‘ . . . the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ -- John 10:11 KJV

‘But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep’ (John 10:12-13 KJV).

Truly these latter described by our Lord are the type leaders we have in the South today: selfish, caring only for their people insomuch as they are a means to obtaining political or economic power.  Would Gov Perry or Haslam or Sen Rubio personally lead a force to defend the people of their States against a horde of deadly enemies?  That is doubtful.  And yet that is the heavy burðen those in authority must bear: to be willing to lay down their lives to protect their people.  That is the kind of leadership we used to have in the South, illustrated most clearly during the War, when those entrusted with power in Southern society rode forth to the defense of the Southern people, many perishing in the struggle - Ashby, Lee, Jackson, Johnson, Stuart, and the rest.

If the South is to have any chance of surviving and flourishing in an evil world, she must cultivate these kinds of leaders once more.  The South’s kindred spirit, the Russian Ivan Ilyin, in his 1928 essay ‘On Power and Death’ (trans. Mark Hackard), shows us what we need to sow in the souls of our men to accomplish this, and why.  It begins with these words:

“For supreme power doth not tolerate a weak hand…”

Alexander Pushkin

To doubt whether Russia shall draw forth from her depths a religious, vigorous and state-cultivating intelligentsia would mean to doubt Russia herself and her future. She can and she shall. And Russia herself will be reborn, will strengthen and grow. But the sooner this is done, the better; the quicker shall come her restoration; the less blood, suffering, hazards and dishonor there shall be. And the first thing the new Russian intelligentsia must understand and ponder is this: the volitional nature of the state and sovereign authority.

State power, in its most essential idea, should belong to the strongest and the most noble. For he who takes it accepts and exercises it with will and namely with noble will; he stands at the helm and on guard – at the head of the people and guarding the sacred. And therefore he should prepare his will not only for leadership and coercion, but for the honorable death of a guardian and a leader.

Living in the state and building it, men are united not simply by territory or common subordination; they are united in a concerted, willed effort and willed action; they unite to set forth and recognize those most noble leaders and those strong and loyal guardians, who are called to create for them, for their sake and through them, the cause of popular unity and flourishing – those who are called to support and defend this unity and uphold what is sacred to the nation even at the cost of their death. Therefore state power by its essence presents us this drama: the struggle and death of the best men for the existence and holiness of their people. And this drama, most clearly expressed in the face of the warrior or the soldier, makes each citizen participating in authority a warrior standing his post, a guardian ready for death.

We must understand and ponder this once and for all: he who assumes power takes on not only authority and not so much authority as he does the duty to rule. He thereby accepts not only higher rank and honor, but higher responsibility and danger. And he who seeks status and desires honor – but does not want responsibility and fears danger – such a man is ambitious without the capability for authority. His reign can only lead to general destruction.

To be near power is to be near death. And how many of the best men in history – Tsars, leaders, great captains and heroes – have proven witness to this by their own ends! I said that sovereign authority should belong to the strongest and the most noble.

 . . .

Source:  http://souloftheeast.org/2014/07/11/on-power-and-death, posted 11 July 2014, accessed 12 July 2014

Time to Begin Anew

We must be honest with ourselves:  The United States Constitution of 1787 is a failure.  Politically, it granted too much power to the national government (unlimited taxing power, unlimited power to raise and maintain armies), contained too many other vague clauses (such as those dealing with interstate commerce, the general welfare, and judicial review of any law of any State or locality) that it used to augment its more clearly defined powers, afforded only the shadow of true representation, and provided no well-defined means for the States and counties, parishes, and towns to defend themselves against federal overreaches. 

Culturally, that Constitution’s disestablishment of Christianity merely gave the rulers in Washington City the opportunity to impose a religion of their own upon the peoples of the States (a kind of anti-Christian materialism with the national government as deity).

If this surprises us, it only shows our lack of historical knowledge.  For the Anti-Federalists at the time of the ratification debates (Melancton Smith of New York, Patrick Henry of Virginia, and the rest) foresaw all that has come to pass. 

The myth-makers (William Bennett, Mark Levin, Ben Carson, et al.) who have wrapped the U. S. Constitution in a cloud of sanctity as though the Lord Himself had bestowed upon Americans, through the latter day Moses-es gathered in Philadelphia, the most perfect plan of government the world has ever or will ever know - be wary what advice you accept from them.

Rather, let us be humble enough to admit that the framers did err as we consider how to proceed from here.  For the situation is very troubling.  The lawlessness at home and in other countries and the attacks on Christianity here and abroad - the handiwork of the national government - have been manifest for decades.  Relying on Democrat ABC or Republican XYZ to ‘fix things in Washington’ is no longer a very viable option (although if a trustworthy man appears on the ballot, by all means support him). 

It is time each State peacefully left the current union.  Whether they choose to establish a new one that is much more decentralized than that now existing, or whether they choose to remain independent of one another, one thing is certain:  The sooner we throw off Washington City’s yoke, the better off we all will be - spiritually, politically, and economically.

To this end, we present to you a short essay written by Mr Mark Thomey of the Southern National Congress.  Its focus is on Louisiana, but the principles discussed may be applied to all the States.  (Similar essays on other States may be found at this web site, http://getofftitanic.com/, under the section entitled ‘Some Solutions’.)

Please share it with anyone you like, even to the point of revising it, re-posting it, handing it out as a flyer, etc.

It covers only political and economic issues, but we must begin this conversation somewhere (and those are not unimportant aspects of social life, after all).

(Please also consider a 'Secede' bumper sticker for yourself and others:  http://www.zazzle.com/secede+bumperstickers)

May the Lord grant us true Christian freedom when we have made ourselves worthy of it.

***

Your State Could Be an Independent Country

By Mark Thomey

Revised by David Rockett & Walt Garlington

For most Southerners who’ve suffered through twelve years of government schooling, and successive years of media indoctrination, the above statement probably appears ridiculous.  Some years ago, I brought up this idea with some co-workers at the engineering firm where I worked.  One young man, a recent graduate of Louisiana Tech University sarcastically replied, ‘Oh yeah, and go from being one of the poorest States to one of the poorest third world countries.’  But would that necessarily be the case?  Let’s take a more critical look at my State, Louisiana, and see how my former colleague’s statement fares. 

‘Small is Beautiful’

In the Yankee mentality, bigger is better.  Part of their argument for holding this vast empire together by force is that in order to be a viable, stable country, we have to occupy a sizeable chunk of this vast piece of real estate called North America.  However, does the reality surrounding the existence of many of the countries of the western world support this notion?  Let’s see. 

Louisiana covers an area of 43,562 square miles.  That makes her only slightly smaller than Greece (50,942 sq. mi.) but larger than Hungary (35,919 sq. mi.), Portugal, Austria, The Czech Republic, Ireland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium (11,780 sq. mi.).  I dare say that no one in their right mind would declare any of the countries listed above to be unstable or unviable; especially since many of them have existed as countries for centuries longer than the united States.  If, in typical, condescending, Yankee fashion, you would argue, ‘Yeah, but those are rinky-dink countries,’ (I suppose this is a slap at their lack of superpower military status), then consider that Louisiana is one-half the size of the United Kingdom and one-third as large as Germany (neither of which have been slouches in the military power game).  On the population side, Louisiana ranks ninth on my list of ten at 4.60 million people.  That places her just above Ireland (4.02 million) and well below The Netherlands (16.41 million).  This places fair Louisiana in very good company compared to some of her potential neighbours, so the size argument is refuted.

It’s the Economy Stupid!

Some of you may recall this phrase being bandied about during the Clinton administration.  There is a kernel of truth in it, though, as a portion of the stability and viability of any country is achieved by its commerce at home and with other nations.  This is the crucial attribute which can make size irrelevant.  Let’s look at Louisiana’s income potential.

Louisiana’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $214 billion would make her 46^th out of 210 countries, giving her a place in the top 25 per cent of all nations – in the same league with Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland, and Chile.  This is not a bad place to begin.

And it gets better from here.  As every imperial power who has ever wanted a piece of North America has known, New Orleans, and control of the mouth of the Mississippi River, is a strategic necessity.  Modern air transportation has not negated the fact that the vast majority of the world’s goods are still transported by ships.  The Port of New Orleans is the second busiest in North America, and the Mississippi River is the watery highway used for transporting those goods into the interior of the country. 

Louisiana’s vast natural resources in oil and gas could be sold on the world market at fair prices versus the heavily controlled and regulated situation forced on us now by the U. S.  It also means that Louisiana’s farmers could get out of a state of perpetual peonage to the U. S. Agriculture Department, sell their produce at world market prices, and become prosperous again.  Likewise, the suffocating and outrageous regulations and procedures of the EPA, IRS, OSHA, TSA, and all the other federal bureaucracies would be gone.  The advantages are legion.

But would this be sufficient to fund the government of an independent nation?  The numbers say Yes.

The fiscal year 2011-2 budget for the State of Louisiana is $25.39 billion.  This amount includes $11.11 billion in federal funds, meaning that Louisiana can raise at least $14.28 billion in revenue on her own ($17.28 billion with the revenue collected from the Port of New Orleans going to Baton Rouge instead of Washington City).  If Louisiana’s spending were brought closer to that of other States of similar population and background (Kentucky, 4.4 million people, $9.4 billion FY 2011-2 budget; South Carolina, 4.7 million people, $6.0 billion FY 2011-2 budget; Alabama, 4.8 million people, $7.4 billion FY 2011-2 budget), revenue would not be a problem.  Even if we found ourselves at the high end of the three with an annual budget of $9.4 billion, this would still leave us with a surplus of $7.88 billion to fund a modest army and navy, embassies, and the other necessities of a free nation in the world. 

And these totals do not even include federal revenue from other international ports such as Baton Rouge or Lake Charles, or from the federal personal income tax and federal business tax collections ($36 billion and $1.5 billion in FY 2011, respectively) that are currently transferred from Louisiana to Washington City.  These tax rates could and should be substantially reduced when under our own authority, but the numbers still serve to underscore the main point:  A free Louisiana would not have any trouble raising sufficient revenue.

Get Out Now!

As this short, critical analysis shows, the notion that independence means poverty and misery for any of our Southern States is a fallacy.  On the contrary, independence opens the door to prosperity for our people.  The only question remaining is – what are we waiting for?!

---

Have you lost your political imagination -- that vision for the good life?  Tragically, Louisianians like most Americans have lost most all ability to cultivate a political vision. What is the good life, even the optimum for life in Louisiana?  Sadly, we let our busy lives, the status-quo, media, even arts and sports entertainments distract us. So we don't even try.  Maybe our latest roux of political scandals, corruptions, and quickly fading constitutional liberties will wake us up to new visions and possibilities.  If not for us, for our children and grandchildren?  We hope you will join us in the work of redeeming the time through a reinvigorated political imagination. 

To learn more about the benefits of a world of smaller, culturally sound countries, please visit any of the following web sites and those like them:

The Abbeville Institute

http://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/

Alaskan Independence Party

http://www.akip.org/

Get Us off the U.S.S. Titanic

http://getofftitanic.com/

The League of the South

http://leagueofthesouth.com

http://dixienet.org/

http://LewRockwell.com

The Middlebury Institute

http://middleburyinstitute.org/

The Southern National Congress

http://southernnationalcongress.org/

Second Vermont Republic

http://vermontrepublic.org/

The Confiteri web log

http://confiterijournal.blogspot.com/

Unintended Consequences

Men and women of the libertarian/classical liberal mindset like Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, and Tom Woods have a lot of good ideas and certainly mean well, but when society is organized around the principle of economic freedom alone without much thought for religion, trouble will eventually come round.

Journalist Claudio Gallo offers a look at some of that mischief in this article of his posted at the Russia Today web site.  It offers another opportunity for the West to reflect on the economic system it has set up and which it seeks to foist onto others.  An outtake:

Historically the market’s auto-regulation is known as the classical liberal theory of the invisible hand. Usually it is attributed to Adam Smith, although the Scottish economist used it very rarely and apparently with a more restricted meaning. Anyway, the invisible hand is now forming an integral part of the neoliberal theory, which considers any public intervention in the economy to be the work of the devil.

The magic power of the invisible hand needs a society of pure individuals to work: everyone pursuing their best interest, the healthy egoism of society’s atoms. Alchemically, this composite of egoisms will result in maximized benefit for the entire society. It is a machine that never stops, a “perpetuum mobile” [perpetual motion] in which unlimited production goes with unlimited desire. There are literally no limits.

Beyond Smith, the dark father of neoliberalism is the uber-modern Bernard Mandeville. In his Fable of the Bees he praised greed and every vice in general as the true driving force of economy. It was not the case that Hayek openly appreciated him. The frankness of Mandeville is not typical of liberalism, which from the beginning is inclined to present itself as beyond moral; even before publishing ‘The Wealth of Nations’, Smith was coping with the study of moral sentiments. As René Dumont puts it, the economic action in Smith is “escaping morality without adversing [sic] it.”

Jean Claude Michea has explained quite convincingly that this suspicion against morality is contained in liberalism’s DNA: it is a reaction to the bloody European religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries. The memories of those horrible conflicts, full of religious and political passions and hates, forged the habit of liberal neutrality.

This is a very interesting passage because neoliberalism still presents itself under the ideology of neutrality: the ideology of the end of ideology. Not a political system among others, historically and socially determined, but a natural immemorial fact. The auto-regulating market becomes ideologically a kind of universal category that was present in human history from the beginning. Many critics, following mainly the anthropological studies of Marcel Mauss, have stressed that the more ancient form of economy was rather pivoted on the obligation to give, to receive and to reciprocate.

If the core of neoliberalism is a natural fact, as suggested by the ideology already embedded deep within our collective psyche, who can change it? Can you live without breathing, or stop the succession of days and nights? This is why Western democracy chooses among the many masks behind which is essentially the same liberal party. Change is not forbidden, change is impossible. Some consider this feature to be an insidious form of invisible totalitarianism.

At this point I am waiting for someone to start up the old litany about the difference between liberalism (the good one) and neoliberalism (the bad one), between political liberalism and economic liberalism, and between liberalism and liberism. From an analytical point of view many of these differences are real: the liberalism of Benjamin Constant was very different from the economic theory of Milton Friedman, and many battles for freedom in 19th century liberalism were highly commendable. But historically it seems that neoliberalism is no more than what liberalism has currently become. Do you remember the 1960-70 Marxists who said that the Soviet Union was not real communism? It was a kind of degeneration, of course, but where was true communism? Triumphant neoliberalism is liberalism as it reveals itself in history just as Soviet communism (or the even worst Asiatic versions) was communism inside history.

In neoliberal society there is no one who really manages political power. The economy regulates itself and government is organized by technicians who apply some rational choices. This is obviously an ideological façade. To maintain this façade, making people believe that it is reality, is exactly the political problem of neoliberalism. The main instrument to reach this goal is propaganda. Modern propaganda’s masterminds quickly rediscovered an old idea well-known by every ancient mystic: images are more powerful than words. Guy Debord genially recognized this process in his hermetic 1967 “The Society of Spectacle”.

In his book Hidden Persuaders, Packard denounced colored billboards and subliminal messages. As Noam Chomsky puts it about corporations: "The goal is to maximize profit and market share. And they also have a goal for their target, namely the population. They have to be turned into completely mindless consumers of goods that they do not want. (…) The ideal is to have individuals who are totally disassociated from one another.”

Source:  ‘Global Totalitarianism: Change Not Forbidden, Change Is Impossible’, http://rt.com/op-edge/171240-global-totalitarianism-change-neoliberalism/, posted and accessed 8 July 2014

Guarding the Border

The immigration ‘crisis’ at the southern border of the [u]nited States is being purposefully manufactured by the federal government:

http://www.infowars.com/stand-down-u-s-border-gate-left-wide-open-unguarded/

It is therefore up to the plain folk and the so-called public servants of the various States, counties, and towns being affected to protect their own.  There have thankfully been some instances of the former standing up in California:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/02/us/california-immigrant-transfers/

That will need to be done time and again in many other places in the coming weeks, along with creative actions from State and local officials.  For instance, instead of groveling at the feet of the federal Dept. of Homeland Security like Texas AG Greg Abbott is doing in order to get money to fund patrols of Texas state police, etc. along the border, he and the Texas State Legislature, Governor, and others ought to take all the necessary steps to divert whatever amount of federal tax revenue is being generated in Texas that is needed to fund those patrols, as well as temporary housing and finally the return of the illegal immigrants back across the border, from its path to the coffers of Washington City to the Texas comptroller’s office in Austin.

But just as importantly as all this, we must remember to ask for heavenly help and intercession.  The saints are not far from us.  Throughout the years they have proven themselves faithful protectors of their peoples and homelands.  St Demetrios the Myrrh-bearer is one of the most well-known ensamples:

Time and again, during sixteen hundred years, Saint Demetrios has given proof of his benevolent care for the city of Thessalonica and its inhabitants. He has defended them from the attacks of barbarians, he has preserved them from plague and famine, healed the sick and comforted the afflicted.

Source:  http://www.goarch.org/special/demetrios/index_html, accessed 7 July 2014

We would do well to call upon St Demetrios, but we would perhaps do better in this situation to call upon the saints closest to us in space and in time, upon the holy martyrs, confessors, and ascetics who have walked this very land we now live upon, the Saints of North America.  Here is a very short introduction to each of those who are known:

St. Herman of Alaska – great missionary monk and wonderworker of Alaska, preached the Gospel, built schools, defended natives from mistreatment by Russian company, lived as a hermit most of his life on Spruce Island, 1st glorified American Saint

Martyred Hieromonk St. Juvenaly – part of original Russian mission from Valaam, was part of the baptism of over 14,000 Alaskan natives through his missionary efforts, later killed during his Gospel ministry by natives

St. Peter the Aleut, ProtoMartyr – with a group of Aleut hunters captured by the Spanish and taken to San Francisco in 1815, tortured brutally for refusing to convert to Roman Catholicism, St. Herman heard about his death and called him a new martyr

St. Jacob Netsvetov – first Alaskan ordained priest, traveled over huge stretches of land to minister and preach the Gospel, after his wife reposed he went to the Alaskan interior, preaching to many people who had never heard the Gospel, during his last trip to the Yukon he baptized over 1300 natives

St Innocent of Alaska, Metropolitan of Moscow – married Russian priest assigned to Alaska in 1823, learned languages and translated Gospels and services, wife reposed while he was in Russia in 1838, took monastic vows in 1840 and was made bishop of Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands, continued traveling and working for the spread of the Gospel, later appointed Metropolitan of Moscow

St. Tikhon, Patriarch of All Russia – worked tirelessly during his tenure in America as bishop, traveling, converting many, founding Churches, and founding St. Tikhon’s Monastery, worked to establish Church structure for the American diocese, returned to Russian in 1907 and elected Patriarch in 1917, harassed by the government, imprisoned and persecuted, reposed in 1925, considered a martyr (many think he was poisoned by the Bolsheviks)

Hieromartyr St. Alexander Hotovitsky – married Russian priest assigned to St. Nicholas in NY, very active in the community and in publishing, built a huge new cathedral, returned to Russian in 1914, he was arrested and tried by the Soviets, eventually facing a final arrest in 1937 when he was sentenced to death and executed

St. Raphael of Brooklyn – born in Lebanon to Syrian parents, educated both in Damascus and Russia, 1st Bishop consecrated in America (by St. Tikhon), served as auxiliary bishop of Russian Church, based in Brooklyn, traveled constantly serving the Arab Orthodox throughout North America (visited St. George Church in Vicksburg!)

St. Alexis Toth – married Uniate Greek Catholic priest in Slovakia, he came to America as a missionary priest after his wife’s repose, the Latin bishop refused to receive him, he knew his heritage was Orthodox and had considered conversion before and so now he entered the Russian Orthodox Church in America, through his ministry over 20,000 uniates were re-united with the Orthodox Church

Hieromartyr St. John Kochurov – married Russian priest who came to America as a missionary in 1895, served in Chicago, built the parish and founded other parishes in the Chicago area, translated texts into English, returned to Russia in 1907, martyred by Bolsheviks in October 1917 becoming the protohieromartyr (1st priest martyr)of the Soviet yoke

St. John Maximovitch, Wonderworker – life is far to amazing to detail here, spent the last years of his life as Archbishop of San Francisco (1962-1966) and was known far and wide even during his lifetime as a holy man and great worker of miracles

St. Nikolai Velimirovich – came to America from Communist Yugoslavia as a refugee in 1946 (spent time in Dachau, imprisoned and tortured by Nazis), ended his life as rector of St. Tikhon’s Seminary in 1956

Lesser known (4)

 

Hieromartyr St. Basil Martysz of Poland – married Polish priest who was a missionary in North America from 1900 to 1912, was in charge of Orthodox affairs for Polish army for 25 years, martyred in closing days of WW2 by bandits who tortured and killed him in 1945

St. Seraphim of Uglich – Russian monastic priest who was a missionary under St. Tikhon from 1902-1908 where he served as a teacher, deacon, and priest, consecrated bishop of Uglich in 1920, refused to cooperate with the Bolsheviks to form a new Synod, eventually exiled in 1928 from which he never returned (possibly martyred in 1937)

Hieromartyr St. Anatole of Irkutsk – missionary priest in North America from 1895-1903, glorified as a New-Martyr by the Russian Church for his suffering, though he reposed freed from prison in the early 1920s

St. Barnabus the New Confessor – born in Garyn Indina in 1914, returned to Serbia as a child and became a monk in 1940, later consecrated bishop and accused of being an American spy for his open criticism of the communist governments mistreatment of Christians, arrested and tortured and imprisoned, death believed to be by poison (like St. Tikhon)

Source:  Priest Matthew Jackson, http://www.pravmir.com/getting-know-american-saints-sunday-saints-america/, posted 23 June 2014, accessed 7 July 2014

Cry out to them, fervently beseeching them to bring to a quick and good end this scheme of Pres Obama and the others to flood the States with poor, dependent immigrants, to ‘deliver us from every sorrow, evil and pain’ (prayer from the Order of Small Compline, http://www.orthodox.net/services/small-compline.html, accessed 7 July 2014).  We shall not be disappointed if we pray in faith!

As the bountiful harvest of Your sowing of salvation,
the lands of North America offer to You, O Lord, all the saints who have shone in them.
By their prayers keep the Church and our land in abiding peace
through the Theotokos, O most Merciful One.

 . . .

Today the choir of Saints who were pleasing to God in the lands of North America
now stands before us in the Church and invisibly prays to God for us.
With them the angels glorify Him,
and all the saints of the Church of Christ keep festival with them;
and together they all pray for us to the Pre-eternal God.

 . . .

The Saints are as the beautiful and fruitful trees of Eden, putting forth the fragrant flowers of their doctrines and the fruit of their labors. By them our souls are nourished and our spiritual hunger satisfied. Come, therefore, let us run to the protection of their guidance and bless them as the joy and adornment of our land, and as the image and example of our lives, for they have received incorruptible crowns from the Pre-eternal God.

Source:  Service to All the Saints of North America, http://oca.org/FS.NA-Document.asp?SID=4&ID=56, accessed 7 July 2014

(Icon from this page:  http://www.izograph.com/panam.htm)

Let Us Celebrate

On Independence Day, let us celebrate in our madness the re-founding of the [u]nited States by Abraham Lincoln - the final overturning of the decentralized, federated union begun under the Articles of Confederation; gravely wounded by the Constitution of 1787; now little more than a whisper in the memories of Americans who are under the rule of Absolute Power in Washington City.

In our madness, let us celebrate that our federal government has begun 201 of the 248 wars since the end of World War II:

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/05/90-deaths-war-civilians.html

In our madness, let us celebrate that our federal government funds and supports those who shell churches in the Ukraine:

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/71874.htm

In our madness, let us celebrate that our federal government funds and supports Islamic warriors intent on wiping out Christianity wherever they go in Syria, Iraq, etc.:

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/71955.htm

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/71957.htm

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/71960.htm

http://www.infowars.com/saudi-arabia-sunni-caliphate-nato-run-secret-terror-army-in-iraq-and-syria/

In our madness, let us celebrate that our federal government penalizes nations who are trying to preserve Christian morality

http://www.infowars.com/u-s-slaps-sanctions-on-uganda-for-vile-anti-gay-laws/

while promoting anti-Christian behavior wherever it can:

http://www.infowars.com/obama-takes-gay-war-against-marriage-global/

In our madness, let us celebrate the sham, hollow, bootless right to vote in our over-sized, bloated mass democracy, which only serves to legitimize the corporate-owned and -controlled two party system:

http://www.infowars.com/who-owns-your-congressman/

In our sanity, let us celebrate independence through that other peaceful transfer of power, secession, by which the States of the old union at first came to be free:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAUSTrJsZ3A

In our sanity, let us fly the Flag of Southern Freedom, St Andrew’s Cross,

and not the flag of the brutal and corrupt American Empire of the Transnational Corporate Elite ('the stars and stripes'):

http://leagueofthesouth.com/?p=162

Lord, have mercy on us sinners at the South!

Will the South Follow Antichrist?

The Antichrist will be a shrewd man.  He will flatter each person (or group of people) at his weakest points in order to gain his allegiance.  Thus Vladimir Solovyov in his chapter ‘A Short Story of the Anti-Christ’ (found in War, Progress, and the End of History) sketches a picture of the False Messiah offering to Catholics a Pope adorned with as much ‘spiritual authority’ (p. 180), with as many ‘rights and privileges’ (p. 181), as he has ever held; to the Orthodox Christians, a museum displaying and celebrating all the outward forms of their holy tradition - icons, hymns, etc. (pgs. 181-2); and to Protestants, a center for studying the Holy Scriptures (pgs. 182-3).  And many of all these proclaimed him their master.

In what danger the Southern people will be on such a day!  We who desire a place among the nations, free of Washington City’s abusive domineering, will we bow before Antichrist for this liberation, for the recognition of the World Emperor that ‘the South was right and the North was wrong’ on the question of secession, the War, Reconstruction, and all that has followed?  We who value a life of the soil rather than a life of sterile factory and office labor, will we bow before Antichrist for a return to the pastoral ideal?  We who value our culture - foodcrafts, poets, novelists, historians, musicians, etc. - will we bow before Antichrist in return for his honoring and patronage of such things?  We who desire a peaceful life between blacks and whites in the South, will we bow before Antichrist for his answer to the race question?

We must be ready for these greatest of trials.  But we are not ready!  As men like Richard Weaver (The Southern Culture at Bay), Cleanth Brooks (‘The Enduring Faith’ in Why the South Will Survive), and Lewis P. Simpson (The Dispossessed Garden) make clear, the Southern people are not theologically astute.  In the backwoods, we have settled for simple and emotional forms of Protestant Christianity, and our upper classes have drifted from more traditional, liturgical Christian rites to vague notions of redeeming man through his reconnecting with history and memory.  Said otherwise, the South has shallow theological roots, for we have honored tolerance and pluralism more highly than Truth, which has been enfleshed in all of its fulness and splendor in Jesus Christ the God-man, and is now therefore within reach of all men.

If we are to stand firm against Antichrist, we must unite ourselves as closely as possible to his enemy, Christ the God-man.  He has left here on this earth His very Body, the Orthodox Church, that we may do this.  In our union with Christ through His Divine-human Body, and through Him with the Father and the Holy Spirit - in this lies our one and only hope.  If we continue to compromise the Faith given by Christ to His Apostles, the unchanging Faith of the Orthodox Church, through loyalty to Protestant and Catholic traditions, the South will most certainly fall to Antichrist.

Outside the Light of the Truth there is only darkness and error and confusion.  But in the Light, our faith will grow from strength to strength, as the sturdy oak in good soil with abundant waters and sunlight.  And nothing will make it to fall.

Put on the full armor of God, Southerner!  We will find in Orthodoxy not the destruction of our inheritance but its highest fulfilment.

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Here are just a few of the many good writings about what the Orthodox Church is, and how she differs from the Western (Catholic and Protestant) churches.  While there is still time, we must study such things heartily.

‘The Church—The Treasury of Salvation’ by St John of Krostadt:

http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/krons_church.aspx

‘The Attributes of the Church’ by St Justin Popovich:

http://www.sv-luka.org/Chilandar/publishing.htm

‘The God-Man: The Foundation of the Truth of Orthodoxy’ by St Justin Popovich:

http://www.sv-luka.org/library/thegodman_jp.htm

Works Cited

Solovyov, Vladimir.  War, Progress, and the End of History.  Alexander Bakshy, trans.  Hudson, Ny.: Lindisfarne Press, 1990.