Isn’t Free Speech Wonderful?

It’s times like this that I’m glad I live in a country in which free speech is protected by the First Amendment. Oh, please forgive me, I must have been dreaming.

As I write these words, Milo Yiannopoulos has had to cancel a lecture he was going to give at UC Berkeley. There’s full-blown riot; fires are being set. Mayhem is everywhere. Thousands of “scholars” who are in hock for tens of thousands of dollars in order to be exposed to different ideas are behaving in ways that would make Brownshirts proud.

There’s so much irony here. Wasn’t Berkeley the place back in 1964 where the Free Speech movement started? Correct me if I’m wrong as I was a wee one then.

I guess the silver lining (besides the sardonic hilarity) is that I believe we are seeing the last gasps of a totalitarian order. The left is making yuge tactical errors everywhere and everyday. This is one of them. Americans don’t like thuggery. So, campus fascists, BLM terrorists, feminazi marchers: keep it up.

Shut down all the opposing viewpoints you can. Burn as many cars as you can. Hurl as many trashcans through plate glass as you can. By all means cry like little babies in the streets; block traffic. Keep it up. In case you didn’t know, President Trump filed the necessary papers for reelection today. He got 30 states in 2016, at this pace he’ll take 44 next time.

Comments

  1. “Free Speech” was just a euphemism for foul language, which Liberals adore using.

  2. Alex Slepukhof says

    Buy another gun. Load up on ammo. Spend more time at the range.

  3. I didn’t know anything about Mr. Yiannapoulos before today. After reading about him for a couple minutes, I just have to think what chaos this all is with passions out of control on all sides.

    • Interesting says

      I think Milo Yiannopoulos drives the left crazy because he is not at all quiet about his open homosexuality, yet he doesn’t fit into the box of the liberal/secular left-wing homosexual activists that the left likes to put open homosexuals into. They don’t know what to do with him — he does not fit into their worldview, thus the chaos. He, in turn, seems to love the chaos he causes among the left.

      As a man of Greek heritage — maybe baptized Orthodox?; don’t know — he also doesn’t fit into the box of the Christian Orthodox man which many anticipate men of Greek heritage to fit into. But others in the past including George Michael shattered that image. Sadly, we are all capable of rejecting our baptism and of rejecting Christ. After all, we have free will and can follow delusions, deceit, and demons, even if these lead us over a cliff. God will love us for eternity but will not and cannot interfere with our free will, even if it leads us away from Him. The Calvinists never quite understood this, nor did they buy it, one of the reasons Calvinism remains a terrible heresy.

      • Milo is a practicing Roman Catholic (though I don’t know if he was always such, or if he was Orthodox at some point). How he is permitted to practice given his lifestyle is an interesting question for the RCC.

        He really doesn’t cause the chaos though. The chaos is caused by radical leftists who believe that free speech is violence, so they respond with (actual) violence.

      • George Michalopulos says

        Milo’s not for everybody’s tastes. His flagrant homosexuality is more than a little off-putting. Still, I admire any man who displays that much courage. I saw a speech he gave the other day and he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

        Compare that with the castrati of the Official Right at places like NRO or the WSJ. Or even a lot of our Republican Congressmen. (Although I must say that lately the spinal transplant that Trump has given the GOP seems to be taking for the moment. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan have been absolutely giddy with delight lately. I hope it sticks and isn’t rejected.)

        • Well, the Berkeley thing is just too much out of the 1960’s and while George Mcgovern was not into violent protest, the Democratic party was hurt by the late 1960’s. Never thought the Dems would go this far to bring in the anarcho-socialist nuts again but they did. Personality, I have changed my mind on Trump which is the modern Richard Nixon in a chaos of Left-wing violence and force just like the 1960’s.

          • George Michalopulos says

            McGovern was a peaceful, devout Christian, I’ll give him that. An honorable man. The trouble is that those yahoos deformed the Democratic Party –“Acid, Amnesty and Abortion”–was yoked around his neck. Not that he would have beat Dick Nixon but it didn’t help.

  4. Like I’ve said before, let the George Soros paid dogs, and left wing progressive demons protest all they want. The majority of Americans want no association with the likes of such people rioting in the streets. Calling us vile, racist, anti-women and homophobic, and attacking our tradition American views that has made our country the greatest in history. Our numbers will grow, with each riot, and protest. Hollywood is out of touch. The media is clueless, they are fighting an un-winable war with Trump. Trump will not back down, in fact he will double down, with his now famous counter punch. Big heads at CNN don’t mind as long as they keep the headlines, breaking news, and ratings up. MSNBC/NBC is now rumored to begin leaning to the right a bit, with new faces likes Megan Kelly, but try as they might, we all know where they really stand. Fox will continue to lead the pack, with their common sense reporting, and not by the blinded hate of the left for President Trump.

    So far as Berkely, the Communist center of America. They make San Francisco seem conservative in comparison. I’m surprised the police are allowed pistols, and batons, as they are never allowed to use them. Believe it or not,only one arrest last night. I feel sorry for the parents who unknowingly spend good money on their children to attend such a hell hole. Tump has even tweeted, perhaps we should defund the UC. Gotta love President Trump, we finally got a leader who thinks like the forgotten silent majority, not the freaks, and suicidal left.

    • Well, Milo spoke at UCI, much less protest there but its in Orange County, the opposite of Berkeley. The only thing i like about Berkeley is its swimming program.

  5. Michael Bauman says

    Yes, the “free speech” movement was almost entirely over the “right” to be as foul and vulgar as one wanted, where one wanted without consequence.

    Not much difference between the protestors then and now.

  6. Chris Banescu says

    The “peaceful,” “inclusive,” and “tolerant” left, ladies and gentlemen. It’s ironic how leftists accuse others of being fascists and nazis when IN FACT, it is they who act the part.

    Nothing says “tolerance” better than assaulting and beating innocent women with flag poles, pepper spraying a woman bystander in the face, and beating unconscious other peaceful attendees.

  7. Milo is a degenerate person in many ways, but he is right on a lot of things politically and he knows that the only way to deal with snowflakes is to troll them and trigger them mercilessly. They are literally incapable of logical thought and rational discussion.

    May God in His infinite mercy grant that California be swiftly severed from this Union.

  8. Francis Frost says

    Well, George I have to admit, this posting explains an awful lot. I had not actually heard of Breitbart News or Yiannopulos until your mention of them. A short internet search has been quite enlightening if not exactly re-assuring.

    Your hero, Milo Yiannopoulos, aka Milo Hanrahan, is a half-Greek Briton, a professed Roman Catholic (not Orthodox), a college dropout, who has no relationship with either of his parents. He was fired from the only real job he ever held.

    Your hero, Yiannopulos is also self professed “Dangerous Faggot”, a wildly promiscuous gay man, a “bottom” (Google the term if you have a strong stomach), with a preference for interracial group sex.

    Yiannopulos’ entire career consists of outrageous self promotion via escalating, inflammatory rhetoric designed to create chaos through over-reaction by his political opponents. A recent interview with Yainnopulos on Bloomberg News is quite revealing of Yiannopulos’ methodology and his goals:

    “Yiannopoulos’s favorite political tactic is trolling.” “We live in a post-fact era. It’s wonderful”

    In this Kafkaesque troll war for America’s soul, Yiannopoulos believes that all offense is performed rather than truly felt. Although he works for a news network, Yiannopoulos considers himself to be a pop star.

    Once he was hired on the recommendation of a friend at Breitbart about two years ago, Yiannopoulos flourished. Ben Shapiro, the site’s previous star writer, quit when Breitbart went from far-right to alt-right, with Yiannopoulos gleefully leading the pro-Trump rhetoric. “He likes to say this is all ironic mischievous trolling,” Shapiro says. “If I can’t tell the difference between your ironic tweet and David Duke’s, that’s your fault. He’s not making fun of racism. It’s clown nose on, clown nose off. It’s basic teenage bullshit by someone who is immature.”

    “I have never lost a battle, because I have nothing to lose,” he says. “You don’t fight a pig, because you both get dirty. I like the muck. Nothing is too low-rent or dirty enough for me.”

    “He says he also hangs around a lot of rich people, some of whom were his sugar daddies. Last time he was in Los Angeles, he says, a white man at the Sunset Tower bar hit on him and gave him $10,000 after having sex with him twice and another $10,000 the following night.

    So, George, your hero is a promiscuous gay prostitute who trolls for self promotion, and this is your source for news on an “Orthodox” cultural blog ?????

    Good Lord! Well, at least we now know the source of the lunacy!

    Truthfully, Yiannnopulos and his professional anarchist opponents are simply 2 sides of the same Trumpian coinage. Equally self indulgent, equally dishonest, even with themselves, and equally damaging to the moral and political sanity of this country. But then George you are part and parcel of the same cult. All of you feed off the tribal passions of your audience. Of course, we need to remember that passions (pathemata) are the root of all pathology.

    Actually Yiannopulos’ antics would be incredibly hilarious if not for the fact that Yiannopulos’ sugar daddy, Steve Bannon, is now the closest advisor to President Trump. It seems that the Republicans are counting on Jared Kushner to mitigate the chaos-making in the Oval Office. The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post have both noted that Trump’s most outrageous foibles occur on Saturday, when the Kushners are sitting Shabbos and are therefore out of reach.

    To his credit, Trump has advanced a few boiler plate Republican issues (deregulation, oil pipelines, the Gorsuch nomination) but otherwise we’ve had a predictably bumpy 2 weeks.

    It seems, Trumps is far more of a “neo-con” than you had counted on. First he has directed General Maddis to plan for a military campaign in Syria to defeat IS. Of course, that plan is now complicated by the Iraqi government’s outrage over the travel ban. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Abadi is now proposing a retaliatory ban on the entrance of US citizens to Iraq. The status of the several thousand US special forces already in Iraq remains unknown.

    Trump has also confronted the Iranian regime and threatened military action against Iran. Of course, Trump’s New York style of bluster will not necessarily play well in a part of the world, where negotiations must allow both parties to “save face”. Trump has now cornered the mullahs to where they have to defy him, and call his bluff.

    So now we have the imminent prospect of 2 new wars in the Middle East, and Iran is no Iraq. It’s military is the strongest in the entire region and well capable a putting up a credible fight, even against the U. S. And we don’t even need to mention the leaked threat to invade Mexico.

    And of course, Trump had a “really good conversation” last weekend with Vladimir Putin, which was rewarded by renewed fighting and shelling of Ukrainian civilians in Avdiyvka. Then we have the fact that Russia, in violation of the ABN Treaty, has tripled the number of nuclear armed warheads targeting American cities, the fact that Russian military doctrine declares America as Russia’s “number one enemy”, and envisages an unprovoked “first strike” to reduce America cities “to piles of radioactive dust” – which even Trump admits “is a real problem”

    Unfortunately, the culture of “post truth” trolling and management by chaos now informs the decisions to send U.S troops into war with nothing to gain but much to lose.

    And then we have Propaganda Barbie, aka Kellyanne Conway, citing a nonexistent “massacre” in Bolling Green, Kentucky as a reason for Trump’s travel ban. It’s hard to tell. Are these people just that stupid, just that incompetent; that they expect the entire American populace to meekly accept their stupidity and their casual mendacity?? Go figure.

    It seems clear to me that Trump is an agent of God’s judgment for the willfull degradation of our culture and politics; for the substitution of moral posturing for actual virtue, for the deliberate ignoring of the plight of innocent sufferers – and this is not just an American sin, it is especially an Orthodox sin and a blight on our church’s life and its witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

    “I will give children to be their princes and mockers will rule over them. The people will collapse, every one on another and every one on his neighbor. The child will be arrogant to the elder and vulgar towards the honorable.”… “The LORD stand up to plead and stands to judge His people” Isaiah 3: 4-5, 13

    And lest our Orthodox propagandists think that God’s judgement will bypass us, hear the Holy Apostle Peter’s warning : “ For the time has come for judgement to begin at the household of God, and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” I Peter 4:17

    “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only. deceiving yourself” James 1:22

    Lord have mercy

    • George Michalopulos says

      Francis, I’ve got to hand it to you: this is probably one of your longest posts and you didn’t once mention Georgia! Congratulations! Or is it because that horse has been beaten to death?

      Regardless, I said that Milo’s “flagrant homosexuality” was not to everybody’s tastes. Certainly not mine. That’s pretty plain, isn’t it? What can I say? We are all broken in one way or another. I don’t condone his promiscuity. Buy I do admire courage. Any man who goes to speak before people that hate him and does so wearing a bullet-proof vest is courageous by every definition of that word.

      As for Ben Shapiro, I’d be careful about singing his praises, especially taking his direction regarding the alt.right. Shapiro is an eloquent conservative –I’ll give him that–but he’s first and foremost a Zionist. He’s even written essays in which he considers the possibility of ethnically removing Palestinians from lands that they’ve inhabited for generations. Are you OK with that?

      As for Trump’s conversation with Putin: good! Maybe missiles won’t fly between the US and Russia? I’m totally OK with that.

    • Wow, Francis, I too am impressed that you managed to omit Georgia. Well done.

      As to the rest, politics is for grownups. Politicians posture and come into a negotiation with a long list of demands knowing that they have to negotiate. Businessmen do the same thing.

      Trump knows all of this by heart. It is not now, nor has it ever been, rocket science. He barks at the Iranians, they step back and harden, then they come to the table again and negotiate, Trump gives, they give, it all ends up with America in a better position than under the present arrangement with Iran.

      Ukraine, the same thing. Ukraine was the US/EU’s baby from day one – a coup d’etat in Russia’s front yard. Now the “Novorossiskije” are well armed and on the march. Everyone will be guided toward a negotiated peace. But, as has been pointed out, returning Eastern Ukraine to Ukrainian control at this point is good for Putin and destabilizing to the Ukrainians. Putin has been paying the bills for Eastern Ukraine. They are polarized now against the Kiev government which will have to aid and support the region if it wants it reintegrated. They will have to live with the leaders created in the rebellion. And Crimea stays Russian.

      All according to plan.

      As to Syria, Assad’s there to stay. He is a thorn in the side of all Sunni Islamists including the Saudis and Turks. A renewed alliance of the Shiities weighs against Sunni power in the region. Just because we get a better deal with Iran does not mean that they need be intractable enemies. Things will thaw once a new equilibrium is established.

      Trump had to go in and unglue most everything that the Progressive Liberals had set up in order to move it toward a more pro-American position. Really, on all fronts it seems to be going well except there is a blind spot, of sorts, he has regarding homosexuality. I think he realizes that feminism is a sick delusion that has denatured American society and I hope and pray that he works to destroy it as quickly as possible without getting impeached.

      But the LGBT thing will need some rethinking on his part. He really needs to understand that one should never base rights on a person’s voluntary attachment to perverse practices. A sick person should be treated. They should want to be healed. It is a serious mistake to indulge their pathologies as the rights of a protected class. Homosexuality and Transgenderism should no more be protected classes than pedophilia or bestiality. It’s exactly the same sick, filthy evil type of perverse passion.

      Hopefully Trump will figure that out sooner rather than later, as well as figure out a way to ease American society away from gender equality and back toward a form of coverture. He can’t really solve the poverty problems in the inner cities without attacking the feminist matriarchy. But that will become apparent with time too.

      I will pray for him and that the eyes of blind guides be opened to see that God’s hand is working to overturn the evil status quo of American society.

      • George Michalopulos says

        Misha, it’s astounding to me that after all these years his enemies still don’t get him. He’s a businessman, not an ideologue. Everything is up for negotiation. He looks for the win-win but he’ll force you into a win-loss if you won’t play along. If he looks like he’s going to lose he pulls out.

        It’s really that simple. You obviously get it.

        I’ve been thinking about the whole Mideast thing and it’s astounding what he’s doing. It seems contradictory:

        1. move the US embassy to Jerusalem (which would entail removing the sign that says “consulate” from the wall and replace it with “embassy” instead). This enrages the Arabs and the foreign policy establishment.

        2. Then tell the Israelis to not “announce” any more settlements. This enrages the Israelis/Zionist lobby in America.

        3. Impose sanctions on Iran. This pleases the Israelis but pisses off the Iranians.

        End result? Everybody there is caught flat-footed. You said it correctly: a new equilibrium will be established. Basically he’s the big kid who overturned the board game and said “OK, I’m playing now as well.”

        If the other kids pick up and leave then he’s lost. If they succumb to his bullying tactics, he wins.

        • Exactly, George.

          And they can’t afford to leave. That’s what “America First” really means: “Folks, America can afford to pick up its marbles and go home leaving you all to play whatever games you wish. We are well armed and will be increasingly self-sufficient with respect to natural resources and trade. There’s nothing you can do about any of that.

          So here are our terms. Take your time. Take them or leave them and wake us when you have made a decision. We’ll be dealing with your countries individually, not in blocks like the EU or other free trade unions.

          And have a nice day.”

          http://www.realclearworld.com/video/2017/02/02/farage_the_european_union_is_terrified_of_donald_trump.html

          I doubt the EU can survive a Trump presidency, especially if it goes to two terms. They may not last one term.

          • Folks, America can afford to pick up its marbles and go home leaving you all to play whatever games you wish.

            This is a gross oversimplification. But it is true that the world needs access to our markets as much as (and actually more than) we need access to theirs. Much of the world also depends on our protection. They could try to make a go of it without the U.S., but it would cause more pain than they are likely willing to risk enduring. But let’s face it, it would cause great pain and economic upheaval here as well, quite possibly more than we are willing to endure, politically speaking.

            No one in their right mind wants this to happen, and Trump knows that. All he is doing is resetting the terms of negotiation in both foreign and domestic policy. And it is high time someone did this with American workers and taxpayers – and not just American business interests – in mind.

            Some view this as reckless (and in the end it may prove to be) because it upsets the apple cart. “These things are just not done,” they say. But in reality it is little more than a classic negotiating tactic. I only hope it works. We shall see.

            • To me it’s worth a shooting civil war in the United States. As to conflict with other countries, there’s really very little reason for it. We should christen regional hegemons and deal with them in terms of maintaining international stability. Hopefully, that too is in Trump’s playbook. I think he would like to leave dominance of Eastern Europe to Russia, for example. If we end up hammering out a reciprocal, fair trade deal with China, they might be suitable hegemons in South Asia.

              Domestically, he should stay within Constitutional limits but do as much damage as possible to the Fem/Perv borg, completely destroying it here if possible and assisting right wingers in Europe to do the same there. That would be God’s work. But he can’t take “no” for an answer. He needs to push it hard. This might mean going as far as activating the National Guard at times if demonstrations or riots get out of hand.

              He should also probably float an emergency plan to his most sympathetic supporters in the Senate and House regarding the possible repeal of Posse Comitatus and the recinding of those regulations which extend its authority into the Navy and Marine Corps in the event that becomes necessary. God willing the Progressive Left will stand down at some point but if they have to be put down, so be it.

              I’ve toyed with the idea of Christian militias to protect pro-Trump demonstrations and contain anti-Trump protests. Not sure though. They may develop naturally if the gun laws are further relaxed by Supreme Court decisions.

              We live in interesting times.

              • George Michalopulos says

                Interesting thoughts. I for one don’t want an actual shooting war to break out. That being said, before anyone becomes triggered by Misha’s call to arms and/or a possible shooting war (this time a real Civil War), we should pause to look at the political landscape. At the Univ of Central Florida, a “fight club” is busy training leftists on how to bash in the faces of Trump supporters.

                Not good, folks, not good. As my dear mother used to say: “lava ta metra sou“. (Literally, “take into account your forces”.) This is the darker, more negative interpretation. In a more positive sense, it can mean “count your blessings”.

                Choose wisely.

                • How about. Be careful what you ask for. George, and Misha. Count your blessings indeed. All that we have loved, will be gone, with a shooting civil war, regardless who prevails, if that’s even a reality. All our freedoms will be lost when the dust settles, never to return. The Deep State will make sure of that. Only fools beg for war. Wise and great leaders can accomplice their goals without one shot fired.

                  • George Michalopulos says

                    Dino, I’m only going to speak for myself here. I’m a kum-ba-ya kinda guy. My default position to to always avoid confrontation (believe it or not). I don’t wish or want a real civil war. Unfortunately, we (if I may paraphrase Churchill) at “the end of the beginning” of a fratricidal conflict. Sen Tim Kaine (D-VA) on the Senate floor and spoke about “fighting in the streets”. After the violence that we saw at UCBerkeley last week, it is clear that those fascists took Kaine’s words seriously.

                    I look for more such actions to spread. So far they are happening in Blue states like California and as long as they remain there then the violence will be more or less contained. I don’t foresee this happening in Red states but if it does, then you will know that the Deep State is going full-bore for civil war. The only way to avoid it at this point is to see cooler heads prevail on the left. Except for some anodyne words by Rahm Emanuel telling the left to chill out (and he’s the only one so far), I can’t imagine the proglibs coming to their senses. They’re in too deep. I’d say they’ve gone past the point of no return.

                    The BLM nonsense that came about from the Trayvon Martin incident has shown the way for the left to destabilize America. BLM is nothing but a brown-shirted auxiliary designed to guiltify the white majority and if guilting us doesn’t work, they’re really good at rioting. In addition, the all-out desire to flood America with “Syrian refugees” is another destabilizing element. Thanks to the inability of many of these migrants to assimilate to the West, many will regress to the mean and go “all jihad, all the time”. Yet another auxiliary terrorists force for the Deep State.

                    Again, speaking only for myself, I see the outlines of a severe conflict on the horizon. I can’t say this enough (and I certainly don’t advocate violence): I don’t want a conflict but millions of us who voted for Trump, are productive citizens and pay our taxes will do what we have to do to protect our kith and kin.

                    A hard rain’s gonna fall.

                    • George, I understand that you would not want an actual shooting war, but you don’t seem too bothered by Misha’s call to arms to the battlefield. Now obviously his bravado comment is quite silly, yet you still indulge him. He says, he/we, have nothing to lose. Really? How about everything, with nothing to gain.

                      Anyway I have always known that those who sing out with bravado for the battlefield, are usually the first one to either freeze up or run for the hills in fear. Misha’s child like comments reminds me of a young little Dino bugging my grandfather to tell me what is was like to fight during WW2 Expecting grand stories of heroism. He would always change the subject, but one day, after weeks of playing war, and shouting death to the Nazis, he changed his mind, and told me how he, and his group in Athens were shipped up to Northern Greece, after the victory against the Italians. Many in the group, were bragging they couldn’t wait to kill the invaders, and they were going send Mussolini and Hitler to hell. Well of course those big talkers, were the first to run when the Nazi planes, cannons, and tanks bombed the hell out of their front lines. In fact most ran so fast in fear , they left their rifles behind. The quiet ones held their ground and helped the wounded. Papou, probably just wanted to settle me down, but the message is still there. Talking the talk, is not walking the walk.

                      The civil war we now see beginning is exactly how I want it played out, by the pens, the courts, the air waves, the internet, the politicians, with our voices, and at the voting booths. A bloody civil will serve no one in the end, except the puppet masters. All will be lost, for both, those on the left and the right.

                    • Dino,

                      If George actually printed all my comments, you would not dismiss them as silly. However, understandably, he has legal issues to consider and I understand this.

                      There is a limit to how frank he will let me be, but that does not mean that there is a limit to how frank I can get. Bear that in mind.

                      I have the highest respect for George. He is a good sport and has paid his dues as far as I’m concerned. That is why I am perfectly willing to work with him and not bolt just because he may hesitate to post something that I write that is too direct for prime time.

                    • Misha,
                      I don’t really understand your post. Let me just say this. I believe we are both in the hope of salvation from the love and mercy of The Holy Trinity, and understand salvation only comes through our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
                      We are simply , on different journeys. Good luck, may God bless, and keep you well brother.

              • Gail Sheppard says

                Misha, my dialog with you has diminished considerably because of your rants, but now you’re advocating a full-on civil war. To me, this is the most irresponsible thing you have ever said. George, I’m surprised at you. Because you allowed this, I’m taking a 2-week hiatus. If I see this kind of crap again, it will be permanent.

                • A sobering reminder to all would-be revolutionaries and supporters of radical political upheaval…and this from a Russian bishop.

                  Rarely have I read a more honest assessment of the pre and mid-revolutionary Russian Church. We don’t need – or even want (if we understood the consequences) – political change nearly as much as we need repentance ourselves.

                  Lord, have mercy.

                  • George Michalopulos says

                    Sobering words indeed.

                  • Two points:

                    1. What is occurring would be better described as a “counter-revolution”. The revolution was the Fem/Perv Progressive Liberal ideological takeover. This is a counter-revolutionary return to some semblance of sanity, more like what happened under Yeltsin and Putin.

                    2. Notice those whom he lauds: Met. Antony (Khrapovitsky) is among them – a strong voice for traditionalism against “neo-Patristicism” and Phanariotism if ever there were one.

                    • I hope you understand that I am not recommending we shirk our duties. As citizens of a republic, like it or not, God has given us a voice in government, however small – just as much as one who is heir to an earthly royal throne has been given a greater voice, whether he likes it or not. To whom much is given, much is required, but this does not excuse the one who has been given little. We ought neither over-exaggerate (“Our destiny is in our own hands”) or overly minimize (“What I do is meaningless”) the powers given to us by God.

                      The point, however, is that it is all meaningless without repentance. He gives us all limited powers beyond which we are foolish to attempt to reach. But He is God, and we are not. Our task is to be faithful, not to change the world.

                  • Joseph Lipper says

                    Brian, thanks for the wonderful post.

                    As citizens of a republic, it is not our duty to vote. Our duty as citizens is to pay our taxes (as Christ commands us!) to obey the laws as much as possible, to serve in the military if we are drafted, to serve on a jury if we are called. It is our right to vote, but it is also our right not to vote. Ask any Democrat or Republican, and they will tell you that you absolutely should vote. That is until they find out you plan to vote against them, and then they would rather you just stay home.

                    In theory, voting legitimizes the government. Even if your canditate loses, your losing vote means that you offered your voice, you engaged with the political process, and thereby according to the political process, the winner is legitimate.

                    But as Christians, we believe that all governments that exist have their authority not from men, but as a gift from God, whether they are pagan, heretical, or Christian. Christ recognized the authority of Pontius Pilate and the prevailing pagan government of that time, and he was obedient unto death by crucifixion. He didn’t protest.

                    St. Patriarch Tikhon also viewed the godless Bolsheviks as the legitimate government authority of his time. During the Russian revolution, he took a non-political stand, and he also forbade his clergy from taking a political stand.

        • Peter Millman says

          So, George, in other words, he doesn’t have the faintest idea what he is doing.

    • Francis,

      Milo, is a tiny speck, in regards to the Trump revolution, and yes it is a cultural, political, religious, and international revolution.

      President Trump understands this, and will not back down. New Yorkers will not smile, and tell you what you want to hear. They are straight forward, and to the point, unlike the left, that is so tolerant, and pretends to love everyone, so long as you see everything their way. You are just a nay sayer, same as those who cried Reagan will turn our cities to dust as well. Well, didn’t turn out that way, in fact it was the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union, without one warhead fired. Lefties handing out daisies will not bring peace to this fallen world, but strong willed leaders, with the most advanced military will. That is the only thing, those who wish to see us destroyed, understand, power, and leaders NOT afraid to use it. For all the executive orders Trump has signed, and his manifest plans, did you not expect backlash, and a strong reaction, from the world? Trump was elected, because he spoke of the things that have bothered everyday hard working Americans for decades, and neither party listened. Well now EVERYONE is listening, aren’t they?

      Yesterday we had a Federal Judge reverse the President’s executive order to refuse entry from certain countries. Great! Let the battle begin I say. As the progressives will continue to use the court to lay down law, and reverse laws they don’t like, they will finally see a backlash, from the right. This abuse by the courts will awaken the last of the sleeping giant middle class to take back our country, from those who wish to use a judges to over rule the wishes of an elected President. Watch the next election.

      For the first time since Reagan, we have lines drawn in the sand. I for one am thankful for that.

    • “and Iran is no Iraq….and well capable of putting up a good credible fight, even against the U.S.” LMAO! If Iran can put up a credible fight against the U.S. we might as well just close up shop, and begin learning Chinese. In reality Milo, most likely just an extra couple weeks than Iraq. Unless they make like the elite revolutionary guards of Iraq, as CNN used to call them, who would fight to the death. But instead ran for the hills, until the dust settles from the bombs, then probably just one extra week. Don’t forget Iran is a very young society, that is just itching for a more tolerant regime. Running for the hills would suit them well.

  9. ReaderEmanuel says

    History repeats itself. Remember all the protests in the 1970s, Kent State, etc. that happened during Nixon’s first term? Do you remember how close the 1968 election was that put him in office? Now, fast forward to the election of 1972. Nixon DESTROYED the poster boy for the left wing protesters, George McGovern. Say what you will about Nixon, he was no saint, that’s for sure, but the country reacted to a situation that many people were increasingly tired of. Watch what happens in four years. I predict that Trump, if he runs again, will absolutely annihilate anyone that the Democrats put up against him.

    • I also seen this is similar to the late 1960’s and since Trump won mainly on the white middle age vote, people in their 50’s and 60’s, he should be able to win in 2020. Nixon won some of the world war two generation who were more likely to be democratic than Republicans because they seen the left wing radicals as anti-american. Nixon was no great success in the economy because the war spending in Vietnam wrapped up in his 2nd term and the space program to the moon was wrapped up as well. He also was more Keynesian and took the world off of Bretton woods, gold standard, hence higher inflation but people like Nixon because they thought he would bring order.

  10. Off-topic but a story worth sharing: looks like the SNAP ladies are going down in flames. http://thesestonewalls.com/gordon-macrae/david-clohessy-resigns-snap-in-alleged-kickback-scheme/

  11. Sorry for another OT but I couldn’t find an appropriate thread.

    I made the mistake of visiting Stan Drezhlo’s rag and I was shocked to see him once again screeching about the March for Life. His basic claim is that Christians shouldn’t march for life if they aren’t willing to offer free healthcare and every other handout imaginable.

    For as much as he screeches about priests who “put a price tag on the Mysteries” (by suggesting that parishioners tithe to help to keep the doors open—never minding that the early Christians gave all their money to the church’s management; I guess only the State has that power in Stan’s world), it seems lost on him that he puts a value on human life. The life of a fetus is apparently not worth preserving if he or she won’t get free healthcare. Human life is only worth the amount of state handouts it receives.

    Of course, the idea of state healthcare is what, maybe 100 years old? Yet the Church’s teachings on abortion being inherent murder go back to the Didache in the first century. Stan implicitly believes that abortion is a reasonable choice if circumstances warrant it. Sorry, but he just condones murder and deflects to his commie mantra, as if it defends his anti-Christian worldview.

    There was no healthcare in the days of the Fathers, and yet they did not allow abortion in ANY circumstance. It simply is not an option. There is literally no rational argument to be made in favor of abortion which is not rooted in either selfishness or feelings.

    He attempts to degrade the pro-life movement as only being pro-birth. So what? Abortion is the biggest killer of children 0 months old and it must be stopped. Healthcare has no bearing on whether a life deserves to exist.

    In the hierarchy of needs, the right of a fetus to be born at all is higher than any form of healthcare. To argue that quality of life is a factor in whether life should exist at all is opposed to God and opposed to the natural order.

    So, Stan, wise up. You don’t have to support your infanticidal commie Molochs on every subject. God save you.

    • Our most appropriate response to Mr/Ms. Drezhlo is to pray for him. Truly a very troubled soul. Has been for years. Yes, it’s always a mistake to visit his website.

  12. Joseph Lipper says

    Ages, it’s now politically correct to be Pro-Life. Trump and Pence’s overt endorsement of the Pro-Life movement combined with a sympathetic majority in the US Congress has signaled that the collective opinion of the Supreme Court on abortion law is at odds with the prevailing political establishment.

    The prevailing political establishment is Pro-Life. Pro-Lifer’s can now rest assured that their position is politically correct. The problem, as Trump reminds us, is with non-PC judges. Perhaps the US Congress will now enact purges of the US Justice system to better align it with the prevailing political establishment.

  13. Joseph Lipper says

    George, now that your blog is politically correct, have you thought about renaming it? Monomakhos just sounds kind of angry, chip on the shoulder like. I dunno, forgive me I’m not the most creative, but how about something direct like “New Ministry of Political Correctness” ?

  14. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-ninth-circuit-ignores-precedent-and-threatens-national-security-1486748840

    Trump should probably do a streamlined executive order to replace the first one but pursue litigation of the first (and second if it is opposed and joined) to the Supreme Court. There is no serious legal argument against the main thrust of the order, just peripheral matters. He should also pursue impeachment proceedings against the members of the 9th Circuit that struck down the order in toto for judicial misconduct and willfully ignoring established precedent resulting in a usurpation of executive and legislative powers which constitutes a clear and present danger to the security of the republic as demonstrated by past acts of terrorism committed by immigrants from these countries (which is what led the countries to be listed by the Obama Administration in the first place).

    Heads should roll and he should make a chilling example to color the decisions of all future courts who presume to rule on his activities so that they fear to exceed the letter of the Constitution in their power of review.

    http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/02/09/dershowitz_trump_will_win_travel_ban_case_at_supreme_court.html

    It’s not vindictive at all to end their careers given the stakes involved, just smart chess.

    PS: Here’s another “Screwtape” article; i.e., a perceptive article written from the evil side of the culture war [or, a demonic essay, if you will]:

    http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/02/how-russia-became-a-leader-of-the-worldwide-christian-right-214755

  15. http://time.com/4667896/white-house-travel-ban-supreme-court-appeal/

    This is perfect. He goes back to the district court in Washington with the first order to buy him time to get another justice on the Supreme Court while simultaneously issuing a new order which lacks the problematic inessentials of the first one. He gets what he needs sooner rather than later and lines up a headline for later in the year when a nine member court will likely uphold most of the first executive order (unless it becomes moot because of its own time limitation) and reiterate that the executive branch has wide leeway in this area.

    It’s all sorting itself out.

  16. George Michalopulos says

    Apropos of nothing at all, it’s good to see that in the Great White North, free speech advocating the extermination of Jews and non-believers is OK so long as it’s in a mosque.

    http://www.therebel.media/the_other_side_of_the_toronto_mosque_protest

    Meanwhile, those protesting this particular sermon are the ones who are being “investigated”.