Bureaucrats Build Babylons
Those who understand that people just want to be left alone realize that desire leads them to accept one level of control if they can be convinced that it will save them from a greater one. Revolutions are caused by people seeking to avoid or eliminate excessive control. It is a law of history that […]
So, What are Bureaucrats? No One Seems to Want to Know.
There have been few studies about what causes people to become bureaucrats. Is becoming a bureaucrat an inherited trait? Is it learned behavior? If we google “personality traits of bureaucrats”, there is some literature on the subject. Googling “life of tree frogs” shows about as much academic effort in that field. No one seems to […]
The Republican Primary
Herman Cain, having renounced monogamy as a way of life, had his candidacy disappear in a few weeks. The former front-runner appears to have had his supporters migrate to Newt Gingrich, now leading significantly in the polls. His commitment to monogamy seems to have re-appeared after his third marriage. Oddly, the much-despised Romney seems to […]
Business Plan: “Speed Lipo”
We’ve all been astonished by the number of overweight people. All of us who weigh more than we’d like have these things in common, we eat too much, have gotten fat, and want to lose weight without having to control our food intake. A national chain of mall stores offering “Speed Lipo” would provide liposuction […]
Peter Pan
Most of us know the story of Peter Pan. We are familiar with Peter, Wendy, Captain Hook, and the other characters in Barrie’s play. Often, we fail to look closely at the name of the hero, and the play. Peter comes from the Greek word for “rock”. Peter is the name Christ gave to “the […]
Being a Better Catholic
We know we’re commanded to love our neighbor. To paraphrase Belloc, “That’s really hard.” As Catholics, we know a lot of truths. We have to love those who do not share that knowledge. One way to do that is to realize that others usually think we’re as wrong about things as we think they are. […]
Life Begins at Conception, not Implantation
The Church has been consistent in the position that life begins at conception. That should be answer enough for those who don’t want to hold a position separate from Christ. In the past month, Newt Gingrich has zoomed to the front of Republican candidates for the Republican nomination. He recently put forth the notion that […]
Where Do We Find Consistency?
If consistency is important to us, we look for it. The Roman Catholic Church has been encouraging us to love our neighbors for two thousand years. She has been utterly and completely consistent in teaching how important it is for our souls to love God and our neighbors. And, St. Peter’s Church has been “doing […]
Something Odd Lives in Many Minds
There is something odd in some minds that makes them say things like: “I believe that women have the right to choose. I am pro-choice. I am committed to improving the rights of all women, throughout the world.” If someone replies: “In many nations, including this one, unborn babies are often aborted, simply because they […]
There is Some Truth, Even in Fads
A few decades ago, people who thought and behaved inconsistently were called “schizophrenic”. Over time, this was shortened to “schizoid”. The label described something real; people thinking, saying, and doing both good and bad things. “Schizoid” was replaced by “passive-aggressive”. Today, the person formerly described as “schizophrenic” and “passive-aggressive” is called “bi-polar”. Just as “schizophrenic” […]