Francis W. Porretto
Mount Sinai, NY USA
Author's posts
Feb 06 2023
Don’t Expect More Today
The C.S.O. is “having a procedure,” as they say, so I’ll be away from the keyboard for a while, and probably too pooped to post for the remainder of the day. Have a good one.
Feb 06 2023
Had Enough Yet?
I have: Josh Alexander, 16, is not allowed to attend school for the rest of the year after saying he would continue to express his belief that God created only two genders. The school told him his presence would be “detrimental to the physical and mental well-being” of transgender students, Alexander told The …
Feb 05 2023
The Brazenness Has Not Yet Peaked
This is typical of the race-hustlers: Wherever they’ve gained, they push for more: American systems of legal administration enact violence against minority populations. Examining and re-considering these structures, such as the criminal justice system (CJS), is a crucial part of anti-racist action…. Princeton’s Honor Code, tasked with holding students accountable and honest …
Feb 05 2023
Differences Small And Large
You may have seen this before. It’s a brief clip from Cate Blanchett’s movie Tar: If you dislike videos, here’s the transcript, as best I can render it from the error-prone YouTube attempt: Max: You play really well, but nowadays white male CIS composers…just not my thing Lydia Tar: Don’t be so eager …
Feb 05 2023
A Stunning Advance In Translation Technology
With the rapid ascent of “artificial intelligence” software have come considerable strides in an area that’s long interested me: software that can easily and usefully translate among languages. And yes: AI is definitely required to do the job properly. The reason is the idiosyncratic nature of human communication. We rely on idioms and cultural …
Feb 04 2023
Can Freedom Be Individualized?
“Professor, I can’t understand you. I don’t insist that you call it ‘government’—I just want you to state what rules you think are necessary to insure equal freedom for all.” “Dear lady, I’ll happily accept your rules.” “But you don’t seem to want any rules!” “True. But I will accept any …
Feb 04 2023
Cognitive Dissonance Chronicles
The use of deliberate contradiction and confusion to paralyze the populace is a classic tactic of totalitarian regimes. It’s also used by aspiring tyrants: The recent controversy over gas stoves is a classic example of how the left works. They put the idea out there that they wanted to get rid of …
Feb 03 2023
Moral Principles And What Follows Their Dismissal
Fulton Sheen said it better than I ever could: I’ve known people who would argue endlessly that there are no moral absolutes: i.e., that there are no natural rights to life, liberty, or honestly acquired property. Not all of them were stupid. Neither were all of them criminally inclined. They simply couldn’t cope …
Feb 03 2023
An Eye-Opening Graphic
I stole this from Ragin’ Dave at Peace or Freedom: Says a lot, doesn’t it? But there’s a larger tale to tell, and tell it I shall. Have you ever heard the term “Saturday-night special?” I’d bet most of our Gentle Readers have. It’s a derogatory phrase that refers to inexpensive handguns. …
Feb 03 2023
When A Man Shows You Who He Is
…believe him: Hakeem Jeffries is the Minority Leader for the Democrat Party caucus in the House of Representatives. I have no doubt that his statement expresses the sentiments of his caucus. Do we really need a more in-your-face statement of the Democrats’ intentions for this nation?
Feb 02 2023
The New Standard For Guilt
Amendment V: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any …
Feb 02 2023
What Was The Left’s Old Mantra?
Oh yes, here it is: Always Advance As If Under Threat Of Attack Two articles bring this to mind: It’s Time The Scientific Community Admit We Were Wrong About COVID-19. The Unvaccinated Owe The Vaccinated An Apology The former weak mea culpa pleads for forgiveness. “We thought we were doing the right …
Feb 02 2023
If You’re Interested In Contemporary Irrationality
…you’ve simply got to check out this ultra-bizarre site. IQfy.com bills itself as “non-partisan.” Decide for yourself. To me it appears to be the product of certifiable Leftists – “certifiable” in both senses. It’s possible that its masters are using it to parody extreme Leftism, but its tone suggests that the writers are …
Jan 31 2023
Paywalls: A Demurrer
I’ve been asked by several Gentle Readers why there’s no way to create a regular monthly or yearly “paid subscription” to Liberty’s Torch. I received another such inquiry a few minutes ago. It’s simple: My opinions are mine alone and freely dispensed, so that’s what I charge for them. The Blogosphere started as a …
Jan 31 2023
“Give Me A Ho! Give Me A Hum!”
It’s time to exercise our arithmetic skills: A group of two dozen Senate Republicans have signed a letter vowing to oppose any increase in the nation’s debt limit unless Congress agrees to spending cuts to help pay down the national debt. “We, the undersigned members of the Senate Republican Conference, write to …
Jan 31 2023
Feminist Tactics
Beware, Gentle Reader. There’s one set of rules for men, and another for women: A Google executive claims he was booted by the tech giant for rejecting a high-ranking female colleague’s grabby advances at a posh company dinner. Ryan Olohan, 48, accuses Google of firing him after one its top executives, Tiffany …
Jan 31 2023
As Long As The Subject Is Abortion
There has been some good news: Catholic pro-life activist Mark Houck on Monday was found NOT GUILTY on both counts of federal charges. Mark Houck was charged with two counts of violating the federal FACE Act for shoving a pro-abortion volunteer who threatened his son outside of Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia in …
Jan 31 2023
One In The Eye For The Feminists
If you’re a “feminist,” it would logically follow that you favor the protection of women, wouldn’t it? If so, the information in this article “should” upset you: 100 Percent Fed Up reports – Did you know that between 1970 and 2017, there were 45 million “missing” female births due to prenatal sex selection? …
Fran’s Recent Novels
Margaret’s Recent Novels
