Month: June 2020

Categories
political

More anti Russian hysteria

That laughable rag of political correctness, the New York Times has published a report indicating that the Russian Government put a bounty on American troops! This very same newspaper whose editorial staff revolted because the paper published an op-ed by Senator Tom Cotton (R) of Kansas that they did not agree with. Just recently, the Times published an op ed that called for the complete abolition of the Police.

The Russians have been blamed for Hillary Clinton’s election loss in 2016. Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice blamed the Russians for the riots that broke out in the United States. In 2017, Clinton ally Paul Begala called for the bombing of Russia!

The Democratic establishment continues to remind sane people why they are too dangerous to be entrusted with political power. Dangerous rhetoric and scapegoating could easily get out of hand in the event of a Biden victory in November. It has also become very clear that Joe Biden will not complete his term in office should he actually be elected President in November. Which ever extreme left wing sociopath is chosen for Vice President will become the actual President before 2024.

Most Democrats know nothing about Russia, history, or world affairs. The base of the Democratic Party became familiar with Russia and its President Vladimir Putin only after Hillary Clinton and the Democrats began demonizing Moscow in the run up to the 2016 elections. Most of the media failed to adopt any sort of objectivity regarding Russia since at least the 2016 elections. One could also argue that the anti Russia hysteria began with the Russian seizure of Crimea (after the Russians were provoked by Washington and NATO who overthrew the democratic government in Ukraine) in 2014 but I believe the real hatred of Russia erupted in 2016.

The left prides itself on its commitment to “diversity”, “tolerance”, and “multiculturalism”. If the left was genuinely committed to such concepts they would be better educated and informed about Russia and they would be establishing both Russian and Byzantine studies departments at Universities. I was watching a left wing Professor on Youtube a couple of weeks ago who referred to Putin as a “gangster”.

He also called Trump a “gangster”. So there we have it. Trump wanted better relations with Russia, and since the Democrats think Trump is evil, well then so are the Russians. There really is no logic to this anti Russian racism. Of course, there is no logic to any form of racism or bigotry.

The lives of everyone in the world have been disrupted because of the Chinese Communist Party’s initial refusal to contain the Wuhan Virus. The Chinese Communist Party caused the deaths of innocent people around the world (especially the elderly and the vulnerable), devastated economies everywhere, and took away everyone’s freedom. But the news media is not interested in China and the devastation it has caused.

The media sees Russia, not China as a threat. The Times and other media outlets do not cover events. They are working to influence events and to make them happen.They have minimized the hostile actions of China while depicting Russia as a major threat.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is suggesting the Russians have something on Donald Trump and is supposedly outraged by the supposed “bounty” that the Russians have put out. This is where one needs to go back and reread “No One Left to Lie To” by the late Christopher Hitchens. Hitchens was a first class journalist who investigated the Clinton administrations bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan in 1998 and the bombing of Iraq in December of that year.

Hitchens did not hesitate to accuse Clinton of “war crimes” for bombing those countries at times when he was either compelled to give a deposition or when the process of impeachment was reaching its conclusion in December of that year. Clinton bombed a factory in Sudan on the grounds that it was manufacturing “chemical weapons” when it was simply manufacturing aspirins! It is true that Al Quada bombed two American embassies in Africa and retaliation was in order, but the President’s behavior made it impossible for anyone not to suspect that he ordered the bombings to take attention away from his legal problems.

The Democratic Party began transforming into the lunatic party that it has become today under the Clinton administration. The Democrats have established a political cult around the Clintons. Bill Clinton dragged America (and the world to an extent) into his sex life. The behavior of the outgoing Clinton administration in 2001 has been long forgotten. The sleazy pardons at the last minute by Clinton and the vandalism of public property at the White House should have confirmed these two people had no business ever holding the reigns of power.

The Clintons refused to leave office with any sense of class or dignity in 2001. Likewise in 2016, Hillary could not concede defeat in the Presidential election and so the Democrats blamed the Russians. Except Russia is not Afghanistan, Sudan, or Iraq. The Russia of 2016 was also not the Russia of 2001.

It has also been forgotten that the Clinton administration intervened in Russian internal affairs when it tried to influence the outcome of the Russian elections of 1996. It should also be kept in mind that neoconservatives established a think tank in Washington that promoted independence from Russia for Chechnya. The Democrats are probably still harboring hard feelings because the Russians undermined the Obama administrations support for Jihadists in Syria.

Forgotten is the support that Russia gave to the United States after 9/11. Russia did not object to the use of American bases in the Central Asian Republics for use against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Russia also warned the FBI about the older brother who went on to bomb the Boston Marathon in 2013.

Joe Biden has accepted the allegations about a Russian “bounty”. No one in the Democratic Party is even waiting for more information to come out. A political party that is this ignorant and reckless has no business accumulating political power.

Donald Trump is the better candidate by far. Trump is the anti war candidate.

Categories
political

Aghia Sophia and UNESCO

Updated December 5, 2020

https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2197

https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/06/26/unesco-sent-letter-to-turkey-regarding-turning-hagia-sophia-into-a-mosque/

Finally, it appears that UNESCO has protested Turkish plans to turn Aghia Sophia into a Mosque. I suppose one can say better late than never. At this late date, any and all protests are welcome in order to save Justinian’s Church.

There are some good articles that are presently making the rounds regarding Aghia Sophia. Archeology magazine has a cover story on Aghia Sophia involving the latest activities of archeologists, and the Wall Street Journal has an excellent article. This past Wednesday, the Washington Post also had an article on Aghia Sophia.

The attention being given to Aghia Sophia is very welcome at this point. Aghia Sophia has a special meaning for Greek Orthodox faithful. What Saint Peter’s is to Roman Catholics and what the Wailing Wall is to Judaism, Aghia Sophia is to Orthodoxy.

The most welcome support for Aghia Sophia came from his eminence Metropolitan Hilarion Alfayev who is the General Secretary of the Russian Orthodox Church. His Eminence noted that a visit to Aghia Sophia where the liturgy was being celebrated one thousand years ago led to the conversion of the Russians to Christianity. Russian support is especially crucial at this point.

The State Department has made clear its own opposition to the conversion of Aghia Sophia into a Mosque. Despite the intentions of the Erdogan government, the decision to convert Aghia Sophia must be made a by a Turkish Court. Since the failed Coup of 2016, President Erdogan has taken complete control of Turkey. We will soon see if the Courts in Turkey have maintained any independence from the Government.

Categories
books

Recalling Hagia Sophia

Book Review

Hagia Sophia

Sound, Space, and Spirit in Byzantium by Bissera V. Pentcheva 2017.

A project took place in recent years by a Cappella group of singers to recapture the sound of the Great Church in Hagia Sophia and to imagine as much as possible what the Christian attending the divine liturgy in Justinian’s Church experienced and heard. Bissera V. Pentcheva (who is Russian Orthodox) has written about the project in this fine book entitled “Hagia Sophia, Sound Space and Spirit in Byzantium”. On Amazon there is also a wonderful CD and DVD available called “Lost Voices of Hagia Sophia” which is the outcome of the group’s experiments within Hagia Sophia.

The book is absolutely fascinating. It is wonderful that this group had access to Hagia Sophia. Considering that Hagia Sophia is no longer a Church, the activities undertaken Ms. Pentcheva and her associates are a wonderful way of giving glory to God. Indeed, these activities may have served as an alternative means for using the Great Church in service to Greek Orthodoxy.

The book describes the edifice of Hagia Sophia and the manner in which modern technology was utilized to capture the sound and acoustics in Hagia Sophia. Using modern recording devices and a wonderful choir the group produced an excellent recording on the aforementioned CD that allows the listener to hear as closely as possible what worshippers in Hagia Sophia heard before 1453.

In addition, the book is wonderful for educating the reader on the Divine Liturgy and worship of the Greek Orthodox Church. The reader will learn the detailed significance of the services of worship, and specifically how the Patriarch conducted services in Hagia Sophia. This book could and should be used for liturgics classes in Orthodox seminaries.

This book is a wonderful contribution to the study of Hagia Sophia and a terrific recollection on the historically and spiritually important activities that took place during this time. At a time when Turkey is threatening to convert Hagia Sophia into a Mosque, it is refreshing to see that it it still serves (albeit indirectly) as a house of Christian worship.

Both the book and CD-DVD “Lost Voices of Hagia Sophia” are available for purchase on Amazon.

Categories
cinema

America America (1963)

Film Review

“America America” was Directed by Greek American Director Elia Kazan. Kazan was a legend who directed Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront” and was an influence on Martin Scorcese. “America America” was nominated for several Oscars and Golden Globe Awards. The Oscar nominations were for Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. It took one Oscar for Best Art Direction.

Kazan won a Golden Globe for Best Director and the star of the film, Stathis Giallelis won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. With summer here, there will be more posts on Movies, especially since the theaters are still closed.

“America America” is the greatest Greek themed movie that Hollywood has ever created. Most people have seen “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. While that movie had humor and was embraced by the public it was not a film about the Greek experience and unfortunately (through no fault of its makers) it is the film that most people associate with Greeks.

“America America” is not only a Greek themed film. It is an American film through and through. It is about the land of opportunity and the immigrant experience.

The film is a fictionalized version of the journey of Kazan’s Uncle who was born in Anatolia. The film is set in the year 1896 and the story centers around a Greek family living under worsening political conditions under the Ottoman Turks. The main character is Stavros (played by Giallelis) the oldest son in the family.

Stavros is friends with an Armenian named Vartan. The film is beautifully shot (much of it was filmed in Greece and Turkey) and the second class status of Christians under the Turks is accurately depicted. The film takes place during the period when there was unrest as the Ottomans were becoming increasingly brutal toward the Armenian Christians. Benny Morris and Dror Ze’evi who published last year’s masterpiece, “The Thirty Year Genocide” about the Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian Genocide dated the beginning of the mass slaughter to the year 1894.

The humiliation of Christians is expressed by the father of Stavros who tells his son “I keep my honor inside where it is safe”. This after a scene where the old man had to grovel in humiliation before a Turkish official. The film includes a scene where Stavros and Vartan are humiliated by Turkish officials while going about their business.

There is also a difficult scene to watch in which Armenians are massacred by the Turks. The film successfully captures the political atmosphere that surrounds the plight of Stavros and his family. Isaac, the father of Stavros is portrayed by Harry Davis who is excellent in the role.

My favorite scene in the movie is that which depicts family life. Isaac calls together his wife and children for prayer. He leads the family in prayer and gets irritated when his wife speaks when she should be praying. During the difficult centuries of Ottoman rule (referred to as Turkocratia by the Greeks) the Greeks survived because of the Greek Orthodox Church and the institution of the family.

The brutality and humiliation of living under Ottoman rule ended at the doors of the house. Even Isaac who had no choice but to accept humiliation at the hands of the Turks was a strong and good father who watched out for his family. In one scene, Stavros kissed the hand of his father.

The scene where the family is praying together has great significance because today the family in Greece has been largely decimated. Secularism, along with social media and other intrusions have done enormous harm to the institution of the family. Under the Ottomans, even the authority of the Turks had its limits. The home was a genuine sanctuary from outside oppression. The Greeks then were able to maintain their Orthodox faith and their national consciousness, something that has become less possible today as a result of the intrusions of modern technology and other sources.

Isaac is intent on sending Stavros on a mission. He is going to send him to live with his brother in Constantinople. This is the first step in the family’s efforts to make their way to America. Having already divulged too much for anyone who has not seen the film, I must stop any further discussion of the plot.

Stavros has read about America. He already loves America and desires to be an American. This is a brilliant immigrant movie and this is the film that should be embraced by the Greek American community as it depicts both the Greek national experience and America as a land of opportunity.

“America America” was released on VHS in 1994. It was released on DVD in 2011. Every Greek home should have a copy.

Categories
books

Constantinople victorious

Book Review

The Avar Siege of Constantinople in 626 by Martin Hurbanic

Palgrave Macmillan. 2019

“The Avar Siege of Constantinople in 626” is an outstanding and very well researched book about the attack on the City by the Persians and the Avars in 626 AD. While the Emperor Heraclius was waging war on the Persians in the East in defense of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, the Avars were trying to take Constantinople by the Sea.

The book is an excellent recollection of the events as they transpired from contemporaneous accounts of the siege of Constantinople. There are numerous historical sources from later centuries that were likewise cited in the recounting of events that transpired. This assault on Constantinople remains in the memory and consciousness of the Orthodox Church up to the present time.

“The Akathist “Hymn” which is sung during the first five weeks of Great Lent is attributed to the victory over the Avars at this time. Certainly, the Christians of Constantinople believed that the victory over the Avars was a miracle. The Author cites numerous ecclesiastical sources who attributed the victory to the intercessions of the Holy Theotokos (Mother of God).

Sources cited from both Byzantines and Avars include eyewitness testimony that a woman appeared over the walls near the Blachernae section of the City. This was considered by the faithful to be the Mother of God who interceded to save the City as there was (and still is) a Church at Blachernae that was not only built in her honor, but which contained a holy garment that belonged to the Theotokos. Most interesting are the eyewitnesses among the Avars who claimed to have seen a mysterious woman over the walls.

The Byzantines interpreted the victory as a miracle. In addition, the Avars were compared to the Egyptians who drowned in the Red Sea. Sergius, the Patriarch of Constantinople at the time was considered a new Moses.

This is indeed an excellent book on the history of Byzantium and the city of Constantinople. The author has done great research into when the inhabitants of the Empire considered their capital to be under the protection of the Theotokos. It appears that with the victory over the Avars after the appeals made to the Mother of God that Constantinople was considered to be under the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos.

That protection lasted until 1453 when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. During that final and fateful siege, the last inhabitants of Christian Constantinople feared that the Theotokos withdrew her protection from the City when her Icon which was being carried in a procession fell down.

We live in interesting times today. The Turks are planning to turn the Great Church of Aghia Sophia into a Mosque. May the protection of the Holy Theotokos be restored over the Church of Aghia Sophia and over the Church of Constantinople itself which has badly stumbled and estranged itself from the Orthodox Church owing to the tragic events in Ukraine.

In the Akathistos Hymn, we sing,

“To you the champion leader, do I your city, ascribe thank offerings of victory,

For you O Mother of God, have delivered me from terrors; but as you have invincible power, do you free me from every kind of danger, so that to you I may cry: hail, o bride unwedded”

Categories
cinema

Star Wars (1977)

Film Review

PROLOGUE

The following review mentions only the original Star Wars film and makes no direct mention of ANY of the other films in the series and makes references only to the original film and the context of the times in which it appeared and its subsequent evolution over the decades.

In a previous post “The Absence of the Cinematic Experience”, I wrote about movies and I mentioned that I would write about Star Wars as I listed it as the best movie ever made. This is also the right time I think to break from politics as I spent a good deal of time writing many political posts. What can be said about Star Wars that has not already been written?

I saw Star Wars for the first time when I was seven years old in a movie theatre that no longer exists. I had already had a knowledge of the idea and the characters. I became a Star Wars fan at school and read the comic versions before I had seen the movie.

Those were the days when there were no DVD’s and blu rays. Home video was still a long way off. Even betamax had still not arrived. Forget anything like Netflix. Cable television was still something that would arrive later.

If you wanted to see a movie you had to go the theatre to see it. Then you would have to wait for it to show up on network television, or local television channels. Star Wars was so successful that having been released in 1977, it would not be on aired on cable television until 1983, and network television in 1984.

The film would be rereleased in the theaters from time to time, so if you wanted to see it you had to wait for it to return to the theater. This was why the infamous “Star Wars holiday special” was aired in 1979. More on that below.

Whenever it returned to the theater, it was always a fun experience. A great time always.

The plot of the film centers around Luke Skywalker, a farm boy who lives on the planet tatooine. He is a dreamer and an idealist. He lives with his Aunt and Uncle. Well, everybody knows the story,

It is a great movie that has aged very well. It is very well written and directed by George Lucas. The cast includes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guiness, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Cushing. The movie has plot and adventure.

The movie has drama. From the beginning of the film when we see the Star Destroyer up to the end with the ceremony at the throne room, we have seen a true adventure. Believe me, you could not see this movie enough times in the late 1970’s when it came back to the theater.

As mentioned above, “The Star Wars Holiday Special” was shown during the holiday season of 1979. I still remember watching this but I always remembered it as being shown for thanksgiving, and not Christmas as many online reviews have stated. If you were a Star Wars fan you would watch anything Star Wars even crap like the Holiday Special.

I remember being disappointed that the main cast from the film appeared in only a few minutes of the special. I always remembered this special and the fact that the cast appeared only briefly. In 1999, I came across a VHS copy of somebody’s old tape in a used video and CD store.

I knew what it was, I remembered seeing it but did not actually remember much else. I bought it, took it home, and watched it. Yeah, the real cast was only briefly shown and the rest was this really stupid variety show typical of the 1970’s. The only thing that made this interesting was the appearance of Boba Fett. I had forgotten that. I still remember the TV commercial advertising the Boba Fett action figure in the run up to the “Empire Strikes Back”. I thought that was the first appearance of Boba Fett.

The Holiday Special was put together by morons who apparently never took the time to actually go see “Star Wars”. Why bring in other celebrities for this thing? They had the cast of the film which is why this thing is historically important and is in the collection of Star Wars fans.

If they could not commit the cast to more than a few minutes they could have made a thirty minute (with commercials twenty two minutes) special with a plot involving stormtroopers and a guy to wear a Darth Vader mask. It would not have had to be as good as the film (no one would have expected it to) but it would have been watchable.

In any case, Star Wars was a unique phenomenon. At the time, one assumed that Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia were going to become a couple (the subsequent revelation that Luke and Leia were brother and sister began to ruin the whole story.) That is how it should have been played over the long term.

Han Solo was the best character in my opinion. Total jerk but the guy who does the right thing in the end. And quite frankly, he is the real hero of the movie. If Han Solo did not return and bump off Darth Vader’s tie fighter when the latter was going to blow away Luke’s X wing fighter, the death star would not have been blown up and the rebel base at Yaavin might have been completely destroyed.

Obi Wan Kenobi is a superb character. A mixture of priest and warrior. The Jedi remind me so much of the Emperors of the Byzantine Empire who were honorary priests. Obi Wan is a hermit living a monastic life in complete solitude. His mission is to wait for the day when Luke will be ready to train to become a jedi and to teach him the ways of the force, a mystical energy.

The story begins when a rebel ship is sucked up by the imperial star destroyer and the rebels are annihilated by the stormtroopers who over power them when they enter the rebel ship. Princess Leia puts plans with the details of the Empire’s Death Star into R2 D2. The droid along with c3po are put in an escape pod and escape where they fall to the planet tattoonie.

The two droids subsequently are captured by Jawas, a small group of hooded aliens who resell captured droids. The two droids are purchased by Luke’s Uncle Owen. R2D2 not only carries the Death Star plans with him, but a message from Princess Leia for Obi Wan Kenobi. R2D2 sneaks out to find the retired Jedi master who lives on Tattooine.

The moment arrives when Obi wan saves luke after the latter has been attacked by the sand people. Obi wan sees the message that Princess Leia has put in R2D2 and comes out of retirement. When Luke finds his Aunt and Uncle have been killed by stormtroopers looking for the droids, he embarks with Obi Wan to Mos Eisley Space port where they meet up with Han Solo and Chewbacca.

The six of them escape the stormtroopers after a shoot out and subsequently find that the planet Alderaan (where Obi Wan is supposed to meet Princess Leia’s father) has been blown up by the Empire’s Death Star. The Millenium Falcon (the ship they are traveling on gets sucked into the Death Star by the tractor beam.

The group gets split up and Han, Luke, and Chewbacca rescue Princess Leia. They eventually make their way back to the ship except they are now witnessing a dual between Obi Wan and Darth Vader.

The lightsaber dual with Darth Vader is brief but highly dramatic. The expression on Obi Wan’s face when he sees Vader is great acting. Alec Guinness played this part brilliantly. Obi Wan is a man of faith above all and like the early Christians under the Romans allows himself to be killed in anticipation of eternal life.

Vader slays him and then finds his body is gone. Obi wan had faith in resurrection like Christians do. After a space battle in the falcon and the heroes have escaped they make their way to the rebel base on Yavin. The rebels will dissect the death star plans that R2 D2 has carried and they launch an offensive against the Death Star.

Great action scenes and outstanding special effects. When Luke is the last fighter left fighting the Death Star he hears the voice of Obi Wan, He turns off the computer. Again, the power of faith over reason and technology.

At the last minute before Darth Vader is about to finish off Luke, the Millenium Falcon is back and Han Solo knocks off Vader. Han Solo had taken off with his reward money after refusing to participate in the fight against the Death Star. His heroic action redeems him and makes him a hero.

Luke takes the final shot and blows up the Death Star. The final scene of the throne room where Han, Luke, and Chewbacca get their medals is great drama.

The film is a masterpiece and represents all that is good about movies.

As noted above, Star Wars made its initial premiere on cable television in 1983, and network television in 1984. I am not sure when Star Wars was first released on home video.

Like any other film, Star Wars (and its sequals) was released on betamax, laser disc, and VHS formats. The last version of the original theatrical cut was released in the fall of 1995. I always found it strange that these releases were advertised as the original “one last time”.

I am a classic fan of Star Wars having been there from the beginning but I was never a nerd or a fanatic. I never understood what the “one last time” was supposed to mean”. In 1997, on the twentieth anniversary of the release of Star Wars, George Lucas rereleased the film and its sequals as “special editions” featuring both restored footage and newly filmed footage that were inserted into the films.

Further changes were made when Star Wars was released on DVD for the first time in 2004, and yet even further changes were made when Star Wars was released on blu ray for the first time in 2011. As it is the original theatrical versions have become unavailable.

It is true that the theatrical versions of the film were released in 2006 on DVD but George Lucas basically cheated the fans with these releases. At the time, video stores advertised that the original theatrical version of Star Wars were going to be released on DVD. This was misleading.

The final product was a rerelease of the 2004 special editions in which the theatrical versions were included as bonuses. The transfer was garbage as it was an outdated transfer from 1993 laser disks. The quality of the picture and sound was terrible and the film does not fit on widescreen televisions.

No other artist hates his fans as much as George Lucas does. All that Star Wars fans want (especially those of us who were there from the beginning) is a blu ray high definition transfer of the original film and its sequals. Lucas could have had as many special editions out there as possible, but he could have at least had the original theatrical versions available for film afficionados.

Many Directors have used the technology of DVD and blu ray to release several versions of their films. Some Directors have to cut their films for length of time, or to avoid a rated X or NC-17 because of too much violence or sex. The availability of technology enabled them to bring back their original films but they did NOT eradicate the original theatrical versions.

Star Wars has to be the only cinematic masterpiece that is not available to film fans. Yes, the various special editions are available but that is not quite the same thing. Considering the phenomenal success of Star Wars, one would think it would be available forever.

Without the availability of the original theatrical cut(s) Star Wars no longer exists for viewing.

Alas, Star Wars is a matter of nostalgia.

Categories
political

The intellect and ideology

As far as ideological leanings go, it is best to be in the center and to examine both the right and the left very carefully and cautiously. My two favorite intellectuals are Patrick Buchanan and the late Christopher Hitchens. The former is right wing while the latter was a man of the left.

Buchanan supports the old fashioned non interventionism regarding foreign wars. Buchanan opposed the Gulf War, the bombing of Serbia, the invasion of Iraq in 2003, intervention in Syria, and opposed expanding NATO to the Russian border which antagonized the Russians. I have also admired his devotion to his Catholic faith and his conservatism on social issues.

Christopher Hitchens was an old fashioned liberal. His atheism and some of his left leaning positions on social issues were contrary to my views. Regardless, Hitchens was a superb journalist and writer, and even when he was wrong he was worth reading. He was right on many things such as his support for the freedom of Cyprus, his support for the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and his denunciation of Henry Kissinger as a war criminal.

It is important to have a thorough appreciation of and understanding for both sides of the political spectrum. I started out as a conservative but I generally wandered away from partisan politics and preferred to distance myself from politics. Much of that had to do with the Bush administration’s war on Iraq as well as the right’s traditional pro Turkish foreign policy. As a Greek American, I am unequivocally opposed to Turkey with its legacy of genocide and territorial conquest.

Now I identify once again with conservatism. The Democratic Party and its extremism has made it impossible to remain politically non aligned. The extremism of the left and its embrace of neo pagan ideology (transgender ideology, infanticide) and now the hideous hatred directed at Police and the utterly insane idea of defunding and/or abolishing the Police!

I did not vote between 2000 and 2012. In 2000, I voted for Patrick Buchanan who was running on the Reform Party ticket. I detested Bush and Gore. In hindsight, I think it might have been better had Gore won. At least then we would have been spared the Iraqi invasion and the subsequent interventions in Libya and Syria which were sequels to the Iraqi invasion.

When I resumed voting, I voted for Ron Paul in the Republican Primary in 2012. His non interventionist foreign policy views appealed to me. In November however I voted for Barack Obama. I believed Obama was preferable to Mitt Romney who had called Russia America’s greatest enemy and who had said he would bomb Iran.

Unfortunately, Obama intervened in Syria and exacerbated tensions with Russia under the influence of neoconservatives such as Victoria Nuland. In 2016, I was for Trump on the basis of his public statements criticizing the wars in Iraq and Syria, and a desire for reconciliation with Russia.

I have been all over the map when it comes to voting. I believe that the intellect is more important than ideology. Historical knowledge and understanding is very important. Donald Trump understands this and has for the most part guided the United States away from war. He needs to back off Iran, I will say that. His view four years ago that ISIS was a menace and that Russia is a potential ally was a very farsighted and enlightened foreign policy stance.

Donald Trump has a good deal of historical knowledge and understanding of history and world affairs. He also understands and appreciates freedom of religion. Many will scoff at this post should they read it, but the fact is that the Trump administration is an administration that relies on the intellect.

Contrast this with the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party is an ideological Party. That is it. Intellectual discourse and knowledge have been purged. The Democrats believe that it is an act of bigotry to suggest that men should not use the ladies room. If one were to state that it is a fact that there are in fact only two genders one will be denounced as a bigot and “transphobe” in the Democratic Party.

The rank and file of the Democratic Party is demanding the defunding of the Police. In fairness, most Democrats have rejected this. Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden has rejected this demand. The question is, how long until the Democrats succumb to their angry constituency and adopt this insane position?

The Democrats succumbed to the pressure of Planned Parenthood and other pro abortion groups to support abortion right up until the ninth month of pregnancy. They purged their ranks of any critics of gay marriage and transgender ideology. Having proven that they have no moral backbone, it is a certainty that the hysterical demand to defund the Police will make its way to the platform of the Democratic Party at some point.

The number one reason for my contempt for the Democratic Party is because of that ideological movements utter rejection of knowledge. That Party has sacrificed the intellect for ideology. Take for example its mad anti Russian (I know I am sounding like a broken record regarding Russia on this post and several others on this blog but be patient) agenda.

Russia is a great power with a glorious history and has made clear that it will defend its sovereignty and its interests abroad (as in Syria). Russia has been invaded countless times throughout history going back to the Teutonic Knights in 1242. Since then, the Russians have been invaded by Sweden, Lithuania. Poland, Napolean, the German Kaiser, and Hitler.

The Democrats in their devotion to their own ideology and hunger for power do not seem to comprehend the danger that is manifest in their blaming the Russians for the outcome of the 2016 elections. Paul Begala, a former Clinton official openly said in 2016 that the United States should bomb Russia!

Yes, a prominent Democrat suggested bombing a country that is a nuclear power! The country that lost twenty million people in the Second World War and still crushed Hitler! After the fall of the Third Reich, the world regretted not taking Hitler seriously when his memoir “Mein Kamp” was published in 1925 eight years before his seizure of power.

If history has taught us anything it is to take seriously what politicians say. The Democratic Party has not only blamed Russia for the outcome of the 2016 elections, former National Security Advisor Susan Rice has blamed the Russians for the riots in the United States. We should be very fearful of what could happen should the Democrats win November’s Presidential election.

With regard to the insane demand by the American left that Police should be defunded. It is very clear that these ideologues do not know what the hell a failed state is. Remember Somalia and Afghanistan! A country becomes a failed state when there is no more authority.

Perhaps my comparison with Somalia and Afghanistan is extreme and unlikely. Maybe, but do we really want to find out what will happen if the Police are either defunded or abolished? The intellect is dead in the Democratic Party.

This is too bad because liberals have been right on some issues in the past. For example, liberals were right to condemn the torture and abuses that took place at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Someone in the Bush administration having read a book called “The Arab Mind” thought it would be useful to sexually humiliate Iraqi prisoners. Anyone with human decency who has seen photographs or videos of the abuses at Abu Ghraib was sickened. Liberal Democrats were right to condemn the Bush administration for that sickening affair.

Liberals were also correct to criticize the Reagan administration for funding the death squads in El Salvador during the 1980’s. The Salvadoran death squads murdered civilians and were responsible for the murders of several Catholic nuns and Archbishop Oscar Romero in 1980. Liberals have had their moments.

Unfortunately, they became completely unhinged by political correctness and institutions of higher learning have become left wing versions of madrassas. The Democratic Party has now been take over by extremists. Left wing ideology at the expense of everything. Reason and the intellect have no home in the Democratic Party.

Categories
faith

Farewell Aghia Sophia

 On 29 May 2020, the anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople and the heroic martyrdom of Emperor Constantinos Paleologos the Great Church of Aghia Sophia was used for Islamic prayers. Four years ago, there were Koranic readings in the Great Church during the Muslim holy days of Ramadan. Aghia Sophia has since 1985 been on the list of world heritage sites of UNESCO (United nations educational scientific cultural organization). UNESCO has failed to make any public statement opposing Turkish plans. 

I have repeatedly contacted UNESCO about this matter. As far back as the fall of 2013, I began writing to UNESCO’s New York office. I also began calling them on the phone and spoke with some of their representatives. I was told directly that a country can do whatever they want with a particular site that is on their territory and UNESCO must respect that decision. I did not believe that to be true then, and I do not believe that to be true now. UNESCO has publicly (and rightfully) condemned the Islamic state for destroying the cultural artifacts of Iraq. They remain ethically obligated to speak up in defense of Aghia Sophia.

In the summer of 2014 I visited a UNESCO office in Athens. I spoke with a gentleman to inform him that Turkish politicians were openly calling for the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a Mosque. In addition to that, I informed  him that at the time two other Church-Museums named Aghia Sophia in Trebizond and Iznik (the former town of Nicea where the first and seventh ecumenical councils of the Church took place to condemn the arian and iconoclastic heresies) had already been converted into Mosques. Since then, another Aghia Sophia in Edirne (the former Adrianople) has been converted into a Mosque. 

In March 2015, while on a visit to Paris I visited the headquarters of UNESCO and met with the organizations “chief of Europe and North America” to protest Turkish plans to make Aghia Sophia a Mosque. The woman informed me that UNESCO had spoken with the Turkish authorities and had been given assurances that the Great Church would not become a Mosque. I have never believed this. Before my Paris visit, large crowds of Turks had gathered outside Aghia Sophia to pray which I perceived as a direct claim to making Aghia Sophia a Mosque. 

 In our conversation, I pointed out to her Aghia Sophia was a product of the Gospel and Orthodox theology. Saint Justinian who presided over the building of the Church is a Greek Orthodox Saint. I reminded her that there were three parties interested in Aghia Sophia. The Turks, the academic community and UNESCO, and Greek Orthodox Christians. I told her outright only the Greeks who have been deprived of Aghia Sophia are challenging the Turks in order to save the Church. Her responses were vague and not entirely true. Know ing Turkey’s aggressive pressure campaigns on various governments, universities, and other institutions, I asked her if UNESCO had been subjected to Turkish pressure. She refused to answer the question saying she does not answer “political questions”. 

The situation is what it is. Aghia Sophia is now being used as a Mosque. This is not an unexpected development. Knowing the nature of Turkish regimes in general, and the fanaticism of the present government this was inevitable. What is particularly despicable is the silence not only of UNESCO but that of the academic community worldwide. The field of Byzantine studies is a glorious one and there are excellent historians and academics who specialize in this field.

To my knowledge, there has no protest on the part of the academic community to protest Turkish plans for Aghia Sophia. UNESCO in particular had a moral responsibility considering that the Church is on its list of world heritage sites. Through their silence, both UNESCO and the academic community have become complicit in this Turkish crime against Greek Orthodoxy. The silence and hypocrisy of the civilized world is what has fed Turkey’s crimes against humanity in the past and continues to feed it in the future.

Categories
faith

Triumphant Christianity and resurgent Marxism

President Vladimir Putin of Russia visiting Mount Athos in 2016. There has been speculation regarding the choice of the President to stand before the Bishop’s throne. Some have speculated he was making a claim by standing where the Byzantine Emperors stood during Church services. On the other hand, his standing before the Bishops throne could be a coincidence.

In 1917, Russia became the first victim of Communism. Under the revolution led by Vladimir Illyich Lenin, millions would be murdered. The Russian Orthodox Church suffered a horrific persecution in which its bishops, priests, and faithful were murdered for maintaining their fidelity to Jesus Christ!

By the end of the century, the totalitarian Communist system collapsed and Orthodox Russia gradually reemerged. Christianity is flourishing in Russia, while the western world appears to be coming under attack from the failed and discredited theories of Marxism-Leninism. Millions of innocent people suffered under the yoke of Communism in what became the Soviet Union.

The Apostle Paul writes in the New Testament, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength”. I Corinthians 1:25

The renaissance of Orthodoxy that is taking place in Russia today can and should be considered a miracle. By the 1930’s, the Russian Church was nearly decimated. Today, it is the Communists who are decimated and Orthodoxy has been restored.

The events that are playing out in the western world are in many ways a repetition of the sins of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve sinned against God and were expelled from the garden of Eden. The western world has rejected God for quite some time, and the consequences of this rejection are now coming to fruition.

Orthodox Christians are taught to see the image of God in the face of every human being. Certainly, the murder of George Floyd was a horrific sin. In addition however, American news outlets and certain political leaders and celebrities are contributing to the dehumanization of Police officers. Murder was a sin when Cain killed his brother Abel, and murder is a sin today when ever it occurs against any human being.

The Democratic Party in America is becoming a bastion of barbarism like the Communist Party in Russia and the Nazi Party of Germany which preceded them. As a Greek Orthodox I unequivocally stand in opposition to everything that the Democratic Party represents. The Democratic Party is emerging with its neo pagan and anti Christian doctrines as the future persecutor of Christianity.

In the Book of Exodus we learn about the Pharaoh of Egypt who refused to let the Israelites go. The tyrannical Pharaoh brought down the wrath of God on himself and his land. In the early history of the Church, the Roman Emperors were associated by Christians with the Antichrist for their fierce persecution of Christians.

The late Christopher Hitchens used to associate religion with totalitarianism. Mr. Hitchens was a great writer, journalist, and intellectual and I admire much of his work. On the subject of religion he was completely and entirely wrong.

Totalitarianism is the ultimate form of idolatry. It is the violation of the first two Commandments that God gave to Moses. The condemnation in the Old Testament of tyrants such as Pharoah and Nebuchadnezzar and the later condemnation of the Roman Emperors in the Book of Revelation and by various Christian apologists and martyrs is proof that God condemns tyrants.

Tyrants always set themselves up as an object of worship. Consider Leni Riefenstahl’s film, “Triumph of the Will” which was filmed at the 1934 Nazi Party Congress. The film’s event has always struck me as a form of idolatry in that Hitler became among the fanatical mobs an object of devotion and perhaps outright worship.

Lenin, Stalin, and Mao likewise made themselves objects of veneration and near worship. We should be profoundly troubled and disturbed that the totalitarian ideologies of the twentieth century have not been completely laid to rest. How ironic is it that the left in American academia denounce “white European males” but remain under the demonic thrall of Marx, Lenin, and Trotsky?

The Holy Church of God has been warring against the demons of hell from the very beginning of its inception by the Lord Jesus Christ! Christ himself descended into hell and liberated the souls that were in captivity! The enemies of the faith of Christ have been numerous.

The Romans, the heretical gnostics, arians, nestorians, monophysites, and iconoclasts, the Franks, the Teutonic Knights, the Ottomans, the Communists, the Kemalists, the Nazis, and the Ustashe. All of them have been defeated. Some of the demons are more quiet but exist nonetheless (Nazism-racism) (Marxism).

Irrespective of the outcome of the events under way in the United States and parts of Europe, the western world will remain hostile to Christianity as it has been for many years now. Orthodox Christians should be looking to Russia for leadership.

Russia has withstood and overcome the demons that were unleashed by the gates of hell. Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler are long gone. Russia is again a bastion of Cathedrals, Churches, and Monasteries. Russia is a source of enlightenment and spiritual liberation in contrast to the west which in its spiritual ignorance and confusion may be embarking on the path that leads to barbarism.

Christianity is the enemy of the Marxist ideology that has corrupted the minds and souls of so many in America today. The bastion of Christianity in the world today is Russia. Russia is the bastion against western atheist and neo pagan barbarism.

Categories
books

On the importance of bookstores

The closure of bookstores due to the coronavirus is politically significant. Books have always been a source of enlightenment and free expression. Bookstores are good places where an individual can go sit in the cafe, have a drink, and browse the magazine racks for the latest political and world news for any viewpoint ranging from conservative to liberal.

One can also browse for the latest books in history, politics, and religion. Like libraries, bookstores are intellectual centers. One can find books on current events as well as the latest books on history ranging from the Crusades to biographies of Stalin.

Bookstores and libraries are real bastions of democratic thought. Most or all viewpoints and interests are represented in one way or another. Bookstores are the “marketplace of ideas”.

Bookstores will carry books favorable to Hillary Clinton. They also carry books favorable to Donald Trump. All sides are represented. Everything from the far right to the far left has appeared in the social sciences and current affairs sections.

I tend to be more enlightened by visits to the local bookstores than by watching the twenty four hour cable news channels, the networks, or television news in general. At the bookstore, one can browse the latest conservative and liberal journals and publications and find something particularly informative.

In addition to the above mentioned categories, one can find books on true crime, cinema, and fiction. There are also the DVD’s and CDS that are sold in the back room. In recent years, vinyl LP’s have made a huge comeback. I last remember seeing vinyl record albums being sold around 1989, before compact disks replaced them. In addition to vinyl albums, record players are sold at bookstores.

I generally prefer the latest news in print to watching news on television. This is why I particularly like to go to the bookstore cafe and browse the latest magazines looking for current news and events. Come to think of it, even a visit to the doctor’s office has its uses considering that there is a wide selection of magazines to browse through while one waits.

With this damn disease that shut civilization down, I have to get my news from the internet. To a certain extent, the internet hosts anything you can find in the print media but I generally hate having to rely on technology. The local news is not too bad, but the cable news channels (with the exception of Tucker Carlson on Fox News) are simply intolerable. Having briefly watched CNN on youtube regarding current news lately, I can safely dismiss that channel as pure shit.

The print media is preferable because there is a greater deal of detailed knowledge and understanding on the part of the journalist or writer. Stories that appear in magazines (both conservative and liberal) or newspapers have a context and a historical background to them. Writers have an expertise that “journalists” on television simply do not. Writers are intellectuals, news anchors (with some exceptions) are celebrities.

A perfect example between a journalist (intellectual) and a news anchor or host (celebrity) can be seen by the treatment given to former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Ted Koppel and other news “correspondents” on television have treated this psychopath as an elder statesman of international diplomacy. The late Christopher Hitchens wrote an article about Kissinger in a print magazine called Harper’s which later became a book, “The Trial of Henry Kissinger”.

Hitchens called Kissinger a war criminal. Having researched unclassified documents and researched Kissinger’s policies on Cyprus, Chile, Kurdistan, and elsewhere Hitchens made a very compelling case against Kissinger. What does this have to do with bookstores one might ask?

Well, the books of Christopher Hitchens are available in bookstores as are numerous other political books on subjects that do not receive treatment on television. A criminal like Kissinger has never received critical treatment from television news coverage. Bookstores and libraries are the authentic carriers of politics, philosophy, religion and the social sciences.

Books and bookstores make a far greater contribution to an enlightened society and civilization than television news channels and outlets. Reading feeds the intellect.