Francis W. Porretto
Mount Sinai, NY USA
Author's posts
Mar 20 2021
Beware!
Someone has been sending out emails that purport to come from me. I have not been emailing the Gentle Readers of Liberty’s Torch. Someone is trying to “phish” you. Do not click any links in any email that bears my name, or a Liberty’s Torch address. An email originated by me will …
Mar 20 2021
“Domestic Terrorism” (UPDATED)
I pay almost no attention to the mainstream media. While I’ll occasionally take note of one of their distortions or deceptions, normally I ignore them. They’ve fouled their own nests so thoroughly as to have forfeited all credibility as sources of verifiable information. Nevertheless, the media are important: not because they convey important …
Mar 19 2021
Conditions For Tolerance
Sane persons in a sane society appreciate the value of a degree of conformity: not smothering, “everyone must be and think and do exactly alike” conformity, but a concession to important norms of conduct pertinent to public places and public events. It’s why we have “blue laws” about acceptable degrees of personal exposure on …
Mar 19 2021
Your Morning Giggle
A morning that starts with a belly laugh presages a day that will be all right – and The Feral Irishman has provided us with one. Sadly, I can’t figure out how to copy or embed it, so head on over to Irish’s place and enjoy it there. Laughter isn’t just the best …
Mar 18 2021
America’s Gate
I was once in favor of an immigration regime equivalent to open borders. Then I did some thinking, along the lines of this famous G. K. Chesterton quote: There exists… a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more …
Mar 17 2021
Faith Gives You Power…
…and power is required to do this: Bravo, young Americans. We need more of you.
Mar 17 2021
The Antidote Is Practical Anarchism (UPDATED)
The evidence has mounted to a conclusive level: the federal government is in the hands of persons who are utterly consumed by hatred of America. Any number of people would look at that statement and say “Yes, but what can we do about it?” Bookworm asks that question this very morning: So …
Mar 16 2021
Some Audible Fiction
For those who prefer listening to reading, I’ve recorded my short story “Norms.” If you like this sort of presentation, let me know and I’ll record some of my other short pieces.
Mar 16 2021
Getting It Through The Thickest Heads
I have a graphic of which I’m particularly fond: It’s critical not to appear weak. Weakness invites disrespect. Weakness shown to an enemy invites a savage attack. Even if you’re secretly strong behind a facade of weakness, inviting disrespect is bad policy. Tempting an enemy to attack is lunacy. This is hardly rocket …
Mar 15 2021
“Sex-Positive?”
Caricature has become impossible: Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B brought the body to the Grammy Awards Sunday night. Megan Thee Stallion, coming fresh off her win for best new artist earlier in the evening, took the stage and gave a jaw-dropping performance for her hit singles, “Savage” and “Body.” Then …
Mar 14 2021
Some Dark Thoughts
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” – Originator unknown, though often attributed to Albert Einstein “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.” – Thomas Sowell, concerning the “War on Drugs.” “If what …
Mar 13 2021
Social And Commercial Evolution In Action
If you don’t remember this story, from a year and a half ago, I can’t fault you; I had to go poring through my stacks to locate it, remembering only that it was race-related: COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (CBS46) — Stereotyped, intimidated, racism, and uncomfortable, all words used by shoppers to describe their shopping …
Mar 13 2021
On Rereading Old Favorites
If you’re a reading junkie – which I am – and find yourself bereft of unread material that strikes your fancy, you’re blessed if you have a pile of old favorites into which to plunge. I have such a pile, and it’s both large and varied. The reference works alone fill eight large bookcases. …
Mar 12 2021
Denouncing The Obvious
A little thought can go a long way. However, on some subjects, thinking is effectively forbidden. Here’s one. Let’s say you’re a college professor, and that you teach a first-year class whose enrollees arrived at that class with a fairly wide distribution of high-school grade point averages. At the end of the semester, …
Mar 12 2021
“Normal”
I just found this brilliant little piece at Ace’s place: Suppose you have a kid your age who finds that he has the urge to fuck a toaster. In the past, he’d either keep it to himself and learn to live with it, or, if he mentioned it to someone else, they’d tell …
Mar 11 2021
This Should Piss A Few Folks Off…
…which, to my mind, is a good reason to post it: I’m a Boy / The Who One little girl was called Jean-Marie Another little girl was called Felicity Another little girl was Sally-Joy The other was me And I’m a Boy My name is Bill and I’m a head case They practice making-up …
Mar 11 2021
The Public Service Pitch Du Jour
Hey, remember public service pitches? I do. We don’t see or hear them much any more, possibly because air time has become so expensive, whether on radio or television. At one time they seemed endless. The one – actually, it was a family of them – that lingers most vividly in my memory is “The …
Mar 10 2021
I Thought I Was Beyond Being Stunned
I was wrong: Milo Yiannopoulos, the gay man whose conservative messaging and willingness to speak the truth sparked riots on university campuses may well trigger more outrage now that he describes himself as “Ex-Gay” and “sodomy free,” and is leading a daily consecration to St. Joseph online. Two years ago, when Church …
Mar 10 2021
Rejoining One Another
A passage in Bookworm’s piece for today resonated powerfully with me: One of the things that has helped me be a nicer person is discovering that, if you ask the right questions, everyone has something interesting to tell. For that reason, I always start conversations with people — clerks, gardeners, guard gates, whomever. …
Fran’s Recent Novels
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