Francis W. Porretto
Mount Sinai, NY USA
Author's posts
Aug 06 2021
Your Decision Tree And What It Means For You
You’ve probably seen the phrase decision tree before. It’s become a frequent element in op-ed columns such as this one. While it looks forbiddingly formal and technical, it refers to one of the most pedestrian things in human life: our priorities and how we use them to make choices. Everyone has priorities. However, …
Aug 05 2021
Power Centers
Time was, the Left was a purely political phenomenon, and was viewed as such by non-Leftists. That time has passed, for a simple reason: it didn’t get the Left what its masters want: absolute and unchallengeable power. So it changed focus. Today, if you want to know where the Left is concentrating (or will …
Aug 04 2021
One Of These Days
“One of these days, I’m going to cut you into little pieces” – Pink Floyd, “One Of These Days” One of these days, we will reckon the fall of the Republic from a point that’s already in our past. The Constitutional bounds of the federal government are violated daily. Thus it should …
Aug 03 2021
Inflation: A Reminiscence
Now that it appears that the Usurpers are determined to destroy the dollar through Lenin’s favorite tactics, it seems appropriate to review some of the developments that arose in the wake of America’s last great surge of inflation. And while correlation is not a definitive proof of causation, I think a strong case can …
Aug 02 2021
The Paramount Social Principle
Way back when the world was, if not new, still only gently used, I wrote a rather melancholic piece about the loss of trust. It evoked a range of reactions from “C’mon!” all the way to “It’s even worse than you think, Fran.” But I was mostly right. Where I failed was in noting …
Jul 31 2021
One Week From Today
…that is, on Saturday, August 7 in this Year of Our Lord 2021, …will be a free download at Amazon. Feel free to indulge yourself (and save a few bucks) in the paramount near-future Catholic science fiction novel of the year! Pope Clement XV, the first American to be raised to the …
Jul 31 2021
How Can We Be Sure?
The great goal of the knowledge-seeker is practical certainty. Note the modifier: for most propositions in this universe of discourse, absolute certainty is unattainable. That’s in the nature of causal propositions. Only in completely formal systems such as mathematics can we be absolutely certain of anything. This has critical implications for the sciences. …
Jul 30 2021
A Compound Moral Conundrum
First, some music: The tale of Jack Orion is a British Isles Traditional ballad. It’s been performed by several musicians and groups, including (of course) Pentangle. For villainy and woe, it ranks high among stories of its kind. While the traditional lyric is beautiful and evocative, it’s also rather long, so I’ll provide …
Jul 30 2021
A Man Who Predicts Successfully…
…should be listened to with attention. At Liberty’s Torch V1.0, I made use of this passage from The Black Cloud several times: “It looks to me as if those perturbations of the rockets must have been deliberately engineered,” began Weichart. “Why do you say that, Dave?” asked Marlowe. “Well, the …
Jul 29 2021
From The “Cui Bono?” Department
This morning, Dinesh D’Souza, whose intellect is significant if not quite sufficient to penetrate his partisanry, talks about “Section 230,” the fabled protection of “common carriers” against liability for what’s said over them: D’Souza’s comments irritated me for the reason expressed in the title of this piece. Specifically, he noted that when the …
Jul 28 2021
Ch-Ch-Changes 2021
The attempt to subjugate Americans has run out of new ideas. The giveaway is the Establishment’s propagandization of the “Delta variant” to frighten us back into face masks and isolation. The bad news is that some people are buying the scare propaganda. The good news is that they’re greatly outnumbered by those who aren’t. …
Jul 27 2021
Do Facts Matter Part 2
In response to the first episode in this tragedy, reader Clayton commented thus: “Respectable, law-abiding Negroes could solve the problem by bringing their unruly racial brethren to heel.” Which is why desegregation and the end of Redlining was a disaster for Blacks: much like the US and EU strip-mining anyone with talent …
Jul 26 2021
Do Facts Matter?
This appears to be the question of our time – the supreme question of our time. What does it mean to be oppressed? According to the dictionary, to oppress means “to burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subject to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power.” If we use …
Jul 25 2021
Gifts, Love, And Miracles
Today’s Mass reading from the Gospel of St. John told of the miracle of the Loaves and Fishes: After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. …
Jul 24 2021
Proud To Be…?
The “pride talk” has gotten way, way out of hand. Even John Hinderaker has fallen into it: Most people, first of all, are proud of being Americans. That is a good thing. Is it? Are you proud to be an American? Is “being an American” your personal achievement? If not, what …
Jul 23 2021
Squibs
I’m hurting somewhat – yesterday was a day of much exertion – so have a few brief comments on assorted matters, that I might leave my computer and assume a more comfortable position. Assuming I can find one, that is. *** The Dynamic of Power Strikes Again. Don’t take that “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity” …
Jul 22 2021
Something Catholic And Beautiful
If you haven’t yet made the acquaintance of Loreena McKennitt, it’s high time. Listen to what she does with the stanzas from Saint John of the Cross’s classic tome Dark Night of the Soul: Upon a darkened night The flame of love was burning in my breast And by a lantern bright I fled …
Jul 22 2021
Having It Both Ways
I’ve ranted on other occasions about my strong preference for stand-alone novels: i.e., no unending series in prospect and no need to purchase a sequel to find out how the story ends. Now and then I find one that “cheats” in some fashion, usually by incorporating plot threads that aren’t critical to the resolution …
Jul 21 2021
The Mystery Of Work
It’s time for something to raise the spirits, rather than darken them as political BS tends to do. As it happens, I have something of the sort on tap. First, a little C. S. Lewis: Then an experience that perhaps no good man can ever have in our world came over (Ransom) – …
Jul 21 2021
The Fundraising Dynamic
The following six-minute video from Dinesh D’Souza is a must-view: In light of David Friedman’s assertion that political parties are vote-maximizing machines (from The Machinery of Freedom), the decomposition of a political party into its constituent components, specifically to look for any “interior” motivations, is of particular importance. There is no guarantee that …
Fran’s Recent Novels
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