An Introduction

If you're reading this, I pity you. It's gonna be pretty boring for a bit while I take care of the basics.

The first order of business should probably be a statement of purpose; and after that a bit about myself so you might get an idea about how my ideas are formed. With that foreword out of the way, let's get started...

What am I doing?

I suppose, that if you want to get right down to it (which most folks do) that this blog will focus a lot on the reformation of American culture. Not that I believe I can have much influence, I'm not naive enough to believe that I possess such eloquence, but I want to get my views into the public square even if it means running the risk have having them viewed as a dying shriek as adherents of my worldview are, more and more, seen as the rearguard of a fading conservatism, which they may well prove to be.

What can you expect from me?

You can expect social commentary from an orthodox Roman Catholic perspective on a semi-irregular basis. If ever you should find that my commentary varies from that perspective I encourage you to bring it to my attention. You will find that in most cases, I'll be right.

You can expect plain speaking. I'm not a fan of mental or verbal gymnastics. From time to time you may find my words a bit .....er....hmmm...colorful. I may stoop to vulgarity from time to time, but I'll avoid obscenity. Just be forewarned.

I can, from time to time, get a bit cranky. It's a character defect. I ask you to bear with me and to remember that it's nothing personal. In most cases, after a bit, I'll relent and probably apologize.

You can expect my honest personal opinions. I am not a philospher, nor am I a logician, scientist, doctor, psychiatrist, bartender, politician, mysoginist, communist, Unitarian, beet farmer, or theologian. I have no agenda here other than to express my views. I'm just a guy who tries to view things in the light of faith and reason. Let me know when you disagree because I don't know everything, on the contrary, the longer I'm alive the more I'm forced to concede how little I really do know.

You can expect me to correct errors in fact or reason. I'll try to do so kindly, "try" being the operative word. If I don't reply to comments it's for one of three reasons.

1. I agree. Silence implies consent.

2. I disagree, but am unable to reply in a civil manner.

3. I'm too lazy to be bothered.

Feel free to choose one.

What do I expect from you?

Not much. You're doing me a favor just by reading. I ask your forgiveness if I offend, your forebearance when I err, your civility when we disagree.

Where do I get this stuff?

I'll tell you up front that my actions are undoubtedly formed by my faith. Therefore, my thoughts as expressed here will be formed by Catholic thought.

In philosophy I'm influenced by Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Dietrich von Hildebrand and Jacques Maritain. There is an "is" and we're stuck with it. Yes, I'm a Thomist. Don't like it, don't read it.

In economics I lean towards distributism. I'm sure we'll talk about this later. Don't know what it is? Look it up.

In theology I'm a loyal son of the Catholic Church. I'm a huge fan of John Paul the Great. Pope Benedict is the successor of St. Peter as the Head of the Church established by Jesus Christ. As such, His Holiness, when he speaks ex cathedra (ie, from the chair of Peter) speaks infallibly. This is not my opinion, it is a fact supported by the historical record.

Politically, I'm conservative. Although I voted for John McCain, I'm not a Republican. If I were to align myself with a political party it'd probably be the Constitution Party. I believe firmly in the principle of subsidiarity, that is, the notion that where government influence is required in society such influence should be exerted at the lowest level possible. I feel that the further one gets from the black hole known as the "federal government" the more responsive government is to the will of the people. Hence, for example, the federal government has no business establishing or running a Department of Education. Is that whacked or what? I like the idea of a fair tax, preferably a program that eliminates an income tax altogether. I think a national sales tax is a fine idea.

My heroes tend to be those who have bucked the system, most of them unsuccessfully. St Thomas Becket lost his life defending the rights of the Church against the State; St Thomas More refused to abandon his conscience to conform to the wishes of his sovereign, King Henry VIII, with remarkably unpleasant results ( for both England and St Thomas); G.K. Chesterton, in tribute to whom this blog is named (Top Meadow was his home) was certainly the most prolific, arguably the greatest Catholic writer ever in the English language.

Others you may see cited frequently include John Henry Cardinal Newman, Hillaire Belloc, St Robert Bellarmine, Thomas Jefferson.

What's next?

That's probably enought for today. In my clevery titled next post, "An Introduction II", I'll delve into some personal history. I know you can hardly wait. Until then, all the best. Joe