It will all be over later today, one way or the other, after a bizarre and unenviable election process: The United States of America, still the greatest economic and military force on the planet, at least for now, will have, to all intents and purposes, a new leader, either Mr. Trump or Ms. Clinton, neither […]
Politics is a curious business, and not just in the United States as the Big Day approaches: Here in Ontario, Canada, about a four hour drive from where I live, a nineteen year old Brock university political science student, Sam Oosterhoff, was just chosen as the upcoming candidate for the riding of Niagara West-Glanbrook, and […]
A bag piping Scotsman was recently fined in Montreal for carrying an ‘illegal weapon’, namely, his sgian-duh, literally his ‘black’, but more properly his ‘hidden’ knife, tucked into his thick Highland socks. I wondered at the triple standard: Sikhs are permitted by law to carry their own ceremonial daggers, so why not bagpipers? And the […]
I have an article on the ‘requirements for political office, posted this morning on Crisis magazine. Again, feel free to peruse, and I will post it here in a few days. And speaking of ambition, there are so many contenders in the upcoming race for leadership of the Federal Conservative Party that I have […]
There was another earthquake in Italy the other day (October 30th), in the town of Norcia, the birthplace of Saint Benedict, where there are a group of Benedictines, men and women’s Orders, that adhere to the way things were done in the days of their founder in the 6th century. Well, not exactly, since they […]
Some stories sum up the insanity of our world in a way I find almost profound. Apparently, a male homosexual sperm donor donated his ‘seed’ to a female friend, back when they were in medical school together. She raised the children, both now teenagers, while he stayed involved to some degree in their lives, as […]
Well, some news stories have sort-of-happy endings. A distraught father, after arguing with his wife, ‘kidnaped’ his two toddler sons, drove to a bridge, and jumped in with them in his arms, in an apparent attmpted murder-suicide. Reports on the height of the bridge vary from 15 to 30 metres, which is survivable (I have […]
A recent flattering article in the New Yorker describes Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s vice-presidential running mate, as a “devout Roman Catholic.” Not only that, but the paean proceeds to declare that the pious senator “is more comfortable quoting Scripture than any Democrat to reach the level of Presidential politics since Jimmy Carter”. There is more: […]
Today is the memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II, who was installed as the 264th successor of Saint Peter on this day in 1978, which seems aeons ago in more ways than one. An era without the Internet, Facebook and smartphones, scarcely imaginable. His feast was added by Pope Francis two years ago when […]
I have an article posted this morning on Crisis magazine, on How Catholic is Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s Vice-Presidential running mate. Feel free to peruse. I should have added the irony that Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, a former Catholic, and now apparently a Protestant, describes himself publicly as ‘100% pro-life’. The scandalous irony […]