Hurry On Sundown

 

This seems appropriate, right about now:

Bombers have reportedly taken off from the UK and elsewhere, so I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Sit. developing,

LSP

Back in Dallas

 

Here we are, punters, back at Dallas HQ for Easter Monday and it's not bad. Birds sing, the sun shines and all's well in this small urban haven, a far cry from the race  track chaos of the 'sprawl. In fact, it's more peaceful than the Country Compound because there's no roosters here. Don't get me wrong, roosters play their part and add a kind of problem farm authenticity to the scene, but they're mighty loud. Maybe not as loud as shrieking peacocks, but still.

In other news, you may have followed the pretty remarkable rescue of one of our downed pilots, all kinds of hyper specops action, and some say more than that. They think the raid was a play to get at the mullahs' uranium, and maybe they have a point. But what do I know? Nothing. Why? Because SECWAR Hegseth hasn't been returning my calls. C'mon, Pete, pick up the 'phone.

What if America is already far richer than anyone in the swamp is allowed to admit?

What if the real drag on the Republic isn’t taxes, isn’t debt, isn’t even the deficit, it’s Europe?

What if NATO was never a mutual defense pact, but a 75-year subscription America forgot to…

— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) April 6, 2026

Speaking of Persia, 47's been blowing up the airwaves with all kinds of mad bomber incendiarism, "Praise be to Allah!" and dropping an F Bomb on the Straits of Hormuz, It'll be a "GUSHER," and on. What do you make of this? Serious question.

My take, for what little it's worth because SECWAR's apparently blocked me, is something like this: Team Trump hoped for a quick fix. Bold call, didn't get it. So pump up the volume and the bombs and the threats until the other side gets it and walks away before a JDAM hits their bedroom. 

Quite the message. But oh dear, Team Mullah refuses to bend the knee, with their blend of zero sum perverse martyr Islamic sensibility. Next step, 47 gets really loud in the probably doomed expectation that IRGC gets that memo, Viz. if you don't step away from the country we're going to utterly destroy you.

As you know, gentlemen and gentlewomen, the US is more than capable of carrying out the threat of destroying Iran as a functional country. 47, it seems, would prefer we didn't but isn't afraid to go Godzilla all-in if that's what it takes. That's the message, as I see it, Pete might agree, I don't know, he isn't answering calls, perhaps he's busy.

Personally, I'd love it if the Islamo-Marxists who run Persia were taken down, whether we do it remains to be seen. Whatever the case, it's one heckuvva gamble, not least with people's lives, and I hate that. Granted, wars must be fought given our fallen imperfection, but we, as Christians, are about life not death. We build, they destroy. Let's pray the US is on the right side of this Eastertide equation.

Forgive the ramble and feel free to comment on the sit. In other words, what's your take? Over to you.

Cano Arma Virumque,

LSP

Werewolves Of London

 

Care to join me in London in May? Big fun guaranteed, bet the monkey on it. All welcome, not joking, dm to RSVP.

We're the people who firebombed Dresden to rubble and obliterated two Japanese cities. Take note, my friends.

Your Pal,

LSP

Christ Has Risen

 

Happy Easter! Our Savior has risen, triumphant over death and hell. St. John Chrysostom exclaims:

If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived thereof. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; He gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour.

And He shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one He gives, and upon the other He bestows gifts. And He both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.

Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered Thee in the lower regions. It was embittered, for it was abolished. It was embittered, for it was mocked. It was embittered, for it was slain. It was embittered, for it was overthrown. It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

 

Christus Surrexit, Alleluia!

LSP

Holy Saturday

 

The body of Christ lies in the tomb and the harrowing of Hell begins,  κατάβασις.

O God, who dost illumine this most holy night with the glory of the Lord's resurrection: Stir up, we beseech thee, in thy Church that Spirit of adoption which is given unto us in Baptism, that we, being regenerate both in body and soul, may render unto thee a pure service; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

 

DFTR,

LSP

Good Friday

 

It is finished, Jesus has died on the Cross. Benedict XVI reflects:

This evening, in faith, we have accompanied Jesus as he takes the final steps of his earthly journey, the most painful steps, the steps that lead to Calvary. We have heard the cries of the crowd, the words of condemnation, the insults of the soldiers, the lamentation of the Virgin Mary and of the women. Now we are immersed in the silence of this night, in the silence of the cross, the silence of death. It is a silence pregnant with the burden of pain borne by a man rejected, oppressed, downtrodden, the burden of sin which mars his face, the burden of evil. Tonight we have re-lived, deep within our hearts, the drama of Jesus, weighed down by pain, by evil, by human sin.

What remains now before our eyes? It is a crucified man, a cross raised on Golgotha, a cross which seems a sign of the final defeat of the One who brought light to those immersed in darkness, the One who spoke of the power of forgiveness and of mercy, the One who asked us to believe in God’s infinite love for each human person. Despised and rejected by men, there stands before us “a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity, one from whom others hide their faces” (Is 53:3).

But let us look more closely at that man crucified between earth and heaven. Let us contemplate him more intently, and we will realize that the cross is not the banner of the victory of death, sin and evil, but rather the luminous sign of love, of God’s immense love, of something that we could never have asked, imagined or expected: God bent down over us, he lowered himself, even to the darkest corner of our lives, in order to stretch out his hand and draw us to himself, to bring us all the way to himself. The cross speaks to us of the supreme love of God and invites, today, to renew our faith in the power of that love, and to believe that in every situation of our lives, our history and our world, God is able to vanquish death, sin and evil, and to give us new, risen life. In the Son of God’s death on the cross, we find the seed of new hope for life, like the seed which dies within the earth.

This night full of silence, full of hope, echoes God’s call to us as found in the words of Saint Augustine: “Have faith! You will come to me and you will taste the good things of my table, even as I did not disdain to taste the evil things of your table... I have promised you my own life. As a pledge of this, I have given you my death, as if to say: Look! I am inviting you to share in my life. It is a life where no one dies, a life which is truly blessed, which offers an incorruptible food, the food which refreshes and never fails. The goal to which I invite you … is friendship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, it is the eternal supper, it is communion with me … It is a share in my own life (cf. Sermo 231, 5).

Let us gaze on the crucified Jesus, and let us ask in prayer: Enlighten our hearts, Lord, that we may follow you along the way of the cross. Put to death in us the “old man” bound by selfishness, evil and sin. Make us “new men”, men and women of holiness, transformed and enlivened by your love.

 

Ave Crux Spes Unica,

LSP

Maundy Thursday

 

Typical

Maundy, from Mandatum, mandate, and what a pair of commands or rules we're given tonight. The Eucharistic "do this" and "love one another as I have loved you," given at the conclusion of Our Lord washing the apostles' feet. At first glance it might seem that the two orders are discordant or unrelated, but of course they're not.

Christ clearly makes himself present in the Eucharist under the forms of bread and wine, body and blood. In what aspect is he present? Precisely as crucified, "This is my body given for you;" "This is my blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you for the remission of sins." Christ's body and blood, given and shed for us on the Cross.

So, when we make our communions, we enter into union with Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, eating his flesh and drinking His blood that we may have eternal life. "Do this," He says, and we do; was ever, per Dom Gregory Dix, a command so obeyed? 

That's the first mandate, the second's like unto it. After His last supper, on the night before He suffered, Christ knelt down and washed his apostles' feet, a prophetic action signifying his crucifixion in which he humbled himself, taking the form of a servant and washed us clean from sin in a supreme act of love. It's this which he commands us to emulate.

When we do, the grace given in the Sacrament of the Altar, the life of Christ sacrificed for us upon the Cross, comes alive in us, as a stream of living water welling up to eternal life.

God bless you all,

LSP

Are We Going All In?

 

USFORPOL

Sometimes it's better in song, do you not think? That in mind, let's hear it for BOC.

Cheers,

LSP

Holy Tuesday

 

So here we are in Holy Week, on our journey to the Cross and from there to the new life of the empty tomb, of resurrection. Part of this journey, for me, meant climbing into a mileage car this morning and driving from Dallas HQ to a place called "Bedford." 

No kidding. Nav out to Hampton, take a left on Singleton, behold the beat up ghetto strip malls as you do, then take a right on Mockingbird and wonder and its several rent-by-the-hour motels. 

You don't stop there, no, you ride on through to the I35/183 turn off. Be careful, it's a racetrack as you rev up the Civic and move hell for leather into the 183 aspect of this route. After that? Pretty much straight shot 'til you get to this place called "Bedford" and exit the highway onto Forest. And there you are, in Mid Cities suburbia, which is where our cathedral is.

Highway purgatory over, roll into the parking lot and go to Mass, our diocesan Chrism Mass or Mass of Collegiality. I was late, so didn't vest, but joined the clergy for the renewal of our ordination vows and at the Altar for the Eucharistic Prayer. Powerful stuff, and what a good, faithful body of men, always a pleasure to be with them. So what have we here?

The Cross, by way of Metrosprawl traffic, and Resurrection with a beautiful Mass and the good priests of our diocese. So there you have it. Safely back at Ma LSP's Compound, all's peaceful and in good order, and you'll be pleased to know she's watching some kind of show detailing the jewels of the Romanovs in their female aspect. Yes, they were spectacular.

On topic, do you think our current Bioleninist politics of envy and spite, aka socialism, started with the French Revolution? Perhaps so, though I'd argue the poison seed goes back to Luther, but that's me, we can parse the wicked Age of Enlightenment, see Age of the Raison, and its iniquitous fallout forever. Have at it.

In the meanwhile, we've got a war to win. D'ye reckon Don can pull it off? Money, as always, on the dam monkey.

Yours,

LSP

Miserere Nobis

 

Listen up, all ye heathen.

We follow Christ as King. Where does he lead, follow me? To the Cross. This week, of all weeks, we're invited by our Mother the Church to walk the way of the Cross. May God give us the grace, strength and courage to do so. I do not say that lightly.

Yours,

LSP

Palm Sunday

 

Palm Sunday, the entrance to Holy Week, in which we stand with the exultant crowds welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem, acknowledging Christ as our king. Benedict XVI offers this reflection:

Let us return to today’s Gospel passage and ask ourselves: what is really happening in the hearts of those who acclaim Christ as King of Israel? Clearly, they had their own idea of the Messiah, an idea of how the long-awaited King promised by the prophets should act. Not by chance, a few days later, instead of acclaiming Jesus, the Jerusalem crowd will cry out to Pilate: “Crucify him!”, while the disciples, together with others who had seen him and listened to him, will be struck dumb and will disperse. The majority, in fact, was disappointed by the way Jesus chose to present himself as Messiah and King of Israel. This is the heart of today’s feast, for us too. Who is Jesus of Nazareth for us? What idea do we have of the Messiah, what idea do we have of God? It is a crucial question, one we cannot avoid, not least because during this very week we are called to follow our King who chooses the Cross as his throne. We are called to follow a Messiah who promises us, not a facile earthly happiness, but the happiness of heaven, divine beatitude. So we must ask ourselves: what are our true expectations? What are our deepest desires, with which we have come here today to celebrate Palm Sunday and to begin our celebration of Holy Week?

 

Serious questions, which today's feast and the week ahead invite us to answer. Who or what is most important to us, who do we really worship, what's our God? The Father's only begotten Son who died for us and rose again that we in Him might live or some other thing. Choose wisely dear friends, divine beatitude, eternal life itself hangs on the choice.

May God give us the grace to follow Christ as our true King, yes, to the Cross, but from there to new and resurrected life in Him.

Bless you all,

LSP

No Rest For The Wicked

 

No rest for the wicked? Does Hillary Clinton sleep at night? Good question, and as we ponder Bleach Bit, hammers, kill lists and horrific scenes from Anthony Weiner's laptop we have to admit it's been an exhausting day for the Compound Crew.

First up. Load the dog in the rig and drive down I35 to Dallas and Ma LSP's place. Settle hound at Dallas HQ and make sure the aged p. is sorted for lunch, she was. Then drive to a place called Keller in a Honda Civic. Keller, if you don't know it, is deep Metrosprawl, out in the wildlands of the Mid Cities. Venture forth at your peril.

We did, and arrived at a small dealership just off of 377 where we bought a car, a 2015 Honda Accord coupe. Lowish miles, black, nimble, and hopefully a good mileage car at a decent price and all of that. The guys at the shop were fun too and a pleasure to do business with. Nice, but while waiting for paperwork, we took a spin through the neighborhood.

Behold typically largish brickish homes interspersed with apartment complexes and scenic strip malls. These often had rough-hewn stone arches surmounted by terracotta roofs with names like "Heritage."

"Just like Tuscany" I observed with drily. "Well that wasn't very nice." No, I admitted, sheepishly, it wasn't, "No room in heaven for that kind of thing, what?" Quite, and then we turned the corner into the largest HEB in the world ever.

Seriously, these people in Keller live high. I tell you, this place had everything. Spices, cheese, affordable meat, frozen goods, sushi made right on the spot and everything else. For all I know they may have sold chain mail and relics of the True Cross, but we didn't get that far. No, we checked out, ate the sushi in the shop's spacious BBQ joint and headed for Dallas via the dealership.

Car purchase complete and 377, 820, 121 and 114 complete we arrived back at Dallas HQ, mission accomplished and utterly exhausted. 

No rest for the wicked, you see,

LSP