Espana! Read more

I’ve been re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring and the immeasurable wealth of Bilbo is mentioned as one of the fixed myths of the folk of Hobbiton. At one point, sundry residents of the town flood into Bag End, nosing about for treasure, convinced that there’s no end to it. Something similar obtains in the world of ignorant popular anti-Catholicism in the English-speaking world concerning the limitless wealth of the Vatican (and, by the way, that world of ignorant anti-Catholicism... Read more

Glad you’re over the flu. This article helps us understand that Government health care will allow Americans access to a basic right. The right to be pee-tested, blood-tested, mouth-swabbed, and weighed like a jockey every month. The right to provide your prescription and medical records to employers to ensure that you’re following doctor’s orders. The right to exercise as much as they want you to. And the right to say no — if you can afford to. Note that Republicans... Read more

Right thinking will be rewarded. Wrong thinking will be punished. Separation of Church and state means “Heads the state wins, tails Catholics lose.” Read more

too many good books on the Blessed Virgin Mary. Way to go, David Mills! Read more

Trivial TV shows, Barack Obama and global warming dominate the media I was talking to a friend this weekend. Conservative guy. Does public policy stuff here in Washington. Could have had some sort of appointment in Olympia if Rossi had won if he’d wanted it. He remarked to me that he’s always been a support of the free market etc., confident that if you just let the market work it will take care of itself, etc. So we let it... Read more

to the Ballad of the White Horse! Read more

(Or maybe a John C. Wright/Mike Flynn novel!) waiting to happen in this story. Speaking of whom, do check out their sites for the varied pleasures of a) watching John’s ongoing chronicle of his adventure to China to adopt the lovely Ping Ping Evelyn Wright, as well as Mike’s wonderful blog, full of exceptionally cool stuff like his hilarious takedown of sundry bourgeois prejudices of know-nothing secularists and their deep DEEP ignorance of medieval science and philosophy. Wrong guy to... Read more

I don’t get why this warrants any “Nay” votes, especially from 30 Republicans. Shouldn’t “rape is bad” be a subject of bipartisan agreement? Sadly, Jon Stewart seems to be the only one reporting on this. Yeah, it does seem rather sensible to be opposed to rape. However, the Thing That Used to Be Conservatism never ceases to surprise me with its ability to indulge in nihilistic tribalism rather than actual critical thought. I think that, for many Thralls of the... Read more

is trying to get a bead on young Catholic intellectuals. Unfortunately, “intellectual” is a term that is (understandably) tainted due to the tendency of our Chattering Classes to so easily affix it to themselves and deny it to anybody they dislike. Also, the tendency of clever people to worship, rather than use, the intellect is a problem, not to mention the real and deeply evil corruption of the intellect by truly educated people who deliberately and wilfully turn their great... Read more