Before I begin this screed, I’d like to express a thought that has often risen to mind but has seldom made its way through my fingers and into the sacred pixels of Liberty’s Torch: Thank You, Gentle Readers. Whoever and wherever you are, including those of you who read my crap to laugh …
Category: modern life
Sep 17 2023
Marriage And The Loneliness Epidemic
There have been some articles and videos on “male loneliness” recently that have struck a chord with me. (Yes, I’m male; don’t let the androgynous first name fool you.) I sense that the problem is both real and extensive. I’ve known men of all ages who suffer from it. And while there are some …
Sep 09 2023
Beyond Parody
Please click through and watch the video. It left me speechless. Who wants to tell her? pic.twitter.com/ksgZXzmp2z — aka (@akafacehots) September 7, 2023 The young woman in the video is either completely sincere or an actress of such quality that producers should be battering down her door this very moment. I incline toward …
Sep 01 2023
Conversations, Unfunny Category
There are a number of news and opinion sites that put a paywall between the reader and “premium content.” It’s their perfect right, of course; how could one who sells his fiction claim otherwise? Among those sites are several I’d like to patronize, both because I deem the site worthy of reader support and …
Aug 16 2023
Sexual Disjunctions
Sarah Dawn Moore, with whose oeuvre I’m largely unfamiliar, has posited five major reasons for the trend of “men going their own way:” Marriage: An Unattractive Proposition for Men Men are questioning the value of traditional marriage, given the increasing divorce rates and financial risks they face. With no guarantee of stability and …
Jun 16 2023
Homelands Part 2
Everyone is born somewhere. Well, today at least; that might change if we ever become a spacefaring species. But for the moment, each of us has a birthplace in some Earthly land. The majority of us live our whole lives in that land, vacations and business trips notwithstanding. Some striking fiction has been …
Jun 12 2023
You Are Not Special: A Defense Of Normality
The early-morning hours often bring me to a strange place. It’s not a particularly comfortable place. Yet from that vantage point I can see things that are not apparent at other times, when time itself seems speeded up and a welter of necessities press. And being who and what I am, I’m moved to …
May 16 2023
A Coordinated Attack On Homeowners And Homeownership
By now, we in the Right should be accustomed to seeing our political adversaries colluding on their most important initiatives. It’s certainly happened often enough already. One particularly threatening such collusion has been coming to light in recent weeks – and if you own a detached home in a district zoned for single-family residences, …
Mar 18 2023
Social Deterioration In Real Time Dept.
As long as we’re looking at signs of the Apocalypse, have another: Walmart has taken the racist step of protecting their inventory. pic.twitter.com/eOXhFE4sJP — Dane (@UltraDane) March 16, 2023 Well, yes, she’s an idiot. The cloth mask is a dead giveaway. But not only is she mumbling through a completely unnecessary mask, she’s …
Jul 09 2022
Your Papers, “Please” Part 2
I know most Gentle Readers disdain to watch videos – and the longer the video, the less likely you’ll watch it. I can’t criticize that; I’m that way myself. But I hope you’ll make an exception for this one: If you don’t have the time or the patience, here’s the whole thing in …
Jul 08 2022
Your Papers, “Please?”
As a thumb rule, one can say that any time a planet starts developing cities of more than one million people, it is approaching critical mass. In a century or two it won’t be fit to live on. [Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough For Love] When a place gets crowded enough to require …
Jun 08 2022
Trends In The Sociopsychology Of The Fairer Sex
I have no idea whether that’s a recognized field of study. Well, perhaps it is now, as I’m a scholar of sorts, and I’ve been studying it. And I have found a “red thread” that runs among the angriest female voices in American life: They have nothing to offer us but their anger. …
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 …
Mar 26 2022
What Is The Diminutive Of “Snark?”
Occasionally, I experience a spike of irritation that briefly deflects my train of though onto a semi-humorous side track. I think that henceforward I’ll indulge myself at such times. Like just a moment ago. Here’s “how it goes” in this Year of Our Lord 2022; Speaker 1: Why aren’t your pronouns in your …
Fran’s Recent Novels
Margaret’s Recent Novels
