18 March 2012. God Willing, the Demjanjuk Family Will Have Peace at Last…

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To hear some of the unhinged voices out there, Ivan Demjanjuk was an amoral monster, someone who was a responsible functionary in the Nazi massacre of the Jews. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He was the lowest rank possible, he wasn’t even a member of the SS, he was an auxiliary Wachtmann… a perimeter guard who gave no orders, not even to a small section of ten men. Such personnel didn’t have contact with prisoners… the Nazis considered them Untermenschtum (sub-humanity), too… they were to be kept semi-literate and the Germans intended them to be a helot class, only fit to labour for their Übermensch superiors.

Ivan Demjanjuk feared for his life… German POW camps for Red Army troops were nothing but death enclosures. As one World War II survivor said to me back in the ’70s, “I wanted to eat”. Demjanjuk wanted to live… he faced a far harder moral choice than most of us are ever faced with. He could “help” the Nazis and eat… and live… or, he could refuse to do so, and face almost-certain death. That made him a “collaborator”… but there are different levels of “collaboration”. There are those like the Balts, Croats, and Galician Uniates who willingly and enthusiastically helped the Nazis. These peoples are culpable, and they bear that stain to this day (they’re unrepentant, too, to be sure). Others were merely trying to survive until the war’s end… Demjanjuk fell into that category. I refuse to judge him… neither should you.

This episode showed the inhumanity and barbarism of the Israel Lobby and the “Holocaust Industry“. Let no one call me a “Holocaust Denier“, for I’m not such. If you were to ask me, I’d say that I agree with Raul Hilberg… that there was a “war” waged against European Jewry by the Nazis. I also agree with Professor Hilberg’s analysis of the situation… let no one call me anti-Semitic. Yet, I’m sure that the haters will call me such, and other choice names, as well.

It’s time to reach out to the Demjanjuk family in their time of grief. Ask not for whom the bell tolls… it tolls for thee…

BMD

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18 March 2012. Is Egalitarianism and Social Democracy Contrary to the Church? A Kind Friend Sent on the Following…

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A friend sent this on to me:

Contrary to the “thinking” of “conservative” pseudo-“Christians”, egalitarianism isn’t antithetical to Christianity, but lack of egalitarianism is indicative of paganism. Paganism’s polytheistic. Each individual (or, in more primitive homogeneous societies, each group) feels himself subject to his own god or goddess. At a practical level, this means that the distinctive values, standards, goals, and laws of each deity govern the lives of that deity’s worshippers. Thus, a pagan society’s polyvalent… a single moral standard doesn’t govern the lives of men, and, except by force majeure, no god, and no corresponding set of human values, is superior to any other. Accordingly, consequently, pagan societies tend to become inegalitarian, that is, “unequal”. Different standards for different groups inevitably lead to factional competition, not cooperation; and, in time, force majeure, indeed, becomes the rule… might soon comes to make right. Zeus rules because he’s strongest, and for no other reason, he’s certainly not the wisest one.

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/jungians-and-gnostics-8

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Let’s keep this one short and on-point. If you argue for the positions enunciated by the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and all the other Far Right nutters, you argue for a profoundly anti-Christian ideology, full of violence, greed, and hubris. Ponder this… “Evangelicalism” is nothing but a religious apologia for that neo-pagan mindset… it isn’t Christian in the least possible way. Radical American Sectarianism (for that’s what “Evangelicalism” is) didn’t begin until after the American Revolt of 1776 established the USA (it was the first of the Three Great Godless Revolts… the American, French, and Russian (that is, the “February Revolution“) “Revolutions”). It’s a somewhat-jumbled religious justification of the Radical (in the French sense of the term) state formed under the US Constitution. “Personal salvation” (“Me n’ Jayzuss”) is perhaps the most blasphemous anti-Christian concept out there, and Christians would do well not to associate overly much with those groups that advocate it.

Let’s not be blasé… the rot’s present amongst us, too. For instance, take Fr Maximus Urbanowicz, “he found God while playing football at Penn State {one wonders what his relationship with the questionable Joe Paterno was: editor}, went to St Tikhon’s, and then learned how to evangelise at Regent University in Virginia Beach VA”. They named their School of Government after Pat Robertson, which tells you volumes about their cred and substance. He’s started an outfit called Gospel to All Nations, and seems to be racking up frequent flyer miles giving the Good News to the entire rest of the world (he claims to have preached in 120 Russian cities). One can only imagine what he’s “teaching” them. Well, I did some checking, this guy is a “nobody”… no legit Russian media source mentions him in any way. Probably, he’s got a connection with Potapov, which means that he’s a Langley follow-traveller, as his Robertson ties indicate (that means that everyone in the Rodina has to be careful what they say in front of this Quisling). However, it’s proof that we’re not immune to such mind-numbing twaddle.

That’s to say, Christianity stands for cooperation. “Evangelicalism” stands for selfishness, greed, and godlessness. You can have one or you can have the other. The Church blesses Social Democracy… it does NOT bless the greed of the Far Right. “Cooperation opens doors for everyone”… Neopagan hubris and greed close them violently in the faces of the vast majority. Which one do you want? You ARE at a fork in the road…

BMD

18 March 2012. A Word or Two on Eric Iliff for Someone Identifying Themselves as “Bishop Jerome Shaw”… and a Warning on Talking to Clergy after the Velencia Lawsuit Threats

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A friend sent me this:

Take a look at the following post from the Indiana list:

Content-Type: text/html
> Article: Memory Eternal Eric Iliff!

What caused his death? He must have been fairly young.

I had never heard of him before.

In Christ

+Bishop Jerome (ROCOR)

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This MAY NOT be Bishop Jerome Shaw. Why? The whole Iliff affair was rather front-and-centre, very messy and public until John Erickson, John Behr, and Chad Hatfield at SVS covered it up (it was as public as the Gleb Podmoshensky and Panteleimon Metropoulos scandals were). IF the writer is, indeed, Bishop Jerome Shaw, he should get in touch with those who know the situation better than I do. Two easily-contacted sources are Cappy Larson and Melanie Sakoda, at melanie@pokrov.org. For now, it’s best to stick to the fact that Timothy Bluemntritt, an Orthodox cleric with connections to SVS, sexually assaulted Eric Iliff, a student at SVS. The OCA apparat and First Families covered it up… nothing came of it. I believe that their ROCOR analogues helped them in this, that’s why I’m mistrustful of the e-mail passed on to me. Supposedly, Eric “committed suicide”… that’s the official story. Oh, yes… he had a lawsuit pending against SVS, and that “disappeared”. How CONVENIENT… this is one of those cases where you ask “Cui bono?” The answer’s not too pretty, is it?

I’d advise everyone to act with the greatest caution and reserve to any e-mail or personal request for information from ANY clergyman. The events surrounding the Iliff case and Ray Velencia’s lawsuits should be a lesson to you all. The higher clergy that we have are, in all too many cases, corrupt and venal men, unworthy of trust or respect, who scruple at nothing to maintain their little personal “empires” (a minority amongst the clergy, to be sure, but a loud and obvious lot). Even if you know a clergyman, you don’t know why he’s “asking you questions”. Remember, weak men, not bad ones, do most of the evil afoot in the world. Be reticent… say nothing… rat no one out (you don’t know what they’re looking for… say NOTHING). There are many ways of pressuring a priest, and most will “sacrifice” an individual if they think that their priesthood’s at stake. You forget that courage is a rare commodity at your own peril.

Reflect on this… the OCA hasn’t publicly repudiated Sir Ray’s lawsuit against Fr Michael Regan. That means that any clergyman is afraid that he’s next… after all, Michael Regan didn’t have much to do with Ray Velencia. I believe that Velencia is working hand-in-glove with Fathausen, and that Fathausen’s using this lawsuit in an attempt to terrorise his opponents. Note well that Fathausen REFUSES to discipline either Sir Ray or Dickie Wood in an open and public way, and that he refused to shitcan Iggy Burdikoff over some… ahem… “mislaid funds”… “The records simply don’t exist”. I told an Episcopalian friend about that, and he merely stared at me for a moment, and said, “Really?” He said nothing else, but the look of contempt and disgust on his face said it all.

By the way… Fathausen and his konvertsy claque are forever dumping on the Episkies… I’d say that if one group covers up financial “glitches” (and sordid escapades of a certain sort) and another group sees to it that sticky-fingered treasurers do hard state time in the slam, that tells you volumes about their character and honesty. You don’t have to agree with someone to observe that they’re honest people of good character. After all, oca.org’s SILENT on real news and prints nothing but the most saccharine rot and treacly fluff. I’ll be blunt… I’d rather see a V Gene Robinson rather than a Dmitri Royster, Feodosy Lazor, Pierre l’Huillier, Herman Swaiko, and Jonas Paffhausen. The former was open and honest about who he was… the latter group was not.

If the person sending the e-mail were Jerome Shaw, the vicar bishop for Hilarion Kapral in Manhattan, I’d advise him to contact John and Monica Iliff. However, I don’t think that they’d talk to him, seeing as how nasty and demonic Orthodox clergy (and their demented hangers-on) treated them. I’ll say this for the record… I bow before John and Monica… they did NOT deserve what they received. If any of you wishes to criticise them for leaving the Church, you’ll have to get through me, first. I’ll not allow it. They were screwed royally, and the First Families and the apparat expected them to SMILE and say, “Thank you, sir, may I please have another”.

At the Battle of Jutland, Admiral Earl Beatty turned to his aide and remarked, “There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today”. He seemed sunk in thought, and added, “And something wrong with our system”. If there’s ever a situation where there’s “something wrong with our bloody ships”, you can count on there being “something wrong with our system”. We can’t make a “perfect” system, but we should strive to make it as serviceable as human limitations allow, and we’re not doing that at present. There’s no doubt in my mind what’ll help matters… the OCA and the ROCOR are structures that are long past their usefulness. They’ve become corrupt and irrelevant priest-ridden excuses for Churches. The number of clergy boggles the mind… and many of them are convert Shake n’ Bakes without any real Orthodox formation (many of them only have a heterodox formation, which only compounds their imposture)… I kid you not.

It’s time to rip up the Tomos, defrock most of the convert “clergy”, merge the OCA and the ROCOR in the USA, Canada, and Alaska, and be an autonomous Metropolia of the Mother Church. That’s the ONLY way out. If the konvertsy want to come, fine… if they don’t, don’t waste your God-given time and energy. We have a Church to rebuild… we don’t have time to change the nappies of squalling smarkachi. That’s our God-given task; shall we accept it? That’s up to you…

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Sunday 18 March 2012

Albany NY

Russia to Help Repair Holy Places in Kosovo

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Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia allocated 2 million USD (58.5 million Roubles. 1.52 million Euros. 1.26 million UK Pounds) from the state budget for the restoration of Orthodox holy places in Kosovo damaged by Albanian extremists. He also emphasised that the restoration of Serbia’s spiritual heritage would take place under UNESCO’s auspices.

Today, the sum allocated by the Russian state is of even greater importance. Indeed, very soon, on 24 March 24, the world will mark a tragic anniversary, 13 years since the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Then, in 1999, the air raids killed more than 2,500 Serbs, and the number of wounded exceeded 13,000. The bombing destroyed many Serbian holy places, both churches and monasteries. However, in subsequent years, Albanian separatists in Kosovo and Metohija destroyed even more Orthodox churches and monasteries.

Eleonora Mitrofanova, the Chairman of UNESCO’s Executive Board, said, “Russian assistance in helping to restore the holy places is of great spiritual and historical significance. Four of the sites are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. They weren’t destroyed, but they do need extensive rehabilitation. Today, UNESCO completed its search for firms to engage in this restoration project. All the sites involved belong to the Orthodox Church. The Serbs are an Orthodox nation, and the cultural and spiritual monuments in Kosovo are the foundation and the cradle of the Serbian nation. Therefore, the allocation of the funds needed for reconstruction is of great importance, both in terms of relations between our countries, and in terms of the spiritual rebirth of the modern Serbian nation. The Serbs always think well of Russia, seeing it as the defender of their interests”.

The MP supported the Russian initiative to allocate significant funds to restore the Serbian spiritual and cultural legacy in Kosovo. Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk, the head of the MP Department of External Church Relations, said, “The MP will also help our brothers in Kosovo. We spoke with our counterparts in the SPC, and they told us that they’d like some of our monks and nuns to come and help them. At least on a temporary basis… that is, for a one, two, or three-year period… this would help to support their monasteries. For example, the Peć Patriarchate, where the enthronement of the Serbian Patriarch took place, is now a convent. Its Igumena is ninety years old, and her sisterhood is small. Of course, our monastics could provide assistance to keep these monasteries in proper shape”.

In addition to direct financial assistance, Russia will send architects, engineers, designers, engineers, and art historians to Kosovo. These experts aren’t only going to assess the extent of the damage; they’re going to begin restoration work on damaged sites.

16 March 2012

Milena Faustova

Voice of Russia World Service

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2012_03_16/68672459/