More Language Peeves
It must have happened during one of those moments when I wasn’t looking, but there’s no question that it did [...]
Language Peeves
The TV news person was commenting about a story concerning the Boston Marathon bombing when she said, “The story just [...]
The War Against Sexist Language
Washington state governor Jay Inslee recently signed a bill that goes a long way toward ending biased language in state [...]
Let’s Stop Clinging To Nonsense
In April of 2013, Tulane professor and talk-show host Melissa Harris-Perry, made the following remark on camera: We have never invested [...]
Wages, Capitalism, And Morality: Part II
(Note: Part I documented that the minimum wage harms the very people it is designed to help and the popular alternative—letting capitalism [...]
Wages, Capitalism, And Morality: Part I
It is commonly believed that fairness demands a certain level of wage be guaranteed to all workers. That is the [...]
Holy Week And Man’s Search For Meaning
I am writing this essay at the beginning of Holy Week, a time that recalls the Last Supper, the agony [...]
American Catholics And Social Justice
“Social justice” is at the center of most political activism in contemporary America. It has provided arguments for the expansion [...]
The Catholic Church And Same-Sex Marriage
As of January 2013, same-sex marriage was legal in nine states and the District of Columbia, as well as in [...]
Minding Your Pronouns
It was the early 1990s and I had just finished a lecture to a group of educators on the teaching [...]
The Importance Of Making Distinctions
Something odd has been going on in public discourse. More and more commentators are ignoring important and in some cases [...]
The Queen Of Chutzpah?
Chutzpah is a Yiddish word for which there is no English equivalent. The dictionary definition is “shameless audacity or impudence.” But [...]
Parish Hopping
Parish hopping is defined as moving from parish to parish in the hope of finding the “right” one. It is [...]
Why Gun Control Is Not The Solution
You won’t learn it from mainstream media coverage, but the idea that tighter gun control will cure the nation’s epidemic [...]
Ending Legislative Gobbledygook
I recently commented on the absurdity of having members of Congress vote on bills they have not had time to read. This [...]
Government To The Rescue
Senator Rand Paul was recently on a TV news show lamenting the circumstances surrounding the bill that supposedly saved America [...]
Death By Ignorance
Before the 2012 election two interviewers approached potential voters with questions slyly filled with false information. The answers revealed a [...]
Self-Congratulation And Christmas
Once upon a time, not all that long ago, people sent friends and family Christmas cards with personal messages. Not [...]
Two Claims Of Infallibility
This essay continues the discussion begun in “Theological Confusion” and published in this journal December 13, 2012 In 1870 Vatican One proclaimed [...]
Theological Confusion
In a recent address to the International Theological Commission, Pope Benedict responded to critics of the Church. Much of what [...]
What Babies Teach Us
A fascinating segment of 60 Minutes, titled “The Baby Lab,” aired on November 18, 2012. It described the ongoing research of [...]
Saving The Charitable Deduction And More
For some time now politicians of both parties have been talking about ways to get America’s fiscal house in order. [...]
Faucet Confusion Syndrome
Sally just got an email from her sister. She was lucky to be sitting down when she saw it. Otherwise, [...]
In Praise Of Monotasking
You've probably seen some of the popular videos of accidents happening to people who combine texting or talking on the [...]
The Unanticipated Cost Of Being Connected
Communication technology promised to be a blessing and in many ways it has been. Without question, cut and paste beats [...]
Author Vincent Ryan Ruggiero
Since retiring from teaching, I have continued my work in promoting sound thinking in education and in the general culture. More specifically, I have kept refining my textbooks, four of which have been continuously in print for an average of 33 years. I have also continued to write books for the general public, the latest of which is Corrupted Culture: Rediscovering America’s Enduring Principles, Values, and Common Sense, and I write a weekly column for an online journal.