A Tale of Two Statues

When Robert E. Lee died in 1870, a memorial association was formed in the City of New Orleans.  After six years had passed, the association raised an amazing $36,400 - during the throes of Reconstruction - to construct a monument.  The world-famous New York-based sculptor Alexander Doyle (who studied in Bergamo, Rome, and Florence) was commissioned, and it was installed at Tivoli Circle - renamed Lee Circle - in 1884.  The statue was placed atop a granite pedestal consisting of a 60 foot column.  The statue itself is 16.5 feet high and made of bronze.  Attendees at the dedication included Jefferson Davis, two daughters of General Lee, and former Confederate general P.G.T. Beauregard.

Monuments such as these also memorialized the many common soldiers whose bodies were never recovered for burial, or who lie strewn across battlefields in unknown, unmarked, or even mass graves.  The postwar monuments provided solace for survivors and healing between the regions as monuments to the dead of both sides in the war were erected as the veterans were dying off.  The Lee statue was a rare early monument erected during the post-war federal occupation of Louisiana.

In time, Lee Circle and the monument became an important landmark and meeting point for locals, especially for Mardi Gras parades.  The Circle stands at basically the intersection of the Garden District, the French Quarter, and the Central Business District.  The statue became iconic to the landscape of the city.  The monument made the National Register in 1991, and in 2011, New Orleans Magazine declared it one of the most important statues in the city (along with another striking Doyle piece, the equestrian statue of P.G.T. Beauregard).

Six years later, after 133 years, the monument was declared "racist" and removed, being placed in a shed in a city junkyard where it remains - along with three other historical monuments (including Doyle's Beauregard) hidden to this day.

The column remains in place with nothing on it.

On January 22, 2022, a new statue was erected at the ground level of the pedestal where it will remain for several months.  It was executed by another New York sculptor named Simone Leigh.  The statue is entitled "Sentinel (Mami Wata)" and it "takes the diversity of African cultures in New Orleans as a starting point, evoking African folklore and spiritualities."  The statue is supposedly an African idol, described as a "water spirit or deity."  The deity is sometimes associated with lust and prostitution.  This representation is a nude female form wrapped by a snake with the unique and unusual element of having a head shaped like a spoon.  

Yes, a spoon: 

"The ceremonial spoon form of the sculpture references a symbol of status in Zulu culture, so honored in New Orleans," according to the exhibition. "Leigh’s sculpture holds forms of knowledge that have been passed down through spiritual and masking traditions of the city and beyond, wherein masking signifies transformation, not simply concealment."

Rather than locate it on the top of the sixty foot pedestal, it sits on the ground.  It is claimed that this was intentional:

"Not looming over people but rather emerging from among us," the exhibition statement said. "This constellation de-centers whiteness and the legacies of colonialism, renewing access to knowledge and culture that has been suppressed by the falsehoods of white supremacy."  

Of course, that may just be a flowery way of saying that they lacked the know-how and the money to hoist it to the top of the six-story column.

At any rate, this is a fitting symbol of New New Orleans: a crime-ridden, violent, impoverished, drug-invested, culturally-debased, infrastructure-ruined, politically-destroyed and corrupted city, a shell of its former historical greatness.  The naked woman with the head of a spoon is wrapped by a serpent, calling to mind Eve and the original sin of mankind, a primitive hot-mess of a superstitious idol, representing the decay of civilization, culture, art, history, and craftsmanship.

This is a fitting display of public art that fits in with the city's other offerings, such as electrical boxes painted in what appears to be finger paint, often with depictions that look like stick figures, or a large scrap-heap of junk bicycles painted white and piled on one another, and murals that are indistinguishable from the seedy graffiti and rat-infested blight that dot the landscape where majestic statues once stood in manicured public spaces.

And like most displays of inferior-quality "modern art," people will stare at it, rub their chins, and applaud, like the townspeople in The Emperor's New Clothes, wanting not only to appear sophisticated, but in today's reality, to prove their politically-correct bona fides by pretending that this somehow represents an improvement instead of decay.

Racism and Reputation

Note: This article was published by my friends at the Abbeville Institute.  You can read it either there, or you can read it here at FH.

Two terms that are tossed about with great liberality today are “racist” and “white supremacist.”  Like other words with specific definitions, such as “fascist” and “Nazi,” these labels are losing their specific social, economic, political, and legal meaning, and have essentially become nondescript slurs thrown at anyone a Progressive disagrees with.

All of these words are routinely used against those who might describe themselves as “conservative,” “traditionalist,” “Christian,” “capitalist,” “patriotic,” or “libertarian.”  This is a clever Orwellian strategy to recast mainstream people as outcasts of society – a carefully crafted linguistic trick to marginalize, dehumanize, and eliminate an opponent by rhetoric and dishonest implication. 

And given the politically correct power of academia, government, and Big Tech, nobody wants to be on the business end of this kind of name-calling.  It has a chilling effect on freedom – and even the ability to hold a job – and thus pushes a totalitarian narrative that is a betrayal of not only our American ethos, but of natural law and Christian anthropology and theology itself.  It is a way to demonize nearly half of the country, and it is almost always based on a lie.

Just to take the first term: “racist.”  What is the concept of “racism”?  Racism is a form of bigotry against a person’s “race.”  The term “race” is not very precise, as the older classifications of humanity into three or four taxonomic groupings is no longer standard.  And so “racism” can mean bigotry against a person based upon his skin tone or other characteristics derived from his ethnicity.  Obviously, a typical seventh generation Norwegian and a typical seventh generation Ethiopian look very different.  Bigotry or hatred against people based on these differences is a clear and reasonable definition of “racism.” 

It is not racism for a Norwegian to cheer on his own Olympic team, or for an Ethiopian to feel at home among people who speak his language and share his culture and history.  Nor is it racism if a Norwegian or an Ethiopian is a Christian or votes for a conservative political candidate.  Nor is it racism if an Ethiopian and a Norwegian disagree with each other in terms of economics or politics.

And as the world has shrunk, and as race-based slavery, segregation, and apartheid (political and social arrangements based on an actual legal arrangement of “white supremacy”) have long since become condemned historical relics, actual racism is likewise drifting into cultural and political insignificance.  Interracial marriages and people of mixed ethnic backgrounds have today become common – even though such marriages were illegal only a few decades ago.  Moreover, there has never been a better time to be black in the West than today.  Thirteen years ago, America elected a black president – even as the black population of the United States is a mere 13% of the population. 

But the term “racism” remains politically and socially powerful and useful.  It is a word of subjective and fluid meaning, and can thus essentially be used by anyone to accuse anyone else of repugnant views – and those views being vilified often have nothing to do with either race or bigotry!

I recently learned that some users of Twitter (I am not on the platform), apparently members of Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod churches – have been throwing the term around to denounce the more conservative members of the synod, accusing our church body of being “institutionally racist.”  And I have also learned that I have been called “racist” by name. 

Again, the term is becoming meaningless.  It has almost been so watered down as to be an adult version of the childhood playground taunt: “poopyhead.”  And yet, the word remains a cudgel that can ruin someone’s life – especially in our “cancel culture” world. 

Applying the actual meaning of the word “racist,” it is as an odd charge to make about me – especially by people whom I have never met.  I was not raised to hate people based on skin tone or ethnicity.  I spent my childhood and some of my teen years talking to people all over the planet via ham radio.  To this day, I have dear friends all around the world, from every continent, of every skin tone, ethnicity, and from diverse religious traditions.  I’m a fan of the international language Esperanto because I enjoy communication and friendships that transcend all such barriers, and believe such contact is godly and edifying to all. 

In my secular, academic, and pastoral careers, I have had colleagues and friends of every ethnicity – many of whom I have been friends with for decades. 

I believe that all people are related to one another, as revealed in the Book of Genesis, and skin tone and differences in appearance of people groups is nothing more than a response to how much sun one receives combined with generational genetic traits. 

If I’m a racist, I’m not a very good one.

As a pastor, I do deal with my parishioners according to their ancestry.  Namely: we are all sinners who inherited our mortal nature from our forebears going back to the Fall.  There is no Jew or Greek, male or female, free or slave, white or black where it comes to sin and grace (Gal 3:28).  We don’t segregate people in our sanctuary by ethnicity, and we all drink the Lord’s blood from the same chalice no matter what color we are.

One of my beloved parishioners is a delightful lady from the Caribbean.  She has been my parishioner now for 16 years.  She knew my son from the time he was born.  And when his body was brought into the church 15 years later, she was the first person there.  She mourned with my wife and me.  Our relationship can only be described as one of deep, abiding Christian love.  I am always happy to see her in the pews, and it is my honor to place the Holy Sacrament upon her tongue with the confession: “The body of Christ,” and to hear her “Amen” spoken with her beautiful island dialect.

Maybe I need to brush up on my racist skills, because I seem to be a failure in that department.

And, of course, in the modern Orwellian context, to deny being a racist is evidence of being a racist.  To be white is to be racist.  To be a Christian, conservative, libertarian, and/or traditionalist is to be a racist.  Having no black friends is evidence of racism.  Having black friends is evidence of racism.  Being race-conscious is evidence of racism.  Being color-blind is evidence of racism. 

Precious few people are willing, like the little boy in the Hans Christian Andersen tale, to point at the naked emperor and state the obvious.

So why is this Twitter-mob calling me racist?  It has nothing to do with race or bigotry.  They don’t even claim as much.  Their beef against me is historiographical.

I’ve been a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for about thirty years.  It is a genealogical society.  It is fraternal, benevolent, and non-political.  Our members include men of all ethnicities – including black members.  What binds us together is descent from at least one member of the Confederate States armed forces in the War Between the States.  And as such, we are proud of the service of our great-grandfathers, and we defend their reputation against slander.  As such, I oppose the iconoclastic removal – whether by governments or by mobs – of historical statues, whether of Confederate or Union soldiers, whether of Davis or Lincoln, whether of Lee and Jackson, or Washington, Jefferson, Mark Twain, and Christopher Columbus.

The study of history includes many “schools” or historical interpretations – which change over time, as different fashions of interpretation come and go.  Historians – at least until recently – debated with one another about cause and effect, about the reliability of historical sources, about the complex nature of human motivation, etc.  This study of the study of history itself is known as “historiography.”  And today, just as in ancient times, historians are subject to influence based on money and power and who is in the ruling class, who won the war, who has the favor and the ear of the ruler, and who has the power to make or break one’s career.  Ancient emperors assured that their court historians made them look good – whether by omitting embarrassing events, by playing up victories, by exaggerating, or even by lying.  And political enemies were even written out of historical memory.

Totalitarian regimes today continue this tradition. 

In America and the West, there is more freedom to write, to challenge, and to dissent – although pressures from moneyed institutions who fund academic research, and now, stifling political correctness, conspire to narrow the window of acceptable historical interpretation.  A historian or professor may well have to lie and sweep historical evidence under the rug in order to keep his job.

And so, some people call me a “racist” because of my historiographical interpretation of the war of 1861-1865, and because of my opposition to removing historical monuments of all eras of American history.

In 2017, I stood with peaceful defenders of the historical monuments in New Orleans.  And when violence broke out, as Antifa activists attacked while the police stood down, I came and conducted a Vespers service and prayed for peace. I gathered men and women of every age and racial/ethnic demographic into a circle and led prayers.  I was, of course, called a “racist” for doing so.  I saw no clergy and nobody leading prayers on the other side of the divide.  Rather, I heard threats and taunts and racial epithets against black allies of the monuments. Instead of crosses, I saw hammers and sickles. In spite of the heavy Roman Catholic presence in New Orleans, not one clergyman was there except me.  The Archbishop could have shown up to call for peace, but he was nowhere to be found – even when a monument to the poet-priest Father Abram Ryan was painted with red paint and smeared with human feces.  The Archbishop said nothing other than advocating the monuments’ removal, and all from the safety of his office.  He did nothing to promote peace, probably because his desire to see the monuments removed was served by the violence that his absence promoted.  And this is why the mayor ordered the police to do nothing as the mob attacked. 

I had ancestors on both sides of the War Between the States, and have studied a lot over the years – primary sources and dissenting views that are seldom read in school.  It is my belief that secession was an entirely constitutional remedy for growing federal power, and that taking up arms against an armed foreign invader was an honorable act.  The evidence is overwhelming that the ordinary solder on both sides fought for his country and not for “social justice” issues.  Obviously, in the 19th century, Americans of both regions were “racist” by today’s standards, and slavery was legal and practiced in both the north and the south.  Leaders of both the USA and the CSA included slaveholders, and advocates of slavery, as well as non-slaveholders and opponents of slavery.  Free blacks and slaves alike wore the gray uniform, and some were even under arms.  The much-maligned Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest had dozens of slaves who voluntarily fought under his command to the end of the war.

Our racial history in Louisiana is even more complex, with wealthy black slaveholders and even black officers in the service of the state militia.  Our slaveholding class generally opposed secession and wanted to maintain the status quo.  They were overwhelmingly outvoted in the secession convention.  During the war, invading Union officers were shocked to find that some of our large sugar plantations with hundreds of slaves were owned by free black women.  History often defies facile deductions and summaries that fit on a bumper sticker.

Obviously, people approach history in different ways – whether it is from the perspective of the Federalists vs. the Antifederalists, various arguments about the economic cause of the Great Depression, and trying to figure out the long term effects of World War I on politics, economics, and western culture.  For actual academic work to occur, there must be academic freedom and free debate.  And for a free society to prosper, there must be freedom of speech.

A few years ago, I had a cyber-stalker accuse me of racism.  He harassed me and some of our lay leadership by means of anonymous emails – which we quickly identified by means of the IP address.  He placed the “racist” label on me, not for any negative words or actions against anyone for any reason, but because I am a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.  After months of harassment – including being sent several emails of footage of Hitler’s Kristallnacht (when houses of worship were blown up) in the hours leading up to our annual Christmas Eve Midnight Mass – he decided to “dox” me.  He accused me of “racism” to my district president (bishop), our synod president (archbishop), and to my colleagues of an ecclesiastical journal that I write for, and others.  Nobody took the bait.

He then wrote to the general headquarters of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod – using a form on the website.  He claimed to be me, using my name and email address as the signature line, and then proceeded to tell lies, including that I was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.  In order to try to get me accused of racism, he had to actually engage in deliberate and open falsehood.  Why this didn’t make him check his premises is beyond me.  If you have to lie to cast someone as a racist, maybe that person isn’t a racist. 

At any rate, the church website sent me an automated reply that included “my” email.  The IT Department shared the IP address of the sending computer, and it was indeed my cyber-stalker.  Online impersonation is a crime in the State of Louisiana, and so I went to the police.  My accuser was arrested and spent the night in jail until he could raise bail.  He was charged with two crimes.  We went to court.  He was ordered to undergo three years of counseling, pay fines including my legal fees, and has been ordered to comply with a court order under penalty of being re-charged with the original charges.

And all of this was not because of even the accusation of racial bigotry, but because of my opinions about American history.  That is how cancel culture works.

And so, if anyone could send me screenshots and/or identify my recent accusers on Twitter, I would be grateful.  I will defend my reputation in accordance with the Eighth Commandment.  To attack the pastor’s reputation is to attack the congregation’s reputation – including all of the individual members.  This accusation is also an attack on my Caribbean parishioner.  It is the pastor’s job to defend the flock and to go after the wolves with a stick.  If my accuser is a rostered church worker, such as a pastor, I will seek a meeting with that person’s district president.  If he is a layman, I will contact his or her pastor and will consider legal action.  I have no qualms about wielding the shepherd’s crook.  It’s part of my calling.

Although the word “racism” has essentially lost its meaning, the ability to stir up hatred and even violence against our congregation by its use is a serious matter.  I will come after such a person.

Christians must not tolerate “cancel culture” and its underlying philosophy of Critical Theory (including Critical Race Theory) and Cultural Marxism to take root in the church.  This is a manifestation of the weeds sown by Satan to divide our people and to cripple our ability to cast the seeds of the Gospel (Matt 13:24-43).  It is based on lies, and the father of lies is the same Satan who sews the weeds in our Lord’s parable.  We must insist that words have meaning, or else our ability to even read the Word of God and understand it is in peril.  We must defend those who are falsely accused, even if it draws the accusing finger to point at us too.  In every system in which words lose their meaning and people are dehumanized for holding the “wrong” historiography or political or economic beliefs, we see the hand of the devil and the attempt to silence the Word of God.  Historically, we also see bulldozed churches and innocent people being sent to labor camps or shot.

The time to resist this is now.

Pastors especially must be diligent and go on the attack against any such attempts to introduce chaos and suspicion and the destruction of reputations that are clearly aimed at harming the proclamation of the Gospel and destroying the lives of our brothers and sisters.  As followers of the Word (John 1:1), we have an obligation to hold the users of words to the objective meaning of those words, and to disallow a subjective and deceptive use of language for the purpose of harassment and false accusation. 

As we recite in our catechism concerning the commandment “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor,” we Lutherans know by heart: “We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.”

This is most certainly true.

Confederate Memorial Day 2019

Confederate Memorial Day is June 3 in Louisiana.  This year we gathered at Metairie Cemetery on Sunday, June 2 to honor our ancestors who fought for Southern independence.

I was honored to give a prayer at the monument dedicated to the men of the Washington Artillery. This storied regiment was founded in 1838 as a Louisiana militia unit, served the CSA from 1861-1865, went back into federal service in 1865, was renamed the 141st Field Artillery in 1917, and continues to serve as part of the US Army to this very day.

A Roman Catholic priest (whose name I didn't get) said the prayers at the beginning of the procession (at the Tumulus of the Army of Northern Virginia) and at the end (at the Tumulus of the Army of Tennessee).  The former was the first burial place of President Davis; the latter is the former resting place of General Albert Sydney Johnston (whose equestrian statue sits atop the tumulus) and the current grave of General P.G.T. Beauregard.  Volleys were fired at each of the three locations along the procession, and a color guard marched along.

We were honored to have my old friend, the 75th Commander in Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Paul Gramling, and his lovely wife Lynda present for the ceremony.  The CIC graciously took the above picture of me.

At the conclusion of the event, we were invited to ring a memorial bell in memory of our Confederate ancestors.  I honored two uncles: Private Richard Johnson McLaughlin, and his brother, Private James Buchanan McLaughlin - both of the 25th Virginia Infantry, both POWs.  The former died at Point Lookout POW prison, while the latter survived both Point Lookout and Elmira Prisons, dying in 1940 at the age of 97.

After singing Dixie, we met at the Metairie Cemetery funeral home for fellowship. 

Thank you to the P. G. T. Beauregard Camp 130, Sons of Confederate Veterans for their sponsorship of this great annual event, and for inviting me to take part in it.  Our ancestors are not forgotten!  Deo vindice!

At the Tumulus of the Army of Northern Virginia

At the Monument of the Washington Artillery

At the Tumulus of the Army of Tennessee

Here is the prayer I offered at the Washington Artillery Monument:


Lord God, Heavenly Father, we thank You for the service and sacrifice of the men of the Washington Artillery, especially those who served in the Army of the Confederate States of America.

We thank You for their manly and heroic legacy of laying down their lives in defense of liberty, independence, defiance of tyranny, and resistance against invasion.

We pray that we may be worthy of their sacrifices, and that we may be blessed with the gift of remembrance of their valor, their deeds, and their example of courage and devotion to that which is just, right, and honorable.

Bless their memories and their legacy, O Lord, and bless us that we may continue to honor their memories, for our sakes, and for the sakes of generations yet unborn.  May we continue to live in liberty, ever vigilant to resist aggression, and to stand up for what is good, true, and beautiful.

We pray through Christ our Lord.  Deo vindice.  Amen.

The Washington Artillery Monument

With CIC Paul Gramling

In Memoriam, Francis T. Nichols

I had the privilege to say the prayer at a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of the birthday of a great hero of our state, Francis T. Nicholls - after whom is named a street in the French Quarter and a university.

Other than that, Nicholls's story is largely unknown to modern Louisianians and Americans.  As a devout Christian and confederate veteran of the War for Southern Independence (twice seriously combat-wounded brigadier general), along with being the first freely elected post-reconstruction governor (two terms) and state supreme court chief justice, today's ceremony was conducted under the auspices of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and held at his gravesite at St. John's Episcopal Church in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

Here is today's prayer:

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Lord, God, heavenly Father, we give you thanks for the life and the memory of Your servant, Francis Nicholls.  We thank You for his legacy of courage and public service that continues to inspire us today.

Along with all the men and women, military and civilian, black and white, wealthy and impoverished, who sacrificed for the principles of limited government and independence, we honor General Nicholls, acknowledging his valor and continued service to his country even when severely handicapped by wounds in battle.

We also thank you, O Lord, for the post-war heroism of your servant Governor Nicholls, who defended the rights of those who were oppressed during the so-called reconstruction of the South.  We also acknowledge You, O Lord, as the King and Judge of all in calling Your servant Chief Justice Nicholls to serve as an honorable magistrate in our state.

In humility we honor Your servant Francis for his long and fruitful Christian life of courage and labor for the improvement of the lives of his countrymen.  May You continue to raise up men and women of courage in our day and in the days of our posterity: those willing to lead by taking up the cross, those willing to accomplish greatness through service.

And we pray in the name of Him who taught us to lay down our lives for others, the One who died on the cross for all, Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for You live and reign with Him and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Block vs. Blundel: Atheist Economist vs. Christian Theologian

The above debate pits two colleagues from Loyola University (New Orleans) against one another in an academic disputation on the minimum wage law.

Dr. Walter Block (left) is an Economics professor, and Dr. Boyd Blundell (right)  is a Theology professor.  Dr. Block, a free-market economist of the Austrian School, believes the minimum wage should be abolished, whereas Dr. Blundell believes it should be raised, and is sharply critical of the Austrian School and its libertarian underpinnings.

Dr. Blundell sets the tone of the debate early on by calling Dr. Block a "fundamentalist."  He posits that Block is opposed to any scientific inquiry or the use of statistics in Economics - an assertion which Block denies.

Part of the reason behind Block's critique of the minimum wage stems from his understanding of Economics.  Block believes Economics is a branch of logic, and he believes that as it is a social science rooted in human action, that certain axiomatic principles don't need statistical verification.  In other words, Block believes that some things are just plain true on their face and don't need to be proved.  They are economic law, and are as much a given as gravity.

Block doesn't oppose minimum wage because he's mean, he hates the poor, he has some rich crony buddies he wants to help get richer, or any of the other common assumptions and assertions as to why people would oppose the raising of the minimum wage.  Block's argument is that minimum wage legislation hurts the people it claims to help, by increasing unemployment among the poor.  He believes this is a self-evident truth based on the demand curve.

In a nutshell, the demand curve says that as something becomes more expensive, demand drops.  As something becomes cheaper, demand rises.  In the case of wages, if employers are required to pay workers more than their productivity, they will lose money.  And in order to stay in business, those workers who are paid more than their productivity warrants, will eventually be done away with - often through automation - and entry level jobs disappear.  And this hurts the poor in the long run.  Block cites examples of this phenomenon, such as the disappearance of elevator operators and service station attendants.

Blundell denies that this is the case when it comes to the price of labor, and he claims that there are studies which deny this relationship between minimum wage and unemployment.  Blundell claims that demand curves hold true for the cost of material goods, but fail in the realm of labor costs.  When Block points out the principle of the demand curve, and explains why studies in the real world are very hard to isolate direct correlation between shifts in unemployment and shifts in minimum wage, owing to the complexity and volatility of costs and prices (the real world is not a controlled laboratory after all), Blundell dismisses him as a "fundamentalist."

Here is an example of an axiomatic truth: If I hire a hundred people to work for me, and if I give every potential employee a choice between accepting the exact same job for $1 per hour or $100 per hour, it doesn't take a double-blind experiment or a longitudinal study to state the fact that the vast majority (if not all) of the people would choose the latter salary over the former.  This is because, all things being equal, people act in their self-interest.  The same is true with the demand curve.  This is not rocket science.  If Walmart has a surplus of eggs, they know what to do: lower the price.  That will cause demand to increase and will relieve the glut.  Walmart doesn't have to hire Ph.D.s in Economics to run their business.  And if studies were to show that raising egg prices increases demand, or if most people would choose to work for one dollar instead of a hundred dollars, it would suggest a flaw in the study - because such a study would simply defy logic, common sense, and human nature.

The demand curve is axiomatic.  It is a fact of human nature.  But Blundell calls Block a "fundamentalist" for believing it.

I find Blundell's approach to this debate especially interesting given that Block is an Atheist and Blundell is a theologian.  I'm going to go out on a limb and presume Blundell to be a Christian, likely a Roman Catholic.  And if he isn't, he is certainly swimming in the waters of Roman Catholic Christianity as an instructor of religious studies at a Jesuit institution and himself bearing a Ph.D. from a Jesuit institution.  At one point in the debate, Blundell mentions God to make his argument.

But Block is the "fundamentalist" for believing in the demand curve.

The two men have two differing philosophies of epistemology, or approaches to knowing.  Block does not believe in the supernatural or in divine revelation.  He believes in logic and reason.  Blundell believes in logic and reason but adds faith.  Blundell (assuming he is a Christian) believes in God and that God reveals some things to men through prophecy, scripture, and (assuming he is a Catholic) through the teaching magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church.

Christians believe in the epistemological value of faith.  They believe in revelation.  They believe in a God that cannot be proved philosophically or scientifically - and this faith shapes their worldview.

In mocking Block as a "fundamentalist", Blundell also took a jab at Christians who believe in the creation account of the Book of Genesis and likewise labeled them as "fundamentalists."  Most Roman Catholics deny the historical veracity of Genesis 1-11, considering that portion of the Old Testament to be mythological.  Most modern teachers of Roman Catholicism accept Darwinian evolution in conjunction with faith in God.  But what kinds of things does Blundell actually believe from the Bible?  He believes that in first century Roman Judea, a Jewish girl named Mary was visited by a creature that has never been captured or shown to exist: an archangel.  This archangel (named Gabriel) appeared to Mary, and the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Triune God) came to her and she conceived a child without any genetic material from a male human.  In other words, she was a virgin who became pregnant.

The son she bore (so would claim Blundell) grew up and was perfect.  He could defy the laws of nature and physics by changing water into wine, spontaneously healing cripples and lepers, and on at least two cases, raised the dead.  He was also to rise from the dead himself.

Now, I don't know if there are longitudinal studies or metadata or double-blind experiments regarding human parthenogenesis, transformation of chemical substances, unexplainable healings, or resurrections, but these do seem quite contradictory to science - at least as much as belief in a six day creation or Noah's Ark.

Blundell also believes that this man named Jesus is still bodily alive today, being nearly 2,000 years old, and that he mystically appears when a priest says words over bread and wine.  Jesus is the second person (the Son of God) of the Holy Trinity.  These dogmatic beliefs he is willing to accept, but scoffs at the demand curve and argues that it be subject to scientific studies.

For Walter Block is the "fundamentalist" for believing in the demand curve.

Now, I don't say these things to mock Blundell.  In fact, I agree with him.  I'm a Christian.  I'm a Lutheran pastor.  And I say Mass twice a week.  I believe Jesus is alive and is physically present according to His word in Holy Communion.  I believe in miracles.  I believe in revelation.  I believe the Bible is inerrant - including Genesis 1-11.  I perhaps recite the scientifically-unverifiable Nicene Creed more often than Blundell does as part of my liturgical duties.  But I find it bizarre that Blundell would mock an opponent for accepting the demand curve axiomatically when he has an entire epistemology that defies science and reason.

Moreover, as a Roman Catholic, Blundell may be more of a "fundamentalist" than I am.  For he holds to other dogmatic beliefs apart from scripture, such as the immaculate conception, a teaching that the virgin Mary was herself conceived without sin.  I have no problem with this belief, and lean toward it myself - but I'm not dogmatic about it as scripture is silent on the matter.  Blundell (again, presuming his Catholicism) must accept this dogma because it has been declared ex cathedra, infallibly, by the bishop of Rome in 1854, as a matter of faith and morals.  Again, I don't know if there have been any studies on immaculate conceptions or papal infallibility, but I suspect not.  Roman Catholics also believe in transubstantiation, which posits that the bread and wine cease being bread and wine when they are consecrated, that the body and blood of Christ only appear to be bread and wine, a kind of illusion to the senses.  I wonder what a scientific study of consecrated elements taken from a Catholic altar would show?

But Block is the "fundamentalist" for believing in the demand curve.

Blundell also attempted to change the topic of the debate into a debunking of libertarianism.  He based this largely on a statistic in which he claims a study shows 94% of libertarians are white.  Most of them are also male.  Therefore they are wrong (is his implication).

The fallacious (if not racist) logic is pretty clear here.  And I think it is rhetorically quite obvious that Blundell is seeking to appeal to emotion instead of reason.  I wonder if the 94% figure is limited to Americans or includes the entire world?  Korea is nowhere near 94% white.  And yet, the South is much more libertarian than the North - and is also much more prosperous than the North, which is by contrast repressive and very un-libertarian.  This great libertarian divide across Korea has nothing to do with being male or Caucasian.

Likewise the difference between East and West Germany, or between capitalist Hong Kong and mainland Communist China - are not race-based and clearly show (or at least strongly imply) the superior power of markets to raise the standard of living far greater than legislative "solutions," which based on the twentieth century alone, are a proven path to poverty if not the concentration camp and the Gulag.

And if being white and male is an indicator of being wrong economically, there is one area in which I might be tempted to agree with Dr. Blundell.  For the whitest, most male bastion in history is the papacy.  And the bishops of Rome are pretty dismal when it comes to the "dismal science" of Economics (though to give my Roman Catholic brethren credit where credit is due, there was a school of 16th century Jesuits who would have tracked with Block in this debate!).

Perhaps Dr. Blundell isn't cut out to debate Economics with an economist - especially the likes of a Walter Block.  It becomes painfully apparent upon watching this debate.  It was a rather one-sided affair, and is almost embarrassing after a certain point.  Dr. Blundell is simply outgunned intellectually.  And though Dr. Block is in no wise a Christian man, I would like to take the liberty to describe his gracious and gentlemanly demeanor toward Dr. Blundell - who, by contrast, displayed rather crude and provocative conduct toward his opponent, in my opinion - to have been truly "Christian" in his respect, humility, restraint and human decency in response.

Jesus told us to be loving toward those who hate us.  And I admit that Dr. Block seems to do a better job of it than I do.

Thank you, as always, to Dr. Walter Block for defending liberty even when it is unpopular to do so.

This is America, speak...

... whatever you want!

Part of being free means not being told what language to speak.  Countries and regional governments that mandate and micromanage the use of language in private homes, schools, and in commerce inevitably become tyrannical, and often resort to language police.  I knew of a middle-eastern restaurant in Hull (on the Quebec side of the river from Ottawa) who had an ongoing battle with the Quebec language police over the spelling of "donaire" on his wall.  After being threatened with fines, after repeated harassment over it, he tore the "e" off the end of the word to be in compliance - and left the torn poster on the wall.

Tax dollars at work...

Language is fluid, and it changes based on natural linguistic shifts and progressions, as well as changing demographics in any given place.  English itself is an amalgamation of Anglo-Saxon and French (following the 1066 Norman invasion).  French itself is a modified Gallic dialect of Latin seasoned with centuries of local and regional usage.  The American English we speak today is considerably different than the English spoken in England at the time of the King James Bible, and is an entirely different language than the Old English of the time of Beowulf.  It has changed through both slow evolution and rapid revolution.  And these natural processes simply can't be regulated or attenuated by government fiat.

But it never seems to prevent legislators from trying.

In the 1920s, Louisiana francophones had state-sanctioned cultural genocide that strove to impose English on Cajuns and Creoles - many of whose ancestors predated Louisiana's membership in the American union itself.  Children were punished for speaking French on the playground; schools were compelled to use English only, and French-Louisianians were shamed and humiliated.  Eventually, parents stopped teaching their children to speak French as they felt being bilingual would have impaired them.

What a terrible mistake now that we live in a global economy!  Look at what natural advantages Louisiana lost in world trade on account of small-minded people who wanted to control others.

A few years ago, Louisiana realized how detrimental this abuse of state power was to the cultural and economic landscape, and backed off of the English Only bandwagon.  Thus there are many public schools offering French immersion classes, and they are quite popular.  French is being re-cultivated in Louisiana, and being a Cajun is no longer something to be ashamed of.

I saw something yesterday that I did not know existed: a French language licence plate that includes the name of our state written in French.  I am somewhat surprised that the federal government permits states to have non-English plates (since the federal government micromanages everything from local education to toilet bowl sizes).

You can read more about the plates, about the legal hassle involved in their approval, and how to get one here.

At least until someone who doesn't value freedom but who likes to tell everyone else how to live complains about it, and until some black-robed villain arbitrarily outlaws them, Lousianians can indeed have French license plates on their cars.

Vive La Différence: chez nous autres!

We're Blockheads!

One of the neglected aspects of Christian doctrine in recent years has been Natural Law.  It is making a comeback, however, and it is a basis for making an argument for human freedom, human rights, and the opposition of tyranny.  The American Revolution was imbued with Natural Rights theory.  In fact, the Declaration of Independence is a classic statement of Natural Law political theory attempted to be put into practice in the newly independent states.

The basis of Natural Law is the right to life (5th Commandment), which also presumes the right to property (7th Commandment).  How property is acquired and traded, how it is distributed and used in society - given the post-Fall scarcity of resources - is the basis of Economics.  And so Economics is a crucial part of human freedom and dignity - especially for Christianity.

Economics is fascinating, as it is really the never-dull study of human action.  In Economics, you can see the stark difference between liberty and tyranny, between the almost miraculous machinations of the division of labor within the free market over and against the stultification and starvation that government command economies produce.  The 19th and 20th centuries were virtual laboratories in the cause-and-effect of government intervention in the economy and where it leads: tyranny, oppression, and the concentration camp.

And now, the United States is at a crossroads.  

Will be return to the Natural Law understanding of the right to life, liberty, and property that raised the American standard of living to unheard-of heights and made the United States a beacon of liberty around the world, or will we continue to press forward into the direction of Big Government, the warfare-welfare state, imperialism, socialism, fascism, deficits, debt, bankruptcy, bureaucratic control, and top-down micromanagement of every aspect of our lives?

One of the most exciting things to hit the study of Economics in recent years is the rise from the dust of the once-neglected Austrian School.  Although it has not quite gone mainstream, it is on the ascendancy after decades of obscurity, marginalization, and even rejection. The current worldwide economic malaise of the world (the fiat-currency-based debt economy), kicked into high gear following the housing bubble and market crash of 2008, was predicted by Austrian School economists who were laughed at at the time.  The laughter fell silent after the bubble burst (as predicted solely by Austrian economists), and so the world is finally listening.

One can get a remarkable free education in Austrian economic theory by reading Lew Rockwell and availing oneself of the vast free library at the Ludwig von Mises Institute.  Additional study is available in History and Economics for a mere $100 a year at Liberty Classroom.

Mrs. H. and I are fortunate to have Loyola University - New Orleans close by.  The entire Economics Department is comprised of Austrian School economists - headed by the legendary Walter Block.  Dr. Block is a former Marxist who became an advocate of free markets under the guidance of Ayn Rand and her "inner circle" of associates.  He moved on from this group, and under his professor Dr. Murray Rothbard, was "converted" to Austrian Economics and libertarianism.  He has gone on to become a leading lecturer and writer on these topics.

Dr. Block is not content to hole up in the Ivory Tower. He loves to lecture, to discuss, to debate, to read, write, and publish, and most of all, to teach and engage!  He is never shy from taking on controversy, and can take jabs as well as give them.  There is a true joy in academic give and take, as his face lights up in the heat of battle.  And no matter what is said or argued, in agreement and disagreement, Dr. Block is a gentleman, he is cordial, friendly, humble, and genuinely fun to sit around the table with.

Mrs. H. and I are blessed to be studying under Dr. Block with a group of Loyola students and interested adults from all walks of life, taking part in the Human Action Seminar.  We are in the midst of reading Murray N. Rothbard's Economic Controversies.  Thanks to a donor, the group meets every other week for two hours of study and discussion, followed by a paid-for dinner at a local restaurant.  The cost of the hardback book is also reimbursed based on student attendance (it is available free as a pdf or ebook download through Mises.org).

I would like to dispel a couple myths off the bat.

1) Antisemitism.  I once lost a facebook friend over this ugly accusation.  I've been blessed to have been published at Lew Rockwell.com a few times over the years.  Lew is the former chief of staff of congressman Ron Paul.  So, as the last presidential campaign descended into its perennial diabolical darkness, the Father of Lies began using his human shills to circulate the lie that Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, and the entire Austrian School of Economics was somehow "antisemitic."  Of course, such accusations need not be true to be effective.

To put this ugliness to rest, some things to keep in mind: Ludwig von Mises was Jewish.  Lew Rockwell is the founder of the Ludwig von Mises Insitute, and worked closely with Dr. von Mises's widow to start the Institute.  Murray Rothbard, the most prolific writer of the Austrian School and teacher and close ally of Lew Rockwell, was also Jewish.  Finally, Dr. Block, long-time close friend of Lew Rockwell, Ron Paul, and friend and student of Dr. Rothbard is also Jewish.  Antisemistism is on its face contrary to libertarian philosophy.  But it makes for good talking points in National Review for people to parrot in order to win primaries and lose general elections.  You can see Dr. Block speak on this himself.

People who make such assertions should be ashamed of themselves and repent of them.

2) Austrianism as a Cult - There is a stereotype that Austrian School adherents march in lockstep under a sort-of Cult of Personality.  Being in live discussions with Dr. Block and his faculty has clearly shown this to be as ridiculous as the antisemitism charge.  The members of the faculty seldom agree on any specific point, approach, philosophy, or assessment of any individual academic idea or individual person we're discussing.  While they are all members of the same "school" and have the basic philosophical and economic underpinnings in common (free markets), there is a swath of diversity of opinion regarding the role of government, the role of coercion, the Non-Aggression Principle, and even the discipline and methodologies of academic Economics itself.  Dr. Block especially enjoys the give-and-take ("bloodletting") and also knows that undergraduate students enjoy seeing their professors taken down a peg or two in discussions.

Having said that, there is great collegiality and amity among the faculty and the attendees.  It is great intellectual stimulation, and the readings are daunting - at a pace akin to graduate level study.  Many of us have never formally studied Economics (I had two undergraduate classes in Economics thirty years ago), while others in the seminar are current students or have graduate degrees.  This is the best environment to learn.  It is drinking from a fire-hose instead of being spoon-fed.  It is genuinely fun, interesting, and stimulating, and Dr. Block's shimmering and rascally personality keeps things moving with joyful intensity.

If you live in the New Orleans area and are interested in these issues, please contact Dr. Block and get on his e-mail list!  If you live somewhere else, you can avail yourself of lectures by Dr. Block and other Austrian School professors on YouTube (such as this Walter Block lecture at a local high school) and you can basically give yourself a graduate-level education free of charge by frequenting Mises.org.  There are also vibrant local libertarian groups forming in our area, such as Liberty on the Rocks run by Noelle Mandell (whom we met at the seminar) and we're really excited about this.  

We have come a long way from where we were 20 years ago as lonely libertarians meeting with a few middle age men once a month at Denny's in Philadelphia, packing heat and silver dollars and studying the Constitution and American History.  We are seeing an entire generation of young people educating themselves in the study of liberty and free markets.

Thanks to Dr. Block for his steadfastness and willingness to teach anyone who wants to learn.

Celebrate Louisiana's Confederate Heritage!

On Saturday, October 12, 2013, the Jefferson Parish Historical Commission and the Jefferson Historical Society of Louisiana are sponsoring the

7th Annual Camp Parapet Day

The event is free and open to the public.  There will be tours of the structure and grounds from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.  There will also be Confederate re-enactors of the 10th Louisiana Militia and the Louisiane Vintage Dancers!

From the flyer:

Camp Parapet Powder Magazine

Built in 1861

Part of extensive fortification to protect the City of New Orleans from Yankee Invasion during the War Between the States

A National Register of Historic Places Property 

Arlington Street off Causeway Boulevard, near Jefferson Highway, Jefferson, LA

"This is America. Speak English!"

 Have you ever heard anyone say this?  Ever see that on a tee shirt or in a facebook meme?  It's usually said with a self-righteous, scolding tone - or even with anger.

Interestingly, I ran across  an American children's book in our local parish library (that's "parish" not "county" by the way) that was published in my home town of Gretna, Louisiana by the Pelican Publishing Company.  In fact, the illustrator is a Missouri Synod pastor, now retired, who was one of my predecessors at Salem Lutheran Church in Gretna.

To the apparent shock of the "English Only Movement," There is no English in the text of this book.  It is written entirely in French. Louisiana has no official language, though French has had special status in the state since 1968.

How can this be?

Well, not every state in the Union originated as an English colony.  Louisiana was settled by the French and the Spanish long before it became part of the predominantly English-speaking United States.

In fact, in the western part of the state, French is still spoken in many homes, heard on the radio, and is quite apparent in the last names of prominent families.  French was spoken here generations before English.  It is the ethnic heritage of many people in our state.

So, maybe some people here could scold Anglophones with something along these lines: "C'est la Louisiane. Parlez français!"

Even the copyright page of this book is written in French (aside from the name of the government office, and even that is bilingual).

And why is this offensive to some people?  Why would this prompt someone to wear a tee shirt that says: "This is America.  Speak English"?

The answer is really pretty simple: in the words of St. Augustine, it is the "lust for domination."  It is bullying.  It is the desire to control other people and entire populations - even the the point of regulating the speech of school children.  The state constitution of 1921 effectively abolished the use of French in public schools.  Older Cajuns recall being physically punished for speaking French even on the playground.  This has created a situation in many families where older people speak French, but felt ashamed to teach it to the next generation.  This was a sort of ethnic cleansing that has resulted in thousands of people with French last names, Cajun heritage, and francophone grandparents who can't speak French themselves.

There are few things that government does well.  Genocide, including that of the cultural type, is one of them.

Now, schools often have to recruit French teachers from Canada, France, and Belgium to teach ethnically French children how to speak the language their own state government attempted to stamp out.  CODOFIL is an organization dedicated to the encouragement of the French language in our state.

This organization was made necessary by previous generations who maintained the short-sighted attitude that  "This is America.  Speak English."

We Americans are known throughout the world for our inability to speak other languages.  As a professor at the seminary put it, half of our theological library is in German.  Unless a student can read German, half of the books are off limits to him.  What advantage is there in being unilingual?  Is this really something to be proud of?

Germans in America likewise suffered the loss of their linguistic heritage because of pressures from "patriotic" Americans during World Wars I and II - perhaps some of the same "patriots" that interred Americans of Asian descent into forced relocation camps complete with barbed wire and guard towers - even the relatives of some American military personnel who were fighting and dying in Europe.  "This is America..."

But the reality is this: compelling the use of English is un-American.  For the first amendment - a cherished explication of the American mind and articulation of the foundational rights explicitly defended in the Bill of Rights - protects the right of free speech: "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech...".  Instead of "This is America.  Speak English," the truly patriotic sentiment is: "This is America.  Speak whatever you want!"  That is, if we still connect America to freedom, if we still believe it is the preservation of liberty that defines who we are as a people.

Instead of bullying foreigners and Americans into using exclusively English, why not let the free market decide?  Most people will speak English - perhaps only English.  But where freedom is allowed full course, some people will speak French in Louisiana, Spanish in Texas, German in Wisconsin, Norwegian in Minnesota, and Hawaiian in Hawaii.  So what?  And by teaching our children to be multilingual, they will only increase their odds at being successful in a global economy.

The fact of the matter is that Americans and foreigners are free to speak anything we want - in our homes, on the street, in our churches, at school, at work - anywhere.  If you want to say your prayers in Latin, read the Bible in Greek or Hebrew, converse with your family in French or Spanish, watch movies in Russian or Italian, order your meal in Hindi, Japanese, or Mandarin, or just plain learn to speak Icelandic for no reason at all, so what?  More power to you!  There are even artificial languages like Esperanto and Klingon.  People can even communicate in Morse Code or Pig Latin.  So what?  Why should I have any desire to compel someone to speak English?

Is this really anyone's business?

Here in New Orleans, some people do still speak French.  Spanish is quite common.  Just off the top of my head, I have also heard people in Louisiana speak Vietnamese, Chinese, Swahili, Russian, Japanese, German, Greek, Swedish, Norwegian, Ukrainian, Italian, and Arabic.  It is likely that English will always be spoken here.  And if for some reason it dies off (as even Latin did in Rome itself) it will be because over time, people will freely choose to speak something else.

And the words "freely choose" are important here.  That is supposed to be how decisions are made in America.  Not by government decree.  Not by bureaucratic bullying.  Not by social harassment and intimidation.

"This is America.  Speak whatever you want!"  And as we often say in our laissez-faire Louisiana culture: "Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

Living Economics

What a fantastic time we had last night!  The Hollywood family attended a lecture by Dr. Peter Boettke of the Economics Department of George Mason University who held forth at Loyola University (New Orleans).

We were tipped off about the talk by Dr. Walter Block of Loyola, whose enthusiastic endorsement was well-deserved!

Dr. Boettke is engaging, funny, passionate, and has the gift of making his subject come to life.  He had the packed lecture hall thinking and laughing.  He emphasizes that Economics is not a hard science, but rather an evolving and growing social science that is primarily involved with explaining human action.  It is at its heart an inquiry into human motivation through incentive, and it explains how it is that millions of people working in their own self-interest can bring goods and services to market to the benefit of all.

His love for the topic is contagious!

• He made reference to this video, which demonstrates the effect of political and economic freedom to the well-being of humanity.  
• He shared with us the remarkable insights and philosophy of the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City in which a year of study in free market Economics is a requirement for all students regardless of discipline, and in which the main mural on campus depicts the great tradition of Economics in the free market tradition.
• He emphasized the changing nature of education in the world due to technology, and pointed to the Acton MBA and iTunes University as examples.  He pointed out Leo in the audience and wondered aloud what his education is going to be like.

A few quotes from his lecture:

On Economics as a Discipline:

• "Economics is not a catechism, but rather an invitation to inquiry."
• "Economics is the mystery of the mundane."

On the Fiscal Cliff:
"They're not going to face the fiscal cliff.  They're gonna kick the grenade down the road."


On Greed:
"Greed is like air.  It's always there."


On Curiosity:
"Your curiosity is your greatest asset.  Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it fueled the scholar."

His outstanding book Living Economics ($26 at Amazon) is available for Nook and Kindle for about $12.  And yes, I went home and downloaded it.  I found out that Dr. Boettke wrote an essay in a book called Markets, Morals, & Religion - and put a hold on it at our local library (Dr. Boettke is a Christian as well).

Thanks to Dr. Boettke for coming to New Orleans and thanks to Dr. Block for the heads up!

Managing Ignatius!

"Get yer Lucky Dog here!"

A few years ago, I ran across a wonderfully quirky autobiographical book set in New Orleans, written by a New Orleanian, about a side of New Orleans life that can only be experienced from the inside.  The book is called Managing Ignatius: The Lunacy of Lucky Dogs and Life in New Orleans by Jerry E. Strahan.

Strahan's reference to "Ignatius" is an oblique nod to a fictional character, the beloved antihero from John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer-winning A Confederacy of Dunces, the megalomaniac Ignatius J. Reilly.  In Confederacy, Ignatius was unable to hold a job, always seeing himself as larger than life and better than everyone around him.  He was filled with drama (and insanity).  One of Ignatius's jobs was selling hot dogs out of a cart in the French Quarter - making reference to the iconic Lucky Dog carts and their colorful vendors.  His mother considered this the height of shame.

In real life, Jerry Strahan began working for Lucky Dogs after dropping out of Tulane's doctoral program in history.  It was a temporary job that he has now held for more than 25 years.  His book is blunt about the shortcomings of many of the vendors who have worked for him these many years, and yet Strahan's treatment is affectionate and non-judgmental.  One gets the impression that if his employees were "normal" he would not really enjoy his job.  He finds a way to make things work out as best he can.

The book is funny, touching, and impossible to put down.  It received 4.3 stars out of 5 in 23 customer reviews on Amazon.

Now here is the cool part: I met Jerry Strahan Friday night!

I was helping set up for the annual Junior Achievement City Stars Soiree, stirring a pot of crab soup and a pot of gumbo - praying fervently not to screw it up (I am no cook!).  I saw two men wheeling a Lucky Dog cart nearby - one dressed in the ubiquitous striped vendor "uniform," the other dressed casually.  The latter man looked familiar.  I suspected he might be Jerry Strahan, but could not be sure.  I walked up and asked him: "Do you know Jerry Strahan?"  He replied in a very low key manner, "I'm Jerry Strahan" and kept up with his work.  I smiled and pumped his hand, thanking him for his book Managing Ignatius.  Strahan was most gracious, taking it in stride, and allowed me take the above picture with him.

We had a wonderful, very brief chat in which we discussed the book - and then I let him get back to work.  Although my meeting with him was short, he struck me as a really good guy, genuine and compassionate, with a sense of humor and joie de vivre.  And that is exactly the impression I got of him when I read the book.

If you enjoy quirky reads, if you like laughing out loud, if you've read A Confederacy of Dunces, or if you have a place in your heart for the City of New Orleans, pick up a copy of Managing Ignatius.

And if you find yourself in the French Quarter (or anywhere else the hotdog-shaped carts may be found), order up "eight inches of fun on a bun."  You might run into Jerry Strahan working with one of the vendors.  And if you do, you will also want to shake his hand and thank him for writing the book.

Joe Cocker, Jesus, and New Orleans

Above is a "closed captioned" (lol) video of Joe Cocker's 1969 Woodstock performance - which includes Jesus and New Orleans.  If this doesn't crack you up, you are definitely "humor impaired."  Speaking of Joe Cocker and humor, here is the late John Belushi's impression.  And if that is not enough, check this out!

Below is last night's epic performance of "With A Little Help From My Friends" by the now 68-year old Joe Cocker at the Mississippi River Levee in Gretna, Louisiana overlooking the New Orleans skyline. I did video it, but my phone ran out of juice before the conclusion. A lot of people were filming, so this is someone else's YouTube. Cocker performed for an hour and a half, and really rocked it. Age has slowed him down - but only a little. He can still scream, growl, and hit the high notes in that Ray Charles-like gravelly British-bluesy voice. I was blown away. It was really a good call to bring Joe Cocker to the Gretna Heritage Festival. What a joy!


   

Waiting for Isaac - but not like Abraham and Sarah

Hurricane Supplies

Tropical Storm Isaac is on the way.

It is likely to become a hurricane.  There is a good chance that we will take a direct hit.  It is possible that it will hit as a category 2.  It's not likely that we're looking at Katrina-level devastation, but you just don't know until you know.  We were prepared for Grace, Leo, and our five indoor cats to head out to Georgia in case of an evacuation - while I planned to stay behind in case I'm needed here.  However, over the course of time, the consensus emerged that we should all hunker down and weather the storm together.  And so that's what we are going to do.

We have prepared our best, so we wait and we pray.  And we hope our outdoor feline friends survive.

We bought ten gallons of water, as well as a good number of cans of meat and vegetables.  We got the generator gassed up, tested, and ready to keep a little power on in the house in the likely event that we lose electricity.  We stocked up on cat-food, lunch meat, coffee, and wine.  And as a tribute to Miz Grace's forethought and devotion to the mental well-being of the family, she padded the pantry with a few bars of Green & Black's organic dark chocolate.

Did I marry the right one, or what?

Even though this hurricane is not a monster like Katrina, for New Orleanians, there is still a sick feeling in the pits of our stomachs.  The horror of seven years ago (to the day this coming Wednesday) is still fresh in our minds - as well as the familiar sights of boarded up store fronts, the 24-7 meteorological coverage, the somber warnings of elected officials, the ghostly empty streets, the ever-changing computer models and ever-shifting "cones of anxiety," and the seemingly endless debates about the fitness of our levee system.

Some people are evacuating, some are staying behind.  Offices and schools and stores and other businesses have been closed, even as other professionals, such as medical and police personnel, have been put on alert and must work until further notice.

At this time (Monday night, August 27), some of the news bodes well, some not so well.  Some of the models project us being on the "weak" side of the storm, some are calling us to get pounded.  The storm is still considered only a tropical storm, and yet it is slowing down in its movement across the Gulf - which threatens us with worse flooding when it arrives.  In spite of all the kings technology and all the king's men, no-one knows just where the storm will hit, nor how strong it will be.

  Round and round she goes...

We have no choice but to wait and see.

Our family decided not to dip into our food supply this evening, and we did the stereotypical New Orleans thing: we went out to eat.  None of the fast food places were still open.  But life experience teaches that when all the restaurants seem to be closed, go for Chinese.  Wasn't that one of the lessons of the movie A Christmas Story?

This is a Chinese food day in the City of Brotherly Love!

We learned that lesson nearly 20 years ago in Philadelphia.  One winter, after the entire state was deluged in snow, the governor declared a state of emergency and closed all the roads.  Our cars were buried.  The businesses were utterly deserted.  Aside from military and first-responder vehicles, the streets - even the always-busy U.S. Highway #1 - were eerily dead still.  Nevertheless, our local Chinese restaurant was open for business.  The proprietor, an elderly lady we called "Grandma," greeted us at the door in her usual cheerful and energetic way.  She really was like our grandmother - and we enjoyed every meal we ever had there.  She never closed the restaurant.  Not even on the governor's orders.

Fast-forward to today...

A hurricane-ready primal Asian meal

This evening, we headed to Chopsticks.  Sure enough, they were open.  Instead of NFL, NBA, or world soccer matches, the televisions were carrying coverage of the storm.  We always enjoy speaking a few (a very few!) words of Chinese with our waitresses - who are always friendly and fun.  I learned that the Mandarin word for "hurricane" is 颶風 - which to western ears, sounds a bit like "typhoon."

New Orleans is blessed to have a vibrant Asian community with a lot of Vietnamese immigrants.  Earlier in the day, we realized that we could not locate our emergency stove that runs on small cans of gas.  We have the cans, but not the stove.  At this stage of the game, we were highly unlikely to find anything of the sort at Pep Boys or WalMart.  So, I headed over to Hong Kong Market - and found loads of them in stock there.  A lot of Asian immigrants shop there (and work there), and nearly every customer today was buying the little gas stoves.  It struck all of us as funny.  Even though we could not speak the same language, we were all thinking the same thing.  I am always impressed with the management and the employees of the store - all of whom are Asian immigrants.

Some people complain about immigrants.  As for me, I am happy there are so many Asians here.  I especially find members of the local Vietnamese community to be industrious, innovative, friendly, gregarious, and though the immigrants often have trouble learning English, their children have no difficulties at all.  In fact, it is almost a stereotype to see young Vietnamese women at Starbucks or Barnes and Noble studying - even though we have also seen quite a few young men who are on the playboy/ne'er-do-well side, with expensive cars, spiffy clothes, not in the Starbucks or Barnes and Noble with their textbooks and flashcards.  Hopefully, they will do a little better for themselves than Prince Harry.  If nothing else, their wives (or sisters) will keep them in the kind of lifestyle they have become accustomed to.

Though local older Vietnamese immigrants are mostly Buddhist, the younger Vietnamese population is  overwhelmingly Christian.  On one occasion at the Vietnamese-owned Cherryberry, we saw two teenage girls studying the Bible - both obviously immigrants - while one was reading explaining, and translating to the other, in great detail, a narrative from the Old Testament.

I'm sure I will be offending someone by singing the praises of the local Asian community - but I'm not going to apologize for saying good things about the folks I deal with on a day to day basis.  At the expense of being called a "lib-rul," I do believe they add to the gumbo-bowl of our unique cultural melange here in Southern Louisiana.

When we left the restaurant, the sun was setting, and yet there was a huge rainbow spanning the darkening sky.  I was reminded of two things: 1) a song by Ronnie James Dio, and 2) the promise of God not to destroy the world again with a flood.

Kyrie eleison!

So, may God have mercy on us.  If we can get through yet another hurricane on yet another August 29, perhaps this will be one more step for us on the road to recovery and rebirth.  We pray that the levees hold, that there be no loss of life, no significant property damage, and that we emerge stronger, more compassionate, and even more prepared as a community and people.

And barring that, we have wine and chocolate.  So I think it will be okay.