It’s the birthday of Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, born in Kislovodsk, Russia in 1918 who was thrown into the gulag as a young man for saying that Stalin wasn’t Marxist enough in one of his personal letters. But the Gulag changed his life, because in a strange way, it was only in the Gulag that Russians spoke freely about their political beliefs. Solzhenitsyn later wrote, “You can have power over people as long as you don’t take everything away from them. But when you’ve robbed a man of everything, he’s no longer in your power.” (Writer’s Almanac)… Read the rest
Author: Jeff Cassman
Cassman’s Principle of the Certitude of Contrarianism
Complex situations (like societies), can often be difficult for us to interpret and analyze (if you doubt me, watch people trying to order at McDonalds). I find that a reliable method for simplifying this process is to simply study my opponent. Put another way, if you know who your enemy is, and you are uncertain of your situation, observe your enemy closely for a reliable barometer of reality. I listen to NPR for this reason, and watch CNN. I can quickly ascertain the reality of any situation simply by believing the opposite of whatever they assert. If they say the polar ice caps are melting, I know they are not. if they say the seas are rising, I know they are not. If they say candidate X will lose, I know he will win. This is how reliable they are. It’s an extraordinary thing, really. But you have to read Orwell to get it, and that means I’m only making sense to 12.5% of you.
This Slate article is a great example: the modern understanding of “civil rights” is unequivocally a violation of the first amendment rights of every citizen. You are not even free to THINK without violating federal law. (Hate crime legislation and ‘enhancements’ in federal sentencing guidelines prove this beyond a doubt). P.S. Trump is winning and I don’t even think he gets it.
Why Do the Clergy Hate the Church?
Every time I see some Protestant say something I want to critique, Pope Francis opens his mouth and reminds us all that while Christ founded the Church, Bishops and Priests have been trying to destroy it ever since. (Edit: For those who are confused, scandalized or just eager to accuse: I am paraphrasing what Cardinal Consalvi said to Napoleon Bonaparte, after the latter had threatened to destroy the Church. Cardinal Consalvi said, “If in 1,800 years we clergy have failed to destroy the Church, do you really think that you’ll be able to do it?”)… Read the rest