Not So Top Secret Idea for All Hallows Weapon

Use your imagination:

More on how it works:

And finally, the geniuses’ website.

For all you who have no idea what this has to do with All Hallows, you have to come to our All Hallows Eve feast day celebration on October 31 to find out.

I am planning ahead.

Hero Mom Stands Up for the Heroes

Debbie Lee is the Mom of Marc Allen Lee, the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq. In this video she stands up before the city council of Beserkeley, California that recently promulgated a resolution, asking the Marine Recruiters to close their office in the City.

God bless her.

Hat tip, Hot Air.

Man to Man Education (Update: New Video)

Slightly crass language, but an illustration of a common problem.

Trouble.

Watcha think?

Udate: New Video

I am not changing my mind on much of what I said, but all that considered, the man does seem to have an anger problem. Mind you, I have no issue with non-negotiable law enforcement, but the man has a bad habit:

No Youtube video yet. You’ll have to go here.

From One Hiatus to Another

I am back with a new Standing Fast video after breaking for a long while for various reasons. Expect new Standing Fast videos to be up on AirMaria on a weekly basis. I have a few in the can. I will not be posting here again until probably Friday.

I am off to my yearly retreat. Unfortunately, I am not going to La Verna, pictured above, where St. Francis of Assisi received the stigmata, but the place where I am going is nice enough. BTW, if you ever get a chance to go to La Verna you won’t be disappointed. It is the most ideal place for a retreat you could imagine: Quiet, holy and spectacularly beautiful. One day I would like to give a retreat there myself.

I will be leaving for Australia on the November 11 and will back in December. I will be visiting our friars there and giving a retreat to some men in Perth who are interested in the Knights of Lepanto. While I am away for that, I will post as often as I can.

Pray for me and I will pray for all of you.

Stand fast and never surrender.

Ave Maria!

The Painful and Glorious Truth

Hat tip to a mom who is resigned to the reality of men for this:

Males and females really are different, I have discovered. Especially when it comes to steel-bladed weapons. I first recognized this innate difference between the sexes years ago when Dan and I were newlyweds. Flipping through the television stations one evening, we happened upon a shopping channel selling knives. Hundreds of them.

Tree stumps were carefully lined up before the camera, and each of these was stabbed chock full with the good stuff. Survival knives, I think they called them. Fillet knives, skinning knives, and buck knives with lockback handles. Camo-knives, rubber-handled knives, stainless-steel knives, and some with serrated edges.

The sheer volume of gleaming cutlery was overwhelming. I took one look at the scene and laughed out loud. I turned to my husband, though, and found that he was mesmerized. As he looked past me, toward the flickering screen, it became quite clear: I had married a man. He wasn’t wondering whether we should buy a set of these knives. He was wondering if one set would be enough.

The Conspiracy Continues

Men at Arms,

Do not allow your wives to read this. Thursday night we have a secret meeting to further our plans for the you know what, coming up you know when. Signal your presence at the door in the usual way. Same time, same place.

You may tell the public that our topics for discussion are

1) Challenge course construction and installation (we need lots of help, for example THIS SATURDAY),

2) Discussion of safety procedures,

2) Encampment delegation of duties,

3) Retreat topics for boys,

4) Advertising for the encampment.

Here is some of the hidden knowledge of the Crucible, not revealed in our last communication:

Boys Are Not China Dolls

Murmurs in the in the wind have drifted through the windows in Griswold. I understand that some are under the impression that we are planning some kind of torture/work camp for the father-son encampment. This could not be further from the truth. What we are actually planning is to provide, in addition to the many other fun things we do, a grueling challenge course that we call the Crucible.

Before I say more on that, I apologize if I frightened anyone by the “Slingshot” post on September 9th. It was a joke, as I noted at the bottom of the post. I wish some of you would have my number by now.

Most of you know of Doug Barry and his effective way of engaging young people. He has been here before, and the boys had a great time. Doug is full of energy, funny, spot on orthodox and extremely motivating. He pushes the boys to their limits, and they have a fun in the process. Our challenge course was designed and will be run by him.

The father/son encampment is an apostolate of the Knights of Lepanto, and from this event we hope to formalize a committed group of Squires. We encourage all Catholic men and boys to come. No one is expected to become a Knight or Squire of Lepanto; even so, the encampment does bear the charism of the Knights. Perhaps it is not for everyone; however, personally I think our structure and organization is very effective to bring about both top notch formation and fun.

I also want to remind everyone how eager we are to provide a safe, Catholic and friendly environment for Catholic families, both homeschooling and otherwise. This we have done and will continue to do; however, we are not principally here for that. We are here to provide Marian formation to men, women and young people. This we will do. We are looking for believers in what we are doing. We are looking for commitment. We are looking for people to get on board and support what we are doing.

A great deal of prayerful thought has gone into the encampments and everything we are doing with the Knights of Lepanto. Not only the friars have contributed, but also the Knights themselves. For this reason the encampments have been successful, and, please God, will continue to be so.

In any case, the boys will not break by having themselves pushed both spiritually and physically. It is the characteristic of the male sex to take some risks and to find joy in facing and overcoming obstacles. As long as those risks are reasonable and controlled and as long as the obstacles are accompanied by fatherly support, training and encouragement, only good things will come of it.

Mothers, don’t baby your boys. The feminine characteristic of chivalry is to expect the highest standards of men and settle for nothing but that. The encampment is designed exactly for this kind of formation in an age appropriate way.

Here is a video of the boot camp (challenge course) that Doug built on his property in Nebraska. Our course will be virtually the same.

Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity–Ptewy!

Okay, that it! The P.C. social engineers can’t have G.I. Joe. I refuse to allow the hero I grew up with to be depersonalized and emasculated. This is one childhood icon that the cultural iconoclasts can’t have. Write Paramount Pictures and Hasbro.

G.I. J.O.E. = Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, my eye.

“G.I. Joe is not an international hero. That’s crap,” said Col. Hunt. “They don’t have to water it down. That doesn’t make sense.”

The good old days:

No Moms Beyond This Point

Heh, heh. Watch this. Just what every encampment needs.

Have this. Highly recommended.

Dangerous Boys

     Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Rio

At our father-son encampment last month during a talk, I asked the young boys who was their hero, the one they admired more than anyone else. (I told them to mention someone other than Jesus). I mostly heard the names of saints that I knew, but one little five year old boy shouted out “Blessed Luis!” I was perplexed at first because I thought he said “Blessed Louise,” but even after his father clarified, I drew a blank. I said “You’ll have to tell me all about him after,” and then went on to finish the talk.

Later on that day, the father and son did give me lowdown on Blessed Luis, and I sure was glad I had asked for the story. Heap awesome.

Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Rio was born in Sahuayo, Mexico on March 28, 1913. When he was 13 the Cristero war broke out. Catholic rebels against the anti-Catholic Masonic government escalated their resistance and took up arms. Blessed José Luis’ two older brothers joined the rebels, but he was held back by his mother.

The boy went to the rebel general, Prudencio Mendoza, and begged for an opportunity to give his life for Christ. In the end the general agreed to let him be flag bearer, and off the youngster went to war.

During one battle, the general’s horse was killed, so Blessed José Luis gave him his horse and then headed for cover, where he fired on the enemy until he ran out of ammunition. He was eventually captured by the government forces, who ordered him to renounce his faith. José Louis remained undeterred.

His captors forced him to witness the execution of one of his fellow Cristeros, thinking that this would frighten him. Instead he exhorted the man to die for Christ, and promised that they would soon meet in heaven.

Unable to break his resolve, the government ordered Blessed José Luis’ execution, and on February 10, 1928 they cut the bottoms of his feet and forced him to walk to a cemetery, all the while tempting him with promises of freedom if he would deny Christ. Through his tears, he refused and continued to walk.

His last words were a shout of “Long live Christ the King!” The government troops fired on him and he fell to the ground mortally wounded. He dipped his hand in his own blood and traced the sign of the Cross on the ground. His enemies fired again, and Blessed José Louis died kissing the cross. He was only 14 years old.

Pope Benedict beatified him on November 20, 2005.

The little five year old boy, who holds Blessed José Luis as his hero, heard the story read to him by his father and he loved it. It is a story of Knights and Dragons. It’s even better than that, because this story is true in the Primary World.

A boy loves danger, even if sometimes he is are afraid of the dark. A boy knows what a real hero is, and if given a chance will become one.

¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!

Source for biographical information: Wikipedia