Thugs v. Hippies, in Austin

If you live in Austin, which is the Capitol of Texas, chances are you're a hippy, or you know one, or both. That's just the way it is in Austin.

Typical Austin Street Scene

Austin, for hippies, is one big adventure playground; but be careful, Hippy. Take a few steps across the line that is I35 and your thieving ways  may not go down too well. Have a look at this video and see if I'm not right.

Hippy Running From Thug

Others are more prosey. Here's Katie Friel, writing for Culture Map Austin.

"It's almost Shakespearean that this fight happened where it did, barely a block east of I-35. This traditional barrier of Austin's white versus black — of 'us' and 'them' — has, in recent years, become the heart of gentrification in Austin. This corner sets the stage for a disturbingly violent act, charged with anger and full of hateful language. And it isn't just the violence that is disturbing, but the way we seemed to perpetuate this violence by sharing it on social media with the same unwavering words: 'thugs' versus 'hippies.'"

Sink Me, the Monkey has it.

Thugs v. Hippies? I'd say that the long-haired layabouts in the video got off rather lightly, and that the Thugs showed uncommon restraint.

Now I'm not a betting man, but I'll wager my fighting monkey against any 5 of your priestesses that the thugs have it, any day of the week.

Fight on,

LSP

Episcopal Church Spirit Allies

In case you missed it, here's an excerpt from from the Presiding Shaman Bishop of the Episcopal Church's Christmas sermon, via Stand Firm.

"The altar hanging at an English Advent service was made of midnight blue, with these words across its top: “We thank you that darkness reminds us of light.” Facing all who gathered there to give thanks were images of night creatures – a large moth, an owl, a badger, and a bat – cryptic and somewhat mysterious creatures that can only be encountered in the darkness."

But what about Jesus? Good question, and here's the answer:

Jesus is among us like a flitting moth – will we notice his presence in the street-sleeper? He pierces the dark like a silent, streaking owl seeking food for hungry and defenseless nestlings. He will overturn this world’s unjust foundations like badgers undermining a crooked wall. Like the bat’s sonar, his call comes to each one uniquely – have we heard his urgent 'come and follow'?"

Moth, owl, badger, bat, sometimes you just have to bask in the brilliance. But which one's your magicke spirit ally?

I'll wager my fighting monkey against any number of your priestesses that Jefferts Schori's ally is a  Mothbat.

Feel free to disagree,

LSP

It's Stepping Down

By now the whole world knows that Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, is stepping down. That's right, she's resigning after next year's General Convention.

Just Some Witch

Well that's great, isn't it. Or is it? As someone wrote, "She’s likely to be replaced by someone worse. You do realize that."

Typical Fighting Monkey

I'll wager my fighting monkey against any 3 of your priestesses that he's right.

Not that I'm a gambling man.

LSP

Just A Shot Away

I35

Sometimes what I do is get on the highway in the rain and the dark and wind up Gimme Shelter full volume  on the truck's basic but powerful jukebox. Armed?

fighting monkey armed with club

Ask the monkey.

Fierce beasts, fighting monkeys and that, readers, is just the way it is.

LSP

Fighting Monkey

Back in the 18th Century and "the earlies", when being a Company Man meant something altogether different than sitting numbly in front of a monitor in a cubicle, people weren't adverse to putting the odd monkey in the ring.

Here's an excerpt from The Sporting Magazine, 1799.

A quite unusual fight between two animals was staged in Worcester. The wager stood at three guineas, according to which the dog would kill the monkey in at most six minutes. The dog's owner agreed that the monkey would be allowed to defend itself with a stick about a foot long.

Hundreds of spectators gathered to witness this fight and the odds stood at eight, nine and even ten to one in favour of the dog, which could scarcely be subdued before the fight. The monkey's owner took a stick, about twelve inches long, from his coat pocket, tossed it to the monkey and said:

"Now Jack, pay attention, defend yourself against the dog!"

The butcher cried: "Now, get after the monkey!"

He let the dog go and it sprang at the monkey like a tiger. The monkey was amazingly nimble, jumped about three feet high in the air and when it came down landed directly on the dog's back, bit firmly in the dog's neck, grabbed his opponent's left ear with his hand thereby preventing the dog from turning his head to bite him. In this totally surprising situation the monkey now began to work over the dog's head with his club and he pounded so forcefully and relentlessly on the dog's skull that the poor creature cried out loudly. In short, the skull was soon cracked and the dead dog was carried from the ring. Yet, the monkey was only of medium size."

two people pretending to be something they don't believe in anyway

I'm not a betting man, but I'll wager my fighting monkey against any three of your priestesses that Schori's Episcopal Church will accelerate its long slide into transexual oblivion. And while we're at it, you might also care to explain why borrowing more money will see us clear of debt.

The challenge is on.

LSP

Oh Canada!

Don't get me wrong, I love Texas. But sometimes I get the urge to travel into the icy vastness of Canada, which is what I did on the Feast of the Holy Innocents. 

Stephen Ave - Alright By Me

I like Calgary; you can walk about downtown, go to restaurants, shops and relax under the bison head at the Hyatt bar. I always think it's a cross between England and the U.S., except of course that it's an oil and gas boomtown.

Shops

But whatever, you can also visit Pro Line Shooters in Inglewood. It's a small gun shop on 9th Ave in Inglewood, not too far from the center of town and distinguished for its barbershop. This means that you can get your hair cut and then buy a gun. Back in the day the barber was a communist called Doug and we got on well, despite divergent politics. He was a great character but died a year or so ago, may he rest in peace. They sell Sigs there, which the owner told me he didn't much like. We swapped stories of Browning Hi Powers and the force of large caliber battle rifles. He was very against the 5.56 and thought it was introduced to suit the small stature of our one time South Vietnamese friends. That was new to me.

What's that huge new NSDAP structure in the background?

Speaking of Inglewood, St. John's church, which left the bizarrely tiny ACoC (Anglican Church of Canada) to join the Roman Catholic Church, has been allowed to keep its buildings. 

If I was a betting man, which I'm not, I wouldn't have wagered my fighting monkey on the odds of that. Well done ACoC for doing the right thing. Then, all too soon, it was back to Texas and the mission field.

Fighting Monkey

Good city, Calgary. Visit if you can and say a prayer for St. John's, Inglewood. Well done them for keeping their buildings and avoiding a lawsuit.

Cheers,

LSP

Consecrate! Consecrate!

humane

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has suggested that consecrating women as bishops in the Church of England will "humanise" the priesthood, put a stop to "creeping bureaucratisation" and "box ticking." 

seriously?

Williams, who is known for his trademark "full set" beard, also questioned whether an all male episcopate was able to read the the Bible properly. Is it "possible for bishops to read the bible adequately if they're an all male group" wondered the hirsute prelate at a private meeting.

credible

Outspoken "wimmin priest" spokesperson, Hilary Cotton, went one step further than the bearded Anglican Supremo stating, "It will be a disaster for the credibility of the Church if this legislation (to consecrate women bishops) does not go through."

what a monkey - thanks Samizdat

Credibility? Women bishops are sure to solve that knotty little dilemma. But in the meanwhile, I'll wager my fighting monkey against any two of your priestesses that even more Anglicans will head to Rome.

The challenge is on.

LSP