Seventy years ago this very day, Nationalist-Socialist Germany invaded Poland.  And, on the anniversary of this event, an excellent article appeared this morning by Robert Morrison over at the Family Research Council blog.  In an era where our current socialist regime announced the persecution of CIA agents – men and women who were bravely doing their duty and protecting our nation -, in era where our country is continually being made weaker (as it has been since January 20, 2009), Mr. Morrison’s article, with a bit of history, hits very close to home today and contains a message (and a somber warning) which should be heard/heeded by all.

Read Mr. Morrison’s article here.

Faith’s Expectations

Ship’s captain to Robert Morrison (first Protestant missionary to China) on the voyage to China (September 1807): “Do you really expect to make an impression on the idolatry of the great Chinese empire?”

Morrison’s response: “No, Sir. But I expect God will.”

Lord, increase my faith.

Police Operations Daily Activity Log

Friday – Saturday
05/01/2009 – 05/02/2009

Major Crimes:

09-01123; AUTO BURGLARY; 800 4Av. S. Danna Paglino reported an unknown person unlawfully entered her vehicle and took property from within while it was parked on the second floor of the parking garage.

Arrests:

Tammy Van Winkle

Jeffrey Dean Dolden

09-01132; WARRANT ARREST; Sandpiper St. & Kingfish Dr. Jeffery Dolden 49, of Naples was arrested for an outstanding Collier County warrant for non-payment support.

Leonel Jesus Olmedo

09-01128; RETAIL THEFT; 1800 9St. N. Leonel Olmedo 37, of Naples was arrested after he switching price tags on items in order to pay a reduced price for the merchandise.

Other:

Naples Police Officers responded to a complaint of an ongoing road rage incident S/B in the 400 block of 9St. N. At one point NPD Dispatch was on the phone with both parties who refused to pull over and await officer’s arrival. Responding officers located the vehicles and pulled them both over at 9St. & 1Av. S. During the preliminary investigation conducted by NPD officers, statements were given indicating that Suspect, David Brantley, allegedly attempted to lure a 15 year old female into his truck while in the Jurisdiction of the Collier County Sheriffs Department. Statements were also given explaining how the juvenile’s father followed the suspect into the City of Naples where they were located and stopped. The Collier County Sheriffs Office subsequently responded and this case was deferred to their agency.

Officers responded to Lakeside Pavilion Nursing Home, 2900 12St. N. in reference to a missing resident. Mr. Robert Morrison d.o.b. 06/22/30 had been missing from the facility for approximately three hours. A massive effort to locate him was conducted. With the assistance of local television media outlets, Mr. Morrison was located at about 11:20pm. Mr. Morrison was located near Highpoint and US 41 unharmed. After being evaluated by medical staff he was returned to the facility.

Prof. Robert Morrison
Queen’s University, Kingston
“Getting Around Pride & Prejudice: Gothicism, Fairy Tales & the Very World of All Us”.

In a thought-provoking premise, Dr. Morrison equated the “Gothic” literary tradition with a fear of spinsterhood and the deeper fear of its relation, poverty.

Citing sources such as Byron and Wollstonecraft, his ideas contained such laden words as humility, compassion, love, humiliation, terror, anguish, in short: firm Gothic Territory. Neoclassical in form and structure, with fairytale endings of “happily ever after,” Austen’s writings are often paired with Shelley’s in Dr. Morrison’s classes. Pretty women, estates, happy marriages. ” ‘What calm lives those people had,’ said Churchill of Austen’s characters.” But Austen’s major achievement, hidden perhaps, are the shortage of men, passing mentions of prize money and economic crises: “Politics seems to shape the novel at every turn”. Austen cannot continue to suppress or ignore the ‘individual’. Citing Howells, we could all agree that Elizabeth – a gentleman’s daughter – was more a ‘lady’ than even Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Elizabeth’s triumph over Lady Catherine can be taken as a triumph of humanity over rank.

The linchpin is realism, Dr Morrison concluded, but her novels touch on the fears (the Gothic).

Some points and arguments that Dr Morrison advanced which caught my particular attention:

Citing Martin Amis, he commented on Austen’s thoughts and rhythms invading his own thoughts and rhythms. I would heartily agree; it makes such a difference in my quality of writing (even speech), when I read the phrases of a powerful author as opposed to a pedestrian hack.

He brought up the reactions of such readers as Annabelle Milbank and Henry Crabbe Robinson. These are precious, as they are reactions to the novels, from people living during Austen’s lifetime, and wholly untainted by memories of films and teleplays. HCR even called Mr Collins ‘a masterpiece’! My thoughts exactly (which made a later comment [see below] hard to fathom).

Dr Morrison made a joke of Catherine Morland’s name; citing that everyone in the novels wants ‘more land’. He promoted the idea of a woman being “her father’s burden; her husband’s property”. But the comment of Charlotte Lucas committing “respectable prostitution” – well, that seemed out of place. Actually, it left me shaking my head – ‘No!’ When Dr Morrison said that his ’skin crawled’ at the idea of the Collinses’ marriage, that sounded more ‘colored by film depictions of Mr Collins’ than genuine thoughts about the plight of both characters: one in want of a good wife; the other in want of a good home.

In equating the Gothic, there was this thought-provoking idea behind Darcy’s comment on Elizabeth’s looks: Darcy doesn’t want to dance (doesn’t even wish to be at the dance); and all people talk about is his money! Darcy’s “tolerable” evaluation of Elizabeth “haunts her – raises the specter of spinsterhood”. Her greatest asset (no dowry) is her looks. Excellent way of digging deeper into this much-quoted comment by Darcy.

Elizabeth is wrong about Charlotte, willing to be wrong about Wickham, and wrong about Darcy. Darcy’s letter helps her see herself more clearly. The implacable resentment Elizabeth attributes to Darcy, she feels herself.

One unanswered – until that evening – observation: when Dr Morrison spoke of Austen’s use of words and cited her deliberate use of “a month” in Elizabeth’s rejection of Darcy. Dr. Morrison’s thoughts centered on Lizzy’s inability to forgive the slight Darcy had inflicted. But as the question period opened and this was addressed (with more than one person saying ‘I never really noticed’) it became apparent that Austen meant more by this specific period of time: not an hour, not a day – but “I had not known you a month”. The Play that evening answered this hitherto unanswered observation – and it is in the novel: When Mr Wickham is ‘confessing’ his life story to Elizabeth, he asks her how long Darcy has stayed with Bingley. The magic answer: “About a month.” Obviously Austen wanted readers to conclude, in the proposal scene, that  Lizzy’s enmity against Darcy survived the slight to her ‘tolerable’ looks, but surfaced to the fore from the point at which she ‘knows’ Darcy to have harmed the prospects of Mr Wickham!

An audience member then brought up this acute observation: Miss de Bourgh, in being sickly, is quite Gothic and can be seen as the symbol of “the dead end,” the dying system that once was predicated upon blood (again the idea of rank versus the humanity of Elizabeth). And on that thought, which touched on the truly Gothic – the vampire tales, we broke for beverages, cookies and oranges. There will be more to say on this subject when the Play is discussed; for the actress portraying Miss de Bourgh gave the role something never seen before.

     Joshua Wayne Andrews

Victims
Clayton Breeding 12/12/2001
Romanno A. Head 1/02/2002
Robert I. Morrison 2/02/2002

Defendants
Joshua Wayne Andrews
Jamel Saleks Crawford

Joshua Andrews
2 Arrested in Queens Shootings Are Linked to Virginia Killings
2 Charged In Fatal Spree Were Out on Bail
Grand Jury to Study Triple Slaying
Man Says Defendant Shot Him, Killed 2 in Bathtub
Deliberations Begin in Va. Capital Murder Trial
Va. Man Convicted In Fatal Shootings
Wikipedia: Joshua Andrews
The ABC of Serial Killing: Andrews, Joshua
Years Later, Truth May Come
MOM SAYS SON KILLED TWO

Surely he didn’t think he’d ever get by with this? I must admit this one caused me to scratch my head. As a white collar crime and business ethics speaker, I’ve heard of a lot of schemes, but this is noteworthy.

Kenneth Gerald Bordewick was convicted of mail fraud and corruptly obstructing or impeding the due administration of the tax laws. Seems that Mr. Bordewick’s mother, Frances Norene Bordewick, operated a beauty salon, Norene and Company, in Antioch, CA. In 1993 and again in 1997, a Notice of Federal Tax Lien was filed against Frances Norene Bordewick/Norene & Co for outstanding employment taxes owed on her beauty salon.

Note: Mama didn’t pay her payroll taxes. Sounds a bit like the Wisconsin man who was indicted for the same thing. But this story isn’t about Ms. Bordewick. No, rather it’s about her “come to the rescue” son!

The Crime: In November 2000, Mr. Bordewick assisted his mother with the sale of her condominium in Antioch. After receiving a preliminary title report, the title company requested a demand of payment from the IRS relating to federal tax liens. A notice of taxes due was submitted by the IRS Collection Division. In December 2000, the escrow company prepared a preliminary closing statement showing an estimated payment to the IRS in the amount of $87,251.30. In late January 2001, Mr. Bordewick told the escrow officer that his mother owed money on a mechanic’s lien.

On January 24, 2001, Mr. Bordewick recorded a fraudulent Certificate of Release of Federal Tax Lien at the Contra Costa County Recorder’s Office. Ten minutes later, a fraudulent Mechanic’s Lien against Frances Norene Bordewick’s property, in favor of Robert Morrison, Mr. Bordewick’s partner, was recorded in the amount of $50,000. That same day Mr. Bordewick submitted the fraudulent Certificate of Release of Federal Tax Lien and Mechanic’s Lien to the escrow officer causing her to not pay the IRS lien, but instead to pay Mr. Bordewick’s partner, pursuant to the Mechanic’s Lien. The escrow officer pursuant to Mr. Bordewick’s instructions mailed the proceeds of the sale, approximately $44,000, in nine checks made out to Robert Morrison at his residence with the defendant in Palm Springs.

Dumb…Dumb…Dumb! Every choice has a consequence! I still go back to the question, did he really think the IRS would be that dumb? Bordewick prepares fake paperwork, records it – then creates more fake paperwork in order to steal proceeds from the sales of his mother’s property. Ouch!

In March 2001, an IRS Revenue Officer inquired about the status of the escrow and was advised by the escrow officer that payment had not been remitted to the IRS for the payroll taxes rather payment was made on a Mechanic’s Lien. You gotta know that the IRS was ticked to find this out. Not only did they not get the money due from the lien they filed, but money that was not payable to any other person was paid to Mr. Bordewick.

The outcome: For $44,000 Bordewick may be facing more than 20 years in federal prison. Surely he will go to prison and there learn that every choice has a consequence. No exceptions!

Oh…and wonder what Mama thinks now?

Robert Morrison – John Piper commemorates September 7th by reflecting on the history of the missionary endeavor in China.

Martha Syndrome – Colin summarizes his thoughts on Luke 10:38-43 and how ministry can often crowd out intimacy with Jesus.

Violin and a Turn Table – I don’t know which of these guys is more talented.