Who Says God Doesn’t Have a Sense of Humor?

I for one would never say such a thing.

Exhibit A (this week anyway) is the self-inflicted bonfire of Hollywood vanities that is currently engulfing Harvey Weinstein, an odious a fellow if there ever was one.

Weinstein, one of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters matches to a “T” the stereotypical Hollywood producer of yore. Actually, he exceeds it in uber-disgusting fashion. Say what you will about Samuel Goldwyn or the various Warner Brothers, but they were suave men who acted in a sophisticated way as they went about their business on the casting couch. (At least that’s what the word on the street was.) And as for their “product”, the raciest movies of yore were always done in exquisite taste. Thanks to the Hayes Code screenwriters had to be very creative when it came to dealing with sex and romance.

Weinstein on the other hand is a disgusting piece of trash; even junkies living in an alleyway behave with more decorum. Some of his movies reflect this depraved, nihilistic mindset. I mean, really! Does anybody think that the world would be a worse place if Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction or From Dusk til Dawn had never been made? We’re not talking about Forever Amber or Casablanca here.

So where’s the humor in all this? It’s more like irony. Allow me to explain:

A year ago, almost to the day, NBC released the infamous Hollywood Access tape, in which Billy Bush and Donald Trump were talking about women in the most reprehensible, locker-room fashion possible. Meryl Streep, Ashley Judd, Jimmy Kimmel and a host of other Hollywood darlings immediately jumped upon the Predator-in-Chief, calling him unfit for office; a misogynist, a rapist, you name it. So did Establishment Republicans for that matter.

Mind you, Bush and Trump were only talking about women, not actually assaulting women. Huge difference.

But when Weinstein was exposed as doing far worse –crickets. That is until (of course) he was fired from Miramax, the company he co-founded. In other words, when it was safe to pile on him. Courage from a distance, that kind of thing. I imagine before all this is over the degree of depravity that is Hollywood will explode exponentially. Yesterday for example it was revealed that Ben Afleck (another bum who doesn’t deserve Jennifer Garner) was accused of groping an underage actress and there are tapes of Jimmy Kimmel going up to women on the street and asking them to “guess what’s in his trousers”.

It’s hilarious. It’s also the fulfillment of that Chinese adage, you know the one: revenge is a dish best served cold.

It’s also the fulfillment of the prophecy of that fireman, Mark Taylor. He said years ago that not only would Trump be elected president but that all those who stand in his way would be destroyed and that a new order would be implemented following the eradication of the globalist elite. I know that that sounds far-fetched but the list of Trump’s antagonists who are biting the dust is a rather long and growing one: the Bush dynasty, the Clinton dynasty, the NFL, Bob Corker, John McCain and now Hollywood.

I dunno, maybe the Hand of the Lord really is upon him. In any event, the irony of the hypocrites on the left going ballistic about a man who talked about grabbing vaginas as opposed to an actual rapist who publicly masturbated in plain sight of an actress into a potted plant is too astounding.

Admittedly, Weinstein’s take down was a long time coming. The list of Hollywood hypocrites like George Clooney who “didn’t have any idea” is a surprisingly short one. No matter, whether they’re defenders or detractors, they’re all tossing their credibility onto the bonfire that is currently engulfing Weinstein. And deservedly so.

Please take the time to watch this short, informative video by David Seaman on what may be behind the take down of Harvey Weinstein. Seaman posits the possibility that Weinstein was too hot to handle and that he had to be thrown under the bus in order to save people higher up the socio-political food chain.

We’ll see. In the meantime, enjoy the bonfire!

Comments

  1. I had to really laugh about the Chinese adage, ” revenge is a dish best served cold.” That was funny. By the way, I thought its origin was French. Oh well, never let facts get in the way of a funny story. I agree this guy is some piece of work.

  2. Nate Trost says

    George Michalopulos wrote
    A year ago, almost to the day, NBC released the infamous Hollywood Access tape

    No, NBC didn’t release it. The Washington Post did.

    George Michalopulos wrote
    Mind you, Bush and Trump were only talking about women

    No, only Trump was boasting about using his power and fame to sexually assault women. Bush came under fire for not having manned up and calling out Trump in his boasting about his sexually predatory behavior. Which Bush should have.

    George Michalopulos wrote
    not actually assaulting women. Huge difference.

    Except, of course, many women came forth to name themselves and say that Trump did in action what he boasted he did in words.

    And then, you, George Michalopulos, denounced them all and called them strumpets.

    What kind of a man will believe the victims of one wealthy white narcissistic sexual predator and vilify, attack defame the victims of another wealthy white narcissistic sexual predator?

    George Michalopulos is that man. Truly a ‘hero’ for our times!

    George Michalopulos wrote
    they’re all tossing their credibility onto the bonfire

    I’d say this applies to you, but then you’ve been busy destroying your credibility on this site of yours for years, even the ashes are cool at this point.

    • Nate,
      I don’t have a problem with you calling George out on some of this, but what does being “white” really have to do with it? Would it have been less odious if they were wealthy “black” or “brown” narcissistic sexual predators? I’m pretty sure that they exist too.

      • P. Antonio Arganda says

        You mean , like Bill Cosby?

      • Nate Trost says

        In short, I think it worthwhile to include the racial qualifier for a couple reasons, one of which is it is another element that places Trump and Weinstein on equal footing at the pinnacle of American cultural power and influence. Being white does not make the sexual crimes any more or less odious, however, being a white perpetrator does confer benefits in dispelling the accusations of women. Even white women, but moreso women of color. Bill Cosby is a very interesting example of a sexual predator who was not white, but as perhaps the primary saint of ‘respectability politics’, was able to bolster his protection against accusation despite not being white. Because, of course, there are still loaded cultural racial biases when to comes to white women and sex with nonwhite men. It’s also worth bringing up because of the entire undercurrent that is the racial ideology of Monomakhos, but that’s a whole additional can of worms.

        But as I said, it’s really about Trump and Weinstein being at the pinnacle of being hard to touch for their behavior. And part of that is due to being white.

        • Nate, it’s very sad you cannot admit when you’re wrong, but what is more pathetic is that you might actually believe your bullshit. You owe George an apology, when you hint that he gives sexual predators a pass if they fall into his brand of politics.

        • Gail Sheppard says

          RE: “. . . that places Trump and Weinstein on equal footing”

          I have to disagree with you, Nate. The difference between a Trump and a Weinstein is that a Trump will back off when rebuffed and a Weinstein won’t.

          That Weinstein tape turned my stomach. He cajoled, pleaded and begged that girl. . . his whining went on for an eternity (or so it seemed) and then he became indignant. Men like that get angry when they don’t get what they want. When she refused to acquiesce, he threatened to write her off. Crosby was worse. He just drugged the women he wanted. These men don’t brag about their exploits in any great detail like a Trump because they know their actions are criminal.

          It’s a whole different paradigm and it knows no race.

          • Nate Trost says

            Gail,

            A couple points. First, you are redirecting “places Trump and Weinstein on equal footing” outside of the context I framed it. It was not setting an equivalence between the specific accused behavior, but rather by virtue of their characteristics, they were men both equally hard to hold accountable for their predation.

            Now, at a basic level, as far as categorizing severity or frequency, I wouldn’t disagree with an assessment that Weinstein both engaged in more extreme behavior and in more frequent predation than Trump. However, this comes with tremendous caveats because the danger is that doing so diminishes the severity of the accusations against Trump which are severe, criminal, and serial behavior. So while I think it is safe to say, Weinstein probably preyed on more women than Trump, it is also most likely a safe assumption a far larger percentage of his accusers have come forward at this point. For reasons that should be obvious, it’s quite understandable that additional Trump victims would not be coming forward at this point in time.

            Having read the accounts of the Trump accusers, I do have some quibbles with this statement of yours:

            Trump will back off when rebuffed and a Weinstein won’t

            Because a common theme running through many of the Trump accuser accounts make the concept of rebuff irrelevant: because frequently the action Trump most desired was merely to exhibit power over being able to touch a woman’s body, lacking any invitation or consent, without fear of consequence and the capability for escalation dominance in any sort of attempted reprisal.

  3. Palaiofytos Vastavraks says

    ξεβράξ όλους, Θεός σκούπα, μεν δεν παραμυθέν

    http://www.pappaspost.com/archdiocese-rebuts-claims-new-york-newspaper-no-mention-tapping-restricted-funds/
    Archdiocese Rebuts Claims by New York Newspaper; But No Mention of Tapping of Restricted Funds

    MARCUS CARMITCHELL
    September 29, 2017 – 1:33 pm
    You know this is Karloutsos game. Jerry Dimitriou got hired because Karloutsos lost the Archdiocese money on the Pelham Esplanade with Chris Demetriades. When Spyro Gyro left, anything that wasn’t nailed down at the Archdiocese disappeared, ostensibly because of renovations. Don’t forget the Arcantony travelgate. Karloutsos got Bart to encourage Jake to go to Ligonier then twisted it against him. Karloutos is the very snake of Eden, the self-same Caiafas beholden to the self-same Lazio Evil Empire.

    HERMAN STAFREPOLE
    October 3, 2017 – 8:35 am
    Sell all the dead parishes for cash. Snap audit and sell any parish with fewer than twenty taking communion. Churches belong to the Bishop, not Athena Brotherhood.

    ZORAS FAZAKROSTIS
    October 6, 2017 – 10:09 am
    A hundred parishes have opted out of Fair SHare, following the example set by Cake Fart Passias in the 1980s when he directed funds to the Muhammad Agape Fund. But here’s the rub, these Greek CHurches would rather submit to the Vatican than OCA.

    https://www.thenationalherald.com/173525/ecumenical-patriarchate-wants-embattled-archbishop-demetrios/
    Vousigas Tompamas says:
    September 1, 2017 at 11:08 am
    America can no longer stand your islamosoviet faith. All of you, Greek, Russian, Syrian, or English, OUT! Smyrna 1922, USA 2017.

    https://www.thenationalherald.com/173042/demetrios-hierarchs-travel-phanar-aim-reverse-patriarchal-chicago-decision/
    Garidoscufis Astakanevis says:
    September 7, 2017 at 9:27 am
    First the priest gets all the yayissas to remortgage their homes to fund the church. Then the efrmamissas demand ending the fraggohorodia so they can sell the fancy organ. Then they sell the Tiffany stained glass. The compalin the icons are too latin and don’t follow the Fotis Kontoglu standard. Then they burn the church for insurance fraud. Then they sell the land and build a tin can church on a cheaper parcel. And all the proceeds go to the Eframist munasteries to produce Krokodil from kerosene to stupefy Trump voters for Putin. The monasteries were built with pilfered credit cards from elderly they supposedly cared for.

    https://www.thenationalherald.com/172713/pontians-america-celebrate-panagia-soumela/
    Panos Froutnas says:
    August 23, 2017 at 10:00 am
    Lucan icons were unheard of before Theodore the Lector (530AD). This is from Uspensky, 1992, pp. 62-63. That’s right: Tinos, Smella, and Prutsa are all frauds! Miracle icons are located exactly where demented pagan oracles used to be. The greatest part of the Greek icon pantheon is brigands righteously executed by Ottoman courts. Peloporicans taught Magnagrecians to propagate faith by epigenetic probiotics.

    https://www.thenationalherald.com/171191/problems-running-new-york-diner/
    Geidaroscufis Varufakaturas says:
    August 7, 2017 at 11:09 am
    Open any MBA textbook on restaurants and you can see that Greek diners are not a business but a Trojan Horse money laundering tax scam! Greeks ban flushing toilet paper so they can fertilize diner produce and culture feta yogurt. Gyro is the original Mystery Meat. If Greeks trojaned their eurobudgets, do you trust their food hygiene, caique shipping, quisling lawyers or olive witch doctors?

    https://www.thenationalherald.com/173534/elect-malliotakis-mayor-karaloukas-death-not-vain/
    Zanis Palifrekoustas says:
    September 5, 2017 at 9:40 am
    Greeks no do good with Repoumplikas! Nacolle she not want us to rent. How Yiayia live? Devalisos he want us to rent every room. Repoumplikas like Sarakatsoris with mayor Tsogliani take our cars. Now she teke ous house.

    https://www.thenationalherald.com/172866/trump-mocks-greek-american-anchor-george-stephanopoulos/
    Chooch Staphilaplitos says:
    August 24, 2017 at 9:38 am
    When Sandra ran, the Kenner club had video of him fudge trolling midtown private banks
    Chooch Staphilaplitos says:
    August 25, 2017 at 9:23 am
    His dad talked about Hegelian progression for church women, but even Buddhists know this is anthropolatric satanism
    Chooch Staphilaplitos says:
    August 30, 2017 at 12:00 pm
    His book talked about Original Sin, which proves he’s a uniate.

    https://www.thenationalherald.com/173211/half-greeces-shipowners-leave-save-money/
    Veras Kaltroupis says:
    August 28, 2017 at 9:29 am
    Shipowners are Uniate Venetians, never Greek

    https://www.thenationalherald.com/171404/no-greeks-need-apply/
    Mitros Farupas says:
    August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm
    A quarter of Doric Greeks were always blond and blue eyed. America’s founders loved Greeks, especially William Cullen Bryant’s Greek Boy. It wasn’t until the pseudo-Greek Arab-blooded anti-Semites from the Islands and Asia Minor gave us a bad name that Americans turned against us.

    http://www.pappaspost.com/draining-swamp-turkish-money-influence-washington-dc/
    YESIL SERMAYE
    September 20, 2017 – 9:09 am
    Turkey would have no power were it not for the Greek shipping lobby. The Greek shipping lobby moves most Arab oil, and it is Saudi Yesil Sermaye that planted all the canards Greeks believe about those who brought down the Ottomans. As England, Jordan and Israel terminated the Ottoman Empire, those who despise them are nostalgic for lost Ottoman franchises.

  4. George Michalopulos says

    I’m really taking a fancy to this Kurt Schlichter guy:

    https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2017/10/12/behold-our-betters-n2393375

  5. Nate,

    The big difference between Trump and Weinstein, is that you fail to mention Trump denies the charges, and, Weinstein does not, in fact he is going freewill into rehab, and admits he has issues with women. Not to mention there was tape of 66 year old Weinstein doing his best to lure a young lady, in her twenties, back into his Hotel room, after a hundred no’s from her, and admitting he touched her breast the night before without her permission. The tape speaks volumes, in fact quite creepy, in a child molesting kind of way. Finally, I too like Vincent’s question. What does race have to do with any of this? Or is it that can’t you help yourself, from throwing race into all topics?

    • Nate Trost says

      Weinstein is busy trying to limit his admissions and his crimes to as little as he can possibly admit to. And of course, rehab is a stunt when it comes to attempting to avoid the stigma of criminal behavior. The repentance of St. Mary of Egypt, Weinstein is not.

      So, Weinstein’s admissions count for very little, as do Trump’s denials. Weinstein admitting to anything does not magically absolve Trump of guilt just because Trump denies doing what he says he did and women have said he did. Last I checked Cosby was still denying any wrongdoing.

      • Peter A. Papoutsis says

        Mate you are truly lost if cannot tell the difference. Oh well embrace your narrative. That’s all you progs got left.

      • Nate! Slow down comrade, Weinstein’s admissions, AND the recording of him, trying for a second time to sexually assault the young lady, matter very much, for Weinstein, and only Weinstein, not Trump, nor Cosby. If you would like to belong to a society where you are guilty by accusation only, then your probably in the wrong country of choice. The ladies words that accuse Trump of wrong doing, are of no more value than Trump’s words of denial. Until we hear admissions from Trump, or proof from victims, who popped out of nowhere, right before the election. Apples and oranges. You owe George an apology, Nate!

        • Weinstein has been expelled from the Academy of Motion Pictures, with a very strong statement from them. Now that’s not been done for decades, if anytime. He better start polishing his resume.

        • Dino wrote
          proof from victims, who popped out of nowhere, right before the election.

          Oh Dino, shame on you. If you had paid closer attention to the accounts of the Trump accusations, many of the women, even if they didn’t go public at the time, recounted their stories to close friends and family. This is establishing decades long patterns of behavior, in light of which, makes Trump’s denials of actually doing what he says he does in the Access Hollywood tape ring utterly false. I disagree that it is “apples and oranges” as it were.

          Dino wrote
          You owe George an apology

          The person who should be making apologies is George Michalopulos to the women who came forth with Trump accusations. Although if he had to work through the backlog of people he’s slimed on his blog, it could take a while to get to them.

          • George Michalopulos says

            when Weinstein, Billy Clinton, the estate of the late Ted Kennedy and a host of other big-name liberals issue their apologies for sexual assault, rape and manslaughter, then you’ll have a case.

          • Thanks Nate! I will add this shame to my long list of appointed shame. Coming from you, a compliment for sure.

  6. He wasn’t at Miramax. Disney bought them years ago. Sometime after that he left and started the Weinstein Company.

    He got fired from the Weinstein Company. Last I saw, they were planning on changing the name.

    • George Michalopulos says

      It’s all basically the same. There are only six major entertainment/news conglomerates in the US now and every now and then they sell an asset (say ESPN, CNN) to another corporate behemoth. They all swim in the same sewer and have the same sensibilities so really, what difference does make at the end of the day?

  7. I quote George saying “hypocrites on the left”…. interesting considering I have read nothing on this site about the recent story covered at Fox News about GOP representative Tim Murphy resigning after suggesting his mistress have an abortion. There is as much hypocrisy on the right as there is on the left. What’s disappointing is the focus to villify one side while turning a blind eye to the other. Those who subscribe to this tribalism on both sides are guilty of fueling the hate and division we are witnessing more than ever before in this country. Is this what our Lord wants from us?

    When tempted to blatantly ignore the travesties in your own backyard because you are too busy looking at the mess in another’s, Matthew 7:5 is a good reminder:
    “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/05/gop-rep-tim-murphy-resigns-after-reports-asked-mistress-to-get-abortion.html

    • George Michalopulos says

      Stacy, I haven’t been up on the cable news networks for the most part. I get most of this info from the internet. I didn’t know about Cong Murphy’s mistress and the pregnancy scare. He’s wrong and he should be punished. But principles aren’t principles unless they’re universally applied.

      Having said that, Weinstein is a pervert of the worst sort. And worse, this thing in Hollywood is going to bust wide open. Probably bigger than the RC pedophile scandal.

      • Peter A. Papoutsis says

        Weinstein is just the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg. Get ready for more.

      • No argument here on Weinstein’s perverted sick behavior that abuses his power to prey on women. But let’s be clear that I have witnessed your tribalism in partiality to even Milo, who is as twisted in his perverted view of men/young boy exploits. And your willingness to looking the other way on the words and actions of the President, and even find ways to justify his poor behavior, is disturbing. Not something I think our Lord has a sense of humor on. The”hypocrisy from the left” is the same as the hypocrisy from the right. Your desire to vilify one side while looking the other way on the right is missing the mark. It is disheartening to continue to witness this on an Orthodox Christian blog, because it is not our calling to point blame to one group while turning a blind eye toward another just as guilty. I know you have a good heart but the tribalism is blinding.

        • George Michalopulos says

          Stacy, I admit that I am rather soft on Milo. Yeah, there might be some tribalism involved. Having said that, for all of Milo’s sins, the guy has got a tremendous amount of courage and I admire him for that.

          • George – Milo stated sex between adult men and 13 year-old boys is OK as long as the boy’s sexual organs are “mature.” He also thanked a certain Catholic priest for teaching him to “give such good head” when he was a child. There is nothing to admire in a person who really believes this in his mind and heart. Yet because he is “alt” right you admire him and go as far as to call him “courageous”. He is a shock jock, yet his tribalism has you hooked. This is the disturbing trend among our many Americans that has infiltrated those within the Orthodox Church. Love and prayers to you George.

            • George Michalopulos says

              Stacy, I’m beyond disgusted by pederasty and pedophilia. What Milo said was inexcusable. But let’s not kid ourselves, our society is actively promoting homosexuality for a generation now. And yes, pedophilia is a big part of the homosexual initiation.

              The left can’t have it both ways: condemn Milo for speaking honestly about his own initiation on the one hand but praise the LGBT agenda on the other. I choose to condemn the LGBT agenda but then again, I and like-minded traditionalists have totally lost this battle, haven’t we?

              • You condemn the LGBT agenda? The left can’t have it both ways? Milo got married to his boyfriend last year. I guess according to you the left can’t have it both ways but the right can. How “courageous” of Milo to speak out against gay marriage then get married to his boyfriend. I mean really….Hypocrisy of the left was the point of this post, but George, you did quite well in showing your own hypocrisy in the process. But hey God has a sense of humor right? Our icons are not laughing, they are weeping, and it’s not just the “left” they are weeping for. Lord have mercy on us all!

                • George Michalopulos says

                  Stacy, I didn’t know that he “married” his boyfriend. But so what? It’s the law of the land now (thanks to judicial fiat). What do you want me to do about it? Spend another forty years trying to overturn it, like we did (in vain) with the baby-killing legalized by Roe v Wade?

                  So am I a hypocrite because I choose to look the other way regarding his “marriage”? Yeah, I guess so. As for myself, I don’t believe he is “married” because I don’t believe it’s possible for two (or more) people of the same sex to be married. It’s an ontological impossibility or a contradiction in terms if you will. At best, all I can do is pray for Milo and all other deluded homosexuals hoping that they see the error of their ways.

                  Personally, I’ve come to believe that the whole LBGT agenda is merely a diversion, a misdirection if you will. One priest told me that the whole thing will probably collapse in five years or so.

                  • Peter A. Papoutsis says

                    Very true. A lot of people with ssa will need as, as they do now, when the wheels come off the LGBT train.

                    • Since George took away my ability to reply to his comment (yes he sure did), I will do it here.

                      Wrong George… I never once made the accusation “that Trump is a serial sexual predator based on only one incident of disgusting locker-room talk.” I am implying that you look for ways to villify the tribe you hate, while ignoring the evil on the tribe you associate with. You prove my point beautifully by pointing out that others in history did horrible things and still tolerated. So why are you so quick to jump on this and make it about your agenda to hate on the other tribe?

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Stacy, I most assuredly did not take away your ability to reply. A lot of comments go immediately into my spam folder until I release them.

                  • Tim R. Mortiss says

                    And how much money was that priest willing to put on it? For that matter, how much are you willing to bet?

                    George, you’re in a perfect place to explain this “tribalism”, a subject I have gotten interested in. Frankly, what another “Anglo” says or accomplishes means nothing to me from an ethnic perspective. But then, I reckon “ethnic” doesn’t even apply. We do have Shakespeare festivals and such, but it’s different somehow…

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Thank you TimR. I’ll try my best to describe this “tribalism”. Basically, people from the Mediterranean tend to think and act collectively. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself; I personally think that if the Old Stock Americans did this we’d have a healthier nation. I.e. no needless foreign wars, a welfare state for the deserving poor, no importation of foreign slaves or the present importation of mestizo peonies. In other words, we’d look out for ourselves and what was in our interests, not what the international banking classes want.

                      The downside for those of us who are Greek, Lebanese, etc, is that this thinking collectively causes some parishes to think exclusively in terms of ethnic identity. And that can lead to a mafioso-type of mentality, one which can lead to violence.

                  • George you answered your “so what” question yourself….

                    “So am I a hypocrite because I choose to look the other way regarding his ‘marriage’? Yeah, I guess so.”

                    Explain away his marriage all you want. The man says one thing and does another. Many Democrats and Republicans say one thing and do another. Yet you only care about when the Dems do it and ignore some pretty disturbing behavior when it comes from the Republican party. Is that type of selective vilification ok with you?

                  • Justify Milo’s actions all you want George, and same goes for the president you have placed on quite a pedestal. Why don’t you call evil what it is on both sides of the extreme spectrum? That won’t happen here… I simply see the vilifying of one side while making excuses for evil things coming from the other side. There are Weinsteins on the right too, but you aren’t concerned with them. You admit you didn’t know about the Representative who asked his mistress for an abortion….maybe it’s because you are too busy trying to find evil on the left to continue vilifying.

                    Those on the left and right are our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter how much you don’t agree with the ideology. There are good and bad aspects on both sides. I hope and pray those on this forum that choose to ignore one side and crucify the other, take off their far “right” glasses and put the ones on that Christ asks us to wear. That’s how we are going to achieve peace and love….calling evil what it is on BOTH sides, and stop making excuses when it comes from the side we identify with.

                    It’s called “cognitive dissonance”…when we align with one group, we find ways to justify what we know is immoral, and find ways to vilify the side we don’t identify with. I referred to your tribalism in the political extreme sense. We should be subscribing to being on Christ’s team, and stop the finger pointing. George if you are not bothered by your own hypocrisy in pointing fingers to the left and excusing the right, again, I recommend you re-read Matthew 7:5.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Stacy, the dudgeon you feel is superficial I believe. Where were you when Bill Clinton was accused of sexual harassment, assault or even rape? Where were you when Ted Kennedy cause a young woman to drown his car?

                    • George – Regarding Ted Kennedy, I was a baby. Regarding Bill Clinton, I was utterly disgusted and vocal about it. Are you questioning if I’m partial based on party lines like you? I have no loyalty to Democrats or Republicans. My loyalty, allegiance and obedience is to Christ only. Bad behavior is bad behavior. I don’t pick and choose who should be called out for immortality based on party lines. Nor should anyone who is serious about their faith. We may align with the ideology of one party or another but ultimately we righteously judge by Christ’s standards…not by our own in being partial to those who align with our party line. That’s like not exposing corruption in the Orthodox Church because I am Orthodox. You know for a fact I don’t play that, so questioning my partially is deflection. You continue to avoid addressing if this is what the Lord asks of us… deflect instead.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Not at all Stacy. I’m not deflecting anything. You are making the accusation that Trump is a serial sexual predator based on only one incident of disgusting locker-room talk. That’s bad but it’s not a deed. And even the words used did not describe sexual predation but the fact that rich and famous men regularly have women throw themselves at them. Again, not moral on either part but it’s still a fact.

                      With Trump the rubber has hit the road. Even if he is all these things and more, so what? Have you ever read the book of Kings? Do you know what it says about King David? And remember, that’s the official version. If you read between the lines you can see an even uglier picture.

                      In the rabbinic writings, both Cyrus the Great and Alexander the Great are considered saints. Admittedly mainly because they were merciful to the Jews but hey, they were God’s chosen people. They had a distinct ministry to undertake and anybody who helped them prosper was great in their book. That may sound self-serving but have you stopped to consider that maybe Cyrus and Alexander were indeed chosen by the Lord for purposes we can only speculate? And yes, they probably were monsters but was FDR right to firebomb Dresden and was Truman right to nuke Japan?

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Stacy, please take the time to read this article. Then you can see why I’m not impressed with the moralism of those think Trump is an abomination:

                      https://pjmedia.com/parenting/demonic-clown-drag-queen-story-time-michelle-obama-public-library/

                    • George Michalopulos campaign slogan for Trump 2020: “Even if he is a rapist like King David, so what? At least he isn’t a Democrat!” needs some work.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Yeah, agreed. It’s not catchy enough. How about “No woman ever died in his car while he was driving”?

            • If that is true, then Milo was abused as a child by a priest, and his life has been grievously, profoundly affected. Even sadder, he does not call it abuse or understand its impact so that he could begin to heal. Praying for him to become open to Christ’s healing and love.

              • George Michalopulos says

                Nicole, isn’t that the point, I mean, why do we have laws and customs and feel revulsion for child molestation? Because we instinctively know that that is going to screw up a kid’s life forever. The obvious observation is that a young girl will get pregnant and either be forced to marry young or have an abortion, either of which will scar her for life one way or the other. As for the boy, if he’s sodomized it’s going to affect his psyche forever and turn him into a sodomizer as well.

                Neither of these are salutary. And yet we can’t speak against them because that would undercut the major raison d’etre of the LBGTers.

      • Peter A. Papoutsis says

        Harvey Weinstein is to Hollywood what Bernie Madoff was to Wall Street. He did wrong, but don’t fall for the sacrificial lamb bit and miss all the other predators still in Hollywood like we ignored all the other wrongdoers in Wall Street.

        • George Michalopulos says

          You gotta start somewhere, Pete.

          • Peter A. Papoutsis says

            I agree. I just don’t want it to end with Harvey. In any event it won’t. Floodgates are now open. To Hollywood swamp is about to get drained.

            God I love it when the Holy Spirit moves. It is just so dramatic and right.

            Peter

            • George Michalopulos says

              Peter, agreed. This thing is going to blow up to Archdiocese of Boston-level proportions.

              The question for me is: why is Weinstein being thrown under the bus? To stave off more widespread abuse or because the proglibs have lost control of the narrative?

  8. Jim of Olym says

    What about the late Spyros Skouras who built St. Sophia Cathedral and owned (I believe) 20th Century Fox? Did he have any nasty baggage attached to him? Just wondering! He is
    buried, incidentally, next to his cathedral with the sliding stained glass deacon’s doors and the hot and cold baptismal font, wonders in themselves in the ‘Greek’ Orthodox world.

    • Monk James says

      Legend has it that Spyros Skouras had the image of the Platytera over the altar at LA’s St Sophia painted in the likeness of Lana Turner, for whatever that’s worth.

    • If he did, it would have come out a long time ago. It is very difficult to compare a truly great man (Skouras) with a low down, filthy, rotten snake like Weinstein.

  9. M. Stankovich. Just for no reason then child-like laughs and giggles, imagine us Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson:
    Holmes and Watson are on a camping trip. In the middle of the night, Holmes wakes up, and gives Dr. Watson a nudge.”Watson, he says, “Look up into the sky, and tell me what do you see.”
    “I see millions of stars, Holmes.” says Watson.
    “And what do you conclude from that, watson?”
    Dr, Watson thinks for a moment.”Well,” he says, “Astronomically, it tells me, there are millions of galaxies, and potentially, billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce, it about a quarter past three. Meterologically , I suspect we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I see that God is all-powerful, and we small, and insignificant. Uh, what does it tell you Holmes?”
    “Watson, you idiot! Someone has stolen our tent!”

    • M. Stankovich, my Sherlock joke was a attempt at some humor, to lighten up the mood, between you and Cyprian. Not to offend anyone. By now I imagine we all know who he might be, so some misdirection might be wise, at this point. Our brother seems to comes to his senses after a cool off period. Throwing coals to the fire never works with our friend Cyprian.

  10. cynthia curran says

    Well, Antifa supports sex with kids since they are an anarcho-communist movement, They also have a branch in Austin Texas that praises Comrade Stalin. These kids are so ignorant of communist. There problem is they think the only evil hatred is racism but don’t consider that communism had a hatred against religion and social class. They don’t know about what Comrade Stalin did to kulaks or they support what he did. In fact while Milo has his moral problems he is nothing compared to the antifa bunch that rioted at his suppose speech date at Berkeley,

  11. Does it mean something? says

    Should we be cautiously optimistic about our culture because of our culture’s current indignation, that we are now all “up in arms” over Weinstein’s sexual predation?

    That is, it was only with the institution of Christian values into culture that sexual predation became “wrong” (in a cultural sense). Cultures throughout world history — from ancient Rome which persecuted Christians mercilessly, to Muslim societies, to tribal regions of the world — often view sex as a normal reward for power. Sexual slavery among women and young boys was rampant then and still is in parts of the world today. It was only with the growth of Christianity that sexual slavery as a cultural norm dissipated. Among women especially, the sexual standards that Christ taught were an amazing blessing in that they offered an antidote to the sexual slavery that was so rampant in ancient Roman culture.

    People often wonder why traditional Christians seem bothered by our culture’s modern sexual laxness. But Christ’s teachings on the proper use of sexuality have set Christianity apart from the rest of the world from the beginning. When you view man as made in God’s image, he ceases to be merely an object to be used or to be played with at will. The opposite of loving someone is not hating them, but using them. Weinstein clearly used people for his sexual gratification.

    Does the fact that our culture is upset about Weinstein using his power to abuse women sexually mean that we still have some hope? Or are we simply living off of the fumes of a dying Western Christianity, and in 30 or 50 years Weinstein’s behavior will be “no big deal?”

    After all, if this were ancient Rome, Weinstein’s behavior would certainly be no big deal. It’d be “yeah, of course, he’s rich and powerful; of course he uses that power to abuse women to get his sexual rocks off.”

    • Michael Bauman says

      More than simple morality Jesus Christ proclaims the value of women as fully human while at the same time recognizing the hierarchy that demands of men that we care for women as if they were our own body and lift them up in thanksgiving. Christianity is the only faith that does this. In part this is to reverse Adam’s horrible justification for eating the forbidden fruit: saying to God it was the fault of “this woman you gave me”. But mostly it has to do with the fact that it is Mary who gave Jesus the body and the blood for His Incarnation.

      Some semblance of morality is better than none, but I am not doing any cartwheels until the real reason to treat women with decency and respect is recognized. They, too, are made in God’s image and sanctified by His Grace.

      It has nothing to do with modern notions of egalitaianism or equality of power. In fact as an instrument of the modern will to power the current crusade could be used as yet another way to bring men to heal for our “toxic masculinity”.

      God forgive me.

  12. George, I will be anxiously awaiting your article on Bill O’Reilly’s million dollar settlements for sexual harassment, in which he believes he is the victim. Oh wait – he is part of your tribe so that will never happen.

    • Michael Bauman says

      Stacy, that would be an interesting article. I would like to see it too.

      • George Michalopulos says

        In the grand scheme of things, O’Reilly is a pissant. And not much of a right-winger. He was all for gun control.

        Still the point remains: the left has been more horrible to women on average, not only in their personal interactions buying their spousal I’d feminism.

        • George says “Still the point remains: the left has been more horrible to women on average”. Wow George, is that based on sound research or just your slanted opinion based on the tinted glasses you are wearing? I come from a research background and I’m embarrassed for you at how easily you lump abusers of women as a “leftist” issue based on your slanted opinion, not on solid research. You make this a “left” and “right” issue, when it is really an “abuse of power” issue that leans both right and left. Wasn’t it Bill Cosby who was preaching to the African American community about their responsibility to be fathers? Does his conservative stance exonerate him as an abuser George? I’m mortified by your ignorance in making this a left or right issue, when it is really an issue of abuse of power period. Any women who has been sexually harassed or assaulted will tell you that. It is Trump who ran the beauty pageant that objectified women, and it was Trump who fat shamed former Miss Universe calling her a fat piggy. I hope you grow up George and stop insulting women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed in making it an issue of party lines instead of abuse of power period.

          Has your love affair with Russia and Putin at all been affected by the recent easing of domestic violence penalties that will not bode well for abused women? If you are serious about your opinionated statement, it should have lessened your love as a conservative. But then again you also in your same breath acknowledge your own hypocrisy with “who cares”? If you don’t care about your own admitted hypocrisy, why are you writing about that of the left? I mean, who cares? Clearly you do, but don’t care about your own. Matthew 7:5 my friend. Reread.

          • Do you know that Trump bragged about walking in on beauty pageant contestants who were naked in their dressing rooms and these women corroborated that this happened? Is this not harassment to you George? How about Roger Ailes at Fox News? Where is that article George? Turn a blind eye George…so what? Is that your response to Matthew 7:5 too?

            • George Michalopulos says

              Stacy, I’m an election between two candidates, one has to make a choice m in this case between a man who bragged about his success with women and a woman who enabled her husband to actually destroy women.

              • Not to minimize sexual harassment, as it is quite real, but I sense that this is the new racism card in politics, when one has nothing left. For some reason the msm and politians think we still hold them with high regard and respect. Sorry but the train has left the station a long time ago.
                Americans want results, not faux patriotism, and honor from politians that haven’t serve Americans in decades. What is worse? A President that is raw and perverse in his ways, but so far seems to love his country and it’s military, and is trying to change course in a such a quick manner, that it has embarrassed the rhinos? Or, the past bunch of politians who spoke eloquently and very P.C. YET never had a problems destroying countries abroad, killing millions abroad, and bringing Americans to their collective kness financially? Not pretty but Trump was our only choice. Don’t fall for the smoke and mirrors anymore, Pandora’s box is open, not all the way, but just enough. I pray pray pray our spiritual leaders will catch wind to this as well. We are are all fish, in a fish bowl with very few places left to hide.

                • Peter Ray Millman says

                  Excellent post Dino. May I add perhaps we should be looking for some hiding places if we have a nuclear war with Korea?

          • George Michalopulos says

            So what’s your advice? That we should go to war with Putin because we don’t like some of his domestic policies?

            Didn’t we do that with Saddam?

            Instead of asking me to re-read Matthew, can I ask you to go visit Walter Reed and see the mangled bodies of men who came back from Iraq, after supposedly bringing democracy there?

            • George, you continue to change the subject and avoid my point. So I will re-iterate my point clearly and not answer anything you ask unrelated to it. On your blog, you continuously praise people on the right like Trump and Milo, who are as morally devoid and hypocritical as people like Weinstein on the left. You place them on pedestals for being on the right. None of these people are morally above the others. You admit your hypocrisy, and make excuses for it. It’s really disturbing to read your praise for leaders like Trump and even Putin who is a murderer and sociopathic and at the same time take great joy in Weinstein’s disgusting behavior simply because he is on the left. You should be denouncing evil on the right as well, but instead you overlook it and continue to praise these people. I personally can’t tolerate it anymore from someone who seems to speak highly of their faith yet not take it’s teachings to heart. Evil is evil no matter if it comes from the team you love or hate. Hypocrisy is tolerated by you when it’s from your team, yet not when it’s from the the other team.

              This kind of finger pointing is tearing our country apart and those who engage in it contribute to the hate fueling the divisions. Congratulations.

              • Steve Zaris says

                Stacy, thank you for your recent posts on this site and the wisdom and reason radiating from them

                • Thank you Steve. This blame game and tribalism is tearing this nation apart. It is like watching a bunch of juveniles say “It’s his fault!”. And now with a sociopathic juvenile running the country, pride is in full force defending this insanity. I guess I expected more from those in the faith, but clearly that is not the case. There is nothing wrong with having ideology that aligns with a particular party, but to have blind allegiance to fallen men while pointing the finger to those who don’t think like us, is the work of Satan.

                  • George Michalopulos says

                    Exactly. Like the tribalism on display when Kathy Griffin decapitated trump in mock effigy.

                    • Is that how you justify the need to lower your standards and join in?

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Stacy, again you miss the point. Several actually. Perhaps the most important is the moralism which infects your worldview. There’s a lot of things for any given man to hate about Country “X” or lament about Country “Y”. My voted was cast on the premise that Trump is not part of the NWO which seeks to send American troops in harm’s way for some moralistic purpose. Yes, he’s a sinner but so what? Did you read today that Bush 41 had to apologize to two actresses because he sexually assaulted them in the presence of his wife no less? What more moral person was on the ticket in 2016 that I could have voted for if I was a prig? A man who was accused of sexually assaulting women or a woman who has a death trail leading up to her doorstep?

                      I’m sorry, but it’s just that easy. If Trump has a zipper problem then he needs to take it up with his pastor and you and I need to worry about our own sins.

                      To be a moralist means that even if a leader doesn’t have a militaristic impulse, his moralism will invariably drive him to war. Abraham Lincoln was one such president, Woodrow Wilson another, FDR a third. These men –well Lincoln and FDR anyway–were always looking for a way to avoid conflict but the moralists in the US made it impossible. The first purpose of any leader is to protect his nation; the second purpose is to avoid uninvited evils. In other words to not go looking for trouble.

          • George Michalopulos says

            Not at all Stacy. Lemme make it easy: was Martin Luther King a good man?

            • Lemme make it easy for YOU….stop deflecting. We are all sinners George. For you to make this an issue of “left” vs. “right” is the problem…not “who is a good man”. You purposely vilify sinners on the left and praise sinners on the right. Get it? Try and stay on topic instead of avoiding accountability.

              • George Michalopulos says

                Yes, Stacy, we’re all sinners. Me, the biggest one of all. That being said, I would like to point out two things:

                1. In a democracy, we haven’t I choose between two sinners on election day. And

                2. It’s high time we end the hypocrisy of the left. With characters like LBJ and MLK and Teddy Kennedy and the Clintons, etc the left has NO moral authority at all. It’s just now caught u with y’all and that’s why they’re squealing like stuck pigs.

                • And that response George exposes the fraud of those like you who blog how important your Orthodox faith is to you, yet with boldness point your finger to those not in your tribe, while ignoring and excusing the disgusting behavior of those within. Our allegiance and priority is to our Lord and Saviour. Not to a political party. We can’t serve two masters. It is exactly what Christ tells us not to do. Yet you do it with no regret and brimming pride, knowing full well the divisive nature of your blame game.

                  I’m a sinner too, but when we are aware of our mistakes, we are called to repentance. Again congratulations on doing your part to divide this great nation. I hope and pray you and others in the faith actually consider what Christ asks of us, instead of seeking out petty wars. There would be more love and less evil around us for sure. May God have mercy on us all.

                  • George Michalopulos says

                    Again you miss the point, in this democratic process I voted for the sinner who was candidate A while you voted for the sinner who was candidate N. My sinner won.

                    One candidate had credible accusations of sexual assault leveled against him while the other had credible accusations of murder leveled against her.

                    • …And AGAIN you deflect to “voting”! Who brought up your voting preference George? We are discussing your constant praise of Trump and others who are as disturbed as those you complain about on the left. I have more conservative than liberal leanings, so you can’t even level the “left” agenda against me, because I am not of the left.

                      Enough deflecting and accept that you excuse and praise some very disturbed people on the right out of your hate for the left. Christ does not prescribe hate, but that is what you are espousing over and over again towards those who you may not agree with, but are your brothers and sisters all the same. Put down your hate George. It’s un-edifying to your Orthodox Christian faith.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Stacy, I’m many things but not a hater. Anybody who knows me knows that I’m very averse to conflict and always to try see the best in everybody. That’s the way I was raised. My momma taught me to not say anything about anybody if I couldn’t say anything nice. In the South, if we have a problem with somebody we say “he ain’t right”.

                      As to voting –what of it? We’re still a democratic republic and unless an Orthodox monarchy is installed, I have a right to be as good a citizen as I can. Even Chrysostom believed that all men must do good by their country (I paraphrase). In this country, we have the right to vote. I voted for Trump.

              • Peter Ray Millman says

                Yes, Stacy, you are right. Donald Trump has made many disgusting comments about women. I remember he famously said that Heidi Klum was no longer a ten. He said despicable things about Carla Fiorina’s looks. The comments he made to Billy Bush were beneath contempt. In essence, he has no moral compass- and yet I voted for him.

                After the Billy Bush fiasco, I was going to write Mike Pence’s name in on the ballot, but a lady friend on facebook convinced me it would be a wasted vote. As bad as Donald Trump was, Hillary was much worse. She was as dishonest as the day is long, and she personally destroyed the women whom Bubba sexually assaulted and raped. For me, it was a choice between the lesser of two evils.

                To me, the most important thing is that Trump is eviscerating political correctness, and is protecting religious liberty. He also said we were going to “beat the hell” out of ISIL- and that is exactly what we have done. He respects and honors the police- unlike a certain obtuse commentator on this forum. He is keeping America safe from Islamic terrorism Does he have any decency or class? No. He’s still the best US president since John F. Kennedy- my favorite president.

                • I agree. I truly wish our president had the class and good-humored way of humiliating his foes as, say, a Ronald Reagan. But he doesn’t, and that’s that. I find some of what he has said and done in his personal life rather deplorable. I also find some of his communication unnecessarily divisive. But when it comes to most of what he is doing as president (at least thus far) I do not regret voting for him. The alternative would have been America in free-fall even worse than it now is.

                  Stacy certainly does have a point about selective indignation. The only thing I would say is that the Progressive Left (and this includes the media of all stripes) are masters of manipulating the moral sensibilities of Christian voters. When it pertains to their own they insist that “what one does in private life doesn’t matter in the public arena” and are curiously dismissive, quick to “forgive” (appealing to our Christianity while despising it themselves) and to move on without consequence whilst their enemies are hounded about their transgressions until they die – or give up fighting. I suspect this is what George is trying to say in his own needlessly awkward and far too roundabout way.

                  The ‘trick’ (as it were) for Christians when it comes to political choices is to maintain the truth without partiality while not being sucked into being manipulated by our own moral sensibilities. I’m certain all of us would choose to elect a godly man, but I cannot recall ever being given that choice. We were presented with a choice between a rather crass (and at least former) womanizer and one who would continue the fight for unrestricted abortion, the destruction of the natural family, the erosion of religious liberty, lawless immigration policies, and every other item on the nihilistic Leftist agenda.

                  The best we can do as Christian voters is all that government is God-ordained to do: attempt to restrain as much evil as humanly possible. And while we may differ at times over what evils are worthy of priority when it comes to this restraint, the reality is that we have far less direct power over political events than any of us have been led to believe.

                  The best we can do as Christians is to pray for our civil authorities, regardless of who they are or how good or evil they may be. This is where our true power lies.

                  • George Michalopulos says

                    Well put, Brian.

                    If I may quibble however on one point. If you are over forty, then this applies to you: we actually were given the choice to vote for a godly man several years ago. His name was Jimmy Carter. And his presidency was a disastrous one. One so criminally inept that he lost in a landslide to a washed-up grade-B Hollywood actor.

                    That’s saying a lot.

                    I guess that’s why in early Byzantine times politicians remained catechumens until near the end of their lives when they would receive baptism.

                    • Actually, George, one would have to be almost 60 today to have voted for President Carter. I’m very close, but not quite there. I do remember his election and the years that followed quite well. Unlike most of my young acquaintances at the time, I paid attention to what was going on in the world. And I wouldn’t have voted for him if I could have, even though Ford wasn’t the best of options.

                      Though I believed – and still believe – Carter to be a good-hearted, mostly godly man, he always struck me as naïve. It is good, I think, for political leaders to appeal to our better angels in their speeches and to draw out the goodness that exists in the hearts of almost all people, but it is dangerous to govern in the same manner. Unfortunate and unpleasant though it is, evil is with us; and there are times when, as Kind David advised Solomon (a man of peace, mind you), hoary heads must be brought down to the grave in (proverbial) blood.

                      Carter also, like so many even now on both left and right, bought into the false quasi-‘Christian’ modern belief that we are here to make the world a better place. I am the first to admit that saying this can sound callous, and I do not deny that government can do some good. But the only good it can do is alleviate some suffering. It will never create an environment that eliminates suffering itself and make everything ‘fair’ no matter how much evil it retrains. It is simply not within the power of any man or group of men. And every time we try to ascribe this power to ourselves God proves us wrong, as suffering only increases. Yet so thoroughly entrenched is this belief that rather than learning from our error and recognizing its manifest result we double-down on our stupidity. “We need to do more…always more. Together we can do it!” It is a delusion.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Brian, I’m 58. I didn’t vote for Carter in 76 because I was not yet 18. I voted for him in 80, against The Gipper (to my everlasting shame).

                      Yes, he’s a godly man of that there can be no doubt, but I believe it was Martin Luther who said “It’s better to be ruled by a wise Turk than a foolish Christian”. I pretty much agree with that sentiment.

                    • Ah…yes…the election of 1980. How could we ever forget this?

    • Yeah, I think that Ailes guy from Fox News coughed up a pretty penny,too, to settle his cases. These guys have no morals whatsoever.

  13. Overheard from the MSM prior to reporting on the Trump/Billy Bush tape:

    “Farewell friend, I was one thousand times more evil than thou!”

  14. Michael Bauman says

    To expect virtue from modern politicians is ridiculous. To expect even handedness from political commentators in our ideologically divided politics/country is equally ridiculous.

    The only even handed thing to say is that all of our politicians are corrupt. Vote knowing that and hold your nose or don’t vote and perhaps allow evil to flourish even more. Trump is a vulgar, immoral man of power. Bill O’Reilly likely similar. Lest it be forgotten he was quite soft on Obama as long as he could get access for interviews.

    Men in power unchecked by love of Christ and Christian love for their wives are usually sexual pigs in word if not deeds. Nothing more should be expected. Women in power without Christ are also quite tempted to manipulation, control and sexual tryanny as well. It is human nature.

    This was not intended to be an Orthodox site that commented on politics but a political site run by an Orthodox man. Big difference. George makes his bias quite clear. That is the honorable thing to do. I am sure he would post a similar credible article on the pigs of the right but do not expect him to write it.

    • Defend away. I’m not interested in debating why anyone voted how they did. Nobody needs to explain to anyone how and why they voted. So let’s not twist my point in the spirit of deflection. Michael said it well in that all politicians are corrupt. I have read a very distorted assessment on this blog that has actually glorified much of who Trump is, when in essence, he is just as disturbed as some on the “left”.

      And to read George use the word “courageous” to describe Milo, who spoke against gay marriage, then went and got married to his boyfriend this year, really illustrates my point beautifully. If Milo were on the “left”, he would be great fodder for George to mock and attack. But he is on the “right”, so that excuses him of the hypocrisy he stands for, as with all other “right” figures who are simply using the platform for their own gain and notoriety. In the end, see through the charade and if you call out evil, call it out even if it is in your own backyard. That’s courage.

      • George Michalopulos says

        Stacy, I did not know that Milo had gone off and got “gay married” to his lover. Truth be told, back in Feb (I believe) he fell off the radar.

        When I say that Milo is “courageous” I mean that. He has more death threats against him than any hundred men you and I know. That’s an adjective. Hitler was courageous as a runner during WWI; Custer was courageous in his battles (more likely foolhardy); Attila the Hun was courageous in battle. That doesn’t mean that they were moral or just men. It’s just a statement of fact.

        As for my supposedly giving Milo a pass because he’s on the right and that I wouldn’t do it if he were on the left, you presume too much. I was shocked to find out about MLK’s personal life, not merely his rampant adulteries but his actual physical abuse of women. Yet, these things do not detract from the universal morality of his message. Likewise Gandhi (who slept naked with two teenage girls every night to test his fortitude) and who was a racist (yes –I said it), his message of passive civil disobedience is moral and outweighs his predilections. I despise the words of Saul Alinsky but I recognize his tactical brilliance. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was not a good thing in my book but its strategic brilliance and brilliance was astounding. Its audacity is studied today in military and naval academies the world over. Etc.

        Try not to read more into my assessments of people than what is there.

          • George Michalopulos says

            Stacy, why the anger at me? I have never displayed anger towards you. I imagine that if we met, we’d like each other. I certainly respect you and your opinions. I just voted otherwise. When Obama was president I prayed for him daily. At church, at every liturgy, my pastor would intone “and we pray for all those in civil authority” and I responded “Amen!” (Four times per liturgy!)

            We live in a democratic republic. I have the right to my opinion and can cast my vote accordingly. To believe that I get my ideas from alt-right websites is ludicrous. I’m well into my 50s. The first president I cast a ballot for was Jimmy Carter. I didn’t leave the Democratic Party until 1989 or so. (Or as The Gipper said, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me”.)

            • It’s not anger, it’s disappointment. George, we have a sociopath malignant narcissist leading our country. I have firsthand experience with this individuals with these types of serious personality disorders. They don’t feel love or empathy. They are only concerned with how something reflects on them. I’m sure we have had other presidents with personality disorders, but also had the intelligence to navigate the waters of running a country. Putin is an example of that type. That’s not what we have and it is worse than anything remote that you think Obama represents. There are a lot of things I’m not good at and a lot of things I am good at. After witnessing a certain type of behavior and disposition from an adult, my insight is spot on in knowing what to expect. Someone here commented Trump cares about his country and military. Dead wrong…he cares only about himself and what things to say to look good. That’s how narcissists function.

              . Over and out…I’ll check back on your site in 3 years. Best to you George.

              • George Michalopulos says

                Thank you Stacy. And to you I wish the best. I imagine that your mission is not complete yet as well.

                If you will permit me one final thought. You say you have “experience” with individuals who display a “sociopathic malignant narciss[ism].” While you imply that Trump suffers from this disorder, you fall short of actually stating that as fact. Is it because you don’t know this to be the case or that you have doubts? I actually know people who know Trump and they will tell you that he drives a hard bargain but once a deal is made (usually to his benefit) he stands by it. If however he feels he’s being screwed over he’ll tear a person a new one (pardon my French). “Best friend/worst enemy” dichotomy.

                Regardless; people can and do repent. Trump is the only President to visit the Holy Sepulchre and according to reports there he and Melania knelt and placed their heads on the Anointing Stone on which our Lord’s body was placed, praying there and receiving the blessing of the Catholic (I believe) clergy there. This was done in secret with no cameras present. Does this sound like a “sociopath” or a “narcissist” to you? Not to me.

                While I agree that we don’t know how this story ends; I myself might wind up weeping bitter tears of betrayal. Or if he is the Real Deal he may be removed by the Deep State. Regardless, at this point, I thank God every night that the NWO’s candidate –a truly despicable woman with real blood on her hands–decisively lost the election.

                In my youth, I used to be more physically active, studying Tae-Kwan Do and riding horses for example. One of the things I learned (from my mother) was that if you fall off the horse you’re to get right back on. In the martial arts one must calibrate his falls in order to keep on fighting. Sometimes you take them in order to catch your breath or avoid further strikes. But you get up and fight on unless you’re decisively beaten. The Lord has given America and the West one more chance. We can’t waste it even if it’s fore-ordained that we ultimately fall and/or Trump fails. Like the Norsemen of old who went into battle knowing that the world would end at Ragnarok in fire and ice, we Orthodox have a similar –albeit more hopeful–mindset: “Rejoice in your struggle”.

                Just sayin’. I may be a fool. I’m certainly a sinner. If I’ve done anything to offend you, please forgive me.

              • Archpriest Alexander F. C. Webster says

                RE: “George, we have a sociopath malignant narcissist leading our country.”

                “Stacy,” or whatever your authentic name is, before you “check” out, please state your professional credentials–M.D. in psychiatry, PhD (or at least an M.A. or M.S.) in professional counseling, etc.–to justify your psychoanalysis of President Donald J. Trump without ever meeting him in person, much less subjecting him, at a minimum, to a 50-minute session of “analysis.”

                My skepticism, indeed cynicism, toward such amateur, armchair diagnoses from a distance dates back to my initial reading of Young Man Luther by Erik Erikson when I was a junior in college. I did not buy his outrageous attempt to psychoanalyze a man who had been dead for more than 400 years, nor do I respect the string of presumptuous, pretentious, pseudo-psychological, political leftist clichés to which you resort, together with numerous political commentators on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and the rest of the alphabet soup of mainstream media, to caricature the successor of President Barrack Obama.

                • I understand why folks like Stacy could assume these things from our President’s behavior, particularly as observed from afar, and even more particularly as observed through the lens of the MSM. What I don’t think these folks understand is the history of his life, how it shaped his personality, and how it shapes the way he approaches politics.

                  People think of him as a spoiled rich man, but most have little idea of how he got rich. It is true that he didn’t start out ‘poor’ by middle class standards. It is also true that he didn’t build his fortune by starting only with a $1 million loan from his father. The capital with which he actually started is difficult to ascertain (even for him) because it included loans and inheritances, as well as personal assets. But even if we take the very highest reported estimate of about $100 million (and I admit this is a lot of money), this amount needs to placed in the context of the New York real estate market in which he began. $100 million is enough to purchase about 100 (or so) average homes or several good-sized apartment buildings in…say…Crestwood or Long Island. This isn’t small change, but it certainly didn’t make him a major player in New York real estate.

                  What made him a major player in real estate – first in New York and later nationally –was a complicated series of loans, partnerships with well-known companies (whose interests he later purchased outright), and risks that few of us would have the guts to undertake, some of which led to business bankruptcy and at least one of which almost bankrupted him personally.

                  Coupled with all these was the fact that in order to get where he is now he constantly had to fight against highly entrenched interests in New York, both private and political, who had grown accustomed to doing business in their own way – and, of course, for their own benefit. Although I have no way of knowing, I suspect the entrenched real estate interests in New York had no particular personal animosity toward Trump as he sought to advance his business. Their desire to keep him “in his place” was about them and their ability to maintain the status quo. Precisely who was upsetting their apple cart was likely irrelevant. To them he would have been a “nobody,” an insect to be brushed aside.

                  This, in my opinion, is the key to understanding his brash political personality, his unseemly boasting about his wealth, and his gut-inclination always to fight rather than reconcile himself to the status quo.

                  Given his personality, it isn’t at all surprising to me that many think of him as a sociopath malignant narcissist. But I suspect that if we all actually made attempts to know one another, rather than judge from afar, many of our opinions would be substantially altered. This doesn’t mean that we won’t disagree, but it does mean we will come to understand and relate to one another as persons. I will never forget Christos Yannaras’s words…

                  “Love is the supreme path to knowledge of a person.”

                  • Trump lacks humility because he never needed it and wasn’t taught it and it didn’t help him.

                    It is easy to twist a person with little humility into a narcissist.

                    However, rather than a kind rebuke of Stacy; you once again pound on the podium to appease others.

    • Tim R. Mortiss says

      I do not believe that all politicians are corrupt. My wife has won five elections in a row to local office and she is not corrupt. I ran twice for local office. Mercifully, I lost. But I would not have been corrupt if I had won.

      I am always amazed (I shouldn’t be anymore) how many folks here are bitterly hostile to the very idea of self-government. I for one am proud of my wife, and, indeed, proud that I tossed my own hat into the ring a couple of times, instead of endlessly whining about “politicians”.

      • George Michalopulos says

        TimR, I for one don’t believe that all politicians are corrupt. The system however is corrupt and drives all those who seek political office to do things which are regrettable. As Michael Kinsley once said, “it’s not what’s illegal that’s awful, it’s what’s legal that’s awful.”

      • Michael Bauman says

        Timor, local politicians who actually want to govern and are not “on their way up” are seldom corrupt. The higher they go and the further they are away from those that elect them the more corruption becomes the norm. To stay in office at that level takes a lot of money and a lot of support from others.

        Few have enough lice repellent to resist the temptations of power.

        Trump can because what can anyone possibly offer him?