Friday, August 30, 2013

From the Southern Tradition: The Banjo

One of the most unique contributions of the South to the musical arts is the banjo.  For this instrument we thank our African brothers and sisters.  Its singular sound is common among older country, bluegrass, and folk music of the South but has also spread to other countries like Ireland.  To hear some authentic Southern banjo music written by Joel Walker Sweeney, play this video of 'Ole Tare River' (written about 1840).



As pleasant as it is to hear it played, it would be far better (and more satisfying) for us to learn to play the banjo or the fiddle for ourselves in order to keep our traditions from dying out and becoming mere museum relics.

On this theme, please give a listen to a couple of excellent lectures by friends of the Abbeville Institute.

The first by Thomas Minsel: 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

When You Will Know Your Country Is on the Right Track

Several ways, as explained by SyrianGirl in this video (about nine minutes).  In short, when you find yourself on the wrong side of the Globalist Elite.


Notes: 

We disagree with SyrianGirl on her elevation of secularism/pluralism/relativism to the level of a national established religion (which only serves to undermine true religion and allow worship of the government to arise). 

On the other hand, we heartily agree with (among other things) her description of the Corporate-Financial Elite’s plan to spread an ugly, inhuman, cultural sameness over all the earth to pave the way for a one world government.  See Point Number 2 of this list of the Elite’s goals:


And lest any should grow wroth at her criticism of the State of Israel, remember first that the Christian Church is the New Israel, the New Jerusalem; the blessings of old are now hers.  And second, the Antichrist must have a rebuilt Temple in which to reveal himself (see St Matthew’s Gospel 24:15).  That will be far easier to accomplish with a powerful Zionist nation in existence that believes it is divinely favored, that believes even in its own divinity (when it is in fact under a curse for rejecting Christ - not all Jews, mind you, only those who believe and participate in such delusions), than without.  Consider in this light Point 13 from the above list:

‘To continue to build up the cult of Christian Fundamentalism begun by the British East India Company’s servant Darby, which will be misused to strengthen the Zionist State of Israel by identifying with the Jews through the myth of “God’s chosen people”, and by donating very substantial amounts of money to what they mistakenly believe is a religious cause in the furtherance of Christianity.’

The return of the Jews to Old Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple are deadly serious if one is truly interested in the good of the world (but not in the way typically taught), as can be seen in this incident from early Christian history:

‘A second reason for ascribing to Julian [Emperor from 361-3 A.D. - W.G.] an exceptional place amongst the forerunners of the Antichrist was his reversal of Emperor Hadrian’s decree forbidding the Jews from returning to Jerusalem and, still worse, his helping the Jews to rebuild the Temple.

‘By a miracle of God the rebuilding of the Temple was forcibly stopped. St. Gregory the Theologian tells how the Jews enthusiastically set about the rebuilding. But “suddenly they were driven from their work by a violent earthquake and whirlwind, and they rushed together for refuge to a neighbouring church… There are some who say that the church doors were closed against them by an invisible hand although these doors had been wide open a moment before… It is, moreover, affirmed and believed by all that as they strove to force their way in by violence, the fire, which burst from the foundation of the Temple, met and stopped them; some it burnt and destroyed, others it injured seriously… But the most wonderful thing was that a light, as of a cross within a circle, appeared in the heavens… and the mark of the cross was impressed on their garments… a mark which in art and elegance surpassed all painting and embroidery”’ (Vladimir Moss, Autocracy, Despotism and Democracy, Part 1, 2013, pgs. 112-3, accessed 15/28 August 2013.  Available at http://www.orthodoxchristianbooks.com/downloads/434_AUTOCRACY_PART_1.pdf).

This does not give anyone a license to kill Jews, who like all men are made in the image and likeness of God and many of whom will find salvation in the Church once the full number of the Gentiles has entered in, but it should make us wary of Zionism and cause us to seek friendships with Jews who reject it.  For more on this, see, for example, ‘The Difference between Judaism and Zionism’, http://www.thesouthernpartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/A50.1-ARCHIVENeubugerZion-19p.pdf. 

End notes.

Racial Reconciliation

Don't look to Pres Obama, MLK, or any political or economic formula for it, but to Christ's Holy Body, the Orthodox Church.  Only in her does the curse of Babel come to an end.  For an illustration of this divine transformation made possible through the grace of God in His Church, we present the life of St Moses the Ethiopian.

***

Saint Moses Murin the Black lived during the fourth century in Egypt. He was an Ethiopian, and he was black of skin and therefore called “Murin” (meaning “like an Ethiopian”). In his youth he was the slave of an important man, but after he committed a murder, his master banished him, and he joined a band of robbers.

Because of his bad character and great physical strength they chose him as their leader. Moses and his band of brigands did many evil deeds, both murders and robberies. People were afraid at the mere mention of his name.

Moses the brigand spent several years leading a sinful life, but through the great mercy of God he repented, left his band of robbers and went to one of the desert monasteries. Here he wept for a long time, begging to be admitted as one of the brethren. The monks were not convinced of the sincerity of his repentance, but the former robber would not be driven away nor silenced. He continued to ask that they accept him.

St Moses was completely obedient to the igumen and the brethren, and he poured forth many tears of sorrow for his sinful life. After a certain while St Moses withdrew to a solitary cell, where he spent the time in prayer and the strictest fasting in a very austere lifestyle.

Once, four of the robbers of his former band descended upon the cell of St Moses. He had lost none of his great physical strength, so he tied them all up. Throwing them over his shoulder, he brought them to the monastery, where he asked the Elders what to do with them. The Elders ordered that they be set free. The robbers, learning that they had chanced upon their former ringleader, and that he had dealt kindly with them, followed his example: they repented and became monks. Later, when the rest of the band of robbers heard about the repentance of St Moses, then they also gave up their thievery and became fervent monks.

St Moses was not quickly freed from the passions. He went often to the igumen, Abba Isidore, seeking advice on how to be delivered from the passions of profligacy. Being experienced in the spiritual struggle, the Elder taught him never to eat too much food, to remain partly hungry while observing the strictest moderation. But the passions did not cease to trouble St Moses in his dreams.

Then Abba Isidore taught him the all-night vigil. The monk stood the whole night at prayer, so he would not fall asleep. From his prolonged struggles St Moses fell into despondency, and when there arose thoughts about leaving his solitary cell, Abba Isidore instead strengthened the resolve of his disciple.

In a vision he showed him many demons in the west, prepared for battle, and in the east a still greater quantity of holy angels, also ready for fighting. Abba Isidore explained to St Moses that the power of the angels would prevail over the power of the demons, and in the long struggle with the passions it was necessary for him to become completely cleansed of his former sins.

St Moses undertook a new effort. Making the rounds by night of the wilderness cells, he carried water from the well to each brother. He did this especially for the Elders, who lived far from the well and who were not easily able to carry their own water. Once, kneeling over the well, St Moses felt a powerful blow upon his back and he fell down at the well like one dead, laying there in that position until dawn. Thus did the devils take revenge upon the monk for his victory over them. In the morning the brethren carried him to his cell, and he lay there a whole year crippled. Having recovered, the monk with firm resolve confessed to the igumen, that he would continue to live in asceticism. But the Lord Himself put limits to this struggle of many years: Abba Isidore blessed his disciple and said to him that the passions had already gone from him. The Elder commanded him to receive the Holy Mysteries, and to go to his own cell in peace. From that time, St Moses received from the Lord power over demons.

Accounts about his exploits spread among the monks and even beyond the bounds of the wilderness. The governor of the land wanted to see the saint. When he heard of this, St Moses decided to hide from any visitors, and he departed his own cell. Along the way he met servants of the governor, who asked him how to get to the cell of the desert-dweller Moses. The monk answered them: “Go no farther to see this false and unworthy monk.” The servants returned to the monastery where the governor was waiting, and they told him the words of the Elder they had chanced to meet. The brethren, hearing a description of the Elder’s appearance, told them that they had encountered St Moses himself.

After many years of monastic exploits, St Moses was ordained deacon. The bishop clothed him in white vestments and said, “Now Abba Moses is entirely white!” The saint replied, “Only outwardly, for God knows that I am still dark within.”

Through humility, the saint believed himself unworthy of the office of deacon. Once, the bishop decided to test him and he bade the clergy to drive him out of the altar, reviling him as an unworthy Ethiopian. In all humility, the monk accepted the abuse. Having put him to the test, the bishop then ordained St Moses to be presbyter. St Moses labored for fifteen years in this rank, and gathered around himself 75 disciples.

When the saint reached age 75, he warned his monks that soon brigands would descend upon the skete and murder all that were there. The saint blessed his monks to leave, in order to avoid violent death. His disciples began to beseech the monk to leave with them, but he replied: “For many years already I have awaited the time when therethe words which my Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, should be fulfilled: “All who take up the sword, shall perish by the sword” (Mt. 26: 52). After this, seven of the brethren remained with the monk, and one of them hid nearby during the attack of the robbers. The robbers killed St Moses and the six monks who remained with him. Their death occurred in about the year 400.



Monday, August 26, 2013

The American Empire's New War of Righteousness

Evidence points to the recent chemical attack in Syria being staged by Western agents as a pretext for attack:

'Bypassing all claims of ‘conspiracy theory’, it was actually Yahoo News that published an eerily psychic  piece that warned of moves by the Obama administration to launch a chemical attack in Syria and blame it on Assad’s regime.

'Laying out what is now history in clear text, the mainstream Yahoo report sourcing ANI reads (I have archived a screenshot of the page in case it is removed):
'“The Obama administration gave green signal to a chemical weapons attack plan in Syria that could be blamed on President Bashar al Assad’s regime and in turn, spur international military action in the devastated country, leaked documents have shown. As per the scheme ‘Qatar would fund rebel forces in Syria to usechemical weapons,’ the Daily Mail reports.”'


Others have similar concerns:




Furthermore, the evidence proving the use of chemical weapons by Assad's government has conveniently been 'destroyed' by Assad's forces, claim the proponents of war.  All we have to go on now is the morally irreproachable word of Sec of State John Kerry and the other members of the Washington City-Western European oligarchy.  From the truth-loving lips of Sec Kerry:

What we saw in Syria last week should shock the conscience of the world. It defies any code of morality. Let me be clear. The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. By any standard, it is inexcusable. And despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable.

Interesting that he should use the word manufactured...

Southerner, if your church supports this invasion (as many did for the just as dubious invasion of Iraq), you must seriously consider leaving it.  The forces that the Obama administration will bring to power by deposing Assad have been brutalizing Christians as often as they can: destroying their villages, desecrating their churches, murdering men, women, and children in the most devilish ways imaginable.  (Why haven't Sec Kerry, Pres Obama, etc. criticized these moral outrages?)  It would be dangerous to one's soul to stay in a congregation so blind to truth, so devoted to worship of the American Empire.

In our leavetaking, then, let us cry out together, 'Most Holy Mother of God, save Syria and all us sinners!'


The State of Northern Colorado Closer to Reality

The question of statehood is now on the ballot in four of the eleven counties considering secession from Colorado.  One can only hope that if they are denied a separate statehood by Colorado's state government or by the federal government, they will simply secede from the Union altogether.

'(Newser) – At least four rural Colorado counties will vote Nov. 5 on whether to make "Northern Colorado" the 51st state. Fed up with what they see as a lack of representation in Denver, Weld County this week became the largest county to get on board, after its commissioners voted to place the referendum on its fall ballot; Cheyenne, Sedgwick, and Yuma counties will do the same, the Washington Times reports. Voters will be asked whether they want their counties to "pursue becoming the 51st state of the United States of America?"'

Friday, August 23, 2013

Why We Should Be Providing Our Own Food and Water . . .

. . . or at least going to someone we know and trust for it. 

Industrial food and water is harming us in a number of ways.

First, because of genetically modified crops.  Countries across Europe, Africa, and Asia are drastically scaling back on and restricting GM ‘food’, but the United States continues to be a dumping ground.


Here are 10 reasons why those countries are right to reject GM food and why the South and everyone else should join them.  From Dr Mercola:

The Organic Prepper4 recently highlighted 10 GM myths that Monsanto wants you to believe … but which are actually far from the truth.

Myth #1: No one has ever proven that GMOs are harmful to people

The truth is that studies of GM food have shown tumors, premature death, organ failure, gastric lesions, liver damage, kidney damage, allergic reactions, and more.

Myth #2: GM crops are the only way to solve world hunger

The reality is that GM farming practices are not sustainable, which virtually guarantees future crop collapses and subsequent famine. Nor are farmers able to save their seeds due to patent infringement and poor fertility in the seeds. Sustainable agricultural practices are the answer to world hunger.

Myth #3: GM crops need less pesticide spraying

The truth is that after the first couple of years, the use of pesticides and herbicides on GM crops has increased dramatically.

Myth #4: GM technology is comparable to the cross-breeding that our ancestors did to create hardier versions of heritage crops

Cross pollination of different varieties of the same plant (what our ancestors did) is low-tech and can occur naturally. Genetic modification of seeds is done in a lab and often crosses different biological kingdoms, such as crossing a bacteria with a plant the unintended adverse effects of which may be incalculably large and impossible to ascertain before they are released into the biosphere.

Myth #5: If the FDA and the USDA allow them, they must be safe

Monsanto has close ties with the US government, such that, despite the obvious conflict of interest, Monsanto executives have been given policy-making positions in Bush, Clinton and Obama administrations.

Myth #6: There is no nutritional difference between GM food and non-GM food

A 2012 nutritional analysis of GM versus non-GM corn showed shocking differences in nutritional content. Non-GM corn contains 437 times more calcium, 56 times more magnesium, and 7 times more manganese than GM corn. GM corn was also found to contain 13 ppm of glyphosate, a pesticide so toxic that it may be carcinogenic in the parts-per-trillion range, compared to zero in non-GM corn.

Myth #7: GMOs are impossible to avoid

GM ingredients are found in more than 70 percent of processed foods, but you can largely avoid them by avoiding these processed foods. By switching to whole foods like vegetables, fruits, grass-fed meats and other basic staples, you can control the GM foods in your diet.

Myth #8: Monsanto has our best interests in mind

Monsanto has spent over half a million dollars on hiring a firm to help ‘protect the Monsanto brand name’ from activists. There is speculation that they have placed trolls on anti-GM Web sites, hidden posts from social media, and even possibly hacked researchers computers days before they were set to release a damaging study. There’s even speculation that the US government is spying on anti-Monsanto activists.

Myth #9: GMOs are not harmful to the environment

On the Hawaiian island of Molokai, where a nearly 2,000-acre test facility for Monsanto sits, air and water quality are horrendous and there are reports of deaths, infertility, uncontrolled cross-pollination, bloody skin rashes, asthma and pesticide contamination in the groundwater.

Myth #10: GMOs are here to stay

Biotech wants you to believe that GM crops are here to stay, but a war is being waged against GMOs, and the resistance is gaining significant ground. By sharing information like this, we can fight back against biotech and the poisons they’re releasing into our environment.


Second, because of dangerous additives to food and drink on the store shelves.  Here is just one example, salad dressing, again from Dr Mercola:

If you read the ingredient list, typical processed ranch and blue cheese dressings are unnatural concoctions bearing little resemblance to food. Your digestive tract may not even recognize this as food, but instead react to it like a foreign invader, to be attacked like any other bodily threat. Consider this list of ingredients in Dean’s Ranch Dip:

Soybean Pasteurized “blend” of skim milk, reduced minerals whey, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, dehydrated onion, sour cream flavor (cream, nonfat milk, whey, whey protein concentrate, cultured nonfat buttermilk (skim milk, cultures), maltodextrin, salt, autolyzed yeast extract, natural flavors, monosodium glutamate, sodium citrate, sour cream cultures, lactic acid, food starch-modified, gelatin, dextrose, dehydrated garlic, vinegar powder (maltodextrin, corn starch-modified, white distilled vinegar), monosodium glutamate, citric acid, sodium hexametaphosphate, locust bean gum, lecithin, spices, potassium sorbate, guar gum, whey, whey protein concentrate, carrageenan, acetic acid, propylene glycol alginate, artificial colors (FD &C Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine) and FD & C Yellow No. 6)

As you can see, soybeans are at the forefront, which we’ve already discussed. And yes, monosodium glutamate is listed TWICE… and once is bad enough!

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer hidden in thousands of foods you and your family regularly eat, and it’s one of the worst food additives ever created. MSG is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, potentially causing brain damage and triggering learning disabilities. Common adverse effects linked to regular MSG consumption include: obesity, eye damage, headaches, fatigue and disorientation, depression, rapid heartbeat, tingling and numbness.

MSG can be found in nearly all processed foods because it hides under other names, such as flavorings, seasonings, soy protein, stocks and broths, malt extract, carrageenan, and corn starch, to name just a few.

Food dyes are another type of additive to watch out for. Every year, food manufacturers pour 15 million pounds of artificial food dyes into US foods. According to a Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) report, some of the most commonly used food dyes may be linked to multiple forms of cancer, along with hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children.

As of July 2010, most foods in the EU that contain artificial food dyes come with warning labels, and the British government has also asked that food manufacturers remove most artificial colors from foods. In the US, however, a similar measure has not been taken.

So what’s the solution? Make your own salad dressing. That way, you have complete control over what goes into it.


Third, most tap, and some bottled, water contains numerous toxic compounds.  Once more from the good Doctor:

As concerning as trihalomethanes are, they are just the tip of the iceberg—there are hundreds of other chemicals finding their way into your water supply. The EPA regulates only nine pollutants generated by chlorine or chloramine treatment—four trihalomethanes and five haloacetic acids. These nine regulated chemicals represent less than two percent of the more than 600 unwanted chemicals created by the interaction of water treatment disinfectants and pollutants in source water.

The legal limits for the nine regulated chemicals are not what either the agency or many independent scientists believe is truly safe. Rather, the regulations represent political compromises that take into account the costs and feasibility of treatment.

When you add up the total chemicals contaminating public drinking water, the number is beyond staggering. According to William Marks, author of Water Voices from Around the World, there are more than 116,000 human-made chemicals now detected in public water systems!

Examples of these compounds and their effects:

Chlorine is the only disinfectant that has been extensively studied, but now many water treatment plants are using another disinfectant called chloramine, the health effects of which are largely unknown. Chloramine is a combination of chlorine and ammonia.3 More than one in five Americans are drinking tap water treated with chloramine.

Chloramine stays in the water system longer than chlorine and is difficult to remove—it can’t be removed by boiling, distilling, or by standing uncovered. Its vapors can accumulate in indoor air and concentrate in an enclosed area, such as your shower stall, bathroom, kitchen, or apartment.

Chloramines combine with organic matter in water supplies to create iodoacids and nitrosamines, which are extremely toxic. According to David Sedlak of UC Berkeley:4
“Nitrosamines are the compounds that people warned you about when they told you shouldn’t be eating those nitrite-cured hot dogs… They’re about a thousand times more carcinogenic than the disinfection byproducts that we’d been worried about with regular old chlorine.”

There are three principal types of chlorination byproducts, known to produce dangerous health effects:

·         Trihalomethanes (THMs): Found to cause cancer in laboratory animals, and trigger the production of free radicals in your body; chloroform is an example of a trihalomethane; THMs are associated with bladder cancer, gestational and developmental problems

·         Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Lead to central nervous system depression and drowsinessand can irritate your skin and mucous membranes

·         Haloacetic Acids (HAAs): May cause liver disease in test animals at very high levels, and is a class B2 probable human carcinogen associated with neurological problems, growth retardation, low birth weight, and sperm toxicity

. . .

·         MTBE (Methyl-tert-butyl Ether): A chemical added to fuel to raise octane number; a potential human carcinogen at high doses

·         Atrazine: According to the documentary FLOW, this US herbicide, banned in the European Union, is the most common water contaminant in the US. Atrazine is an endocrine disruptor known to feminize animals, and is linked with numerous reproductive problems, breast and prostate cancer, and impaired immune function in humans

·         Pharmaceutical Drugs: A 2008 report found a multitude of drugs in the drinking water of at least 51 million Americans, including pain relievers, cancer drugs, antidepressants, oral contraceptives, blood pressure and cholesterol drugs

·         Glyphosate(Roundup): This toxic herbicide is carcinogenic in minute amounts and is linked to more than 20 adverse health effects, including cancer, birth defects and infertility; unfortunately, glyphosate is turning up in the bloodstreams of people all over the world

·         Hexavalent Chromium (Chromium-6): Otherwise known as the “Erin Brockovich chemical,” hexavalent chromium is classified as another “probable carcinogen;” EWG found it in the drinking water of 89 percent of the cities sampled


Fourth, factory farm meat is full of deadly bacteria.

(NaturalNews) There is a reason why the conventional poultry industry in the U.S. has been fairly successful in recent years at lowering detected levels of salmonella in chicken. But it has nothing to do with factory birds being raised in cleaner and more humane living environments. To the contrary, a new investigative report by The Washington Post (WP) reveals that many chicken slaughterhouses are merely treating their filthy chickens with an ever-expanding volume and variety of toxic chemicals to mask the presence of more virulent salmonella strains from federal regulators.


As disconcerting as all this is, it does offer an opportunity for us to return to a better way of living, one that our grandparents and those before them knew and enjoyed, one that is more suitable for children of Adam, one that allows us to enjoy the natural world which God created from love (and through His creation, in a limited yet not insignificant way, we may enjoy communion with our Creator), one that calls us to stretch our imaginations, exert our bodies, and learn and hone skills in ways that office and assembly line work never will satisfy.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

At Home in the South: St Amphilochius of Pochaev, Ukraine

His home was far distant from the South, yet in his faith, love for God’s creation (and its love for him), hospitality, scorn of modern technology, and in other ways, there is notable symmetry between the life this Christian saint lived and the way of life advocated by our Southern forefathers.

There is much more to his life than what is recounted below -  wisdom, bravery, persecution at the hands of the Soviet authorities, wonderworking, etc.  The reader is encouraged to order this number of The Orthodox Word (see next paragraph) so that he may know and contemplate his life in full.

Please visit here if interested:

All quotes are taken from ‘Healer of the Hopeless: St. Amphilochius of Pochaev’, The Orthodox Word, Vol. 49, Nos. 1-2 (288-289), January-April, 2013, St. Herman of Alaska Press, Platina, Ca.

May the South be blessed with many such men as he!

***

A note on names:  St Amphilochius began his life in 1894 as James, then was Father Joseph upon becoming a monk, then Fr Amphilochius upon his elevation to schemamonk.

‘In those days, the life of the Church was seamlessly woven into the daily agricultural life of the village [Malaya Ilovitsa, Ukraine-W.G.].  The whole family worked in the fields and cared for the animals, and everyone said prayers before going out for the day’s chores’ (p. 8).

‘In 1912, James was drafted into the Tsar’s army.  During the First World War he served in the 165th Infantry Unit in Lutsk, western Ukraine’ (p. 8).

‘James served his novitiate in this great monastery [Pochaev Monastery-W.G.] with humility and obedience.  As he had at home, he built sleighs and wheels and sang in church on the cliros, always considering himself the most sinful and unworthy of all’ (p. 11).

‘Fr. Joseph also found time to plant a number of fruit trees at the cemetery [at the gate of which he lived for around 20 years-W.G.], which can be seen to this day’ (p. 12).

‘A closed veranda was built onto the church on the garden side.  In the orchard there were apple, pear, and plum trees planted by the elder.  The ground was covered with flowers as by a carpet:  gladioli, dahlias, and roses.  Palms grew in pots.  Peacocks and peahens paraded around the kingdom of flowers.  There were also canaries and parrots, and up to two hundred pigeons lived in the pigeon loft’ (p. 25).

‘In the summertime, five hundred people, and sometimes more, visited him each day, and everyone received hospitality’ (p. 28).

‘The ascetic greatly loved nature and tried to beautify his surroundings with flowers and various trees, wherever he lived.  At the Pochaev Lavra, at the monastery cemetery, and in Ilovitsa, he left a living monument of decorative fruit trees.  For him springtime was a paradisal time, and the forest in spring was paradise.  He said that before the hay-mowing everything was verdure:  the grass, the flowers, the trees, and the bushes—they were young, tender, fresh, and bright.  But after the hay-mowing summer would come, and the leaves would lose their luster, would become rough, and would lose their youth and their former charm.  And so it is with man as well....’ (p. 33)

‘The elder did not approve of watching television, which ravages and robs the soul.  After watching television shows, a person does not want to pray, and if he forces himself to pray, he does so only with his lips, while his heart is far from God.  Such prayer, according to the elder, is unto condemnation.  He said that in the last times sorcerers (so-called psychics) will work on perfecting a system to program people through television, radio, and even electrical appliances, for they know that programmed people will submissively fulfill the will of others.  “It’s not easy to be saved.  I can’t put salvation into your head.  Labor and pray yourselves!  If you want to be saved, be blind, deaf, and mute”  [That is, guard your senses from temptation.—ED.]’  (p. 34).

‘The ascetic reposed on January 1, 1971, [19 December 1970, Julian calendar-W.G.] during a heavy snow. . . . the coffin was placed in a truck and taken to Pochaev.  They arrived at the Lavra at 3 AM, but they could not drive through the holy gates.  Three times they slid down the hill.  The God-pleaser did not want to go through the gates in a vehicle.  Thus he was carried by hand through the gates . . .’ (p. 39).

‘. . . on January 4 . . . the funeral followed.  The priests and monks went out of the altar toward the coffin.  The snow ceased, and the sun came out and danced the way it does on Pascha.  As people were giving the elder the final kiss, a woman was healed of a broken arm at the coffin’ (p. 40).

‘His grave was next to that of Fr. Svyatopolk, under the branches of an apple tree that Fr. Amphilochius had planted’ (p. 41).

‘The saint’s entire life consisted in self-sacrificing service in the name of love for God and neighbor . . .’ (p. 42).

During the uncovering of the saint’s relics on 2 April/15 April 2002:  ‘ . . . the first miracle!  The coffin had been preserved after lying in the ground more than thirty years, even though much water had run down into the opening where the cross was planted, where pilgrims had taken earth.  Why had the coffin been preserved?  The answer is simple.  The grace of God rests in relics.  The wood and the earth are nourished on it’ (p. 45).

During the Glorification service 29 April/12 May 2002:  ‘The very heavens rejoiced at the festivity.  Three crosses appeared, as though some invisible hand had drawn them in white on the light blue background of the sky.  Two of them disappeared quickly, but the third remained for a long time, amazing the believers’ (p. 49).

Hymn to the saint:  ‘Christ our God hast shown thee forth to His Church as a most glorious ascetic of the land of Volhynia, as a worthy dweller of the monastery of Pochaev, and as a superb healer of Orthodox people.  O venerable Father Amphilochius, pray thou earnestly to Him to free us from the snares of the enemy, and that our souls be saved’ (p. 50).


Monday, August 19, 2013

It's FAR WORSE Than Anyone Has Said

A repost of a repost it may be, but it is terribly important nonetheless.  The South, and the whole world, truly is becoming an ‘electronic concentration camp’, to use Fr Andrew’s words (http://www.events.orthodoxengland.org.uk/2013/07/).

Below is about half of a news story illustrating just how ensnared we all are in the spy grid of our masters.  From Infowars.com via Washington’s Blog:

Revelations about the breathtaking scope of government spying are coming so fast that it’s time for an updated roundup:

- Just weeks after NSA boss Alexander said that a review of NSA spying found not even one violation, the Washington Post published an internal NSA audit showing that the agency has broken its own rules thousands of times each year

- 2 Senators on the intelligence committee said the violations revealed in the Post article were just the “tip of the iceberg”

- Glenn Greenwald notes:  “One key to the WashPost story: the reports are internal, NSA audits, which means high likelihood of both under-counting & white-washing”.(Even so, the White House tried to do damage control by retroactively changing on-the-record quotes)

- The government is spying on essentially everything we do. It is not just “metadata” … although that is enough to destroy your privacy

- The government has adopted a secret interpretation of the Patriot Act which allows it to pretend that “everything” is relevant … so it spies on everyone

- NSA whistleblowers say that the NSA collects all of our conversations word-for-word

- It’s not just the NSA … Many other agencies, like the FBI and IRS – concerned only with domesticissues – spy on Americans as well

- The information gained through spying is shared with federal, state and local agencies, and they are using that information to prosecute petty crimes such as drugs and taxes.  The agencies are instructed to intentionally “launder” the information gained through spying, i.e. to pretend that they got the information in a more legitimate way … and to hide that from defense attorneys and judges

- Indeed, they say that mass spying actually hurts U.S. counter-terror efforts.

- They say we can, instead, keep everyone safe without violating the Constitution … more cheaply and efficiently than the current system

- There is no real oversight by Congressthe courts, or the executive branch of government. And seethis and this.

- Indeed, most Congress members have no idea what the NSA is doing.  Even staunch defenders of the NSA now say they’ve been kept in the dark

- A Federal judge who was on the secret spying court for 3 years says that it’s a kangaroo court

- Even the current judges on the secret spying court now admit that they’re out of the loop and powerless to exercise real oversight

- A former U.S. president says that the spying program shows that we no longer have a functioning democracy

- The chairs of the 9/11 Commission say that NSA spying has gone way too far

- Top constitutional experts say that Obama and Bush are worse than Nixon … and the Stasi East Germans

- While the government initially claimed that mass surveillance on Americans prevented more than 50 terror attacks, the NSA’s deputy director John Inglis walked that position back all the way to saying that – at the most – one (1) plot might have been disrupted by the bulk phone records collection alone.  In other words, the NSA can’t prove that stopped any terror attacks. The government greatly exaggerated an alleged recent terror plot for political purposes (and promoted the fearmongering of serial liars).  The argument that recent terror warnings show that NSA spying is necessary is so weak that American counter-terrorism experts have slammed it as “crazy pants”