Sure thing. Here at the Compound we're pretty much always ready to fire up the juke box and play requests. This one's from Wild, and what a one it is.
A rambunctious young soldier walked through the door, "Hi Dad, what's up?" I took a pause from selling AI inventory (What?? Yes, it's true) and said, "Here, look at this," and showed off the new CZ 20, "Let's go for a shoot." Smiles all 'round. But first things first, clean up those dusty old boots.
That's right, a pair of Ariat Heritage which have been all over the shop, from Africa to Canada and in between. Good boots, but here's the thing, if you don't look after 'em they fall apart, not unlike guns, when you think about it. So I gave the things a good going over with mink oil. This helps waterproof the leather and keeps it supple. It's not even hard to do, just put some mink oil magic on your mink oil brush and give the boots a sturdy scrub.
Well done, boots ready to go, you're ready to go, pre-mission objective accomplished, but then disaster struck. That's right, the climate changed. It does that, you see, and it did it again today, with thunder starting to rumble like opening salvos in the battle of Kursk, followed by rain which spat against the wooden walls of this old house.
We watched the storm from the shelter of the front porch, "I guess we're not going shooting, eh?" No, we weren't, so we talked Army.
"Huh," I replied, staring out at a tumultuous Texan sky, "That's no good," and the kid agreed. "Did you know recruiters have the highest suicide level rate in the Army?" I didn't, and he continued, "But here's the thing, if I turn down Recruiter I can put in a Drill Packet."
"Now that, old chap, makes a lot of sense in your case, you'd be good at it," and he would, his face fits. Not only that, it's a two year thing and he'd have time to finish off a degree and then move on to OCS. That's his plan, and it's a good plan. But back to the recruitment crisis.
"You know, Dad, I was talking with our First Sergeant and he told me, 'How are we going to fix recruitment, by taking on a lot of recruiters or by paying our soldiers more than three bucks an hour?' Yeah, and I said hey, you're preaching to the converted."
Like really. Maybe, just maybe, we'd get more recruits if we actually paid our soldiers more than junior burger flippers, to say nothing of all the risible rainbow garbage and the fact that patriots, young men and women who want to serve their country, aren't too keen on signing up to fight for the Demented Old Crook and associates. The very people who actively hate them and everything they stand for.
We talked about all this, there on the porch as the rain crashed down, and have rescheduled our shoot till after the boy gets back from a mission in California. I look forward to that. Semper.
Your Old Friend,
LSP
Don't you even think about wrongthought much less dare to speak it in Canada. Because if you do you might end up in gaol, for life. Via Zerohedge:
We have previously discussed the unrelenting attacks by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his allies on free speech. There has been a steady criminalization of speech, including even jokes and religious speech, in Canada. Now, the Canadian parliament is moving toward a new change that would allow the imposition of life imprisonment on those who post views deemed supportive of genocide. With a growing movement calling Israel’s war in Gaza “genocide,” the potential scope of such a law is readily apparent. That appears to be its very draw for anti-free speech advocates in the country.
The Online Harms Act, or Bill C-63 increases the potential penalties from five years to life imprisonment. It also increases the penalty for the willful promotion of hatred (a dangerously ill-defined crime) from two years to five years. The proposed changes constitute a doubling down on Canada’s commitment to reducing free speech for citizens despite criticism from many in the civil liberties community.
There is also a chilling option for house arrest if a judge believes a defendant “will commit” an offense. In other words, if a judge thinks that a citizen will be undeterred and try to speak freely again.
Justice Minister Arif Virani employed the same hysteria to convince citizens to surrender their freedoms to the government. He expressed how terrified he was with the potential of free speech, stating that he is “terrified of the dangers that lurk on the internet for our children.”
It is not likely to end there.
Today the rationale is genocide. However, once the new penalties are in place, a host of other groups will demand similar treatment for those with opposing views on their own causes.
This law already increased the penalties for anything deemed hateful speech.
The law comes after Canada blocked a Russian dissident from becoming a citizen because of her violation of Russian anti-free speech laws.
In a telling act, the government said that the same conduct (i.e., free speech) could be a crime in Canada.
Indeed, it may now be punished even more harshly.
I have family over there, in Alberta, maybe they need to get out.
LSP
Look what happens. You take a few days off in the DFW Metrosprawl to take care of business and Haiti falls apart. I'll just leave this timeline out there, via Bad Hombre:
Haiti is in the news, so here's a quick timeline of Haiti since 2009. Notice Hillary Clinton is featured prominently:
- 2009: Secretary of State Clinton makes Haiti a top diplomatic priority.
- Jan. 2010: A devastating earthquake that claims 220,000 lives decimates Haiti. The Clinton Foundation raises $30 million for Haiti relief that goes largely unaccounted for.
- Nov 2010: Hillary Clinton endorses Michel Martelly, but he comes in third place and does NOT qualify for the runoff election scheduled for March 2011.
- January 2011: Hillary Clinton travels to Haiti, meets with President Preval, and threatens to cut off aid if Martelly is not on the ballot. Celestin is dropped from the ballot, and Martelly is placed on the ballot.
- March 2011: Martelly "wins" an election marred by voter fraud where 650,000 "ghost ballots" were counted, including many who died in the earthquake.
- 2011-2016: Martelly administration is plagued with corruption scandals mainly centered around accepting bribes in exchange for construction project deals that never materialized and working with criminal gangs to commit human rights violations.
- 2016: Martelly resigns and flees to Florida a week before his term is set to expire.
- June 2016: The results of a special election are annulled after an audit found extensive voter fraud.
- November 2016-2020: Jovenel Moise wins new elections. He begins enacting agrarian reforms, establishing free trade zones, fighting corruption, and arresting narcotics and human traffickers.
- July 7th, 2021: 6 months after Joe Biden takes office, 28 foreign (mostly Colombian) mercenaries storm the presidential palace and assassinate President Moise.
- July 7th–21st, 2021: departing PM Claude Joseph takes over as president for 14 days, but stands down in favor of Ariel Henry, who was supported by the United States. Two days before his murder, Moise had chosen Henry to be Prime Minister.
- 2021: Gangs begin carving out the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince.
- February 2024: Claude Joseph and Moise's widow are indicted for plotting Moise's assassination.
- March 2024: Henry travels to Kenya to sign an agreement for 1,000 troops to help restore order in the Haitian capital but is unable to return home due to security concerns. Henry remains stranded in Puerto Rico as warring gangs wrestle for control of the government with human flesh-eating gang leader "Barbecue" poised to take over.
Cheers,
LSP
Did you watch the ranting, deranged Old Crook speak the other night? I won't comment, Tucker says it all, crazy talk. You'll note, in passing, the Democrats baying for war while Mike Johnson nods in agreement.
LSP
.jpg)
What an excellent question and I know you're far too busy listening to our beloved Octogenarian Ruler to think much about Old Mother Damnable the dear old Church of England. But here at the Compound we're boycotting the Old Crook and turning night optics to Ecclesia Anglicana, after all, it's Lent. So what's going on. Rev. Dr. Ian Paul sums it up neatly, via Virtueonline:
Since the first report on marriage and sexuality in 1979, in contrast with debates about divorce and about the ministry of women, no consensus for change has emerged. The Shared Conversations and the LLF process have taken up most of the last ten years. The result? We are more anxious, more divided, more uncertain. The fateful phrase 'a radical new Christian inclusion' has unleashed a civil war in the Church.
In that time, adult attendance has fallen 30%, and the decline is accelerating. Child attendance has fallen 40% in the same period. And in the last three years, vocations to ordained ministry have collapsed by 40%. There is a very real prospect that ministry is going to collapse in large parts of the Church of England within the next five years. Where is this on our agenda?
But here is the other stark reality: Other churches are growing. But we are reluctant to learn from them. We now represent something less than 18% of all Christians in a church on Sunday. We have another eight hours scheduled to talk about LLF (Living in Love and Freedom, ie. gay marriage ritual blessings). What it will it produce? More division, more frustration, no more progress. Fiddling whilst Canterbury burns doesn't even capture it.
If we continue this fruitless process, that will be the legacy we leave: the Church of England, a heap of ruins. It is up to us.
Quite, and you'll be pleased to know the Church of England feels tremendously guilty about something called "chattel slavery" and intends to send the wymxn priestess gay sex vote buying (you can't write that, Ed.) vast sum of £100 million to Africa even as English churches are closing and clergy can't afford to keep the lights on.
Well you know what they say, go woke go broke, and I guess this exciting dispatch from the War on the Rainbow files vaguely under "Church" and "God."
Just keeping it real,
LSP
In a word, whosoever gains the heart has won the whole man. But this heart needs to be trained in its external conduct, so that it may display not merely a true devotion, but also wisdom and discretion. To this end I would make one or two suggestions.If you are able to fast, you will do well to observe some days beyond what are ordered by the Church, for besides the ordinary effect of fasting in raising the mind, subduing the flesh, confirming goodness, and obtaining a heavenly reward, it is also a great matter to be able to control greediness, and to keep the sensual appetites and the whole body subject to the law of the Spirit; and although we may be able to do but little, the enemy nevertheless stands more in awe of those whom he knows can fast. The early Christians selected Wednesday, Friday and Saturday as days of abstinence. Do you follow therein according as your own devotion and your director’s discretion may appoint.
I am prepared to say with S. Jerome (to the pious Leta) that I disapprove of long and immoderate fasting, especially for the young. I have learnt by experience that when the colt grows weary it turns aside, and so when young people become delicate by excessive fasting, they readily take to self-indulgence. The stag does not run with due speed either when over fat or too thin, and we are in peril of temptation both when the body is overfed or underfed; in the one case it grows indolent, in the other it sinks through depression, and if we cannot bear with it in the first case, neither can it bear with us in the last. A want of moderation in the use of fasting, discipline and austerity has made many a one useless in works of charity during the best years of his life, as happened to S. Bernard, who repented of his excessive austerity. Those who misuse the body at the outset will have to indulge it overmuch at last. Surely it were wiser to deal sensibly with it, and treat it according to the work and service required by each man’s state of life.
What's with Nikki Haley? Per Tucker Carlson, “She’s so transparently weak and sort of ridiculous and doesn’t know anything, and just thinks that jumping up and down and making these absurd blanket statements, and repeating bumper stickers, is just like leadership. A self-confident advanced society would never allow Nikki Haley to advance.” Uh huh, and yet she continues to run, despite being consistently trashed at the polls.
Jim Quinn comments, via Zerohedge:
Among the dozens of false narratives spun by the black widow spider psychopaths, which include the Ukraine war, Gaza genocide, safe & secure border, safe and effective vaccines, safe and secure elections, the armed insurrection where no one was armed, Russiagate, declining inflation, and strong growing economy, the continuation of Nikki Haley’s ridiculously pathetic campaign for the Republican nomination. If you haven’t noticed, Trump has trounced this warmongering RINO, Liz Cheney wannabe in every primary/caucus thus far. All the other candidates dropped out, as instructed, leaving only Nimarata as the chosen option of the Deep State and their deep pocketed billionaire donors.
When something makes no sense and the behavior of a feckless politician seems irrational, there is something wicked going on behind the curtain and will not be revealed until those running the show decide it will benefit them financially, politically and increase their power over the masses. As Haley continues to pretend to be a viable candidate, with her coffers being filled by shadowy figures meeting in smokey backrooms, I was reminded of another pitiful excuse for a candidate in 2020.
A senile, old, corrupt, child sniffing coot, who was nothing more than a laughingstock on the national scene as Obama’s token establishment white guy, making a living as the Big Guy in his crackhead son’s worldwide shakedown operations in Ukraine, China and wherever he could make a buck. In case you didn’t remember, he wasn’t even an afterthought in the 2020 Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire primary.
He goes on to suggest that, given the Powers' failure to produce a "Nixon moment, El Senor Trump will get "offed" leaving Nikki as a standing presidential stooge for her deep state neo-con handlers and paymasters. Hey, Kamala Harris patently won't work and the senile, old, corrupt, child sniffing crook laughingstock won't either. Enter, according to Quinn, Nikki.
Quinn concludes in epic Zerohedge doomer style:
"All I know for sure is the next nine months will be an epic shitstorm, with potential assassinations, civil war, global war, financial chaos and collapse, and possibly the end of our nation as we know it.
"Buckle up, the ride is about to get bumpy."
I'm no expert, but I'd say he has a point.
Your Pal,
LSP
No, not you, long-suffering readers of this shallow and frivolous mind blog, but this suit. Here's the story. Back in the far-off, halcyon days of London in the early mid '90s I found myself in a strange in between kind of space, neither here nor there, sort of thing.
Then Cardinal Hume, may he rest in peace, stepped in with a pastoral placement which involved working as a PA for an exalted personage. This meant getting a couple of suits from a famous tailoring street beginning with S and ending in e. So I went with a made-to-measure option at one of the shops on the fabled row of tailors.
Great result and on expenses to boot. Flash forward to today. After many, many years of loyal and faithful service the wretched suits decided they wouldn't fit anymore. You'll note, ahem, that a bad workman blames his tools but, this in mind, I gave the miserable offenders another go this morning and...
They fit. Whoa, it seems serious Lenten fasting has both spiritual and practical benefits, almost as though the two go hand in hand. In the meanwhile, I file this exciting tale of sartorial splendour under "anything else I care to think of."
Cheers,
LSP
