John Zmirak

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Dr. John Zmirak is editor of a series of guides to American higher education, and author of four books: one on economics, two humorous guides to Catholic doctrine and devotions, and the blank-verse graphic novel, The Grand Inquisitor. He teaches writing in New Hampshire.


What About My Toys?

Over at InsideCatholic, I recount how a crying two-year-old explained for me the perils

Bizarro World

The Amazing Catholic Bullshit Generator

The Amazing Catholic Bullshit Generator

This is the kind of article one writes with Kinky Friedman blasting in the background,

Christendom

Resurrecting Our Nation

Resurrecting Our Nation

As Christians around the world wait by the tomb, reenacting the vigil of the Blessed

Rebuking Catholic Jingoists and Slave Moralists

It’s no fun having to play the pseudo-Randian in a room full of Catholic Workers, but

If You Must Drive Drunk, Wear a Seatbelt

This piece at Insidecatholic.com will bring back your memories of Driver’s Ed—and give

Hillary and the Tilma

This one may only be funny to RCs like me—although I’m sure it’s playing really well in

The Equality Trap

My discussion of abortion and abolitionism over at Insidecatholic.com has opened up a

Abortion and Abolition

In a recent column for InsideCatholic.com, the generally admirable Catholic politician

Brideshead Redecorated

The first time I read Brideshead Revisited I was 16 years old, growing up in a

A Frenchman for All Seasons

A Quebecois, to be specific: Paul Comtois, the one-time representative of Queen

The Anti-Catholic Backlash—Do We Deserve It?

What would we think if the legislature in one of America’s most highly educated states,

Killing the Fathers

My latest at Insidecatholic.com explores the Freudian roots of the attack on the

Frumbag and the Gasbag

The recent dust-up between David Frum and Rush Limbaugh leaves me cold. The very fact

National Bankruptcy

The Fable of the Drones

In Mandeville’s infamous “Fable of the Bees,” that witty writer makes the case

The Dark Night of the Civilization

I offer some Lenten reflections on the scary state of the West, with glimmers of hope,

War

The Pentagon is a Money Toilet

Back in January I threatened to inflict on Takimag readers a series of articles on how

If I Were Pope for a Day

Over at InsideCatholic.com I celebrate Ash Wednesday by offering my own crackpot ideas

Neocons

Remembering the Smoothies

As Charles Stuart is reported to have said when he returned to England after decades of

Write a Check for America

I love this site. Thanks to the generosity of its namesake, it’s fully funded, and not

Confronting Scandals

I have returned. One month and 1,000 edited pages later, I’m back on the horse writing

Bacevich Instinct

Andrew Bacevich displays his customary wisdom and civic-mindedness in his latest piece

David Frum: Everybody’s Mama

The New Republic peeks into the content of David Frumbag’s burgeoning “new

Boycott the Superbowl

And NBC while you’re at it. That network is censoring a tasteful prolife Superbowl ad

Nazis, Catholics, and Cattiness

Andrew Sullivan is throwing a hissy-fit over the fact that Pope Benedict is lifting the

Where are My Ninjas?

A new tempest has blown up in the teapot of Catholic/Jewish relations: Pope Benedict

The Holy Innocents

I know I?m on hiatus, but today is different. Every year it?s different, a day marked

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