Francis W. Porretto
Mount Sinai, NY USA
Author's posts
Jul 11 2023
Premises And Precedents
Richard Lyons has given us some background on the contemporary oppression of political opponents. Most critical is this observation: Let’s now go back to the era of Woodrow Wilson. Our 28th president spent his life on Ivy League campuses, being steeped in the “Ideal State” philosophy by his intellectual mentors, Richard Ely and …
Jul 11 2023
Illegal Tender
With all the worrying going on over the ominous prospect of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), it’s just occurred to me to wonder: What is the state of the legal tender law? We know – hey, it’s printed on every BLEEP!ing Federal Reserve Note – that federally approved physical currency is “legal …
Jul 10 2023
The Political Correlation Of Forces, 2023
The little man who works in the lumber-room of my memory will occasionally toss a tidbit to my supposedly conscious forebrain with a muttered “Remember this?” And of course I do; he’s remembered it for me. But such ejecta from the recesses of my mind can have interesting consequences, one of which (of course) …
Jul 10 2023
Honest Opinion, Or Giveaway?
I’m told by a Jewish friend that during what he called the “time of the judges,” the great panel of judges that ruled over the Jews had an interesting rule: a unanimous verdict of guilty automatically acquits the accused. The logic of that rule, my friend said, was that unanimity among 77 judges – …
Jul 09 2023
More SOF News
This is greatly disturbing: The comments to the video, and the tweets sent in response to it, strongly suggest that this is a national pattern undertaken to suppress viewership of The Sound Of Freedom. I find that more than plausible: The theaters’ great challenge since the COVID-19 pandemic has been getting people back …
Jul 09 2023
The Assaults Continue
The Left simply cannot allow Americans any genuine heroes. The ongoing campaign against Jim Caviezel and The Sound of Freedom is a demonstration: Bramesco’s review of the movie is what we used to term “pissing on it from a great height.” He actually goes so far as to deny that child-trafficking operations exist. …
Jul 08 2023
At The Third Level
In this country, the third level is where the action is – the sociopolitical action, at least. The physiological and safety levels are well-served for more than 90% of our population. Where we’re most vulnerable is in our desire for acceptance. Not that the Left hasn’t tried its damnedest to attack our physical …
Jul 08 2023
This Wins The Internet For Today
Way back when I was young and feckless, I and a few others of like disposition would fritter away our free time concocting headlines and cover images for such august publications as The Weekly World News and The Star. Much time has passed, and I remember few of those compositions, but what sticks in …
Jul 08 2023
Perspicacity Is Encouraged
I’ve often speculated that the loneliest people in America must include actors who are openly Catholic and openly conservative. Add to that the utter brass of starring in The Passion of the Christ as Jesus of Nazareth Himself, and you have the almost unique lot of Jim Caviezel: To prepare for this role, …
Jul 06 2023
“National Security,” Again
When it comes to matters that touch upon law or politics, many Americans have chosen to disbelieve the major media as a matter of policy – i.e., as the default condition. This appears to be the majority stance at this time. But as you can imagine, the media don’t like that very much. Rather …
Jul 05 2023
Blinding Flashes Of The Obvious Dept.
I hope you had a good Independence Day, Gentle Reader. Now for the news! If you’ve been waiting for an anchor point on the “obvious” curve, I’d nominate the following as “Duh”-level: You can no longer have an American nation, if the son of the President of the United States successfully connives to …
Jul 04 2023
On Non-Payment Of Premiums
Have a few quotes from the greatest of all Americans, the author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson: “The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive.” “I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a …
Jul 03 2023
Pretending As Policy
You’ve probably seen this cartoon: While it originated during the Obama years, it expresses today’s theme in a particularly striking way. America’s cities are in a state of chaos. Crime of all sorts is exploding. The American food supply is being threatened with restrictions in the name of “climate change.” (Of course, …
Jul 02 2023
Cash And Stubborn Humankind
Whoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce. – James Garfield “Control the coinage and the courts — let the rabble have the rest.” – Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV There’s a monitory article at Maura Dowling’s place this morning about the World Economic …
Jul 02 2023
“Vee Vill Make Zee Rulez Und You Will Follow Zem!”
The madness swirling around us can seem too multifarious to summarize, yet every now and then we get a genuinely iconic incident — and it needn’t be something that involves laws, interest groups, or governments: Dear Amy: Four months before my daughter’s wedding, she told me that her uncle (my brother, “Dave”) would …
Jul 01 2023
Day Off
I’ve been neglecting my fiction duties lately, so I’ve decided to put today to that use rather than blathering interminably about stuff that’s beyond my control anyway. To my American readers: Enjoy your pre-Independence Day weekend. To my Canadian readers: Happy Canada Day! To all others: Be well, keep the faith, and soldier on. …
Jun 30 2023
Some Afternoon Music
I can’t imagine how anyone could remain downhearted or depressed when listening to this classic Nitty Gritty Dirt Band track: Be of good cheer, my dear Gentle Readers. We shall prevail!
Jun 30 2023
The Totalitarians And The State Of Fear
My acquaintance with the works of the late Michael Crichton isn’t deep. However, I have read what many consider to be his best novel, State of Fear, and was greatly impressed by his insight into the desires and methods of contemporary power-seekers. A fearful populace, that shrinks from terrors real and imagined, is …
Jun 29 2023
Some Music For A Summer Afternoon
Have an old favorite from a group that far too many dismissed as “pretentious” and “unoriginal:”
Jun 29 2023
They Call It Anarchy, But It’s Actually Hell
Heard the name of Gonzalo Lira lately? If you have, it’s probably because the Zelensky regime in Ukraine has thrown him into prison him for writing stuff Zelensky doesn’t like. But at one time, Lira was better known for this essay, which embeds this critical observation: When the backbone of a country starts …
Fran’s Recent Novels
Margaret’s Recent Novels
