Frequent VDare contributor John Zmirak has co-authored a book which may be of interest to Vdare.com readers. The Bad Catholic’s Guide to Good Living skewers Ted Kennedy (and his brother John, too), liberal churchmen, the French and Mexican Revolutions, multicultural celebrations of “diversity,” and the Mexican PRI—while offering zany stories of the saints, celebrations of the feasts and traditions which define Western civilization, and a spirited defense of the motivations behind the Crusades.

It also includes 58 gourmet recipes by a 3-star chef, and dozens of ideas for parties, ranging from a NASA-themed event to celebrate “the Vatican Space Program” (the Assumption of Mary) to a “Seven Deadly Sins” party for Halloween. On a more serious note, the book explores the varied Catholic responses to the American founding, and the reasons why so many Catholics don’t identify with the American nation. Available now in paperback from Amazon.com (though Amazon still lists it as not yet published).

Is anyone else uncomfortable with the idea of convoys of dozens of Mexican Army vehicles with hundreds of troops invading American sovereignty?! ["Mexico sending storm relief convoy to U.S."]

Will the trucks be inspected for drugs, WMD or other contraband? Will there be a head count going in and coming out? Frankly, the opportunity for mischief is serious given the corruption of the Mexican Army, and the symbolism couldn’t be more disturbing.

Carrying water treatment plants, mobile kitchens and supplies to feed victims of Hurricane Katrina, the army convoy bound for Houston will be the first Mexican military unit to operate on U.S. soil since 1846. [...]

Large Mexican flags were taped to many of the 35 olive-green Mexican Army trucks and tractor trailers as they rumbled northward toward the border on Wednesday.

Other nations have managed to send aid without using troops; why not Mexico?

As noted the other day, the most important political effect of the Katrina disaster has been to raise the ambient temperature of discussions of race relations back to scalding. It is refreshing to turn from Jared Taylor’s deft handling of the grim and dangerous facts to view the comic scene of an Administration-cheerleading blog running shrieking out of the risk zone.

Damnum Absque Injuria had been trying to widen its appeal by some mild harrumping on the immigration and race issues. It has even linked to VDARE.com is the past. But Steve Sailer’s latest, widely read essay shattered DAI’s nerve

I rarely do public de-linkings, and as a general rule, am more like inclined to mock than to follow those who do. I’m making an exception for VDare…I am concerned by the possibility that my frequent criticism of phony charges of racism could be construed to mean I think all charges of racism are phony. They aren’t. Most are, I suspect, but that doesn’t make the real cases any less real or any less worthy of condemnation. One such example appears in today’s article by Steve Sailer of VDare which was, until today, on my blogroll…

To this day, African witchdoctors (PC: Traditional healers) are reputed to be able induce death in healthy but credulous adults with a ritual curse. VDARE.com is unlikely to follow their examples. But this blogger’s resort to a similar ritual is worth a thought. One of several regular writers on a website produces a piece, which although factual and reasoned, annoys/frightens you. So you respond, not with argument or evidence, but with abuse . Then, in effect, you try to ban your readers from seeing the offending material.

This is not the tradition which gave rise to Western science. It is the tradition which creates hate-driven theocracies - of which the Islamic world is far from the only supplier. Shades of Victor Davis Hanson!

Eugene Volokh at The Volokh Conspiracy has a good post on anti-Communism and the ACLU.

It may be fairly said that VDARE.com has tended to stress the disadvantages which go with immigration, rather than the advantages. (It’s our job, after all.)

But one thing that immigrants (Professor Volokh left Russia at the age of seven)have more of than native-born Americans is genuine, heartfelt anti-Communism.

See also George Borjas, Humberto Fontova, and the late Balint Vazsonyi.