Middle class running as fast as it can Rex Nutting - MarketWatch

I am completely aware of my own limitations as a writer - painfully so at times.

Painful because there are so many times when I observe things which I desperately feel need to be expressed on paper (or LCD), but can never quite make the words I spit out express the meaning I am trying to convey. And because of that, when I see a "real" writer put out something that expresses so well what I am seeing or thinking, I really appreciate it...

This column does just that. Enjoy

Middle class running as fast as it can Rex Nutting - MarketWatch

Making Sense

After months and months of reading (and hearing) so much "irrational exuberance" (i.e. crack-smoking) from the so-called "business press". FINALLY some one makes a little bit of sense.

READ THIS

The truly amazing thing is that the fourth estate has been able to blow so much smoke for so long about the alleged "recovery". This mindless optimism can only be explained by either a true malice and intent to misinform or a complete insular within-the-Wall-Street mindset - only getting information from other insiders.

Doomed to Fail

HOW COMMON SENSE AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TEACH THAT THE STIMULUS PACKAGE IS DESTINED TO FAIL

Many things (admittedly not all) that we experience in our personal lives can be extrapolated to the world at large and government in particular. This goes especially for economic things. Personally, or macroeconomically, one can NEVER borrow their way to prosperity. Any apparent prosperity is just that apparent, with no more connection to reality than a computer generated visual effect in a movie or television show.

Case in Point: A person (mea maxima culpa) is given credit cards which he then uses to "enhance" his living standards. He (or she) eats at better restaurants more often, goes on nicer vacations to nicer places, has nicer appliances and computers and televisions, etc. Now all of this happens s-l-o-w-l-y, over many years. Then suddenly, the credit cards are maxed-out, and he can't "afford to live". Worse yet, the bills are due! But just in time, an exciting offer comes through the mail, giving him an opportunity to move his balances to a NEW card, and have more available credit to live off of. The cycle repeats several times and eventually you have a person who cannot POSSIBLY afford to pay the money back. What follows is bankruptcy, and years of living much much lower "on the hog" and hopefully a long, slow recovery from the addiction.

WELL.... what we have seen in the past 30-odd years is that whole situation writ-large. Our government, through sdeficit spending, has been pumping BILLIONS of borrowed money every year into our economy, making us all appear more prosperous. Whether it was easy money for constuction loans, or mortgages, or money for the military, or for social programs - whatever they spent money on. It all served to "pump up" the economy, like a sugar rush pumps up a child - or speed pumps up a user. But now - RIGHT NOW - is the point where we are used up. Tapped out.

The bottom line is, this "stimulus" is doomed to fail, or at least doomed to ultimately fail, one that bit of fake money is used up. So my economic advice to anyone reading this is... GET READY! Because as soon as this plays out (however long it lasts) it's gonna be really really ugly.

2 months later....

Well, two months (roughly) have gone by since I last posted...

Personally, it has been an interesting ride. In the sense that is of the ancient Chinese curse of "may you live in interesting times". But in the end, thanks to God in heaven, and working through some dear friends here, I am now gainfully employed. And not JUST gainfully employed, but in a job which suits me perfectly. It was just the process of getting here which was "interesting".

Psychological stress is a fascinating thing. Sometimes when you are not really even consciously aware of it, it can get inside you and wear you down and manifest itself outwardly and physically in ways you don't ever expect. Once again in my life, I have re-learned that, while working is sometimes stressful - NOT working is worse. Or at least when you have a family who depends on you. Now each day I even more strongly thank God for the blessing of my job, and pray that he help all those fathers (and others) who are out there still searching - and worrying.

To all those friends who were praying for and trying to help me in my employment search - Thanks.

Fragmentation = Oblivion

The intrepid and amazing Father Z. has a report on his blog about an interview wit Cardinal Arinze about the new typical edition of the Roman Missal. In the interview the cardinal makes this comment (Fr. Z's translation):

Effectively, it was preferred that these two Eucharistic prayers not be considered obligatory for the whole Church. Perhaps it is not then so necessary to have Eucharistic prayers just for children. This said, if there are conferences of bishops who want to maintain them, they can do so in national missals.

So this begs the point (as I commented over at Father Z's that if the Bishops' conferences can include prayers on their own, why even bother with a "Typical Edition of the Roman Missal"??? It would be a LOT more efficient to simply let the Bishops' conferences each make up their own missals!! That would eliminate any problems with translation, since these would, naturally, be in the vernacular from the get-go. And it would also eliminate all the ongoing angst over "inculturation". The inculturation would be built right in to the "Local Missal"!!!! If west African worship tradition includes drums and dancing, then so be it! Or Mauri warriors in New Zealand, if they so desire. And of course in northern Europe, they wouldn't need a missal at all, since no one goes to church in the first place - think of all the trees that alone would save!!! Everyone is Happy!!!! We can all revel in our catholic diversity!!!!!

But.... what about differences WITHIN each Bishops' conference? Using the United States as an example, I dare say that the "local mass" in southern California needs to be different than the "local mass" here in North Carolina (proud part of The Bible Belt). Bishop Mahony may want liturgical dance at all Sunday masses, whereas Bishop Jugis (my Bishop here in the Charlotte Diocese) has forbidden it. And what is considered reverent, appropriate speech in SoCal would no doubt be drastically different from that here in The South, where people still address each other as "Sir", and "Ma'am". So in order to be properly incultured, EACH DIOCESE would really need there own re-write of the "local missal" and its rubrics.

But Wait! There's More.... As we all know, WITHIN each Diocese there is often a drastic difference in tradition and praxis. Even now, within my own diocese, the "typical practice" ranges from very "relaxed" to very much by-the-book Novus Ordo often with a little Latin mixed. So essentially each PARISH should have their own Re-Write of their dioscean missal.

Given the above scenario, it would take but a few years before a Catholic church in Los Angeles, California would be unrecognizable to a Catholic from North Carolina. And who could imagine the difference between a Congolese mass and one in New York, NY, USA!!!! God Knows things are bad enough even now, where there is at least the intention of using a universal missal. With that intention no longer present, things will fly apart pretty quickly.

Folks, this is madness. Either we are a universal church, or we are not. If we ARE, then we need to act like it, and eliminate ALL differences between the missals. There should be ONE UNIVERSAL MISSAL for the ONE UNIVERSAL CHURCH. These are trying times, and are going to get far far more trying. We need to have more in common and less diversity because we are going to need the bonding and the internal support and strength that only that universal bonding can provide.

Red Storm Rising

Since I first read it, a few months after it was first released in 1986, I have thought that Red Storm Rising is far and away the most thrilling novel of all time. I have, since then, re-read it several times, and have enjoyed each reading as much as the first. For what it's worth, and without spoiling the book for those who have yet to read it, the story is about an invasion of Soviet forces into western europe. It was noteworthy at the time insofar as it was thrillingly technically detailed, and it involved the one plot line that was unthinkable at the time - that the US and the USSR could go to war and it NOT escalate into a nuclear conflict.

Then, in a discussion with my wonderful wife some three weeks ago (I have been after her to read this book for some 16 years) I made a comment to the effect of "who cares anyway, it's a cold-war book about a cold-war that no longer exists. More like history than a thriller.."

Well, events have given lie to that statement. The Russian invasion of Georgia a few weeks ago made sure of one thing. The Bear is Back. If it ever really left, that is.

Reflecting on current events a few nights ago, my wonderful wife said "what was it you said about Red Strom Rising being history???
If you haven't read the book, do so. It is a great read, different than Tom Clancy's other fare, especially in the absence of Jack Ryan, his main hero character. And it may not be as spookily prescient as Futility (or at least I hope not)but it will give you some idea of what The Bear is all about.

Liturgical Thoughts, Part II

ONCE upon a time at a sales training class I took, the instructor (a quite successful race-car driver turned consultant) used a true, but politically incorrect saying:
"They say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but that's really not true. You can teach an old dog new tricks, but if you put him back in the same yard, he is going to poop in the same spot". The point being that training and seminars and books can teach you the right thing to do, but unless your environment changes, you are doomed to revert to the same old routines.

And so it goes with the liturgy. No amount of Papal suggestions, no books, no amount of training or retreats, will address the liturgical doldrums we are in unless something fundamental breaks the cycle. That is something that can only be done from the top down, and only with care and deliberate movement on the part of the Church. Certainly there are a quite a few priests, such as Father Longenecker who, along with his Pastor are taking the initiative to bring their own parishes liturgy around to something reverent and impressive, but they are the exception. For every one of them there are 9 who will not do it even if they think it is right, either from an aversion to parishoner complaints, or a fear of retribution from the hierarchy. And excepted from both categories are those who don't think anything is wrong with slouchmasses to begin with. Just as there are many who like Haugen/Hass/Schutte music, there are (usually the same) people who think that the liturgy is just fine the way it is.

So then, where to start? What changes can be clearly mandated in a non-fudgeable way to start the ball rolling toward the reverent liturgy that is both proper and needed? Anything that says "should" is right out. To say something like "Priests must assure that the mass is celebrated with the proper reverence" is meaningless. There must be some outward and visible and unmistakable change that grabs both the clergy and the laity by the collar and says "look here". At the same time, one can't just slam too many changes in at once, lest they both be rejected or ignored. And more importantly, while by definition this must happen from the top down, it cannot be just proclaimed and dropped.

The path to follow is clear. There are only two possibilities. Both practical, both critical, and both more or less easy to initiate.
The first must-do is to get rid of, as quickly as possible, every table altar in the every Catholic church in the world. There are some places where this will take some time and some money, but there are probably just as many (at least in the US and Europe) where the old high altar remains and the "reconversion" would take, say, 5 minutes. The change will be a bit shocking to the laity, but with a bit of catachesis, they'll adapt, and soon they will understand. And then they will believe.

The other possibility is that of re-instituting communion on the tongue while kneeling. There is simply no substitute for the feeling of being on your knees before the lord, opening up your mouth and accepting him into your person. The feeling of complete submission is simply indescribable. Since my sincerely believe that our fundamental problem with the modern liturgy is one of pride, kneeling in submission would go a long way towards dispelling the pride and restoring the submission. Something we all - including myself - desperately need.

So there are the two keys to the restoration of God's Church. THe question is, who is willing to take up those keys, and unlock the gate to the kingdom of heaven. A gate which was slammed shut decades ago by the self-absorbed "reformers" of the 1960's.

How Stands the Empire???

SO WENT the last words of the late King George V. Or so the (apocryphal) story goes.

The question nowadays is more along the lines of "How Stands the Western World?". Well, for those of us who care, and are observant and not entranced and numbed by the indescribably vapid pop culture around us, the answer is obvious - it sucks. We live in a world where of people lead empty hedonistic self destructive lives. Examples are everywhere, form non-existent birth rates to drunken louts running amok to the worst offense of all - indifference. Indifference at the same time the culture is being overgrown by external forces hostile to the past 500 years of western heritage - here is a column from today about that very thing.

Well, fortunately, not everyone in a position of power is oblivious to what is happening. The Throne of Peter is currently occupied by one who not only sees what is going on, but who is so intellectually powerful that he has a plan to try to stop the bleeding - and re-win the battle. This aside from the fact that he has the Holy Spirit on his side - as well as at his side! Pope Benedict is a man on a mission. Not only that he is a man with a plan. Bit by bit we can see it being played out. And it is beautiful!

Today, browsing my usual blogs, I came across this post by my friend the Catholic Knight. Obviously he is onto the same thing. His Holiness sees a problem and he means to address it! A year ago, I had the feeling (as did many) that he was intending to derestrict the old mass the try to save keep the church from flying apart due to the lack of discipline and teaching and the liturgical free for all that had developed. Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi. Now it is apparent that that was only a small small part of the plan.

Then, thanks to a "google alert", I got a link to this article which is saying some of the same things. Yes I know that it's from the followers of the late Herbert W. Armstrong, and I am in no way endorsing that, but that doesn't exclude it from being insightful and correct - albeit from a different perspective.

So, bit by bit the lines are being drawn. And the people are deciding on one side or the other. It's still somewhat at an embyonic stage - actually more of a 12-week fetal stage - but it is happening. Get ready, folks. It's gonna take a while, and it's gonna get rough.

What if.....

A few day ago, the brilliant Father Z created a post, entitled What if..

It was thought provoking, chilling thought provoking. It has got me thinking in detail about such scenarios, planning, preparing. How could anyone do otherwise? Remember Hurricane Andrew? or more recently (and famously) Katrina? Hordes of people, on the road, nowhere to go, no way to sustain themselves, no prospects.....

I started to think about this in some way many many years ago, when I saw the opening episode of James Burke's series CONNECTIONS. He goes into extreme, chilling (again) detail on how far out on the social/technological limb we are all living. YOU owe it to yourself to watch this show, now in segments on youtube, here is segment 1:



Then think about it, think clearly, REALLY think...
If you had to feed and shelter yourself, and your family, how would you?
If you had to get out, how would you?
Remember, you and your family will be dead in a week if you don't have food and shelter.
Where would you go, and How?
Run, Drive, Hitchhike?
Do you have a destination?
Is it safe?
How do you know?
Is it defensible?

Remember, when All Hell breaks loose, millions of people will be unprepared, and will come boiling out of every city like fire ants, looking for food and shelter. Some of them will not be very nice people to begin with, and ALL of them will be desperate. They will want what you have, be it your shelter, your food, your wife, your kids. Are you willing and able to protect them?

You've been without power for a few days, it's no problem, if you're prepared. But what if it's a few weeks? Or a month? Or a year? Think it can't happen? Read this. When it does, what will you do? The world is full of people who would relish the prospect. They dream of the Great Satan being crippled, starving, broke. So far they have been unlucky, gotten caught - but eventually luck turns.

What about religious persecution? Or government persecution - Papers, Please.
Think it can't happen? So did these nice people.

Think about it...