Stoutest Man

 

You gettit or you don't. 

Bless you,

LSP

The Last Two Weeks

 

Wow, what a fortnight it's been, It's like a buzz saw's been taken to our unelected and deeply beloved rulers. Here's a video:

That's all, for now.

MAGA,

LSP

We've Only Just Begun

Sometimes it's better in song, don't you think? Here, check it out:

Your Best Pal,

LSP

We Are All Rhodesians Now

 

In the war against global Zimbabwe.

Perhaps you're just catching up to it or perhaps you're a veteran. Don't feel bad, it's never too late or too soon.

Your Old Friend,

LSP

CANADA DECLARES WAR

 

Yes, on the United States, an economic war of tariffs. For every 20% tariff the US applies to Canadian imports the beloved rainbow rulers of Canada will slap on an extra 5% to US imports. Take that, Trump. So, we bill them at 20%, 10% for oil, and they kick us in the shin with 25%. Look out, Nazi America.

Oof, or is it? 77% of Canada's exports go to America, about a third of that being crude oil, and maybe now they'll lose that income stream as we drill, baby, drill. Apart from oil, Americans can expect massive price increases in revolting Tim Hortons coffee, nasty "TimBits" donuts, and hangover in a glass whiskey. Oh dear, I guess we'll have to produce these things ourselves, which is what it's all about.

Gary Indiana, a typical US city

Speaking of which, the traitors who off-shored our industry to China, leaving asset-stripped hellhole, dystopian nightmare in the place of once prosperous towns and cities need to be brought to account. What an epic crime against our nation and its people. Will they be? Good question, hope so.

Gotta tan, LSP?

In the meanwhile, perhaps Trumpian tariffs will reverse this sickening trend and bring back industry, jobs and prosperity to the US. Who knows; and while we're at it, abolish income tax and the privately owned, usurious Fed's armed collector, the IRS. Just a thought. In the meanwhile, Justine's going to war. We quake in our loafers.

Cheers,

LSP

Oh Dear

 

Some people aren't very happy that 45 became 47 and started axing FBI agents, risible pronounery and all of that. They don't like illegal aliens being sent back from whence they came, even as rainbow flags and DEI budget flows came crashing down. They seem to be in a state of, what's the phrase, Shock and Awe. But who are these people?

Witches. They've been hexing DJT for years, asking demons to  get in there and halt his anti-Satan progress. And you know what? At first they seemed to be doing pretty well, see the dropped-on-head-as-infant you're a Russian agent! ruse. The 51 headed hydra Intel Mutiny and, of course, the great 2020 Rig. But now?

Not so much. The witches are reporting that their spells aren't getting through, they're not working. Why? Because 47 has a "shield." According to CBN:

"Therefore he has a shield, a flimsy one of course, but a shield nonetheless (I am trying to figure out a way to create spells that can bypass that, but it's difficult)."

Another posted, "I hate to say this, but don't do magic against him. He has a form of protection surrounding him that feeds off of magic done against him. You will have better results if you focus your magic on helping his opponent or protecting yourself and others."

 

 

A shield. How very remarkable that one of the boldest, maybe the boldest catholic administrations in recent Western history is protected against rainbow demonism. All you witches take note, it's all a larf 'til you wake up and Abysmal Mengele's performing an operation. And all in the name of tolerance or, if you're really smart, "radical autonomy." Such utter wickedness.

Defende Nos,

LSP

RETREAT

 

Retreat! What a foreign-sounding word. No, we do not retreat, we attack and never, ever surrender. Granted, famous last words, but the fighting spirit prevails. That in mind, there comes a time when you've got to rest and regroup so you can take the war to the enemy with renewed spirit. And that's exactly what this year's clergy retreat was all about, a spiritual reset on the shores of Lake Dallas at Montserrat retreat house.

Typical Compound Scene

No, there weren't any lesbian priestesses, dancing nuns or wymxn bishop figures. There was Morning and Evening Prayer, Compline, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, daily Mass, and a series of outstanding talks given by Fr. Hans Boersma. His theme? Participation in the life of God and recovery of a sacramental worldview from nominalism and what he described as "flat earthers," from two dimensional late modernity.

Just some road in Texas

Outstanding. Boersma is a Christian Platonist and, I think, more than a little mystic. He's also not a Lib and he's Dutch, both of which conjoined are cool. So that was all good. Good too to be with the priests of our diocese, what a great crew and fun to live with, even if only for a few short days.

God bless,

LSP

Off The Leash

Get it on my man.

Tom Homan Already Rounding up Criminals in Chicago. —AND IT'S JUST ANOTHER SUNDAY!!!😎🇺🇸🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/NGX0p5O2HD

— il Donaldo Trumpo (@PapiTrumpo) January 26, 2025

I say again, since when did a country having a border become Fascist and Nazi? Oh, maybe since the Democrats, Labour and "Tories" wanted to import votes, while their rainbow corp sponsors wanted cheap labor. What a despicable, corrupt crew of Uniparty Satans. Tom's unzipping that malfeasant skulduggery right about now. The guy's a savage. Bye-bye, European nuance, whatever the hell virtue that's supposed to signal.

On point, people say Americans are benign, simple perhaps. Maybe they have a point, but maybe they need to stand back, take note and mark the total, 100% savagery. Yes, just waiting to be unleashed. Looks like Tom's onnit.

Rock On,

LSP

Turtle Loses Warfighter Wins

 

Kentucky's ruling Turtle and other RINO traitors failed in their sad and dishonest effort to stop a patriot, combat vet warfighter from becoming Secretary of Defense. They were more than happy to vote for the last corporate establishment DEI hire, but not Pete. Good thing JDV broke the 50/50 senatorial tie. Here's what the Turtle, the Alaskan Witch, and others voted against, Hegseth's vision, via GP:

It is the privilege of a lifetime to lead the warriors of the Department of Defense, under the leadership of our Commander in Chief Donald J. Trump. We will put America First, and we will never back down.

The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength. We will do this in three ways — by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.

o    We will revive the warrior ethos and restore trust in our military.  We are American warriors. We will defend our country.  Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear. The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose.

o    We will rebuild our military by matching threats to capabilities. This means reviving our defense industrial base, reforming our acquisition process, passing a financial audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies. We will remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world.

o    We will reestablish deterrence by defending our homeland — on the ground and in the sky. We will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China, as well as supporting the President’s priority to end wars responsibly and reorient to key threats. We will stand by our allies — and our enemies are on notice.

All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness.

I have committed my life to warfighters and their families.  Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back. We serve together at a dangerous time.  Our enemies will neither rest nor relent.  And neither will we.  We will stand shoulder to shoulder to meet the urgency of this moment.

Like each of you, I love my country and swore an oath to defend the Constitution. We will do that each and every day, as one team.  Together we will accomplish the President’s mission to deter war, and if necessary, defeat and destroy our enemies. Godspeed!

 

I don't know about you, but I'd say that's right on the money. No. More. Rainbow. Garbage. A young Sergeant's pretty pumped up about it.

Godspeed, Mr. Hegseth,

LSP

Get Rid Of Turtle

 

Kentucky, why do you allow a corrupt turtle to rule over you?

Yes, the very same turtle who voted against this:

And lost. Term limits, anyone? Or maybe Kentucky will rise up and eject the turtle from its traitorous, self-serving, establishment elite, anti-American, uniparty throne.

Cheers,

LSP

BY THE LEFT

 

Perhaps some of you will remember or know this. I do.  

We may be irregular but we're steadfast with it.

DLC Forever,

LSP

Don't Fear The Reaper

 

Libs, relax, it's ok, don't FEAR THE REAPER.

That is all,

LSP

Rock On

 

About bloody time we had a warfighter in charge of doing exactly that. But some people voted against him. Like ancient term limit Murkowski:

And smug nasty Collins. See zhir, on the left?

Perhaps you think the GOP is a corrupt Uniparty sinkhole. Well, the camera doesn't lie, but on the other hand, our boy Pete's just got elected to run the corrupt, self-serving, wasteful, lying, rainbow woke, fraudulent DOD. 

Soldiers tell me they're sick of rainbow garbage and need a change. Maybe they've got one.

Arma Virumque,

LSP

Ahem - CHUD

 

CHUD. Sgt. LSP tells me the above is an "interior self-portrait." I'm inclined to reply, "Dam your impudence." That is all, apart from some pop music. Oh, here's REFORM:

Typical LSP hangout

Your Best Pal,

LSP

Deport This Savage

 

You Utter Savage

It's just so terrible, ICE is arresting all these poor asylum seeker refugees and sending them back to Venezuela, Haiti or somewhere in between. So evil, so Fascist, so very NAZI. So totally hideous and inhumane.

And now, on point with the beloved BBC, one of my UK friends assures us on social media that Lady Liberty has packed her bags and left America, weeping. Where to? Maybe Ireland, the UK or some backwater like Belgium or Sweden.

The Savage Knifed These Girls

Hold on, buddy, this is absurd. Since when, at any time in history, was it somehow Fascist for a country to have a border? For a country to actually be a country? Surely, all you students of history, Fascism and Nazism and Communism, for that matter, were all about erasing borders. That was, indeed, their metier.

Could it be, heaven forefend, that the Corporate funded push to flood our countries with illegal aliens was and is all about the same? To erase our borders in favor of one, huge, cheap labor, high rentier super state? No, of course not, it's all about compassion. If you buy that you're a dam fool.

Enough is enough,

LSP

Against All Odds

 

DJT is President again. A remarkable blow and defeat to the ruling establishment of the US and their agitprop shills in the media. But I won't bang on, here's this, at length:

There is plenty of time ahead for the peanut gallery to discuss the ins and outs of the daily goings-on with the new Trump administration. There will be good and bad, and everyone is free to call out which is what and can do so for fully four years.

For now, we pause to consider the historic nature of what is taking place in our times and be grateful that we are all around to watch it unfold. And we should consider the lessons it offers for our own lives.

There is the obvious data point that President Donald Trump is only the second nonconsecutive second-term president after Grover Cleveland. That’s interesting but hardly scratches the surface of the significance of this presidency.

Anyone who prophesied two years ago that Trump would be taking the oath of office would have likely been considered a lunatic.

The whole of corporate media was railing against his legacy. The historians were writing him off. Google was gaming its search results to shame anyone who still defended him. Big tech and nearly the whole of academia were united in loathing. The sneering on late-night television was the only consistent theme.

Meanwhile, the big guns were coming for him personally with indictment after indictment. There is warfare and there is lawfare but the desire to destroy is the same. There was talk of confiscating Trump Tower and even jail. The revenge fantasies were out of control, while his attorneys’ fees were sky-high, millions upon millions of dollars.

There was no power center in the United States or really the world that was not overflowing with loathing and brutal attacks, including every attempted extortion and smear.

It is impossible to not give Trump personal credit for seeing his way through a series of threats and attacks that would have broken even the strongest character. Somehow he managed to get through it all with his physical and mental well-being not only saved but even strengthened.

How did he sleep? How did he keep his spirits high? How did he see the light at the end of this long, dark tunnel? It’s unfathomable.

I don’t care what your politics are: If you cannot see this example of steadfastness and courage as inspiring, there is something wrong. Is there anything wrong in your life to compare? It’s doubtful. He made it through and so can you. If nothing else is true, his personal example of courage in the face of grave danger is exemplary.

He had plenty of competitors for the Republican nomination, and they were right to challenge him, not based on a lack of respect but simply because of their own confidence that they could do the job. But at this stage of history, Trump was already legendary and approaching a status of personal grandeur that no one could match. Thus did he get the nomination and his competitors defer.

Panic among mainstream opinion makers ensued once again. The unthinkable happened: the first assassination attempt. It’s impossible to look at the circumstances surrounding that quarter-inch miss and not feel a sense of awe.

It’s difficult to explain without taking recourse to divine intervention. Equally remarkable was Trump’s response, not to cower and collapse but stand and assure the people for whom he felt responsibility that he was alive. And he used that precious and catastrophic moment to rally the people with immortal words, fist in the air.

Will that moment go down in history? It became obvious in the days following that the powers that be did not want it to do so. Within a week or so, it was hard to find information about this at all, as the major national media simply stopped talking about it. That left it to the masses of regular people who simply could not suppress their astonishment at what transpired.

Alternative media swung into action as did the meme makers and the merchants with shirts, cups, and posters. There was to be no burying this event.

Our times are absolutely desperate for examples of masculine heroism. The culture has been nearly purged of such, from movies to television to music. What Trump did was countercultural in every sense of the term: It went against the grain and disturbed the powers that be. This event became a mighty symbol of cultural renewal, a template for an entire generation to understand the sacrifices that are often necessary for success.

Behind the scenes, the Trump loyalists were hard at work, mostly in private by design, and with one focus: Get him to a second term. How in the world could they have confidence that this was possible? It comes down to one word—math. They knew what the whole of mainstream culture denied, namely that the results of the 2020 election were not mathematically possible.

Trump actually won more popular votes than he did four years earlier. The difference was the implausible appearance of 15 million to 20 million votes for his opponent that could not have reflected the choices and behaviors of real people. To right this wrong—or at least expose it—they attempted to use the courts, but the challenges were rejected on grounds of standing, as if voters themselves have no right at all to challenge what, for appearances, looked like voter fraud.

Team Trump knew that the numbers did not add up, and so they plotted a return.

It broke down to three steps.

No. 1: They would work with states that were willing to tighten voter registration laws and crack down on mail-in balloting that everyone on the planet knows is more susceptible to fraud. They would recruit monitors. They would empower a grassroots movement to be vigilant against illicit balloting. And they would encourage early voting among the base. They knew that blue states would not cooperate, but they counted on a cultural movement to shame attempts to game the system.

No. 2: They would fire up the most disenfranchised group in the United States about whom no one seems to care, namely men younger than the age of 35. This is a group that had long lost any hope in elections and has been wholly overlooked by cultural elites. To reach them, Trump went on many podcasts, including Joe Rogan’s and many others. He knew he already had their support, but he needed something else: for them to register and actually vote. That’s a big ask, but it worked.

No. 3: The need to create a mass cultural movement that was larger and more powerful than the mass media. It needed hats, songs, rallies, and meetings. To this end, he flew all over the country to hold rallies at which he did what he does best, extemporaneous stand-ups talking about the events of the day, filled with humor, fun, and fury. These became massive events, with people lining up for a mile outside the venue, waiting in all weather for 12 hours and longer.

By the end of the campaign, there was not a single indoor venue in America that could hold all the people who lined up to see Trump speak in any town or city in this country. That is an amazing accomplishment, never before seen in our history. The result was precisely what was planned, a mass movement that competed with or even outpaced the smearbund working to defeat him.

Again, this was the plan all along, although it was never announced. It was like clockwork. The people least surprised on Election Night were all associated with Team Trump. They had mapped it out for years. As part of their planning, they deployed a method that has never before been seen in U.S. politics: absolute security of all information. No one associated with this group spoke to the press for four years.

It’s been the same for the transition. It has been privately financed to keep the prying eyes of the administrative state away from understanding and thus subverting what it is they have been planning. This is why nearly every pick for the Cabinet and agency heads has been a shock but for those whom the team released early as a deliberate trial balloon.

One must stand in admiration of all this, not just the administrative sophistication of the campaign and transition team but also the courage it required to follow through on all these plans despite the terrible odds. This alone is for the ages.

Now we are at the moment that is the real test: the time of governing. We are in for some huge surprises, of that I am sure. The national media has been locked out and understandably so. Some of what will unfold in the coming days, weeks, and months I will like and some I will not. I’m sure you will say the same. That’s the way the real world works. We have plenty of time to argue about this or that.

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate that we have this opportunity at all. Against all odds, Trump is president again. Let that be a lesson to all of us. Nothing is written that moral courage cannot overcome. That’s true in politics, and it is true in our own lives.

There's a moral in this, if you care to draw it. Never, ever, ever give up.

Your Old Pal,

LSP

Trump Beats The Weather

 

Yes he does, yet again. Not one day, not a single day after he was sworn in as President in the Rotunda of the US Imperial Capitol, 47 got down to business, unlike the previous mountebanks, and defeated Global Warming. You doubt me? Here's the evidence, from Texas. Have a look:

There it is, snow, no doubt about it. Good work, Mr. President, no one liked the Paris Climate Accords anyway, except corrupt grifters in the DS, but here at the Compound we're cheering on energy independence, drill baby drill, and an end to the NetZero scam. At what cost?

ICE. Yes, the weather has most certainly changed. Are we heading into a new Ice Age? Seems that way, looking at the evidence in NC rural Texas. Perhaps Ed. Milliband, real name, in the UK will take notice.

Ice Ice Baby,

LSP

Buckle Up Kids - We're Going To Mars

 

Buckle up, kids, we're going to Mars. That's right, we're going to conquer the RED PLANET. So important, don't you think, to have a goal or purpose in life worth striving for? Joining the Reform Club, defeating the Woke Mind Virus, freeing J6 political prisoners, striving for spiritual perfection and COLONIZING MARS. Thanks, LL, for the photo of our new colony.

Space is Deep,

LSP

Fake Bishop Attacks Real President

 

The make pretend Bishop of Washington, Marianne Edgar Budde, attacked all too real President Donald Trump from the pulpit of the National Cathedral today at our Inaugural Prayer Service. Via ZeroHedge:

"In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared," Budde said from a pulpit.

"There are gay, lesbian, transgender children, Democratic, Republican, independent families – some who fear for their lives."

It is unclear why they fear for their lives...

But the bishop was not done yet, she had a lot more virtue to signal from her 'bully pulpit'...

“The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals...

...they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals.”

 

Well go figure, would you expect less from one of TEC's fake bishop figures? But here's the thing, and leaving aside zhir inherent "pick our crops" racism, Budde's on the wrong side of history. 47 was elected by normal Americans to end the current experiment in rainbow idiocy, we the people have had enough.

Don't Mess With Her, Idiots

Budde and her rainbow bath-house crew don't care or even see it. They think they're prophets and they'll hold out till the bitter end, as their churches and cathedrals wither and die in apostasy. That's my call, call it judgement, if you like. Fake bishop meets real president.

You Sanctimonious Fraud

In the meanwhile, you can see why America's popular and glamorous First Lady wore that hat at the Inauguration. If looks could kill, eh?

Arma Virumque,

LSP

The King Returns

 

Better in song? Here at the Compound we think it is. So expressive, beyond prose. So here's a song:

Rousing, eh? Of course we're shameless Monarchists here, in the frozen depths of Texas, where the climate's changed on account of our not paying enough tax. Oops. Now you pay the price, ICE. What an historic day.

Cheers,

LSP

Melania Mondays is BACK

 

Yes, Melania Mondays is back, and back with a vengeance as  America's popular and glamorous First Lady takes the stage to assume what's rightfully hers. That being LEAD WOMAN in America and thence the entire world. You'll note the First Lady wore an attractive black coat and elegant black hat, hiding her eyes. Why?

Because, dear readers and most especially traitors, you don't want to see the retribution which flashes from them. Sometimes it's better intimated than fully disclosed. That in mind, do you think Vogue, Vanity Unfair, Tatler, and Himmler Homes & Gardens will decide to feature Melania in upcoming issues?

The vote's out, but I call big money demands it. In the meanwhile, well done, Hon. Col. DLC for looking as awesome as our boys expect. And look at what you missed.

By the left,

LSP

Free At Last

 

After four long, life ruining years, J6 political prisoners are being freed across the country. They've been persecuted and held without trial in what was one of the grossest miscarriages of justice in our country's history. I hope they go class action on the lying crooks who put them through hell.

Free,

LSP

And He's Back

 

Wow. 47 was in war mode this morning in the Rotunda, back, and back with a vengeance. Highlights for me? Joe Biden looking like an internally collapsed husk, Franklin Graham's benediction, and Trump's remarkable speech.

Going to Mars? Nice. Gulf of America? Yep. Secure border? About dam time. Two genders. Sensible. Reinstating soldiers fired for not taking the scamdemic vax, with back pay, bringing back manufacturing to the US, drill baby drill, and on. Just a heckuvva thing, and if 47 can do what he's promised I'll be one satisfied punter.

47's speaking right now at the Capitol One arena, slamming the green climate hoax, boosting tariffs, and about to sign some Executive Orders, including pardons for J6 political prisoners, "We're not gonna put with that crap anymore." Quite a thing. What a day.

Story developing,

LSP

Sweet Home

 

Get it on, eh? Or not, your call. We're so back.

Your Old Pal,

LSP

Damme

 

Charge!

Cav forever, what?

LSP

A Second Sermon

 

Respect.

That's all,

LSP

A Short Sunday Sermon

 

We celebrate the second Sunday of Epiphany today and with it the first of our Lord's signs, the miracle of turning water into wine at the marriage feast in Cana. How is this an epiphany? Most obviously, in that it demonstrates Christ's divine power. He can change water to wine and I cannot, which is doubtless a very good thing, but let's go a bit deeper. Per Benedict XVI:

Let us briefly recall the events that occurred during that wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. It happened that there was not enough wine and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, pointed this out to her Son. He answered her that his hour had not yet come; but then acquiesced to Mary’s request and, having had the six large jars filled with water, he transformed the water into wine, an excellent wine, better than the previous one. With this “sign” Jesus revealed himself as the messianic Bridegroom come to establish with his people the new and eternal covenant, in accordance with the prophets’ words: “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Is 62:5). Moreover, wine is a symbol of this joy of love; but it also alludes to the blood that Jesus was to pour out at the end to seal his nuptial pact with humanity.

 

It also alludes to the blood that Jesus was to pour out at the end to seal his nuptial pact with humanity. Yes, the blood of the new Covenant, shed for us on Calvary for the remission of sins. This is prefigured in the miraculous wine at Cana and made present at the Last Supper, and in the Sacrament of the Altar through which we find union with Christ as a bride to a groom. 

New wine which flows from the purifying, enlivening water of Baptism, undergirded and held by stone, the rock of faith. All this in fulfillment of the six ages of prophecy: Adam to Noah, Noah to Abraham, Abraham to David, David to the Exile, the Exile to John the Baptist, and John the Baptist to the end of the world. (Augustine)

Wine which is given to us by Christ in the Mass as we kneel to make our communion with Him. A miraculous communion that is a participation in and foretaste of the heavenly banquet, the marriage feast of the Lamb in paradise. All this prefigured at Cana.

Rejoice in that and give God the glory who has given us so great a gift, His blood shed for us for the forgiveness of sins and our union with Christ to eternal life.

Bless You All,

LSP

Is She Possessed By Satan - Or Just Trolling

 

Possessed by Satan or art trolling? Or both.

As always, your call,

LSP

Freedom Convoy

 

Remember how the Canadian truckers rose up, briefly, in protest of Vax Tyranny? I do, and hats off to all those truckers who dared to drive in the face of Justine's despotism. They got pretty far, all the way to loathsome lib Ottawa. Then the State clamped down because, you know, we're living in the free world. Here's a vid, lest we forget:

Stirring stuff, right? Man, was there ever such a total, despotic scam foisted on us by our Beloved Rulers and their agitprop lackeys in the media. Far... out, I'm being polite. Stay inside with your rabbits foot mask on and take Pfizer's weirdo untested MRNA vax or you'll lose your job, you anti-state peasant. 

What utter inanity, and everyone went for it except, in the end, the Canadian truckers. They got seriously hammered by Justine's rainbow tolerance coalition, perhaps you remember. Debanking, anyone, martial law? Justine's out now, let's hope someone remotely sane will replace zhir.

Ranchmens Forever,

LSP

A Cautionary Tale

 

In song.

Cheers,

LSP

Down With The Eagle Up With The Cross

 

Go right ahead, give your vote to State Central Control outta Washington. Sure, give your voice and vote to secular, GloboHomo, statist, usurious, deep fake tyranny. Go right ahead, but don't be surprised when people resist and attack you, on account of liberty. 

2A,

LSP

Inflation And The Fall Of Rome

 

Why did the Western Roman Empire fall? Moral degeneracy, decline of martial spirit in it's ruling quondam officer class, barbarous invasion, declining birthrates? Perhaps all that and more, not least financial.

From the 3rd century A.D. until the 5th, Rome was plagued by inflation, brought on by: A massive increase in military and bureaucratic spending, increasingly worthless issues of fiat currency, crushing taxation, attempted price controls, and the disappearance of middle class landowners, the Decurion class. The latter were essentially taxed into oblivion and walked away from their land, which was swallowed up by an increasingly wealthy few.

Sound familiar? Check out Joseph Peden's compelling and clear must read Mises Institute address. It's not long and here's his conclusion:

By justice he meant a just system of taxation. Salvian tells us, and I don’t think he’s exaggerating, that one of the reasons why the Roman state collapsed in the 5th century was that the Roman people, the mass of the population, had but one wish after being captured by the barbarians: to never again fall under the rule of the Roman bureaucracy.

In other words, the Roman state was the enemy; the barbarians were the liberators. And this undoubtedly was due to the inflation of the 3rd century. While the state had solved the monetary problem for its own constituents, it had failed to solve it for the masses. Rome continued to use an oppressive system of taxation in order to fill the coffers of the ruling bureaucrats and soldiers. Thank you. [applause]

History may not repeat but it does appear to rhyme, don't you think?

Ave,

LSP

PS. "Barbarians were the liberators" -- see the swift collapse of the Eastern Empire to the Moslem war bands. The Koranic tax was less burdensome than the Imperial one. Saying that, let's have Constantinople back.

Rest in Peace

 

Have you been to a country cemetery in Texas? I'm sure some of you have and I like them, right out there in the fields, complete with old shade trees under a big sky. Saying that, it can seem a little odd officiating at the graveside in such a place wearing Anglican Choir dress; Old England meets the frontier, sort of thing. But I wasn't taking the service, a young pastor was, and he did a good job, for which I thanked him.

Say a prayer for the repose of the soul of Marian W, who passed away in her early 80s and was an innocent, humble, faithful soul. She was a FORTRAN coder by profession, which I always found remarkable, and a diligent pianist. You could tell, on meeting her, that she was on the right side of God and heaven. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

God Bless,

LSP