“Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien [1]
It doesn’t seem all that long ago, but fourteen years to the day, I hit publish, and Il Regno [2] was born. It was never my intention to be a blogger, but the disconnect with our community’s ideologically driven self-appointed leaders (both on the Left and what passes as the Right) compelled me to begin writing about the various subjects I felt were not getting the attention they deserved. As it turned out, it struck a chord with many people who feel just as disaffected and marginalized in modern society, particularly regarding religion.
For the most part, the experience has been very rewarding. I've learned a lot and met a number of interesting people. Forging lasting friendships with some, we’ve created a small but tight-knit community of fellow travelers to help preserve and celebrate our faith and culture in the face of pervasive Godlessness and crushing assimilation.
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Detail of a mosaic of Christ Crowning King Ruggero II, Martorana, Palermo |
"Those who think they have but one life to live can do little good that will outlast it. Man is distinguished from the animal by his reason, and the distinction of man’s reasoning is that it can discover and work toward goals that are beyond the brief extent of his own animal life." ~ Otto Von Habsburg [3]
As expected, many people have a problem with (or simply don’t understand) my political views. They are genuinely bewildered by, and sometimes hostile to, my anti-democratic, anti-egalitarian, and staunch monarchist leanings. Sadly, like most people, Italian Americans tend to dismiss the idea of monarchy out of hand and increasingly identify with Americanism in all its discordant manifestations. [4]
Thanks to assimilation, not only have they abandoned their ethnocultural particularism for a generic Italian American identity, those even more far-gone have opted for a generic American identity, which in today’s ever-shrinking materialist world means little more than being a consumer and tax-payer. Aside from quaint regional accents, it appears that the most significant distinctions between the majority of Americans today are the color of their local sports-ball team’s jerseys and which Tammany-style political party they blindly follow. There are holdouts, but fewer every day.
Considering the abhorrent state of American politics, especially these past few years, I’m taken aback by the number of people who still buy into the lies and corruption. Democracy is a farce; it is a false god propped up by the corrupt fourth estate and Janus-faced political elites complicit in deluding the masses. In post-Christian America, it has evolved into a ungodly state religion whose trite tenets of representation, freedom of speech, equality, etcetera, are constantly being trampled on by its soi-disant adherents to benefit a bloated totalitarian oligarchy.
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| Bring back the old national demarcations |
"Liberty, on the other hand, dominates in diversity—wherever nations and men differ. That applies to their history, their speech and race, to their customs and habits, their art and their religion. Here there cannot be too many colors on the palette." ~ Ernst Jünger [5]
Another area of contention with some is my stance on a free and independent Southern Italy. Though slowly changing, it’s been my experience that Italian Americans overwhelmingly tend to be, if somewhat superficially, pro-Italy. Despite il Bel Paese’s betrayal of our ancestors, my partiality for the restoration of the pre-unification states and borders is anathema to many. [6]
To be clear, being pro-separatist doesn’t mean I dislike Northern Italians (or anyone else, for that matter). If truth be told, I greatly admire pre-unification Northern Italy, the same way I admire pre-revolutionary France, pre-Reformation England, et al. While they all take a back seat to Naples, some of my fondest memories were exploring the historic promenades and ancient churches of Rome, Venice and Florence. I just think our respective homelands would have been better served if they had remained politically independent of each other. This is undoubtedly true for the peoples of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, who still suffer greatly from Italian unification.
"The traditions of each people … are common treasures that all of us, brothers of the same chosen family, must keep with love." ~ Francisco Elías de Tejada [7]
In short, the goal is to revel in our differences and oppose at every opportunity the cultural leveling and social engineering orchestrated by the global elites and their soulless acolytes. Needless to say, if a true federative solution cannot be realized in Italy I’d prefer a more amicable dissolution like the partition of Czechoslovakia in 1992 as opposed to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia that same year. Obviously, it is all meaningless if we merely create several new slavish puppet states that continue emulating the same self-destructive policies under the tyranny of the European Union. This is a conversation for another day.
As unrealistic or quixotic as it may sound, especially when one considers how far gone and deracinated the American diaspora already is, and the fact that so few are actually concerned with saving anything other than some old family recipes, I want to see the preservation of the remnant of our sundry communities in the same vein as the Amish or Hasidim do in our own self-reliant enclaves, ghettoes and Little Italys across the country.
This shouldn’t be a controversial or problematic statement, but I unapologetically love my own culture and heritage and I want to see it survive, nay thrive. This doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy or appreciate others—I do. It also doesn’t mean I have to like or respect them all—I don’t. Some, such as the culture of death and throwaway culture currently afflicting the unravelling West, are clearly abhorrent and should be emphatically rejected.
“For behold! the storm comes, and now all friends should gather together, lest each singly be destroyed.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien [9]
Naturally, I stand with all like-minded peoples who uphold the perennial principles of Faith, family and culture in the defense of Christendom. I’d much rather associate with a Catholic Burgundian légitimiste or Andalusian carlista than a Sicilian Marxist or Neapolitan atheist any day of the week. I have more in common with a Venetian or Roman looking to restore La Serenissima [10] and the Papal States than any Southern Italian with Jacobin, Republican or other revolutionary inclinations. Simply being Duosiciliano isn’t enough.
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| Dios, Patria, Fueros y Rey [13] |
"The real struggle in which we are involved is more and more clearly that between the powers of destruction and the powers of life. In that fight the fighters for justice stand shoulder to shoulder like the chivalry of old." ~ Ernst Jünger [12]
Having said all that, as much as I want to see a return to Catholic federative monarchy in Southern Italy and elsewhere, including these United States, I don’t pretend it will ever happen in my lifetime. The disordered state of modern society, the weakness of the Royal Families and their loyal supporters, and the current apostasy within the Church hierarchy have ensured this. However, this does not mean we traditionalists abnegate our time-honored duties and responsibilities to achieve these goals. To the contrary, we are duty-bound by our Faith and honor to proselytize and do all we can to keep the flames of tradition burning until the natural order of church and state is restored. Viva Cristo Re!
~ Giovanni di Napoli, March 21st, The Feasts of Bl. Maria Candida of the Eucharist and San Benedetto da Nursia
Notes:
[1] Fellowship of the Ring, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1994, p.274
[2] The blog was originally published in 2009 under the title Magna GRECE
[3] "Divine Right of Minorities," Modern Age: A Conservative Review, Summer 1958, p.284
[4] In case you didn’t realize already, this is one of the reasons why we have the “Dissident Voice” descriptor in front of our title.
[5] The Peace, Henry Regency Co., 1984, p. 61
[6] This is another reason why we have the "Dissident Voice" descriptor in front of our title.
[7] La Monarchia Tradizionale, Controcorrente Edizioni, 2001, pp. 24-26
[8] Latin motto of Emperor Franz Joseph, meaning "with united forces."
[9] The Two Towers, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1994, p.501
[10] Nickname for Venice, meaning “Most Serene.”
[11] Pietas, Latin, the ancient Roman personification of familial affection, patriotism, and piety
[12] The Peace, Henry Regency Co., 1984, p. 77
[13] Carlist motto meaning "God, Country, Privileges and King"
