Churches I Like

I love the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem because I believe its the authentic site of Our Lord's Crucifixion and Burial; also because the Byzantine architecture of late antiquity soars - the dome pictured appears to float, which is no mean feat and right ethereal. You'll meet monks there, begging for money; give it to them, far better value than various other taxes.

I know it sounds 'sexist' but the women of the parish(s) don't want to pay these anymore and talk angrily about 'secession'. They're very fierce and radical.

Keep the Holy Places safe,

LSP

Horse & Snakeshot

Had a really enjoyable ride, which seemed to include cantering around tractor tires and three tall plastic bollards, or pillars, then sitting and posting trot followed by more cantering without the discipline of the 'bollards'. Huge fun and yet another positive movement forwards in The Plan of going at a furiously fast pace across country and jumping over obstacles. Not there yet but making steady progress.

After Horse it was time for Gun, so I went to the Stock Tank for some impromptu ranging about at 50 yards. Good shooting was interrupted by a snake that foolishly made its way across the tank. They're dangerous things so I shot it as it left the water on the target side of the tank; it flailed about for a moment then died.

Speaking of which, the once flailing Weathermen (Weather Underground) didn't die, as I'd thought for years. No, they continued to make their mark in Chicago, not that that has anything to do with the current administration and radical, bomb throwing Marxism.

Have a great Sunday and good shooting.

LSP

More Birds, Less M.O.D.

Someone else's dove

Walked the tree lines mid-morning in search of birds, flushed several, missed and was surprised when a second group of three or four of the airborne acrobats cunningly flew over me from behind. I was busy reloading and missed the shot, exciting though to get some wing shot action right out of the gate, as it were.

Continued to a small copse in the middle of a large neighbouring field, thinking, "Ah hah, that looks like the sort of small copse they'd like to loaf about in," and sure enough they did. Got off a couple of successful shots then moved down towards the tree line at the bottom of the field - no shortage of flyers but all out of range, so no joy. Then back to the truck to clean the birds and scout about for more - but there didn't seem to be much action and I headed for home. That seemed to stir them up by the score from their lairs at the side of the road, which I cunningly hadn't hunted. I'll know next time (tomorrow); tree lines, small copse, edge of the fields by the road.

On a completely different theme, check out Michael Yon's excellent reporting from Afghanistan, where he's been embedded with various units until the MOD pulled the plug. One thing that struck me, amongst many, was how under resourced the British troops seem to be. I'd say if you're going to fight a war, you should do so to win - otherwise don't fight at all. Just a thought.

God bless,

LSP

1st Church of Space Pelosi

Rare LSP Bullseye

After a hearty but probably unhealthy lunch of bacon and dove my mind veered towards religion and the civil war that's going on in North American Anglicanism. What's happening is that traditional dioceses and parishes are leaving TEC (The Episcopal Church) and TECis suing them for their property and assets.

That would be fine except that TEC doesn't have any laws in place (Canons) prohibiting dioceses from leaving, which isn't surprising because its a voluntary association - at diocesan level. A judge realised this yesterday in Texas and you can read his comments here, and detailed commentary here. But the question is, why would TEC appeal to their laws, or 'Canons', when they're silent on the subject?

Some think its because they've made the fundamental mistake of believing their own marketing, other experts posit a different reason. Its because they're 'pelosian' space aliens; you see, they just don't think as we do.

'Vicky' Gene Robinson, Space Creature

Well, time and the Courts will tell. I'm for the Diocese of Fort Worth and the other seccessionists; why should they be forced to be part of a Union run by creatures from another planet? Check out Black Widow's blog for a similar argument.

In similar vein, you'll notice that the People's Republic of Camden has banned Christianity. Lets hope that doesn't happen here in the U.S.; next thing you know they'll ban prayer in school and start issuing Moslem postage stamps. Just you wait and see.

Cheers,

LSP

Twilight Of The Birds

Sunset over the killing fields

or

Tragic metaphor for the Anglican Communion?

Managed to get out with a gun and have a go at the birds. There weren't many flyers and I missed rather more than I hit; still, got enough for a decent dove snack tomorrow. And all that's more than fine by me because I love shooting - hit or miss - and I love getting out in the country. I find there's a freedom in it. Anyway, hope to revisit the fowling grounds on Friday for more dove and maybe a rabbit or two; saw lots this evening but held off.

On another theme, my philosopher friend GWB alerted me to Wittgenstein's contempt of Mahler; who'd have thought it? Here's what he said:

“If it is true that Mahler’s music is worthless, as I believe to be the case, then the question is what I think he ought to have done with his talent. For quite obviously it took a set of very rare talents to produce this bad music.”

I don't have a dog in the fight, so to speak, because I don't listen to the despised Mahler, but I like the quote. Just think, you could swap out 'Mahler' and 'music' for 'The Archbishop of Canterbury' and 'theology', or 'Ragsdale' and 'ethics', or 'ACORN' and... etc.

Good shooting.

LSP

Episcopal Church Speaks Out!

Ragsdale says abortion is a blessing

Following the tragic murder of 63 year anti-abortion protestor, James Pouillon, the head of the prestigious Episcopal Divinity School, Rev. Ragsdale, declared him a 'saint'. "This is about the loss of a man who was a saint and a martyr," said Ragsdale before an Episcopal memorial service held in Pouillon's honor.

Just kidding! The Episcopal Church didn't say anything at all about Pouillon's murder but they did about Dr. Tiller, the well known abortionist who was killed earlier this summer. Here's an excerpt from the service celebrating his life (from Crunchy Con):

"Since the 1970s, Dr. Tiller has provided critical abortion and reproductive health care at great personal risk. In doing so, he has saved the lives and futures of countless women and girls across the country. His murder is a tragedy... for the women who need his care and for the entire community of health care providers and advocates, and for all of us who believe in a woman's right to dignity and self-determination. Please join us in honoring this great man who truly lived by his motto to "Trust Women."

And guess what, Ragsdale really does think Tiller a 'saint' and 'martyr'. You can read her comments here and here, if you're in the mood. But be warned, Ragsdale thinks abortion's a 'sacrament' - which one, the eighth?

Big doff of the biretta to The Fact Compiler for incentivising this post and to The Hermeneutic of Continuity.

Just so you know, more Christians are being martyred now than at any other time in history.

LSP

Churches I Like

I haven't celebrated Mass there for years but I love the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, in Norfolk. I believe the place has deep sanctity.

The Shrine was a great center of pilgrimmage during the Middle Ages until its destruction at the Reformation. The 16th Century Arundel Ballad laments the loss:

Oules do scrike where the sweetest himnes

Lately wear songe,

Toades and serpents hold their dennes

Where the palmers did throng.

Weep, weep O Walsingam,
Whose dayes are nightes,
Blessings turned to blasphemies,
Holy deedes to dispites.

Sinne is where our Ladye sate,
Heaven turned is to helle;
Sathan sitte where our Lord did swaye,
Walsingam, oh, farewell!

But the tragedy of Walsingam's despoilation was reversed when Fr. Hope-Patten refounded the Shrine in the 1920s-30s and it continues as a popular place of pilgrimmage and devotion today.

Go there if you can and take time out to enjoy the pubs, if they haven't been banned, but be warned - conversation waxes theological.

God bless & Good Shooting,

LSP

PS. For an interesting take on the Reformation, and the new breed of millionaire it produced, check out Mr. Belloc's "What was the Reformation?"

Free Vienna

Prophet's Standard captured by Polish Hussars

from Never Yet Melted

Today marks the lifting of the Siege of Vienna in 1683, when the Moslem war horde led by Kara Mustafa was routed by allied Christian forces, thus turning the tide of a thousand years of continuous Islammic aggression and conquest.

Those who believe that the jihadists rallied under the war Standard of the Prophet were a force for progress and peace will doubtless count today as a disaster waiting to be avenged. Some might feel that the whole business was simply an exercise in primitive brutality. Others again, like myself, will be thanking God that central Europe and perhaps the West itself, was spared the dhimmitude promised by the followers of the Prophet.

Te Deum.

LSP

Rain At Last

Dramatic thunder, lightening and sheets of rain, all of which seem appropriate given today's anniversary. Its good news too for the parched fields and thirsty doves - hopefully the latter will come out in abundance tomorrow. But in the meanwhile the parsonage seems to hiss with the sound of rain.

What a relaxing sound and quite unlike the news that millions of Englishpersons will soon be on some kind of 'nonce' database; whatever happened to "Britons never, ever, ever shall be slaves"? Let's hope that kind of thing doesn't happen here and equally to the point, is stopped there (See Pavlov's Cat, Old Holborn & Railway Eye amongst others).

Speaking of which, LL has an interesting post on freedom. This surely has to be more than 'autonomy of choice' - Augustine would say (I think) that it consists in the act of choosing the good... but I'd welcome any thoughts on the thing.

God bless,

LSP

Keep It Clean...

...or it won't work. Likewise, stay on the horse.

With those somber thoughts in mind, here's a sunset from the LSP truck to lift the spirits in our dark and barbarous times.

Many thanks to Albert at TROC for suggesting people say a prayer tomorrow for those who lost their lives at the WTC and to GNN for the harrowing images.

Requiescant in pacem.

LSP

Shoot the Dove!

My yobbish Mossbeg, GWB's posh Browning

Scouted about the treelines for dove with my philisophical friend, GWB. The birds were pretty scarce but we got a few.

Hapless Avian

I like the way they rocket out of the tree, which adds, for me, to the excitement of the shot. But its all good, not least the result.

Gerber Shears Ad

An excellent day out, with the 'acrobatic avians' ending up wrapped in bacon and grilled - tasty. Looking forward to Friday and another installment of gun and bird. Hopefully there'll be a few more flying about.

Good shooting,

LSP

Communist Alien Overlords

Red Chinese UFO

A recent spate of UFO sightings over China has left observers asking whether the oriental Communist Superstate is a key player in an extraterrestrial bid for world dominance. According to SINA news agency, unidentified flying objects have been seen over five locations, including the provincial capital of Jinan, on August 20. This was followed by a September sighting above Chengdu, a major city in Sichuan Province. In similar news, Miyuki Hatoyama, Japan's new First Lady, claims close relationship with space aliens, who abducted her to Venus aboard a triangular spaceship. Abductee Miyuki (left) with Japanese Premier As reported in the Toronto Star, Miyuki stated, "While my body was sleeping, I think my spirit flew on a triangular-shaped UFO to Venus... It was an extremely beautiful place and was very green." Evidence of close bonds with aliens, at the highest level of Japanese government, has led some pundits to question the possibility of a pan-sino, extraterrestrial pact. The consequences of such an alliance would be grave, not least to the continuing sovereignty of the United States. In a move that many see as a recognition of the world's shifting balance of power, the Communist Chinese flag will fly above the White House on September 20. A noted political analyst in the U.K. had this to say, "I for one welcome our Communist Alien overlords." Government officials were unavailable for comment. Lets hope and pray they don't take us over. LSP