Of Statues, Monuments, and Flags

The Chestonian principle:

In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it. - G.K. Chesterton

When deciding about removing flags, monuments, statues, etc. I think it is wise to first consider the Chestonian principle - by the community that "owns" the statue/monument.

 

Quick thought: I don't think many people in America would object to Russian citizens toppling statues of Lenin when the Soviet Union collapsed.

 

A local (county, university, town, state) population should decide why they honored X (substitute the name of any Confederate General, flag, monument, public figure) on their public grounds in the first place. If they decide that this person/symbol no longer represents their values or the community and want to remove it, then they have that right.

 

However, outsiders like Nancy Pelosi or Donald Trump or myself should have no demands in the matter.

 

A member of Congress from California has no standing in agitating for the removal of Robert E. Lee from any venue but from Federal property or in her own local district on public land (as a private citizen in the latter case.)

 

In this era of so-called "self-identification", isn't it ironic that local communities are being pressured to conform their identity to political correctness?

 

The argument that Confederate Generals are traitors and should not be honored is misleading. The issue of the legality of succession was decided by the War Between the States. Before the Civil War, various states (including Northern states) had discussed succession and not considered it a treasonous proposition, but an option. It is not the equivalent of putting up a statue of John Wilkes Booth or Benedict Arnold!

 

On the other hand, those who say we are trying to change history when we remove monuments, are also wrong. We are only re-evaluating who we honor from our history.

 

There is much complexity to these issues which also depend on the type of monument and its venue.

 

For example, a memorial for soldiers who died in the Civil War is not so much a statement on the war itself (as the Vietnam Memorial is not) as a remembrance of family and friends who died. After all while most of the Confederate officers may have owned slaves, many, if not most, non-officer soldiers did not.

 

The Confederate flag may have a different legacy. It is a powerful symbol that many have used has a symbol of white supremacy both recently and also when they began to be raised on Southern states capital buildings in the 1960's. There would seem to be much more justification for their removals.

 

Individual Confederate Generals/Officers monuments may sometimes lay somewhere in-between the two examples noted above. Many of these men may have been honored for attributes other than, or in addition to, their leadership roles in the Confederacy.

 

However, in each case the local community should make thoughtful decisions.

 

We need to pray for peace in this country (an in our own souls.)

 

On this Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary .... Oremus pro invicem!

Marbleface

One of my favorite genres to listen to in my travels are westerns. They have enough adventure to keep me awake, but generally not too stressful. You know the outcome. Zane Grey, Max Brand, Louis L'Amour - these are the mainstays.

 

I am just finishing up the strangest one I have ever listened to. Here's the background: Successful middleweight boxer suddenly develops a heart condition in the middle of a fight. Realizing he can no longer exert himself for long periods, he plays poker, takes up a revolver and heads West.

 

He has all kinds of adventures, but must escape from pursuers by walking (no running), must take a nap in the middle of a conflict after hitting his foe, and generally walks around unscathed despite the handicap.

 

It is just the strangest Western I have ever read - but there are only so many plots, right?

Oremus pro invicem! 

Manhood and consumerism

Mr. Jason Craig has penned an interesting article over at Those Catholic Men concerning manhood and consumerism. Here are some of the key ideas:

…we no longer are measured by the skill of our craft but by our ability to purchase the craftsmanship of another, and, in fact, we valued the ability to purchase over the ability to make. 

And:

The worst outcome of the trend toward specialization is that giant companies gobble up market share (for the sake of money, not the things made) and controls the production and delivery of the goods we need.  Being unable to “compete” with them through doing or making or doing it ourselves, a man is reduced to, as Berry puts it, “the negativity of his complaint.”[4]  He is a consumer and can only complain about the products he consumes – he cannot change his status as a consumer or actually change the product.  In other words, because you can’t do anything for yourself, the only power you have is to leave negative feedback about a product.  Just think about the sad “power” of leaving feedback on Amazon.  That’s all we have.  And that’s sad.

One conclusion:

Men consume because they cannot do and what they do they do to consume.  They can’t cultivate the world around them to fit their needs, but can only try to purchase themselves out of boredom and stress and hunger.  The anxiety of modern man then is reasonable.  He is helpless and at the mercy of those that sell, control, or hand out his sustenance.  Servility comes naturally with a sense of anxiety – for good reason.

Freedom, both economic and spiritual have many facets.

Oremus pro invicem!

 

Varmints and Cantaloupes

So we have been growing these (not soccer balls):

But every morning one or more is half eaten. So son Thomas puts a honeybun in the raccoon trap and catches this:

We reload the trap tonight in case there is a family....

Oremus pro invicem!

Augustine or Aquinas?

From Those Catholic Men :

Due to the fact that so many young people seem more drawn to questions regarding happiness and personal fulfillment, he noted that he often orients his talks in this direction. In other words, perhaps one could say that such an approach to teaching is an attempt to be more Augustinian (happiness-based) than Thomistic (truth-based).

 

Without commenting on the entire article quoted, (in fact I didn't read it all-these lines got me thinking and I never got back to it) some obvious questions come to (my) mind:

 

1. Is Augustine more about happiness than truth?

2. Is Aquinas more about truth than happiness?

3. Are truth and happiness so inter-related that it doesn't matter?

 

I am presently reading God or Nothing an interview with Cardinal Sarah. Cardinal Sarah contends (I am paraphrasing) that Christianity is not a set of (moral) norms, but an encounter with a person, Jesus Christ. Moral laws are more of a consequence than a prerequisite of Christianity. In other words, the encounter with the Son of Man calls us to follow him, which then makes us want to live a certain way. This seems (to me) very Augustinian, if the premise above is true.

 

However, doesn't Aquinas explore who is God and the Trinity? And doesn't this truth of the nature of the Trinity helps us make an authentic encounter with and learn how to follow Jesus?

 

I once knew an atheist who was one of the most moral men I knew. He believed living a moral life was the only way to have an orderly society.

 

Now, many would argue that equating Aquinas with "the Law" in not the same as saying Aquinas is 'truth-based" (as opposed to "happiness-based"). I would agree; but still there is a perception, but (I would argue) a perception from ignorance of Aquinas.

 

Oremus pro invicem! 

Oconee

We rented a cabin at Oconee State Park in Mountain Rest, SC last weekend. A neighbor kept a watch on the animals. We have seldom if ever gone all gone away for more than 24 hours in the last few years - but that is part of homesteading.

Oconee State Park brings in a bluegrass group and has a square dance in their barn every Friday night in the summer. It was absolutely great. Lots of people. We learned some dances we will incorporate into our annual square dance here.

Saturday and Sunday we meant to spend looking at waterfalls, but we didn't get to many because of the strong thunder storms that kept popping up.

We also were limited to which ones we could hike to because a 2 year old boy is staying with us right now.

Be we had fun and saw some beautiful waterfalls. The pictured one is at Cove Station Falls.

 

 

 

We also walked through Stumphouse Tunnel. Before the war between the states, a railroad line connecting Charleston, SC to Cincinnati, OH was planned. But Stumphouse Mountain got in the way. Irish immigrants, working from both sides with pick, shovel, and sledge started carving out the tunnel. They lived in a village on top of the mountain. A Fr. O'Connell founded St. Patrick Catholic Church for the workers and their families. The first shot is approaching the tunnel (which provided a cold breeze). The second is obviously in the tunnel.

While we were away Mrs. Curley's aunt, Karen Stanley passed away in Florida. May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace!

 

Oremus pro invicem!

Books and Rain

I have recounted here before that I listen to a lot of books on CD because I spend a good deal of time commuting to my Adjunct job.

The other day I stopped at the library to find something new. I just finished listening to Enduring Courage - Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed by John Ross. Who knew Rickenbacker was a native of Columbus Ohio?

A title caught my eye: a thriller called The Third Secret by Steve Berry; the background being our Lady’s appearances at Fatima. I mentioned it when I got home, being in the middle of the first chapter.

Two of my kids immediately told me I already listened to this one. I said “No way, I don’t remember it at all.”

Both of them immediately looked it up on this blog (April 23, 2015), one of them immediately quoting my concluding evaluation at the time:  I can't believe I wasted my time with such rubbish!

I guess they do pay attention!

*******************

I fear the lack of rain has demolished our sweet corn this year. Rain (that didn’t come) last week may have saved it, but now I think it is too late. We will get some, but very few ears will be flush.

You can’t go by the weather station to evaluate the amount of rain we get at our little corner. Wednesday for example we were coming home from an excursion at the beach. It started raining about 60 miles from home – sometimes a downpour. Even 8-10 miles from home they had received substantial rainfall. We received not a drop.

This happened last week to, except the rain was even closer.

I have repeatedly seen in past years dark clouds pass over us and the adjacent field only to let go over the river ¼ mile away.

I was starting to fear even for my patti pan squash and cucumbers. But a little rain last night and (hopefully) some today may give us enough moisture to survive.

**************

I am also reading Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul  by John Eldredge. About ½ way through, I am sure I will have something to say about it when I am finished. So far it is very interesting, but his conclusions may bring insight into his initial analyses.

Oremus pro invicem!

 

God's bounty

We never did much with carrots in the past, but this year a sowed them among the radishes. The radishes (for the most part) went to the pigs a couple months ago. The carrots are a great success. I picked about half yesterday. This morning I harvested the rest. Here is this morning's harvest. Looks like we will be doing this again.

 

Oremus pro invicem!

The moment (from the homily)

At St Ann Byzantine Catholic Church in San Luis Obispo on Saturday, June 3rd, my oldest son Nicholas was married to Alexis.

 

It was an absolutely beautiful wedding. I so inspired by the courage and charity displayed by this young man and this young woman in the past year with the adversities that they have, not endured, but sanctified.

 

This was my first trip to California since 1989. I flew in late Thursday for the Saturday wedding and took the red-eye home last night. Lori and most of the children (save 1) were out there for an entire week staying at Grover Beach before flying back with me last night.

 

There are so many people to thank for helping us celebrate with Nick and Alexis and their family and friends.

 

On another note, each time I touch the Eastern lung of the Catholic Church (this time Ruthenian) I am impressed and inspired.   

 

Oremus pro invicem!

Graduations

My two oldest sons graduated from college in the past two weeks. The younger from Northeast Catholic College (NCC) in Warner, NH and the oldest from Wyoming Catholic in Lander, WY.

 

I caught a blurry picture of the boots and spurs on the NCC graduate's feet during the final procession.

We are immensely proud of both of them.

Oremus pro invicem!

Turkeys, woodchucks and other suburban wildlife

I live in a rural area. It is not unusual or unnatural to see wildlife on our property. My son trapped a raccoon which was digging our garden just the other day. We see wild turkeys in the woods, and occasionally one finds itself in our front yard-but not often. Fox (eating my chickens) and coyote have been known to frequent the area.

 

Funny though, the wildlife we see is in passing. Usually it sticks to the forests.

 

My mother, on the other hand, lives in Norwood, less than 15 minutes from the Boston city limits. Growing up we saw only squirrels, some chipmunks, and a few bunny rabbits.

 

But nowadays I am apt to see a big buck on the front lawn, a flock of wild turkeys hanging around all day and the day after and the day after that. Woodchucks run around - while not more numerous than squirrels, they are still there. Fox and coyote regularly saunter down the neighborhood streets.

 

 

I was staying there last week for a few days and two toms and 3 hens just appeared everyday and wandered around and ate.

 

I guess suburban sprawl leaves the wildlife nowhere to go but Mom's!

Oremus pro invicem!

Finals week ....

so I am not writing much. If you want to read something, try this: Dear Future Husband.

Oremus pro invicem!

Another litter of pigs late last week. Peanuts planted today. I think the summer garden is pretty set. We still have pumpkins to plant, a couple weeks before that gets done.

 

Just finished listening to Tarzan of the Apes - first time since I was very young. Am reading a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. Am I reverting?

Oremus pro invicem!

Requiescat in pace, John Meehan

From the  Northeast Catholic College website:

Today, Northeast Catholic College mourns the death of one of its founders, John D. Meehan.

 

Speaking of Meehan’s legacy, college president Dr. George Harne observed: “....Fundamentally Augustinian in his spiritual orientation, love motivated him in all his works for the Church, a Church to which he was unabashedly devoted.”

I only met him as a youth when my sisters attended the (then) Magdalen College. But he is a man hard to forget. In more recent years I spoke with him in conjunction with publishing his book "Two Towers" by Requiem Press. He always inspired and impressed me in speaking with him and reading his thoughts.

 

Dr. Harne's words are true.

May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace.

Oremus pro invicem!

Polly has 12

We woke up this morning to a new litter.

Sam is due any day now also.

Game hen hatched out a clutch of 12 a couple days ago. I guess a dozen is the number.

Oremus pro invicem!

The Trade

Take a 14 year-year old Jersey milk cow which is dry and un-bred. Trade her for a 6 year-old Jersey milk cow in milk (3 months since freshened) and probably bred. Even up!

 

Sure there were circumstances (a low bag hard to both hand milk and for calves to suckle), but nothing else.

 

And after milking her for a couple weeks, that bag isn't so saggy.

 

 

He is Risen! Alleluia!

Oremus pro invicem!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

He is Risen!

 

 

 

Oremus pro invicem!

I just returned from a weekend in Florida for the funeral of my wife's Grandmother. May Mary Tess Hoyt and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace!

******************

 

Read this at The Imaginative Conservative on whether Capitalism is the enemy of the family. Here are some thoughts to contemplate (whether you are a Capitalist or otherwise) - quotes being from Dr. Allan Carlson's recent essay (link not provided):

 

“Simply put, capitalism—at the most basic level—has a vested interest in family weakness,” he (Carlson) argues. Traditionally, and well into America’s founding period, autonomous, self-sufficient families and communities were considered the ideal and necessary foundation for civilization: culturally, educationally and economically. This was indeed a view espoused notably by Thomas Jefferson. “Capitalism, however, grows as it takes over tasks and functions once performed by families or within closely knit communities, and reorganizes them on the industrial model.” Capitalism’s takeover begins with yarn, then clothing, food processing and transportation, and finally almost everything, supported in its efforts by the state, which takes over culture through mandatory schooling and child-welfare regulation.

 

 

In the end, the author believes Carlson's argument is not with all Capitalism:

 

 

All in all, Dr. Carlson’s case against capitalism is powerful. However, as his distinction between small companies and Wall Street illuminates, his argument is not against all capitalism but against what most people would call crony capitalism—i.e., large firms manipulating state regulatory power to gain more than what a free market would give them.  Indeed, crony capitalism should be the proper target of Dr. Carlson’s entire critique.

 

 

Oremus pro invicem!

Personhood

In an article in a national magazine for electrical engineers (IEEE Spectrum) on whether (some) robots should be considered “persons” or have “personhood rights” (really???) such as a corporation has rights, there is a quote from an Australian law professor:

Legal persons must know and be able to claim their rights: They must be able to assert themselves as members of a society, which is why nonhuman animals (and some incapacitated humans), and artifacts like AIs should not be considered legal persons. (my emphasis added.)

Interestingly, it was not my highlighted exception which surprised or had not been previously considered by the author of the article, or even commented on during the rest of the article. Why am I continually surprised?

Obviously, already in today’s society certain humans have been routinely denied the rights of persons – namely the unborn and those considered in comas or “brain dead” (whatever that means – the definition of which is constantly in flux due to convenience and organ donation issues.)

But apparently we haven’t reached the end of the road in denying rights. Throughout history man has denied the humanity of one group or another. Even though we believe we are the "enlightened" generations, it goes on and on.

On this eve of the Feast of the Annunciation .... Oremus pro invicem!

 

 

My view on the Benedict Option ...

... is actually someone else's.

I haven't read a lot of reviews, and I haven't read the book, but from reading about BO from Rod Dreher's blog, the sense I get corresponds pretty well to this review.

If the Benedict Option is just Christianity, it is neither inherently Benedictine nor is it optional. If it is a feeling and an intuition, it needs to be guided by careful thought.

Dreher himself, in an earlier articulation of it, says it is the charge to be distinctly Christian and countercultural in the face of cultural hostility “even if that means some degree of intentional separation from the mainstream” (italics Dreher’s). But that already has a name: Christianity.

Christianity has always called one to be countercultural - the struggle to be in the world but not of the world.

I have no particular plans to read the book, so I probably won't mention it again.

***************

It was my privilege this past weekend to visit with some young men from Florida State U and Rutgers along with a few of the Brothers from the Brotherhood of Hope at a working retreat of sorts in NC.

 

In talking to one of the Brothers, I was again struck by how much going on a mission trip to serve the poor changes the lives (and plans) of so many people.

 

The Brothers work at secular campuses to bring Christ to those who don't know Him.

Oremus pro invicem!

Corn, Snow, and "The Benedict Option"

We almost planted corn on Saturday but ran out of time. We woke up to snow and more cold weather on Sunday. Still cold today, but I think I will be planting my sweet corn within a week.

 

Reading a review (review by Collin Hansen) of Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option:

 

Here’s how to get started with the antipolitical politics of the Benedict Option. Secede culturally from the maintream. Turn off the television. Put the smartphones away. Read books. Play games. Make music. Feast with your neighbors. It is not enough to avoid what is bad; you must also embrace what is good. Start a church, or a group within your church. Open a classical Christian school, or join and strengthen one that exists. Plant a garden, and participate in a local farmer’s market. Teach kids how to play music, and start a band. Join the volunteer fire department.

 

Hmmm. Sounds familiar!

 

Personally, I am more interested in reading Out of the Ashes by Anthony

Esolen.

 

I think the so-called Benedict Option is nothing more than living the Faith - being in the world but not of it. This is what Christians have been called to do for 2000 years. But we need resets because we are seduced by the world and need to pull back periodically - Oh, that's called LENT!

 

Oremus pro invicem!

Conversion

Read in the Emergency waiting room (waiting to find out daughter did NOT have appendicitis):

Now, since people tend to prize knowledge above holiness, we must be warned that this enlightening is not an understanding of the Divine Mysteries. It is a call (vocation) to obedience; and it is a mission (apostolate) to love the laws of God: the two Great Commandments. (Conversio by John Meehan 1976)

I think it is true - people love to know things - and we sometimes think because we have all this knowledge, that we are holy. (I know the commandments; I know the catechism; I know the proper rubrics for the Mass; .... etc.) But probably most of us will realize this is false if we think about it.

 

Oremus pro invicem!

books, peas, and school

The "Closing of the American Mind" is all but closed. Some interesting points including a back-handed compliment on Great Books curriculums. Here we are 30 years later and the holding hostage of colleges is beginning again. The colleges never recovered from the first time.

 

I finished listening to Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne last week. Verne often uses science or writes science fiction (i.e. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) in his stories. This one was devoid of it except near the end on one crucial point. Without giving a spoiler, let me just say that Verne makes use of the Leidenfrost effect (you've seen this when a drop of water skitters across a skillet when the skillet is much hotter than the boiling point of water - or when liquid nitrogen drops skitter across a floor.)

 

Planted peas and broccoli, and carrots, and radishes, and lots of other things the past two weekends. However, it has been so warm, I wonder if I am not a few weeks late.

 

I tilled the patch we will be growing sweet corn this year. I am thinking of planting some this weekend.

 

Teaching is going this spring. I hesitate to say "going well" because I am not sure what that means: everyone getting "A's" for example? Well that's not the case. Mid-term is at the end of this week, and one of my classes is a disaster (grade-wise.) I am hoping the test this week will renew my confidence in today's students!

 

There seems to be two major problems with the students I see. First is a lack of foundational knowledge in math (after all, I teach sciences). It is hard to understand more complex topics if the underlying math (usually high school algebra) is close to a mystery for the student.

 

Secondly (and this may be the cause of the first), there seems to be an expectation of continuous opportunities. That is: do poorly on a test and just retake it and do better.

 

I can see why. Apparently many high schools give almost unlimited chances to complete homework and test assignments. Do the assignment as many times as you want - until you get the grade you are satisfied with (this last is a quote from a teacher). I kid you not. I have recently become quite aware of this. It may be a way to move students along (because failure is bad for self-esteem?).

 

I don't know, but it does not do the students any good when they reach a higher level.

 

Oremus pro invicem!

 

 

Listening to .... Michael Strogoff

by Jules Verne.


I had never heard of it, but have enjoyed a few of Verne's books (most notably The Mysterious Island recommended by son Matthew) so I randomly picked this one from LibriVox.

Turns out, according to Wikipedia, "Critics consider it one of Verne's best books."

The full title is Michael Strogoff, The Courier of the Czar.

I am almost 1/2 way through, and it is very good so far.

Oremus pro invicem!

Got the latest issue of Grit Magazine in the mail this weekend. I don't subscribe, but a received a complimentary copy because an article of mine was included in the magazine. It is not available online, but if you look at the table of contents in the link, it is the one about pigs - who'd have guessed?

 

I wish I had the time to write and publish more. I used to write articles (and get them published) pretty regularly, but mostly in Catholic online magazines - and those don't pay anything! These days I really can't afford to work for free even if I had the time.

 

I have continued in my journey through The Closing of the American Mind. The chapter on music has a devastating indictment of rock and roll. I don't have the text available to me as I write today, but if I can come up with a representative quote later, I may update this post.

 

Energy and hope still linger from my visit to Aquinas College in Nashville this past weekend.

 

Oremus pro invicem!

Aquinas College, Nashville, TN

My daughter was scheduled to attend scholarship day at Aquinas College in Nashville, TN this weekend. Mrs. Curley was going to take her, leaving the homestead early Friday morning.

Somehow at 6:00 AM on Friday morning, the responsibility changed, and I was taking her. I am glad I did.

 

I have visited Northeast Catholic, Wyoming Catholic, Christendom College, and University of Dallas (or more accurately Holy Trinity Seminary at UD). I have come away from each re-energized in my Faith and renewed in hope for the coming generation.

 

For some reason, even though Aquinas is a Newman Guide school, I didn't expect the same, but I got the same renewal none-the-less.

 

From the president of Aquinas, Sister Mary Sarah, O.P., to the professors, to the students, I found a college that knows what(who) it is, and what its purpose is.

 

I spent 15-20 minutes speaking with Sister Mary Sarah, O.P. and didn't know until later who she was. These Dominicans know what they are doing - they want to bring people to Christ.

 

The scholarship candidates and their parents split into groups based on their intended majors and met with the dean of that college. We met with Dr. Aaron Urbanczyk, dean of the college of arts and sciences. I loved his presentation on the purpose of education and of the value of the liberal arts. (My daughter says, "Of course you did. He says the same things you say!")

 

As to Nashville .... bigger than I thought. We stayed in a cabin at a KOA. We ate well, but fairly inexpensively. Live bluegrass music while eating a $12 supper - not bad at all! The Cathedral was beautiful, but not breathtaking. They had confession, which we took advantage of. We assisted at Mass at St. Edward Sunday morning. Great homily from the pastor.

 

Glad to be home, but glad I went.

 

Oremus pro invicem!

the family

Written in 1986, from the Closing of the American Mind:

The dreariness of the family's spiritual landscape passes belief. .....People sup together, play together, travel together, but they do not think together. Hardly any homes have any intellectual life whatsoever, let alone one that informs the vital interests of life. Educational TV marks the high tide for family intellectual life. ...fathers and mothers have lost the idea that the highest aspiration they might have for their children is for them to be wise - as priests, prophets, or philosophers are wise. Specialized competence and success are all they can imagine.

I think this is an inevitable consequence of the breaking apart of the family (everyone leaves everyday.) Our real lives are at work and school, not at home. Home is just the hotel and periodically the vacation. Some of what he says is not even true now - families don't sup together and play together on a regular basis.

 

********************

 

In my previous posts I asked questions about the long-term viability of a democratic republic. I am not a monarchist (never thought much about it either way.) Just asking questions.

 

Charlie makes the comment: The problem we have today is not a problem of government but a problem of morality. There can be no liberty among the immoral.

 

The founding fathers believed that Constitution would only work for a moral people.

 

Regarding the best government, a truly moral and benevolent monarch with good judgment, would perhaps be the best form of government, but who is to vouch for his successors? I guess that any government made up of moral people with good judgment would be the "best" government.

 

Many make the case that since this is unlikely to happen, the democratic republic is the best compromise ....

 

Oremus pro invicem!

Can a democratic republic work?

As noted in my last post, it was proposed (from the Introduction to The Closing of the American Mind) that the Founding Fathers believed:

From the earliest beginnings of liberal thought there was a tendency in the direction of indiscriminate freedom. Hobbes and Locke, and the American founders following them, intended to palliate extreme beliefs, particularly religious beliefs, which lead to civil strife. The members of sects had to obey the laws and be loyal to the Constitution; if they did so, others had to leave them alone, however distasteful their beliefs might be. In order to make this arrangement work, there was a conscious, if covert, effort to weaken religious beliefs, partly by assigning ... religion to the realm of opinion as opposed to knowledge.

Going forward, it seems that Mr. Bloom is proposing (at least in the introduction) that the current problem of relativism can be traced to minority groups wanting to remain distinguishable from a conforming mass of people under the Constitution as designed in the quote above.

Granted, I haven’t finished the book (or even the introduction), but there seems to be an inherent problem here. It is turned on its head. Relativism would be the result of “assigning ... religion to the realm of opinion as opposed to knowledge”, not the other way around.

The result of core sets of beliefs being converted into simple opinions of equal value would then give rise to every minority group (defining minority not by race, but by any belief whim) wanting their agendas to be given equal value.

Because there may be real resistance, eventually, this want becomes a demand, causing chaos - such as we are witnessing today – to the extent of again turning things on their heads: unorthodox beliefs being demanding acceptance as knowledge/fact, and traditional beliefs being regulated to the dustbin at best and outlawed at worst. (It is clear that in the current climate the simple acceptance of a coexistence of the homosexual/transgender/etc. agenda is not enough. Beliefs opposed to these agendas, even if held privately or by a church, will not be tolerated in any form.)

Is the constitutional republic as we know it inherently unworkable in the long term, or is it a function of other influences at this particular time in history? Would returning things to a previous order of beliefs under the same constitutional system simply repeat the process?

More on this later, including possibly some thoughts (by Russell Shaw) peculiar to Catholicism in American from the book American Church.

Oremus pro invicem!

Years ago I bought an "important" conservative book, but apparently never read much of it, as only the 3rd page had a dog ear.

Started it again, and came across this in the first few pages:

From the earliest beginnings of liberal thought there was a tendency in the direction of indiscriminate freedom. Hobbes and Locke, and the American founders following them, intended to palliate extreme beliefs, particularly religious beliefs, which lead to civil strife. The members of sects had to obey the laws and be loyal to the Constitution; if they did so, others had to leave them alone, however distasteful their beliefs might be. In order to make this arrangement work, there was a conscious, if covert, effort to weaken religious beliefs, partly by assigning ... religion to the realm of opinion as opposed to knowledge. (my emphasis.)

Having just finished Russell Shaw's American Church, this quote, seems relevant. Many American Catholics become good "Americans" whose religious beliefs are just opinions, as good as everyone else's? This explains dissent, cafeteria Catholicism, etc.

 

Oremus pro invicem!

Reading now ....

“Reading” audio version of Crime and Punishment. It has been years since I first read it, but C&P retains its relevance.

Almost finished a first time read of The Three Musketeers. I can see its attraction (swashbuckling adventure) for a younger reader, but the proliferation and acceptance of mistresses by the protagonist(s) is a turn off for me. One redeeming feature of this tale is the chapter entitled "Bethune". Just the title, not the content.

Am also reading American Church (or the Cardinal Gibbons Legacy?) by Russell Shaw. Shaw always is very readable. (Am I biased because he was a Requiem Press author?)

I am not very far into it, but can tell it will bring insight into how the Catholic Church in America got to its present state with relation to American society and culture. (In some respects, the Requiem Press title by John Meehan The Two Towers gives some insight into this also.) The telling point will be the predication or suggestions for the future which come at the end. I think it may be very timely especially if you throw in the traditional vs. modernistic (and suddenly American) view of marriage (see news on the variance between the San Diego and Philadelphia dioceses’ interpretation of Amoris Laetitia.)

Oremus pro invicem!

Snow

This week there are many trips to the airport as sons and their (at least one) fiancée leave to go back to where they came from.

 

Now it is getting hazardous as we have a winter storm.

 

May all travelers be safe.

 

Oremus pro invicem!

Dinner?

Two sons went squirrel hunting the other afternoon. We also processed a hog earlier in the day. Here is their cooking solution: squirrel wrapped in fat back (this is before cooking!). I am told it was delicious!

Oremus pro invicem!

Merry & Blessed Christmas

Heard ...

Me: I must have a screw loose!

Her (Mrs. Curley): I'm your loose screw!

Oremus pro invicem!

Hard Times!

It is most amazing to me that while 2 of my favorite all-time novels are by Charles Dickens (Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities) that I have only read a total of 4 of his books. (The others A Christmas Carol and The Pickwick Papers - although I can barely remember reading the latter.)

 

You would think a reader such as I would have devoured many more of his works. Well I am beginning to round things out. This morning I started (courtesy of librivox.org) listening to Hard Times.

 

*******************

 

My semester winds up today. A final exam this morning and another this evening. Grade them, download records, and I am through until early January. Not that all work stops, but all my other work is flexible.

 

I caught the 6:30 AM Mass at the parish near the college for the feast day. I had to do this on November 1st also.

 

I was contemplating this situation after Mass this morning. When Requiem Press was around, I would take these days off. Mass wasn't "fit in" to the schedule, it was the center of the day.

 

Somehow we need to get back to this "Angelus Time" lifestyle. Lack of income does have its advantages!

 

To some extent I am my own boss much of the time. My college stint is part-time. My other work as a patent agent leaves me a whole lot of flexibility in schedule - but is unpredictable. Feast or famine! Last year at this time I was winding up 3 months of a reckless amount of work. This year is much more leisurely - but less lucrative.

 

But the ease of schedule has been a blessing. Mrs. Curley and I have been doing some fostering and that keeps you on your toes. The rewards are much more gratifying. Many tears, heartbreak, laughter, and joy.

 

Happy feast day! Blessed Mother Mary, conceived without sin - pray for us!

Reading ....

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

About a third of the way through, I think the entire Gulag Volume III is being illustrated up in this 150 pages quite effectively.

 

Last day in November - remember to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory all year round!

Oremus pro invicem!

I was trying to remember if I liked The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. Apparently, I did.

Am just finishing a collection of short stories by the same author - not too much of a fan of these. I am finishing it, but I haven't found anything too worthwhile.

Been listening to audio cds (downloaded from www.librivox.org ) of E. Phillips Oppenheim's The Great Impersonation and now The Double Traitor. It seems most of his books are warnings to England about Germany's war plans before WWI - enjoyable, but not overwhelmingly so.

Son Matthew is coming home from the seminary tonight. While we will miss those absent, this again should be a joyful Thanksgiving.

Oremus pro invicem!

 

Sinning and Miscalculation

Think that blog post title will attract some reading?

Last night I went to an Evening of Recollection (Opus Dei style) at Prince of Peace in Taylors, SC.

I love the meditations, the prayer time, and the opportunity for confession - that's the sinning part, or actually the redemption part. In my confession, Fr. Smith talked about the leper who called out to Jesus, "Lord you can make me clean if it is your will."  While I am not skeptical of the power of Jesus, I have made that call (probably with a lot less faith), and still need constant cleansing.

******************

This morning Thomas and I put down a hog. We didn't have any help. I figured it to be about 200-220 pounds .... After putting it down, Thomas and I couldn't lift it! I am no Captain American, but I am also no pre-1941 Steve Rogers either. (This was the miscalculation.) I think the hog was over 300 pounds. We ended up using brains rather than brawn.

 

We still we ready to put it on ice in under 2 hours. (Not cold enough to just hang in the shed.) Not bad for the home team.

 

Oremus pro invicem!

 

 

More Aftermath

Stealing this from TS -who got it from First Things. I wish I would have considered the last paragraph in the weeks leading up to the election. While I may seem at times to claim humility, I really had it in for those who didn't agree with me on how to vote - and sometimes I let them know it. Mea culpa!

********************

Harvested peanuts this weekend. Pretty small crop. Probably the smallest we've ever had. I can't really put my finger on the cause. We had rain, but it was sporadic. We used gypsum when they were flowering. We may not have kept up with the weeds at the end, but it has never effected us so much in the past.

Will be harvesting our small sorghum crop this week.

Then, back to clearing trees downed (in neighbor's yards) by Hurricane Matthew.

Oremus pro invicem!

In and out of the wilds

Thomas and I returned to Jones Gap last week. He resurrected my pup tent which I think I purchased in 1988 or 1989. I haven't used it in at least 17 or 18 years. It was missing a post, but Thomas figured something out for me, as you can see.

 

I think he just didn't want me squeezing into his one-man tent with him this time around.

 

We lit into the woods at Jones Gap around 2:25 PM on Monday. We arrived at the campsite (3.5 miles in) around 2 hours later. We did take a wrong turn (No Daniel Boone, I) and had some equipment problems.

 

Coupled with the fact I haven't really walked since our last endeavor into the wilderness in March, it was a bit slow going. We were heavily loaded for 2 nights in the wilderness.

 

At 4:30 it was already getting dark in the woods. We barely had time to find a good tree to hang food from, find firewood, set up tents, and start supper.

 

Our ultimate goal was to see Raven Cliff Falls. But through a series of mishaps and miscalculations, we walked 12 miles, but never got there. It just means we have to go back again.

 

 

We did go up to Caesar's Head. It used to be that you could go down into the formation, but apparently someone fell off the cliff a few years ago, so you have to view it from a distance. There is a great overlook with Tablerock in the distance.

 

We hiked up and down Tom Miller trail, which almost beat my behind. At the foot of the Tom Miller trail is a closed campsite by the Middle Saluda River where I camped with the boys back in 2002. It is a great site, but apparently all the dead Hemlocks drop branches on the site, and it is "dangerous".

 

No pictures this time because somehow my phone got turned on during the initial trek and it lost all charge searching for signal.

 

We came out of the woods Wednesday morning around 9:15 AM.

 

It was a great trip. Son Thomas is a great camping companion and pulls more than his share of the work.

 

Oremus pro invicem!

 

 

Just earlier today I was telling Mrs. Curley that the Republicans won't have the guts to repeal Obamacare. (After all, Obamacare is essentially the Republican response to the old Clinton universal plan from the 90's). And Trump's promise was that he had something "wonderful" to replace it.

 

So what is so wonderful. Well WSJ is reporting this afternoon that Trump says he plans to keep at least part of Obamacare.

Hmm! Here we go!

Aftermath

For the first time since college, I did not watch election results. I was in the mountains backpacking with Thomas for 2.5  days. (Backpack log to follow.) I didn't learn of the results til just outside a Waffle House outside of Greenville at 10:00AM Wednesday morning.

While I was thrilled that Hilary Clinton had lost, I was disappointed that Donald Trump won.

My daughter came back from the SAT's on Saturday with a quote from Thoreau (a passage on the SAT) which essentially said :

The fate of the country does not depend on how you vote at the polls -- the worst man is as strong as the best at that game; it does not depend on what kind of paper you drop into the ballot-box once a year, but on what kind of man you drop from your chamber into the street every morning.

In other words, (my interpretation), if we as a people live our lives correctly, the country will be taken care of, including having good choices at the ballot box.

What we had this year is the two major candidates who reflect who we are and how we live as a people. Think on that for a bit. Angry, immoral (or amoral), bigoted, sexually immature, animalistic, liars, and cheaters.

We need to pray that the president-elect gains some humility and will seek advice. As yet he hasn't demonstrated that he will.

But we will go a long way for the future of the country if we as citizens reform our own lives.

One other (final) point. I have gotten many emails throughout the election season saying I need to vote for Trump because this priest or that priest gave a homily or talk saying so. ("Hilary is evil, Trump is just bad"). The problem is that politics is mostly in the realm of the laity. We should follow guidelines on voting from the Church, but how to play the political game is the laity's. So many people hid behind the cassocks of clergy to justify a vote for Trump. I still don't believe there was any justification. I hope I am wrong.

Oremus pro invicem!

election

For some reason, I thought I was teaching classes all day on November 8th and therefore cast an absentee ballot. I realized yesterday that the college was closed for Election Day. What an embarrassment!

 

However, now I don't have wait in the long lines at the Bethune polling place. (The "long" being very sarcastic). I have waited to vote for more than 5-10 minutes only once since coming to Bethune. In 2008, I arrived at the polls before they opened and there was a line of at least 30-50 people. We only have 2 or 3 voting booths. But that wait was nothing like the lines I waited in when we lived in Columbia.

 

Really small town living (population 250) has distinct advantages. For example I have never been more than the second person in line at the post office - even on the busiest mailing day of the year.

 

I am tired of the election. I am tired of getting ready responses every time I hear or read that voting for a third party candidate is _______________ (you fill in the blank). In the past couple weeks I have restrained myself, but it has been difficult at times. I have been voting 3rd party since 1992 in the National presidential elections.

 

I have friends in SC who are appalled I would do this. But let's be real, if the Republican nominee (pick your year) can't win SC without my vote, then he is going to get hammered nationwide. This isn't why I vote the way I do, but it is reality.

 

Oremus pro invicem!