5 November 2013. From the Russian Web… A Picture IS Worth a Thousand Words… the Recent “St Jude Storm”

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Now, aren’t you glad to have missed all the excitement? The older I get, the less “excitement” I need. I have plenty of company…

BMD

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5 November 2013. Cabinet Intel on Vassa Larina and the Rue Daru Election

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I got this from a trusted and reliable Cabineteer. Again, I’m going to stand back and let my informant speak to you directly. They DO know what they’re about, I KNOW…

BMD

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Check out Vassa Larina’s CV at her University of Vienna page (click here, then, click on the first link). Stylish picture, no? Is her monastic habit nothing but a prop for her talks and her YouTube videos? Shameful. Also, don’t miss the otherwise unknown fact that she was offered a position teaching Church History at SVS just last fall!

Did you hear about the Rue Daru election last Friday? Their new Bishop-elect is Archimandrite Job Getcha. He’s 39, Ukrainian-Canadian, and has personal and professional ties to the UOC (MP) in the homeland. Given that the other candidates were a Frenchman converted from Catholicism and a Greek, I think the vote was illustrative. Are they trying to stave off the repossession of Rue Daru after the Nice events by electing the only candidate that could generate good-will with Moscow (through Kiev), whilst still being personal loyal to the EP? It seems more than a little bit likely to me. Whether it will work out remains to be seen.

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This source is nonpareil… read n’ heed, kids.

BMD

5 November 2013. This is My SIXTH ANNIVERSARY on WordPress… THANK YOU, GUYS!

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in November 2007, I started my first blog on WordPress, Art and Faith (it’s still up and running… it’s mainly Russian art images). To reach this sixth anniversary, I’ve learnt a great deal… I’ve changed this and that (as have you, by the way)… but I haven’t swerved in my dedication in putting out the best-quality work that I can. I want to thank all of youse guys for coming… and staying. Next year is my 60th birthday, so, God willing, I’ve got quite a few good years ahead of me. Shall you take my hand and join me? There’s a jug at the end of that there rainbow…

BMD

 

5 November 2013. Some Takes on the Tea Party from the NYT Commboxes

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The remarks in the commboxes for a NYT article made more sense than the article itself! I present them below, as is, without comment. I found them thought-provoking… I think that you’ll find them likewise.

BMD

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There’s much overlap between folks who identify themselves as Tea Party and who also identify as some flavour of rightwing Christian. This identification is especially strong in states where the most radical elements have done best (in the South and Midwest). The real unholy alliance here is the Republican Party and rightwing religion. The latter cherishes a belief system that sees opponents as purely evil, and compromise with them means that you’re surrendering to the forces of evil. The list of evil people is very long for them (the equivalence of poverty with evil remains a mainstay of Calvinism). Politics becomes a holy war, not a way to resolve competing interests in a society and economy. They’re also perfectly fine with the destruction of the world, because their religion anticipates it with glee. The Republican Party will be stuck until they sever this relationship. As with any divorce, short-term pain will be very great. However, they can’t participate in the 21st century, and solve the problems of the 21st century, until they make this painful step.

mc

Nashville TN

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Much of the Tea Party is Astroturf and is composed of Republican activists. It’s about time that the funders who fuelled this plastic revolution realise that their money’s wasted. As for the push back on the poor, I suspect that this comes at the behest of the other power centre in the GOP, the Catholic bishops, who form the backbone of the Pro-Life movement, who’re finding it increasingly difficult to hide their political affair with the GOP from Pope Francisco. They’re in danger of violating that other Eleventh Commandment… “Don’t get caught”.

Michael Bindner

Alexandria VA

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While conservatives and Republicans “sought to harness its energy”, the Tea Party was no grassroots movement; it was a top-down movement started by the Koch brothers and friends. It sought to “harness” racist rage, which was evermore powerful after the election of our first black president, towards a GOP/corporate agenda. Hate is a most powerful motivator. Now, the corporate bigwigs have lost control of the Tea Party… I have no sympathy for them. A split in the Republican Party and its subsequent weakening is welcome, as is a move towards the centre in the general electorate.

pkbormes

Brookline MA

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If the Tea Party disintegrates, the Republican base will absorb most of the detritus, and, unfortunately, the base and the Tea Party share many of the worst elements. They want “their” country back, and it’s clear that “their” country is patriarchal, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, and feudal in nature. Resentment of the loss of white privilege… whether it’s recognised as such or not… is the driving factor. There are Republican Party members who talk about a big tent and changing their message, but its window dressing at best. Meantime, the result of a generation of trickle-down economics has all but destroyed the country’s infrastructure, whether transportation, education, or healthcare, because of Republican Party resentment towards benefits to the common good that help too many people… they disapprove of such.

Vanessa Hall

Millersburg MO

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Read n’ heed, kids… the Tea Party’s EVIL…

BMD