General

Medicine (fiction)

Richard Harvester By Richard Harvester
Member
|
0 COMMENTS
 

The camp was dark and smelled of unwashed bodies, dried blood, sand and feces. Over us, sparsely-leaved trees hung, blotting out much of the night sky. A camp fire flickered over our little community. All around it were children, their cold AK-47s resting tightly against their sleeping bodies. Nearby, I could just barely make out […]
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

California Has a Housing Crisis and Can’t Figure Out How to Solve It

James Pethokoukis By James Pethokoukis
Contributor
James Pethokoukis is a columnist and blogger at the American Enterprise Institute. (Previously, he was Washington columnist for Reuters Breakingviews, the opinion and commentary wing of Thomson Reuters.) In addition, he is an official CNBC contributor.  Pethokoukis has written for many publications, including The New York Times, The Weekly Standard, Commentary, National Review, The Washington Examiner, and The Daily.  Pethokoukis has appeared numerous times on MSNBC, Fox News Channel, Fo… [more]
|
6 COMMENTS
 

Here’s just one tidbit from California’s housing affordability crisis: According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, families in the northern California counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin who make as much as $117,000 a year are eligible to live in low-income housing projects. Want another one or two? Well, here you go: California’s median home value has increased by almost 80 percent to $544,900 since 2011, while more than half of renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.

Not that there’s much of a mystery of what’s really happening. As the Los Angeles Times notes, “Academic researchers, state analysts and California’s gubernatorial candidates agree that the fundamental issue underlying the state’s housing crisis is that there are not enough homes for everyone who wants to live here.”

More
Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter.

A New Parenting Space on Ricochet

Bethany Mandel By Bethany Mandel
Editor
Bethany Mandel is a part-time editor at Ricochet and columnist at the Jewish Daily Forward. She is a stay-at-home mother of three kids, four years old and younger. She also is a co-host of That Sethany Show and LadyBrains Podcast.
|
6 COMMENTS
 

A few years ago, I left almost every single parenting Facebook group. I couldn’t handle the crazy. If you want to lose faith in the future of humanity, go to a parenting board on BabyCenter or on Facebook. Between the parents trying to treat the measles with essential oils and the folks who can’t figure out why their 14-year old boy they never spend time with is such a troublemaker, it results in incredibly high levels of frustration.

As with many things, there’s something different about Ricochet and its members. Every time I write a post about parenting; asking a question or making an observation, I’m struck by the wisdom of those responding. A lot of that is due to the fact that much of our member base has already raised children, and many others in the thick of parenthood are intentional people by nature; it’s why they belong to a conversation site predicated on thoughtful and measured dialogue.

More
Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter.
Ricochet Member Recommended FeedRecommended by R> Members

Remembering John Paul II on His Feast

katievs By katievs
Member
Catholic girl. Married for 20+ years to the best man on earth. Mother of five + two, grandmother of 3. Perpetual student of philosophy (not a very diligent one, however), mainly in the school of Christian personalism.
|
11 COMMENTS
 

It’s 40 years to the day since Karol Wojtyla became John Paul II. I wrote about him at the Personalist Project a few years ago:

I am still trying to get my arms around his legacy, and his influence on me and my soul. I suspect I’ll be at it for the rest of my life—trying to sort and catalogue, organize and share my thoughts about his teaching, which seems to me key to everything. At least it is the key to understanding modernity—the mind of the Church in our day and time. I have also found it, mysteriously, key to my understanding myself and my spiritual journey—the meaning and “point” of the particular struggles I’ve faced along the way.

More
Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter.

Your Local Elections

Vance Richards By Vance Richards
Member
Never you mind about me.
|
19 COMMENTS
 

In New Jersey’s 11th District incumbent Rodney Frelinghuysen is retiring from Congress and Democrats see that as an opportunity to pick up a seat that has long been held by Republicans. The race is between Republican Jay Webber and Democrat Mikie Sherrill. Webber is an actual conservative, which is not something you can assume about […]
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Sears Declares Bankruptcy

Michael Ramirez By Michael Ramirez
Contributor
Michael Ramirez is a two-time winner of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 1994 and 2008 and a three-time Sigma Delta Chi, Society of Professional Journalism Award winner. He is a Senior Editor and the editorial cartoonist for Investor's Business Daily. Ramirez is a Lincoln Fellow, an honorary member of Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society, and has won almost every journalism award in addition to the prestigious UCI Medal from the University of California, Irvine and the 2005 N… [more]
|
8 COMMENTS
 

View original artwork here.

More
Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter.

Reality Check

Bob Thompson By Bob Thompson
Member
Bob Thompson is a member of Ricochet.
|
15 COMMENTS
 

I had achieved a state of serenity by avoiding most TV but as the mid-term election has neared I have indulged myself. Being a self-defined conservative, Fox News has been my choice for my catch-up on current events which, of course, is mainly centered on politics. So, here’s where the post title comes in. Fox, […]
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Bring Back Imperialism!

iWe By iWe
Reagan
|
22 COMMENTS
 

The greatness that is America is let down entirely by the squishes in the State Department. Every time we have a chance to set up a foreign government (Philippines, Japan, Grenada, Panama, Germany, Iraq, etc. etc.) we somehow always default to Italian-style parliamentary systems. Despite that fact that the US Constitution is older and more […]
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Ricochet Member Recommended FeedRecommended by R> Members

Another Shooting Star, Another Fraud

Ole Summers By Ole Summers
Member
Summers was raised in a rural, agricultural family, survived a fun filled college career which consisted mostly of rodeo and football with just enough brain cells to fool some gulible professors type
|
9 COMMENTS
 

Robert Francis O’Rourke is the latest “rising star” for the Democrat Party in Texas. He is their hope of the moment to start Texas on the path of descent into becoming the next California, a once golden state destroyed by liberal policies but consistent in sending elected Democrats to seats of power. His stated mission […]
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Ricochet Member Recommended FeedRecommended by R> Members

Do Some in the Far Left Take Pleasure in Violence?

Brian Watt By Brian Watt
Member
Brian Watt is a humorist, writer and author of The Man In Lafayette Park (available for Kindle and from Apple iBooks and Nook). He lives in California with his special needs son. Brian is currently completing his novel, The Curious Globe of Cornelius Crain. Visit: https://www.gofundme.com/the-cornelius-crain-novel. For over 30 years he has carved out a career in marketing as a writer, designer and creative director, as well as leading teams to bring hundreds of products to market.
|
25 COMMENTS
 

It’s clear that many of the gutless wonders or calculating members of Congress, the Left-leaning media, and those who are indoctrinating young minds in academia are deliberately characterizing intimidation, mob behavior, and occasionally violence as “speech.” At the same time, they claim that speech from conservatives is “violence” … a glaring example of Orwellian “doublespeak”. Silence to condemn mob violence should be considered assent especially from those who are routinely before the public and on the airwaves. Making excuses for it, as some in the political and media class have done by declaring that Republicans who voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh (Senate Majority Leader McConnell being the chief offender) have brought it upon themselves and is reminiscent of the charge that America itself was really to blame for the attack on 9/11 and the nearly 3,000 lives lost.

If you think I exaggerate, give a listen to former left-leaning Prof. Janet Fiamengo (University of Ottawa) in this interview with Dave Rubin. At about 16 minutes into the interview, Professor Fiamengo’s references one of the pivotal moments that occurred in her academic career that forced her to completely reevaluate her ideological outlook when she describes the “barely contained vaunting pleasure” of her fellow academics at the University of Saskatchewan when they first learned of the 9/11 attack on New York and Washington, DC.

More
Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter.

Zeal: Hypnotism and Zealotry

CB Toder aka Mama Toad By CB Toder aka Mama Toad
Member
A cradle Catholic, I live in Toad Hall in New Paltz, NY with my Toad Prince and six tadpoles. We homeschool and run our own business. We wage unceasing war on dust, shoddy thinking, and grumpiness.
|
31 COMMENTS
 

In the first weeks of my freshman year, my college hosted a hypnotist who gave a large demonstration. He invited volunteers to come up on stage and be hypnotized. I was curious enough that I volunteered, but when I joined the other folks on stage and the hypnotist began his work, I did not fall […]
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Nudge: November Group Writing: Elimination

Clifford A. Brown By Clifford A. Brown
Contributor
Retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a Colonel after 30 years of active and reserve assignments. M.A. Political Science, M.S. Strategic Studies, Army War College, JD. Served in 1st Armored Division in West Germany when the Berlin Wall came down, in 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea during the regime of Kim Il Sung, and commanded a logistics battalion in Iraq 2003-2004. Wide-ranging public policy interests. Occasional home brewer and infuser of alcohol spirits.
|
0 COMMENTS
 

Heard the one about the BDAN baño? I might be writing it to cover an open day in November’s Group Writing Theme schedule. To see why, drop by, peruse the topic, and please sign up. The story is real, only the names have been changed to avoid legal action. More
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Ricochet Member Recommended FeedRecommended by R> Members

Perhaps They Should Have Appointed This Guy as US Senator for Mississippi

The Cloaked Gaijin By The Cloaked Gaijin
Member
|
15 COMMENTS
 

When there was the mess with the special election in Alabama last year with Luther Strange vs. Roy Moore vs. Mo Brooks, part of me was thinking why didn’t they just appoint a black Republican to that seat. There has to be one in the entire state. That might have brought things together or shaken […]
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Multi millionaire makes case that other multi billionaire isn’t the right type of multi millionaire, social justice wise

FederalFarmer By FederalFarmer
Coolidge
|
1 COMMENTS
 

If Eric Reid thinks that a couple of milquetoast ESPN quotes absolves himself of being a benefactor (in his words) of the evil machine…..well then…. I’ve got a bridge in Arizona to sell you. But, of course, the low intellect play is given top billing. Here is what the headline should say: “man that makes […]
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Ricochet Member Recommended FeedRecommended by R> Members

Ricochet…. Let’s Get Creative!

iWe By iWe
Reagan
|
49 COMMENTS
 

What are the best ways to deal with the human wave approaching the border? I am a keen follower of Sun Tzu: never accept battle on your enemy’s terms. Think of a way to make it a battle that are on your terms. So… I’d like this conversation to be about clever ways to defuse/corrupt […]
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Ricochet Member Recommended FeedRecommended by R> Members

Motorcycle Accidents

Qoumidan By Qoumidan
Member
|
34 COMMENTS
 

Last summer I was browsing through our towns’ police department Facebook pages because sometimes I like to see a little of what is going on in that circle. It’s very limited, but sometimes they have useful traffic or fire updates, and it’s interesting to see what crimes might be mentioned. One incident that stood out to me was the death of a motorcyclist on one of the main roads. The driver of a pickup had changed lanes into him and knocked him into a box truck. The details were sparse, as you would expect from a simple Facebook post, but the motorcyclist died, and it was hinted as likely the fault of the pickup driver.

Yesterday, I volunteered to be in the church nursery as I had been sick on my normal day and it just so happened that my husband’s aunt had also volunteered and were placed in the same room. I haven’t seen her for a while because she just retired and has been off to places like Kenya, the Philippines, and Missouri. She is one of those involved, social ladies that knows everyone and is generally up to speed on the happenings of our cities. I don’t know how people do that.*

More
Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter.
Ricochet Member Recommended FeedRecommended by R> Members

Zeal Gap?

Clifford A. Brown By Clifford A. Brown
Contributor
Retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a Colonel after 30 years of active and reserve assignments. M.A. Political Science, M.S. Strategic Studies, Army War College, JD. Served in 1st Armored Division in West Germany when the Berlin Wall came down, in 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea during the regime of Kim Il Sung, and commanded a logistics battalion in Iraq 2003-2004. Wide-ranging public policy interests. Occasional home brewer and infuser of alcohol spirits.
|
27 COMMENTS
 

The gallery for --> Democrats Vs Republicans MapIs there a zeal gap in American politics? This question plays off the infamous “missile gap,” a campaign fiction deployed by JFK to defeat Nixon in 1960, when Nixon was the Vice President to the General of the Armies who defeated Nazi Germany. Conventional wisdom says liberals/Democrats are zealous in politics, like sports fans, where conservatives/Republicans tend to only engage episodically. Is this advantage real, and is it still there?

Years ago, a self-identified liberal cheerfully wrote, for a major publication, that she and her fellow liberals view politics like other Americans view sports. It is fun to fire off a quick letter to a politician or corporation and make a few calls to friend and foe offices. Daily. Yes. Daily. Whereas, conservatives, and the rest of the population, only rarely rouse themselves to a single episode of political expression. This is anecdotal, but we all have anecdotes to affirm this claim.

More
Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter.
Ricochet Member Recommended FeedRecommended by R> Members

Searching for Meaning After Trauma

iWe By iWe
Reagan
|
9 COMMENTS
 

“There are no atheists in a foxhole.” Though the aphorism may date from the 20th century, the idea that we seek connections when we are most alone, afraid, and even traumatized is not modern. It seems to be a hardwired human feature.

We can find comfort in our parents, spouses, and children – as well as belonging to extended families or communities, tribes, and nations. But that is not necessarily all that is asked of us. If, as I would argue, G-d wants us to seek a relationship with Him, then He made us needy, so that we would reach out for Him.

More
Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter.

Zeal: The Bargain Hunter‘s Tale

D.A. Venters By D.A. Venters
Member
D.A. Venters is a member of Ricochet.
|
4 COMMENTS
 

As told to me by the Bargain Hunter himself: You want zeal? I got zeal. I reckon every man does, whether they know it or not. Some men’ve got a zeal for old cars, or women, or booze. I’ve known more than a few who mainly had a zeal for evadin’ blame. More
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s growing community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.