Posts Tagged ‘profiles in cowardice’

Two days ago in one of my “Under the Fedora” posts I wrote this about the movie The Sound of Freedom

The Outsized reaction of the professional left to the performance of the movie the “Sound of Freedom” last week and Disney’s decision to sit on it for a week seems rather odd, particularly when you note how consistent and united this reaction is.

Why you would think the left and their allies had a big hand in that pie. And if they didn’t before they might now.

Of course that’s nonsense, just because the elite left knew about Jeffrey Epstein and tolerated him for decades and knew about Harvey Weinstein and tolerated him for decades and knew about Matt Lauer and tolerated him for decades and woke Disney sat on this film for half a decade doesn’t mean that they have a hand in child sex slavery. Besides if that was the case people would have been afraid to work on the film and it’s star Jim Caviezel would have folks running away from him in Hollywood over it:

Oh wait:

I want this to be so huge that they’re forced to look at this. I lost my agents over this. Yep, 17 years, 15 years. I lost my lawyer over this, and now I understand why all these actors didn’t want to do the movie because of this. Listen, you do Schindler’s List fifty years later, you’re a hero. Try doing Schindler’s List when the real Nazis are right there. Understand how that becomes more dangerous? I don’t understand why people are willing to let children be hurt, but in this time, Hollywood says, ‘No, no, let’s kick that down fifty years from now and then [see where we’re at]. That’s crap.

Jim Caviezel in an interview with Angel Studio’s head Neil Harmon

Hollywood in Toto notes a slight difference in the penalty for making this movie for Caviezel and other Hollywood starts in ….interesting situations:

Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a crew member on a movie set and his career never missed a beat. Production on the film in question, “Rust,” resumed earlier this year.

Ezra Miller’s rap sheet is a mile long, but the nonbinary actor anchors one of the summer’s biggest adventures, “The Flash.” And, had the movie performed well at the box office, Miller would have played the speedster in the sequel.

Jim Caviezel agreed to star in a fact-based story about child sex trafficking, exposing an ongoing crime many people don’t know about.

Perhaps the day will come when the Hollywood left will be suddenly decide that like Lauer, Weinstein and Epstein those involved in this kind of thing (the child trafficking not the movie) are to be shunned while stars and elites proclaim their public shock that it was ever going on, but until that critical mass is reached Caviezel will remain Hollywood’s August Landmesser standing separate from the crowd.

#UnexpectedlyTM of course. (hat tip insty)

Closing thought:

Caviezel’s quote instantly reminded me of the Three Stooges who were my favorite as a kid. It’s worth noting that their hilarious short “You Nazty Spy” came out in 1940 when the Reich was poised to swallow up most of Europe and it would have been very easy for Nazi agents to target three comics staring in shorts for revenge by Nazi agents.

Mr Shelhammer: But… but maybe he’s only a little crazy like painters or composers or… or some of those men in Washington.

Dr Pierce: Thousands of people have similar delusions living perfectly normal lives in every other respect. A famous example is that fellow…I can’t think of his name. For years, he’s insisted he’s a Russian prince. There’s been much evidence to prove him wrong…but nothing has shaken his story. Is he in an institution? No. He owns a famous restaurant in Hollywood and is a highly respected citizen.

Miracle on 34th street 1947

As we close the new year let me as a person who has worked with, carpooled with, gone to church with and attended political events on the same side with Transgender people explain the position I have concerning the matter a position which I suspect is shared by the vast majority of people.

If an adult person thinks they are Napoleon. Dress like Napoleon, Walks like Napoleon, Talks like Napoleon, and has himself surgically altered to resemble Napoleon even to the point of losing height and weight. That’s they’re business. I can work with him, eat with him, have conversations with him on various matters, even live next to him without incident, because it’s his problem and delusion and not my business. Of course if he asks me, I’ll tell him he’s not Napoleon and suggest he get help. If he’s a friend considering cutting off bits of himself to look more like Napoleon I’ll quietly and privately suggest that it’s a bad and drastic idea and advise against it because that’s what a friend does, but if he goes ahead, I’ll let it go because ultimately it’s his decision and if he wants to live with the consequences, so be it.

BUT

If that same adult person who thinks they are Napoleon not only insists that he’s Napoleon but insists that I refer to him as such then he becomes my problem and someone to be scorned ignored and avoided. If he works to amend the laws of the land to compel me and others to say “Vive L’Empereur!” then he must be fought and opposed publicly

Furthermore if he and like minded people convinces teachers in schools or public servants to encourage schools to convince other people’s minor children that they are Ney, Murat, Jourdan or Masséna or any other officer or soldier in Le Grande Armee, and having them act out the same even to the point of encouraging surgery so they can resemble an 18th or 19th century solider pf the French republic or empire without the consent and knowledge of their parents then they become society’s problem and a united effort must be made to expose them, publicly condemn them and expel any such teacher or public servant aiding and abetting such actions from their positions

Frankly the real villains here are not the people with these delusions. Mental illness is, by definition an illness and to a degree limits culpability of one who has such an illness for actions associated with said illness. Of course limited culpability doesn’t give the right of anyone to injure others or force us to not prevent it.

The people who are actually evil here are those who, knowing and recognizing this illness for what it is see such folks as a path to profit, power and position and encourage their delusions for the sake of those goals. Even to the point of traumatic physical and psychological harm to them and others.

Those folks have a lot to answer for. Pray for them.

Courage is the first of human virtues because it makes all others possible.

Aristotle

If you are a Roman Catholic who went to mass Sunday you heard the readings from Lectionary 122 for the 21st Sunday in ordinary time. and if you paid attention to your Missal you might be subject to an Irony overload.

Everywhere that mass took place the faithful heard the same reading from the Book of Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18 where Joshua gives the people a choice to follow God or no declaring: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”.

And also everywhere that mass took place that reading from Joshua was followed by the same responsorial Psalm verses from Psalm 34 (Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21) with the refrain: “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”.

But depending on where you went to mass and the choice of the Pastor the next reading might have been different. The Lectionary calls for the 2nd reading to be from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians 5:21-32 which goes like this:

Brothers and sisters:

Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body.  As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. 

He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

    For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother

        and be joined to his wife,

    and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church.

However an option is given to reduce this reading to Ephesians 5:2a, 25-32 adding the 1st part of verse 2 which looks like this (omitted verses in strikethrough, added verse in underline)

Brothers and sisters:

Live in love, as Christ loved us.

Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body.  As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. 

He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

    For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother

        and be joined to his wife,

    and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church.

So as you can see rather than both Husbands and wives being subordinate to one another and each having duties the duties of the wife are omitted while the duties of the Husband are retained. This is done to avoid the anger of feminists within the church which is very ironic given that once you have exercised your option on the 2nd reading all congregations are given the same final Gospel reading, the end of Jesus the bread of life discourses in the Gospel of John 6:60-69 begins:

Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”

However Jesus rather than equivocating or ducking the issue or offering an alternate teaching challenges his disciples:

Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them,

“Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”


Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said,

“For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”

Jesus doesn’t back down one jot and because of this some of his disciples leave

As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.

At this Jesus turns to the twelve. Rather than having second thoughts about his teaching he doubles down and gives the same option to the apostles who come back with the right answer


Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” 

Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

So think about that for a second. The very week that Jesus in the Gospel stands up for his teaching even if it costs him many disciples the US Bishops precede that critical moment with the option for the local pastor to run for cover in case anyone might be offended by divinely inspired scripture. This is a shame because the church teaches us that courage is one of the four cardinal virtues.

The irony is palatable, but not as palatable as the cowardice

How badly is California run? So badly that even Pot growers need a government bailout to survive.


There are those who think my statement that the goal of the purge of the military is to have one that will be willing to fire at US citizens without question is extreme. I offer this as more evidence to support this claim:

Adm. Michael M. Gilday, the chief of naval operations, did not answer questions Tuesday about whether author-activist Ibram X. Kendi’s opposition to interracial adoption and capitalism is extreme.

The smartest thing our enemies ever did was to start buying people rather than weapon systems.


This full page ad is being run in the NYT

Given the voting habits and news sources that NYT readers follow they might just be stupid enough to fall for it and will deserve all they get from going.

I’ve said it before I’ll say it again not moving to Portland after my Honeymoon based there was the best non-decision of my life.


It appears that Karl is not the only Marx that the black activists of the NAACP & Congressional Black Caucus mimic as they keep silent About Democrat Senator’s Sheldon Whitehouse Membership at All-White Club

Of course this is in keeping with DaTechguy’s laws of media outrage because their only principle is power.


Finally given the persecution and marginalization of Christianly in general and the Catholic Church in particular in modern society band by media in the west I find this most appropriate:

Mass Rocks, the clandestine churches of an age of persecution

In the 16th-18th centuries, during the period of the “Penal Laws” enforced by England, any public expression of the Catholic faith in Ireland was prohibited. Churches were closed, Catholics faced fines and imprisonment for practicing their faith, and priests were threatened with death for tending to to their flock.

In spite of the danger, Catholic priests continued to celebrate Mass, and held services in secluded outdoor locations, making use or large rocks or boulders as altars. These “Mass Rocks” are still in existence today, and since that difficult time, have served as a reminder of the hardships and the resolute faith of the Irish Catholics of the past.

Reviving the Mass Rocks

With the ACN Ireland Mass Rock Campaign, these boulders are more than just a symbol or interesting historical artifact. They are once again the sacred places where, acting in the person of Christ, priests celebrate the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, where, in the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “they make present again and apply, until the coming of the Lord, the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ offering himself once for all a spotless victim to the Father.” 

I will not be shocked to find it necessary to celebrate the Mass in secret before I die