THIS 2008 photo of Supreme Court Justice John Roberts speaks volumes. Here is a man who wants to be liked. Is it any surprise Roberts is responsible for arguably the most stupid Supreme Court ruling in history, a ruling that makes a penalty a tax even though members of Congress said over and over that the penalty was not a tax? At Forbes, Doug Bandow writes that “rarely has such a smart judge written such a bad opinon.”

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REFLECTIONS by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira on the Magnificat, perhaps the most beautiful words ever written, can be found here. He wrote: Observe that from beginning to end, the Magnificat is a thesis followed by arguments demonstrating it. It sings with extraordinary balance of the justice and mercy of God to show His grandness: grandness in His mercy, grandness in His justice. It is also a demonstration that all human power is nothing independent of God and a proof of His dominion over the entire universe. It is a triumphal hymn to the grandness of God.

  I WROTE before about the poultry vendor in my area where personal, retro-commerce prevails. It's not the same since my favorite counterman, Bill, died. It will never be quite the same. But I am loyal to my people unto death. Love is synchrony, the movement through time together. It thrives on routine. The owner of the stand may be sick of saying, "What can we get for you today, Mrs. Wood?" but he will say it many more times. There is a new picture of a chicken up behind the counter and a quote: I dream of a world where a chicken can cross the road without his motives being questioned.

  WHILE the American Medical Association, which represents a small minority of physicians, has supported Obamacare, many doctors have organized to condemn it. Here is a statement on the Supreme Court ruling by Elizabeth Lee Vliet of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, a group formed in 1943 which is suing the federal government in U.S. District Court. And here is a plan for reform by AmericanDoctors4Truth.

ADITYA B. writes:

Yet another foolish white woman has, in her own words, suffered a “horrific sexual and physical attack in Tahrir Square.” There’s something about the prospect of “horrific sexual and physical attack[s]” in the line of duty that seems to almost – dare I say it – arouse the white careerist?

White women don’t venture into Mestizo and black territory for pleasure because there is not glory in being raped in the pursuit of hedonism. However, when such dangers are part and parcel of achieving some sort of “glory” in pursuit of career that seems to act as a stimulant. (more…)

  THE U.S. National Forest Service website has lots of interesting historic photos such as these of men working the woods, clearing land, building trails and fighting fires. Before it became a bureaucratic hellhole that routinely turns away and demoralizes the people most interested in and suited to the rigors of forest work, the Forest Service offered great opportunities for those (almost always men) who wanted to work the land for the summer or build an entire career related to preserving, maintaining, studying and planning forest lands. Now, as described in Christopher Burchfield's excellent book,  The Tinder Box, longtime forest employees fantasize of early retirement. They long to get away from the inefficiency and irrationality of a fanatically egalitarian organization. Young men, especially white men, who would otherwise be interested in jobs in the local forest dismiss the possibility. The Forest Service brings in people from far away to meet its quotas. The state-enforced denial of sex differences is so far-reaching that this country's natural resources are threatened. Equality is an all-consuming project. According to Burchfield, the forests are more neglected and more prone to devastating fires than they were before class action suits changed everything. The irony is that few women enjoy wielding chain saws or fighting raging infernos. Everything was turned upside down so women could do these very things.  

HERE IS a concise and well-written statement by Thomas Patrick Burke of the Wynnewood Institute on why the Supreme Court’s ruling on Obamacare is wrong:

What is the purpose of a constitution? It is to limit the powers of government, for otherwise there is no necessary limit to them. Some people believe the purpose of a constitution is to create a government in the first place. But a government can be created without any constitution. The feudal governments of earlier times had no constitutions. (more…)

THE VIGILANT CITIZEN analyzes Madonna’s recent tour:

People have come to expect controversy from Madonna, but this is not simply controversy for the sake of it like she used to do in the 90′s. Nope, this is symbolic and calculated controversy, engineered to carry all of the Illuminati’s messages. …. (more…)

AT a new traditionalist blog called The Americanist, Pilgrim’s Pride writes:

Celebrations and remembrances have begun in earnest, here on the Philadelphia Main Line. Because so much history was made between here and Philadelphia, the townships and boroughs are forced to stagger their official observances simply to ration the available supply of marching bands, fireworks companies, WWII veterans, and enthusiastic Americans to watch them. (more…)

AT VFR, Kevin V. writes:

The key barrier to the nationalist message reaching vast swathes of our people is the illusion of conservative and Republican dissent. Only the nationalist understanding properly explains these things that trouble ordinary conservatives so. (more…)

ALAN ROEBUCK, the eloquent Calvinist, writes at The Orthosphere that most people in the modern world are profoundly demoralized. He recommends they discover a lost civilization — their own.

In his essay “Why You Are Demoralized and What You Can Do About It,” he writes:

You are demoralized because, first, the authorities say you must be nonjudgmental. This means (whether they admit it or not) that everything is equally valuable, which means (although they’ll never admit it) that everything is equally worthless. (more…)

NBC will be introducing a sitcom in September about two homosexual men trying to start a family together. The show will be called (what else?) “The New Normal.”  A commenter at Lucianne.com writes:

Who in their right minds even has a TV set to watch this stuff on anymore anyway. Who cares? This is like complaining that there are nakid (sic) women in Playboy. That’s another “big duh.” There is no reason to have “TV” in your house anymore, and if you insist on it then this is what is going to be on it!

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THE AMISH are officially exempt from Obamacare mandates because of their longtime refusal to participate in major health insurance plans. The Amish save and collectively support individuals in need of medical care. On this principle of independence and interdependence, they are eminently wise.

Contrast that with the stance of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops which even today, despite the prospect of Catholic hospitals and agencies being forced to pay for contraceptives and abortifacients, still blithely endorses nationalized medicine. As a commenter writes at the USCC blog:

If the use of this term [universal health care] means that the Church otherwise supports “Obamacare,” which is government dictating (gov. already does this) to insurance companies their coverage and to medical doctors procedures and groups of persons to be covered, I would then posit that the Church no longer views humans as individuals with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and property, but rather as members of groups with “rights” according to group membership. (more…)

KEN KLUKOWSKI, legal counsel for the Family Research Council, writes:

The Supreme Court has today given the federal government unlimited authority to use its tax power to require Americans to engage in specific commercial activity. The obvious implication is chilling: Uncle Sam can make you buy anything, at any price, for any reason. (more…)

ALAN writes:

In regard to people wearing vapid smiles in photographs:

A bank in St. Louis produced a flier promoting auto loans. It depicted a young, bearded male (to say “man” would be absurd), gripping a steering wheel, and wearing blue jeans, baseball cap, orange jacket, jogging shoes with orange laces, and an inane smile. (more…)

  FROM the Associated Press: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the individual insurance requirement at the heart of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The decision means the historic overhaul will continue to go into effect over the next several years, affecting the way that countless Americans receive and pay for their personal medical care. The ruling also handed Obama a campaign-season victory in rejecting arguments that Congress went too far in requiring most Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty.

  Maria Sharapova USA TODAY reports: A plan to crack down on ultra-loud grunting in women’s tennis has been “unanimously green-lighted” by the WTA players’ council, representatives from all four majors and the International Tennis Federation, according to USA Today. “It’s time for us to drive excessive grunting out of the game for future generations,” WTA CEO Stacey Allaster told the publication. Women athletes are so driven to display brawn and aggression that far more than a ban on excessive grunting will do the job for future generations. At this rate, there will be no future generations.