The Episcopal Church Launches Into Deep Space!

The Episcopal Church is now well and truly off on a deep space quest to go where other churches have never gone before. I know. I was there at the launch, at the shrinking church's 77th General Convention, in Indianapolis.

Gene Robinson, with friend

What happened? Apart from press room rumors that bishop Gene Robinson was getting a divorce from his "beloved Mark" and living estranged in separate hotel rooms. Apart from that and gender neutral bathrooms, what happened?

Famously, a rite, or ceremony, for gay-marriage, which hits the pews in Advent and appears to be the first of its kind.  Chalk that up for history and with it the declining church's new gender rules. These make it a crime to exclude people from governing positions in the small denomination if they've had a sex-change. Gender reassignment surgery? The Episcopal Church is the place for you, if you can find it that is, which is hard because it's shrinking at a rate of 50,000 members a year.

weaving the circle 

But who knows, maybe the church's new mission oriented budget will turn things around, get the mothership back on the planet, as it were. Unlikely, given that 42% of the denomination's $111 million budget is going to be spent on administration and governance, with $12 million earmarked for legal costs and $1 million for church planting. Mission and growth? You do the math.

you're very small from way out here

A small minority of traditionally minded bishops did mount a fight-back of sorts, signing the Indianapolis Statement, which protests their church's accelerating trajectory into the icy void.

All well and good, traditional bishops, you have my total sympathy. But remember, in space no one can hear you scream.

The Episcopal Church was last seen leaving earth orbit.

LSP

Detroit Zombie Apocalypse

In a radical attempt to boost the flagging fortunes of America's "Motor City", Detroit, ambitious entrepeneur Mark Siwak is promoting a novel plan to turn abandoned areas of the declining city into a Zombie theme park.

Z Park promo

Called Z World Detroit, Siwak's scheme plans to capitalize on the beleagured automotive center's blighted landscape of derelict factories and burned out homes. Visitors to Z world would be able to hone their zombie fighting techniques in the run down ruins of the once prosperous city, providing much needed employment to local citizens and renewal to blighted neighborhoods.

zombie town

According to Siwak's promotional video:

Z World Detroit initiative is a radical rethinking of urban redevelopment and Detroit's well-documented blight and de-population. It turns perceived liabilities into assets that will bring arenewed vitality to a struggling neighborhood. When done right, Z World Detroit would be transformative for part of the city and become a legitimate destination.

Previous plans to revitalize the catastrophically shrinking city, which has seen an exodus of over 200,000 people in the past decade, include turning off half of Detroit's street lights and transforming abandoned city blocks into farms. So far Siwak has raised over $2000 towards the $145,000 necessary to turn Z World into reality.

Detroit's coming back!

In a call to LSP offices in the Motor City, personnel were skeptical of Z World's chances of success but cautiously optimistic over Mayor Dave Bing's attempt to drive urban renewal by turning off the city's street lights. "I don't know about the zombies but we've still got lights on Commonwealth, I think," said one senior staffer.

Yes, but for how long?

Stay tuned.

LSP

Sporterizing the Lee Enfield Porch Project -- Forestock

Worked on the Mk. III forestock today; there was no shortage of wood to bring true to the metal. I used a rasp for that and it wasn't a difficult job, though you have to be careful. As with all these things, patience is definitely a virtue.

look at all that wood

After an hour or so (I was being careful), the stock fitted flush with the trigger guard and receiver ring and the wood around the barrel channel was shaped. 

clamp and rasp

Then it was time to sand. I started with 150 grit and worked up through 220, 240, 320, 400 and finally 600 grit. I used an old dry dish sponge as a block and kept the sawdust. Why? To mix with the finish when the time comes to fill the grain; I'm cunningly thinking that this might save some time and effort. We'll see.

getting there

I put the old warhorse together and was pleased with the result, it was good to see the rifle progressing. Next step is staining the forestock to match the butt (I'm tempted to keep the military original for now) and apply the finish. Then it'll be time to glass bed the barreled receiver, blue the metal and get a smith to attach iron sights, perhaps a 2/3 leaf express, and crown the barrel.

But that will have to wait till after The Episcopal Church's (TEC) General Convention in Indianapolis which, Enfield enthusiasts, is another story altogether.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Lee Enfield Porch Project -- Wood Arrives

Remember, delusions of grandeur notwithstanding, there's only so much in the stipend to spend on gun projects. And, as the Breviary advises, "Wisdom, open the door;" Wisdom, in this instance being, don't spend a lot of money on a "learn as you go along" Lee Enfield project. With that in mind, I ordered a walnut forestock from Boyds for Mk. III re-sporterizing -- semi-inlet, $44. How could I go wrong/

In all kinds of ways; the wood could have been rubbish and might have required major surgery to fit the barreled receiver. So I was a little nervous. 

I needn't have worried.

The walnut was fine for the money. It'll take some time and patience to fill the grain and the wood sits a little proud to the metal, but that's good. Easy to subtract, hard to add.

Importantly, the basic inletting seems pretty much on, with bearing surfaces making good contact with trigger guard, receiver, trigger lugs and forend etc. To put it simply, the thing fits and it fits for very little money.

Well done, Boyds. Next step? A lot of sanding and a bit of the rasp. More on that anon.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Pay Obamataxcare Or I Call the Cops

Pay the Tax!

Obama told us in 2008 that he wouldn't raise taxes. In 2009 Obama told us that the individual mandate wasn't a tax. In 2012, Obama's legal team argued before SCOTUS that the mandate was a tax. So where does the lying end and the truth begin? For that matter, where does Congressional taxing power end? According to the Supreme Court it doesn't, it's unlimited.

Pay the Tax!

That's just as well, given that our Overlords government are living so well within their means.

So hurry up and buy healthcare, or I'll have to report you to the police while we still have enough money to pay for them.

What a madhouse.

LSP

That's the Spirit, Spirit of the Age!

that's the spirit

You know how it is, one minute you're humming along to Quark, Strangeness and Charm and the, er, lab-coated guitar genius that is "Baron" Brock, when all of a sudden a philosopher sends you a quote. A quote that gets right into the spirit of the age. Here it is, from Eric Voegelin's essay Immortality: Experience and Symbol.

And with the seventeenth century begins the incredible spectaculum of modernity—both fascinating and nauseating, grandiose and vulgar, exhilarating and depressing, tragic and grotesque--with its apocalyptic enthusiasm for building new worlds that will be old tomorrow, at the expense of old worlds that were new yesterday; with its destructive wars and revolutions spaced by temporary stabilizations on ever lower levels of spiritual and intellectual order through natural law, enlightened self-interest, a balance of powers, a balance of profits, the survival of the fittest, and the fear of atomic annihilation in a fit of fitness; with its ideological dogmas piled on top of the ecclesiastic and sectarian ones and its resistant skepticism that throws them all equally on the garbage heap of opinion; with its great systems built on untenable premises and its shrewd suspicions that the premises are indeed untenable and therefore must never be rationally discussed; with the result, in our time, of having unified mankind into a global madhouse bursting with stupendous vitality.

That was written in the 1960s and I think it's pretty much right on the money, especially in its madhouse aspect. But what about "stupendous vitality"? Some would say that's on the wane. Let's see what survives the not so slow moving train wreck of ponzi scheme economics.

Feet forward, heels down, ride on.

LSP

Sporterizing the Lee Enfield -- Update

Mk. III 

I'm re-sporterizing several Lee Enfields, a No. 4 Mk. 1 and a III, to go along with an original, 'mil-spec' No. 4. I see three gun Enfield shoots on the horizon. But why go to all the effort of fixing up these old guns.

No. 4 Mk. 1 Sporter

Well, there's that old Lee Enfield magic, which every Lee enthusiast knows only too well. Also, I figured that for the price of a Walmart synth stock 30-06 I could have several custom, accurate, rifles with some history. But there's another reason. The project's a challenge, issued by my pal and yours, the Suburban Bushwacker. SBW got right down to it, "If anyone should be required, by law, to have a sporterized Lee Enfield, it's you, LSP."

Sand, Sand, Sand

I couldn't let that pass and the rest's history. Two Enfields later I'm about half way through the first. Metal's polished, military butt's rubbed and a new forestock's ordered (Boyds, walnut). Next step is inletting the barreled receiver, rust bluing the metal (I can do it "on porch" and want to learn the skill), re-crown muzzle, get new iron sights + optic mount and.. shoot the thing. I'm aiming for a classic, Lee Speed, type of thing. safari rifle on a budget.

WWI Carbine Mod

But what about the #4? I'm tempted towards a short barrel, WWI style carbine mod. It'd be easy to recreate and serve as a useful brush gun. Ten shots of hog-slaying ultra power, or whatever.

So. Next step in the project's finishing off the III.

Stay tuned and shoot straight.

LSP

Replant The Trees Or Die.

Trees, cool shade. Correct.

On those rare interludes between worshiping God, shooting some kind of gun, riding a horse or admiring drudge for its headlines, I like to take a stroll down to the Town Square. Take the back streets and gaze at the odd mansion, left behind from the days when cotton was king. 

Failed attempt at a "B&B".

Have a look at the various shacks along the route, some are occupied, Detroit style. Then end up at the old Gaol and Courthouse, sensibly fortified with steel shutters and bars. A relic of the days when Hill County was wilder than it is now.

Detroit Flava

After a pleasing breakfast of Ouevos Rancheros and Mexican House at Montes, stroll down one of the "main streets" off the Square and ask yourself, "Why, why, have they done this?"

Gaol

"Done what?" you ask. Chopped down all the trees of course, the ones that used to provide shade from the searing, oven-blast, relentless heat. 

Rip Out The Trees!!

They're gone now, thanks to the sheer genius of our town planners combined with the entrepeneurial brilliance of the few shops still left in Hillsboro. Apparently the trees were "bad for business" so they ripped them out when they replaced the sidewalks (pavements) earlier this year.

No Trees. Thriving Bidness.

But why replace the sidewalks? Anyone foolhardy enough to take the risk of actually walking down one while the sun is up will probably die, under the merciless glare of a pitiless sun.

I took the risk and survived, but only just. Hydrate -- beat the heat and...

Replant the trees, for goodness sake, while there's still a few of us left in this town to take advantage of the shade.

LSP

Sort it Out!

not too bad...

Any LSP worth his salt likes to go for a ride on Thursday after Morning Prayer and lately this means charging about on a 100 acre field on JB. It's fun, clears the head, helps keep up a basic level of fitness and further trains horse and rider, which is an ongoing project -- you never stop learning.

Ride over, and trying not to melt in the Texan sun, I was busy congratulating myself and horse when I looked at a couple of pictures of the progress. A salutary lesson, because there I was with my feet pointed out at an angle from the horse. Bad error! Why?

what a shambles, but good looking horse.

Because it takes your leg off the horse, destabilizes your seat and gives inconsistent leg aids to the animal.

make like Iceland

In other news, I liked this from ZeroHedge:

We have no doubt that everyone is tired of bad news, but we are compelled to review the facts: Europe is currently experiencing severe bank runs, budgets in virtually every western country on the planet are out of control, the banking system is running excessive leverage and risk, the costs of servicing the ever-increasing amounts of government debt are rising rapidly, and the economies of Europe, Asia and the United States are slowing down or are in full contraction. There's no sugar coating it and we have to stop listening to politicians and central planners who continue to downplay, obfuscate and flat out lie about the current economic reality.

Advice? Learn to ride, shoot and grow your own food.

LSP

St. Michael's Conference, Southwest

recessional

Last week was taken up with St. Michael's Conference, Southwest, which is an unashamedly trad Anglo-Catholic event for young people. Each day's quite long, starting with Morning Prayer and Solemn High Mass, followed by three classes and lunch. After lunch the kids get to play around for several hours before reconvening for Evening Prayer, a talk, then dinner and more activities ending with Compline at 10.30 pm. All make their Confession, many for the first time, and that alone is incredibly moving, to say nothing of the intensity of classical liturgy entered into with great fervour. I'd say it was a life-changing event and I look forward to it year by year.

Hoist it higher, Dr. Keyes

I taught courses on prayer, Lewis' Great Divorce and something called Survey, which is a kind of round up of basic catholic Christian doctrine. I also lead a few discussion groups, which take place after dinner: Do Aliens Get to go to Heaven? was one, and the kids thought they probably did. You will be taken from this place... to be hanged by the neck until you are dead and may God have mercy on your soul. Is capital punishment right? Most children thought it wasn't, interestingly, and Why Communism is Evil. Marx got the thumbs down, especially from the many Latinos who seemed to have an issue with Cuba.

just me and the pygmy pony

Then, seemingly just as things had started, the conference was over. I'd say it's the best thing of its kind in America; there's no English equivalent.

St. Michael, defend us in the day of battle.

LSP

Space Aliens Invade Episcopal Church!

overlord

You may have missed this important piece of religious news but Jefferts Schori's Episcopal Church (TEC) is in favor of the Covenant. Not the mildly conservative proposal to keep the Anglican Communion together, which TEC hates because it doesn't champion alternative gender strategies, but the Genesis Covenant. The Genesis Covenant is a Green Covenant, sponsored by GreenFaith, a religious organisation that sees the earth and the cosmos as an "embodiment of the divine".

St. David's, Austin, ENS

Genesis Covenant churches get a special GreenFaith certification if they "reduce energy use, save money, and care for god's creation." Or, more specifically, god's body, the "cosmos". If you're thinking that this sounds suspiciously panentheist you might be right; pagans are members of GreenFaith, along with Episcopaliens.

we come in peace, greenpeace

One of the most recent Episcopalien churches to qualify for coveted GreenFaith certification status is St. David's church in Austin, Texas. St. David's will join some 16 other TEC churches, including the prestigious St. Mark's Cathedral, in Seattle, Washington.

But while St. David's works to reduce its carbon footprint, TEC is too, with current membership hemorrhaging at a brisk 50,000 members a year while the shrinking denomination spends millions of dollars in costly lawsuits against traditionalists. The equation's simple, no people + no money = no religious pollution.

Mars needs women

Sorted. The world heaves a sigh of relief.

Rumours that TEC is being run by a mysterious cabal of alien space creatures are entirely without any foundation. Whatsoever.

Stay on the horse,

LSP

Outrage!

It's rare that this small "kabob stand on the information superhighway" (thanks for that MCP) has anything good to say about the outgoing Archdruid of Canterbury. But that's changed, now. Rowan's apparently introduced several amendments into the Church of England's (COE) plan to turn women into bishops. The amendments would allow parishes to refuse the ministration of women priests and bishops as well as anyone "ordained" by a woman bishop. 

Rowan

Leaving aside the ecclesiology of the thing, it seems as though Williams is trying to respect the consciences of Anglo-Catholic and Evangelical trads. He's doing his best, you see, to keep the Big Tent together. Fair play, Rowan, even if the effort's doomed to failure. But whatever, the Druid's moves have got the Libs spluttering with rage:

dentist, dentist, dentist

One member of Women and the Church, who lobby for feminism in the COE, stated that she was "barely able to speak" for anger and disapointment. But that's nothing, another "senior figure" stated:

"I cannot tell you what I think now about Rowan Williams doing this. I cannot imagine what he thinks he is doing. Either the bishops do not understand what they have done, or they don't care. It is quite unbelievable. I am just so seething. I look at the Church and think, 'why do I still belong?' "

Yes, why do you still belong? And were you ever a part of it anyway? 

All that and more to say nothing of your outrage over two middle of the road concessions to traditionalists when the COE is in a mild-mannered death-slide, Europe's economy and by extension the world's, is about to go Deathstar, the Mid-East could blow up at any moment, Japan's about to irradiate the Pacific Ocean and California, maybe no loss but hey, and there won't be any people for your priestesses to attack because we're aborting all our children. 

"bishops"

So go ahead, apostates, wail and gnash your teeth. Just don't be too surprised if, in the end, anyone's paying too much attention.

That is all,

LSP