Confessions of a Creepy Christian

This is an “off topic” post, which I don’t do anymore but, because it is Halloween, I am making an exception, ignore it if you please. Halloween is hands down my favorite holiday and has always been so. It is the one time of the year when I’m considered “festive” and “in the holiday spirit” rather than just being “creepy”. My immediate family always celebrated Halloween but, going to a private, religious school most of the time as a boy, I became aware that some Christians have a problem with it. Not everyone does and no group seemed to be entirely consistent on the subject. At my school, when I was very small, Halloween was okay, to an extent, then later it was banned as being completely evil. There were Protestants who were okay with it, some who opposed it and I can remember one Catholic priest saying it was completely evil only to be replaced by another priest who said it was good and only anti-Catholics thought it was evil. Take your pick. My late mother always said, “it is what you make of it” and whether it was good or bad was entirely up to you.

What always bothered me though was the idea some Christian fundamentalist types have that Halloween is too “dark” to be compatible with Christianity. This bothers me because I want to be Christian but the Christianity of sunshine, light and happiness seemed to exclude me. According to my parents I’ve had my days and nights mixed up since the day I was born, the light hurts my eyes and, well, “happiness” is just a word that no one has ever associated with me. It also struck me as extremely bizarre given my understanding of Christianity. Here you have a religion that has as its symbol a method of execution, a religion based on God becoming man, being killed, having people poke their fingers in his gaping wounds and who commands you to eat His flesh and drink His blood. All of this, and you think **I’M** too “creepy”!? I wonder sometimes if people are reading the same Bible I have because, as I have often said, Christianity is a Lovecraftian death-match, not a hippy religion.

Some of this I have touched on before so I will not go through it all again but it seems to me that authentic Christianity is, to put it mildly, not for the faint of heart. The Bible describes eternal, celestial beings of another plain of existence locked in a cosmic struggle for domination, giant monsters, a witch summoning a ghost, dragons, people and animals being possessed by demons, people being raised from the dead and I could go on at length about the angels, as I have somewhat before on these pages. Some of them do or can look like us, sure, but the description of them in their own habitat is terrifying. Some have bestial bodies, three heads, lots of wings, others are constantly engulfed in flames, some are giant wheels covered with eyeballs and so on, real nightmare fuel. They kill children, slaughter armies by the thousands and, you will notice, even when appearing on a happy occasion, always start by telling the person they are appearing before to stop being afraid. They are not chubby, flying babies folks. If you ever see an angel that is not ‘under cover’ you will most likely drop to your knees in mind-melting terror.

It does not stop with the scriptures either, then you get into the traditions of the early Church and there are plenty of horrifying stories to choose from there. Ever heard the story of St Margaret of Antioch? She was eaten alive by a dragon, used a cross to tear her way out of its stomach, was drowned, survived, burned alive, survived and then finally beheaded. The apostle St Bartholomew was skinned alive, St Christopher became a sort of godly wolf-man, St Denis had his head chopped off and just went on preaching, carrying his cranium around with him and I know someone is thinking, ‘well those are just stories, they cannot possibly be true’. To which I say, is any of it any more impossible to believe than Jesus spitting in the dirt and curing blindness with the mud, raising a man from the dead who was already half rotted away or there being a colossal sea serpent at the bottom of the ocean that God is going to come down and kill with a giant sword at the end of the world? Because all of that stuff is in the Bible and I should think any Christian would have to believe that.

Authentic Christianity, as I understand it, has nothing to do with this modern day collection of churches full of “nice” people who are all about sunshine and social justice, who think demons are just metaphors and God is so loving that He would never actually condemn anybody. Yes, God does love everyone but in a way that is far beyond our understanding. As far as being so loving as to never punish anyone, ever, all I can say is to tell that to the population that drowned in the flood or the parents of all the dead Egyptian children wiped out by an angel because their Pharaoh would not release the Israelites from bondage. God is not your BFF in the sky, God is not your “copilot” and God is not your ‘buddy’. God is beyond our comprehension, God is unfathomable to us and His ways are not our ways. God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-seeing) and omnipresent which, to put it in an unusual way but one which I prefer, is to say that God is so huge that He fills the entire universe and is everywhere at once. God is fair, God is just but if you think he’s too nice to punish you, just remember that when Jesus Christ died on the cross the sun was blacked out because God the Father turned His back on His own Son because he had just taken on the sin of every person to ever exist.

Yet, people who presumably believe in all of that, people who will walk around every day with a tiny image of a dead man nailed to a cross hanging around their neck, will tell me I’m “creepy” or “morbid” or some such thing. It really is incomprehensible to me other than that the vast majority of people do not really believe what they claim to. Perhaps I am totally wrong and it really is just me that does not fit and cannot accept it, however I cannot help but think we must be reading from two completely different playbooks when it comes to the Christian religion. They are in the Christianity of Joel Osteen and I’m in the Christianity of church buildings made out of dead people.

This surely must sound like a rant at this point but, I promise, I am not going off-topic today merely to vent my frustrations. I do have a story to tell which, I have found out lately, does not seem to be very well known even among life-long Christians. Yet, to explain how we get there, I did want to put this background in place and also call to mind a previous explanation I have given on these pages. My late grandfather was in the habit of giving people very distinct nicknames and these nicknames, in my immediate family anyway, tended to impose on us a certain “theme” if you like. My oldest sister, for example, had a nickname which caused the cartoon character of Tweety Bird to become her sort of mascot and over the years she accumulated as gifts just about every imaginable collectible featuring the sharp-tongued yellow canary. My nickname, on the other hand, caused me to accumulate over the years a similar assortment of things like skulls and skeletons and this also came to include items of a religious nature.

Although rare today, once upon a time it was fairly common to see crucifixes with a skull and bones at the bottom of the cross. Eventually, these were, I think, most often used only to place on the coffins of the deceased prior to burial but I doubt they are even used for that anymore. In any event, I have about four or five crucifixes like this and anytime anyone sees one it usually prompts a reaction such as a comment about it seeming morbid or macabre (which, again, I would think the dead deity hanging above it would take the prize for but, apparently that is just me). Today, I admit, it does stand out but this was not always the case but because it has effectively fallen out of use, people do not seem to understand the symbolism of it and the story behind it which, I think, is a beautiful one. There is, of course, the general symbolism of the skull and bones being a symbol of death and being shown at the bottom of a crucifix because the sacrifice of Christ defeated death, He triumphed over death and gave to all the chance of eternal life. That is simple enough to understand but it actually goes deeper than that.

Those of you who have read the Bible will likely be aware that the hill upon which Christ was crucified was called Golgotha and you might also be aware that this name translates as, ‘the place of the skull’. What you may not know, however, is how that hill got such a name. It was called that because the people of that time believed that beneath that hill was buried the skull of Adam, the originator of the human race, the man crafted by God’s own hand. Is this story true? Certainly, I cannot say for sure but I like to believe it as not only do I find it beautiful but I also think it makes a sort of sense. The beauty is that Christ, the perfect man who redeemed humanity, was sacrificed at or near the spot where Adam, the fallen man who condemned humanity, met his ultimate end. There is a sort of completion and perfection in that which I find impossible to resist. Whether the skull of Adam was actually down there or not, I have no idea but I do think the belief that it was is something not ridiculous to believe. After all, it was obviously called that before Christ was crucified there and so it had to have been the Jews who named the hill “the place of the skull” and the Jews would certainly not have invented such a story which would fit so perfectly with Jesus being the Son of God, something which goes against their entire being as they are. If anything, they would have had every reason to re-name the place and suppress such a story.

That is my story for today and I will leave you with this; God is beyond our comprehension and we cannot put the Almighty in a box, we cannot have borderlines around the infinite. Much of what scares us usually comes down to death and as someone who has had to say goodbye to most of my family by now, I can tell you that it is sad but the whole point of Christianity is that it should not be frightening in and of itself. The dark things that so many ‘sunshine and lollipop’ Christians would shun are things which are at least not bad, sometimes quite beneficial and important up to a point to at least teach us that evil exists because the real harm from demonic forces comes when people no longer believe they are real. I would ask you to think on that and, if you ever happen across one of us who prefers candle light and chanting in dead languages to guitars and clapping, be tolerant of the “creepy” Christians that are still out there.

Happy Halloween from
The Mad Monarchist 💀

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A Macabre Monarchist?
Mad Rant: God Ain't Fuzzy!

A Sad Absence

I have not posted in a while, as some of you probably know but for those who do not, last Sunday my mother passed away. She fell, around last Thanksgiving, due to a heart problem and medical problems seemed to accumulate after that until, finally, she could carry on no more. It was, of course, a terrible shock and one I am not sure I have yet to fully come to terms with. She was a wonderful mother, no one who knew her could have ever had room to complain. She was a woman of traditional values, a housewife who always had lunches packed in the morning, always had supper ready when her husband came home from work, helped you with your problems, nursed you when you were sick and was later a very doting grandmother.

She was a regular at church, an ardent conservative in her politics and she loved monkeys, murder mysteries and Star Trek. She liked listening to Dean Martin, she could cook, she could sew and do all the things that girls used to be taught to do. Her cooking, in fact, made her something of a local celebrity, all the more impressive considering that she came to Texas from a far off country and, in those days, had never even heard of many of the dishes she would one day come to master. At auctions for local scholarships, her baked goods always raised the most money, her cinnamon rolls in particular regularly sold for hundreds of dollars for each pan. She hated rodents, was scared to death of cats and was never comfortable around firearms. Even after so many decades in Texas, there are some things that certain people just never get used to.

Dealing with her loss continues to be very difficult. It is all the worse in that, particularly with her passing, the traditional "comforters" of our family are now all gone. I am beginning to feel like one of the 'last of the Mohicans' here. My grandparents are all gone, on my father's side of the family, out of six boys, only my father and one uncle remain and, from my immediate family, three of five children and now our mother is gone so that only my oldest sister, our father and myself remain though my sister's two daughters have been a great comfort. When so many are gone, and so few are left, it causes a very unsettling feeling I can only label as a sort of despair. It's an uncomfortable feeling like being one of the last attendees at a party, loitering around after most everyone has gone home. When you look around and realize it, you start to feel out of place even in familiar surroundings.

Anyway, I didn't write this just to have a moan. When it comes to the web, 'out of sight' is usually 'out of mind' and I just wanted everyone to know why I have been absent for some time and to ask your indulgence as I may be gone a while longer. I have been trying to get back in the usual routine but it is difficult. This has put a great deal of emotional strain on someone with a mental state that, according to the professionals, was not in perfect working order to begin with. I will try to get things back to normal as soon as I can, I am sure it would be good for me to, but until then I hope you will all understand the reason why and know that I appreciate your patience.

God bless and keep on,
The Mad Monarchist

So, Here's What Happened...

No, as anyone who is on Twitter knows, I did not drop dead several months ago. I was, however, unable to access my blog or anything other than what I could do on my mobile. What happened was a series of problems. First, and the one period of my absence for which I am responsible, after a period of growing frustration I decided to take some time off to cool down. I had growing concerns about what I was doing, which increasingly seemed ineffective or totally counter to what I was trying to do based on the feedback that I was getting. During that time I never came to any final decision about what I was going to do but, whatever had happened, I certainly planned to inform everyone. However, that was not possible due to a very frightening family problem.

One morning my mother's heart stopped and she took a very nasty fall, hitting her face on something quite hard. Her heart did start again, on its own, but she could not get up and no one was around to help her. She had to stay there on the floor until my father got home who immediately came and got me to help get her off the floor and into a chair. After persuading her to go the hospital to get checked out we learned that my mother has a very serious heart condition and that if such an episode happened again we would almost certainly lose her. This was, as you can imagine, a very difficult period to get through and we have yet to obtain any real resolution. Once that happened, everything else had to take second place as our family pulled together to help mom who was, and remains, able to do very little for herself. We still don't know exactly what can be done, medically, for her. It took a very long time to get her any treatment at all as this happened at a time (Thanksgiving to Christmas) when many doctors were on vacation.

Once I had the time to even think about updating here, another problem arose which was that my internet connection failed. I called the provider (the local telephone co-op) and got service restored but before I could turn around it had gone out again and efforts to resolve that situation became very frustrating, very fast. Finally, I decided to give up on the old service and give a satellite internet provider a try which took time to set up, schedule, install and all of that. Once that was done, I had service in the library but not my office and I had to order a booster to get signal where I needed it and finally had to have my computer-tech sister get that set up and working, which ended up taking a while itself because she was not able to get it to work and had to go ask some other experts and come down the following week before everything was finally up and running. That was yesterday (or the day before yesterday by the time this goes up probably). So, that is my explanation for my long absence.

Now, as I mentioned, not everything has been resolved and things cannot just go back to business as usual. I now have much more demands on my time than I did before and would not be able to post as often as I had been even if I wanted to. There may not even be a reason to as I may no longer have any readers (it would certainly be understandable). So, all I can say for right now is that I have not gone anywhere, I will probably be posting in the future but it will necessarily be much more infrequent than before. I do still feel as though I should work out the dilemma that caused my original absence which I have yet to do. So, that is all for now and for anyone who is still checking in and reads this, I thank you for your patience and especially thank those who did not choose to think the worse of me for my absence.
Until next time,
stay "mad" my friends.
       -MM

Canada Lost a Good One

This is somewhat old news, but there is quite a distance between the land of the Lone Star and the land of the Maple Leaf. I was quite distressed to see that Canadian journalist, author and all around super-cool babe Brigitte Pellerin decided in April to exit the public stage and avoid politics from now on. A tweet posted on April 15 said, “I give up. I will not comment on, or get interested in, public affairs anymore” and her personal website had basically the same message, commenting also on how she has “been disgusted by the state of Canadian politics for a very long time” and that she just doesn’t have the energy to go on arguing for smaller, more limited government anymore. This is a terrible loss for Canada in my opinion as I have been very impressed by this remarkable lady ever since she first came to my attention. On the political front, I should make clear, she is a solid conservative, not a raving reactionary lunatic like yours truly but if there were more people with her opinions Canada would be much the better for it.

She has long stood up for traditional values, has been a long-time pro-life advocate and first came across my radar for speaking up against the Quebec separatists removing the Canadian flag from the upper chamber of the legislature. In the course of that report she also mentioned how these politicians disrespect the Canadian monarchy by crossing their fingers or mumbling the words of the oath of loyalty to the Queen while of course having no problem taking salary from Her Majesty. She also mentioned, in that report, that if the Quebecois dislike the Maple Leaf, Canada should bring back the Red Ensign. That made me an instant Brigitte Pellerin fan and I am very disappointed that her voice will no longer be heard. It is Canada’s loss without question. However, her husband is still staying in the fight. He is columnist and commentator John Robson who Canadian readers will probably know and who can be seen on Sun Media (various outlets) and on his blog “I Want My Country Back”. Still, quite sad to see Brigitte Pellerin throw in the towel. It is perfectly understandable but that is one less voice of reason in the national discourse in Her Majesty’s Dominion of Canada.

Robson’s Blog
http://iwantmycountryback.ca/ 
Organization co-founded by Brigitte Pellerin
http://www.prowomanprolife.org/
_________________________________________________________________________________

Personal Aside:

As unfortunate as I think it is that Brigitte Pellerin has removed herself from the public discourse in Canada, I can certainly understand where she is coming from. I have had the feeling myself that it is more frustration than it is worth, a feeling recently given considerable reinforcement. Republican attacks with their idiotic leftist arguments are easy to handle but what is discouraging is the feeling of having to fight both at the front and in the rear with so-called monarchists of the “holier than thou apostate”. Rather than working on taking back what has been lost, they are content to toss it all overboard and just wait for some savior to deliver them and force everyone else in society to submit to their ideal (and none have the same vision of what that ideal would be, making the impossible even less possible -if that’s possible). Republican outrage comes with the territory when one is a monarchist. That I can take, their worldview is fundamentally different from my own. What is harder to take is those who call themselves monarchists but do not actually support any monarchy that still exists today and then even tell me that I am not sufficiently monarchist *because* I support the few remaining monarchies in the world. If this makes sense to them, it certainly does not make sense to me. In a recent conversation with my friend and cohort the Alberta Royalist, he told me that if I had put as much time and energy into promoting communism as I have monarchism I probably would have been given the Order of Lenin by now (or some such thing) instead of the constant string of annoyances from people claiming to be monarchists while not actually supporting any existing monarchy.

I have been actively involved in defending and promoting monarchy for about fifteen years now and it can be very disheartening and some of the things I have been through would probably put anybody off (being reported to the FBI as a spy, being threatened with a lawsuit by someone claiming the Prince of Monaco was paying me to slander him, having several years worth of work stolen and claimed by others etc) and there are times when I have asked myself, “Why do I bother?” I don’t gain anything from any of this. I could be living the good life of a leisurely country gentlemen, buzzing around the ranch keeping an eye on the livestock and oil and gas wells, reading books, catching up on my favorite shows and shooting cute, little fury animals (just to be evil of course) instead of plugging away at a computer day after day, trying to defend monarchy when it seems many so-called monarchists do not see them as being worth defending while republicans still consider them to be worth attacking. That has always been a key point for me, which it seems many do not see the same way, that for all the whining about modern kingdoms being no different than republics, the republicans still think so and still want the monarchies to disappear entirely. “Monarchists” look at a modern monarch and see a ceremonial figurehead with no power who is not worth defending. Republicans see a living reminder of a history and heritage they hate and despise and which must be wiped from public view and recognition entirely. 

Sometimes I do ask, “why bother” and the idea of disengaging has become more and more tempting. So, I may say, “I give up” as well, though my convictions will certainly never change, but if and when I do, it will be because of people calling themselves monarchists, not because of people calling themselves republicans.

A Time for Sadness

There has been a devastating loss in the family and your humble correspondent will be taking some time off for solitude, prayer and mourning. I thank you all for your patience and understanding.

MM

Still Alive

Thanks to everyone who sent along their moral support. I am still going, just not quite back in fighting shape yet and not recovering as fast as I would like. It seems now I had some really unrealistic expectations of just being able to jump up and go back to normal as soon as it was over. My diet is restricted, eating and taking the pain medication seems to be impossible and I cannot seem to stop being dizzy -though I don't know if that's from the procedure or from barely being able to eat anything. And on top of that the breathing tube they had down my throat has given me a most aggravating cough that nothing seems to help. So, yes, I am through it and coming back around but I'm not 100% yet and, if possible, am a little more cranky than usual. I appreciate everyone having patience with me right now, hopefully I will be back to normal soon. When I am, I will be addressing the republican traitors of Australia, have some more "Story of Monarchy" shorts and, to reward everyone for being so patient, another look at my "fan mail" which everyone seems to love reading. Thanks for hanging in there, it shouldn't be for much longer.

Stay mad my friends
MM

Upcoming Absence

I wanted to let all you regular readers know that there will be a short break in posting here for at least the next couple of days. I have a "procedure" to undergo Wednesday and will be heading up to the big city tomorrow to get ready for it. So for at least the next two days I will not be posting anything new, I hope it will not be for any longer but we will have to see how I am feeling afterwards. It shouldn't be very long and I am sure everything will be back to normal by next week at the latest but hopefully much sooner than that. Hopefully it will just be a couple of days but I wanted to let everyone know. It's nothing serious, no need to worry, just be aware that there will be a pause around here. As usual, feel free to browse through the archives and catch up on anything you might have missed.

Stay mad my friends
MM

A Word of Thanks to the Czechs

As some of you may know, there was recently a terrible catastrophe in central Texas (nowhere too near your humble blogger -it’s a big country) when a fertilizer plant in the small town of West exploded, killing at least fourteen people and wounding over a hundred. Coming so soon after the despicable terrorist bombing in Boston, there were, naturally, fears that this may have been part of some wider plot. Thankfully, though much costlier in terms of lives lost than Boston, the massive explosion in West was simply a tragic accident. Nonetheless, it has been a traumatic event for the area, with much of the area all around the plant being totally devastated. During such a time though, Texans pull together and look out for one another, being the tough, soft-hearted sort of people we are. A memorial ceremony was recently held in the nearby town of Waco, attended by President Obama, and we even managed to graciously accept his words of praise and comfort, even though the President is very, very far from being a popular man in central Texas. However, at times like this, people are usually expected to come together, lend a hand and be a little kinder than usual. That does not happen everywhere, but I would like to think it is more common than the reverse would be. In Texas it is certainly expected. Still, there was one aspect of this disaster that did take me by surprise and pleasantly so.

Not long after the full extent of the explosion and the terrible loss of life and property became known all around the world, reports came in that assistance was being sent to the area from, of all places, that former corner of the Hapsburg lands currently known as the Czech Republic. The Czech Ambassador to the United States, Petr Gandalovic, was quick to visit the area and the Foreign Ministry has said that it plans to donate four million koruna (or about $200,000) to the small Texas town to aid in local recovery. Obviously, this is a much greater amount in the Czech Republic than it is in Texas, but the amount is not the point. The point is that even in the midst of considerable economic troubles of their own, the Czech people are extending a helping hand to their brothers and sisters in the Lone Star State in their time of need. Czech flags still dot the central Texas countryside and the small town of West is made up predominately of the descendants of settlers from Bohemia and Moravia who immigrated in the late 1800's. That was, at the time of course, part of the "Dual-Monarchy" of Austria-Hungary and it reminds me of the more distant history of Texas when both Texas and the Czech lands were both under the reign of a Hapsburg monarch.

It is a rather slim historical tie, but there nonetheless. The area of Texas was, however nominally, under the reign of the Hapsburg King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, after whom of course the Hapsburg lands were divided between the Spanish and German dominions. Colonization mostly got underway toward the end of the Hapsburg era in Spain and during the reign of the Bourbon dynasty. However, there are places, such as at the old Spanish Royal Governor's Palace in San Antonio, where the Hapsburg double eagle can still be seen, despite the fact that it was completed under the Bourbon dynasty. That connection is important to me, if to few others and it illustrates the extent to which the Hapsburg empire was a truly global entity, grouping together an extremely diverse range of peoples.

My primary point here though is simply to express my thanks to the Czech people for their generosity and compassion on this occasion as well as my admiration for the Czech people in looking out for each other even over such a large span of both time and area. It speaks well for them and I would hope would serve as an example to other peoples to show solidarity with those of their blood when in difficult times. It speaks well for them indeed and from one Texan to the Czech people back in their homeland; thank you.

Christmas Vacation

I will be trying to take some time off for a while. Long-time readers will know I have not done this before, but there are personal things to deal with, Christmas coming up and after that a pretty steady stream of visitors till the New Year. So, rather than trying to scramble to keep on schedule, I thought it best to just take a little break this year. Now, just because I'm saying this now does not mean I will be able to stick to it. Sometimes I have the urge to "vent" and cannot help myself, but I am going to try to and will hopefully have time to get caught up with some future articles and get done a few new things before the end of the year that have become rather customary (like the year-in-review, which can be a chore, but I like to do). I also have some side-projects going on that I would like to finish up without having other things taking precedence. So, we will see how long I can manage to stay away but, rest assured, I will be back and hopefully with some better new articles and new ideas and such. As always, feel free to check the archives to catch up on anything you might have missed, I thank you all for reading, checking in and I wish you all a very happy Christmas. I appreciate your support and your patience. God bless. -MM

Remembering a Departed Friend

If I may be allowed a personal moment today, yesterday I learned of the loss of a very dear and great man, Reverend Father John Van Lare CM who died on Tuesday April 17, 2012 at a nursing home in Panningen, The Netherlands. He was a man of God, a servant to the least of these his brethren all around the world and a loyal subject to three Queens during his lifetime. I came to know him as he served the parish in a dusty little nearby town in south Texas and surrounding areas from 1952 to 1964 and from 1979 until his recent retirement on August 26, 2004, a total of 37 years of faithful service at almost 85 years old and with failing eyesight. He was on good terms with all the local religious leaders, though he was not comfortable meeting alone with the Methodist pastors once the first woman pastor came to town. He had quite an impact on the community and was quite a unique individual. He is the only Catholic priest I have ever met who objected to the use of the term “Roman Catholic”. He felt it ignored the non-Roman rites as well as the fact that the Orthodox were “Roman” as well. He also thought the phrase “Merry Christmas” implied something sinful and insisted on saying “Happy Christmas” instead. He would often say a mass in English, give the homily in Spanish and always said blessings in Latin. He was, as I say, a unique individual.

He was born Johan Van Lare in 1919 in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, during the reign of Queen Wilhelmina, whom he always spoke of with the utmost respect. After enough years in south Texas he did though begin to refer to Queen Juliana using the Spanish rather than Dutch pronunciation of her name. He told me once that he never felt he had any control over what he would become, God had chosen him to be a priest and that was that. During World War II, when the Germans attacked Holland he was wounded by a German bomb, causing him to lose a kidney. He was in the hospital when the Nazi planes attacked again. Most patients were moved to the basement, but Father John's case was too critical, so he was left above ground with debris flying and glass raining down around him. Miraculously, he survived. He was studying for the priesthood during the war. Jews were hidden in his seminary, disguised as priests, his brother vanished while serving in the Dutch under-ground and during time in Nazi captivity he met the future saints Fr. Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein. Later in life he would meet Mother Theresa as well, sitting on the floor at an airport. He was ordained in 1947 as a priest of the Congregation of the Mission, founded by St Vincent de Paul during the Counter-Reformation.

Although his friendly and joking manner was most obvious, Father Van Lare was foremost a Biblical scholar. He wrote over 30 books and pamphlets on the Church, the Bible and religious subjects and he could speak Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, Latin, ancient Greek, Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese. He spent many years in China as a missionary during the Civil War and Communist takeover. After only five years in the country he was kept under armed guard constantly and was repeatedly being hauled into jail for interrogation. Unlike many, Father Van Lare survived, but he had to learn to be more clever than the police and always made it a point to act as if he was the sole ambassador of Christianity. One Communist official who had been harassing him was left speechless when Father Van said he would pray for her after learning that her family had been killed by troops of the Kuomintang. He ministered to the Chinese for many years and even baptized two Communist army captains in secret. After years of treatment as an enemy prisoner, Father Van was finally moved to the safety of Hong Kong.

It was here that the Apostolic Delegate decided that the United States would be Father John's next destination and sent him to south Texas for the first time in 1953. He did tremendous work, building a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe and the first (Catholic) stone church in the area dedicated to the Sacred Heart. In those early days every house was encouraged to have a Sacred Heart “enthronement” ceremony and most did. He left south Texas in 1964 to go to Taiwan where he worked for the next fifteen years. But the man from the damp, cold Low Country had grown attached to hot and dry south Texas and was able to return in 1979 where he would continue to serve for 25 more years. He was always very friendly and ready to tell or hear a joke. He was one of the most animated and interesting preachers I have ever heard, having a wealth of personal experience to draw from, he had a keen sense of what was really important and what was not. He could see to the heart of a matter.

I can say from my many long talks with the man, his focus was always on Jesus Christ and the apostles. He knew the Good Book from cover to cover (but never stopped studying) and although recognizing the full range of the Christian religion, he always emphasized Christ above all and how salvation was a lifelong struggle with no shortcuts, but that simply required tireless effort to do the will of God. He was also a very humble man who appreciated humility in others, and recognized many saints in the poor faithful of his own community. He was always quick to point out that saints can be anywhere, and that people can be turned toward God by someone else, without them ever being aware of it. He had plenty of health problems (none of which were related to the fact that he smoked like a chimney almost his entire life, oddly enough) but was always on call, 24/7, never locked his doors and, for such a small, frail, little old man was absolutely fearless. Probably a result of being thrown in prison by all the worst regimes of his time. He finally had to retire when he found himself growing blind and returned to The Netherlands to be near his family.

Monarchists here may be glad to know that, no matter where he went in the world, in civil terms he always considered himself first and foremost a subject of the Queen of The Netherlands (whichever one happened to be reigning at that point in his life). He was of the mind that they work for God, politicians work for themselves. I know some here will not be so glad to know that he considered the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy and the loss of the Papal States as one of the greatest blessings in disguise the Catholic Church ever received. However, he was not the sort to ever pay much attention to politics. Administering the sacraments was his job and he did it all over the world and never cared much what sort of government existed so long as it did not prevent him from fulfilling his calling. Still, he was his Queen’s loyal subject, but God’s first of course. The world will be the worse off for his absence but though I was sad the night he left to go back home, I am keeping it together tonight. I have no doubt that I know where he is now and that, for the first time in nearly ten years, he can see again. If God sees fit to bend the rules enough for me to get into Heaven one of these days, I will head for the celestial smoking section where I will be sure to find Father Van and we can continue our talks on Christian history, Europe and the Far East, and then without interruption.

Heaven has gained a good one. I will miss him, as I have, though I must say, he doesn’t seem as far away to me now as he did when he was in Holland. Rest In Peace Father John. You’ve earned it.

A Macabre Monarchist?

The question has been posed to your resident mad man whether my frequent use of the skull and crossbones (or variations thereof) has any sinister connotations. I have been asked about this before, though probably not as often as some might think (it is rather odd I suppose). I have heard a few odd suggestions over what I might be intending to convey in my use of such symbols. One suggested this was a subtle show of support for internet piracy (not true, I tend to view any piracy as something negative -like most people) but my personal favorite was the suggestion that this was some unconscious effort on my part to equate monarchy with poison -which shows that some people have way too much free time on their hands; unconscious or not, even I’m not that crazy-contradictory. So, since being asked about it again I thought I might explain it just for the sake of anyone who may be curious but has never been inclined to ask about it.

First of all, let me assure you there is no sinister intention behind it. I may be a touch on the creepy side but I am certainly not specifically trying to convey that. Nor am I a part of or intending to show support for any conspiratorial secret societies. I might point out that, although far from common, the skull and bones symbol has been used by monarchists around the world in the past. From the Whites in Russia to the Black Brunswickers in Germany to the Carlists in Spain various monarchist groups have made use of the image to symbolize their attitude of “death to traitors” in reference to those who took up arms against their sovereign. I could say that and that would be perfectly true and I have, in some of my doodling, incorporated the symbol in that sort of framework. However, that would not be the complete truth which is actually far less dramatic, deep or meaningful and just personal.

For some reason, members of my family have always had something unique associated with them. My mother, for example, always had a thing for monkeys so, over time, people sent her every sort of stuffed monkey imaginable. For my father it was pigs, because he always thought piglets were cute. For my sister it was Tweety Bird because of a nickname our Grandfather gave her and so, over time, she acquired a ton of stuff related to Tweety Bird. Our grandfather gave almost everyone a nickname, something special between him and the (originally) child in question. One couple who were friends of my grandparents had a son named Jackson and my historically minded Grandpa immediately nicknamed him “Stonewall Jackson” (after the famous Confederate general). This little tot eventually grew into a very, very large young man and was an accomplished football player. Guess what everyone still called him. Yep, “Stonewall”. The nicknames Grandpa gave usually drew on some aspect of the person in question, though not always. My sister got her nickname solely because Grandpa proved incapable of pronouncing her actual name.

Well, in my case, Grandpa gave me a nickname that was based on the rather skeletal appearance I’ve had pretty much ever since I lost my baby fat. My Grandma never liked it because she was afraid I would think I was being made fun of and develop a complex or something (oh, if only that were all…) but I knew my nickname was an affectionate term. As with the others, because of that nickname, skulls, bones and skeletons have just become associated with me over time. It was never anything sinister, though I raised quite a few eyebrows at my very strict, private Christian school with things like my keychain with a skeleton on it or my bone-carved necklace with a smiling skull on it. And it continues to this day. Not long ago my sister gave me a doormat with a skull and bones on it as a birthday present. As the years have gone by I have probably held a little more tightly to this (probably silly) personal symbol because the two people closest to me who always called me by the nickname that inspired this, my Grandfather and an uncle of mine, have since gone on to their eternal rewards. Only those people closest to me ever called me by my nickname and those people are almost all gone now so I’m sure I display it even more now than I used to just as a way of keeping their memory close at hand. Others may misunderstand it or simply not know what it means, but all that really matters to me is that I do.

It may seem morbid or creepy to a lot of people (and I can seem that way myself often enough I suppose) but the bones, skulls and skeletons are just images I have been associated with for most of my life because of the nickname given to me by my grandfather, the greatest, saintliest man I have ever known, (a very cheerful and funny man by the way who loved playing pranks and exchanging jokes) and whose memory I cherish. Grandpa was never very good at remembering names (nicknames were easier for him, again, because they were chosen because of something unique that stood out about that person) but though few call me by my nickname anymore, I still cling to it and, God willing, if by some miracle I am able to see my Grandfather again some day, I know exactly what he will call me. I cannot imagine anything better than the feeling of hearing his voice call me that again. So, again, rest assured, it's nothing sinister, just a personal thing.

I hope that clears up any confusion.
As ever,
The Mad Monarchist

My Apologies

My apologies to all but it may be fairly slim pickings here at the Mad Monarchist for a while. With everyone else on Christmas vacation around here, I'm having to work overtime and have had little time to make much progress on the blog. I have exhausted my 'ready to post' articles, which I try to have done ahead of time to allow for the occasional hiccup, so while I will try to do what I can, with all of the extra demands on my time (and a few minor family disasters) it might take until after the holiday break for things to get back to normal. I am sorry if this disappoints anyone and I appreciate everyone for your attention and your understanding.
-The Mad Monarchist

A Personal Request

This morning I got a call from my old Dad asking, in a very matter of fact way, to come meet him over at our place just southeast of here. No more than that. Once I got there I found he had tangled with an old bull and, not surprisingly, the bull won. Tossed him in the air like a rag doll and broke his hip. I rushed him to the nearest half-way professional hospital (50 miles away) and spent most of the day there until my mother arrived. He's now in the big city waiting for surgery which should be sometime tonight, in a great deal of pain as you can imagine. When he was thrown up in the air his cell phone landed about 15 feet away from him and with his hip blown out he had to crawl over to get it, amongst about 40 cattle he had been feeding, then back again to get under the neck of the trailer in case the bull wanted to make another pass. I would appreciate any prayers or good thoughts sent his way for a safe and speedy recovery. Thanks.

My Flags

Having discussed this with some others, I thought I would list here some of my flags, in case some might find it of interest. I have long had an interest in what the educated folks call vexillology. Flags have a way of inspiring strong emotions in people that has never ceased to amaze me. Since I have a great many I will list here only those I have large enough for display outdoors (though at least a couple of them were not made durable enough for that) and with a few exceptions are 3’x5’.

The Grand Union Flag: This is the only American flag that I own and I fly it on those occasions in which I feel compelled to. There are a few misconceptions about this one. It was never an official flag of the United States as it was only used prior to the declaration of independence. However, it was the first flag to represent the thirteen colonies as a whole or the ‘American nation’ when they were still fighting simply for a redress of grievances while remaining within the British Empire. It was also the first American flag to ever fly over foreign soil in the brief capture of Nassau, Bahamas.

The Republic of Texas: This is the one that sees the most service and is the one that can usually be seen flying over my home. It is the flag of my country as I am one of those stubborn few who still adheres to the old idea of state sovereignty. So long as Texas adheres to the Union, I adhere but that is as far as it goes. It has been the official flag of Texas since December 10, 1836 though the basic symbol of the “Lone Star” is much older. Obviously not a monarchist flag, but nonetheless the symbol of my home and native land. As we say, “I’m Texas born, Texas bred and when I die; I’ll be Texas dead!” I’m also one of the few, even among Texans, who can sing the first two verses of the Texas national anthem, “Texas, Our Texas”.

The De Zavala Flag: Reading about this one always makes me laugh because someone will inevitably declare that this flag is a "myth"! Does that mean the one I own does not really exist? Silly. Of course it is no myth, it exists -I can hold it in my boney, nicotine-stained fingers. Whether or not it is an accurate depiction of the design suggested by Vice President Lorenzo De Zavala in 1836 I don't know, but it certainly exists and did at the time as well as the basic design, a blue field with a lone star, was quite common as were various words or mottos displayed on flags, the most common being "Texas" or "Independence". In any event, the historical facts regarding it are of little importance to me, I just think it is a nice design and it does quite well to convey my feelings to those passing by concerning the subject of Texas and our relationship with the Union.

The Confederate States of America: Here is one always sure to cause controversy. Some love it, some hate it and some hate anyone who would even display it. Well, for those, you’ll have to take a number and get in line, there will be quite a long wait. I also have the more familiar ensign but I prefer to fly this one, the third and last national flag of the Confederacy. I own it out of principle, my country voluntarily adhered to the Confederacy and was involuntarily forced back into the Union, which rather annoys me. It is not, I assure you, intended to show any support for racism or slavery. In fact, the nearest county to mine that existed at the time of the war voted unanimously in favor of secession and it had not a single ‘White’ resident at the time. I usually fly it on occasions when I am especially annoyed with the federal government in Washington. Tax day immediately comes to mind.

The New Orleans Greys: This one takes me back to my “Living History” period many years ago. The New Orleans Greys were two companies of volunteer militia from the United States (though it included members from Europe as well) which came to Texas in 1835 to aid in the War for Independence. They were ultimately wiped out almost to a man at the Alamo and the Goliad Massacre. This flag was presented to the first company by the ladies of Nacogdoches, Texas and flew at the Alamo where it was captured by Santa Anna and sent back to Mexico as a war trophy. Back when “W” was governor he tried to get it back, offering to exchange it for one of the Mexican flags captured at the battle of San Jacinto but Mexico said “no”. This has led some to think that the Mexicans either lost it or allowed it to deteriorate completely.

The Spanish Empire: This was the ensign of the Kingdom of Spain from 1785 to 1931 but, around here at any rate, is known as the Spanish imperial flag and can be seen in the more accurate displays of the Six Flags of Texas to cover the centuries during which Texas was part of the colonial empire of Spain. I bought it because of that, the Kingdom of Spain being the one monarchy Texas was longest associated with and though it does not see the light of day very often I do fly it occasionally on days significant to the Kingdom of Spain or just to cause annoyance on the sixteenth of September. What can I say? I’m a pain.

The Cross of Burgundy: I own this flag for much the same reason as that above. It was widely flown in the Spanish colonial period, though the only place I have ever seen one still flying today was at Mission San Jose near San Antonio. It is pretty rare and I was surprised to find one at my usual flag store and had to grab it immediately. I have never actually flow it though because it is significantly smaller than the rest and would not fit my flag pole. However, I like the flag, I like what it represented and it was also commonly used by the Carlists and the (historic) Carlist cause is one I have great sympathy for. Let us not, however, get into the debate again over those still using the name today.

The Cross of St George: This one I did not buy but was given to me as a gift by an Englishman. In fact, the first time I met this friend of mine ‘in the flesh’ he had this flag wrapped around him so he was certainly hard to miss. I like the English flag, I do not like the rather negative reputation many have attached to it today. It is also a part (one of many) of my ancestry and having had ancestors who fought for the King in the English Civil War it seems only appropriate to have an English flag. Alas, if it has ever been flown it was only briefly (I can’t really remember) as it was one of those not made for outdoor use but more for hanging on a wall inside.

The Dominion of Canada: As I have said before, I do prefer the old Canadian Red Ensign but I have nothing against the current design. I purchased this flag during my first visit to Canada (indeed the first time I had ever visited an existing monarchy) which was close to Dominion Day (aka Canada Day) and so a lot of Canadian paraphernalia was to be found in the stores. I also flew it the first time the friends I was there to visit came down to Texas. However, I don’t think it was made for extended outdoor use and in any event, given the odd shape of the Canadian flag compared to most, was not a perfect fit for my pole. It could be done but was bubbled a little in the center so was not exactly at its best. I do have some family in Canada as well, I’ve never met them and they live on an Indian reservation but -there’s that anyway.

The German Empire: I don’t recall what prompted me to buy this flag but it was a disappointment in any event. We will blame it on the German percentage of my ancestry and if I am going to have a German flag it was going to be the German Empire and not the republic and if it is going to be an Imperial German flag it was going to be the ensign as I just think it is much more attractive than the civilian flag. Anyway, when it actually arrived it was, again, a great disappointment. It was one of those printed versions and something must have been askew in the printing process as the colored portions in the central arms were almost all missing, so there is a cross but no orb, a tongue but no beak and so on. It just looks terrible. I did fly it once but it was not made for outdoor use. It also has some blood stains on it as I had it in my truck when I was in a bad accident and nearly broke my neck.

The Kingdom of Italy: This is my latest addition, which I bought this year to mark the anniversary of Italian unification. If I am going to fly the flag of Italy it is going to be the flag of the Kingdom of Italy and not the current dysfunctional republic, whose blank tricolor is just boring anyway. It was not made for extended outdoor display, which is probably just as well as down here it would probably just confuse people who would think it was some sort of version of the Mexican flag. Also, as with just about every Italian flag made outside of Italy the shade of green used is not quite correct. But, it serves its purpose and I like a flag with a crown on it in any event.

The Holy See: I do not remember the exact occasion I first bought this flag for but I do remember I had a hard time finding it at the flag store. I looked under “V” for “Vatican City”, then I looked under “P” for “Papal flag” and finally even looked under “C” for “Catholic Church” only to still find nothing. Finally I asked the clerk and it was quickly located, of course, under “H” for “Holy See”. Anyway, as the symbol of the tiny State of Vatican City it is the flag of the last Christian absolute monarchy in the world so significant for that at the very least. I do not often display it but it has been flown on Vatican “independence day” (the day the Lateran Treaty became official) and possibly some other days of papal significance.

The Principality of Monaco: Ever since buying my first Monegasque flag (whenever that was) I have always wondered if they didn’t lie to me and sell me an Indonesian flag instead. I may never know. The red and white come from the coat of arms of the House of Grimaldi which dates back nearly to time immemorial but the national flag was officially adopted by HSH Prince Charles III on April 4, 1881. Since I was knee-high to a duck the Monegasque monarchy was always most prominent in our home, no doubt because of the influence of the late, beloved Princess Grace, who caused a craze for monarchy and Monaco in particular across the United States. Ever since then, in our house at least, the Princely Family, being half-American, was seen as partly our own and it is from that, I suppose, that my fascination with the very long history of Monaco and the Grimaldi dynasty grew. I fly it on every significant Monaco-related occasion, be it National Day or any date significant to the Princely Family.

The Kingdom of France: Finally we come to the French. This flag I have had for quite a while and is probably the most common French flag one will see in my part of the world. I bought this flag both for my admiration for the ancien regime and because it is one of the Six Flags of Texas, during that brief period when we were claimed by King Louis XIV. That claim was made by La Salle with whom there is some local connection and while the blue flag with the three lilies is also often seen, it is the white flag that I have always preferred. I make it a point to fly this flag at least once a year, naturally on Bastille Day.

There are a few others on my 'list' to get that I just havn't gotten around to picking up yet, but I'm sure I've gone on long enough now on a subject of interest to very few if any. Moving on then...

A Note to All Readers

It has been a while and I've let it slip my mind a couple of times already, so before I forget again I just wanted to take a moment to say "Thank You" to all members, regular readers and the occasional observers. We are now up to 300 members, 1,681 subscribers to the MM Channel and many more than just members are regular readers as there are now over a thousand people a day checking in and having a read. These may not be huge numbers but considering how often I seem to be telling people *not* to read my blog, almost anything would impress me. So, thank you to all readers, viewers etc, a special thanks to the members and even to all of you who just pop in every day to have a look at the latest lunacy. I appreciate you all taking the time, tolerating my odd views, occasional fits and regular mad rants. I know not everyone agrees with *everything* I say, and I know there are certain subjects I tend to harp on that are particularly unpopular, but I am grateful that those of you who do can look past those moments and still come along for the ride. I hope you like most of what you see or at least find it in some way interesting. Thank you for coming, thank you for keeping up, I do appreciate it and I want all of you to know that I do.

God Bless and ... Keep it Royal!
The Mad Monarchist

Sorry for the Delay

Yes, it happened again. Just after getting yesterday morning's post up on my other blog, my internet went out. Once again, the oil company broke the phone line. This time while covering up the pipeline that they were digging when they broke it the first time. After waiting all day yesterday and giving them another tongue-lashing this morning they seem to finally have it fixed once again. The post I had planned to put up yesterday will have to wait until tomorrow. I hate having my schedule thrown out of sorts but, something cannot be helped. At least by me. Some things need the telephone cooperative to be helped. This has also come at a time when your resident mad man has been suffering from worsening health and I am generally out-of-sorts. My usual calm and patience I ever display towards those who annoy me is running extremely thin. Anyway, at least this little pain in the neck seems to have passed. Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading ... The Mad Monarchist

Congratulations Are In Order

Last night my right-hand-man "Teapot" and his lovely wife welcomed their baby girl, Rhys Leighann, into the world. The little bundle is seen above with her proud papa and her possibly even prouder aunt (my dear red Robin who is the best of all us misfits) -had a shown a picture of her mother you humble blogger would likely not be long for this world. But, she was a real trooper and followed my directions exactly. I told her some time ago that she should have the baby on March 6th so I could more easily remember the date and she did as she was told perfectly. How thoughtful is that? Anyway, we are all as pleased as we can be, busting buttons left and right. This little girl was a long time coming and not without considerable difficulty so we are all ecstatic that she has finally arrived. Happy birthday Rhys!
Hip, hip, Huzzah!
Hip, hip, Huzzah!
Hip, hip, Huzzah!

Comments & Blog Business

The last five all at once have done it for me; "Anonymous" comments will no longer be accepted. It doesn't matter much to me other than the fact that there were occasionally good ones but most I immediately deleted anyway. There have been a few painfully obvious trolls at work, one at least I do have to salute for being a persistent little SOB, going on very lengthy rants against the Manchu dynasty anytime China was even mentioned in a post despite the fact that most were out of place and immediately deleted. I also get very tired of those who pretend to be regular readers thinking that their criticism will somehow "hurt" more -even though it is blatantly obvious that they are not. No one who is in any way hostile toward monarchy or a fan of republicans could possibly be a regular reader...unless they are a masochist or something I guess. This is a blog by a monarchist for monarchists to (hopefully) enjoy. If some open-minded republicans happen to read it and be converted -great, but I have no desire to deal with devoted republicans/revolutionaries/assorted leftists. If you're a republican, democrat, revolutionary, socialist, communist etc there are plenty of other places where you will be welcome and can in comfort congratulate yourselves on destroying human civilization. You will not be happy here and I have no desire to hear you cry about how disturbing you find my little corner of the internet. However, that being said, I am sure this will not totally be "the end". I've never actually posted my email address but plenty have been able to figure it out and send me fan mail pretty consistently, and that's fine. I do rather enjoy hearing them howl when they are pricked and it is so easy considering that they seem to be a rather thin-skinned, humorless lot. For all actual readers, followers, members & subscribers I do hope you enjoy the posts and will continue on with me as long as these old bones hold me up.

Keep it Royal!

It is Freezing!

It is really, really, really cold around here and I am getting really, really cranky. I'm going to take Al Gore to court for false advertising at this rate.
Then of course there is that...

A Little Diversion: Corto Maltese in Siberia

As most regular readers probably know, I am a big fan of adventure stories and some time ago came across this animated version of Corto Maltese in Siberia, adapted from the famous comic book series. I present it here for those similarly interested, though with a word of warning for those of you in Kansas, there is brief cartoon nudity. This chapter is my favorite for featuring some real-life historical figures MM readers will remember such as General Semyonov and the "Mad Baron" himself, Roman von Ungern-Sternberg. The movie is in French but subtitled in English: