Midnight Blue Says

Memorial Day 2010

“The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.”

Benjamin Disraeli

Maundy Thursday - Last Supper

Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, is the oldest observance of Holy Week. This day marks the beginning of the Paschal Triduum the Catholic faith which consists of  Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.

The name “Maundy” comes from the Latin antiphon Mandatum Novum, i.e. “a new mandate. this new mandate  is taken from John 13:34: love one another as I have loved you.

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Celebrate the Season

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The Carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;
‘For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

HW Longfellow

Merry Christmas to all the readers of MidnightBlue

Just got word of this event in West Chester. Please join us or share this information with those that may be interested in participating in this event.

“Christmas Carol Sing-A-Long” by the Nativity Display

Christmas Eve

At the Courthouse on the corner of High St and Market St

West Chester, PA 19380

Starts at Noon. Will last about 30 minutes.

Suggest arriving early.

Holy Family in West Chester, Pa

It is that time of year – cold weather (despite the imminent peril of AGW), 10 foot tall inflatable snowman scenes, and 24 hour sales everywhere you turn.  Yes, my friends, it is time for the 2009 Tree of Bullhockey to be displayed on the lawn of the West Chester Courthouse. What is that, you ask?  A recent article posted on the Evening Bulletin website describes this ‘tree’:

...a gaudy, out-of-place, and inappropriate fourth monstrosity of a display tarnishing the courthouse lawn for the third year in a row. It’s called the Tree of Knowledge, a grotesque and kitschy shrine to Godlessness sponsored by the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia.

….

Indeed, the Freethought Society and their founder Margaret Downey are agents of the Enemy in every regard and their garish tree replete with “ornaments” in the shape of laminated book covers by prominent atheists is in poor taste. Of the hundreds of book titles hanging on the tree some include A Devil’s Chaplain and The God Delusion by avowed doubter Richard Dawkins, Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman, and The End of Faith by Sam Harris.

Personally, I’d say the ‘freethought’ society corners the market on misquoting Jesus. Perhaps they are still fuming since Jesus bi**hslapped them out of his Father’s house 2000 + years ago.

On this ‘tree’ you can find any number of book covers claiming the fraud of Christianity, yet not one book cover proclaiming the fraud of islam.  If they truly had the courage of their atheist convictions, they would be impelled to denounce islam as the biggest fraud of mankind.  But they won’t, and that cowardice reveals their true bigoted nature.

You can view photos of from last year’s mockery of a tree HERE. The 2009 tree displays the same junk from last year.

Thanksgiving 2009

Tis the season to reflect on what we value, what we cherish, and what we are thankful for in this great nation. We live in challenging times and uncertainty is our constant companion – yet there is much I am grateful for every day of the year:

• To the men and women serving overseas protecting our life and freedom. THANK YOU!
• I’m thankful for the homeless man who resides on a steam grate outside the parking garage at work. I’m given a daily reminder of how fortunate I have been in life and how much work is needed to help people in this situation. Homelessness in Philly is not a dry statistic – it has a face, it has a name.
• Thank you Sarah Palin for revolutionizing feminism to empower women instead of victimizing them.
• I’m thankful for being part of the Sheepdog family. For the past 2+ years I’ve had the privilege to document the story of the American Sheepdogs in West Chester and in the process have discovered the selflessness, sacrifice and nobility of everyday Americans. Every Saturday hope is renewed and I get to spend quality time with Frank, a WW2 veteran who shows up rain or shine.
• I’m grateful for the opportunity to get to know Chris Galloway during his short time on this earth. Rest in Peace, Chris.
• I’m thankful for being part of a conservative grass root awakening in this nation.
• Adopting a homeless dog – I’m ever amazed at how Buster has worked his way into my heart. Liberals would have homeless pets killed in order to protect the environment, I suggest adoption since AGW has been exposed as the fraud of the century.
• Thanks to all the readers of the MidnightBlue – you are constant source of inspiration for me.

Michelle Malkin ferrets out the Turkeys of the Year

Tom Rice – 2009 Franklin Award Winner:

Via Wordsmith From Nantucket and Michael Medved: