Santorum on Satan

Santorum on Satan: Who leaked the speech to the press? - We think it’s important here to follow one of the cardinal questions of politics – who benefits? That would narrow the field down to Rick Santorum’s GOP opponents.

Who leaked Rick Santorum’s Satan speech to the press? Perhaps a better way to put it would be who steered the Drudge Report to Santorum’s 2008 remarks at Ave Maria University in Florida that America is under assault by Satan? After all, those comments had existed, waiting to be discovered for years, before Drudge plastered them all over the top of his website for much of Feb. 21.

Republican presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum addresses the Maricopa County Lincoln Day Luncheon in Phoenix, Ariz., Tuesday. Joshua Lott/REUTERS

Rush Limbaugh blamed generic “leftists,” but we don’t think it came from Democrats. President Obama’s campaign team still appears to believe that Mitt Romney would be the most formidable GOP candidate, so they might not want to weaken Mr. Santorum. If they do worry about Santorum – and there’s some evidence he might be the stronger GOP candidate in Midwest swing states – they’d save the Satan card to play in the general election.

No, we think it’s important here to follow one of the cardinal questions of politics – who benefits? That would narrow the field down to Santorum’s GOP opponents. And of those, only one has the money to devote to opposition research, and a relationship with the Drudge operation. Let’s just say that person’s initials are “Mitt Romney.”

We don’t have any specific evidence here, it’s important to say that. But we’re only repeating what many in the GOP itself are saying this morning. In late January the New York Times reported that Mr. Romney’s campaign manager Matt Rhoades had “close ties” to Drudge. Since then the influential site has featured a string of pro-Romney stories.

“I ... think that this is a Romney-leaked piece,” wrote conservative editor Erick Erickson today on the RedState blog.

Mr. Erickson, by the way, defends Santorum, saying that he (Erickson) agrees with the Satan remarks. In the 2008 speech, Santorum asserted that Satan had taken over US academia, culture, politics, and mainstream Protestantism, which he said was “in shambles.”

“His statement is well within the mainstream of orthodox Christian theology,” writes Erickson.

Other conservatives aren’t so sure. Jennifer Rubin, writing on her Right Turn Washington Post blog, says that the Satan statements are not remotely commonplace social conservative views, and that conservatives will be the group most hurt by them.

“He threatens to discredit them and cement stereotypes that they are judgmental and extreme in their views,” Ms. Rubin writes.

We should note here that Rubin has written supportively of Romney in the recent past. Overt Romney surrogates such as Gov. Chris Christie (R) of New Jersey have not shied away from the topic, either.

On Feb. 22 Governor Christie told George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America that Santorum is wrong, and his statements are relevant to his fitness to be commander-in-chief.

“It is by definition relevant ... I think people want to make an evaluation, a complete evaluation of anyone who asks to sit in the Oval Office,” Christie said.

GOP gray eminence Karl Rove on Fox News Tuesday night noted that Santorum’s words might help him in the primary but would be “hurtful in a general election,” particularly his assertion that mainstream Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Methodists are now subject to Satan’s power. ( csmonitor.com )

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Faithful author Dickens disliked dogma

Faithful author Dickens disliked dogma - Twist of fate in novelist’s childhood likely inspired characters wronged by the church.

Britain’s Prince Charles kicked off a yearlong celebration of Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday on Tuesday with a wreath-laying ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey.

It seems a fitting gesture, given that the Poets’ Corner houses the famous writer’s remains. However, Dickens had a distaste for religious structures and rigid dogma.

Britain's royal family and other officials marked the bicentenary of the birth of author Charles Dickens on Tuesday at Poets' Corner in London's Westminster Abbey.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/10/3421690/faithful-author-dickens-disliked.html#storylink=cpy

Dickens, a member of the Church of England, believed deeply in Jesus as savior and in his moral teachings, but many of the novelist’s most avowedly Christian characters represent the worst in religion: greed, hypocrisy, indifference to human suffering, arrogance, self-righteousness and theological bullying.

“He was more interested in the general spirit than the specific letter of the faith,” said Brian McCuskey, who teaches English at Utah State University.

Dickens’ wildly popular Victorian novels, McCuskey said, “criticize evangelicals as being meddlesome at best and hypocritical at worst.”

To Dickens, says Barry Weller, a professor of English at the University of Utah who specializes in 19th- and 20th-century British literature, “any sectarian commitment got in the way of essential Christianity.”

It was the Christian zealots’ attitude toward the poor that bothered Dickens the most.

“What we find again and again in the novels is that (these Christians) want to do charity in a wholesale rather than individual way,” Weller said. “They are not sensitive to the needs of individual families and their situations. Instead of giving them what they need, they hand out a bunch of (religious) pamphlets. When they visit the poor as representatives of religion, they seem more eager to impress (on the needy) a certain doctrine than try to help them.”

So where did Dickens get his wariness toward Christian institutions?

The novelist’s father, John Dickens, was “loquacious, feckless, grandly theatrical,” writes Kenneth Benson in a biographical sketch for the New York Public Library, “and highly skilled at amassing debts.”

After a somewhat idyllic childhood, the 12-year-old Charles was sent to work for 12 hours a day, Benson writes, “pasting labels on bottles at a tumbledown, rat-overrun shoe polish factory on the Thames.”

The elder Dickens landed in debtors’ prison, where he was joined by his family. The future novelist had to walk 3 miles a day to the prison from his factory job. Eventually, the family went free, but the young Dickens never forgot the trauma.

“These cruel turns of fate — his humiliating enslavement to menial labor and his father’s imprisonment and disgrace — would haunt Dickens for the remainder of his life,” Benson writes.

The experience also gave him an instinctual empathy for the suffering masses and an antipathy for those proclaiming the Christian gospel who failed to care for the poor. In Dickens’ novels, McCuskey said, many scenes illustrate the churches’ institutional neglect of the poor.

Dickens, though, also enjoyed positive experiences with religion.

The first person who taught him to read,” Weller said, “was an Anglican clergyman in Rochester where the family was living.” As a successful writer, Dickens became involved in many charitable causes, including homes for “fallen women” and orphanages, he said.

Dickens connected his intense empathy for children’s suffering with Jesus’ own receptiveness to the young and innocent, Weller said, and alludes frequently to the Christian savior’s example in the New Testament.

Dickens’ most overtly religious work, “The Life of Our Lord,” emphasizes Christ’s “humanity and moral lessons,” McCuskey said, not his divinity. In this small volume, the novelist penned a simplified version of the New Testament for his children.

The book concludes with a plea to “do good, always” and to live, without boasting, the “quiet” Christian qualities of love, gentleness, meekness and humility. ( kansascity.com )

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How Dickens sent alcohol and a 'handsome allowance' to his student son

How Dickens sent alcohol and a 'handsome allowance' to his student son - Author arranged '3 Dox Sherry, 2 Doz Port and 3 Doz light claret' to be sent to son Henry - Also gave his son a £250 annual allowance - Letter was sent in 1868 ahead of son's first year at Cambridge - Henry Dickens went on to become Common Serjeant of London - a senior judicial position at the Old Bailey

Working hard and drinking hard is a reputation university students seem to thrive on - and Charles Dickens’ son was no different.

When Henry Dickens went up to Cambridge more than 140 years ago, his illustrious father made sure he wouldn’t go thirsty.

In a letter the author posted to the 19-year-old, he arranged for ‘3 Doz Sherry, 2 Doz Port and 3 Doz light claret to be sent down to you’.

Not going thirsty: This letter from Charles Dickens to his son Henry promised the student copious amounts of alcohol, including '3 Doz Sherry, 2 Doz port and 3 Doz light claret to be sent down to you'

A footnote added ‘6 bottles of brandy’ were also on their way to complement his undergraduate lifestyle.

While today’s parents might show more concern about how much their children were drinking after leaving home for the first time, Dickens did have some fatherly advice that remains universal today.

No stranger to the shame of financial woes - his own father spent time in a debtor’s prison - he sent a £250 annual allowance to his son, pointedly describing it as ‘handsome for all your wants’.

He went on to warn: ‘Now, observe attentively. We must have no shadow of debt. Square up everything whatsoever that it has been necessary to buy.

Helping hand: As well as the offer of alcohol and money, Charles Dickens offered a friend ear if problems arose, writing: 'If you ever find yourself on the verge of perplexity or difficulty, come to me'

‘Let not a farthing be outstanding on any account, when we begin together with your allowance. Be particular in the minutest detail.’ Dickens, who had to leave school and work ten-hour days in a warehouse, was also keen to see Henry - the eighth of his ten children - understood the opportunity he was being given by studying at one of the world’s greatest universities.

‘You know how hard I work for what I get, and I think you know that I never had money help from any human creature after I was a child,’ he wrote in the letter, which was sent in October 1868.

But he also offered a friendly ear if problems arose, warmly telling his son, whom he addressed as Harry: ‘If you ever find yourself on the verge of perplexity or difficulty, come to me.

‘You will never find me hard with you while you are manly and truthful.’ The advice seems to have sunk in. After his first year Henry, a maths undergraduate, was awarded one of the principle scholarships at Trinity Hall, worth £50.

Years later, Henry described movingly how his normally reserved father had broken down in tears at the news of his award and told him: ‘God bless you, my boy.’ Sadly, Dickens didn’t live to see whether his investment had paid off as he died in 1870, aged 58.

Moving: Charles Dickens, left, was said to have broken down after hearing his son was given a scholarship following his first year at university, but sadly never lived to see if the investment paid off as he died in 1870

But his son didn’t let him down. Henry graduated in 1872 was later called to the Bar after studying law at Cambridge as well.

After 20 years in the Common Law Courts he became Common Serjeant of London, a senior judicial appointment at the Old Bailey that he held until 1932.

The anxious tone of Dickens’ letter is a reminder of the righteous anger the novelist felt about the grinding poverty and appalling conditions that working class people lived under - and which inspired much of his work, including David Copperfield and Oliver Twist.

The hand-written note was given to Trinity Hall in the 1950s by one of Dickens’ great-great grandchildren and is held in the College’s Old Library.

It is rarely seen as it is only available to view by appointment but details were released to coincide with tomorrow's 200th anniversary of the author’s birth.

Dr Jan-Melissa Schramm, an English Fellow at Cambridge University, said: 'Charles rescued himself from a possible life of penury and crime by the tireless efforts of his own labour.

'Thanks to the brilliant productions of his prodigious genius, his own children were to enjoy a very different - and much more stable - childhood.'

'Thanks to the brilliant productions of his prodigious genius, his own children were to enjoy a very different - and much more stable - childhood.' ( dailymail.co.uk )

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Make no bones about it, this is Britain’s scariest cave! Photographer captures eerie skull in reflection of remote rock face

The photo of the cave, when turned on its side, displays an ominous image of a skull

Make no bones about it, this is Britain’s scariest cave! Photographer captures eerie skull in reflection of remote rock face - Only the bravest would tackle a cave whose icy waters have already claimed the lives of several divers.

But if there was any doubt about the peril that awaits at Hodge Close Quarry, one need only look at this picture

The lake at the abandoned slate quarry is an eerie enough site - but as this image shows if you turn your head you are greeted with the terrifying sight of a giant skull.

The image was taken by a diver who had just been into the waters of the quarry near Coniston in Cumbria.

The pool is accessed through a 25-metre long a two-metre-square tunnel.

The spot, which is popular with divers, has claimed the lives of at least three over the years.

Photographer Peter Bardsley said: 'Have a look at this photograph. It's taken at a slate quarry called Hodge Close, near Coniston in the Lake District.

'Divers have died here in the underwater tunnels and climbers have fallen to their deaths.

'This reflection when turned 90 degrees shows a skull. It has not been manipulated in any way and is very spooky. It's like something from an Indiana Jones movie.

'I only noticed it when I was processing the image after getting back home from a dive there.'

In 2005 the Coniston Mountain Rescue Team had to help a 48-year-old diver who had surfaced too fast after thinking he had seen a body under the water there.

The flooded slate quarry's sporting passageways still remain popular with divers.

The main tunnel opens to several chambers along its length and presents a good sporting dive at times when most other diving would be blown or washed out.

The water is generally cold at this depth at 6 Celsius or below.

A warning on a website says: 'Visitors would be prudent to consider their level of training before embarking on any penetration dive here. Three inexperienced divers have died here in past years.'

The lake at Hodge Close slate quarry is only accessed by a series of underwater tunnels ( dailymail.co.uk )

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Dickens mania

Dickens mania: Ray Winstone as Abel Magwitch in Great Expectations

A Dickens of a Christmas kicks off before the author's bicentenary - - The BBC is going Charles Dickens crazy before his bicentenary in February.

The first of its adaptations are Great Expectations on December 27 and parody The Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff on December 19.

Tim Oglethorpe and Nicole Lampert go behind the scenes.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

BBC1 Tuesday, December 27, Wednesday, December 28 and Thursday, December 29 at 9pm.

THE PROGRAMME: Three-part adaptation by Sarah Phelps of the novel about the life of orphan Pip.

THE STARS: Douglas Booth — Boy George in the BBC film Worried About The Boy — plays orphan Pip, from his teenage years onwards.

X Files star Gillian Anderson is Miss Haversham, Ray Winstone plays Magwitch and David Suchet is the secretive lawyer Jaggers.

THE COST: An estimated £3.75 million.

THE STORY: Pip is brought up by his domineering sister Mrs Joe (Claire Rushbrook) and her blacksmith husband Joe Gargery (Shaun Dooley).

His kindness towards escaped convict Magwitch will have major consequences.

Seeking company for her adopted daughter Estella, Miss Haversham requests Pip visit her fading mansion, Satis.

It’s Pip’s first taste of a more genteel existence, that he’ll become accustomed to when given a fortune by a mystery benefactor.

THE FILMING: The BBC built the Gargery cottage and forge on marshland near Tollesbury in Essex.

Interior scenes, at The Gargery House and at the forge, were shot at Luton Hoo Farm in Bedfordshire.

Holdenby House in Northamptonshire doubled as Miss Haversham’s crumbling mansion.

The owner James Lowther says: ‘The BBC used 80 tonnes of mud, weeds and creepers to turn the outside of Holdenby into decaying Satis House.’

Different role: X Files star Gillian Anderson is Miss Haversham (pictured at a photography gala in London)

AUTHENTICITY: It’s a serious version. Ray Winstone insisted on performing all his own stunts as Magwitch, which meant him spending hours caked in mud, while filming escape and fight scenes on the Essex marshes.

‘They weren’t much fun to do,’ he says.

‘The novelty of having mud in your mouth soon wears off.’

Shaun Dooley attended two courses on blacksmithing to play Joe Gargery.

‘I learnt how to handle the metal, and made a metal leaf, a poker and a toasting fork,’ he says.

Gillian Anderson used two wigs and three wedding dresses to portray Miss Havisham, who remains dressed for her big day, despite being cruelly dumped by her fiancé many years before.

‘I also used a bald cap because Miss Haversham has eventually lost so much hair, you can see through to her scalp,’ she says .

THE SELL: ‘It’s a cracking story with timeless themes, such as envy, jealousy, ambition and the search for happiness,’ says Winstone.

THE BLEAK OLD SHOP OF STUFF

One-hour Christmas special on BBC2 on December 19 at 8.30pm. There will be three further episodes in January.

THE PROGRAMME: A parody of a mixture of Dickens novels, written by Mark Evans, the man behind Peep Show.

THE STARS: The Peep Show’s Robert Webb stars as Jedrington Secret-Past and the IT Crowd’s Katherine Parkinson is his wife.

The Artful Codger: The oldest urchin in town because he never passed his criminal exams

Stephen Fry is evil lawyer Skulkingworm, Celia Imrie Miss Christmasham, Johnny Vegas the Artful Codger.

Jedrington’s uncle and aunts (named after key virtues) are Richard Johnson (Uncle Writes-Prompt-Thank-You-Cards), Una Stubbs (Aunt Good Spelling) and Phyllida Law (Aunt Sobriety).

THE COST: About £1 million.

THE STORY: Nice but dim Jedrington, owner of the The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff, and his family are evicted from their home on Christmas Eve by Malifax Skulkingworm and forced into debtors’ prison The Skint.

Distraught Mrs Secret-Past becomes addicted to treacle.

Help comes from the Artful Codger, the oldest urchin in town because he never passed his criminal exams. Is there more to Secret-Past’s history than meets the eye?

THE FILMING: Bound by tighter constraints than most costume dramas, the film was made on set on a former trading estate near Wembley, with cobble stones made out of foam.

AUTHENTICITY: ‘It’s not much of a tweak from the real comedy of Dickens,’ insists Robert Webb. ‘Dickens was a funny writer.’

THE SELL: The first historical comedy since Blackadder. Celia Imrie says: ‘It’s parody, but it is also very very clever.’

WATCH OUT FOR . . .

An adaptation of The Mystery Of Edwin Drood, Dickens’s unfinished novel, starring Matthew Rhys and Freddie Fox, which will air on BBC2 early in the New Year. ( dailymail.co.uk )

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