Points to Ponder:
Those who cry "peace, peace" often have unacknowledged blood on their hands because they failed to use adequate force when needed; "To the victors go the spoils" is an ancient principle of fact, not rightness. Cowardice has never been considered a virtue. Nor has "turning the other cheek" served as an acceptable excuse for allowing some evil — one we could have stopped except that our theories or fears prevented us from trying — to continue or conquer. Not a few worthy things have been eradicated forever because a war was lost. Eternal vigilance remains the price of liberty and much else that is worthy. [Fr. James V. Schall, SJ]
Tuesday, August 06, 2019
On the Recent Mass Shootings and Reasons For Their Greater Occurrences in Recent Decades:
(Musings of your humble servant at Rerum Novarum)
There are many reasons for increased mass shootings in recent decades. Just to list a few in no particular order that come to mind:
--A longstanding increased neglect in the handling of the mentally ill.
--The loss of a respect and teaching of basic logic and reasoning skills.
--A general loss of societal understanding of and/or promotion of basic moral and ethical principles.
--The multiplication of petty and stupid minor laws by both governments and faceless bureaucrats while larger laws are often arbitrarily enforced if at all: this combines to create a general loss of respect for the proper role of laws in society.
--The failure to teach people at a young age how to handle and respect firearms.
--The increase over time of often stifling economic regulations resulting in the loss of economic opportunity for many people particularly those without advanced educations.
--An increasing proliferation of aggressive nationalist type groups.
In short, there are plenty of problematical areas and these kinds of mass shootings are symptoms of much greater causes. It seems most folks want to seize on one issue and make it the explanation for this phenomenon rather than addressing all the pertinent problems which in a symbiotic fashion have helped cultivate the sorts of crises we have seen with greater frequency in recent years.
(Musings of your humble servant at Rerum Novarum)
There are many reasons for increased mass shootings in recent decades. Just to list a few in no particular order that come to mind:
--A longstanding increased neglect in the handling of the mentally ill.
--The loss of a respect and teaching of basic logic and reasoning skills.
--A general loss of societal understanding of and/or promotion of basic moral and ethical principles.
--The multiplication of petty and stupid minor laws by both governments and faceless bureaucrats while larger laws are often arbitrarily enforced if at all: this combines to create a general loss of respect for the proper role of laws in society.
--The failure to teach people at a young age how to handle and respect firearms.
--The increase over time of often stifling economic regulations resulting in the loss of economic opportunity for many people particularly those without advanced educations.
--An increasing proliferation of aggressive nationalist type groups.
In short, there are plenty of problematical areas and these kinds of mass shootings are symptoms of much greater causes. It seems most folks want to seize on one issue and make it the explanation for this phenomenon rather than addressing all the pertinent problems which in a symbiotic fashion have helped cultivate the sorts of crises we have seen with greater frequency in recent years.
Raising the marginal cost of tyranny
The above link goes to an old argument for a well armed populace from the old days at Samizdata for those who are interested.
The above link goes to an old argument for a well armed populace from the old days at Samizdata for those who are interested.
Sunday, August 04, 2019
Briefly...
The following is a review I wrote recently for a website called Cigars International for a cigar recently ordered from them which I have enjoyed in years past and was recently reacquainted with.
Jul 27, 2019
I used to buy the Escuderos by the box years ago when on the west coast and thought they were a well kept secret because I never saw them in cigar stores in the New England area. I recently was reacquainted with it like an old friend courtesy of CI sample packs. All the 50+ ring Sanchos (Double Maduro, Triple Anejo, Extra Fuerte, and Glorioso) are good but the Double Maduro is my favourite -either in Escudero or Lancero which is the same blend, just a couple inches shorter. Its a very smooth tasting cigar that draws well and is better than many which cost a lot more
Cardinal Müller: No pope or council could permit female deacons, ‘it would be invalid’
Actually, contrary to what some friends have said on this, Cardinal Muller is not making good points here. The question of possible female ordination to the diaconite is an open theological matter. It has not been closed and Cardinal Muller lacks the authority to close it. Further, he comes dangerously close to schism and heresy by daring to presume that neither the pope nor an ecumenical council could define this matter contrary to his personal opinion.
One probable issue for him here is that he is from the old school which saw deacons as basically a transitional stage for someone eventually becoming a priest. Since women could not be priests, they could not be deacons since the diaconite is but a transitional order to the priesthood so went the rationale. That was a widely held view in the west for about 1500 years until the Second Vatican Council and the subsequent restoration of the permanent diaconite.{1} Now the deacon is no longer seen as an automatic path to the priesthood but is instead a distinct rank in the hierarchy itself so its a very different situation. This does not mean women can necessarily become deacons. But it does mean the old way of approaching this issue whereby they were automatically ruled out{2} is itself no longer valid.
In short, there is more to this than Lifeshyte and Cardinal Muller seem to realize. I am open to the possibility of a female diaconite but will give my assent to whatever the church ultimately decides on this matter should she decide to close the matter one way or the other.
Notes:
{1} In the old days there were major and minor orders. The major orders were excluding bishop: priest, deacon, subdeacon. The minor orders included acolyte, exorcist, lector, and porter. Acolytes assisted major orders, exorcists did exorcisms, lectors could read at the lectern, and porters manned the doors of the church. As you can see, there was a hierarchy of sorts here stretching from porter to ultimately bishop. As a result, there was debate for centuries on where the delineation of sacrament and sacramental was with the orders with some eminent theologians thinking everything from subdeacon up was holy orders and everything else sacramental.
Vatican II in its Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium settled this matter delineating only three orders receiving of holy order: bishop, priest, and deacon. As a result of this delineation, the Council also suggested restoring the diaconite to a permanent rank: something Pope Paul VI achieved by establishing norms for the permanent diaconite with the Apostolic Letter Sacrum Diaconatis Ordinem in 1967. The process was finally completed with Pope Paul VI's suppressing of all minor orders except that of exorcist with the Apostolic Letter Ministeria Quadam in 1972. At that time, the minor orders were suppressed and their roles taken up at times by layfolk. Hence you have purely lay acolytes, lectors, and porters today: that did not happen before Vatican II when the minor orders were often part of the process of church vocations.
{2} Due in no small part to aforementioned prior assumptions.
Actually, contrary to what some friends have said on this, Cardinal Muller is not making good points here. The question of possible female ordination to the diaconite is an open theological matter. It has not been closed and Cardinal Muller lacks the authority to close it. Further, he comes dangerously close to schism and heresy by daring to presume that neither the pope nor an ecumenical council could define this matter contrary to his personal opinion.
One probable issue for him here is that he is from the old school which saw deacons as basically a transitional stage for someone eventually becoming a priest. Since women could not be priests, they could not be deacons since the diaconite is but a transitional order to the priesthood so went the rationale. That was a widely held view in the west for about 1500 years until the Second Vatican Council and the subsequent restoration of the permanent diaconite.{1} Now the deacon is no longer seen as an automatic path to the priesthood but is instead a distinct rank in the hierarchy itself so its a very different situation. This does not mean women can necessarily become deacons. But it does mean the old way of approaching this issue whereby they were automatically ruled out{2} is itself no longer valid.
In short, there is more to this than Lifeshyte and Cardinal Muller seem to realize. I am open to the possibility of a female diaconite but will give my assent to whatever the church ultimately decides on this matter should she decide to close the matter one way or the other.
Notes:
{1} In the old days there were major and minor orders. The major orders were excluding bishop: priest, deacon, subdeacon. The minor orders included acolyte, exorcist, lector, and porter. Acolytes assisted major orders, exorcists did exorcisms, lectors could read at the lectern, and porters manned the doors of the church. As you can see, there was a hierarchy of sorts here stretching from porter to ultimately bishop. As a result, there was debate for centuries on where the delineation of sacrament and sacramental was with the orders with some eminent theologians thinking everything from subdeacon up was holy orders and everything else sacramental.
Vatican II in its Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium settled this matter delineating only three orders receiving of holy order: bishop, priest, and deacon. As a result of this delineation, the Council also suggested restoring the diaconite to a permanent rank: something Pope Paul VI achieved by establishing norms for the permanent diaconite with the Apostolic Letter Sacrum Diaconatis Ordinem in 1967. The process was finally completed with Pope Paul VI's suppressing of all minor orders except that of exorcist with the Apostolic Letter Ministeria Quadam in 1972. At that time, the minor orders were suppressed and their roles taken up at times by layfolk. Hence you have purely lay acolytes, lectors, and porters today: that did not happen before Vatican II when the minor orders were often part of the process of church vocations.
{2} Due in no small part to aforementioned prior assumptions.
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