Francis W. Porretto
Mount Sinai, NY USA
Author's posts
Sep 22 2021
Rest In Peace
A great man died yesterday: Dr, Angelo M. Codevilla, who was walking home from church when he was hit by a drunk driver. He was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries. Herewith, a brief summary of Codevilla’s resume: Angelo M. Codevilla (born May 25, 1943) is professor emeritus …
Sep 21 2021
Something To Tell The Minimum-Wage Cranks
The following is a table of minimum wage levels, set by Congress, alongside another figure whose meaning I’ll withhold for now: YEAR Federal Minimum Wage Per Hour ??? 1964 $1.25 $0.90 1970 $1.00 $1.50 1980 $3.10 $14.05 1990 $3.80 $3.80 2000 $5.15 $4.15 2010 $7.25 $27.70 2020 $7.25 $23.90 Did you know the …
Sep 21 2021
Hard Times For Superherodom
“What do you mean?” I hear you say. Well, you know how tough it can be when a trade gets overpopulated. Think of America’s legal profession. Today there are more than one million lawyers in these United States. More than a lawyer for every three hundred Americans. There simply isn’t enough legal work to …
Sep 20 2021
No Man Is So Blind As Is He Who Refuses To See
I’m in a kind of “comedown” mood this morning. No, I didn’t get wasted yesterday; it’s a purely psychological phenomenon. You see, yesterday was “Talk Like A Pirate Day,” one of my favorite days of the year. Drives the C.S.O. nuts, but she knows it’s only one day a year. Happily, the many telemarketers …
Sep 19 2021
Premises
It has been said – I know this for an incontrovertible fact, as I’m the one who said it – that an argument founded on a false premise, no matter how perfectly and seamlessly logical, is worthless. This applies to arguments about any and every subject under the Sun. If your premises are wrong, …
Sep 18 2021
Fences
Why does anyone, anywhere and at any time, erect a fence? I have one around my backyard. It’s to keep my dogs in: that is, to lessen my fear that my dogs will run away, possibly to their deaths. When the patricians of other places erect fences, it’s usually to keep other …
Sep 18 2021
Is That A Clarion Call I Hear?
Well, maybe: People are waking up to the monumental con that’s been played on us: Those are basic facts – from the government horse’s mouth, at that. But don’t you dare try to dispute the importance of the “vaccine,” because the Left’s media minions will shortly know all about you: The …
Sep 17 2021
You Have Been Told
You have been told that you, Mr. Unvaccinated American, are by your stubbornness endangering your own life and the lives of others, including the already vaccinated. You have been told that your conduct is unpatriotic, in violation of the “social contract.” You have been told that this is a crisis, the moral equivalent of …
Sep 17 2021
Oh My!
I found this over at 90 Miles From Tyranny: The curbs in Augusta, Georgia must be really high. Do you suppose the city council should be chided for tolerating such a hazard to the public?
Sep 16 2021
Under Way As We Speak…
…is a brand new F&SF convention, specifically oriented toward writers and readers in the Right: BasedCon survived a July deplatforming attempt. Currently underway in beautiful Norton Shores, Michigan, BasedCon has sold out and turned a profit in its debut outing. Celebrate this gathering for based authors and fans of science fiction and fantasy …
Sep 16 2021
The Mind-Bogglings Continue
I have learned an important lesson: Never imagine that it can’t get worse. As a corollary, never imagine that it can’t get more absurd. There’s no limit apparent to the clownishness of American politicians. They’re beginning to make their colleagues in Italy and France look like sober-minded statesmen. Consider this bit of nonsense, …
Sep 15 2021
From The “No, Really?” Dept.
There are days I marvel at the obdurate ignorance of self-nominated “scientists.” As I was one, once, I think I can say this with authority: if it isn’t in his wheelhouse, the typical scientist will dismiss it as irrelevant at best, absurd at worst. Mankind has developed a great variety of approaches to …
Sep 13 2021
Parodies Sometimes Improve On The Original
Consider these two songs, the first the original by R.E.M.: Now, the parody, by the immortal Al Yankovic: Frankly, I prefer the parody. (I must also admit that I do like Spam®. Dad was a Navy man, and the stuff was a staple of his diet in his World War II years.)
Sep 12 2021
The Shoulds
Good morning, Gentle Readers. A number of you have written to ask why I haven’t posted anything about the twentieth anniversary of the greatest atrocity ever visited upon this nation. The short answer is that the date has left me both heartsick and furious: too heartsick to say anything encouraging, and too furious to …
Sep 11 2021
Chronicles Of The Collapse
It is characteristic of collapsing regimes that as they feel their subjects turning against them, possibly preparing to rise, they strive to tighten their grip to the maximum. This is happening in the United States as we speak: Policymakers in Washington have proposed requiring banks to report virtually all their customers’ bank account …
Sep 10 2021
Bluster Means Nothing When The Enemy Holds All The Trumps
I’ve long encouraged Americans to present their “leaders” with a healthy spirit of defiance. It’s as American as apple pie – considerably more so than any of the “woke” pro sports leagues. But it’s not enough to be verbally defiant when the Schutzstaffel is at the door, armed and ready to drag you to …
Sep 09 2021
Authentic Convictions: Where They Aren’t
Many in the Right were surprised and worse when a veritable legion of “conservative” commentators reacted with dismay to the ascension of Donald Trump to the Republican nomination for the presidency. For some of that number, their objections approached rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth fury. Those selfsame commentators followed their dislike of Trump with a peculiar dislike …
Sep 08 2021
I Have Designated Today A Day…
…for lounging about… …for reading Tolkien… …for watching videos of cute animals… …and, as it was memorably phrased by that monumental icon of American culture, the Beaver, “just goofing off.” I need a respite. So here are a few loose links to stuff you might find interesting: Dio on “Back …
Sep 07 2021
On Going Too Far
Yesterday’s tirade about moderation reaped me an email objection I should have expected. My correspondent assumed that I had a “system” of some sort in mind, rather than a simple respect for the equilibrium principle that governs all things under the veil of time. The writer asked if I were about to advocate “Christian …
Sep 06 2021
A Deadly Shift In Emphasis
I am frequently impressed by Misanthropic Humanitarian’s selection of Quotes for the Day. Today is such an occasion: Those three quotes underscore one of the deadliest conceptual tragedies of recent times: the shift in emphasis from achievement to acquisition. I’m about to start sounding like a cranky old man, here – as I …
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