Politickles

Evann and I advise married couples not to postpone the pleasures of parenthood. “We can’t afford kids right now, we’re just not ready yet” is a frequently heard refrain. We counsel against such rigid pragmatism. If you wait ’til you’re “ready” to have kids, you may never have any, we warn. We certainly weren’t ready for our first child when Maria was born just two weeks shy of our first wedding anniversary, and we weren’t ready for our son either, when he arrived a year ago last November. We were broke when the stork first came, and we’re broke still. The only difference is, we now have five beautiful children who give meaning to our lives in more ways than we can ever describe. — “Pleasures of Unplanned Parenthood,” F.R. Duplantier

It’s been 13 years since I wrote the commentary excerpted above, and the only thing that’s changed is that we now have six beautiful children “who give meaning to our lives in more ways than we can ever describe.” Our advice remains the same: Don’t postpone the pleasures of parenthood. You’ll never be “ready.” Practice unplanned parenthood!

Feel free to publish, post, or pass on Your Weekly Politickle by F.R. Duplantier:

EXPERIENCE
This economy sure is a sad one
And it looks like we’re in for a bad run,
‘Cause we can’t expect gobs
Of legititmate jobs
From a guy who has never once had one.

From the archive:

WORKING BARACKWARDS
Whom does he hope he is hooking
When he claims our economy’s cooking?
Are more people employed
Or just lost in the void
‘Cause they simply have given up looking?
(2011)

HAPPENING
Our Republic he will rearrange
And the rights of the people estrange:
Yes, it can happen here
And it’s now all too clear
What Obama intended by “change.”
(2010)

YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET
Yes, the current recession’s severe
And there seems to be little to cheer,
But one day you’ll look back,
See it wasn’t so black –
‘Cause it’s bound to be worse in a year!
(2010)

BARACKUDAS
They have money to disburse
That they’ve taken from our purse:
Those who made the big mess,
Turning more into less,
Will now solve it by making it worse.
(2009)

BROKE BARACK MOUNTAIN
From Obama, just what will we get?
In his first year: a mountain of debt,
Mounds of scandal and porn,
Mounds of babies unborn!
And we haven’t seen anything yet!
(2009)

Last week’s limerick:

FAITH IN GORE
“All you skeptics who try to besmirch
Our beliefs will be left in the lurch
As we celebrate dearth
And increase our net worth
At St. Albert Gore’s Climate Change Church.”

Mass times and readings

Bill Clinton has summoned the media to listen to his take on the never-ending financial crisis. But the man who is now portrayed as an oracle was in fact its chief architect. – IBD Editorials

The Bank Terrorist

[W]hat we know as “the West” emerged from the mutually fruitful interaction of ancient Hebrew convictions about the God of the Bible (who comes into history as a liberator freeing humanity from the often bloody-minded whims and caprices of the pagan gods); the Greek conviction that there are truths embedded in the world and in us, truths that we can know by reason; and the Roman conviction that the rule of law is superior to the rule of brute coercion in public life. Absent any of these three supports, the entire Western project in history begins to teeter, and may eventually collapse. – “Benedict XVI and the Future of the West,” George Weigel

Feel free to publish, post, or pass on Your Weekly Politickle by F.R. Duplantier:

FAITH IN GORE
“All you skeptics who try to besmirch
Our beliefs will be left in the lurch
As we celebrate dearth
And increase our net worth
At St. Albert Gore’s Climate Change Church.”

From the archive:

WARMAGEDDON
In the end and come what might,
Climate changers may be right:
In the depths of hell,
Where such liars dwell,
Things can get real hot all right!
(2010)

Fraudster the Snowman

Last week’s limerick:

FIFTH COLUMN
Our brave battle for self-preservation
Must address the domestic predation
Of those traitors and fools
– All those socialist tools –
Who are hoping to change our great nation.

The Day Laborer

Mass times and readings

Bishop Berzosa warned that New Age subversion “does not go against religions but tries to transcend them from within.” In this connection, he summarized the process: “The 60s, Christ yes, the Church no. The 70s: God yes, Christ no. The 80s: Religion yes, God no. The 90s: spirituality yes, religion no.” – Zenit.com

The 00s: Scientific materialism yes, spirituality no.

Below are the questions from a midterm exam I prepared for a civics class for homeschooled teenagers. Every American voter should know the answers.

1. Name the three classes of citizens in Plato’s Republic.

2. According to Aristotle, what are the three proper forms of government?

3. What are the perverted forms called?

4. What is the difference between the good and bad forms?

5. What is the essence of Locke’s “social contract”?

6. Why does treason never prosper?

7. Cite one significant difference between the American & French Revolutions.

8. What historical event is commemorated by “World Freedom Day” (November 9^th) ?

9. Why is our government divided into three branches?

10. Name the three branches.

11. Which branch is mentioned first in the Constitution (Article I)?

12. What’s the minimum age for President?

13. How long is a Representative’s term?

14. True or False: The terms of all elected Representatives expire at the same time.

15. How many Representatives does each state have?

16. How long is a Senator’s term?

17. How were Senators originally chosen?

18. Which chamber of Congress has the power to impeach the President?

19. In which chamber do revenue bills originate?

20. Why does the Constitution distinguish between “raising” armies and “maintaining” a navy?

21. What was the fractional value of a slave in the antebellum census?

22. What incentive did this valuation offer?

23. Which presidential candidate won the popular vote in 2000?

24. Who’s more likely to become President, Sean Penn or Arnold Schwarzenegger?

25. How long does a Supreme Court Justice serve?

26. Cite three restrictions on suffrage.

27. Name the four freedoms protected by the First Amendment.

28. What is “double jeopardy”?

29. True or False: The federal government can exercise any power not expressly denied to it by the Constitution.

30. True or False: The Declaration asserts that “all men are equal.”

31: Which of the following men did not sign the Declaration: George Washington, John Adams, John Hancock, Ben Franklin?

32. Cite three infringements on the rights protected by the Bill of Rights.

Need to bone up a bit? Here’s a good place to start.

Building a national database of informants is the work of an obsessive, fearful and desperate team. It reflects the strident insecurity of a leader who is not used to hard criticism. It plays to the creepy authoritarian strain of leftist politics, the stratum that considers democracy a messy and useless impediment to the realization of utopia. It is a bad idea, poorly executed. If you’d like to report us for saying so, the address is www.attackwatch.com. – Washington Times 

Let’s Turn Each Other In!