Francis W. Porretto
Mount Sinai, NY USA
Author's posts
May 07 2022
Things Lost And Things Misplaced
Time was, there was a kind of space reserved in pop music for the ballad. Harry Chapin was one of the better known practitioners of the form, but there were many others. Being a storyteller by inclination, I have a soft spot for ballads and balladeers, and I miss them. Way, way back …
May 07 2022
One More Before I Stir My Stumps
In Weird Dave’s Friday Night ONT, he cites this tweet: Is further comment really necessary? Verbum sat sapienti.
May 07 2022
Offhand Truths Of Staggering Import Dept.
I stumbled over this in Weird Dave’s Friday Night ONT: I don’t think men in general get complimented enough, and I think men and women react differently to compliments. Well, yeah. But remember, Gentle Readers: obvious really means overlooked. And as the late, great Ron Popeil liked to say: But wait: there’s …
May 07 2022
When They Can’t Keep It Inside Any Longer…
…it can sound louder than a car crash: According to Canadian sociologist and political commentator Mathieu Bock-Côté, mass immigration has weakened social cohesion and cultural conflict. Bock-Côté made the comments during an appearance on the Face a l’Info political talk show. “When a society predominantly receives new populations it cannot integrate …
May 06 2022
A Gentle Suggestion
A number of news and commentary sites I’ve enjoyed reading for years have recently set up for-subscribers-only sections. Those sections are only accessible after one agrees to a yearly payment. In effect, the subscriber must trust the site with access to one of his credit cards. I’m absolutely unwilling to do this, no matter …
May 06 2022
Roe And Race
While we’re on the subject of Roe v. Wade — we are, aren’t we? – consider the reaction of this crowd of “medical professionals” to a simple question from an unidentified person: Phew. It gets awfully quiet. This man knows how to silence a protest. pic.twitter.com/LeGQ3DToHO — Abigail Dodds (@abigaildodds) May 5, 2022 …
May 06 2022
Before I Proceed…
…to the other business of the day, I must recommend this article to my Gentle Readers. It concerns a minor matter with which you might even be personally acquainted: broken ice-cream machines at McDonald’s: When you order ice cream, you don’t want to hear “We’re out” or “It’s broken,” yet it has been …
May 05 2022
Something To Hide…From?
Who are you? I know who I am: a cranky old man with a lot of conservative-libertarian opinions. I don’t trouble to hide myself, or what I think. In fact, I glory in all of it. Yes, I’ve attracted some haters. And yes, at one time there was an attempt to do me …
May 04 2022
Terror In The Vestibule
I was thinking of taking the rest of the day off from commentary when, courtesy of J. J. Sefton, I started reading this essay by Naomi Wolf. It’s long, and addresses several matters of both political and sociological interest, but the segment that struck me most powerfully appears below: Overnight, a new concern, …
May 04 2022
My Irony Meter Has Pinned Again
I don’t think this: This radical dishonest slob pretends to be a journalist…Yamiche Alcindor: Overturning Roe Would Result in Pregnancies that Will ‘Turn Into Children’ https://t.co/nHctl6daBY — Troy Fauber (@TroyFauber) May 4, 2022 …requires any deep exegesis from me. Yamiche Alcindor is regularly presented to a large cablecast audience as an intelligent …
May 03 2022
A Time For Perspective
Geez, I get to write about what I want so seldom these days… Yes, yes: Politico has leaked a draft Supreme Court opinion, purportedly written by Associate Justice Samuel Alito, which strikes down the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The majority opinion in that case was written by Associate Justice Harry Blackmun. Of …
May 02 2022
A Time For Candor
There is no longer any politics in our political contests. There is only slander. As pleased as I was to see Andrew Cuomo resign the governorship of New York, the accusations that elicited his departure depressed me rather badly. Cuomo, for all that I dislike him as a man and a public official, …
May 01 2022
Need To Know
No, this won’t be about federal security regulations. And I know a father Who had a son He longed to tell him all the reasons For the things he’d done. He came a long way Just to explain, He kissed his boy as he lay sleeping Then he turned around and headed home again. …
Apr 30 2022
Fetishes And Fears
Regard well: That’s a crucifix pendant. It’s a large one as such things go, because it’s meant to be worn outside the clothes. I don it when I leave the house. Does anyone else out there wear a crucifix pendant? Or a Miraculous Medal? Perhaps one of those cute “bracelet rosaries” that …
Apr 30 2022
Stolen From Bookworm
Simply this: It says a lot, doesn’t it? And for the cherry on top, those illustrious names are all white males. No wonder the activist identity groups are up in arms about them. White men invented the modern world. The lunatics raving about “cultural appropriation” would prefer that you not notice that. …
Apr 29 2022
The “I Can’t Even” Edition
Do you have “I can’t even” days? Given my commitment to staying in touch with developments so I can blather about them here, I have a lot of them. Usually I keep them to myself, but today I…can’t even. To the strong of stomach: Feel free to read on. To others: Perhaps it’s …
Apr 29 2022
No Law Abridging!
[The following essay first appeared at the Palace of Reason on December 12, 2003. In light of the Usurper Regime’s new Disinformation Governance agency Ministry of Truth, it feels appropriate to repost it at this time. – FWP] *** Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free …
Apr 28 2022
Bombardment
I’ve been told, by Gerard Van der Leun among others, that the image displayed in this recent piece is a hoax or a put-on. That may be so; I’m unable to trace the image’s true provenance. However, I’ve also been told that the image did appear on Facebook, and did persist there, for a …
Apr 27 2022
Perhaps Nothing Could Have Prevented It…
…but whatever the case, actual government censorship has arrived: The Department of Homeland Security is setting up a new board designed to counter misinformation related to homeland security, with a focus specifically on Russia and irregular migration. The board will be called the “Disinformation Governance Board, and will be headed by executive director …
Apr 27 2022
Abridgements
“Anyone who is angered by the prospect of American citizens expressing their opinions is a Stalinist and should be feared.” – Tucker Carlson The above is yet one more bit of evidence that Tucker Carlson is the most trustworthy voice in broadcast and cablecast journalism. Carlson knows whereof he speaks, for he himself …
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