Francis W. Porretto
Mount Sinai, NY USA
Author's posts
Feb 11 2023
Entropy And Discord
“You know what I hate?” – Clive Owen as Smith in Shoot ‘Em Up Courtesy of Hans G. Schantz, I’ve just read this thought-provoking article by Bruce Charlton. Charlton’s concept of entropic pseudo-creation resonated with me immediately: The past century has been characterized (indeed plagued!) by a pseudo-creativity which has usurped true …
Feb 10 2023
Day From Hell Alert
The C.S.O. has another procedure scheduled for later this morning. Once again it will involve a long drive, a lot of cutting (for her) and a lot of waiting (for me), a long drive back, and then postoperative care most of which will fall on my shoulders. When we get back there will be …
Feb 09 2023
The Deserving Poor
American Catholics tend to vote. (Yes, we have other bad habits as well.) Unfortunately, too many vote for Democrats. Why? The tragically misunderstood “social teaching” of the Church. It’s widely believed among Catholics that we have a moral obligation to provide for “the poor.” Note the lack of qualification. Part of the reason …
Feb 09 2023
This Is Mind-Boggling
How are American Catholics under attack? Let me count the ways: The FBI’s Richmond Division would like to protect Virginians from the threat of “white supremacy,” which it believes has found a home within Catholics who prefer the Latin Mass. An intelligence analyst within the Richmond Field Office of the FBI released in …
Feb 08 2023
First Thought Of The Day
In Eric Drexler’s seminal Engines of Creation, the first book for laymen about the promise and perils of nanotechnology, he writes: States have needed people as workers because human labor has been the necessary foundation of power. What is more, genocide has been expensive and troublesome to organize and execute. Yet, in this …
Feb 07 2023
Pebbles
Greg Lake, originally of King Crimson and later of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, was a multi-talent of the first water. Along with his instrumental and vocal skills, he was an occasionally irritating, occasionally brilliant lyricist. The following, from EL&P’s magnificent first album, captures my mood too perfectly for me not to post it. Just …
Feb 07 2023
Smart Tactics
Clever tacticians know it: Strike the enemy at his weakest point. Believe it or not, that – not tanks, aerial warfare, or poison gas – was the biggest innovation that came out of World War I. Before that, nation armies would hurl themselves at one another’s strength, each hoping to destroy the another and …
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 …
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