Holy Mother Russia

Some people might think that blessing armor was somehow bad. I'm not one of them. But on an Orthodox theme...

Here's a picture of Putin who is supported by Patriarch Kirill and disliked by Pussy Riot, an all girl band of punk rockers who performed a "punk prayer" in front of the Iconostasis of Christ the Savior Cathedral, Russia's largest church.

Pussy Riot

Pussy Riot asked for supernatural assistance against the Russian leader, thrashing their heads and shouting out "Mother of God, drive Putin away!" Kirill denounced Pussy Riot's "prayer" as a "devilish mockery" and the girl punks were arrested. This action was cheered by the far right nationalist group, Orthodox Banner Bearers, who according to HuffPo are renowned for their hatred of Madonna, attacking gay pride marches and driving a stake through a toy monkey to protest Darwinism. They claim their intention is to "fight against slander rather than to kill people."

Orthodox Banner Bearers

Members of Pussy Riot face up to seven years in prison for hooliganism.

Holy Russia

There are an estimated 100 million worshiping members of the Orthodox Church in Russia.

LSP

Long Live the Queen

Queen Elizabeth, who isn't afraid of a bit of gunfire, is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee. Long may she reign.

vivat

Here in America we don't have a Monarch, we just have this totally awesome President.

the commander in, er, chief

Have a blessed Trinity Sunday,


LSP

I Love Guns - Pistol Long Shot

PX4 Storm .45

I love guns and I love shooting. I like the look and feel of the firearms themselves and the challenge of the shot, I like the satisfaction of getting well on the target as well as the concentration and calm in the midst of explosion. There's a strange mixture of stillness and adrenaline to it that appeals, at least to me. Then there's the benefit of getting out in the countryside; it's a fine thing to be out there in the fields and brush with the guns, at a distance from the rush of the world. Still, with all that and more in mind, I won't pretend that I'm some sort of great shot. More like a decent priestly average.

filthy little beast

So after an hour or so of banging away at my old enemy, the steel plate ram and its lesser ally, the steel plate turkey, offhand iron sights at 50 and 100 yards with an AR (CMMG), I didn't expect to hit the ram with my .45 at 100 yards. After all, I'd never shot out to that range with a pistol before and the adversary was little more than a grayish blur of rust against the brush backstop of the berm.

somewhere, to the right of the 'silhouette' is a steel ram...

A round in the chamber later I lined up the sights slightly high on the metallic beast and squeezed off a shot, by instinct more than anything else. Lo and Behold! A satisfying plink of bullet on metal. Somewhat amazed, I fired off two magazines and was rewarded with 4 hits, the last shots being wasted due to lack of concentration and shooting high. 

make safe and for goodness sake, LSP, don't shoot the fridge

People mostly shoot their pistols, I think, at anywhere from 5 - 25 yards, something like 18 being the average. Fair enough, they're probably practicing at the range they think they'll use the weapon  at and it makes sense to get good at those distances. Still, I discovered there's a whole lot of enjoyment in going for the ridiculously unfeasible long shot and, unless I'm mistaken, the .45 shoots oddly flat.

At the nearest opportunity I plan to load up on Walmart's cheapest (TulAmmo... look, I apologise) and do it all over again.

Shoot straight,

LSP

The Feast of the Visitation and the Unborn Child

Yesterday was the Feast of the Visitation, the second joyful mystery of the faith, in which Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth. Both women are pregnant, the Virgin with Christ and Elizabeth with John the Baptist, and Scripture tells us that the "infant leaped" in Elizabeth's womb on hearing Mary's greeting. Our Lady, overcome with joy, exclaims the Magnificat:

My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath magnified me; and holy is his Name. And his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations. He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek; He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel; as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.

The Visitation is, at the very least, a celebration of the miracle of life in the womb. Consider, then, the irony of House Democrats and seven Republicans defeating a bill, on the Feast of the Visitation, that would have outlawed sex-selective abortions.

life

To do so, it's argued, would have stood in the way of a woman's "right to choose." That's true. The defeated bill would have made it a crime to choose to kill your unborn child because you didn't want to give birth to a boy, or a girl.

What was that old film called? Ah yes, "Triumph of the Will." 

Look it up if you like.

LSP

The Number of the Damned

Interest rates on Spanish 10 year bonds rose to an apocalyptic 6.66%, or in other words, "Spanish Bonds, Meet Satan."

more ponzi, please

Not to be outdone in the not so slo-mo descent of the Gadarene PIIGS into the fiscal pit, Greece's largest lender, National Bank, posted a Q1 loss of $666 million.

the fall of the swine

Somehow the words of the Angelic Doctor, Aquinas, spring to mind (S.T., Q98, on the will and the intellect of the damned), "Although an increase in the number of the damned results in an increase of each one's punishment, so much the more will their hatred and envy increase that they will prefer to be more tormented with many rather than less tormented alone."

Rumours that European insolvency will have some sort of effect on the U.S. are entirely without any foundation whatsoever.

Carry on.

LSP

Memorial Day

Remember the fallen.

May they rest in peace,

LSP

Pentecost

On the first Feast of Pentecost the Holy Spirit, who is the personification of the love between the Father and the Son, came down upon the Apostles, filling them with the fire of love. This same fire is given to the successors of the Apostles, the Bishops, whose miters signify the the pentecostal flame. 

Well, there's bishops.

everyone's budde

"p"?

boy bishop

And there's bishops.

Here's the invocation of the Holy Spirit. The Church needs that right about now and doubtless always.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Every blessing for Pentecost,


LSP