THE TAOS TATLER.

Promotional graphic of the Vatican’s Synod on Synodalty.

Feel for the family of Dan Millette. A new priest arrived at his parish who is the embodiment of Pope Francis’s vision of modern Catholic worship. He quickly and enthusiastically set about re-ordering things to accommodate that vision.

Active participation is required now in the parish, particularly through singing Happy Birthday to others at the end of Mass. Meanwhile, we are told that the value of the Mass comes solely from people being in attendance. How ironic, considering how the congregation has diminished since Vatican II. As for Mass being Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary? I guess that’s so Vatican I.

I look up during this Mass and see an altar boy in the sanctuary playing an air guitar while his brothers beside him laugh. It is a far cry from a few months ago when it was my two oldest boys who served. They were good at what they did, I must say. However, they quit. The new priest forbade them to genuflect when entering the sanctuary. No compromise. Better to play a fake guitar than genuflect to Christ.

The author decides to  “temporarily bail out of this Mass” by escaping to the basement with his infant son. Alas, to no avail.

In the basement I pray my rosary, while holding our dear, but fussy, little Benedict. It is the only way to pray at such a Mass. Yet even this is disturbed. I hear the echoes of a Broadway musical permeate into the basement. ‘Alleluia… for the glory… and the honor… are Yours… Alleluia!’ I thought I turned down the microphone’s volume last week? They’re on to me. As ‘and the glory…’ powers through again, I picture Hell as a place filled with church microphones–a good incentive to live in the state of grace.

It gets worse. Millette,, a traditionalist,  observes,

The Catechism of Trent says that Catholics are obliged ‘to go to church, and there, with heartfelt piety and devotion, to assist at the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.’ As far as I know, the Catechism of Trent does not discuss air guitars and singing Happy Birthday. To take it a step further, it does not discuss clown Masses, rock-n-roll rites, liturgies inspired by James Martin, nor Masses with every abuse and heresy under the post-conciliar sun.

Read it all, if you can take it.

Bickerstaff is not one to embrace wild-eyed conspiracy theories, but cannot help wonder: is there a plot afoot in the Vatican, coming from the top, to purposely drive from Holy Church precisely those worshipers whom she should be desperately striving to retain? Those like the Millette family, young, pious, observant (almost to a fault), with many children? Millette writes of the “small, white-haired congregation” in his church. That is a feature found at nearly every church this writer has attended Mass.

With one exception: those churches where the Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated, which are generally full up of with worshipers and even more significant, lots of young families, large ones often. Yet the Pope himself recently expressed his great displeasure with TLM, actually asking for prayers for those who prefer it, and directed his bishops to make it as inconvenient as possible to celebrate. Certainly in New Mexico, the Archbishop of Santa Fe, a Francis lackey of the First Class, has been doing his best to implement that directive.

Yet it is at usus antiquior masses where one finds the greatest number of young worshipers. So, to rephrase slightly, is the Vatican working to drive Holy Church into extinction? Circumstantial evidence makes that an all too easy conclusion to arrive at.

Deus misereatur.

Con artists used to have more class.

A reader sent Bickerstaff a fine and mercifully short piece on the recent collapse of the late cryptocurrency firm FTX and the fellow who ran it (into the ground), Sam Bankman-Fried. It all seemed so familiar; an entrepreneurial “genius” who’s found a gimmick that will enable those who don’t want to work for it make buckets of bucks. Though these schemes come in different shapes, forms and colors, they are essentially alike and have been with us since the dawn of civilization.

Reading the article linked above brought back memories to your Tatler of his long dead father. He was a securities analyst for many years at an old respected Wall Street firm that was eventually gobbled up by one that was not. He then retired.

Bickerstaff’s father had an uncanny ability to quickly pore through stacks of dense prospectus, deciphering them and reporting in plain English what they were about. No doubt an alarm would have sounded early in his head had he read an FTX prospectus (if any), quarterly and annual reports etc.

Fortunately for Sam Bankman-Fried, the people to whom he was pitching his scheme likely had no interest in prospectus and the like, not even having someone else examine them and report. A greedy sucker, for that is what most suckers are, has little desire to see his balloon burst and a good swindler will keep it afloat until the air runs out.

One thing that struck Bickerstaff about this scandal was the appearance of its perpetrator, Bankman-Fried. Two or three generations ago a swindler-to-be, in order to have doors opened for him, would be clean shaven and clad in suits by Brooks Brothers,  F. R. Tripler (Bickerstaff’s father’s clothier; Brooks was too flashy), J. Press or others of that genre, so to effect a WASPy guise that would command respect.

Now, scam artists must present themselves differently, as the preferred look of today’s well-off entrepreneur is that of a college sophomore majoring in gender and climate studies. There is no doubt Bankman-Fried perfected this look.

Thanks to GWR.

From Power Line:

This could be huge news: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has summoned the National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety to repel the invasion of Texas from its southern border. Abbott invokes the Invasion Clauses of the U.S. and Texas Constitutions:

Fun point: gun boats on the Rio!

Interesting point: Governor Abbot intends to “enter into a compact with other states to secure the border.” Well, of course he should and certainly Arizona will want to join in. But what about New Mexico? Our governor, Lujan Grisham, is as blue as they come and will likely express loud disapproval of Governor Abbot’s plan, calling it a stunt or words to that effect. If however she refuses to take part in the compact, she will have a huge problem on her hands.

The flood of illegals heading north and finding Texas and Arizona’s borders closed, will not just make a U-turn and go home. Not at all, they will instead make a left or right turn, depending on the state, and head for the New Mexico border and take the swim. This will vastly increase the flow of illegals into the Land of Enchantment, which will be utterly incapable of dealing with them.

It should be interesting to see how this plays out. New Mexico is mostly blue, but with hundreds of illegals inundating the state daily, we may see a color shift over time, especially in the southern part of the state, some of which is already red.

Letting the cat out of a cellophane bag.

From the Daily Caller:

Former President Donald Trump officially launched his 2024 presidential campaign at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, making a run for the White House for the third consecutive time.

Given the loggerheads at which so many in the Republican Party’s leadership find themselves, it’s not at all far fetched to suggest Trump might pull this off again.

From the Times:

Russian missiles have struck in Poland and killed two civilians, according to a senior US intelligence official.

Two stray missiles hit a farm in Przewodow, a village about four miles from the border with Ukraine, according to reports. Poland is a Nato member, and under Article 5 of the defence alliance an attack on one country is considered to be an attack on all. (Italics added.)

This could be big trouble if not handled right, and not handled right is what we may expect from our crack crew in the White House, from President Gibberish on down.

UPDATE:

Polish president says the missiles came from Ukraine, not Russia. Others are doubtful.

In one generation it’s gone from this:

To this.

Will Disney Corporation be the next Meta, dropping zillions on a product in which there is little interest? It seems to Bickerstaff the course the company is on is unsustainable. Even though it is directing its marketing at the enormous number of Gen Z-ers in this country, which makes certain sense, are there enough of them with children (a vastly smaller number) willing to let them be exposed to woke, new age nonsense? Even if there are, how many of those children will prefer this god-awful twaddle over Mickey, Donald and Goofy?

The mistake Disney makes is marketing to parents, not children. Gen Z parents may go along with the ruse, pretending to enjoy this wretched stuff, but their children, not well versed in adult make believe, will likely express, loudly, their dislike of Mr Neptune and that sort of thing.

Talk about a scintillating read!

55 years! My, how they flew by, but hey, that’s what happens when one’s engaged in fruitful dialog, not hateful division over such unessentials like actual presence.

Here then are some of the ecumenical triumphs resulting from those 55 years.

There’s this:

And this:

Let’s not leave out this:

And who could forget this?

And of course this–almost forgot–the greatest triumph of the 55 years.

Shall we break out the DP?

Thanks to GWR.

CORRECTION.

Oops, teetotalers, champaign is out. Better make it this (and remember, only Catholics must compromise).

Or maybe, since we’re all being so ecumenicallyish, this.

Still, whether or not formally, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden are excommunicated latae sententiae, automatic excommunication, for their loud and enthusiastic support for abortions.

From the Catechism:

Any Catholic who obstinately denies that abortion is always gravely immoral, commits the sin of heresy and incurs an automatic sentence of excommunication.

That couldn’t be clearer and Pelosi’s own Bishop, Cordileone, who has something rare among prelates, vestigial remains, at least, of a spine, has directed her not to receive because of her support of abortion. She ignores him. The President, whose support of abortion is equal to Pelosi’s, of course hasn’t heard a peep from higher ups in the Church, thus those two’s sins are compounded every time they receive.

And that is the the problem with latae sententiae: sinful politicians incur it all by themselves, obviating the need for squishy liberal prelates to do something icky about it, which is giving them the heave-ho. They thus skirt unpleasant editorials about them in the New York Times and the like.

Though likely apocryphal, Andrew Jackson, upon hearing of the Supreme Court decision in Worcester v. Georgia, which established the sovereign rights of the Cherokee Nation and other tribes, supposedly said: “Justice Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it.” Marshall couldn’t of course, though he, unlike most modern prelates, was no wimp.

Today’s wimpy prelates wouldn’t dream of confronting well known politicos on their support of abortion, contenting themselves with their excommunication latae sententiae and letting it go at that. They don’t dare or care, even though it’s their job, informing them forcefully of their sins, and if necessary, excommunicating them ferenda sententia, formally forbidding them from receiving, which would get a lot more attention.

Oooooh, traipse your eyes on that gorgeous steward in economy!

(From here.)

A friend sent this along with a note: “Not quite the RAF that won the Battle of Britain.”

Alas, no and it’s only a matter of time the RAF will be forced to adopt similar measures. Thence to the U. S. of A.

Thanks to GWR.

He’s just as horrid as Biden, but doesn’t get lost in a coat closet.

From The Hill:

. . . Biden could ask Harris to resign and replace her with Newsom, who then becomes the heir apparent for 2024. Or Biden could replace Harris with Newsom and then resign himself, making Newsom the president before 2024 and arming him with the full force of the Oval Office.

Republicans can write off Newsom all they want as the politician who “ruined” California. The fact is, he is a proven vote-getter and has a formidable Democratic machine behind him. More than that, he has demonstrated that he is no political wallflower and seemingly has no intention of “waiting his turn.”        

Might the Democrats leapfrog him into the Oval Office before 2024? It would be political malpractice for them not to consider the option.

A week ago, Bickerstaff would have laughed himself silly at such a suggestion. Now, who knows? Not only does it seem eminently possible, the conspiracist lurking inside, heretofore wan and enervated, was substantially nourished by events last week, that continue to this day; if not exactly robust, the inner demon is now far more capable of believing “six impossible things before breakfast” than before.