About That Toxic Masculinity . . .

 

Just sayin’.

Today is the 75th anniversary of D-Day. I wonder if we could pull something like this off today. Somehow, I doubt it. Hopefully, we’ll never have to learn.

I knew one man, Don Metevelis, who was in the second wave at Omaha Beach. That wave had a 90% casualty rate. He was seriously wounded but lived. One month later he was back on the front lines, plowing his way through France.

True story: his wife, Marina lived in Wichita. The Army sent her a telegram informing her of Don’s condition. She had no phone, neither did Don’s parents (who lived in Tulsa). She got on a bus, took the four-hour trek to Tulsa, walked from the bus station to her in-laws’ house and gave them the news that their son had been seriously wounded.

Comments

  1. Monk James Silver says

    Whatever ”white men’s guilt’ might be, is, I’m not guilty of it, and I suspect t that most of us men of European ancestry aren’t, either, even if in a former time and place it was sinfully allowed to own slaves, either black or white, Thank Heaven, that isn’t what Americans (at least) think now.

    This is just a ‘political correctness’ s’ thing gone awry, and I didn’t do it.

    anyone who would blame me for such s thing would be better advised to do do his homework better before writing in public.

    • My greek ancesters were the rayiah,or cattle of the turks and on my dad’ s Welsh side, under english yoke, so what do i need to apologised for?
      And is it not about time the west africans on coast elites apologised for the massive role they played in slavery with white trade and the VAST ISLAMIC Slavs trade across what is now Chad, etc.
      The only thing I need to apogise for IS ME AS U ALL KNOW! ?

      • Solitary Priest says

        Bingo!@Nikos

        • Thank you.  I know its nauseating and like identity Politics,an excuse for avoiding the fundamental issues.  
          By the way we Greeks males  colloqually address each other as Re,  Ρε!  ,  in mockery of rayiah.  

          • George Michalopulos says

            I always thought it was “BhRe” (i.e. V-Re).  But then I’m Messenian on my dad’s side.

            • It comes from the word (*)
              Μωρέ = Moron, Stupid, then became
              Mpreh, and finally short
              Reh
               
              It is innocently used between friends,
              but impolite between strangers.

              (*) for grammatically minded people,
              Nominative case: MoROS (Neuter: MoRON)
              Vocative case : MoREH

              • George Michalopulos says

                Thank you. I wish I had taken up linguistics.

              • Exactly Ioannis! So well explained. To amplify, the word moron, from μωρό, somebody with an undeveloped brain….. as the brain of babies has not being developed yet.

  2. Greatly Saddened says

    It may just be me, but I seem to notice an enormous difference between that generation and the 18 year olds of today. Of course not all, but many.

    • Gail Sheppard says

      The Millenials (Gen Y) of today are afraid of valor and it’s probably our fault.  Well, my fault, anyway.  I protected my children too much.  I’m sad to say, I didn’t teach my “super-hero scrapper-skills” to my children.  They just aren’t as tough as we were raised to be.

      I remember talking to my daughter about something as stupid as preparing a turkey for a Thanksgiving dinner.  She said, “I could never stick my hand up a turkey’s butt like you,” as if I lived for the experience!  I said, “No one likes doing it, Jessica, but we do it because we love our family.”

      They haven’t been challenged in a way where they understand the need for self-sacrifice for the greater good, even when it comes to roasting a turkey, so my guess is, they would have difficulty with the rigors of war.  Not that they couldn’t get ready.  It’s part of our American DNA to rise to the occasion.  Yanks, as our Brother Nikos is fond of calling us, will do what we have to do to survive.         

      • Whatever one thinks of Millennials, it should be remembered that the great WWII generation was almost entirely against our entry into another European war, and only very gradually did they perceive the necessity of doing so as it became evident that they themselves were threatened by Germany – and later by Japan.

        https://exhibitions.ushmm.org/americans-and-the-holocaust/us-public-opinion-world-war-II-1939-1941

        In no way does this diminish their sacrifice. It just means they weren’t anxious to get involved in another war, having only two decades earlier been involved in one that was supposed to end them all.

        • Gail Sheppard says

          True.

        • Brian, GS, and Gail,
          There is a large difference between the greatest generation that fought in WW2, and today’s millennials, and that is faith and belief in God.

          What makes one generation run towards machine gun fire, and one generation not do so. Not green beret types we see today who do go towards gun fire, but ordinary  everyday men, who hit those beaches 75 years ago. The WW2 generation had God to sustain them thru hell on earth, torn up bodies, minds, and certain death. Most in the WW2 generation went to church, read the bible, and loved their nation.

          Today’s boys have false idols that they worship, and God does not exist or is very low on their totem pole. There is a selflessness to those who truly believe in God, and willing to offer great sacrifice or even give their life for their neighbor, and country. Not so in today’s Godless society. Even after the greatest generation survived  WW2, they came back, and resumed their life, and expected nothing in return.  They knew God watches all, and they would judged by their action before, during, and after WW2. What today will sustain today’s generation in general to go thru such trials, there is neither great faith, nor deep belief in God or country to make such sacrifices, with a growing majority in America. Me society is not good.

          The greatest generation fought, and sacrificed everything they had to give so  the world, and their country would remain free, and out of the control of evil such as Adolf Hitler. Today we have idiots like Basil who without fear of God, amplifies his theories and promotes dark evil websites that would have liked to see all Jews, and probably other races, enslaved, or killed in the final solution, and manifests these ideas without shame, on a Orthodox Christian Website of all places.

          • No argument whatsoever, my brother Dino.

            But I do wonder sometimes – just as I have often wondered about my own self as a person who, although subject to the draft since the Carter Administration, was never called to active service. (I chuckle to myself when I remember the letter I received from the Selective Service Administration after notifying them of my last change of address about 28 years ago. In the kindest possible language they informed me that I was an old geezer, and it was not necessary to notify them of such changes going forward.)

            It is one thing to rise to the challenge if called upon, as our fathers (and mothers) who served (or supported) did. It is another, in the case of Millenials (and me, for that matter), never to be called upon to make such heroic sacrifices for others. And while I agree that faith in God has a great deal to do with courage and heroism, it is also true that there is nothing quite like the immediacy of the danger of death to bring the realities of God and our mortality to the forefront. Recall the prayerful atmosphere and full churches (short-lived though it was) immediately after 9-11.

            I suppose what I am saying – or wondering- is this: Millenials are human, too, just like us and the WWII generation. All human beings, whether they are conscious of it or not, ultimately long to transcend the limits of their ‘fallen’ nature. But not always are they called upon to do so by circumstances beyond their own control. I always hoped (though thankfully I was never put to the test) that had I been called upon to serve I would have done so in a brave and selfless manner. I am a Baby-Boomer, a bit too young for Viet Nam and too old for any subsequent war. My life, like those of the Millenials, is filled with the benefits of the sacrifices of others. Is it not possible, then, that this generation might also rise to the challenge if called upon?

            Something else to ponder: Since these Millenials are OUR own sons and daughters, would WE – the Baby Boomers – have the will/courage/faith in God to send our children off to sacrifice and die for us in the kind of numbers seen in WWII, as their parents did? Or are we, in our own ways, possibly just as self-centered as we perceive Millenials to be?

            Just some thoughts for what they’re worth. Always good to converse with you.

            • Brian,
              If I was called, or my son during WW2, I have no doubt I would have joined up, and with trepidation given my son my blessing to join up as well. Since WW2 wars are fought to keep the military-Industrial Complex alive. President Eisenhower warned us about it, and he was right. The wars after WW2 keeps weapon factories, and D.C. lawyers in disguise as U.S. Congressmen and women, well fed, and allows for most of the corruption our country suffers. That and our welfare state, but that’s another story. I will not fight nor die to feed this corruption.

              Today I would not give the blessing to my son, and do my best to convince him not to join. If there is ever a war again like WW2, I’m afraid it will be a nuclear exchange at which I don’t believe there will much left of anything to fight for, but simply survive the aftermath of such an epic tragedy, destruction and most likely the coming Apocalypse to follow. Then we will be solders for Christ. Hopefully we will be on the right side, and fooled by the evil one. God Bless Bro!

              • Holy Moly! Major correction, on the second to last sentence of my post above:
                Hopefully we will be on the right side, and NOT BE fooled by the evil one.

            • M. Stankovich says

              I apparently differ in experience & opinion than has been expressed here. 
              I had the wonderful – in fact priceless – experience of working at a Naval Medical Center for several years, treating active duty and retired veterans, and their families & loved ones. My wife worked for a contractor of the Navy, flying to the final ports of battle groups, and joining them onboard for the trip home & conducting “returning to the family” groups for sailors who, for example, had become fathers will on deployment.
              I personally found officers & sailors dedicated to the mission & integrity of the Navy. Many young veterans of service in the Gulf were obviously disabled with devastating injuries – literally life-changing injuries – but it was rare to hear anyone (including their families) complain or disparage the military, and in fact, many spoke very positively of the “higher expectation” of integrity the military demanded. On the whole, veterans or active-duty, they were the most polite, respectful, and disciplined group of individuals  I could have imagined. And I emphasize that never spoke of the Navy as a “job” – in fact they resented the term. They were volunteers and took honour, integrity, and valor very seriously, and had no reservations calling out those who fell short. From my wife’s perspective, they were dedicated to their families and came to her specifically to enhance their ability to be responsible parents & spouses. 
              While I believe it unfair to be making generational comparisons, I am convinced & impressed with the fact that in our experience, this generation of military are exceptional. I’m for Fr. Dean Webster’s opinion and I’ll bet his experience, on the whole, and particularly among combat personnel, is very similar to mine.

              • Michael Stankovich,
                I have nothing but respect for those who serve in our military. They for the most part are the best citizens our nation has. My opinion of our government’s corrupt state, that supports the war machine has nothing to do with the faithful service, of our military brothers and sisters, commit themselves to. They serve our country regardless of the corruption, or ignorant of it, and will fight any battle, because they believe in, love, want to protect, and serve it, even if might mean the ultimate sacrifice. 
                In similar fashion, many here might believe I am foolish to remain in The Greek Orthodox Church of America, but this is the only Church I have known, loved, loved in return, naturally want to support, protect, and see The Church grow, regardless of the corruption we read of on a daily basis, here on this blog. While most in our Church, are unaware of the corruption, I for the most part am not, but will still remain a faithful servant. Why? Because I understand the sinful condition we all suffer from, in all levels of Orthodoxy, and it infects all jurisdictions to some degree whether it be Greek, Russian, Ukranian, etc. All things change, evolve,and in the long run I have faith The Greek Orthodox Church will come thru the crisis it suffers today, and improve. 
                 

          • Len Molingas says

            If you read FourthTurning,com (which argues history recycles every four generations), you will see the generation (that created the mess) BEFORE the greatest was EXACTLY like the millenials.

    • Solitary Priest says

      I just met the family of a clergyman who homeschools his children. His two teenage sons were discussing Plato’s “Republic.” They put me to shame!

      • George Michalopulos says

        Indeed! What puts me to shame is that I was not exposed to Plato’s Republic until my early 50s!

        Fr, I can’t tell you how many times I have to defend homeschooling families because they think homeschooled children are somehow socially retarded. And then I did deeper and find out that their children go to lily-white schools in the suburbs and exurbs “for free”. They have no clue, they still have a Mayberry/Springfield view of Middle America that no longer exists. The rest of us spend a lot of money sending our kids to parochial schools.

        It’s sad, really, because I had some really good teachers, who really tried to do the best with what they had. But overall, as far as my high school education was concerned, the teachers were reduced to worrying about whether we’d break out in a race riot and they would be caught in the crossfire. What a waste. Thank you, Great Society.

  3. This is a great example of how selflessness trumps selfishness for power. Selfless: what have I got to lose? Selfish: explains itself from here.
    The more our world nurtures egoism, the more cowardly (read: comfort driven) we become

  4. Antiochene Son says

    When those few remaining WW2 veterans look at the state of America and Europe today, I wonder if they still feel it was worth it.

    What 18 year old would die to protect a nation of homo propaganda, trannies, abortion, legalized foreign invasion, drug addiction, a worthless constitution, ruled over by non- and fake-Americans? Whose only guiding interest in foreign policy is Israel? As we are reaching Weimar Republic levels of degeneracy. What was the point of all that death, when this is the legacy?

    My great grandfather landed on Omaha Beach and he reposed about 20 years ago. I’m glad the Lord spared him having to see what became of his beloved country today.

    • George Michalopulos says

      I can’t help but wonder as well sometimes.

      • http://immigration-globalization.blogspot.com/2011/10/if-hitler-won-world-war-ii-we-would.html
        This, of course, will be a controversial article to read but it deserves to be read with an open mind.

        • I am all for free speech but this article is nothing more than a disgusting compilation of lies and anti-Semitic attacks.  You can criticize Israel without being anti-Semitic but this article goes way beyond anything especially in its denial of the Holocaust.  This article is such a gross distortion of anything truthful that a point by point refutation would give it a level of attention it does not deserve.  
          George this is your blog and I am grateful for everything you do to give us this forum.  But believe this community would be better served not even printing taking seriously a piece of trash like this.    Hitler decimated not only the Jews but also more than 10% of the Greek nation. May the souls of the deceased torture Basil’s dreams each night until he repents of his sin in promoting this filth.
           

          • Gail Sheppard says

            George is a huge proponent of free speech, Michael. But, you’re right. This piece doesn’t do anything for me either. The less said about it the better.

            • Total trash, and that is where it belongs. Come on Mono. editors, free speech is great, but it stops at my home. You have sullied yours, by allowing such trash in. This is the PG version of my true thoughts BTW.

              • Gail Sheppard says

                I think you’re overreacting a bit, my friend. They’re just words and they’re not George’s. The author seems to be missing the whole idea of sin being the result of the fall, which predates any group of people.

                • George Michalopulos says

                  Dino, Michael, et al:   Basil’s sentiments are most definitely not mine.  However, the cure for bad speech is more speech.   Right now, YouTube has demonetized Steven Crowder simply because of the words of one “intersectional” (gay, Latino, Romulan) cry-bully no one has ever heard of. 

                  And it’s getting worse.  Holocaust-denial/revisionism is not my cup of tea and believe it or not,I do know that Greece actually suffered more fatality because of WWII as a percentage of its population than any other country (including Poland). 

                  But still, the incipient communard totalitarianism that is descending on Academe, the Internet and everything else is too much to bear.  I can’ t be a part of that.  It’s just too much.

                  And it’s not because I’m making money doing this (like Molyneaux, Styx, Bernstein, Crowder, Red Ice, Faith Goldy, etc) are.  I’m not.  But first they’re going to demonetize then they’re going to shut down these sites.  I imagine that Monomakhos will fly under the radar under such a regime but that’s not the point.

                  Anyway, sorry for the digression.  I’m getting rather philosophical in my old age, and fearful for our civilization.  I have two very precious sons who I care about more than life itself.  I’d like to think that they won’t be facing a new dark age and any culture that censors alternative thought would be a dark age indeed.

                  God wills.

                  • I worry for my lot too, re future. As St Silouan of Mount Athos says, ‘keep yr mind in hell and despair not’

                  • Gail and George,
                    In theory you are correct, but why even give such trash exposure? Most on this blog would not find such a blog if the link was not here. Maybe some readers here will believe such blogs. Maybe I am in the wrong, but porn is banned to a certain extent, and in my opinion that blog is mental porn. I could go on and on, but will not because I am really angry, not with you, but some primeval fire stirs in me that wants revenge.

                    • Solitary Priest says

                      For what, it’s worth, Dino, I stand with you and Tim on this one. Even if 20% of that stuff were to be true, that would not make up for the rest which is garbage.
                             I respect George, but I think he gives too much freedom of speech to some posters. At least he does allow extremists from both sides, I’ll grant him that.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Thank you Fr.

                  • Speaking of YouTube wielding the ban hammer on conservatives, check this out:

                    YouTube – Run by Jew Susan Wojcicki
                    Google – Owned by Jews Sergey Brin and Larry Page
                    ADL – Jewish ethnic activist group, part of the Israel lobby
                    Gay Mexican guy from Vox News that started this whole thing – Also Jewish
                    Vox News – Owned by the Jew Ezra Klein

                    Just a coincidence though.

                    • Tim R. Mortiss says

                      If this stuff stays on this blog, I for one am exiting for good.

                    • Tim R. Mortiss says

                      I replied to this person calling himself Basil in response to his post in the same sort of vein a few weeks back. As I said then I have Jewish buddies from high school who are still  friends, and I have been law partners and business partners with Jews for 45 years. I even set out then the surnames of some of my long-time law firm partners, Greeks, Croatians, Jews, Italians, Chinese, Cambodians, Anglos, Swedes….a regular movie army platoon. 
                      As I also said then, I had the honor to speak at the synagogue at the funeral for a 30-year law partner and close friend whose untimely and accidental death 14 years ago devastated a huge section of our community; over 1,500 people were at that funeral.
                      So now I’m ending up just repeating myself. I won’t be associated with this in any way.

                  • Michael Bauman says

                    George, just a caveat: the cure for bad speech only works when the bad speech is founded upon some sort of common ground.  It does not work when what is being countered is profoundly distorted anti-human vomit.  The only proper response is to simply say NO as strongly as possible and limit it’s exposure to others.

          • Constantinos says

            Hi Michael,
            Thanks to your kindness, I’ve changed my views about the state of Israel. I no longer favor a Palestinian state. The last thing the Middle East needs is another Muslim state. I now believe that Jordan is the Palestinian’s homeland.
            The only criticism I have about Israel is that our interests and Israel’s don’t always intersect. For example, President Trump is going after Iran quite vigorously; this is from Bibi’s influence. Also, I don’t believe in giving foreign military aid to any country including Israel and Saudi Arabia, especially when we, as a nation, are running trillion dollar deficits annually.
            In his farewell address, our greatest President, George Washington, warned us against entangling alliances. As a country, we shouldn’t have permanent allies, only interests. We should always put the interests of the US first and last.
            Speaking of the most evil man in history, Adolph Hitler, I find it astounding that the Catholic Church never excommunicated him. Also, for anyone to deny the Holocaust, that person’s brain is fried. The Holocaust happened. Six million Jews were wiped out along with gypsies, etc. It must never happen again, and we must be ever vigilant against the world’s oldest and most virulent hatred- anti- Semitism. We must fight it whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head. If we don’t speak up for the Jews, who’s going to speak up for us? Thank you, brother, and may God continue to bless you and your family. I’m still praying for Bart.

            • George Michalopulos says

              Costa, like you I believe we are too heavily invested in Israel. They can take care of themselves.

              America first.

              • Israel can sure take care of itself. I keep on telling Don he needs to put on a israeli defense force uniform and remove the american flag. 
                As for electoral interfering,   NEHANYAHU not so much interfere as  run them!!.  And to which country does that slums landlord and barbie doll wife of his, Kushner , friend of Saudi  butcher, give his, their allegience to?  Sure not USA is it?. 
                And yet to question this is to be anti semitic.?  And its Golan Heights land grab and buying out Christian land in Jerusalem.    George., the next open sewar for us Orthodox is the Jerusalem Patrarchate. Until the Church is running in the real world,  the message of Christ, the witness of the Church, will be as anaemic and muted as it currently is. They love it like that. 

                • I truly believe american Orthodoxy can be pivotal for world Orthodoxy,  once it sends it’s Phanar and any other,  carpet baggers, back home. Your no nonsense,  reality lived attitude can get rid of the dream world that church lives in as if it’s yet to learn that Constantinople has fallen. 
                  Get rid of the carpet baggers now!!  
                  Send the latest packing after a good lunch but keep yr hands on the dosh.  Behind the slick words is corruption,  sleeze and NO GOD. 

                • Tim I read the comments you refere to and they are bad. Shade of protoculs of zion, that were cooked up by Tsarist secret service, the Okhrana.  
                  However legitimate criticism of Israel is not anti – semitism.  I worked with many Jewish colleagues who had a variety of views.  I will continue to call out extreme zionism and ethnic cleansing as a betrayal of the very holocaust victims that people like kushner ( Orthodox judaism lite as we might say,  bit like greek american Orthodoxy lite!!???) cynically use. 

            • Constantinos my friend I cannot tell you how grateful I am to still be remembered in your honorable prayers especially on behalf of Brad.  Since his slip he picked himself right back up and has stayed away from heroin.  Every day is a struggle for him, as I suspect will be the case for some time, but with your prayers and the prayers of others of good will here, I believe with all my heart that he will be kept close to the love of God and that through the prayers of the most blessed Theotokos he will find continued healing.

              • M. Stankovich says

                Michael,

                May I ask you if Brad has considered medication-assisted treatment, naltrexone (Vivitrol) in specific?

                I recently completed a contract as the clinical director of a 120-bed long term substance use disorders treatment program for parolees & probationers (about of quarter of whom also had a serious mental disorder). After examining the considerable research, we decided to augment our customary care with the offer of daily naltrexone to anyone who wished it. Naltrexone is a potent opiate antagonist – meaning it is relatively innocuous other than to blockade opiate receptors in the brain, thereby preventing euphoria when opiates are consumed. I would note that unlike methadone and buprenorphine – which are themselves addictive – naltrexone is non-addictive. Pursuant to the literature, we also began to offer naltrexone to individuals who preferred alcohol over opiates, used alcohol concurrently with opiates, or who ceased the use of opiates and became harmfully involved with alcohol. Naltrexone does not prevent the euphoria associated with the use of alcohol per se; naltrexone appears to diminish the affect of alcohol by limiting the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is directly responsible for the euphoria.

                I will point out that medication-assisted treatment is not intended to <em>replace</em> treatment for substance use disorders, but to be a relatively successful <em>adjunct</em> to traditional treatment. In other words, naltrexone, in and of itself, cannot substitute for traditional treatment, but stands as a “buffer,” a means of an individual stopping, taking a breath, and considering the consequences of relapse, all the while knowing that consuming an opiate will not result in euphoria. Again consistent with the research, approximately 40% of our patients attempted to get high at least once, if only to settle the question in their mind that they are not “unique,” and someone for whom (hope against hope) naltrexone is “ineffective.” I personally was very satisfied with the effectiveness of naltrexone in our patients, its ease of administration (an extended-release depot injection every 30-days), and little to no side-effects with few contraindications. This is a paradigm shift in the treatment of substance use disorders, and one I believe is welcomed. You can find the manufacturer’s information on the mechanism of action of naltrexone here.

                If I can be of help to you, I’m sure Mr. Michalopolis can direct you in reaching me. You are in my prayers!   

                • Michaels Bauman & Stankovich,

                  For whatever it’s worth I just started taking Contrave, about a month ago which combines naltrexone HCI and bupropion HCI. It works for compulsive eating as well. Cravings gone and the reward system in my brain no longer triggers the need for fake euphoria that tells to keep eating. I’m 53, now pre-diabetic, and have needed to lose 60 pounds for the past 20 years. At 6′ 2″ and 310 pounds there was no more time to waste. Good news is I quit cigars and social smoking 8 years ago. Brian is my prayers as well and I will put him in my parish prayers list. Keep me in yours.

                  • George Michalopulos says

                    I’ll be praying for you Dino. Diabetes ain’t fun. If your under 55, try, try, try to lose weight. Lemme know if the Contrave keeps on working.

                  • Goerge your prayers means a lot coming from you, and all here. I always light a candle for you and all here, every time I go to church.
                    On my previous post I meant Brad, not Brian, but of course Brian is always in my prayers as well, just not for drug addiction, Brad suffers from.

                    • Michael Bauman says

                      Dino, diabetes is not at all fun. Maintaining control is a labor of prayer and fasting worthy of great praise. Since my late wife died of complications of the disease and the wife of my old age granted to me by God also suffers from the disease, I know the problems intimately. The good news is that there are new treatments that seem to work better for many people than the old ones.

                      George is correct though, one’s weight is crucial for late on-set diabetics. Reducing that which the disease itself makes more difficult, is the key to everything else.

                      May God strengthen you and your family.

                  • M. Stankovich says

                    I congratulate you on addressing this directly. In my opinion, we are blessed with the discoveries of both the genetic and epigenetic influences on biology that affects behavior. The effects of the fall of our humanity in this world is much more complicated than simply “will,” urges, and choice. We impose judgment & scorn upon individuals who exhibit certain behavior (most often in regard to behavior I can control in myself!) without appreciating the “symphonic” nature of our humanity, which necessarily includes the biological & psychological dimensions of our interactions with this equally fallen creation. Our God is merciful in extending these interventions for us to utilize in addition to providing us the clear, narrow path to salvation. While they are obviously adjuncts, there should be no shame in utilizing these tools.

                    As a side note, it is fascinating to discover that some of the current research at the medical school of my former employment is the effect of fasting on weight managing & health (and I am currently sitting in the UCSD Moore Cancer Center with a psychiatrist friend I have been driving, watching made-to-order fresh fruit & vegetable smoothies being made for patients in the atrium!). One “trick” I heard here is to set an 8-hour period in your day when you may eat, but eat nothing outside that period. Apparently this is a significant contribution to the effectiveness of weight management generally. Add this to your regimen & see if it helps! I also repeat my story of the bus driver from the Bronx who told me that he has sustained his sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous by, each evening placing his shoes far under the bed. This necessitates him getting on his knees to retrieve them – at which time he simply asks God to help him in his day – and to place them in the evening – when he thanks God for all his blessings.

                    All told, Dino, all of these elements seem to me a “prescription” worthy of our consideration. I will pray for your success!

                    • Gail Sheppard says

                      I like the eat within an 8 hour a day limit. Certainly worth trying!

                    • Michael Stankovich,
                      Thank you first and foremost for your prayers.

                      What I find interesting is that you brought up the shame of taking a drug to which most people might say, “man up” or “you just need better will power”, “drugs are for the losers”, and so on. I say this because that is what I said to myself, but after so many years of failure, and the wake up call from my doctor with the news my A1C level at pre-diabetic levels, I knew it was time get help, and there was no time to waste. Even my wife tried to talk me out of taking drugs, but after long discussions she agreed it was worth a try, considering I have a young daughter to raise, and a son to put thru a college.

                      Still there was guilt and shame, even though the drug was working. Your words helped in relieving some of the guilt I feel, that I am not strong enough to do it on my own. Greeks are stubborn and full of pride. If you know anything about Greek families, food revolves in every aspect of our life. Whether it be joyous occasions or times of mourning, food is always on the table, to celebrate or console friends, and family. Even a casual visit to one’s home, the host would never consider not serving their guests, food and drink.

                      I will give the eight hour “trick” a try, which might not be too difficult given the fact I usually never eat breakfast. God Bless Bro, you are a good dude, and I always appreciate your opinion, even if I disagree with you at times.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Don’t be ashamed Dino. Do what you can to help resolve your health issues.

                  • Gail Sheppard says

                    I am so sorry you’re having to go through all this, Dino, but also impressed that you are doing all you can to maximize your health.  You have my humble prayers.

                • Constantinos says

                  What a gracious, kind post by Dr. Stankovich! It’s good to see you back on Monomakhos. You have been missed. I’m sure Michael appreciates your kind advice, and will take it seriously. A heartfelt thank you.

                  • Costa. No shame in taking medication if needed. I have to take 9tabs daily because of the cardiomyopathy found last July. And they will not save me from the ultimate.
                    Stay well and God bless. Ps yes re Food. I did have some self reflection when i was putting what left for guest in tuppa ware box to take home. And to another guest the soupa avgolemono, in the saucepan!! ? and the halva της στιγμής for life tragedy, with the coffee.

                    • Nikos,
                      Thank you, stay well as well! I ask one small favor. Please address me as Dino, so that there is no confusing me with the man posting as Constantinos. May God grant you many healthy years!

                • Dr. S., I am incredibly grateful for your post, you are full of wisdom and knowledge, and you work with so many people who need so much from you every day, that to take the time you did to share all that information with me is so appreciated!  I admit this is all new to me and I will read your post a few more times to comprehend it but it seems very promising to think about.  I will take up your kind and generous offer to have our host connect us, just knowing you are there as a resource already makes me feel more at peace.  May God richly reward your generosity to Brad and to my family with your unique insight.
                  And many thanks to Dino, Constantinos and everyone who keeps Brad in their prayers.  Thanks also to Father Hans for pointing us to Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri, I am doing my homework but appreciate this insight and learning about this great martyr for Christ!!

                  • Michael,
                    Sorry that I confused you with Michael Bauman, and thank you Michael Bauman for sharing your personal stories with me, and prayers. Regardless of whom I thought I was addressing, makes no difference. I hope my endorsement of naltrexone is considered, and works for Brad. 

                  • Gail Sheppard says

                    Michael S., what a powerful advocate you are for those who need you when you use your considerable skills to be helpful. You receive such warm feedback and it is deserved.

                  • Michael another wonderful new martyr to know, is St Filothai of Athens. 

            • Costa I agree with you to degree. While it would be convinient to have Jordan as palestinian state, IT IS NOT.  
              Unlike the far far wealthier Saudi and gulf states, who do not even let in refugees, Jordan has born the lion’s share of the burden.   The West bank was Jordan till israeli took it in their now ‘ contrived’ victims six day war in June 1967. 
              Do you know about Suez?  Read about it. 1956. IT was naked imperialistic aggression and gave USSR opportunity to crush hungarian revolt. 
              Why should israeli have automatic right to land they not occupied for two thousand yrs?  DO WE GREEKS IN ASIA MINOR AND  CONSTANTINOPLE, OR HERE IN BULGARIA ON BLACK SEA? ( and its only a 100 yrs we go back) The palestinians HAVE EQUAL RIGHT!    If God comes into this, than how different are many modern Zionists to Isis etc in claiming divine authority.?? 
              As Christians the future of palestinian land is a secular matter, only, ..   if one is Christian.? 
              WE ARE THE NEW JEWS, THE NEW ISRAEL, the old covenant is Dead, broken, irrelevant.  Any one not knowing that should go to the synagogue or mosque or become an american evangelical jew. 
              And before I am accused of anti semitism,  my grand father in war risked his life to help jews and I have opposed Fascism all my life. Extreme Zionist is racist Fascism. What difference to Hitler with race and blood defining  criteria.   The SAME.  
              Indeed the Zionist wanted Hitler because they needed the impetus to get european jews travelling.!!  There is alot of untold history to come out on the Zionist, nazi connection. 
              The Unfortunately fated jews of Europe were pawns. 
              Anyone who looks at photos of Jewish life in middle Europe in 1920s and 30s can only cry with utter pain in their heart. Especially seeing the children. Words cannot express the pain.  Nor what needs to be said that Poland was a Hitler allied totally anti semitic country,  with it’s own nazis. Ukraine nor for behind. 

              • George Michalopulos says

                Niko, the Transfer Agreement between the Third Reich and the Israeli-government-to-be makes excellent reading. As for the Palestinians themselves, those on the West Bank are primarily 19th century immigrants from Iraq whereas those on the Gaza Strip are a mixture of indigenous Jews and Arab conquerors (believe it or not).

                As for the Church, you are right: we are Israel of God and Jesus is the eternal king of that commonwealth. (Otherwise, God’s promise to King David–that his dynasty would last forever–would have been a lie.)

                As for the present ethnostate of Israel, it should rightly be called Judah, not Israel.

                • Thanks George. As always the purists in for surprise. 

                  • I just recalling the two Jewish patients, ex Auswitsch,  I  had in London. 
                    Amazingly strong individuals.  One cannot even begin to imagine the depth of suffering. We must all ensure we never go down this road again.

              • Constantinos says

                Hi Nikos,
                Well, actually the Old Covenant is not dead, broken or irrelevant. It has been fulfilled by Christ and replaced by a better covenant.
                As a Americans, we must always put the interests of the US first. It reminds me; I’m getting sick and tired of all this, ” thank you for your service to our country” crap. When our country sends our young men and women off to fight in foreign wars, they’re not doing it for our country; no, they are serving the interests of WAR, INC.
                One of Israel’s main constituencies in the US is Evangelical Christians. As a matter of fact, it was Christian Zionism that led to Jewish Zionism. American Jews are not monolithic. The younger generation of Jewish Americans seem to have less attachment to Israel. Heck, in Israel, there is a divergence of opinions on matters pertaining to the Middle East. Anyway, Israel and the “Palestinians” are not my problem. By the way, many people believe that the “Palestinians” are an invented people. For example, the ” Palestinians are no different from other Arabs.
                American Jews have made significant contributions to our country. They are of vital importance to the US. The Jewish people are our brothers and sisters, and no, there is no Jewish conspiracy to take over the world. That is just stereotypical anti- Semitism. So the bottom line is: if we love God, we must love our Jewish brothers and sisters. Don’t forget, Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel first. To the Jew first- and, then, the gentile. Everyone of us is morally obligated to stand with our Jewish brother and sisters in the fight against the world’s oldest hatred – rank, gross, toxic anti-Semitism.
                In all humility, I don’t care what anyone says, this is a great post. In fact, it is one of the best I’ve ever read on Monomakos.

                • George Michalopulos says

                  Very well said, Costa.

                • Gail very well put.  I disagree with them but I am afronted by displays of lack of compassion, of lack of Charity. In many other societies such as Iran, males hold hands, i am used to kissing on meeting friends etc, being european. Americans find this offensive I presume? 
                  I would say it’s not holding hands but the rest. Anyway Gail. u put it well  and within context as usual.  

                • Costa u got it right.  U got good heart.  

                • Costa yes we must stand against anti semitism, or anti Russian hate for that matter .  And christians have forgotten that Christ,  the Mother of God, were Jews as early Church. In my life, personal and professional,  I have always stood against racism . 
                  BUT THAT DOES NOT mean we cannot call out the state of Israel when it self, it does to others what was done to them 

        • Antiochene Son says

          History does have a cascading effect. I am not sure there is a plausible time line where the USSR is totally defeated by Hitler though.

          But as a thought experiment, I personally believe America’s involvement in every major war since 1812 was a mistake. Including most of all WW1 which led to WW2. (Except for the Japanese theater, which was an unprovoked attack on the US.)

      • My dad said same. Re Uk. He was not at Dunkirk but North Africa,  El.Alamain  where he crawled through the mine fields clearing them ready for attack,  where greek troops fought too, Scicily,  Italy, and then Greece. Where he met my mum!!  She always said his greek was rusty then,  that he had got from his mum, but soon improved.  He never spoke about war much and always with respect for the germans as he fought a soldiers ‘ war.. 
        As happens before leaving uk,  we lived next to same 8th Monty ( Montgommery) army  veteran, who was in Greece too, and during civil war, and had an amazing photo album of the time showing devastation,  and personalities such as Archbishop Damaskinos, the regent and partisan captains. Sadly he died in 2011 and I so hope his son understanding the historical value of his photos. We did say. Wonderful man,  very pro- Russian and so glad when we had Moscow russian guests at Pascha and he came to greek church with us all..
        I must tell you he had the usual brit thing about you Yanks, ‘ Over here, over paid, over sexed and cowboys, trigger happy!! ‘  ? but all said with a smile.  But he also expressed his anger at the waste of his young yrs as he saw the country decline. He would say,  ” It’s not the children you need to change now but their grand parents!! “

        • I meant D DAY but he was almost at Dunkirk but was wounded in Norway so was kept in Uk. 

  5. 🙁

  6. It’s amazing that our entire country (and our allies) mobilized to save the world. I believe that around .5% of our population is currently serving in the military. I think that it might have been around 1% in recent years.
    It’s every sad that we are losing veterans from wars like WW2, Korea and Vietnam. These guys are my family members and the guys that I idolized growing up. It will be my turn when guys from Afghanistan start dying off from natural causes!!!
    We all get a good laugh about lazy kids etc. But, its terrifying to think that there will come a time when people who have served in the military (and those who have been in combat) will be relegated to a class of society.
    There’s a problem when people won’t take a stand against a common problem.

    • How roman empire died. They started depending on the barbarians to defend against self same barbarians.  Apparantly to avoid conscription as it were in 4th century,  young men would cut their sword  hand thumbs of.
      I have the greek cypriot son of friends, who did uk marine training and passed with flying colours.He did not want to inlist as was going to Sweden with his swedish partner, as she wanted to go back,  but is in reserves. 

    • CJSOTF.   U hit nail on head. My great friend Don from New York, was home on leave from Iraq ( a war I oppose and was wrong, but that irrelevant to discussion and to Don as serving USA soldier) as his new born son was ill.  
      In the  NY street early in the morning two young ladies saw him and said , ‘ Great fancy dress u got, we must tell our boy friends!!  ‘ 
      The Roman and byzantine empire fell ( spoiler to Phanar,  byzantine empire under Turkish siege!!! ? ) !!!!   because  it’s citizens lacked the will to defend it, depending on mercenaries from outside.
      We know now the barbarian migrations of 5th century were just that, a migrations for better life as they saw it, across the Rhine and Danube to the Roman good life.  They of course brought it down. 
      Moral somewhere..
      Re holocaust guilt.  It’s about time we took it back and stopped dumping it on the Arabs. Over the centuries Islam gave to the jews a refuge and decent life when western christians were murdering  them in their tens of  thousands.  As for the Ukraine and 17c cossack uprising,  a prelude to Hitler.  True jews were the tax collectors and land owners’ agenda and hated. But!! 

  7. Antiochene Son says

    The problems we face here at home are far greater than those posed by any country.
     
    I was heartened this week to see a video of a homeless Vietnam vet going about and tearing down homosexual propaganda in the streets. That man is a true soldier for America. 

    • Deep Steak says

      a bunch of parents in yemen would gladly put up gay pride posters if they could feed their starving children but yeah the usa has the real problems
      real problems to antiochene son are not war or famine or disease or natural disaster but gay people permitted to exist in public

      • George Michalopulos says

        Not really. While I will leave our participation in the illegal siege of Yemen out of the discussion for now, the vast majority of people the world over would rather not live under a gaystapo like we have here in the West. Most people the world over are willing to turn a blind eye to friends and family members who are homosexual but really, we’ve overdone it here in America, don’t you think? And now that it’s all-tranny-all-the-time, we’ve reached a saturation point that is truly disgusting.

        Let me digress further: St Buttijuj has gone all sanctimonious and is preaching fire-and-brimstone lectures to people who never said anything about his deviancy. Like VP Mike Pence. Seriously, he went all Cotton Mather on him for something that he never even said and the eunuchs who run the corporate media applauded him nonstop.

        Our society will not keep on going down this trajectory, not in any stable fashion anyway.

        • Deep Steak says

          you think you live under a gaystapo just because society gives you some pushback lulz
          so i guess gm would rather count the ribs and tickle the distended belly of a grandchild than watch a same sex couple hold hands in public
          100,000 displaced from a typhoon and suffering from cholera but please think of gm, he had to see a genderqueer individual existing in public he is the most down on his luck man on the planet
          oh the suffering how long o lord how long

          • Gail Sheppard says

            Some pushback?! Are you kidding me? It’s in our face 24/7 and I’m not talking about gay couples holding hands. It’s become an unrelenting circus. You’re making children into drag queens and telling us that we’re at fault. This isn’t about hand-holding. It’s an onslaught to the senses and to try to package it any other way makes you disingenuous when it comes to any meaningful dialog. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/11-year-old-drag-kid-dances-in-popular-nyc-gay-club-as-patrons-toss-money-a

            • George Michalopulos says

              DS, I have no problem with gay couples holding hands.  Recently I went to see Rocketman, I’m a huge Elton John fan.

              But as you can see from the video above, the end result is now parents pimping out their prepubescent sons for the voyeuristic pleasure of adult men. 

              • Archpriest Alexander F. C. Webster says

                RE: “DS, I have no problem with gay couples holding hands.”
                I do, George. It inures society to the unnatural, immoral abnormality of public affection between homosexuals or lesbians.
                If “holding hands” is no problem, then how about kissing?  
                I’m thinking about our young children and grandchildren, in particular, who may conclude that such displays of public affection are “normal” and “acceptable.”
                In short, how far are you willing to retreat before making a do-or-die public stand?

                • Gail Sheppard says

                  I think George’s point was that gay people holding hands is nothing in comparison to EVERYTHING ELSE. The “holding hands” thing will need to be explained to a child when s/he reaches an age where they can understand the behavior in its broader context. One would hope we would also teach them that not one of us is without sin and in terms of brokenness, we are no less guilty than the people who “hold hands.” We wouldn’t want our kids thinking their own sin is somehow less odious to God.

                  But the “EVERYTHING ELSE” is different. It’s an affront to our senses and these people do it on purpose. They WANT us to turn away in disgust so they can accuse us of being indifferent to their “special” needs. – I’m sorry. I don’t want to see kids performing as drag queens. I don’t want to see genitalia in the street or the obscene gyrations of people celebrating debauchery. That’s not something that can be explained to a child, . . . ever.

                  • Gail very well put.  I disagree with them but I am afronted by displays of lack of compassion, of lack of Charity. In many other societies such as Iran, males hold hands, i am used to kissing on meeting friends etc, being european. Americans find this offensive I presume? 
                    I would say it’s not holding hands but the rest. Anyway Gail. u put it well  and within context as usual.  

                  • Deep Steak says

                    if you think that is limited to the gays i have some bad news for you about saint patricks day and mardi gras and spring break and

                    • Gail Sheppard says

                      I have had lots of experience with St. Paddy’s day, Marti Gras and spring breaks. Probably more than you have. What distinguishes these activities from gay pride parades are that its participants are not getting in anyone’s face. Gay pride is all about getting attention and when you do, you seem surprised that we don’t care. We don’t care because we know that this kind of obnoxious behavior has nothing whatsoever to do with being gay. There is a cost to being so outrageous: it’s being ignored.

                  • Archpriest Alexander F. C. Webster says

                    RE: “One would hope we would also teach them that not one of us is without sin and in terms of brokenness, we are no less guilty than the people who ‘hold hands.’ We wouldn’t want our kids thinking their own sin is somehow less odious to God.”

                    I would expect that kind of non-sequitur deflection from the Orthodox folks on the moral and political left, but not from you, Gail.

                    No one whom I know and who attempts to live by the fullness of Orthodox Tradition (especially self-described “traditional” Orthodox) pretends to be sinless or relishes any opportunity to condemn, hypocritically, the sins of others. But neither is anyone whom I know and who identifies as a “traditional” Orthodox willing to stand by passively, while the radical un-traditional Orthodox and like-minded others continue to inflict a “death by a thousand cuts” upon the divinely revealed sexual morality of the Church and Western Civilization.

                    I contend that public displays of affection (PDFs) by homosexuals are instances of those “cuts”: as minor as such PDFs may seem when compared to the more egregious practices in which homosexuals engage, they add up and erode our social mores and the wills of otherwise good, faithful Orthodox Christians and others in our society who are bullied into silence by the LGBTeieio juggernaut.

          • Monk James Silver says

            As Christians, we are called to see Christ in everyone, and to love even the unlovely. And we can’t glorify sin as if it were virtue at the same time as we confess that we are all sinners.

            An insidious aspect of the left-wing/gay/feminist/pro-abortion segments of society is that they pretty well reject the very concept of sin, and much of this Christian approach is completely lost on them as a result. They just can’t make the distinctions which we are asked to make.

            Holding to the Gospel is getting especially difficult, though, when (in Oscar Wilde’s words more than a century ago) ‘the love that dare not speak its name’ now just won’t ever shut up.

            (That’s not original — I heard it somewhere.)

            • George Michalopulos says

              Joe Sobran said it Fr.  Otherwise, we’ll said.

              • Monk James Silver says

                Who is Joe Sobran? I might like to hear more from him. Does he write here?

                His sense of irony appeals to me, at the same time as I try not to be sarcastic or scornful. I could learn a lot from him.

                • George Michalopulos says

                  Joe Sobran is now deceased but I will be happy to send you some of his essays. Incidentally, he knew all of Shakespeare’s canon by heart. (In re Shakespeare, he believed that Edward Devere, the 7th Earl of Oxford was the rest author of all the plays.)

                  • Michael.Bauman says

                    Well, George he may have been a great writer but his philosophy appears to have been, at best, idiosyncratic.  At worst he was a nut job.  The “anybody but Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare” crowd I have never bought.  Even if true, it is colosolly immaterial, irrelevant and unimportant.  
                     
                     

                  • Monk James Silver says

                    Yes, please, George. I’d be very grateful.

                    What are Sobran’s dates? Was he Russian? His name means something like ‘gathered together’ or ‘assembled’ as a sort of Russian short-form adjective.

                    • George Michalopulos says

                      Catholic and of Croatian descent I believe.  Died 1998?  Diabetes.

              • “An insidious aspect of the left-wing/gay/feminist/pro-abortion segments of society is that they pretty well reject the very concept of sin”
                 
                Yes. In debates between, say, pro life and pro-choice, they could be over so quickly if it could just be said “God forbids it”
                 
                As it stands however we’ve got women aborting children etc etc etc and then speaking out against racism or poverty and the like, which supposedly makes them moral giants.
                 
                This is basically the equivalent of mistaking horse dung for a nutritious meal. This is the level of confusion our world is labouring under
                 

            • i just read that one of the contestants for the tory party leadership.and by default new uk pm,  a Mr Hunt,current uk foreign secretary and former health secretary,  made public his PERSONAL wish to reduce the current 20 weeks  for abortion to 12.  He said however that  he realised it was a matter of conscience and others had a different view. And he was not seeking to change current uk law but stating his opinion. . 
              Well the reaction was total.Now we are not talking of people disagreeing with him, as is their right   No . 
              What is frightening and now general WAS THE CLAIM THAT TO OPPOSE ABORTION, IN ANYWAY WHAT SO EVER, WAS MORALLY WRONG  and disqualified you from any public office. 
              This Fascism is spreading rapidly where in Uk to hold anti abortion views will effectively bar you from office 

            • Monk James some yrs ago a greek priest visiting uk said difference with Greece was that Greeks knew they were sinning while in Uk they had lost that perception. Now!!!
              Of course the current purveyors of what is acceptable refuse the very idea of sin as you so well say. They see it as a freudian repression, and of course, reduced to protestant moralism, it certainly is.
              A greek friend this morning sent me email from Athens ( do not think Athens today is anything different to it’s counter part in USA) where he says that catholicism, protestantism and modern Orthodoxy are just the kow towing of Christianity to modern secular state.

          • Deep.state ( steak)   I don’t think it’s a question of either or. I worked in health with many gay people, some good friends I still keeping contact with. I happen to believe as a  mental health professional that there is not much choice in matter.I hold to that. Early nuture is as powerful as nature, I would have you know.  
            We should all accept and treat all with love and understanding including the Church. 
            However there is a difference to a state, be it hetero or home, etc and HOW people live. It is the HOW, for us all,  we need to look at. 
            It is plain that money has commercialised a gay life style in a hedonistic casual way as it has with hetero life style. And that research shows young gays, especially male, often feel under more pressure and stressed than their former counrerparts, with all the mental health issues this brings. 
            Now we have a new wave  politically, sociologically led, transsexual lobby. I as a mental health professional have profound concern with much of what is happening. Let alone as believer .  Of course we should treat all people with understanding and support as far as we can but we have to stand up  for what is obvious and what is based on science. 
            How many professionals are afraid to because it will risk their future career? 
            We do a great diservice to our children by our moral cowardness. 
            So NO TO BIGOTRY 
            NO TO HATE.
            BUT YES TO SCIENCE AND COMMON SENSE AND GOD. 

      • Johann Sebastian says

        Deep Steak says
        June 8, 2019 at 6:55 am

        a bunch of parents in yemen would gladly put up gay pride posters if they could feed their starving children

         
        *****
         
        Oh, you mean engage in taqiyyeh so they can get a handout from George Soros?
        So noble.

  8. The only thing you have to apologize, the same applies to me, is the assistance the Welsh gave the English in letting the uhh…Red shields have their way with Britain.
    Ok, I’m just being cheeky about the apology.
     

    • Monk James Silver says

      It’s been said — and truly — that the native peoples of the British Isles, especially the Irish and the Scots, had their greatest revenge on their Proto-English-speaking oppressors by using the enforced language of their conquerors better than those invaders did themselves. And so we have Modern English, small thanks to the Anglo-Saxons. It was local people who took that language and made it theirs, and ours.

      This remains true, in case no one noticed. Of course, you could always look at the literary history..

  9. Deep Steak says

    it is a level of hysteria like seeing a family say grace at a restaurant and proclaim that religion is being shoved down your throat and america is a christian theocracy
    sorry but i swam way too close to gothard / train up a child et al circles to take your link seriously as a blanket summary of homosexuality
    just because some christians beat their children mercilessly or fathers sexually groomed their daughters does not mean i think you two did that just because you go to church
    haha i like elton john is perfect maybe you can go to an elton john concert with a black friend

    • Friend i see yr points but what this conversation needs from all sides are facts, science, Christian love, AND CLEAR CHRISTIAN TEACHING.  
      Paranoid hate ( NO I AM NOT SAYING YR MAIL IS THAT AT ALL) but Paranoid hate at one end, and mushy nothingness, ‘love conquors all’, at other end are not needed.    We need the truth, theologically,  scientifically and said with love, which does conquor all, but only in service of truth. 
      I think we have to distinguish between what Church teaches and what secular state pushes, which will never be church teaching.  But at least as citizens we can demand and push it follows scientific fact. Same with abortion. 
      As believers we have choice. That state sanctifies abortion, still leaves the individual with a choice to make that is their own. 
      It is interesting to flag up another topic here,THAT OF EUTHANASIA, connected to abortion, I strongly believe.
      Doctors in Holland, a country that led the way,  now question their abortion law, especially where people with dementia who have made a living will wish for it,  change their minds.  Now this is horrifying in that they are being forced to die with their living will wish pushed above their current wish.  Execution comes to mind. Can you imagine the horrendous circumstances? 
      Doctors now beginning to refuse and it has changed the entire concept of medicine. They are pushing and its happening for young people with mental health issues and for people whose current situation will change, to have ‘mercy’ killing.   And we all know that any law made emotionally on a single case issue, is bad law. 
      But you see as D. said, When God is denied!!!   Humanists arrogantly. assume that their ‘ humanist values’ exist in the ether,  independent of religion. Especially of Christianity. But just as the left leaning intellectual elites were the first to be devoured by communism,  so these people will be by their own vacuous hot  angry air. BOY ARE THEY ANGRY! 
      Take away Christianity and you take away decency and love ( not celeb air kissing love) and compassion. We already experience the abscence of compassion from much of society, especially in the young. 
      In Uk I used to sometimes street collect for a children’s Charity for terminally ill kids.  THE YOUNG NEVER GAVE, THE WEALTHY LESS OFTEN. The frequent givers were the pensioners. the humble, who would often tell their moving stories. 
      Now  it is important to state and I spent my career  telling hospital doctors this, as many failed to understand, that people with dementia very often  have capacity. That is capacity is not a generalised ability, but over a particular facet, so they may not have capacity to drive but will have to wish to live at home with the dangers.  Others will not. Individual ability.  And often they have no suffering as no realization.  It being in those who see it. 
      Of course where a society is stripped of all  Christian values it won’t only be clossed churches we see but the pagan society returning.  I used to joke and say it will not be long before we see gladatorial  games.  This is beginning to take form and be mooted.
      I suggest some of you watch the Fellini  film, Satyricon and see how modern it is.   It’s based on story by Petronius in Nero’s  Rome. 

      • To add  .  In caring for any terminally ill individual,  the relief of  severe pain and distress,  will from the pulmonary and cardio -vascular effect,  eventually kill them.  So indeed in any good end of life hospital and hospice care, it will be by default be a planned death, unless the ill patient is left to suffer.  Of course if a person does not wish to be sedated or given analgesia, that is their right as long as they have capacity to make  this decision. Capacity is losely defend as the ability to understand the consequences of an action or decision,  negative or positive. 

    • Estonian Slovak says

      That last sentence is a cheap shot. It’s a dirty trick of the left to imply that anyone against the militant gay agenda must also be racist. 
       

      • Deep Steak says

        nah there are plenty of gay racists and people who oppose homosexuality that are not racist
        but there are plenty of twofers and sometimes somebody lobs a big fat floater over the plate i mean cmon elton john?

    • Constantinos says

      Hi Deep Steak,
      That is definitely a cheap shot. We are against sexual immorality- heterosexual and homosexual.  As you know, Marcia Cross has been discussing her diagnosis of anal cancer. It was caused by a sexually transmitted disease. This disease also caused her husband’s throat cancer. Michael Douglas said the same thing about his throat cancer. Sexual promiscuity has bee linked to cervical cancer in women.
      Now, the truth is sexual immorality of all kinds is very unhealthy. The gay lifestyle is particularly unhealthy. It is the leading cause of penile and anal cancers in men. As Tony Soprano would say, ” going down on the muffin is not manly.” It’s also dangerous and risky.
      Bottom line: The only kind of sexual relationship that would be considered healthy is  monogamy in heterosexual marriage, using our bodies the way God intended.  Oral sex, and anal sex put a person’s health at extreme risk be you the butcher, baker or the candle stick maker.