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Quick Thoughts Under the Fedora Mostly Olympics Edition

Posted: August 3, 2021 by datechguy in culture, Sports, Vive L'Empereur
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It really amazes me that the same people in the media who take no offense with American Olympic Athletes running down our country that they supposedly represent taking great offense at me choosing not to support them for that reason.

The people who are rushing to say the failure of the “transgender woman” weightlifter to place proves there is no advantage for men claiming to be ladies might have a better argument if the weightlifter in question was not in his mid 40’s.

The fact that a mid forty’s guy was able to beat out any women from his country to represent it in the Olympics speaks volumes concerning this reality.

If you really want to understand how crazy this all is go to a venue that requires masks and tell them you are in fact masked and define yourself as masked while at the same time insisting that you in fact the opposite sex of what you are.

Watching them slobber to call you by the sex you desire while insisting that the evidence of their own eyes is enough to determine if you’re wearing a mask will speak volumes.

I’m really torn on the Simone Biles business, particularly after she came back to compete in a singles event. A player who knows they are a drag on the team should not jeopardize their position on the other had at this level does a person owe it to their team to go forward if at all possible.

Can you imagine how the person who was the last cut from the squad must have felt knowing that they were bumped for someone who backed out of the competition?

It’s unfortunate that Biles will likely be remembered more for this moment then her previous successes, I wonder if she considered that before making the call?

Finally we once again had an Arab athlete in judo pull out because they drew an Israeli opponent in the competition.

This is constantly spun as being done in support of the Palestinians but in my eyes he is simply terrified at being beaten by a Jew on an international stage.

Given the record of Arab nation in warfare against Israel this fear is a lot less irrational than it sounds.

Finally China seems to be hypersensitive as to how their athletes are being portrayed, particularly in losses to Japan.

As I’ve written before I believe China as a nation still hasn’t gotten over what Japan did to them in WW 2 and I suspect defeat at their hands, really rubs them the wrong way.

My gut tells me that China is doing what it’s doing these days because they know the demographic clock is against them and figure their time to flex their international muscle is now.

The New Aug Indulgence Calendar is now up and ready (Portiuncula Indulgence available today)

Posted: August 2, 2021 by datechguy in catholic, Church doctrine
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I’m a day late on this but the new August Indulgence Calendars are now available.

One which is filled out with names of people to earn indulgences for and one which is blank for you to fill in names as you desire. Pick your favorite.

Today is a great day for this post because on Aug 2nd you can get a Plenary Indulgence (under the normal conditions) for simply attending a parish church. This is known as the annual Portiuncula Indulgence

Anyways here are the files for download

Aug Calendar RadioDownload
Aug Calendar blankDownload

As we did before here are the indulgence norms for those who don’t know them:

ndulgence Norms and notes

  1. Communion on the day of an indulgence. This can be applied to any amount of indulgences that day.
  2. Confession within 20 days of the day of an indulgence. Applies to all indulgences during that period
  3. Prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (an Our Father, Hail Mary or any appropriate prayer) once per day of indulgence.
  4. To earn an indulgence you must be in a state of grace (no unconfessed mortal sin) at the time of the indulgenced act.
  5. Indulgences can only be applied to the dead or to the person earning the indulgence. They can not be applied to any other living person.
  6. For a PLENARY indulgence you must have NO attachment to sin. If such an attachment exists the indulgence earned is only partial.
  7. A plenary indulgence can only be earned one a day (expect if death is imminent), there is no limits to partial indulgences daily.
  8. An indulgence attached to a feast day is still valid if the feast day is transferred lawfully.
  9. A specific day’s indulgence requiring a visit to a particular church or oratory can be made from noon the previous day to midnight on the actual day.
  10. No unbaptized person nor any Christian who is currently under the penalty of excommunication may earn an indulgence.
  11. You must ACTIVELY seek and or state your intention to obtain an indulgence for the act or prayer that carries it to be valid.

Prayers & Acts that carry an indulgence (Partial list) All indulgences partial unless BOLD

Prayers

The Actiones Nostras, Act of faith hope and Love, Any Devout Mental Prayer, Adsumus, Adoro te Devote, Prayer to St. Joseph, Prayer of Thanksgiving, The Angelus, Domine Deus Omnipotens, Spiritual Communion, The Apostles Creed, Angels Dei, The Niceane Creed, The office for the dead, Any approved Litanies, Psalm 130, Iesu Dulcissime Redemptor, Ave Maria Stella, Maria Mater Gratiae, Exaudi Nos, O Sacrum Convivium, Prayer for the Pope, Prayer for the Dead, Psalm 51, Sub tuum praesidium, Prayer for Benefactors, Angel of God Prayer, Te Deum, Public Novenas for Pentecost Christmas or the Feast or the Immaculate Conception, Tantum Ergo, Prayer for Vocations, The Sign of the Cross, Sancta Maria Succurre Miseris, The Magnificat, Vista Quaesumus Domine, Act of Contrition (expect during Sacramental Confession), Prayer to St Michael, Chaplet of St Michael, Come Holy Spirit, Prayer before a Crucifix Plenary if done after communion Friday in Lent, Five decades of the Rosary Plenary if done in a family, religious community or Pious association, The Stations of the Cross Moving from Station to Station (unless physically unable to do so)

Actions that carry an indulgence

  • Making a Pious invocation raising your mind to god while performing the duties of life
  • Devoting yourself or your goods in compassionate service to your brothers in need
  • Voluntarily abstaining from something that is licit & pleasing in the spirit of penitence
  • Adoration of the blessed Sacrament Plenary if done for a half hour or more
  • Reading the scriptures Plenary if done for a half hour or more
  • Teaching Christian Doctrine
  • Visiting a church on All Souls day (Nov 2)
  • Going on a religious retreat for 3 or more days
  • Use a blessed religious object Plenary if blessed by a Pope & used on the Feast of Sts Peter & Paul
  • Visiting a Parish Church on the Feast day of its Saint(s) or on Aug 2nd (say Our Father & Creed)
  • Attending the 1st Mass of a newly ordained priest or his jubilee mass (25th 50th or 60th anniversary)
  • Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead (Plenary if done from Nov 1st through Nov 8th)

I can’t think of something that put me in a better mood lately…

Posted: August 2, 2021 by datechguy in Uncategorized

…then the series of Bloom County cartoons that ended thus:

details here.

The Mind of Russia & China

Posted: July 31, 2021 by datechguy in News/opinion
Tags: , ,

Once Senator Milton Young of North Dakoda said to him: “You people of the South are much more militarily minded than in the North.” “Milt”, Russell replied, “you’d be militarily minded too if Sherman had crossed North Dakoda

Robert A Caro: The Years of Lyndon Johnson , Master of the Senate 2003 page 180

There is no denying that both China and Russia (but especially China) has been our primary enemy for decades. I had military men during the height of the Cold War tell me that China was in fact our primary problem, but as we deal with what they are doing and why we have to keep two things in mind.

We look at all of these things through an American lens, but for a moment consider this lens that the Russians and Chinese use.

In each of the last two centuries Russia has been invaded by the premier military power of the age, Napoleon in 1812 and Hitler in 1941, and these invaders pushed deep into the country Napoleon even taking Moscow.

Driving them out took millions of lives and tons of treasure. While most ordinary Russians didn’t have a lot of use for the communists they knew what is was to be invaded and what it meant. This trauma was the single most unifying force within a country for a government that was oppressing its own people and was used to the hilt and I’m not even dealing with the trauma of losing wars to Poland and Japan AND Germany (remember before the Communist revolution Russia had surrendered to Germany) early in the last century.

Now the Russian empire is gone, the Soviet Union is gone and historic parts of even the pre-soviet empire are gone but you better damn well believe that Russia has not forgotten these things and that when Putin acts to subdue and compromise Europe the Russian people have in the back of their minds the idea that everything that slows them down means that much less of a chance that they will have do deal with this cycle again.

China is a tad different, you had the great attempt to carve up China in the late 19th and early 20th century which subordinated China for the sake of trade to foreign powers is an annoyance but like other colonial enterprises brought both technology and as evidenced by Hong Kong advancement, but if you want to find something that unites ethnic Chinese, both Communist and anti-communist its the memory of World War 2 and their occupation by Japan.

American and British POW can testify to the cruelty of the Japanese toward them during World War 2 but that pales compared to what China suffered during that time. Japan moved without mercy against and who stood against them or were even just in the way. This cruelty is in living memory and the Communist Party having murdered tens of millions of their own people has every reason to highlight these acts by Japan to keep their mind off of what they have done and are doing themselves. (This incidentally is why China’s move to threaten Japan, while foolish, is good PR internally because while Japan fell and was occupied, China didn’t get the revenge they wanted and I suspect will not forgive us for rebuilding them into one of the greatest technological powers of all time. You only have to look at their reaction to Japanese victories at the Olympics to see that this hatred is alive and well.

The Best part for both Russia and China is that what they suffered was so horrible that they don’t have to exaggerate it to sell it to the people. They’ve heard the stories from parents and grandparents and don’t need to state to color it.

Does any of this excuse the actions of Putin or Xi? Nope, but if you’re going to check their ambitions to surpass and subordinate us it’s useful to know what makes them tick and one of the things that makes them do so is the determination that NOBODY is ever going to do what the French, Nazis and Japanese ever did to them again.

I think half the battle for us is to (correctly) assure the people of both of those nations that nothing is farther from our mind.

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