Editor’s Foreword:
Anything in normal type is me… anything in italics is from a correspondent.
BMD
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I can’t see why some of these folks get so hot n’ bothered. If you’re not sharing communion, everything’s cool. That’s the way it is. Where do these people come from? Were they converts? They’re the worst in that sort of thing. When we were at the Buddhist pagoda, the novice there was kind to us, and we to her. What’s so strange in that? What ticks me off is syncretism… that’s another topic, but you weren’t doing that. It’s like calling Holy Rollers and Sectarians “Christians”… they’re not… they’re “believers”, but they’re NOT “Christian” in the least.
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Up to now, we’ve gotten few RC or Low Church C of E or Evangelical (“Lutheran”) converts… all that we’ve gotten are the worst form of High Church Anglican or Sectarian or (even worse) cultists. When the Western Church collapses (which could happen in our time), that’ll shake many of ’em. After all, the RCs, Low Churchers, and Continental Reformation Evangelicals have no “issues”… they’re just ordinary believers, by and large. I’ll be blunt, the High Churchers have been more trouble than they’re worth… they’re partisans and they’re “Broad Churchers” to boot. RCs actually believe in something… it’s why they don’t convert. Remember… there are “believers” amongst the heterodox… it’s why their confessions haven’t fallen apart yet. We’ll have to see… after all, the future’s NEVER predictable, and trend-lines NEVER follow straight lines. We could commit hara-kiri at high noon; it’s our choice, isn’t it?
Certainly, it’s our choice… do we want to commit suicide or not should be the first question on the agenda of the Holy Synod. Their answer isn’t clear yet. Extremes meet…the Anglicans wanted to get rid of them, and we’ve been stupid enough in the past to think that we should take them.
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I agree with you on the mentality of the Far Right. Their provocateurs lead them to think we’re in a crisis, that it’s a life or death struggle, that Obama’s Satan, and that they’re Angels of Light. They feel that they must “fight” any other opinion.
I think that it’s an illustration of how corrosive talk radio is… they’re all haters and they’re all violent. I don’t think most of its listeners are bad people… but they’re listening to stuff that corrodes their minds.
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Y’know… His Holiness sees through it, too… the Church stands AGAINST the “Free Market” and all of its works. Neither SVS nor Jordanville publicise His Nibs’ good-sense sayings… who woulda thunk it that Gundyaev would turn out as he did? Thankfully, he did so… and I believe that he’s gonna fry some fish to a good turn soon… but only at the proper time. Then, Hilarion will be Metropolitan of Australasia (which is all that he wants, in any case), and who’ll lead us in the USA… I haven’t the slightest! It WON’T be a Lukianov, that’s for sure (God willing, it’ll be Kirill Dmitrieff). If the Centre has brains, Alaska will return to the Mother Church Proper (it’s a grand place for Kapalin, no?) and Canada should be on its own (its culture is RADICALLY different from the USA).
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That’s why I believe that ROCOR is part of a general train wreck involving it, the OCA, and Paris. The Centre’s staying out of it… because it must. If it were to get involved now, well, it’d just spin things out longer. The Centre has to let things collapse; then, and only then, can it move in. I weep for the lost souls in the meantime. It’s going to happen… you or I can do nothing of it… we can only wait for the wreck, for that’ll be the only thing that’ll wake most people up, sadly enough. I sometimes find “ignorance” attractive… such people don’t see what we see… they go about their lives “blissfully”. Then… I remember… the Lord doesn’t give the same “gifts” to everybody. I don’t know why I’ve been given the “talents” that I have… I only know that I must use them to good effect, or I’ll have to answer for it on the Last Day. Moreover, I MUST remember that I didn’t create my talents… the Almighty gave them to me, freely. That’s the way of it, isn’t it? We live in this crazy world, hutsky-klutsky as it is, and we’re the “Light of the World”. Be good… and pray for Nicky and me.
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You seem fond of the late Mr Layton. He was a working man who never forgot his origins, who spent his life labouring to make every Canadian’s situation better. He was a dedicated Socialist, yet he saw and understood the value of unity under the monarchy. Thus, he always defended his sovereign from Conservative Party slander and attack. The Canadian Conservatives look to US Republicans and Tea Party for inspiration, whilst the Socialist NDP and Liberals draw on Canada’s own loyalist heritage. Isn’t history strange? North America’s “1776 Land of Revolution” is now a font of racism, xenophobia, and ignorance. Loyal-Royal Canada is Social Democratic, avowedly tolerant, and enlightened; the Head of State is still the British Monarch, Elizabeth II, now styled “Queen of Canada”.
{THIS is why Canada and Canadians aren’t the same as the USA and Americans… it’s why they deserve their “own” Orthodox metropolia: editor}
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Cooperation is Open to Everyone
Soviet poster
1920s
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The Soviet period was a reality… a reality born of a tsarist system that wasn’t up to the stresses that the times subjected it to. Lenin’s a reality… he’s not an exemplar. Oddly enough, Stalin wasn’t as thoroughly evil. He did relent in his persecution; Vladimir Ilyich wouldn’t have done such. Yet, Lenin’s a reality… you can’t just act as though he never was… that’s the rub. I still say… a synthesis of both Red and White… a Restoration of either pre-1914 Imperial Russia or the pre-1991 USSR is impossible. Any new state will be a synthesis of the two… a monarchy organised on a Social Democratic basis. Remember, it’s the merchants who’re the evil class in society, not the nobles, peasants, or workers (that’s been true throughout all history). We must avoid V I Lenin on the left and the Neoliberals on the right… both are dead-ends. Look at contemporary Byelorussia… it’s no paradise, but the people don’t want oligarchy, and they’ve kept it out. They prefer a strongman (Lukashenko) to the rule of the monied pigs… and I can’t say that I blame them. At least, Lukashenko hasn’t sold the country to the highest bidder.
Do we agree? Not entirely… but we can pass the glass and laugh. If we can agree on what’s at hand, we can work together. If you agree with me on EVERYTHING… I have a nice place for you to live… they’re very nice there… they won’t even let you leave! BE GOOD!
What we need is a people’s monarchy and your image of socialists bowing to the King is absolutely right and quite natural… the people’s Duma. What we don’t want is monarchism… that’s quite different. That’s right-wing fascist stuff. If only the Communists hadn’t persecuted the Church. That was their only real mistake.
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I can be more “up front” than you are… I’m an ordinary lay woman… not a cleric! I’d refuse ANY “official” office if offered (e.g., head of official website)… it’d DESTROY my independent position. There needs to be SOMEONE who watches the Church with a CRITICAL eye. That doesn’t mean carping… it means that one doesn’t cheerlead or write hagiographic nonsense. That’s my position.
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One shouldn’t get overconfident. Don’t forget the fate of Fegelein… he was one of Hitler’s cronies. In the last days of the war, he decided to go to ground and hide in civvies for the end of it all. He didn’t lie doggo enough… he got mouthy… and the Gestapo caught him and shot his ass dead less than a week before Hitler shot himself. PRUDENCE.
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I always seek the TRUTH… wherever one finds it. If it’s on the right-hand side, so be it… if it’s on the left-hand side, so be it. I’m preparing a piece on the coming synthesis in Russia… the NEW USSR will probably be a monarchy… a tsar presiding over a Socialist state. I HATE falsehood. It’s why I hate Rush Limboob et al… they don’t tell the truth. They’re ranting because they know that their day’s done… the new gated communities in exurbia aren’t behind berms for no reason… they’re that fearful of what’s coming.
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After World War II, Norway voted to go Social Democratic, but the Socialists didn’t touch the Established Church and Monarchy. They retained full and even special rights under Socialist rule. No Socialist PM can assume power without a blessing from the Royal Evangelical Lutheran Church AND without kneeling before the King and vowing loyalty to the Throne of Norway. What DID happen is that the state expropriated ALL natural resources for the common benefit. Thus, if geologists find oil, it belongs to all the citizens; the Feds couldn’t hand it over to whichever Transnational Corporation is willing to pay the most, as it is in the USA (Screw the citizens!). Oil, natural gas, timber, uranium, gold, silver, and all other resources have produced enormous national wealth; it’s seen as “the common property of all”, and the profits are SHARED.
This wealth provides the subjects of the Socialist Kingdom of Norway with one of the very highest standards of living on earth (the rightwing USA sucks wind… it’s only #13!). EVERY Norwegian gets subsidised housing, health care, and universal education (through graduate school) or job training, FOR FREE (of course, it’s paid for by taxation, but because it’s done in bulk, it’s cheaper than the “private” alternative in the USA). Cradle to grave, N0 Norwegian need fear unemployment, hospital bills, or old age insecurity, quite unlike the “Free Market” USA. Each Norwegian is free to live their own life as they see fit… there’s NO State interference in anything from religion to sexuality. It’s YOUR life! This political and economic LIBERATION drives the Norwegian fascists insane; this led one of them to commit the horrific events that occurred there on Friday. The US rightwing fears that people will hear of the SUCCESS of Socialism… what’s not to like in it?
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Notice that His Holiness sent Archbishop Mark Golovkov, not “Metropolitan” Hilarion Alfeyev, on this very important and highly sensitive MP external affairs mission to North Korea. This speaks volumes… do note that the REAL Church operates in all places and circumstances… She doesn’t deify or demonise any governmental or political system contrary to what some in the United States might lead others to believe…
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Warnecke actually found the Crestwood property and was the “wheeler-dealer” who negotiated everything and made it happen… ADS WASN’T equal to this or similar tasks… they (SVS) were very dependent on Warnecke. In fact, when they purchased additional property adjacent to what they already owned later on for expansion, Warnecke had to negotiate that deal, too. He was a rather nasty sort; especially, in regards to his power and position… he had a good deal of personal wealth (business interests and real property in the Syracuse NY area). In 1988, when they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of SVS, Bobby K had to coordinate and plan the banquet at the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel in East Rutherford NJ, because the SVS lot were too inept to do that. When it comes to anything practical, they’re FIRST CLASS SCREW-UPS!
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Editor’s Afterword:
Running this site has led to some fruitful correspondences… I’ve learnt more about the Church (and things in general) in the last four years than I have in the previous fifty. I’m not over-exaggerating… one person can only see what’s in front of them… they can only hear what they’re present to hear. When people band together, there’s a synergy, it leads to the sum of their efforts being greater than the individual amounts added into it. It’s the way God works… cooperation is open to everyone, as the old Red poster had it. What does that tell you about those who advocate unbridled “individualism” and laissez-faire buccaneer economics? I’ll say that it leads to nothing good… what about you?
BMD
Voices from Russia 
Canada Awoke from a Long (and Real) Nightmare…
Tags: Bloc Québécois, Canada, Conservative Party of Canada, Government of Canada, Jack Layton, Justin Trudeau, Liberal Party of Canada, New Democratic Party (Canada), political commentary, politics, Stephen Harper, Thomas Mulcair
The above map is based on census units, not ridings… it shows the largest vote-getter in a particular area. Canada has a “first-past-the-post” system, so, a candidate with a minority of the vote can win, so long as they’re ahead of all others.
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First off, I want to say that you’re all amazing. I’m scrolling through my feed this morning and everything I see is intelligent thoughtful commentary on the outfall of last night’s election. We seem to be collectively experiencing such a mix of thoughts and emotions, from the tremendous relief of waking up in a country no longer governed by a corrupt heartless tyrant, to sadness about the seeming loss of ground on the left. We’re overwhelmingly thoughtful and anxious about the new government and especially its leader, Justin Trudeau.
I have to say, I didn’t give the Liberals a lot of thought this election. In fact, my riding didn’t even have a Liberal candidate after she withdrew last week, though she managed to take a chunk of votes anyway since Elections Canada wasn’t able to remove her from the ballot. My vote was NDP from the beginning and it never wavered, so I spent very little energy looking into the platforms of the other parties. Now, I want to know. Who is Justin Trudeau? What kind of person is he? What kind of leader is he? How will he steer the course of this country for the next 4-5 years? Should I be hopeful or pessimistic about where we’re going?
I’m old enough to remember the Chrétien/Martin years. I harbour no illusions that this is a revolution. In some ways, one can see it as a return to Canadian politics as usual with the ball landing in the Liberal court for their turn again. However, I have to say in all honesty that the only moment during this campaign where a party leader made me feel anything deeply was during his closing remarks in the first debate. He spoke about the heart of Canada and Canadians, about hope and optimism, and I felt him. He meant it.
I think he’s a good person. I think he has heart and he cares about this country and its diverse people. I think if he was sitting at my dinner table, we’d agree on more things than we’d disagree on. He may not be as far “left” as I’d like in that he still believes in capitalist economics, but from where I sit, he’s about as good as we’re ever going to get in a Prime Minister. I like him better than Mulcair, who I never could warm up to anyway, and I can’t say after looking into it further that I think his policies or platform are in general less left than the NDP, at least under Mulcair. He’s promised to withdraw Canadian soldiers from armed conflict, to restore environmental protections and increase them, to reform the electoral system, to restore funding to the CBC and Canada post, and to rebuild relationships with Canada’s First Nations. Therefore, I think we did good last night, and I think we still have lots of work to do.
Nevertheless, for now, I’m honestly overwhelmed with tears of relief. I feel like we just won the fucking lottery and cured cancer at the same time, as ridiculous as that is. I feel irrationally overwhelmingly grateful for this man who has stepped up to take back our country from Harper. If he enacts even a fraction of the platform promises he made, Canada’s going to be a profoundly better place than it was yesterday. If he does nothing at all but prevent further damage, Canada’s still going to be a better place. Moreover, I trust that he’d do something more than that. He has a young family and a wife who reminds me a lot of myself. He has promises to keep and I get the sense he’s the kind of person who’d do his best to keep them. At least, I hope he will.
To quote Jack Layton:
I think we changed the world for the better yesterday. Thanks everyone.
20 October 2015
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