Storm, Art, Flag, Bishop

The three or four Russian hackers that read this mind blog keep asking, "Tovarich, LSP, there are no posts! What is happening? Explain." Alright, I will.

Things have been incredibly busy at the Compound, with Lent talks, Stations of the Cross, an Episcopal Visitation, storms, flying the flag and making art.

It's a simple installation; a plain color field whose center is an absence, a void inviting projection as we journey downwards and beneath the image. Is it a reflection, a mirror, an image of the other or none of these things? It's called "X Ring," serious inquiries only.

Great art aside,  our enemy the Weather has launched a ferocious offensive, unleashing thunder, lightning and torrential rain. Our bishop braved that this morning to visit the missions; well done, Jack Iker.

It will probably storm again tonight and the Compound, like the prow or bridge of a ship, will stand tall against the fury of the elements.

Be safe,

LSP

Putin is so Awesome

Via Zerohedge:

“If we were to use traditional measures for understanding leaders, which involve the defense of borders and national flourishing, Putin would count as the preeminent statesman of our time.

“On the world stage, who could vie with him?”

Good question.

Your Old Pal,

LSP

Drain The Swamp

Maybe it's because it's spring, maybe it's because the administration's effort to drain the swamp is filtering through on a personal level, but whatever the case, I figured it was time to clean up the Compound.

That meant moving chests of drawers, a piano, a table, a TV, and sorting out a guest room, the gun room and part of the living room. Quite a job, which involved getting a surprisingly cheap good deal of a table. A Mexican painter helped me move it off the rig and into the house; thanks, Lupe.

So the old, malfunctioning, self-serving, establishment was broken up and the trash taken out. Lo and behold, the Compound's a happier place. 

In related news, EU Boss, Jean-Claude Juncker, has threatened to break up the United States because of President Trump's support for BREXIT. 

You and whose army, Juncker, the American one you don't pay for?

Cheers,

LSP

Bishop Bruno Scares Lesbian Bishop Shocka!!

In a stunning revelation that shocked no one, the world's first ever openly partnered lesbian bishop (OPLB), Mary Glasspool, said that the Bishop of Los Angeles, Jon Bruno, "scared the shit" out of her.

Glasspool's remarkable statement came to light during testimony given at Bruno's trial for misconduct regarding the sale of St. James, Newport Beach. 

Bruno

When questioned about her interaction with Glasspool, who "wanted a hug" in a woman's restroom, Canon Cindy Voorhees stated, “And then she [Glasspool] said, the bishop scared the shit out of her,” and that “she needed to get out of here and was just trying to make it through General Convention.”

Glasspool

The pioneeringly lesbian Glasspool left the Diocese of Los Angeles in 2015 following her opposition to Bruno's plans to sell St. James, and is new an assistant bishop figure in New York. Bishop Bruno, who has been described by some pundits as "a liar, a bully, and a cheat," is on trial for ecclesiastical wrongdoing, dubbed by some as "skulduggery and malfeasance."

Space Station

Experts are divided on whether Bruno's shadow was seen occluding the earth from the International Space Station.

Ad Astra,

LSP

Hijab Feminist Dhimmwits

Have you noticed how the feminist left has co-opted the hijab, using it as a symbol of emancipated womanhood? USA Today, which by some strange miracle still exists, has:

Since the election of President Donald Trump, the debate around Islamic dress has taken a new turn: The hijab has emerged as a symbol of resistance to Islamophobia amid policies from the Trump administration targeting Muslim immigrants.

Well, there's nothing like a good dose of Sharia to get women's empowerment moving right along. But would that be before or after your husband beats you for dressing immodestly?

Well done, leftists. You are without question five star dhimmwits.

Kizmet.

LSP

Out of Jail

It took a while but Blue Perpetrator finally got out of jail. In fact, the town's Animal Police Department (APD) dropped him off at the Compound yesterday morning. Thanks, APD, 'preciate it.

It must have felt good to be out of the cells and Blue Freedom leaped and bounded for joy on the porch before heading inside. 

He'd paid his debt and done his time, now he was enjoying the sweet air of freedom. We tested that this morning with a walk to the Pick 'n Steal. Would he nip at anyone's heels in a fit of overprotective loyalty?

No, he did not. He even ignored the bearded hipster in a ball cap and ironic shirt that went into the shop to buy whatever it is hipsters buy, "Sorry, fella, there's no artisanal coffee here in repurposed jute tumblers, and watch out for the dog."

Well done, Blue Jailbreak. Now you are free. In other exciting news, Compound HQ's about to get a repaint. About time!

God bless,

LSP

Apocalyptic Storm

I had barely settled in for a relaxing evening after the Sunday Masses and visiting the sick and dying, when a worried churchperson called, "There's a big storm blowing in. The weather people are saying there'll be hailstones the size of golf balls!" Undaunted, I stepped onto the porch to see the action.

Sure enough, lightning was flashing across the sky, filling the still sky with its sudden glare, as yet noiseless, but promising greater things. A good cue to get an umbrella and go on patrol. Half way to the town square it began to rain, slowly at first then in great, pounding sheets. Thunder ripped and crashed from the heavens, like the wrath of God itself.

I took shelter at the Shamrock Pick 'N Steal and watched the rain before wading through flooded streets to the safety of the Compound and its porch. Would the town survive?

It did, but only just and by the grace of God. You can watch an exciting video of this exciting tempest here.

Weather the storm,

LSP

The Annunciation

It's the Feast of the Annunciation today and you can imagine Mary's conversation with Joseph, several months after her meeting with the angel.

"Mary, you're pregnant."

"Don't worry, the Holy Spirit did it."

What a brave young woman. She ran the risk of being stoned to death or, at the very least, being outcast from the community with no means of support. Fortunately an angel intervened again in the affairs of men, and put Joseph straight. Here's a prayer, taken from the concluding Collect of the Angelus:

WE beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts; that, as we have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his cross and passion we may be brought into the glory of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God bless,

LSP

Republican Healthcare Shambles, Go Fishing

Well done, Republicans. One of the reasons people voted you into power was to repeal Obamacare and you've failed to do that. How many other election promises will you break? Some, all, most? Who knows, and rather than reflect on this unsettling question I went fishing.

It was tranquil as the sun set behind the limestone bluffs overlooking Lake Whitney and I cast off from the solitude of the bank, enjoying the peaceful sound of the line as it played out across the sun-reflecting water.  Very peaceful, unless you're a fierce voracious fish.

Within minutes, an underwater predator plowed into my worm, diving and pulling against the line, a Drum. Next up, a decent little Bass took the bait, thrashing and leaping, big fun. But imagine what those fish would be like if they were large; deadly.

Then the action slowed down, with more fish sneakily eating the bait off the hook than striking. Still, I reeled in a couple of Bluegill and so what if they're small, they put up a fight. And that was that, an uplifting couple of hours in the clean lakeside air of an early Texan spring evening.

What a good result unlike, say, the useless, dismal, failing performance of the Republican Party, who can't live up to one of their most basic election promises. Our corrupt, lying, hypocritical, elitist, smug, mendacious and venal mainstream media will doubtless run and run with this story. But hey, maybe it's all part of the art of the deal.

Fish on,

LSP

The Russians Did it! Or Would That be Crowdstrike?

It seems that the desperate, hysterical, faked up attempt by the Democrats to blame Hillary's catastrophic defeat on the Russians is unraveling yet further into a threadbare tale of skulduggery and malfeasance.

Apparently the corrupt as you like  honest as the day's long Dems, and the FBI, and the lying, mendacious, corrupt, venal mainstream media based their Red Menace narrative on the findings of one firm, Crowdstrike.

Crowdstrike's integrity has been called into question, not least for misrepresenting data from the conflict in the Ukraine. Here's Zerohedge:

This is nuts. Are all U.S. government agencies simply listening to what Crowdstike said in coming to their “independent” conclusions that Russia hacked the DNC? If so, that’s a huge problem. Particularly considering what Voice of America published yesterday in a piece titled, Cyber Firm at Center of Russian Hacking Charges Misread Data:

"An influential British think tank and Ukraine’s military are disputing a report that the U.S. cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has used to buttress its claims of Russian hacking in the presidential election.

"The CrowdStrike report, released in December, asserted that Russians hacked into a Ukrainian artillery app, resulting in heavy losses of howitzers in Ukraine’s war with Russian-backed separatists.

"But the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) told VOA that CrowdStrike erroneously used IISS data as proof of the intrusion. IISS disavowed any connection to the CrowdStrike report. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense also has claimed combat losses and hacking never happened.

"The challenges to CrowdStrike’s credibility are significant because the firm was the first to link last year’s hacks of Democratic Party computers to Russian actors, and because CrowdStrike co-founder Dimiti Alperovitch has trumpeted its Ukraine report as more evidence of Russian election tampering."

How is this not the biggest story in America right now?

Good question. Perhaps because truth might get in the way of making excuses for the Democratic Party's epic failure? You can read the whole thing here.

Cheers,

LSP

London Jihad Update -- Four Dead Amber Rudd Talks Tolerance

As more people are reported killed, photos have emerged of the London Jihad terrorist and already, right out of the gate, the UK government is talking about "tolerance."

"The British people," stated Home Secretary Amber Rudd, "will be united in working together to defeat those who would harm our shared values. Values of democracy, tolerance and the rule of law."

Amber Rudd

But that's just it, those values aren't shared by thoroughgoing adherents of Islam, by true, faithful, Mohammed emulating Muslims.

ISIS Laughs

The death toll from today's Islamic terror attack in London has risen to four, with many more wounded. How many more will it take before Islam is realized for what it is, a violent, death-dealing ideology of conquest and enslavement. Hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands?

Shared Value

In the meanwhile, stay tuned for peace vigils on Westminster Bridge.

ISIS laughs.

LSP

London Jihad

A man has just rammed his SUV into an unsuspecting crowd on Westminster Bridge, London, before running into Parliament with a knife, where he was shot and killed by police after killing a woman and wounding at least 13 others.

The man was described by witnesses as "Asian," a UK euphemism for Muslim. How long before candlelit peace vigils in central London as the lying, corrupt, venal, hypocritical mainstream media warns against Islamophobia and searches in vain for a "motive."

The motive's simple, jackasses. Islam and Jihad. 

Wake up and get ready to go Martel. Or embrace the unicorn. 

Your call.

LSP

Bishop Bruno's Shadow Caught in Space?

Remarkable camera footage from the International Space Station (ISS) shows what appears to be a dark shadow cast into the icy void of deep space, which some believe comes from the outsized Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

"Some call him [Bruno] a compassionate champion of social justice. Others see him as a cunning bully. Many Episcopal hierarchs around the United States have similarly bifurcated reputations," stated one pundit, "It's no wonder he cast a dark shadow in space."

The ISS spacecam shows the dark shadow thrown by Bishop Jon Bruno gradually fading as a small blurred object moves into view. 

Bruno has announced his intention to retire after this year's diocesan convention. He will be replaced by Rev John Taylor, a former Chief of Staff to Richard Nixon.

Now fading, Bruno is famous in church circles for selling church property to developers, suing congregations and appointing lesbians to positions of power. 

Ad Astra,

LSP

Shoot! It's Spring

The day didn't start off well; I wasn't happy about the marketing stunt Walmart had pulled on its T shirts. These have been rebranded as "Extreme Sports Temp," in the hope that no one notices that once good T shirts are now flimsy rubbish. Way to go, Marketeers. So, to put things straight I put some guns in the rig and headed out to the range to celebrate the first day of spring.

As always, it was great to get out in the country with the guns, in this case an AR15, a Glock 21 and a Ruger American .22. Nothing too adventurous, just some relaxing target practice in the sunny Texan spring. And some pest control.

That's right, a unicorn had sneaked into the range and had to be dealt with. They're a menace, I tell you. Just look at their horns, they'll gore you, given half the chance.

So I didn't waste any time dealing with the threat. Will 5.56 and .45 take down a unicorn? Yes, they will and the Glock 21 proved especially effective at neutralizing the deceptively fluffy enemy at close range. Take that, unicorn.

Herd control over, I finished off with some gentle plinking against the range's steel plates. Remember to breathe, was my note to self.

Shoot over, it was time to head back to the Compound, mission accomplished and a good day had by all, except the unicorn. You can watch aspects of this curious adventure here.

Gun rights,

LSP

Monasteries of the Mind

Here's some excellence from Victor Davis Hanson, writing for the National Review and commenting on the culture in Monasteries of the Mind:

The Oscar awards? It too has become cultural Newspeak, with limited themes and scripted vocabulary. Watching hours of multimillionaires gushing about their own psychodramas was always trying, but in the age of Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, and Maureen O’Hara, the stars at least showed some dignity and authentic eccentricity. Now entertainment awards ceremonies are mostly predictable rants, as if career success required speaking “truth” to power in a collective Two Minutes Hate exercise condemning the president, who serves as our new Emmanuel Goldstein. How odd that liberalism became elites’ groupthink about equality — or perhaps not so odd at all, given Orwell’s observation that “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

Hanson suggests a parallel with the Roman Empire. As it became increasingly globalized, frenetic and devoid of surety and meaning, people opted out; to Stoicism, for example, and later on to the monastic life. Likewise today, in the face cultural inanity people are switching off. 

When everything is politicized, everything is monotonous; nothing is interesting. There are only so many ways one can express existential hatred for Trump, turn the Aztecs into the Founding Fathers, or show disrespect for the National Anthem (Kneeling? Or clenched fist held high? Or just sitting? Or turning one’s back? Or talking over the music?). So millions tune out and retreat to reading what was written before 1980, or to watching movies of a past age or seeking their own tribal ties of the mind.

Hanson concludes his quick stroll through the progressive left's garden of the inanities by describing the newly erected Aztec totem in his hometown.

I went into what once was our sleepy hometown the other day. An Aztec totem devoted to Coatlicue, the earth-mother goddess, portrayed as a paean to noble farm workers, sits in the old park. The huge monolith is sculpted quite well and by a talented former colleague at CSU Fresno. Its dedication was widely reported; no one was so rude as to mention that Coatlicue was a fierce mother goddess to whom captives were sacrificed each year. (She wore a necklace of human hearts and hands and a cloak of skin.) But identity-politics art is never free from overt propaganda: The modern epigraph atop our Coatlicue reads “Viva la Raza” (“Long live the Race”). I don’t recall anyone in the city’s supposed illiberal past ever suggesting that “Long live the race” would have been an acceptable epigraph on any city art.

Right on the money and you can read the whole thing here, but be warned. The author appears to have a fondness for the disturbing and possibly repellent Joan Baez. Coatlicue is a kind of female snake demon.

God bless,

LSP