A Short Sunday Sermon - Power

In his second Sunday sermon, LL describes two different approaches or "tendencies" of power:

Every revolutionary movement in history makes the same basic mistake. They see power as a static apparatus, as a structure. That’s how President Xi in China is reintroducing Mao to the masses. Power is dynamic, and has two basic tendencies. It accumulates or it diffuses. Most revolutionary movements are only interested in reconstituting the power in a new location. That doesn’t solve any society’s problems and almost always makes them worse.

The US Constitution and Bill of Rights set up a system that allowed for diffusion of power into the system, not regrouping it. And that doesn’t work for a would be tyrant or system of Tyranny. Benjamin Franklin doubted that we could make it work long term. Maybe we can’t. Redistribution of money to buy votes has a stench all its own.

Accumulate or diffuse. To put it another way, centralized or federal. As noted above, the Founders aimed at the latter with some degree of success, and it's exactly that model which is under threat today and for which the South fought, unsuccessfully.

Gentlemen, you have a Republic if you can keep it.

Here endeth the Lesson,

LSP

Lights

If you use the New Skool Lectionary (NSL) you're probably just recovering from John the Baptist's brood of vipers, so here's a few Christmas lights to uplift the spirit, even though it's not Christmas yet. But so what, they look good in our barbarous machine age.

Here we see the Holy Family threatened by a Green Santa Demon. Nearly a third of Americans want Santa to be gender neutral or "trans," apparently.

I like this glowing Snowman, busy holding down the brick fort.

This one sings at you as you walk by, I like that, sweet.

Her decorations don't change from year to year and we'd always exchange a sunny hello as I walked Blue Advent to the Pick 'n Steal. But she doesn't come out on the porch anymore, better check on that, pastor.

I call this bury me in southern ground and don't tread on me. I love this house and the person who lives there and stands up for the Faith. And that's that, a quick tour around the Christmas lights of this small farming community in Texas.

God bless,

LSP

Palm Sunday Prepper

"I've always been a prepper, because I've always been prepared, but some of these guys are too narrow. Their plan lacks perspective... I turn up at their fort with a canon and I start pounding that compound with hot shot. What then? Yeah, maybe they run out, perhaps they sally forth. I want that, I want them in my kill box." (From An Operator in Texas)

Don't get me wrong, I think it's right to be prepared but some ways make more sense than others, which is how the conversation flowed after Palm Sunday Mass #2.

"So how's the 'community'?"

"You know, there's a lot of people out there prepping for the least likely of all scenarios."

"Like the Hillary campaign getting honest?"

"Yeah, or an asteroid hitting the earth, whatever."

"Or some TAC guy turns up and starts shelling you with a trebuchet."

"Right. They're all concentrating on these never-gonna-happen outcomes."

Until, of course, that they do. But seriously, what's wrong with getting back to basics? Learning, for example, how to hunt, clean and cook your own food? Knowing, if you don't already, how to shoot, or being able to live because you sensibly know how to grow food and had the foresight to ensure that you'd have water if the grid goes down? 

And on. The point being, go off and learn all the AR 15 drills you can, and more power to you; become an ace shot, why not? Stockpile ammo, even, but more importantly, learn basic self-sufficiency. 

There just might come a point when that'll stand you in good stead, and it's a virtue in itself. 

Except, of course, when it comes to God. Then it's just wicked pride.

Prep On,

LSP