lewrockwell--2020-05-08--Living a Dystopian Nightmare: The Response of the Churches

There are many people who are living in greater difficulty in the present than I am ; while the local markets require wearing a mask , limit the amount of purchases of meat , bottled water , paper goods—among other items I used to take for granted—these are mostly an inconvenience .
I am not destitute—yet .
And so far , no drones blare at me or neighbors betray me for walking and working in my garden , or even on the local street ; there are no militarized police patrols…at least , not yet .
Some people are warm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describe as “ Motel America ” where neighborhoods are built on home purchases with zero money down financing are cold and uninterested .
At least no one has yet barked about keeping social distancing , which of course in public I do .
A local small market fulfills purchases online and uses local produce and suppliers ; interestingly , sometime the most draconian employees work at smaller markets , that is , they enjoy throwing their weight around .
And I ’ ve found that if I share Bill Sardi ’ s alternative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system , I receive few thanks and some open hostility .
Many of the “ sheep ” are eager for their vaccines .
The state is their god ; and that may explain what is most problematic to me , more than the financial devastation .
It is the spiritual one , the world dying with a “ whimper.
” God ’ s Revelation ... Fr .
Seraphim Rose Best Price : $ 2.00 Buy New $ 5.00 For what galls me most is the toll that “ house arrest ” takes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t mean just not being able to go to a barber or hair salon or gym or have dinner at a favorite local restaurant with friends , the so many closings of locally owned businesses I am accustomed to patronizing .
What worries me more is the response of all the churches , their evidently ecstatic reaction to the new tyranny .
One does not have to be religious to be disturbed at the closing of churches of every denomination throughout the world ; I don ’ t know any that were open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hundreds and hundreds of miles from where I live .
“ Streaming services ” were omnipresent—not that I think that counts .
However , this situation is being challenged .
Becky Akers wrote on LewRockwell.com “ If you ’ re like me , the speed and uniformity with which churches nationwide imploded midway through March stunned you ” although she writes , “ Many of us didn ’ t take his betrayal lying down .
We ’ ve contacted Parson Goat and , when our appeals fell on deaf ears , our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to re-open our churches .
And to our further astonishment , folks we considered devout followers of the Lord Jesus resist our attempts to recall them to their Scriptural duties.
” She offered an explanation but I don ’ t think it is the sole and primary one ; but as she was , I too was surprised at how churches surrendered without a fight .
On the Catholic Newspaper site , The Remnant , in article interviewing Abp .
Viganò on Government prohibition of Masses and Pope ’ s call for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we were not talking about the Catholic Religion , which is particularly protected by its special status , the suspension of the right to freedom of worship implied in the prime minister ’ s decrees is clearly illegitimate .
I trust there will be those who wish to declare this officially , putting an end to this disgraceful delusion of omnipotence on the part of the civil authority , not only before God and His Church , but also towards the faithful and citizens of Italy.
” He further points out religious services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would not jeopardize lives .
Archpriest Geoffry Korz writing on the Orthodox Christian site “ Five Spiritual Lessons from the Corona Virus ” also raised crucial questions and lacking his knowledge and wisdom I quote from his essay at length : “ Does My Faith Live at My Home ?
“ For those who have family responsibilities , if we have not invested the time and effort to shape our home in this way , what is our plan now to change that ?
This first critical , personal lesson—does my faith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impeded by the reality that for many people , the period of the coronavirus crisis was spent in a combination of physical inactivity , or in recreation and escapism .
Far from being a time that was ideal for gaining spiritual strength ( despite the fact that it occurred in the midst of Great Lent ) , too often , the period of the virus saw people neglect their spiritual condition , falling victim to the Internet , comfort food , video games , and movies .
For all the talk of turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , too often this time at home became a lost opportunity—although not a lost lesson , for those who would learn from it… “ Do we have any king but Caesar ?
10 Things You Must Kno ... Moore , Johnnie Best Price : $ 1.25 Buy New $ 2.99 “ The start of the pandemic saw the Orthodox world divide into two groups : those determined to keep churches open and services functioning as long as possible—even if in meant standing up to the state—and those who anticipated the spirit of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and banned services .
“ And if it would take Church leaders this long to recapture the spirit to stand up to civil authorities , would it even happen at all ?
Are Orthodox Christians in the West simply too much at ease with any ‘ new normal ’ that anyone within the Church who took such a stand would not only be unusual , but would in fact be criticized and attacked by those within the Orthodox Church in the West ?
“ It is not the burden of the faithful to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mysteries are essential : it is the burden of the hierarchs to defend the faithful .
This is especially true in cases where the state gradually and increasingly encroaches on that freedom .
“ Our second spiritual lesson from the coronavirus must be this : Is God our King , or is Caesar—our civil government ?
And when our civil government opposes the free exercise of the historic Christian faith , will we rally our Christian courage and confront it , or will we simply join the call to be ‘ good citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than God ?
“ Fear has been the single biggest motivator during the coronavirus crisis : not faith , not politics , and not even science .
Yet fear—especially the fear of Death—is the exact opposite of the Lord ’ s teaching : “ The panic among leaders and decision-makers—including those in the Church—has been embarrassing , but why has it happened ?
We should expect this from secular-minded people who do not believe in God , or who believe that this life is all that people are given .
Yet Christians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and all our decisions are based on hope in eternal life .
This is the reason we draw our bishops from among the monastics , and have them advised by a council of other bishops who are also monks—not a staff of insurance reps , lawyers , admin assistants , medical experts and lifetime bureaucrats .
“ At least , that ’ s the way it ’ s supposed to be.
” In the end , Archpriest Geoffry Korz ’ s conclusion is devastating : War , Christianity , and ... Laurence M. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New $ 9.95 “ Authorities—both Church and secular—achieved during the few weeks of the coronavirus what pagan Rome , the Muslim Turks , the Soviets , and the Fascist Ustache could only have dreamed of doing : closing down every single Orthodox church in a matter of days .
Orthodox nations refused this ; Orthodox in the West generally complied , or even cooperated… “ A church that is deemed useless in a time of crisis like this is also useless in normal times .
“ What is the purpose of a church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places to have a social club , an intellectual chat group , a school , or a centre to alleviate poverty .
The distinctive function of the church is the place where the Holy Mysteries are offered , in order to heal souls ( prayers go along with this : if churches were for prayers alone , one could pray at home and sell off the church buildings ) .
“ This very foolish ( or wicked ) compliance will likely have an unanticipated consequence , a message sent to people inside and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example given by the saints at a time of plague or crisis , there are those in the Orthodox Church today who believe the power of God in the Church is useless against this great evil .
“ This is of course a lie .
Yet it is the implicit message .
“ What message is sent when Orthodox churches are closed in the midst of a social disaster of any kind ?
Whether to the faithful or the secular , the message when this is done is clear : the single unique @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential or even useful in the midst of a crisis .
“ Orthodox hierarchs , clergy , and faithful in some other countries understand this .
This fifth lesson is perhaps the most fundamental lesson Orthodox Christians in the West—especially in North America—have yet to learn .
Until we do , we can not say we think like or like as Orthodox Christians .
“ Whether the coronavirus lockdown will be enough to teach it to the faithful here—or whether God will permit several more rounds of such lessons for us to learn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one ray of unexpected light in “ HOW A MONASTERY IN MICHIGAN REMAINED OPEN FOR PASCHA WITH NO RESTRICTIONS ” by Archimandrite Pachomy ( Belkoff ) and how he managed it in the State of Michigan , no less .
Battlefield America : T ... Whitehead , John W. Best Price : null Buy New $ 9.99 “ The very first Sunday I preached a sermon with historical facts on all the epidemics that happened through the history of the Byzantine Empire : the plague of Justinian and so forth , when there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bodies were stacked in the church .
This tells us that the churches were not closed and that even in the worst hour , with millions of people dying from plague , the Church was accessible for services and for prayers .
The Sacraments are medicine for our souls .
“ As monastics we live for the Kingdom of Heaven and not for this earthly life or even for the health of this physical body .
During the course of Lent , we were open for every service and the monastic daily rule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming .
We were the only church in five states that was actually open without a person limit .
“ Knowing that Pascha was soon approaching , I contacted the local police department in my city and arranged a conference .
They have been great supporters of the monastery for many years and know us personally .
I was assured by the police department and the city ’ s attorney that , in fact , I had not broken any laws .
I would also like to add that on Holy Saturday afternoon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set up for outdoor Liturgy , the police department showed up .
At first , I thought there was a change of order , but the police said , ‘ Stay calm , Father , we ’ re here to show our 100 % support and discuss details of how we are to direct traffic and be of help.
’ “ The state has never shut down any religious institutions .
The religious authorities closed the churches in most states , not the government .
This is very sad .
The front page @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Archbishop told the priests to empty their holy water buckets so that people would not be contaminated .
I was mortified when I read this—on the front page of the paper .
Then the Orthodox did basically the same thing by allowing the priest to serve with only a choir director and nearly no one in the church—maybe five people .
“ After I had confirmation from the mayor and the police department and the city attorney , I contacted His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion with the facts , and he sent a personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under him and that we were blessed to stay open !
He was overjoyed that I could continue to serve all the services for as many people as I could , to bring them the Sacraments… “ When the pandemic began , the Sunday Gospel was the paralytic who is lowered through the roof of the hut to be healed by Jesus because there were so many people .
He was not cast away because other people were afraid of getting sick—neither the leper nor any other story in Holy Scripture of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lord says , Come unto me , all ye that labour and are heavy laden , and I will give you rest .
He doesn ’ t say , ‘ Get away from me and stay far from the church because you will contaminate everyone.
’ ” The church at St. Sabbas decorated for Holy Pascha “ Last year , one of our dear benefactors passed away and left a donation to build a memorial at the monastery in his honor .
His name was Steven Stolaruk .
I very much wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be used at some point .
All the subdeacons and adult altar servers and the deacon and myself began to build this large edifice .
I kept pushing to get the roof erected before the end of last year because it kept coming up in a dream .
Then this pandemic hit and everything came full circle , and we used it , not quite finished , to celebrate the Paschal Liturgy outside for hundreds of people .
“ We had Palestinian Christians that came and brought their chanters and sang in Arabic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sang in Romanian ; we had Russians and Ukrainians and Macedonians and Serbians and Greeks all celebrating Pascha together like in Jerusalem .
The cloister where the outdoor Liturgy was celebrated “ It was one of the most memorable and emotional Paschas any of us have ever experienced , including , for myself , in over thirty years of priesthood .
During the nine weeks of Lent , not one person got sick , everyone prepared and was fervent to receive the holy Sacraments .
We were blessed to see such faith , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the very end.
” Rise of the Warrior Co ... Radley Balko Best Price : $ 3.56 Buy New $ 10.95 Saint Sabbas Monastery remains open .
( The Royal Eagle restaurant tax exempt business that provides funds for the monastery , however , obeying the law , remains closed . )
LewRockwell.com posted today Michael Snyder ’ s well researched article “ 18 Signs That We Are Facing A Record Breaking Economic Implosion In 2020 ” but I myself find what has happened to the churches , which offer online services and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disturbing aspect of the COVID “ pandemic.
” Yet we who believe , for all our sins and failures , must have hope .
Svetlana Polivanova wrote ( translated ) in “ The Time Has Come for Works ” these important words : “ I believe now it has become clear to many that our ‘ self-isolation ’ is in fact a test of our faith .
But we don ’ t always pass the test worthily .
The external is gone , and it has turned out that hidden behind it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complaining , and earthly attachments—the things we live by day after day , only allowing God to enter our hearts for a short time .
The Russian Revolution was such a test too , though it was harsher and more dangerous for our lives .
It happened that those who had studied the catechism nevertheless became adherents of the new government that set itself the following task : ‘ Priests are to be arrested as counter-revolutionaries and saboteurs , to be shot mercilessly and everywhere .
And as many as possible ’ ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on the fight against priests ) .
“ In this sense the story of the closure of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God ‘ of the Sign ’ in Laryak village of the Nizhnevartovsk district [ Tyumen region.—Trans . ]
in the backwoods of the Russian taiga is revealing .
In the early 1920s , the parish had over 800 members , making it the largest Orthodox community in the area .
Ten years later the number of parishioners shrank substantially .
It ’ s like a long-distance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physically weaker drop out .
Only the ‘ strongest ’ and ‘ most faithful ’ remain .
They will receive the ‘ crowns of life ’ ( cf .
Rev .
2:10 ) from the Lord.
” The Hope of Glory : Ref ... Meacham , Jon Best Price : $ 15.22 Buy New $ 14.30 But are the “ strongest ” and “ most faithful ” now not the clergy of so many Christian denominations , but the people ?
And what does it say that the doors of churches throughout the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Still , we should remember as Solzhenitsyn wrote in The Gulag Archipelago Two about his experiences in the Gulag , “ Gradually , it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states , nor between political classes , nor between political parties—but right through every human heart—and even through all human hearts…And even within hearts overwhelmed with evil , one small bridgehead of good is retained .
And even in the best hearts…an unsupported corner of evil.
” He was quoted by Hieormon Seraphin Rose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Revelation to the Human Heart , who comments : “ How much deeper is this observation than anything we in the West could say based on our own experience .
It is deeper because it is based on suffering , which is the reality of the human condition and beginning of a true spiritual life .
Christ himself came to a life of suffering and the Cross ; and the experience in Russia enables those who undergo it to see this profoundly.
” Perhaps for some , a small few of the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” undergoing this suffering , which I believe shall intensify , as Svetlana Polivana wrote , will themselves transform and “ become a church… ” The Best of Yvonne Lorenzo

There are many people who are living in greater difficulty in the present than I am; while the local markets require wearing a mask, limit the amount of purchases of meat, bottled water, paper goods—among other items I used to take for granted—these are mostly an inconvenience. I am not destitute—yet. And so far, no drones blare at me or neighbors betray me for walking and working in my garden, or even on the local street; there are no militarized police patrols…at least, not yet. Some people are warm, others in what I’d describe as “Motel America” where neighborhoods are built on home purchases with zero money down financing are cold and uninterested. At least no one has yet barked about keeping social distancing, which of course in public I do. A local small market fulfills purchases online and uses local produce and suppliers; interestingly, sometime the most draconian employees work at smaller markets, that is, they enjoy throwing their weight around.
And I’ve found that if I share Bill Sardi’s alternative perspectives on how to boost the immune system, I receive few thanks and some open hostility. Many of the “sheep” are eager for their vaccines. The state is their god; and that may explain what is most problematic to me, more than the financial devastation. It is the spiritual one, the world dying with a “whimper.”
God’s Revelation... Fr. Seraphim Rose Best Price: $2.00 Buy New $5.00 (as of 02:42 UTC - Details) For what galls me most is the toll that “house arrest” takes on the soul. And I don’t mean just not being able to go to a barber or hair salon or gym or have dinner at a favorite local restaurant with friends, the so many closings of locally owned businesses I am accustomed to patronizing. What worries me more is the response of all the churches, their evidently ecstatic reaction to the new tyranny. One does not have to be religious to be disturbed at the closing of churches of every denomination throughout the world; I don’t know any that were open for either Easter or Pascha for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles from where I live. “Streaming services” were omnipresent—not that I think that counts.
However, this situation is being challenged. Becky Akers wrote on LewRockwell.com “If you’re like me, the speed and uniformity with which churches nationwide imploded midway through March stunned you” although she writes, “Many of us didn’t take his betrayal lying down. We’ve contacted Parson Goat and, when our appeals fell on deaf ears, our fellow parishioners, too, in an effort to re-open our churches. And to our further astonishment, folks we considered devout followers of the Lord Jesus resist our attempts to recall them to their Scriptural duties.” She offered an explanation but I don’t think it is the sole and primary one; but as she was, I too was surprised at how churches surrendered without a fight.
On the Catholic Newspaper site, The Remnant, in article interviewing Abp. Viganò on Government prohibition of Masses and Pope’s call for obedience he answers: “Even if we were not talking about the Catholic Religion, which is particularly protected by its special status, the suspension of the right to freedom of worship implied in the prime minister’s decrees is clearly illegitimate. I trust there will be those who wish to declare this officially, putting an end to this disgraceful delusion of omnipotence on the part of the civil authority, not only before God and His Church, but also towards the faithful and citizens of Italy.” He further points out religious services could have been conducted in a way that would not jeopardize lives.
Archpriest Geoffry Korz writing on the Orthodox Christian site “Five Spiritual Lessons from the Corona Virus” also raised crucial questions and lacking his knowledge and wisdom I quote from his essay at length:
“Does My Faith Live at My Home?
“For those who have family responsibilities, if we have not invested the time and effort to shape our home in this way, what is our plan now to change that? This first critical, personal lesson—does my faith live at my home?—is grossly impeded by the reality that for many people, the period of the coronavirus crisis was spent in a combination of physical inactivity, or in recreation and escapism. Far from being a time that was ideal for gaining spiritual strength (despite the fact that it occurred in the midst of Great Lent), too often, the period of the virus saw people neglect their spiritual condition, falling victim to the Internet, comfort food, video games, and movies. For all the talk of turning each home into a “little church”, too often this time at home became a lost opportunity—although not a lost lesson, for those who would learn from it…
“Do we have any king but Caesar?
10 Things You Must Kno... Moore, Johnnie Best Price: $1.25 Buy New $2.99 (as of 04:43 UTC - Details) “The start of the pandemic saw the Orthodox world divide into two groups: those determined to keep churches open and services functioning as long as possible—even if in meant standing up to the state—and those who anticipated the spirit of the moment, and quickly closed churches and banned services.
“And if it would take Church leaders this long to recapture the spirit to stand up to civil authorities, would it even happen at all? Are Orthodox Christians in the West simply too much at ease with any ‘new normal’ that anyone within the Church who took such a stand would not only be unusual, but would in fact be criticized and attacked by those within the Orthodox Church in the West?
“It is not the burden of the faithful to show that public Liturgies and the Holy Mysteries are essential: it is the burden of the hierarchs to defend the faithful. This is especially true in cases where the state gradually and increasingly encroaches on that freedom.
“Our second spiritual lesson from the coronavirus must be this: Is God our King, or is Caesar—our civil government? And when our civil government opposes the free exercise of the historic Christian faith, will we rally our Christian courage and confront it, or will we simply join the call to be ‘good citizens’?
“Do we fear Death more than God?
“Fear has been the single biggest motivator during the coronavirus crisis: not faith, not politics, and not even science. Yet fear—especially the fear of Death—is the exact opposite of the Lord’s teaching:
And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing further they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who after He kills, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!(Matthew 10:28)
“The panic among leaders and decision-makers—including those in the Church—has been embarrassing, but why has it happened? We should expect this from secular-minded people who do not believe in God, or who believe that this life is all that people are given. Yet Christians know this is not true—our whole life and all our decisions are based on hope in eternal life. This is the reason we draw our bishops from among the monastics, and have them advised by a council of other bishops who are also monks—not a staff of insurance reps, lawyers, admin assistants, medical experts and lifetime bureaucrats.
“At least, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
In the end, Archpriest Geoffry Korz’s conclusion is devastating: War, Christianity, and... Laurence M. Vance Best Price: $8.95 Buy New $9.95 (as of 09:10 UTC - Details)
“Authorities—both Church and secular—achieved during the few weeks of the coronavirus what pagan Rome, the Muslim Turks, the Soviets, and the Fascist Ustache could only have dreamed of doing: closing down every single Orthodox church in a matter of days. Orthodox nations refused this; Orthodox in the West generally complied, or even cooperated…
“Is the Orthodox Church Useless?
“A church that is deemed useless in a time of crisis like this is also useless in normal times.
“What is the purpose of a church during normal times? There are better places to have a social club, an intellectual chat group, a school, or a centre to alleviate poverty. The distinctive function of the church is the place where the Holy Mysteries are offered, in order to heal souls (prayers go along with this: if churches were for prayers alone, one could pray at home and sell off the church buildings).
“This very foolish (or wicked) compliance will likely have an unanticipated consequence, a message sent to people inside and outside the Church that unlike every single example given by the saints at a time of plague or crisis, there are those in the Orthodox Church today who believe the power of God in the Church is useless against this great evil.
“This is of course a lie. Yet it is the implicit message.
“What message is sent when Orthodox churches are closed in the midst of a social disaster of any kind? Whether to the faithful or the secular, the message when this is done is clear: the single unique function of the Church—the Holy Mysteries—is not essential or even useful in the midst of a crisis.
“Orthodox hierarchs, clergy, and faithful in some other countries understand this. This fifth lesson is perhaps the most fundamental lesson Orthodox Christians in the West—especially in North America—have yet to learn. Until we do, we cannot say we think like or like as Orthodox Christians.
“Whether the coronavirus lockdown will be enough to teach it to the faithful here—or whether God will permit several more rounds of such lessons for us to learn it—remains to be seen.”
I saw one ray of unexpected light in “HOW A MONASTERY IN MICHIGAN REMAINED OPEN FOR PASCHA WITH NO RESTRICTIONS” by Archimandrite Pachomy (Belkoff) and how he managed it in the State of Michigan, no less. Battlefield America: T... Whitehead, John W. Buy New $9.99 (as of 12:10 UTC - Details)
“The very first Sunday I preached a sermon with historical facts on all the epidemics that happened through the history of the Byzantine Empire: the plague of Justinian and so forth, when there is even a record of how many bodies were stacked in the church. This tells us that the churches were not closed and that even in the worst hour, with millions of people dying from plague, the Church was accessible for services and for prayers. The Sacraments are medicine for our souls.
“As monastics we live for the Kingdom of Heaven and not for this earthly life or even for the health of this physical body. During the course of Lent, we were open for every service and the monastic daily rule, and we had hundreds of people coming. We were the only church in five states that was actually open without a person limit.
“Knowing that Pascha was soon approaching, I contacted the local police department in my city and arranged a conference. They have been great supporters of the monastery for many years and know us personally. I was assured by the police department and the city’s attorney that, in fact, I had not broken any laws. I would also like to add that on Holy Saturday afternoon, as we were frantically trying to set up for outdoor Liturgy, the police department showed up. At first, I thought there was a change of order, but the police said, ‘Stay calm, Father, we’re here to show our 100% support and discuss details of how we are to direct traffic and be of help.’
“The state has never shut down any religious institutions. The religious authorities closed the churches in most states, not the government. This is very sad. The front page of the newspaper said that the Catholic Archbishop told the priests to empty their holy water buckets so that people would not be contaminated. I was mortified when I read this—on the front page of the paper. Then the Orthodox did basically the same thing by allowing the priest to serve with only a choir director and nearly no one in the church—maybe five people.
“After I had confirmation from the mayor and the police department and the city attorney, I contacted His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion with the facts, and he sent a personal ukaz stating that the monastery is stavropegial under him and that we were blessed to stay open! He was overjoyed that I could continue to serve all the services for as many people as I could, to bring them the Sacraments…
“When the pandemic began, the Sunday Gospel was the paralytic who is lowered through the roof of the hut to be healed by Jesus because there were so many people. He was not cast away because other people were afraid of getting sick—neither the leper nor any other story in Holy Scripture of people coming to Christ for healing. The Lord says, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He doesn’t say, ‘Get away from me and stay far from the church because you will contaminate everyone.’”
The church at St. Sabbas decorated for Holy Pascha
“Last year, one of our dear benefactors passed away and left a donation to build a memorial at the monastery in his honor. His name was Steven Stolaruk. I very much wanted to build a cloister for outdoor services to be used at some point. All the subdeacons and adult altar servers and the deacon and myself began to build this large edifice. I kept pushing to get the roof erected before the end of last year because it kept coming up in a dream. Then this pandemic hit and everything came full circle, and we used it, not quite finished, to celebrate the Paschal Liturgy outside for hundreds of people.
“We had Palestinian Christians that came and brought their chanters and sang in Arabic; we had Romanians who came and sang in Romanian; we had Russians and Ukrainians and Macedonians and Serbians and Greeks all celebrating Pascha together like in Jerusalem.
The cloister where the outdoor Liturgy was celebrated
“It was one of the most memorable and emotional Paschas any of us have ever experienced, including, for myself, in over thirty years of priesthood. During the nine weeks of Lent, not one person got sick, everyone prepared and was fervent to receive the holy Sacraments. We were blessed to see such faith, and willingness to support the Church to the very end.” Rise of the Warrior Co... Radley Balko Best Price: $3.56 Buy New $10.95 (as of 05:55 UTC - Details)
Saint Sabbas Monastery remains open. (The Royal Eagle restaurant tax exempt business that provides funds for the monastery, however, obeying the law, remains closed.)
LewRockwell.com posted today Michael Snyder’s well researched article “18 Signs That We Are Facing A Record Breaking Economic Implosion In 2020” but I myself find what has happened to the churches, which offer online services and have yet to re-open, the most disturbing aspect of the COVID “pandemic.”
Yet we who believe, for all our sins and failures, must have hope. Svetlana Polivanova wrote (translated) in “The Time Has Come for Works” these important words:
“I believe now it has become clear to many that our ‘self-isolation’ is in fact a test of our faith. But we don’t always pass the test worthily. The external is gone, and it has turned out that hidden behind it is our lack of faith, despondency, complaining, and earthly attachments—the things we live by day after day, only allowing God to enter our hearts for a short time. The Russian Revolution was such a test too, though it was harsher and more dangerous for our lives. It happened that those who had studied the catechism nevertheless became adherents of the new government that set itself the following task: ‘Priests are to be arrested as counter-revolutionaries and saboteurs, to be shot mercilessly and everywhere. And as many as possible’ (Lenin’s instruction no. 13666/2, on the fight against priests).
“In this sense the story of the closure of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God ‘of the Sign’ in Laryak village of the Nizhnevartovsk district [Tyumen region.—Trans.] in the backwoods of the Russian taiga is revealing. In the early 1920s, the parish had over 800 members, making it the largest Orthodox community in the area. Ten years later the number of parishioners shrank substantially. It’s like a long-distance race: Those who are morally and physically weaker drop out. Only the ‘strongest’ and ‘most faithful’ remain. They will receive the ‘crowns of life’ (cf. Rev. 2:10) from the Lord.” The Hope of Glory: Ref... Meacham, Jon Best Price: $15.22 Buy New $14.30 (as of 02:43 UTC - Details)
But are the “strongest” and “most faithful” now not the clergy of so many Christian denominations, but the people? And what does it say that the doors of churches throughout the world have been locked from the inside?
Still, we should remember as Solzhenitsyn wrote in The Gulag Archipelago Two about his experiences in the Gulag, “Gradually, it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between political classes, nor between political parties—but right through every human heart—and even through all human hearts…And even within hearts overwhelmed with evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best hearts…an unsupported corner of evil.” He was quoted by Hieormon Seraphin Rose in his book, God’s Revelation to the Human Heart, who comments:
“How much deeper is this observation than anything we in the West could say based on our own experience. It is deeper because it is based on suffering, which is the reality of the human condition and beginning of a true spiritual life. Christ himself came to a life of suffering and the Cross; and the experience in Russia enables those who undergo it to see this profoundly.”
Perhaps for some, a small few of the “strongest” and “the most faithful” undergoing this suffering, which I believe shall intensify, as Svetlana Polivana wrote, will themselves transform and “become a church…”
The Best of Yvonne Lorenzo


What We Know

• We know that the original model from Neil Ferguson of Imperial College was wildly wrong .
• We know that the number of deaths in Sweden were an infinitesimal fraction of what the model would have predicted given Sweden ’ s relative do-nothing policy • We know that models from Neil Ferguson in the past were also always wildly wrong .
• We know that massive funding from the Gates Foundation goes to Imperial College .
• We know that original estimates of the number of deaths that would be attributable to the corona were greatly overstated .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of deaths ( the numerator ) attributed to the corona are overstated – my guess from what I have read , by a factor of two or three .
This is because people who die with the corona ( and even for this , they can ’ t or don ’ t really test ) is not the same thing as people who die due to the corona .
Yet all are counted as victims of the corona .
• We know that the number infected ( the denominator ) is wildly understated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as 50 to 80 times , maybe more .
• We therefore know that much more of the population has already been exposed , with no meaningful or debilitating symptoms .
• We know that there were many in the medical community that were making such points as the above before all of the hysteria .
This isn ’ t a matter of 20/20 hindsight .
• We know that a large portion of global medical funding comes from the Gates Foundation , which stands to profit substantially from disease-induced panic .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of many medical experts was that this corona would present something a little more or a little less than another cold and flu season .
• We know that something caused them to change their minds .
• We know that the “ reaction ” to this corona has offered a pretext to bail out the financial system – with efforts that dwarf what was done in 2008 .
• We know that now that these floodgates have been opened , only collapse will bring the current system to its just end .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ innocent , not the guilty .
• We know that there is some meaningful portion of the population that isn ’ t buying any of this : witness the beaches and other public spaces being occupied for leisure .
• We don ’ t know how large or small this portion is .
None really .
Maybe show your disdain in any way that works for you .
Maybe , come November , assuming that there is an election , vote for any candidate from any party other than the republicans or democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t vote for any republican or democrat .
None .
It won ’ t really matter , but it might be fun .
The Best of Bionic Mosquito

We know that the original model from Neil Ferguson of Imperial College was wildly wrong.
We know that the number of deaths in Sweden were an infinitesimal fraction of what the model would have predicted given Sweden’s relative do-nothing policy
We know that models from Neil Ferguson in the past were also always wildly wrong.
We know that massive funding from the Gates Foundation goes to Imperial College.
We know that original estimates of the number of deaths that would be attributable to the corona were greatly overstated.
We know that even the reported number of deaths (the numerator) attributed to the corona are overstated – my guess from what I have read, by a factor of two or three. This is because people who die with the corona (and even for this, they can’t or don’t really test) is not the same thing as people who die due to the corona. Yet all are counted as victims of the corona.
We know that the number infected (the denominator) is wildly understated – some estimates, by as much as 50 to 80 times, maybe more. Jabbed: How the Vaccin... Wilcox, Brett Best Price: $13.02 Buy New $13.05 (as of 03:50 UTC - Details )
We therefore know that much more of the population has already been exposed, with no meaningful or debilitating symptoms.
We know that there were many in the medical community that were making such points as the above before all of the hysteria. This isn’t a matter of 20/20 hindsight.
We know that a large portion of global medical funding comes from the Gates Foundation, which stands to profit substantially from disease-induced panic.
We also know that the initial reaction of many medical experts was that this corona would present something a little more or a little less than another cold and flu season.
We know that something caused them to change their minds.
We know that the “reaction” to this corona has offered a pretext to bail out the financial system – with efforts that dwarf what was done in 2008.
We know that now that these floodgates have been opened, only collapse will bring the current system to its just end.
We know this will harm the innocent, not the guilty.
We know that there is some meaningful portion of the population that isn’t buying any of this: witness the beaches and other public spaces being occupied for leisure. Fauci: The Bernie Mado... Ortleb, Charles Buy New $5.99 (as of 02:55 UTC - Details )
We don’t know how large or small this portion is.
Conclusion
None really. Maybe show your disdain in any way that works for you.
Maybe, come November, assuming that there is an election, vote for any candidate from any party other than the republicans or democrats. I mean any party. And don’t vote for any republican or democrat. None.
It won’t really matter, but it might be fun.
Reprinted with permission from Bionic Mosquito.
The Best of Bionic Mosquito


lewrockwell--2020-05-08--COVID 19 Is Statistical Nonsense

COVID 19 Is Statistical Nonsense

The mortality statistics for COVID 19 have been incessantly hammered into our heads by the mainstream media ( MSM ) .
Every day they report these hardest of facts to justify the lockdown ( house arrest ) and to prove to us that living in abject fear of the COVID 19 syndrome is the only sensible reaction .
Apparently , only the most lucrative vaccine ever devised can possibly save us .
The COVID 19 mortality statistics are the reason millions will undoubtedly download contact tracing ( State surveillance ) apps .
This will help the vaccinated to secure their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) and enable them to prove they are allowed to exist in the post-COVID 19 society , whenever the State demands to see their authorisation .
But how reliable are these statistics ?
What do they really tell us about what is happening outside the confines of our incarceration ?
Do they reveal the harsh reality of an unprecedented deadly virus sweeping the nation or does the story of how they have been manipulated , inflated , fudged and exploited tell us something else ?
Data and Goliath : The ... Bruce Schneier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 11.03 THE ONCE RELIABLE OFFICE OF NATIONAL STATISTICS In order to register a death in England and Wales , under normal circumstances , a qualified doctor needs to record the cause of death on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death ( MCCD ) .
They must then notify the Medical Examiner for a corroborating opinion .
Providing the doctor is clear on the cause of death and no irregularities or suspicions are noted , if the Medical Examiner concurs , there is no need to refer the death to a coroner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Examiner ( another qualified doctor ) was introduced in 2016 following a series of high profile systemic abuses .
The mass murderer Dr Harold Shipman , and doctors at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and Southern Health NHS Trust , covered up crimes and widespread malpractice by improperly completing MCCDs .
Today , once the Medical Examiner agrees , they then discuss the death with a qualified informant .
This is usually someone who knows the deceased .
It is an opportunity , more often than not , for a family member or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggested cause of death .
If no further issues are raised , the death certificate can be issued to the informant , the Local Registrar notified and the death recorded .
Bottle of Lies : The In ... Eban , Katherine Best Price : $ 18.69 Buy New $ 16.94 Registered deaths have been recorded in England and Wales since 1837 .
From 1911 onward the cause of death has been coded in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases ( ICD ) .
Maintaining registration records was the responsibility of the General @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a department of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys ( OPCS ) .
In 1996 the OPCS merged with the Central Statistical Office ( CSO ) to form the Office of National Statistics ( ONS ) .
There have been some tweaks and legislative changes to the system over the years .
Technology has sped things up a bit , but essentially the simple process of recording registered deaths has changed little over the last century .
The ONS have been accurately recording registered deaths in England and Wales for more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this consistent , verifiable system has allowed meaningful analysis to inform public health practice and policy for decades .
The inbuilt safeguards , maintained and improved over the years , means the ONS provide some of the most reliable mortality statistics in the world .

The mortality statistics for COVID 19 have been incessantly hammered into our heads by the mainstream media (MSM). Every day they report these hardest of facts to justify the lockdown (house arrest) and to prove to us that living in abject fear of the COVID 19 syndrome is the only sensible reaction.
Apparently, only the most lucrative vaccine ever devised can possibly save us.
The COVID 19 mortality statistics are the reason millions will undoubtedly download contact tracing (State surveillance) apps. This will help the vaccinated to secure their very own immunity passports (identity papers) and enable them to prove they are allowed to exist in the post-COVID 19 society, whenever the State demands to see their authorisation.
But how reliable are these statistics? What do they really tell us about what is happening outside the confines of our incarceration? Do they reveal the harsh reality of an unprecedented deadly virus sweeping the nation or does the story of how they have been manipulated, inflated, fudged and exploited tell us something else? Data and Goliath: The ... Bruce Schneier Best Price: $3.33 Buy New $11.03 (as of 06:05 UTC - Details)
THE ONCE RELIABLE OFFICE OF NATIONAL STATISTICS
In order to register a death in England and Wales, under normal circumstances, a qualified doctor needs to record the cause of death on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD).
They must then notify the Medical Examiner for a corroborating opinion. Providing the doctor is clear on the cause of death and no irregularities or suspicions are noted, if the Medical Examiner concurs, there is no need to refer the death to a coroner.
The second opinion of the Medical Examiner (another qualified doctor) was introduced in 2016 following a series of high profile systemic abuses. The mass murderer Dr Harold Shipman, and doctors at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and Southern Health NHS Trust, covered up crimes and widespread malpractice by improperly completing MCCDs.
Today, once the Medical Examiner agrees, they then discuss the death with a qualified informant. This is usually someone who knows the deceased. It is an opportunity, more often than not, for a family member or friend to discuss any concerns about the suggested cause of death. If no further issues are raised, the death certificate can be issued to the informant, the Local Registrar notified and the death recorded.
Bottle of Lies: The In... Eban, Katherine Best Price: $18.69 Buy New $16.94 (as of 02:25 UTC - Details) Registered deaths have been recorded in England and Wales since 1837. From 1911 onward the cause of death has been coded in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Maintaining registration records was the responsibility of the General Register Office until 1970 when it became a department of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS). In 1996 the OPCS merged with the Central Statistical Office (CSO) to form the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
There have been some tweaks and legislative changes to the system over the years.
Technology has sped things up a bit, but essentially the simple process of recording registered deaths has changed little over the last century. The ONS have been accurately recording registered deaths in England and Wales for more than 23 years.
From a statistical perspective this consistent, verifiable system has allowed meaningful analysis to inform public health practice and policy for decades. The inbuilt safeguards, maintained and improved over the years, means the ONS provide some of the most reliable mortality statistics in the world.
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-05-08--When the Deeper Troubles Arrive, Will Today’s Shame-Mongers Take the Blame?

How can we balance the highly profiled threat of a pandemic with the invisible requirements of something called “ the economy ” which most people are either blind to , or have been trained not to see ?
This incapacity reminds me of a scene in the original Star Trek in which , far removed from the range of the star ship Enterprise ‘ s sensors , an inhabited planet is suddenly and totally destroyed .
Mr. Spock , executive officer of the Enterprise and native of the planet Vulcan , suffers an acute mental shock , a clairvoyant and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of lives.
” Neither Captain Kirk nor any other of the ( presumably non-Vulcan ) crew experience any such hybrid empathic/cognitive experience .
Two interesting science fiction premises of this incident are that , first , members of the Vulcan species ( though supposedly emotionally inhibited ) are capable of experiencing death and suffering as magnitudes , while typical humans can only empathize with suffering among individuals , and furthermore , Vulcans can sense disasters at distant points in the space-time continuum .
Today when political leaders in jurisdictions across America and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accusing those who object to these measures of moral insensitivity , I can almost hear the impetuous Captain Kirk and the emotional Dr. “ Bones ” McCoy ganging up on the wise Vulcan .
The human officers can ’ t distract themselves from the present danger long enough to buy into any Vulcan nonsense about mentally sensing death from afar .
Proximate deaths are accounted real , while those distant in time or space are purely hypothetical .
“ You ’ re a cold fish Spock !
” Economics in One Lesson Henry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spock ’ s supra-normal endowment of sensing suffering at a distance a quality that we , as beings capable of imagining the future , can mimic ?
I think to a large extent we can , however it involves not just going against the grain of the emotions and the senses , but cutting through a lot of modern ideology as well .
To begin with , there is a strong human bias towards the present and the concrete .
After all , suffering presents itself to us as something immediate and particular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it arrives .
At its most basic , this is a manifestation of the human preference for present over future goods .
We all have this preference , although some to a greater extent than others .
However additional difficulties present themselves whenever the costs of an immediate medical ( or other easily observable ) emergency is weighed against the costs of a future economic disruption .
A present medical emergency is tangible and immediate in the way that future economic conditions are not .
This in itself would weigh the scales against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further complicated by the fact that the majority of the population have been educated into the belief that economics ( i.e.
, a systematic body of knowledge about human decisions ) is not real .
Granted , everyone agrees that there are many phenomena , like work , consumption and money which could be grouped under a category that people have agreed to call “ economics.
” Yet the idea that these “ kinds of stuff ” have to be coordinated by some overarching principle seems as fantastic as unicorns .
Indeed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choose between the reality of the economy and the unicorn , surely the unicorn would emerge as the sentimental favorite .
Granted , everyone is very concerned with the problem of “ how to get stuff ” now and in the future , although now is usually more important than the future .
Furthermore , everyone has a nagging fear that if the means for “ getting stuff ” were disrupted on a large scale , then it might cause intense suffering for many , not excluding a rise in mortality .
Moreover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” isn ’ t a tangible entity which kills people directly like a freight-train bearing down on a woman tied to the rails .
Rather the means are indirect , most obviously through starvation , malnutrition , and lack of access to medical supplies , and down to less obvious causes like suicides and a rise in criminal homicides .
Short of death , a depression ( its called that for a reason ! )
impacts people to the extent that those who survive often find life barely worth living .
Everyone pretty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regardless of ideology .
The Law Bastiat , Frederic Best Price : $ 5.69 Buy New $ 10.95 However there is a troublesome complication .
For while everyone knows and fears the lethal effects of an economic depression , many believe that the scenario can be averted by non-economic means .
Again , most people have no objection to the use of the word “ economics ” as long it doesn ’ t designate a science which subjects human behavior to laws which are inherent to reality .
Hence there have arisen theories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) which claim to deliver on the promise of “ getting stuff ” by making a detour around markets .
These theories are often designated “ economics ” even though they ignore fundamental principles integral to any economic reasoning .
To make the argument ridiculously simple , why don ’ t we call one of these theories just plain “ stuff-theory.
” The other theory we can call “ magic.
” According to stuff theory there should be no such thing as scarcity , let alone depressions .
After all stuff comes either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is produced it can be easily distributed .
Problem solved !
Anybody can run these operations .
Why not the government ?
Why not the Army ?
Why not robots ?
Problem solved !
I am tempted to say “ capital idea ” but that would introduce a term which might undermine our confidence in the “ stuff theory.
” The modern idea of “ capital ” might warn us that economic production has an organic and adaptive quality which is quite different from the notion of a self-maintaining machine .
Whatever an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is certainly not a miniature version of Newton ’ s cosmos , wound-up at the beginning of time and left to orbit in perpetuity .
An economy is not just a dance of naked matter , it seems to involve human minds .
And minds change .
Sensing that that there is something human , even psychological , about the economy , another theory arose during the last century or two , to counter-balance and supplement the “ stuff ” theory .
This was the magic theory .
According to the magic theory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More money , more stuff .
Double the money , double the stuff .
I won ’ t elaborate since you can clearly see where this is going .
If stuff doesn ’ t come magically from money , something terrible might happen .
Like if you double the money and to your indignation you wind up with the same amount of stuff for twice the price .
At that point , if you are left holding the bag , the only thing to do is to shoot the messenger .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above is idiotically simple minded .
But I am trying to make a point .
Seeing economic danger in the future is not something which requires Vulcan mind techniques .
It just requires a bit of prudent analysis .
Even so , it is beyond the capacity of many people .
I ’ m not talking about people with low intelligence and little education , although those people have as much right to know the truth as anyone else .
I mean people who have passed through the halls of higher education , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moral , or as in this case , the economic basis on which our society is secured .
I call these people the dupes .
The Tuttle Twins and t ... Connor Boyack Best Price : $ 1.54 Buy New $ 9.00 Because these people are presented with a trade off between a tangible medical crisis and a conceptual economic crisis , they react to any attempt to balance these threats with the same indignation as Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy would to the dispassionate warnings of a Vulcan .
“ You ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unfortunately as time waxes on , the devastation of the economy will be felt increasingly at the personal level .
Wages lost , jobs lost , empty shelves , worthless money , broken relationships , and broken hearts .
Can the morbidity index lag much farther behind those other metrics ?
Will those of us who cried out in warning turn the tables on those who were so narrowly focused on the pandemic that they couldn ’ t see any other dangers ?
Will we call them out as insensitive and callous to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope not .
Tragically , because of an incorrigible incapacity of human mind , ignorance really is a kind of excuse .
Or as someone once said , “ Forgive them Father , for they know not what they do.
” Rather , I hope that on their own , and using whatever face-saving rationale is available to them , that the dupes will come to their senses .
They will see that they were not only tricked into exacerbating a more easily controllable medical crisis , but were complicit in promoting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resulted in an economic depression .
After all , we ’ ve all made our share of mistakes , and God loves those who repent .
More troubling are the knaves .
With a bit of forethought and discipline anyone can do a rough approximation of the Vulcan mind-over-time trick .
Some people use their predictive powers for the good of humanity , and others see exactly what is coming , but fail to warn , hoping that a duped humanity will fall into the pit .
These latter are the knaves , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are no concern of ours .
Furthermore , who is a knave and who is a dupe is no easy task to discern .
They are the wheat and tares to be sorted out as time permits in the slowly grinding mills of justice .
And in the event that Earthly justice fails , there are celestial venues far beyond even the orbit of Vulcan .
The Best of Mark Sunwall

How can we balance the highly profiled threat of a pandemic with the invisible requirements of something called “the economy” which most people are either blind to, or have been trained not to see? This incapacity reminds me of a scene in the original Star Trek in which, far removed from the range of the star ship Enterprise‘s sensors, an inhabited planet is suddenly and totally destroyed. Mr. Spock, executive officer of the Enterprise and native of the planet Vulcan, suffers an acute mental shock, a clairvoyant and non-local reaction to the termination of “millions of lives.” Neither Captain Kirk nor any other of the (presumably non-Vulcan) crew experience any such hybrid empathic/cognitive experience. Two interesting science fiction premises of this incident are that, first, members of the Vulcan species (though supposedly emotionally inhibited) are capable of experiencing death and suffering as magnitudes, while typical humans can only empathize with suffering among individuals, and furthermore, Vulcans can sense disasters at distant points in the space-time continuum. Today when political leaders in jurisdictions across America and the world are shutting down economies and accusing those who object to these measures of moral insensitivity, I can almost hear the impetuous Captain Kirk and the emotional Dr. “Bones” McCoy ganging up on the wise Vulcan. The human officers can’t distract themselves from the present danger long enough to buy into any Vulcan nonsense about mentally sensing death from afar. Proximate deaths are accounted real, while those distant in time or space are purely hypothetical. “You’re a cold fish Spock!”
Economics in One Lesson Henry Hazlitt Best Price: $14.34 (as of 02:26 UTC - Details) Is Spock’s supra-normal endowment of sensing suffering at a distance a quality that we, as beings capable of imagining the future, can mimic? I think to a large extent we can, however it involves not just going against the grain of the emotions and the senses, but cutting through a lot of modern ideology as well. To begin with, there is a strong human bias towards the present and the concrete. After all, suffering presents itself to us as something immediate and particular, while future suffering seems unreal until it arrives. At its most basic, this is a manifestation of the human preference for present over future goods. We all have this preference, although some to a greater extent than others.
However additional difficulties present themselves whenever the costs of an immediate medical (or other easily observable) emergency is weighed against the costs of a future economic disruption. A present medical emergency is tangible and immediate in the way that future economic conditions are not. This in itself would weigh the scales against economic considerations. However the problem is further complicated by the fact that the majority of the population have been educated into the belief that economics (i.e., a systematic body of knowledge about human decisions) is not real. Granted, everyone agrees that there are many phenomena, like work, consumption and money which could be grouped under a category that people have agreed to call “economics.” Yet the idea that these “kinds of stuff” have to be coordinated by some overarching principle seems as fantastic as unicorns. Indeed, if the post-modern imagination were forced to choose between the reality of the economy and the unicorn, surely the unicorn would emerge as the sentimental favorite.
Granted, everyone is very concerned with the problem of “how to get stuff” now and in the future, although now is usually more important than the future. Furthermore, everyone has a nagging fear that if the means for “getting stuff” were disrupted on a large scale, then it might cause intense suffering for many, not excluding a rise in mortality. Moreover, everyone knows that “the economy” isn’t a tangible entity which kills people directly like a freight-train bearing down on a woman tied to the rails. Rather the means are indirect, most obviously through starvation, malnutrition, and lack of access to medical supplies, and down to less obvious causes like suicides and a rise in criminal homicides. Short of death, a depression (its called that for a reason!) impacts people to the extent that those who survive often find life barely worth living. Everyone pretty much knows and acknowledges all this, regardless of ideology.
The Law Bastiat, Frederic Best Price: $5.69 Buy New $10.95 (as of 02:26 UTC - Details) However there is a troublesome complication. For while everyone knows and fears the lethal effects of an economic depression, many believe that the scenario can be averted by non-economic means. Again, most people have no objection to the use of the word “economics” as long it doesn’t designate a science which subjects human behavior to laws which are inherent to reality . Hence there have arisen theories (perhaps reducible to two main ideas) which claim to deliver on the promise of “getting stuff” by making a detour around markets. These theories are often designated “economics” even though they ignore fundamental principles integral to any economic reasoning. To make the argument ridiculously simple, why don’t we call one of these theories just plain “stuff-theory.” The other theory we can call “magic.”
According to stuff theory there should be no such thing as scarcity, let alone depressions. After all stuff comes either from factories or farms. Once it is produced it can be easily distributed. Problem solved! Anybody can run these operations. Why not the government? Why not the Army? Why not robots? Problem solved! I am tempted to say “capital idea” but that would introduce a term which might undermine our confidence in the “stuff theory.” The modern idea of “capital” might warn us that economic production has an organic and adaptive quality which is quite different from the notion of a self-maintaining machine. Whatever an “economy” might be, it is certainly not a miniature version of Newton’s cosmos, wound-up at the beginning of time and left to orbit in perpetuity. An economy is not just a dance of naked matter, it seems to involve human minds. And minds change.
Sensing that that there is something human, even psychological, about the economy, another theory arose during the last century or two, to counter-balance and supplement the “stuff” theory. This was the magic theory. According to the magic theory “stuff” is created by money. More money, more stuff. Double the money, double the stuff. I won’t elaborate since you can clearly see where this is going. If stuff doesn’t come magically from money, something terrible might happen. Like if you double the money and to your indignation you wind up with the same amount of stuff for twice the price. At that point, if you are left holding the bag, the only thing to do is to shoot the messenger. The messenger is economics.
Dupes and knaves
I know the above is idiotically simple minded. But I am trying to make a point. Seeing economic danger in the future is not something which requires Vulcan mind techniques. It just requires a bit of prudent analysis. Even so, it is beyond the capacity of many people. I’m not talking about people with low intelligence and little education, although those people have as much right to know the truth as anyone else. I mean people who have passed through the halls of higher education, but were never taught the legal, moral, or as in this case, the economic basis on which our society is secured. I call these people the dupes. The Tuttle Twins and t... Connor Boyack Best Price: $1.54 Buy New $9.00 (as of 06:45 UTC - Details)
Because these people are presented with a trade off between a tangible medical crisis and a conceptual economic crisis, they react to any attempt to balance these threats with the same indignation as Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy would to the dispassionate warnings of a Vulcan. “You’re a cold fish Spock!” Unfortunately as time waxes on, the devastation of the economy will be felt increasingly at the personal level. Wages lost, jobs lost, empty shelves, worthless money, broken relationships, and broken hearts. Can the morbidity index lag much farther behind those other metrics? Will those of us who cried out in warning turn the tables on those who were so narrowly focused on the pandemic that they couldn’t see any other dangers? Will we call them out as insensitive and callous to the risk of human life? I hope not. Tragically, because of an incorrigible incapacity of human mind, ignorance really is a kind of excuse. Or as someone once said, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”
Rather, I hope that on their own, and using whatever face-saving rationale is available to them, that the dupes will come to their senses. They will see that they were not only tricked into exacerbating a more easily controllable medical crisis, but were complicit in promoting the cover up for a financial crisis which resulted in an economic depression. After all, we’ve all made our share of mistakes, and God loves those who repent.
More troubling are the knaves. With a bit of forethought and discipline anyone can do a rough approximation of the Vulcan mind-over-time trick. Some people use their predictive powers for the good of humanity, and others see exactly what is coming, but fail to warn, hoping that a duped humanity will fall into the pit. These latter are the knaves, the coldest of cold fish, and they are no concern of ours. Furthermore, who is a knave and who is a dupe is no easy task to discern. They are the wheat and tares to be sorted out as time permits in the slowly grinding mills of justice. And in the event that Earthly justice fails, there are celestial venues far beyond even the orbit of Vulcan.
The Best of Mark Sunwall


lewrockwell--2020-05-08--As I Viewed This I Was Shaken to My Core—You Will Be Also

It begins in muddied black and white , no voices over until about two minutes into the film .
At first it may seem a bit unclear what is happening .
But soon , with the first interview of a British officer , it becomes all too apparent—too graphic , too unsettling , too horrific for our minds so accustomed to the cushy prosperity and relative peace of contemporary America to fully grasp .
And it is only the beginning .
The online Youtube is titled “ Forgotten History of World War II : Operation Keelhaul , ” although the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orders from Above.
” At the end of it we find in the credits that it was originally produced with much research by the BBC in 1975 .
To my knowledge it has never been screened on American television , never released in a VHS or DVD format of any kind .
But it cries out , with the voices of millions of men , women and children cruelly and barbarously murdered , for acknowledgement…and for justice , even if seventy-five years too late .
It left a profound impression on me , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as you watch it .
Nemesis at Potsdam : An ... Best Price : $ 15.76 In 1974-1975 many of the sealed World War II records and archives of the British Foreign Office were finally unsealed , and , in particular , the files of how our English allies forcibly shipped back to the Soviet Union and to our supposed friend in the war against Adolf Hitler , “ Uncle ” Joe Stalin ( as he was affectionately called in the Anglo-American press ) , some two million plus Russians who existed within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Second World War .
And if other nationalities that were sent to the Soviets are counted the figures mount to around five or six millions : all to become victims of Stalin ’ s revenge .
Not just the thousands Russians ( mainly Cossacks ) who had actually volunteered to fight with the Germans against Communism and for their homeland ( which was their object , not really for Naziism ) , but hundreds of thousands of civilians , who had been forced at gunpoint to work for the Nazis as part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of innocent women and children , again many inducted forcibly into labor battalions .
Not only that , Stalin also requested—and many times got—any Russians the Westerns powers could round up or find who had taken refuge in Western Europe prior to 1939…in other words , the many anti-Communist Russians who had left Russia after the Revolution of 1918-1920 and had been living peaceably in the West since then .
For Stalin there were no POWS : a Red Army soldier was either victorious or died for Communism ( either at the hands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suicide ! )
.
Capture by the enemy was unacceptable , not acknowledged by the Soviet military .
A Soviet POW was already sentenced to death if he was captured alive or surrendered .
Almost certain execution , either immediately or in a gulag , lay ahead for any returned comrade .
All this—all of the forced and many times very brutal and inexpressibly horrific repatriation at the point of a bayonet or facing British machine guns took place in almost total secrecy .
The English—Anthony Eden , Patrick Dean and , yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roosevelt ) —were eager to placate “ Uncle Joe ” and keep him happy , even if it meant the cruel death ( or at the least a slow death in a gulag in Siberia ) for more than two million living , breathing men and their families .
“ Collateral losses ” was an antiseptic term used , “ unfortunate necessities ” is another fancy word expression…an expression to evoke just one aspect of official Allied policy at the end of the War , a policy that continued for several years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away for another thirty years .
The Last Secret Bethell , Nicholas Best Price : $ 4.98 Buy New $ 87.86 For three decades the policy of Britain and America was to keep a rigid silence about these actions , mostly deny the existence of such incredible barbarity…at least until 1974-1975 .
Then English journalist , Nicholas Bethel ( in his riveting volume The Last Secret : The Delivery to Stalin of Over Two Million Russians ) and Count Nikolai Tolstoy in The Secret Betrayal , 1944-1947 tore back the curtain , employing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tolstoy , a British citizen and distant cousin of the famous Russian novelist , authored a shattering sequel , The Minister and the Massacres ( 1985 ) , which traces in a straight line who gave the orders , who were responsible for what in many ways rivalled in barbarity the crimes of our enemies in the late war .
Those millions of Russian victims of the war do not take into account approximately maybe ten to fifteen million Eastern European German civilians ( Volksdeutsche ) living outside Germany forcibly moved back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their backs , as many as 2.5 million of whom perished during the frigid winter of 1945-1946 , as Alfred de Zayas has documented in his scholarly yet stunning volume Nemesis at Potsdam : The Anglo-Americans and the Expulsion of the Germans : Background : Execution , Consequences ( 1979 ) .
Nor do they measure the actions of us Americans after the war—documented by Canadian journalist , James Bacque in his book , Other Losses ( 1989 ) .
Bacque ’ s incredible , nearly unbelievable findings : that U.S. General Dwight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starvation or exposure of around a million German prisoners of war held in Western internment camps briefly after the Second World War .
How do victorious powers in a righteous war against an Evil Power responsible for immense cruelty and criminality , then establish peace , justice , and liberty after that war when they engage in similar practices of cruelty and criminality against that Evil Power , or more specifically against millions of subjects in occupied lands under that Power ’ s control forced into its service ?
Do we not still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many ways , continuing dalliance with Communism , and more so today , of its bastard step-children , the progressivist “ woke ” post-Marxist Left that so defiles and despoils our culture , denies our history , and despises and bans our heritage ?
Nemesis at Potsdam : Th ... Alfred M. de Zayas Best Price : $ 15.82 Buy New $ 109.52 I pass on to you the Youtube , “ Forgotten History of World War II : Operation Keelhaul.
” It lasts for about one hour and a half , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video .
When I first began watching I thought only to view bits and small parts of it .
But I could not stop—I could not stop listening to and seeing the still-shaken British soldiers and officers recounting how they had been ordered to bayonet soldiers and civilians and force them into blinded box cars or herded into over-crowded ships to Odessa , only to watch them brutally murdered dockside upon arrival .
I could not stop viewing the searing images , the reminiscences of the few Russians who somehow managed to escape @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have a full hour and a half to watch this film immediately , just begin with a few excerpts—at about 23:00 into the film , then at about 56:00 for the next few minutes , and then finally at around 1:05:00 until the end when Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn , from his monumental Gulag Archipelago is quoted .
Sadly , some of the books I ’ ve cited are now priced terribly high ( and one must wonder why that is ? )
, but I recommend also purchasing some of them and sharing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the scheme of eternity , it ’ s important .
Like the British officers and the clergyman interviewed , I too am haunted by all this , I am haunted by the complicity of “ civilized ” nations , by people raised and annealed in the principles of our Christian faith .
This film makes it all too real .
If I had a time machine for our society and culture , I would immediately send us all back prior to the First World War ( for that is where the Second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Archduke Franz Ferdinand not to go to Sarajevo .
I would scream from the rooftops , as in Holy Writ , that irredentism and unbridled , headless nationalism could only lead to devastation .
And I would plead that all men—English Victorians , the Russian tsarists , the French republicans , the Serbian extremists—spend more time in Church asking for God ’ s grace and forgiveness , than on the battlefield or hurtling blood-soaked threats at their neighbors… .
Here we are now in 2020 , after by far the bloodiest and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And in our insouciance and worldliness we pretend that the most important things are material , and we act as if God does not exist .
In fact , most people probably believe in Satan more , at least in the way they act , than in Our Heavenly Father .
It can not last…indefinitely .
And we should begin , we should prepare by arming ourselves with knowledge and Faith .

It begins in muddied black and white, no voices over until about two minutes into the film. At first it may seem a bit unclear what is happening. But soon, with the first interview of a British officer, it becomes all too apparent—too graphic, too unsettling, too horrific for our minds so accustomed to the cushy prosperity and relative peace of contemporary America to fully grasp. And it is only the beginning. The online Youtube is titled “Forgotten History of World War II: Operation Keelhaul,” although the initial title in the film reads “Orders from Above.”
At the end of it we find in the credits that it was originally produced with much research by the BBC in 1975. To my knowledge it has never been screened on American television, never released in a VHS or DVD format of any kind. But it cries out, with the voices of millions of men, women and children cruelly and barbarously murdered, for acknowledgement…and for justice, even if seventy-five years too late.
It left a profound impression on me, as I think it will on you as you watch it.
Nemesis at Potsdam: An... Best Price: $15.76 (as of 02:27 UTC - Details) In 1974-1975 many of the sealed World War II records and archives of the British Foreign Office were finally unsealed, and, in particular, the files of how our English allies forcibly shipped back to the Soviet Union and to our supposed friend in the war against Adolf Hitler, “Uncle” Joe Stalin (as he was affectionately called in the Anglo-American press), some two million plus Russians who existed within Western Europe at the end of the Second World War.
And if other nationalities that were sent to the Soviets are counted the figures mount to around five or six millions: all to become victims of Stalin’s revenge.
Not just the thousands Russians (mainly Cossacks) who had actually volunteered to fight with the Germans against Communism and for their homeland (which was their object, not really for Naziism), but hundreds of thousands of civilians, who had been forced at gunpoint to work for the Nazis as part of their war effort. And including thousands of innocent women and children, again many inducted forcibly into labor battalions. Not only that, Stalin also requested—and many times got—any Russians the Westerns powers could round up or find who had taken refuge in Western Europe prior to 1939…in other words, the many anti-Communist Russians who had left Russia after the Revolution of 1918-1920 and had been living peaceably in the West since then.
For Stalin there were no POWS: a Red Army soldier was either victorious or died for Communism (either at the hands of the enemy or by his own suicide!). Capture by the enemy was unacceptable, not acknowledged by the Soviet military. A Soviet POW was already sentenced to death if he was captured alive or surrendered. Almost certain execution, either immediately or in a gulag, lay ahead for any returned comrade.
All this—all of the forced and many times very brutal and inexpressibly horrific repatriation at the point of a bayonet or facing British machine guns took place in almost total secrecy. The English—Anthony Eden, Patrick Dean and, yes, Winston Churchill (and Franklin D. Roosevelt)—were eager to placate “Uncle Joe” and keep him happy, even if it meant the cruel death (or at the least a slow death in a gulag in Siberia) for more than two million living, breathing men and their families. “Collateral losses” was an antiseptic term used, “unfortunate necessities” is another fancy word expression…an expression to evoke just one aspect of official Allied policy at the end of the War, a policy that continued for several years, and then details about which were locked away for another thirty years. The Last Secret Bethell, Nicholas Best Price: $4.98 Buy New $87.86 (as of 02:27 UTC - Details)
For three decades the policy of Britain and America was to keep a rigid silence about these actions, mostly deny the existence of such incredible barbarity…at least until 1974-1975. Then English journalist, Nicholas Bethel (in his riveting volume The Last Secret: The Delivery to Stalin of Over Two Million Russians) and Count Nikolai Tolstoy in The Secret Betrayal, 1944-1947 tore back the curtain, employing the finally opened archives. And later Tolstoy, a British citizen and distant cousin of the famous Russian novelist, authored a shattering sequel, The Minister and the Massacres (1985), which traces in a straight line who gave the orders, who were responsible for what in many ways rivalled in barbarity the crimes of our enemies in the late war.
Those millions of Russian victims of the war do not take into account approximately maybe ten to fifteen million Eastern European German civilians (Volksdeutsche) living outside Germany forcibly moved back to the fatherland, with only clothes on their backs, as many as 2.5 million of whom perished during the frigid winter of 1945-1946, as Alfred de Zayas has documented in his scholarly yet stunning volume Nemesis at Potsdam: The Anglo-Americans and the Expulsion of the Germans: Background: Execution, Consequences (1979).
Nor do they measure the actions of us Americans after the war—documented by Canadian journalist, James Bacque in his book, Other Losses (1989). Bacque’s incredible, nearly unbelievable findings: that U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower intentionally caused the deaths by starvation or exposure of around a million German prisoners of war held in Western internment camps briefly after the Second World War.
How do victorious powers in a righteous war against an Evil Power responsible for immense cruelty and criminality, then establish peace, justice, and liberty after that war when they engage in similar practices of cruelty and criminality against that Evil Power, or more specifically against millions of subjects in occupied lands under that Power’s control forced into its service?
Do we not still suffer the effects of our, in many ways, continuing dalliance with Communism, and more so today, of its bastard step-children, the progressivist “woke” post-Marxist Left that so defiles and despoils our culture, denies our history, and despises and bans our heritage?
****
Nemesis at Potsdam: Th... Alfred M. de Zayas Best Price: $15.82 Buy New $109.52 (as of 02:27 UTC - Details) I pass on to you the Youtube, “Forgotten History of World War II: Operation Keelhaul.” It lasts for about one hour and a half, which I recognize is long for such a video. When I first began watching I thought only to view bits and small parts of it. But I could not stop—I could not stop listening to and seeing the still-shaken British soldiers and officers recounting how they had been ordered to bayonet soldiers and civilians and force them into blinded box cars or herded into over-crowded ships to Odessa, only to watch them brutally murdered dockside upon arrival. I could not stop viewing the searing images, the reminiscences of the few Russians who somehow managed to escape or survive.
If you don’t have a full hour and a half to watch this film immediately, just begin with a few excerpts—at about 23:00 into the film, then at about 56:00 for the next few minutes, and then finally at around 1:05:00 until the end when Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, from his monumental Gulag Archipelago is quoted. Sadly, some of the books I’ve cited are now priced terribly high (and one must wonder why that is?), but I recommend also purchasing some of them and sharing them with your family and friends. In the scheme of eternity, it’s important.
Like the British officers and the clergyman interviewed, I too am haunted by all this, I am haunted by the complicity of “civilized” nations, by people raised and annealed in the principles of our Christian faith. This film makes it all too real.
If I had a time machine for our society and culture, I would immediately send us all back prior to the First World War (for that is where the Second originated)…and I would frantically warn the Archduke Franz Ferdinand not to go to Sarajevo. I would scream from the rooftops, as in Holy Writ, that irredentism and unbridled, headless nationalism could only lead to devastation. And I would plead that all men—English Victorians, the Russian tsarists, the French republicans, the Serbian extremists—spend more time in Church asking for God’s grace and forgiveness, than on the battlefield or hurtling blood-soaked threats at their neighbors….
Here we are now in 2020, after by far the bloodiest and most unimaginably vicious century—the 20th—in human history. And in our insouciance and worldliness we pretend that the most important things are material, and we act as if God does not exist. In fact, most people probably believe in Satan more, at least in the way they act, than in Our Heavenly Father.
It cannot last…indefinitely. And we should begin, we should prepare by arming ourselves with knowledge and Faith.
Reprinted with the author’s permission.