre most associated with white suburban angst should have turned out to be four black Rastafarians from our nation's capital!" spake I (and I) when I (and I) last posted this — Bad Brains, Live at CBGB, 1982.

Violent Femmes Perform "Blister in The Sun," "Promise," "Country Death Song," "Prove My Love," "Never Tell," "Old Mother Reagan," "Gimme The Car," "Add It Up," "Kiss Off," "Hallowed Ground," "I Hear The Rain," "Jesus Walking On The Water," "Gone Daddy Gone," "Confessions," "Old Mother Reagan (2nd Take)," "To the Kill," "Ugly," "Faith," & "Black Girls"

Acoustic bass guitars, mentioned in the last post, in which this band my kid sister turned me on to in the '80s was referenced, are the impetus behind these blasts from my past. Surely pathetic beta male anthems that spoke to my generation's degradation, but Country Death Song and Jesus Walking On The Water are just as surely suitable songs playable on the Six String Banjo.

A Catholic Burial for a Catholic Monarch

"To bury England’s last Plantagenet King, a man of considerable piety, as though he had been a Protestant would be an utterly offensive act," argues The Catholic Herald's William Oddie — I don’t mind where they bury Richard III; but having been denied Christian burial by Henry Tudor, he must now be given a Catholic funeral Mass. An excerpt:

Whatever he was, he was England’s anointed king: and he was of course a Catholic. He was, in fact, austerely religious, a public benefactor and protector of the Church, a founder of charities, who throughout his life upheld a strict code of sexual morality, in marked contrast to many of his fellow courtiers. Had he not been toppled by the wretched Henry Tudor, there would have been no Henry VIII and no consequent apostasy of the Ecclesia Anglicana: we might still be a Catholic country, with a Catholic monarchy. His burial took place without any funeral rites at all: he was just shoved in a hole by the impious Henry. All this makes it surely unthinkable that he should be given a Protestant funeral service and buried in a Protestant cathedral. But that is what is now proposed: Leicester Cathedral is a post-reformation Cathedral. Richard himself wanted to be buried in York Minster, and that would be fine, as long as the funeral is a Catholic Requiem Mass. The historian Andrew Roberts thinks not only that “the bones of the last British [sic] monarch to die in battle now must be treated with dignity and venerated properly, as is only right for a former head of state”, but that like monarchs before and after him, Richard III deserves a burial ceremony in accordance with his former status. That means, he says, Westminster Abbey, where 17 English kings and queens are buried. He points out that Richard was anointed and crowned King at a grand, solemn and very well-attended ceremony at Westminster Abbey on July 6 1483, and thinks that he should be buried there with all the proper honours this summer, 530 years later.

Ron Paul, Like the Apostle Paul...

... was a dissenter from the religion to which the Empire of which he was a citizen professed, as Ryan W. McMaken explains — Ron Paul Quotes Jesus, Conservatives Outraged. Why? Lew Rockwell explains: "Because he is really pro-life: anti-abortion, anti-euthanasia, anti-capital punishment, anti-war" — Why Ron Paul Outrages the Neocons.

Ain't No Crunchy Con

"The right needs less Ayn Rand, more Flannery O’Connor," rightly says The American Conservative's Andrew Bacevich, whom I respect greatly, but whose last article fails to impress — Counterculture Conservatism. I guess it was this little parenthetical quip that turned me off:

(Fans of Ayn Rand or Milton Friedman will want to stop reading here and flip to the next article. If Ronald Reagan’s your hero, sorry—you won’t like what’s coming. Ditto regarding Ron Paul. And if in search of wisdom you rely on anyone whose byline appears regularly in any publication owned by Rupert Murdoch, well, you’ve picked up the wrong magazine.)

One name, of course, does not belong on that list, but what of the others? So what? Why the call for ideological purity? If I can read CounterPunch, I can handle a Randian or a Reaganite, for crying out loud. Here's what he offers:

Here’s the basic recipe. As that stew’s principal ingredients, start with generous portions of John Quincy Adams and his grandson Henry. Fold in ample amounts of Randolph Bourne, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Christopher Lasch. For seasoning, throw in some Flannery O’Connor and Wendell Berry—don’t skimp. If you’re in a daring mood, add a dash of William Appleman Williams. To finish, sprinkle with Frank Capra—use a light hand: too sweet and the concoction’s ruined. Cook slowly. (Microwave not allowed.) What you get is a dish that is as nutritious as it is tasty.

All of the names on that list I recommend, save the last two, the former whom I've never heard of and the latter whom I've never really developed a taste for, but what does this list really say? Nothing at all, other than, "Ooh, I've got really cool taste." Prof. Bacevich admits that what he offers "may not satisfy purists" and "doesn’t rise to the level of qualifying as anything so grandiose as a coherent philosophy," but the fact of the matter is that it says nothing.

Yes, the calls for (1) "[p]rotecting the environment from the ravages of human excess," for (2) "[e]xposing the excesses of American militarism and the futility of the neo-imperialist impulses to which Washington has succumbed since the end of the Cold War," for (3) "[i]nsisting upon the imperative of putting America’s fiscal house in order," for (4) "[l]aying claim to the flagging cause of raising children to become responsible and morally centered adults," for (5) "[p]reserving the independence of institutions that can check the untoward and ill-advised impulses of the state," are all well and good, 3/5 of them (the odds numbers) explicitly called for by the maligned Ron Paul (and no one else of consequence, I might add, although that "may not satisfy purists" like Prof. Bacevich and his fellow "Obamacons") and the other 2/5 (the even numbers) supported by the good doctor although through non-interventionist principles, not through what Justin Raimondo calls "the mailed fist of the State," as the crunchy cons would have it.

I was thrilled, for about five minutes, when I read Rod Dreher's Birkenstocked Burkeans ten years ago, until I realized that what he and his ilk were offering was worse than nothing; it was bon vivant Statism.

Calexico Perform "Splitter," Puerto," "Fortune Teller," & "Maybe on Monday"

Acoustic bass guitars appear on this blog a second day in a row!

Jimmy Stewart, Paleolibertarian

"As the debate on families, heroes, and war intensifies, we might, strangely enough, turn to Hollywood (once again on LRC) to remind us of one of the great antiwar films, and without a doubt one of the greatest anti-state scenes in history," posts Daniel McAdams — The State, Families, Heroes, and War.

Of Monsters And Men Perform "Mountain Sound," "Little Talks," "Untitled," "King and Lionheart," & "Slow and Steady"

My favorites from KEXP 90.3 FM Seattle's Iceland series. The first video has more views than the population of the group's homeland.

It Started in Iceland

Andrew Sullivan reports that "many Icelanders now wish to share their new liberties and innovations with people around the world," with people "reclaiming rights that are being seized by corporations and governments, such as rights to online privacy and access to the public domain" — Iceland’s Revolt Wants to Go Viral.


The story's heroine is the above-pictured Birgitta Jónsdóttir, member of the Althing (Alþingi), "the oldest extant parliamentary institution in the world," who was elected "on behalf of a movement aiming for democratic reform beyond party politics of left and right."

Chatham County Line Perform "Crop Comes In," "Wildwood," "Out of the Running," & "The Carolinian"

The Weaponization of Genocide Opposition

"Opposing genocide has become a sort of cottage industry in the United States," begins CounterPunch's Diana Johnstone — The Good Intentions That Pave the Road to War. An excerpt:

Why has the U.S. Government so eagerly endorsed the crusade against “genocide”?

The reason is clear. Since the Holocaust has become the most omnipresent historical reference in Western societies, the concept of “genocide” is widely and easily accepted as the greatest evil to afflict the planet. It is felt to be worse than war.

Therein lies its immense value to the U.S. military-industrial complex, and to a foreign policy elite seeking an acceptable pretext for military intervention wherever they choose.

Samaritan Ministries' "Ancient Care"

Front Porch Republic's Zoe Erler on the "Christian-based network in which members pay for each other’s health expenses" and whose "members are exempted from the new federal health care law" — Free to Share. An excerpt:

According to James Lansberry, executive vice president, Samaritan was birthed out of the idea that there is a fundamental difference between “health care” and “health insurance,” although the terms tend to be used interchangeably in today’s vernacular.

“Insurance is only 75 years old. Health care is as old as humankind,” Lansberry explains.

Samaritan is built around the belief that health insurance is not a prerequisite for quality, effective and compassionate medical care. For instance, free clinics around the country have been offering quality medical care for decades to those who can’t afford insurance.

By removing the middle man of insurance, Samaritan eliminates the need for hefty premiums (minus a moderate fee to cover the organization’s overhead) and connects people who help cover each other’s health care expenses directly.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Missa Solemnis Performed by Helena Juntunen, Sarah Connolly, Paul Groves, Matthew Rose, the London Philharmonic Choir, and the London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, Directed by Sir Colin Davis.

Hats Off to Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles

For this "move unprecedented in the American Catholic Church" with this "action against his predecessor" — Cardinal Mahony relieved of duties over handling of abuse. "I find these files to be brutal and painful reading," said His Excellency to his "brothers and sisters in Christ," continuing, "The behavior described in these files is terribly sad and evil."

The ignominious end to one of AmChurch's most liberal churchmen.

Budaejjigae, or “Army Base Stew”

"Combining such disparate ingredients as ramen, Spam, kimchi and sometimes even American cheese, this one-pot meal serves as a culinary vestige of the tough years following the Korean War, when locals would make do with leftover rations from U.S. army bases," reports Julie Wan, on one of my favorite Korean dishes and one of my lovely wife's best — Smart Mouth: The Korean stew that “M*A*S*H” made.

Libertarians and Conservatives

Spokane Orations links to audio of "a fascinating discussion about political theory between paleolibertarian Frank Meyer and paleoconservative Richard M. Weaver" — Frank Meyer and Richard Weaver discuss conservatism and libertarianism. In an earlier post, our blogging colleague links to a "piece from the late Robert Nisbet" and observes that "[l]ibertarianism yearns for a world of maximum individual freedom, freedom without restraint, while conservatism seeks a world of security and order" — "Conservatives and Libertarians: Uneasy Cousins".

This blogger would argue that the idea that "[l]ibertarianism yearns for a world of maximum individual freedom, freedom without restraint," may be held by left-libertarians, right-libertarians hold that religion and societal norms are a better way to bring about a "world of security and order" than the mailed fist of the State. Of course, the libertarian approach will be a less perfect approach to the creation of a virtuous society, if by perfection you mean locking up all the unvirtuous. Freedom is scary, but it is what God gave us.

Am I a Terrorist?

"From left to right to libertarian, dissenters have been officially viewed as terrorist threats for years now," observes The Future of Freedom Foundation's Wendy McElroy — “Terrorism” and Lexical Warfare.

Gavin McInnes Defends His City

"When people talk about 'Two Americas,' they usually assume New York City is part of the 'elitist jerkoff' half and write us off," he begins — A Tale of Two New Yorks.

Thanks to Benito Cuomo...

... New Yorkers can no longer ponder this question — AR-15 or AK-47?