Dear Fred,
“The work of heaven alone is material; the making of a material world.
The work of hell is entirely spiritual.”
Pax on both houses,
Thanks for your email.
In politics, I am (almost always) prepared to get screwed if, in the process, I also get incremental improvement.
90 year old Air Force general friend, Arthur -- a self-described "in your face liberal" -- said to me: "In politics Alan, patience is crucial. The ideals you and I support may take a hundred thousand years to achieve."
It gladdens me to know you hiked into the foothills yesterday.
For me, politics is another kind of "foothill" - with peaks so distant they can hardly be seen.
On we slop.
A step at a time.
A day at a time.
Immersed in the business of living.
Not haunted by "The Paralysis of Perfection" nor the vindictiveness, vengefulness and punitiveness that shadow Judeo-Christianity like "Lucifer" choosing to darken his once luminous self.
A step at a time.
A day at a time.
Immersed in the business of living.
Not haunted by "The Paralysis of Perfection" nor the vindictiveness, vengefulness and punitiveness that shadow Judeo-Christianity like "Lucifer" choosing to darken his once luminous self.
At times, we humans must take ninety nine steps backward for the next hundred "adelante!"
At many points in history, one can look back and "reasonably" conclude that there has been nothing but regression as far as eye can see.
But no matter the cost, we must resist the "conservative" belief that "politics is hopeless" and that our only refuge is angry, Abrahamic monotheism.
Notably, Chesterton held that Trinitarianism was Christianity's protection against the habitual violence of radical monotheism - a violence so overwhelming that Abraham was prepared to kill his own son just as jihadists are led to the lesser - but still grave evil - of killing the sons of others.
Chesterton also devised the definitive Theology of Incarnation:
The work of hell is entirely spiritual.”
Even if the human condition is hopeless (as Armageddon Cheerleaders claim) it is our human vocation to believe otherwise.
Only by maintaining faith in Hope, can we preserve our mental and spiritual health, refusing to participate in the radical renunciation of Faith, Hope and Charity that afflicts huge swathes of American "Christianity."
Faith, Hope and Charity comprise a three legged stool - the simplest, and most stable, of designs.
Remove any of the legs, however, and "the trinity" collapses.
Pax on both houses,
Alan
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On Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 11:31 AM, Fred Owens <froghospital911@gmail.com> wrote:
On the face of it, the legislation for gun control seems reasonable -- but I do not support the people who are backing it. I do not support them, and they do not support me. I am not going to be a sucker again -- I do not trust them....... Gabby and her friends...... not Mr. Wayne either, for that matterI went hiking in the foothills yesterday morning, enjoying the wildflowers and fresh air.On Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 8:07 AM, Fred Owens <froghospital911@gmail.com> wrote:The twin evils -- enforced conformity and the pursuit of "diversity" -- where is the center?On Tue, Apr 16, 2013 at 10:08 PM, Alan Archibald <alanarchibaldo@gmail.com> wrote:Dear Fred,Thanks for your email.Ethnic homogeneity is a powerful circumstance that facilitates many favorable outcomes.Still, if Americans were deprives of all firearms ave those which prevailed when the bill of rights was written, the only difference would be much less carnage.Personally, I have no objection to a "national registry" nor to obligatory training/licensing before a citizen can purchase a firearm.Surely the opening words of The Second Amendment mean something: "A well-regulated militia..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_ Amendment_to_the_United_ States_Constitution ***Concerning "enforced conformity..." It was fundamental to our Catholic upbringing.And as child-rearing methods go, Catholic education was remarkably successful.Today, I rankle at the prospect of "enforced conformity."But I very much doubt my own "independently-tailored" method of child-rearing is any better (and probably a good deal worse) than my parents' method.PaxAlanOn Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 12:47 AM, Fred Owens <froghospital911@gmail.com> wrote:everybody all the same, one size fits all, conformity is enforced"A land without anyone but Japanese people living in it
"Japan: A Land Without Guns, A Land Without Murder"
--
Fred Owens
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