This is the kind of article one writes with Kinky Friedman blasting in the background, and that’s how it is meant to be read. Otherwise, the experience might prove a little too painful. So crank up “Homo Erectus,” grab a bourbon, and I’ll explain to you the workings of The Catholic Bullshit Generator™. The Generator was invented in the ‘60s, but … [Read More]

As Christians around the world wait by the tomb, reenacting the vigil of the Blessed Virgin and the Apostles, we do our best to replicate their grief, and gratitude, and hope. Such efforts will shape the life of every sacramental Christian, from Rome to Vladivostok, Iona to Patagonia, who falters in the footsteps of our fathers: the foolish and failing fishermen, … [Read More]

In a recent column for InsideCatholic.com, the generally admirable Catholic politician Lew Lehrman makes the case for invoking the Abolitionist movement as the historic precedent for the pro-life attempt to protect the lives of the unborn. I pasted the following in the comments box, which I think should be of interest to Takimag readers: I know it seems rhetorically clever, in … [Read More]

What would we think if the legislature in one of America’s most highly educated states, Connecticut, were debating a law that forced Orthodox synagogues to perform mixed marriages? What if the New York legislature were pushing through a law that made religious slaughterhouses uniquely liable for lawsuits—and left secular meat-packers exempt? And what if both houses of Congress and the president … [Read More]

In Mandeville’s infamous “Fable of the Bees,” that witty writer makes the case that private vices generate public virtues. Specifically, he argues that the craving for gain, advancement, and luxury drives men to economic activity and fruitful cooperation—which, channeled and organized by the Market, ends by advancing society and enriching the Common Good. Conversely, one could count on general impoverishment if … [Read More]

Back in January I threatened to inflict on Takimag readers a series of articles on how to convince patriotic conservatives that it’s time for America to scale back significantly on the military spending that wastes so vast a portion of our national resources, inflates our deficit (and hence our currency), and gives irresponsible civilians “big ideas” that entail sending Americans to … [Read More]

As Charles Stuart is reported to have said when he returned to England after decades of exile, to restore the British monarchy and reign as Charles II after the Cromwell interregnum, “Hey, y’all! It’s good to be back.” I just went through the editorial equivalent of purgatory: Thanks to a suddenly shortened publishing schedule, I had to carefully edit a 1,000 … [Read More]

I don’t envy Barak Obama. Nor do I pity him. The man should have been more careful what he wished for. As a recent report makes clear, the incoming president’s vision of a warmier, fuzzier country where all life’s sharp edges are cushioned by Other People’s Money has vanished like the porn on a crashed computer. We have run out of … [Read More]

After a year as bad as 2008, trying to imagine what God’s permissive will—or incipient wrath—has in store for us this year seems almost churlish, or masochistic. Should I lay out a series of catastrophic events in our nation’s politics, economy and culture, I might seem like I’m challenging God: “I bet You can’t top this. Go ahead, make my day.” … [Read More]

As we clear away all the wrapping paper and wonder how long to leave up the decorations, the deeper meaning of the season easily eludes us. So it’s good that Friday’s New York Times addressed the question that nags at the back our minds this time each year: Could “over-commercialization spoil Kwanzaa?” It’s best not to read such a sentence with … [Read More]