Francis W. Porretto

Mount Sinai, NY USA

Author's posts

Attention!

     There’s been a flood of “spam” comments that keep me busy deleting them, such that my time for other things is seriously reduced. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, comments will only be possible for registered, logged-in users.      If the “spam” flood does not abate, this may become a permanent policy. Your understanding and …

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Shamelessness As A Political Weapon (UPDATED)

     The key political asset of our time is the ability to tell any lie, however outrageous or absurd, with a perfectly straight face: eyes straight and flat, no lifting of either corner of the mouth, and no tightening of either nostril. Moreover, the liar must be able to maintain that solemn-as-a-judge expression through a …

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The Meek And The Grand

     Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, Gentle Reader! A summary of the great Irish saint’s life and work:      St. Patrick (387-493) was born in Kilpatrick, Scotland, to Roman-British parents. He was kidnapped by Irish raiders at the age of sixteen and sold as a slave to a Druid high priest. He worked as a shepherd …

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When The Writing On The Wall Is This Large…

     …there’s no ambiguity about the connecting link:      This is only part of the pattern of Usurper-in-Chief Joe Biden’s first days in office. He also reversed all of President Trump’s executive orders on securing the border.      Never let anyone tell you the Democrats sincerely want the border controlled. They want that flood of …

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Restatements

     The Future Columns folder is full again, but I find that I can bring myself neither to write about all of it nor to delete any of it without first writing about it. So, as a pale substitute for one of my habitual tirades, here are a few links: How to change the corporate …

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The Easiest Sin

     Happy Ides of March, Gentle Reader! If you enjoyed your Pi Day – we did – then perhaps you’ll also enjoy this commemoration of the day, in 44 B.C., when a group of civic-minded patricians decided to take an aspiring dictator “off the ballot” in a rather final and unappealable way. It’s a recipe …

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No Deposit, No Return

     Does anyone else remember seeing that on the label on a soda bottle? I mean, I know I’m old, but still…! ***      We tend to value things according to their costs. It’s a natural thing; we remember what we paid to acquire the item, and – perhaps more dimly – the work we …

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“How Did He Know?”

     This piece has evoked some amazing reactions, the majority of them imparted to me privately. Yes, all of them were from men. Quite frankly, what I thought I knew about my Gentle Readers falls short of the actuality. It seems that even among our sort, there’s a lot of romantic and para-romantic misery out …

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Day Off

     I’m exhausted. I have an essay subject in mind – working title “When Presumably Decent People Write Hateful Things” – but in my current state I’d surely make a hash of it. So please allow me a day’s rest. With luck and a little cooperation from my wife and my four-footed dependents, I’ll be …

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Is It Really That Bad Out There, Guys?

     I’ve been “out of the game” for more than thirty years, so I don’t really know what it’s like to be unwillingly unmated. I do know that there are a lot of men, from young adults all the way up to my age and beyond, who are either in that category or in an …

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Never…Well, SELDOM On Sunday

     I don’t awaken to a lot of news-rich Sundays. Generally, that’s to the good, as Sunday tends to be the busiest day of my week. Still, it’s nice to have something to rant and rave about. A news-deprived day is a blogger’s definition of frustration. *** 1. Vending Machines.      The C.S.O.’s morning begins …

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If You Remember Paul Harvey…

     He once composed a piercing piece called “If I Were The Devil.” The following video, a Trump campaign ad, borrows its structure from that piece: Video created by the Dilley Team for Trump. Do not skip this one. If I were the Deep State.pic.twitter.com/MfQvFubUUm — Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 8, 2024      Pass …

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Evil: The Frontier

     I’ve been exploring evil as an abstract, categorizable phenomenon for decades. It’s one half of the most important question in all of human life. I sketched the edges of the other half of that question in this brief piece. To save you a mouse click:      Primary authority is the sort possessed by him …

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“Let The Bodies Hit The Floor!”

     Nothin’ wrong with me…      Nothin’ wrong with me…      Nothin’ wrong with me…      Nothin’ wrong with me…      Oh fudge…who do I think I’m kidding? ***      Courtesy of Ace’s long and detailed piece of yesterday, I’ve only just become aware of what he’s styled “GamerGate 2.0.” You may recall the original …

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What Must Be Said

     If we can’t bring back the idea of personal agency and responsibility for one’s actions, along with a societal moral code of right and wrong, we are doomed. — Weird Dave at AoSHQ      Bravo. It cannot be said too often or too loudly. But note that the Left, principally through its “DEI” and …

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Inconceivable Yet Real

     Writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror – the three main speculative genres – face challenges that don’t trouble mainstream fictioneers. We’re supposed to strive to be original, constantly looking for a new conception, a new scientific or technological development, a new evocation of wonder or terror. The flattest and least refutable of all …

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Cash And Chaos

     This bit of news rang a bell for me:      LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A Senate bill introduced on Tuesday would prohibit businesses from refusing cash-only payments.      […]      Senate Bill 306 has not been assigned to a committee yet. [Steve] McClain said the Kentucky Retail Federation will be closely monitoring it.      …

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And I Thought We’d Reached Peak Insanity

     Before I saw the image below – shamelessly stolen from Kenny Lane’s place – I’d have said that there isn’t much in the way of untried yet marginally imaginable lunacy left to explore. But here we are:      Yes, it’s possible. But it’s also a manifestation of genuine insanity. If you’re inclined to dispute …

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Flummery With Erudition And Panache

     The following snippet is from a column by Jeffrey A. Tucker, the founder and president of the Brownstone Institute. The column, ”What Happened To Intellectual Life?” appeared at the Epoch Times on February 26, 2024.      It seems that not even the specialists can tell the science from AI-generated caricatures built from utter rubbish. …

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Simple Foolishness Or A Communist Tactical Move?

     It has frequently embarrassed me that Jorge Bergoglio, elevated to the Throne of Saint Peter some years back, chose my name for his papal appellation. The man is so demonstrably unfit for his position that the entire College of Cardinals should do severe penance for electing him. And as the successor to Pope Benedict …

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