Francis W. Porretto
Mount Sinai, NY USA
Author's posts
Apr 11 2023
Problems And Solutions
The news is the same as yesterday. The corruptocrats are all spouting the same self-serving bilge, while the media dutifully pretend otherwise. So let’s talk about something else this morning. I can’t remember the first time I heard a politician prattle about some “problem.” I’m sure the practice is a lot older than …
Apr 10 2023
Untrustworthy
The C.S.O. and I recently watched and greatly enjoyed Mark Wahlberg’s star-vehicle Shooter, about a master sniper who’s used as the frame-up pigeon in an assassination conspiracy. It’s a high-body-count action movie and replete with entertainment throughout, but one particular bit will remain in my memory for a long time to come. Sniper Bob …
Apr 09 2023
As He Said
In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the …
Apr 08 2023
Visions Of Sugarplums
People respond to incentives and disincentives. Sticks and carrots work. – Charles Murray Ordinary people are massively baffled by the weird recent behavior of several major corporations. They look at the behavior of Anheuser-Busch, or Jack Daniels, or Nike, or Disney, and scratch their heads. “What could they have been thinking?” is the …
Apr 07 2023
Good Friday 2023
On Good Friday, Christians commemorate – not “celebrate” – the Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a day for thinking about ultimate things. The Church is constantly at pains to remind us that no matter how our temporal lives may run, every one of us will face “the last things:” death, judgment, and …
Apr 06 2023
New York And Weapons Law
A few days ago, owing to an unfortunate incident that occurred here at the Fortress recently, I visited a local firearms emporium for the first time in some years. In the process I learned a few things of which I “should” have been aware some time ago. New York state is highly unfriendly …
Apr 05 2023
Symmetries And Balances
In the realm of physics (a.k.a. “the world” or “reality”) a great many symmetries and equilibria are observable by anyone who cares enough to pay attention. Among the most interesting and educational things one can do, though not necessarily safely, is to disturb such a symmetry and watch what happens thereafter. Sometimes the consequences …
Apr 04 2023
If The Shoe Fits Dept.
Lesley Stahl is a socialist. That’s been an open secret for decades. As such, she’s a fierce defender of the Democrat Party, which is now openly socialist in agenda. However, her elevation to CBS’s once-admired “60 Minutes” staff made it necessary to pretend that she’s an impartial, objective journalist. So naturally – ? – …
Apr 03 2023
The English Disease
I don’t know if the title phrase ever became a part of common parlance. Even if you’re near to my age, you might not be familiar with it, or with the condition to which it refers. First and foremost: it doesn’t refer to a physical malady. An anecdote might best illustrate what was …
Apr 02 2023
Rising Voices
Most of the time they whisper, inaudibly but clearly all the same. But now and then their whispers become sounds. Sometimes they’re louder than anything else in your world, even your four decade-long tinnitus. If you’re alert to them, you know you’re in danger. If you’re not, the danger is incalculably amplified. My …
Apr 02 2023
Annelid Rotations
It’s not unknown for a passionate opponent to a particular kind of behavior to execute a 180-degree turn and become one of its defenders. This article at The Catholic Thing provides a striking example: This “hate speech” weapon is being used to silence Catholic objections to homosexuality. And used with a high degree …
Apr 01 2023
A Cabal Of Its Enemies Redux
It’s always gratifying to stumble over an example of something I’ve had difficulty explaining to others. In this case, it comes courtesy of Will: the autobiography of the late G. Gordon Liddy. The incident in question occurred during the first presidential term of Richard Nixon, when Liddy was Special Assistant to the Secretary of …
Apr 01 2023
The Wager
Nothing is certain but uncertainty. – Pliny the Elder Here it is, that grand day that cometh but once a year: April Fool’s Day, on which the only certainty is that someone is planning to make you look like a credulous idiot. Wait: can you really be certain of that? Well, maybe not, …
Mar 31 2023
The Indictment
People have been emailing me all day, asking my opinion of the indictment of Donald Trump for…what? The indictment itself is sealed. The charges have not yet been specified. How can anyone allow himself an opinion on something about which he knows nothing? So I’ve decided to delegate the task to Paul Joseph …
Mar 31 2023
More On Representation
Yesterday’s bit of whimsy didn’t get a lot of comment action. Whatever the reason, apparently the Gentle Readers of Liberty’s Torch were disinclined to register their opinions on the subject. No matter; it was meant to stimulate thought on the issue, which is a live one. It will remain significant because the coin has …
Mar 31 2023
More On “Pride”
The reaction against the coerced endorsement of this madness has begun to swell: This season, several NHL players have opted to remain silent in protest against the league’s LGBTQ+ Pride Night celebrations. Players like Ivan Provorov, James Reimer, Marc Staal, Eric Staal, and Ilya Lyubushkin have refused to wear the Pride Night-themed warmup …
Mar 30 2023
A Festival Of Representation
“Representation” – more specifically, statistical under or over-representation in various domains – is one of today’s major bugaboos. We all hear about aspects of this now and then, such as how women are “under-represented” in CEOs’ offices and corporate boardrooms, or blacks are “over-represented” among perpetrators of violent crimes. There’s often a lot of …
Mar 30 2023
At Last Someone Has Said It!
And right out in front of God and everybody, too: According to the sourcelink, the ever-growing number of hockey players who are pushing back against NHL’s “Pride Nights” and refusing to wear LGBTQIA++++++++++++ themed jerseys, is causing the league to “re-evaluate” such events. This is a good thing, and good on the …
Mar 30 2023
The Long Game: How It’s Played
If you’ve ever been a baseball fan – I was, before the tide of “woke” overtook it – you’ve probably wondered why, given that umpires never, ever reverse a call, managers persist in leaping out of the dugout, racing to confront the ump, and arguing about it, often resulting with their ejection from the …
Mar 29 2023
Deprogramming: The First Step
Dio of the Workshop reminds us what it must be: Saw a few commercials recently, and PROGRAMMING thats all it is these days. boy kids celebrating by dancing down school hallways while sporting a skirt… NOT A KILT- a damnable skirt,,, If he had been wearing a kilt with a set …
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