This Week’s Book Review – The Year of Peril

Looking for a good read? Here is a recommendation. I have an unusual approach to reviewing books. I review books I feel merit a review. Each review is an opportunity to recommend a book. If I do not think a book is worth reading, I find another book to review. You do not have to agree with everything every author has written (I do not), but the fiction I review is entertaining (and often thought-provoking) and the non-fiction contain ideas worth reading.... [Read More]

Lee Greenwood and the U.S. Army Chorus…

…present the best version of “God Bless the U.S.A.” ever recorded. Happy Independence Day!

Credentialism

We had another minor conservative victory delivered by President Trump. He signed a new Executive Order. Here is an excerpt:

Employers adopting skills- and competency-based hiring recognize that an over-reliance on college degrees excludes capable candidates and undermines labor-market efficiencies.... [Read More]

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Miss Carter – From the Confident 1950’s to the Incoherent 2020’s.

Introductory note: I wrote this homage to a beloved teacher, Miss Carter, some time ago and set it aside. I came across it yesterday and reread it. I found a burning need to reset its context in light of current events. It thus reaches an inflection point and takes a sharp, negative turn, like our failing nation.

It was the era when erasers had to be clapped and blackboards washed. First thing every morning we recited the Lord’s Prayer and read a Psalm. It was the 1955-56 academic year at Alexander Hamilton Junior High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey. I was in 7th grade. We had a class quaintly called “unified studies.” All I remember, though, is that we learned English. Our teacher that year was Miss Carter. She had gray hair and was older than my parents, so she qualified in my book as old – probably mid 50’s. She was what we called an “old maid” and she lived with Miss Neff a fellow maiden teacher. We and the times were sufficiently innocent back then that I do not recall any speculation whatever as to their sexual orientation; in those days there were only two sexes. They were both respected, indeed beloved teachers; strict disciplinarians, to boot.... [Read More]

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Looming Crisis in the Church of Rome

Rather than send my own post careening into a new topic, I brought a comment here in order to respond:

T. W.:... [Read More]

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Priest sacked by MIT for thinking precisely

The thought police raised a small ruckus and got the Archdiocese of Boston to instruct a priest to resign from his job as a chaplain at MIT.

Father Daniel Moloney had written an e-mail that succinctly reviewed Catholic thinking on sin, justice and mercy. He remarked on some allegations, including that Officer Chauvin acted from racist motivation, that are going around in common parlance but that are not known facts. Father Moloney’s note got circulated, misquoted, mischaracterized and distorted, including by MIT officials. The Archdiocese immediately adopted some of the mischaracterizations and promptly caved.... [Read More]

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This Week’s Book Review – Mamelukes

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Iconoclast Awokening

Here at Ratburger.org, we seem to be in agreement that what the Left wants is the downfall of western civilization and a re-making of America into a Leftist totalitarian state.

If you need evidence to convince your friends that this is what the Left wants, here is a survey reported in an essay at Quillette.

“The Great Awokening and the Second American Revolution”

Continue reading “Iconoclast Awokening”

Five Old-Fashioned Values We Rightly Reject

After a steady diet of period films, literature, and historical nonfiction, I’ve realized that in some ways, our culture has changed dramatically in the last 250 years or so. If you or I were transported to say, 1820, and we mingled with Americans then, we would struggle to fit in. We often grouse about the loss of shared values over time, and it is true that some of the beliefs that strengthened family units and held our culture together have been eroded. However, a few of those entrenched traditional attitudes were harmful and encumbered our progress. Some of them were held in opposition to the self-evident truths proclaimed in our founding documents, or worked against the family unit–and I say good riddance. Here are some examples:

Marrying Advantageously: One is probably wise to consider a prospective mate’s financial situation (especially to the degree that they reflect work ethic). However, novelists such as Jane Austen–who were contemporaneous to rank-and riches-conscious cultures–detail for us a milieu of shameless social climbing and gold-digging. Behaviors that would today be considered tacky seemed to be somewhat acceptable then, even expected: discussing openly how many pounds a year one was given as an allowance, or whether there was an inheritance to be had. One’s spouse needed to be of the right social class, and (as one biographer argued was true of George Washington’s marriage) even calculated to move one up the social ladder. We might argue that today’s criteria for marriage–a sense of romantic connection, for example–are even flimsier than they were in the past. Even so, we ordinarily do recognize today that character, kindness, and work ethic come into play in choosing of a good spouse and likelihood of a productive future together.... [Read More]

Things are Great!

I know I don’t live in Oregon but things are wonderful here. People get along and cooperate with one another. They seem to have put aside that whole city destroying air raid thing and now flock to Costco.

I am thankful for the peace and great sushi I get. I am not saying this is because Haakon is no longer here but his absence has not hurt the delicate balance between the two baseball loving nations. I think a causal link can be found that the US went crazy after he moved there. (I am surprise things didn’t happen sooner.)