RadTrad Thomist

‘Anti-Fascist’ Legend Falls in Spain By K R Bolton Academy of Social & Political Research, Athens As has been commented upon repeatedly by sundry historians and authors, the Spanish Civil War served as a prelude for World War II, giving the Big Powers and competing ideologies the opportunity to test out their weaponry and tactics. Spain also served as a testing ground for propaganda, and the Franco side has expectedly come off second best, as the Popular Front are still portrayed as noble champions of liberty, regardless of the Masonic-Bolshevist assaults that were perpetrated with the same sadism that had already been manifested in Russia and Hungary. Like World War I, with the British-US propaganda depictions of Germans bayoneting Belgian babies, and World War II with the Soviet-Allied propaganda which is still being presented to the world as though the war against the Axis remains in full swing, there are several salient propaganda devices deriving from the Spanish tragedy which...

In his encyclical, Vigilanti Cura , Pope Pius XI wrote that he was “deeply anguished to note with each passing day the lamentable progress of the motion picture art and industry in the portrayal of sin and vice.” That encyclical regarding film immorality was issued on June 29, 1936. The Pope lamented that “the road seemed almost closed to those who sought honest diversion in the motion picture.” The situation has hardly improved in the ensuing 70-plus years. The best we can hope for today is that Catholics everywhere will be judicious in the choice of movies they attend – and especially those they allow their children to see – in hopes that, as Pius XI said, movies become a “valuable auxiliary of instruction and education rather than of destruction and ruin of the soul.” In the Pope’s judgment, the art, science, and technology of movie making were all true gifts of God. Yet he admonished that these talents be used “to promote the extension of the Kingdom of God upon earth.” Perhaps t...

No Wonder the Poker Game is Ending: The Wealthiest Have Taken All of the Chips Washington’s Blog Saturday, August 15, 2009 A new report by University of California, Berkeley economics professor Emmanuel Saez concludes that income inequality in the United States is at an all-time high, surpassing even levels seen during the Great Depression. The report shows that: Income inequality is worse than it has been since at least 1917 “The top 1 percent incomes captured half of the overall economic growth over the period 1993-2007″ “In the economic expansion of 2002-2007, the top 1 percent captured two thirds of income growth.” As others have pointed out, the average wage of Americans, adjusting for inflation, is lower than it was in the 1970s. The minimum wage, adjusting for inflation, is lower than it was in the 1950s. See this. On the other hand, billionaires have never had it better. As I wrote in September: The economy is like a poker game . . . it is human nature to want to get all of the...

Communities around the country are printing “scrip” at the highest rate since the Great Depression says Agora Financial Behold the “Plenty” an alternitive currency printed and exchanged exclusively in Pittsboro, N.C., population 2,500. A couple dozen Pittsboro stores accept it as a dollar alternative, like the local feed store and a produce co-op. The idea is nothing new… we’ve chronicled scrips like the Ithaca HOUR and Western Mass’ BerkShare for some time. Both have millions worth in ciculation. But according to the LA Times, scrips haven’t been this popular since the Great Depression. They’ve gained significant traction in New York, North Carolina, Michigan, Colorado, Arizona and Massachusets, with many more commonities beginning to experiment. And we’re noticing a decidedly less hippie, more snarky feel: "The Plenty is not going to get siphoned off to Wall Street,” says B.J. Lawson, president of The Plenty co-op board, “or Washington, or make a stop in Bentonville on its way ...

The “In the Spirit of Chartres ” Committee, year three of... Catholic Restoration Conference V featuring TRAVIS YAGER Ph.D. Candidate in Music History Indiana University Teacher, Choir Director, Church Organist Mr. Yager may be reached through ISOC (isoc.com@verizon.net) Modernism and Catholic Sacred Music www.isoc.ws ISOC is in its third year of interviews with some of the foremost traditional Catholic (and non-Catholic) scholars and thinkers — right into your own home. No traveling, no conference or hotel fees. Just log on and listen in. The purpose? Catholic culture, history, politics! All from a “traditional Catholic” perspective. Hear more stimulating, informative lectures on such topics as the Spanish Civil War, the plot against the Church, the Catholic State and farming, Fr. Fahey and the anti-Catholic forces in the world today, and lots more. Even the Talmud. Visit www.ISOC.ws today and tune in to these exciting online interviews and oral essays, recorded...

Unemployment is rising, wages are falling and credit is contracting. In other words, the system is working exactly as designed. All the money is flowing upwards to the gangsters at the top. Here’s an excerpt from a recent Don Monkerud article that sums it all up: “During eight years of the Bush Administration, the 400 richest Americans, who now own more than the bottom 150 million Americans, increased their net worth by $700 billion. In 2005, the top one percent claimed 22 percent of the national income, while the top ten percent took half of the total income, the largest share since 1928 Over 40 percent of GNP comes from Fortune 500 companies. According to the World Institute for Development Economics Research, the 500 largest conglomerates in the U.S. “control over two-thirds of the business resources, employ two-thirds of the industrial workers, account for 60 percent of the sales, and collect over 70 percent of the profits.” … In 1955, IRS records indicated the 400 richest people i...