Category: assorted

     Yes, Gentle Reader, I’m still pretty sick. The energy isn’t there for more than a few casual shots out the passenger-side window as I drive past the passing scene. But I hate to leave you with nothing to read, and my Co-Conspirators, normally a worthy bunch, appear to have gone mute for the time …

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     “Don’t let your mind wander. It’s too little to be let out alone.” – From a lapel button ***      Hey, remember those buttons and bumper stickers from a few years back?      I’m beginning to get that feeling again. ***      My day is looking bad – very bad, actually – and besides, …

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     Did I really just cite weekends as a time to relax? What on Earth was I thinking? *** 1. “It’s Islam.”      Daniel Greenfield has compiled a record of serial brilliance for his essays, especially when he addresses matters in the Middle East. His most recent offering rips the false facade away from the …

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     I have a busy morning before me, so please enjoy the following examples of something for which your Curmudgeon is not generally known: brevity. *** 1. Why?      Bull’s-eye, Tuck. *** 2. The Professor Misfires.      From Glenn Reynolds:      Is everything going to hell?      Maybe, maybe not.      BZZZT! Wrong, Professor, but …

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     …it does rather look like evidence of a decades-long, world-girdling conspiracy in motion, doesn’t it? But I wouldn’t want to sound like one of those “QAnon types,” so perhaps I should just present the evidence for my Gentle Readers’ assessment. *** 1. Thou Shalt Not Mention The Evidence!      I admire anyone who’s willing …

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     Day From Hell Alert! I have three appointments today – two doctors, one broker – a mandatory social engagement this evening, and a raft of other chores besides, so please accept the following few observations, that I might have some prospect of surviving the day. *** 1. Now Tell Us Something We Don’t Know. …

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For those of you who weren’t around when bulletin boards and internet chat were new, that stands for “Away From Keyboard”. Just a little note to let people know you weren’t going to be there for a while. Since Mr. Porretto does the lion’s share of the writing here, you won’t miss much. I’ll be …

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     I allowed myself to sleep a little later than usual this morning, so my spleen and bile levels are a bit depressed: ergo, I have insufficient agita for a “traditional” tirade. However, I have a couple of tidbits for general amusement. *** 1. The War On Catholics Continues.      The FBI classifying us as …

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     Brenda Ann Spencer, eat your heart out. *** 1. Impassioned But Misguided.      Or perhaps arrantly idiotic:      We are not calling for massive new entitlements nor are we repeating the Bush follies of subsidizing mortgages for people who can’t afford a home. We simply accept that big government is here to stay—at least …

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     After the Jeremiads of the last few days, I think it’s time to “kick back” with an “assorted” piece. ***      Recently, an observation from Herbert Spencer has been much on my mind:      In the very nature of things an agency employed for two purposes must fulfil both imperfectly; partly because while fulfilling …

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     It strikes me that today, after the fulminations of the previous few days, it’s time for something a bit less…well, less like the past few days! So this will be a ramble of sorts, and as divorced from the most recent national news as I can make it. ***      Among the things I …

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     Welcome to June, the traditional month for weddings – the heterosexual kind – and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It’s also a fine month for having the roof ripped off one’s house and replaced by…well, by something I’ve been assured will make a much better roof. And of course, every month is …

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     Commentators have two counterpoised problems: “There’s nothing to write about!” “There’s way too much to write about!”      I’m in the throes of Problem #2 at the moment. So here goes nothing…or everything, depending on your perspective. ***      Banks usually don’t have a great deal of cash on hand. A branch VP will …

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     By the time Friday gets here, I’m usually exhausted. Today is such a Friday. Atop that, I’m sort of in mourning. Holly, our beloved hot tub these past fifteen years, is scheduled to be cut up and hauled away this morning. So have a few links, with brief comments, and enjoy your weekend: 1. …

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     Nothing makes me wearier than shouting into a gale, yet I do it here virtually every day. The exhaustion arises, not from the physical effort it requires, but from the sense of futility it involves. Still, someone has to do it – few are brave enough to say certain things, these days – and …

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     It promises to be a busy day – this home ownership scam can really get to you in the spring – so have a few scattered bits for now. *** 1. The FBI Doesn’t Like Us.      I don’t mean “us” in the widest sense this morning. Rather, I’m thinking of the special attention …

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     Sometimes the news comes bite-sized. *** 1. Federalism and Freedom.      John Hinderaker provides a glimmer of hope:      Currently, we have at least two large states, Texas and Florida, that enjoy strong, effective leadership, while our national government flounders. States like Texas and Florida are plenty big enough to go it on their …

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     Yes, another of the dreaded “Assorted” columns. Have mercy, Gentle Reader. This is one of my mechanisms for “flushing the static.” Besides, sometimes there are connections to be found among the bits of Web-flotsam. Give it a spin on your mental merry-go-round and see where it gets off. *** 1. “You are about to …

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     I’m in a strange place this morning, for miscellaneous reasons some of which might become evident as you proceed, Gentle Reader. I don’t have a coherent subject in mind just now, as is usually the case when I light off on a piece for Liberty’s Torch. All the same, I feel the usual (for …

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     And for more reasons than one. 1. The Twitter News.      Elon Musk has made good on his promise. I hardly need tell my intelligent, observant, highly skeptical, exceedingly handsome Gentle Readers what I mean by that. Despite the flood of revelations he’s provided through journalist Matt Taibbi, there remains enough ambiguity for any …

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