The Distributist Voice

Stop Killing America's Middle Class

2010-07-26T01:26:00.002-04:00

This photo essay from the financial web site Business Insider gives 22 specific indicators that the middle class in America is crumbling into dust. Go HERE to read it.

When money and power are worth more than morals and people, we're all screwed. Alas, the self-proclaimed elites running America into the ground prefer the former. They will settle for nothing less than a Global State under their rule.

We who support and promote Distributism will settle for nothing less than their total defeat. Along with prayer and God's guidance, teaching our neighbors about Distributism and practicing it where we're able will contribute to that bright day of our opponent's defeat.

Let this report be fuel for the fire and do what you can to stop the persecution of the middle class.

Update On Posted Comments for The Future

2010-07-05T17:47:00.003-04:00

Friends and neighbors,

Since the last post, I have had to delete four comments to it. Said posts were not only not in English as was requested, but they were links to Japanese porn web sites.

In light of this, I am now forced to review all comments sent here before they're published. I would rather not do it. But those more interested in spreading pornography don't care. So the previewing of comments will remain until further notice.

Thank you all for your time and patience.

A Minor Note On Posts And Comments

2010-05-06T03:08:00.004-04:00

Friends and neighbors,

In the last post, I received some encouraging comments which I appreciate. However, some of them were typed in some non-English script that couldn't show up in the comment box.

So I ask all commentators to this blog to please write in English only. I can't read any language other than English. So please be considerate of this and thank you all in advance.

As for future posts in this blog, they will come on an irregular basis for the near future. I still am struggling with both my Type 2 Diabetes and recently diagnosed OCPD. (Please go HERE to the Wikipedia article to learn more about it.)

My colleague, Mr. Weismiller, is going through his own set of problems at the moment. He will post when he is able.

Permit me to thank you all for your patience with us on this. God bless you all.

A Holy Christmas To You All!

2009-12-24T17:27:00.003-05:00

Friends and neighbors,

Both myself and Mr. Weismiller are going through some tough times at present in our personal lives. But that won't stop us from wishing you all and your families a safe and Merry Christmas.

Here is a quote from the mighty G. K. Chesterton for this holy season:

“When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?”

Status Update

2009-09-23T20:01:00.003-04:00

Hello, friends and neighbors.

This is a brief update on how I've been faring so far.

I've been struggling to keep my blood sugar levels to near normal. Some days, it's good, sometimes not. My diet is slowly becoming more vegetarian but unwillingly. My weight has been yo-yo-ing around the 155 lbs. level and I still need to lose 10 more pounds.

I've also been taking tranquillizers, due to having a near-nervous breakdown at my workplace in mid-April. I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and mild OCD. So along with my Type 2 Diabetes, I also have THIS to contend with.

And I recently had a sleep study test done to see if the mild sleep apnea I was diagnosed with in 2005 has improved or not. The results should be coming in soon.

So I'm still concentrating on getting healthier than I am, and as in so many things, it's an uphill struggle. Because of this, I'm still -- for the most part -- on medical break from blogging. I still ask for your prayers and good wishes for me to triumph over these maladies.

I also ask for your prayers for my parents, who are also going through their own health problems. Dad's in his late 70's, Mom's in her 80's. No prayers will ever be wasted.

And as I said before, my colleague Mr. Weismiller will post here when he is able.

Thank you all so very much for your prayers and patience. Continue to pray and work for the bright future of a Distributist Earth, wherever in the world you are.

U.S. Army May Help FEMA Force "Vaccines" On Citizens

2009-07-31T00:19:00.002-04:00

The alternative health news web site Natural News reports on a CNN article revealing that the U.S. military is expected to "help" FEMA force swine flu "vaccination" on the public. The article, written by Mike Adams, can be read HERE.

FOX News also confirms this in a July 29th report which you can read HERE.

Even the U.N.-connected World Health Organization (WHO) recommends FORCED vaccination of all civilians from swine flu. Barbara Minton of Natural News, in her July 29 report, reveals that advisers to WHO for this action included "executives from Baxter, Novartis, Glaxo-Smith Kline, and Sanofi Pasteur". These four companies are some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, and may stand to profit off of untested and suspected "vaccines" for this flu. Miss Minton's report can be read HERE.

Already there are protests in other countries against this plan for forced vaccination, especially in London, but the so-called 'mainstream media" won't cover it. Even way-out-there blogs like Alligator Farm have been giving detailed coverage of this planned turmoil, as well as the censored protests. You can read the latest article HERE.

Both Joel Skousen at World Affairs Brief and Ken Adachi at Educate Yourself are warning people about this rancid act of mass flu shots at gunpoint. Adachi himself urges his readers to spread the word about this and build up local and national opposition to it NOW. You may read the articles HERE.

As Chesterton wrote at the end of his great work What's Wrong With The World , he wrote thus:

When a crapulous tyranny crushes men down into the dirt, so that their very hair is dirty, the scientific course is clear. It would be long and laborious to cut off the heads of the tyrants; it is easier to cut off the hair of the slaves. In the same way, if it should ever happen that poor children, screaming with toothache, disturbed any schoolmaster or artistic gentleman, it would be easy to pull out all the teeth of the poor; if their nails were disgustingly dirty, their nails could be plucked out; if their noses were indecently blown, their noses could be cut off. The appearance of our humbler fellow-citizen could be quite strikingly simplified before we had done with him. But all this is not a bit wilder than the brute fact that a doctor can walk into the house of a free man, whose daughter's hair may be as clean as spring flowers, and order him to cut it off. It never seems to strike these people that the lesson of lice in the slums is the wrongness of slums, not the wrongness of hair.

In a similar fashion, if you want to get rid of the swine flu, you eliminate the causes of swine flu....not the people who may catch it. And this forced vaccination scheme cooked up by the U.N., it's member governments (including America's) and several members of "Big Pharmacy" will certainly do the latter.

Once again, another anti-Distributist policy must be stopped...this one.

Let your friends and neighbors know what's up ahead this Fall with this swine flu fiasco, and build up opposition to it NOW. This is not baloney, this is the real deal. Fight this thing NOW! Demand your local officials not participate in this hoax, and don't take "NO" for an answer!

Rebel Against A "Servile World"

2009-07-25T02:01:00.002-04:00

Reprinted on the American paleo-conservative website Front Porch Republic, this is an excellent presentation by Allen Carlson to an recent English conference on Distributism. Posted on July 23rd, Mr. Carlson's paper is good food for thought, and should spur we Distributist to concrete action worldwide.

You may read Mr. Carlson's paper HERE.

The paper also gives specific proposals to implement Distributist policies in America. Many of these same proposals can work elsewhere in the world, but tailored to the unique situations in each country.

Let us all indeed read what Mr. Carlson has to say, reflect on it, then act on what we reflect in our neighborhoods, regions and home countries. Then we can be, with God's merciful Hand guiding us, one step closer to the goal...of a Distributist Earth.

And nothing less.

Happy Fourth And Happy Canada Day!

2009-07-04T12:48:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone!

This is a brief post to all our readers in America and Canada, where the majority of this blog's readers hail from.

First, let me wish a belated Happy Canada Day to all our friends dwelling in the True North.

Second, to my fellow Americans, a Happy Independence Day to you all. We're 233 years as a republic, battered and bruised, but it's still worth fighting for.

Wherever we are in the world, we have a duty to learn about Distributism and put it into practice. With Our Lord's grace and Our Blessed Mother's intercession, we can and will lay the foundation for a Distributist Earth. Let's continue to do so as best we can.

Please keep me and Jovan in your prayers, as we keep you all in ours. May the Savior richly bless you and your loved ones.

Medical Break From Blogging

2009-06-05T16:01:00.002-04:00

Friends and neighbors,

I will be taking a short break from blogging here for now. My recent physical, along with a check of my blood sugar levels, has confirmed that I have be struck with Type II diabetes.

In light of this, I will be concentrating on getting better and getting rid of this malady. I ask you in your charity to pray for me, that God grant me the grace to be cured of this.

My colleague, Mr. Weismiller, will post here when he is able.

Thank you all for your prayers, and continue to pray and work for the worthy goal of a Distributist Earth. God speed.

The Obama Regime and "Free Trade"

2009-05-28T17:17:00.002-04:00

One of the many broken promises the Obama regime made was to negotiate the notorious NAFTA deal, supposedly in favor of America's beleaguered manufacturing base. But like their predecessors in the Bush II, Clinton and Bush I regimes, Obama et. al. won't renounce the globalist agenda for something as trivial as America's economic health.

From the website Economy In Crisis, editor Dustin Ensinger reports on how many millions of jobs NAFTA has cost the USA. You can read the article HERE.

Distributism believes in "fair trade" rather than "free trade". Those who run both major American political parties don't. Which means we need to continue to get the word out on the ills that "free trade" ideology brings. And then work and pray to throw out all "free trade" supporters from Congress and our state legislatures.

Let's not take "NO" for an answer when it comes to throwing out NAFTA for good.

Tempest Within The "Tea Party"?

2009-05-26T09:49:00.002-04:00

Author, columnist and lawyer Christopher A. Ferrara has done written another column regarding the American political scene. The new "Tea Party Movement", getting people concerned about the economic and political malaise in America, may not be all that is cracked up to be. Especially vis-a-vis Traditional Catholics.

For Distributists as well, this new movement may peter out if the angry electorate gets seduced into voting for the same-old same-old again. Fixing pocket-book issues without also fixing social issues won't fix our society for the better. Ferrara points this out clearly in his essay for The Remnant, America's oldest Traditional Catholic bi-weekly. You may read his article HERE.

Let us Distributists continue to learn about what we hold true and promote it to our neighbors. Then act on what we learn within our neighborhoods to end the evils that brought on this Tea Party Movement.

Mexico's Credit Card Crisis

2009-05-18T18:00:00.002-04:00

America isn't the only nation dealing with billions and billions of dollars in credit card debt. It's neighbor south of the Rio Grande is having it's problems with it also, on top of it's other problems with swine flu, drug cartels, high taxes, corruption and anti-Catholicism.

Kent Paterson, writing a May 15th article for the left-wing CorpWatch, reports on how the "credit card trap" has ensnared Mexicans as it has millions of others worldwide. He notes that more than 5.1 million credit card accounts there are now financially radioactive. Just like in America, big banks like Banamex - which is tied to the Rockefeller bank giant Citigroup - have done well in profits from credit card interest profits. You can read Mr. Paterson's entire article HERE.

Mexico, like America, can be freed from this fiasco by going Distributist. End the practice of usury. Reign in the big banks' influence, while cutting down big government's as well. Promote credit unions, mutual banks and interest-free local currencies. It will take time, but with God's grace, it can be done.

That will be one less heavy burden on Mexico's back. Like America and the rest of the globe, it needs all the help it can get. Distributism can only do that sad nation good.

Distributism and Fair Trade

2009-05-15T18:08:00.003-04:00

From the March 22nd edition of the blog Modern Distributism, the author "Jesse" writes about the link between Distributist Thought and the American Founding Father's views on trade. It is a short but well-written article, which you can read HERE.

Our politicians in Washington are as addicted to "free trade" ideology as they are to globalism. For the sake of our country and it's Distributist future, let's all do what we can to end their addiction.

Obama and Credit Unions

2009-05-14T17:11:00.002-04:00

With the brouhaha still brewing over the Bankers Bailout of a few months ago, as well as the problems with the credit crunch and an unaudited Federal Reserve System, one would think that the Obama regime would turn to workable alternatives to Big Banking.

Or at least to encourage them among businesses and others looking to strengthen their local economies, as we Distributists would.

But the Obama White House is in the same mold as the ones before it - beholden to global government and globalist financiers.

The left-wing journal The Free Press has an article, dated May 12th, by co-authors Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman. It explains, in part, why the Obama regime won't look to credit unions for new ideas to get the economy revived. You may read the article HERE.

Let's promote Distributism in part by promoting doing our financial affairs at credit unions. You've be giving your local community a healthy shot in the arm.

Devvy Kidd On Returning America To The People

2009-05-13T17:53:00.003-04:00

Devvy Kidd is one of the real go-getter patriots in America. Even though - alas - she's not a Distributist, she supports many of the causes we do. In her latest column, she urges her readers to take back America from crooked politicians of both parties.

Read her latest column HERE to discover what needs to be done and soon.

She also warns her readers about S. 909, the so-called "Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act", must be shut down. This would give Federal protection to promoters of sexual immorality, even pedophilia. This bill passed the US House, but it doesn;t have to do the same in the Senate. The legal group Liberty Counsel gave a press release as recent as April 28th about the evil in this bill. You can read it HERE.

Please call your Senators today and tell them to vote "NO" on S. 909. Thank you.

The Return Of Barter

2009-05-12T19:05:00.002-04:00

Along with alternative currencies, local barter systems are coming back in a big way. As the economy continues to sputter and smoke thanks to both government and globalist shenanigans, average folks are returning to barter to get what needs doing done.

This article from the upcoming June 2009 edition of Reason, the Libertarian monthly, reports on barter's comeback. It's written by Greg Biato and you can read it HERE.

This is one of many steps to bring America back to Distributist economic sanity. Read it and apply where you live if you are able.

Mr. Baker's Modest Proposals

2009-05-11T19:23:00.003-04:00

The majority of this blog's readers being American, they are all too familiar with the corruption, greed and villainy that comprises the Congress today. And has comprised it for decades.

It is just as bad in England, where Belloc - co-founder of Distributism - served for two terms as a Minister of Parliament (MP), and co-wrote The Party System with Chesterton's brother Cecil.

This essay from the London Daily Mail is from current MP Mr. Norman Baker, and can be read HERE. The boiling rage against both Democrats and Republicans in Washington is also simmering against their counterparts in London, as Mr. Baker points out.

Near the end of his essay, he puts forth certain proposals that would chain down much of the financial shenanigans that many in the House of Commons practice. Only God Almighty knows if these proposals will become law or even get out of committee. but it's better they see the light of day than not at all.

As Chesterton said in 1918:

"It is hard to make government representative when it is also remote."

Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic must be brought out of their remoteness, wherever it is or how it's disguised to the public eye, and be brought to account for their evil actions. Especially when the public purse is involved, as it is in a sickening way in Mr. Baker's Britain. Let's never give up the fight to make it so.

Agribusiness, Swine Flu And You

2009-05-09T10:42:00.002-04:00

Friends and neighbors, my apologies for not posting since April 27th. I've suffered a near-nervous breakdown, for want of a better phrase, about a month or so ago and have been in recovery and therapy since then. Part of that was not posting on the Voice, so as to concentrate on my health. I hope to post more often in the days ahead.

In the meantime, here is an article from F. William Engdahl of the Canadian-based Centre for Research on Globalization. It deals with the recent catastrophe of the swine flu outbreak, and how much of the problem is connected to "factory farming" and agribusiness. You may read the article HERE.

Thank you for your time and prayers.

So-Called "Hate Bill" Up for Vote!

2009-04-27T21:44:00.002-04:00

Since the majority of our readers are American, the Voice urges you to call your Congressmen and Senators on Tuesday, April 28th. Why?

The so-called "federal hate crimes bill" - HR 1913 - could come to a vote on the House floor tomorrow. This vote, among other things, would make criticism of homosexuality and other elements of the Sexual Revolution illegal. Just like it is in Canada, Sweden and other countries.

The vote tomorrow is crucial. Tell your Congressmen and Senators to vote "NO!" on HR 1913.

And to our foreign readers, we encourage you to begin campaigns to overturn similar laws in your own countries. Don't give up. Keep working to repeal these laws and take back your homelands from the Sexual Revolution.

Thank you.

MSG Sprayed On Growing Food Crops

2009-04-22T21:01:00.002-04:00

This report from the group Truth In Labeling tells of certain food companies - connected with big business - that is spraying growing crops with monosodium glutamate (MSG). As has been the case for years, MSG has appeared under various names and disguises. And has threatened the public health.

Truth In Labeling has stated that, from it's report, "there is no crop that we know of that has not been approved for treatment with MSG by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)."

You may read the article HERE. You may also go to the group's home web page HERE, and learn more about the dangers of MSG in our food supply.

This is another reason to decentralize our food production in America and elsewhere, as the leading lights of Distributism advocated. Small farms and farmer co-ops are more responsive to consumer demand for healthy produce that their larger rivals. The same small farms that are threatened by Socialist bills like HR 875 in the U.S. Congress. They wouldn't do such horrid things to their crops and to the people who buy and eat them.

Call your Congressmen and tell them to vote NO on this and other horrid bills we've written about that threaten small farms and co-ops. And demand the EPA stop this backdoor spraying of MSG on our crops, which threaten the health of consumers.

Storck's Speech On Distributism

2009-04-20T14:03:00.002-04:00

Thanks to our colleagues at The Distributist Review, we have Thomas Storck's talk in the three-way debate in Long Island some time ago. This was the debate between the Capitalist, Socialist and Distributist positions. And from all we've heard of it, it was fantastic.

So click HERE to read the text of Mr. Storck's address. And congratulations to him.

Thailand's Mixed-Up Politics

2009-04-16T00:43:00.003-04:00

Thailand has been in the news off-and-on again, with it's governments toppled for one group of corruption charges after another. In this type of mix, it's difficult to promote Distributist policies to the average citizen, or even get a fair hearing.

This post by the blogger "LMNOP", from the Asia/Pacific video sharing website EngageMedia, gives an analysis of recent Thai political history. You can read his article HERE.

Distributism is solid on doctrine, flexible in application. What set of policies that may work in America or Russia may not work at all in France or India and vice versa. Each country must be studied so that what Belloc, Chesterton and their successors taught can be tailor-made for each nation's unique circumstances.

In other words, hand-craft the solution for Thailand rather than mass-produce it like our rivals in Socialism and Capitalism.

Let Thailand learn more about Distributism. For it can only help their poor and middle-classes, of all backgrounds, restore their nation to economic and political health.

The Trouble With "Tea Parties"

2009-04-14T20:10:00.002-04:00

Over the last few weeks, folks like Fox TV hosts Glenn Back have been pushing for nationwide so-called "tea parties". In memory of the Boston Tea Party before the American Revolution, these "tea parties" are supposed to rally the growing angry American public to protest government screw-ups.

However, these protests usually lead to just voting again for the same or similar types of candidates. Either Democrat or Republican, either liberal or neo-conservative, usually puppets of big business or big government or both.

These protests, though well-intentioned, will do nothing if they lead Joe and Jane Average to do the same old thing over again.

That is why Devvy Kidd, a patriot's patriot, has been warning folks about these "parties" for a while now. And conversely, what we must do to effect real political change. The hard way, county by county, but the only way to push the big government side of the Servile State back into it's place...in Hell.

For over 20 years, she's been on the cutting edge in warning folks about the globalist fanatics in both "mainstream" political parties. Though she isn't a Distributist, she supports many things we do. Like local government over big government, protecting family farms, defending a sound currency, defending the traditional family and so on.

So via the right-wing opinion website News With Views, here is her column on these "tea parties" and what YOU can do NOW to turn back the march of both big business and big government in your neighborhood. You may read her column HERE.

If you decide to contact her, please let her know you read about her in The Distributist Voice. And thank you.

Christ Is Risen! Alleluia!

2009-04-12T00:24:00.002-04:00

The Distributist Voice wishes you and your families a Happy and Holy Easter!

Please keep us in your prayers, that we may keep improving this blog and it's coverage of world news and affairs from the Distributist and Traditional Catholic standpoint.

And thank you for reading it in the first place. God bless you all!

Moldava's Youth Revolt Against Their Red Tyrants

2009-04-08T16:51:00.003-04:00

The tiny nation of Moldova, squished between Romania and Ukraine, is one of the poorest nations in Eastern Europe. Formerly part of Romania and long part of Russia's sphere of influence, it's leaders wanted to be closer to the neo-Soviet European Union bloc. It's leaders are Communists, who won the general election in 2001.

In parliamentary elections Tuesday, the results claimed that the Communists returned to power with 50% of the vote. However, charges of rigged elections in favor of the Reds brought the youth out into the streets. According to the Christan Science Monitor, the youth smashed government offices and even set fire to the Parliament building before local police got back control. You may read the Monitor article HERE.

Like the rest of Eastern Europe, Moldova has been hard hit by the global economic meltdown. Like it's larger neighbor Ukraine, the tiny state has suffered job cuts and cutbacks in foreign investment. Like Ukraine, it has a region where a Russian-speaking minority seeks to break away and become independent. And like Ukraine, it's generating tensions between Russia and the E.U. A report from the pro-globalist Reuters news service on this aspect of the conflict can be read HERE.

The current Communist dictator, Vladimir Voronin, has accused Romania of stoking the fires of the recent violence. Border crossings with them have been shut, and Romania's ambassador expelled. That government denies any part in the riots, which involved over 10,000 young people. Along with the charges of rigged elections, the youth also raged against the grinding poverty they daily live with. According to an article from Bloomberg.com, Moldavians make an average salary of US $350 a month. The Communists are blamed for this grinding poverty. You may read the Bloomberg article HERE.

Returning the Communists to power won't help this divided land get back on it's feet. Nor will joining the neo-Soviet E.U., with it's micro-managing businesses out of existence and oppressing anti-Socialist Europeans with draconian dictates. Let Moldavia's young learn about Distributism and put it into practice there, and things will change for the better. Not overnight, true, but it will be better than the chaos and cruelty they suffer under now.

If we have any Moldavians reading this blog, please go to our colleagues at The ChesterBelloc Mandate. Read up on the fine articles and essays promoting and defending Distributism, then apply it to your country's situation. You have a bright future to gain from it.

Maine Public Schools May Begin Co-op Ventures

2009-04-07T23:26:00.003-04:00

One of the hallmarks of a Distributist state is the spread and support of cooperatives. In the state of Maine, several public schools have formed cooperatives to both save money on supplies and share costs on training and transportation. Now a bill has been filed which will give other Maine schools the same opportunity to go co-op.

As written by Matthew Stone in the Kennebec Journal of March 31st, the bill LD 1049 gives school districts the ability to form regional education cooperatives. All, of course, with prior approval of the state's Education Department. You may read Mr. Stone's article HERE.

This is great news. The schools can form co-ops from the bottom-up, not forced upon them from the government. And the government, in turn, gives them the support they need without Socialist micro-management. Costs are cut, burdens are shared and children get better opportunities to expand their education. Combined with private, religious, alternative and home schooling, Maine students can see potential benefits up the road ahead.

If this can be replicated elsewhere in America and Canada, then it should be done as soon as possible. This is a good way to promote Distributist principles in public education. Good job, Maine!

Huffington Blog Gets It Right On Local Currencies

2009-04-06T20:55:00.003-04:00

The far-left Establishment blog The Huffington Post posts comments on a USA Today article on local currencies. The newspaper and the blog tell of 75 communities and areas within America that print and use these "mini-currencies". You can read the Post's article HERE.

The newest one, accoridng to both, is the Detroit Cheers. According to Louis Aguilar of The Detroit News, three local business owners started this plan, and over a dozen stores agreed to accept this local currency. With an unemployment rate of 22.2%, the city needs all the help it can get. It's a step well taken and in a Distributist direction as well. You may read the article HERE.

More and more, Americans are tuning in to the insights Belloc, Chesterton and their legitimate successors promoted decades ago. Movements like local currencies are a part of bringing a Distributist America to life. Let's support actions like this in our own communities, and help stop the economic gangrene our so-called leaders have infected us with.

Buchanan On Smashing The Fed

2009-04-05T20:38:00.003-04:00

Posted via the excellent paleo-conservative magazine Chronicles, here is a column by author and former Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan on getting rid of the Federal Reserve System.

You may read the article HERE.

Let us Distributists help those of good will to free America from this financial maker of nightmares. Let's work together to get rid of the Federal Reserve System.

Libya Tragedy Highlights Immigration Woes

2009-03-31T16:58:00.002-04:00

As reported by the Christian Science Monitor and the globalist news network CNN, several hundred illegal immigrants may have died off of the coast of Libya. According to the Monitor's article, one boat is confirmed sunk off of the Libyan coast, with three more feared sunk but there is no confirmation. You may read the Monitor's article HERE.

Just as illegal immigrants from Latin America use Mexico to enter the USA in search of a better life, Arab and African illegals use countries like Libya and Malta to enter the European Union nations for the same purpose. In spite of the economic downturn plaguing the Union, and increasing unemployment in its member nations, people from Ghana and Nigeria, Ethiopia and Somalia and elsewhere fly northward to get work to support their families.

As the CNN article notes, just like their counterparts in Mexico, smugglers make obscene profits on the backs of these unskilled laborers and refugees wanting to enter Italy or Spain. And in both cases, too often these illegals can get ripped off and be abandoned to either border police or the fickle favors of Mother Nature. You may read the CNN article HERE.

It is stating the obvious that these poor people wouldn't be forced to leave their homelands if there domestic situations were more stable than they are. And that is due to either Socialist or Marxist dictatorships running and ruining their homelands, multinational corporations ravaging the local economy, ethnic and tribal infighting or all three combined.

That is why we who believe in and support Distributism must bring it to the Third World, so that these impoverished nations no longer have to let their citizens run away toward an uncertain future. Doing this now and teaching them now the insights of Belloc and Chesterton and their successors will help avoid future tragedies like what just happened off Libya's coast.

Update On Fed Food Takeover Bill

2009-03-26T15:15:00.003-04:00

This proposed bill in the U.S. Congress -- HR 875 -- that we've written about in the last two weeks is worse that expected when you read the details.

Chelsea Schilling, writing for the neo-conservative Web news giant WorldNetDaily, reports that the bill has 39 co-sponsors, all of them Democrats. (You can read the full article HERE.) Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut introduced this bill. She's married to a researcher for Monsanto, one of the world's biggest chemical companies. Monsanto is heavily involved in genetic modification of seeds and herbal pesticides. So we have possible conflict of interest issues here.

The bill would create a "Food Safety Administration" as a part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This "administration" would be granted, under the new loosely-written rules, legal authority to regulate ALL food production in the country.

Let me repeat that. They will regulate ALL food production, including CSA farms, farmer's markets and backyard gardening. That's no exaggeration.

The Farm-To-Consumer Legal Defense Fund did a further detailed analysis of HR 875, especially in regards to those Americans who use and advocate the consumption of raw milk and raw milk products. You can read their analysis HERE, and it will make your blood boil.

This bill and the others we've mentioned on the Voice lead to more Federal government control over America's food supply, especially from small food producers. This ultimately benefits both the HHS bureaucrats in Washington and Big Agribusiness and chemical giants like Monsanto. This is Socialism and Capitalism working together again to squash the little man, especially in regards to growing his own food.

We Distributists and others of good will must stand together against such totalitarian measures disguised as so-called "food safety".

So we urge you to call your Congressmen and demand they kill HR 875 and the other bills we've mentioned relating to local food production. Don't let up the pressure until it's done. And tell your friends and neighbors about this bill, especially those at CSA farms and fellow gardeners. For the so-called "mainstream media" either won't tell folks about this bill at all, or spin it in favor of the Federal government and Monsanto.

Local Currencies Shine In Wake Of Gold Coin Crisis

2009-03-24T22:21:00.003-04:00

From the leftist countercultural magazine Arthur Magazine, dated March 15, writer Douglas Rushkoff writes a vigorous broadside against the central bankers and the idiocy of bailing out the Wall Street banking giants. You can read the article HERE.

In his article, he also advocates the creation and use of local currencies -- also known as "mini-currencies", to help stimulate local and regional economies. such local currencies have been used in many places throughout the world in times of economic turmoil. They were valid and viable than and are still so today.

In a Distributist state, there'd be no quarrel with local currencies. For such local money would not be trying to replace the national currency, but supplement it to benefit the local economy. It's even more needed now in light of recent reports that the United States Mint is suspending more production of gold and silver coins due to record high demand.

According to the March 14 edition of Gold and Silver Blog, another batch of American Gold Eagle and Silver Eagle collectors coins won't be produced. this raises the total gold and silver coin products to 38, which meant as either delayed making or won't make any more. All indications are that the government is purposely forcing the American public to stay tied to paper dollars. They are rationing gold and silver coins on purpose. You may read the blog article HERE.

We Distributists must join with others of good will and establish local currency networks where we live. With the government forcing dependence on the rapidly devaluing paper dollar by rationing gold and silver coins, promoting these "mini- currencies" will help cushion this recession's many economic blows. better to do this sooner than later, better to do this now than sooner.

Big Agribusiness Eating Up Organic Companies

2009-03-20T00:27:00.002-04:00

Thanks to the Cornucopia Institute, there is a report on how eleven of the Big Agribusiness conglomerates own the very companies producing organic foods in America.

The report, compiled July of 2007, was done by Dr. Phil Howard, an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University. It can be read HERE.

In light of the proposed bills that would illegalize backyard gardening, farmer's markets and the like, this information must spur us on to break up these conglomerates. Like in other industries, Big Business and Big Government - Capitalism and Socialism - work hand-in-hand to destroy small-scale competition. Or failing that, to try to buy out said competition and make it work for them.

This is not the workings of a market economy, but it's mutation and distortion. We Distributists must never stand for this.

So let's demand our Congressmen and Senators vote against those bills mentioned earlier this week. Then work to break up these Big Agribusiness combines from the bottom-up. It won't happen overnight, but with God's merciful help, we can win.

P2P Blog On Co-Op Manufacturing

2009-03-16T22:45:00.003-04:00

This report, posted March 15th, comes from the blog of the P2P Foundation. Written by Michel Bauwens, it talks about the Distributist powerhouse that is Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy.

A masterpiece example of Distributism in action, it's small businesses, co-ops and small factories have made this area the richest in all of Italy. Co-ops produce 45% of the country's GDP.

If it can work there, it can work anywhere else. Read the article HERE and apply what you read to your neck of the woods.

Ferrara On The "Austrian School"

2009-03-16T22:26:00.003-04:00

Distributism's critics among the Communists -- that is, if they ever bother to criticize at all -- call what we hold "petite bourgeois revisionism". The Fascists would probably try to infiltrate us in order to take us over.

But the fiercest critics so far have been the Austrian School Libertarians among the Capitalists. Dr. Thomas Woods, Lew Rockwell and others have aimed their rhetorical guns on Distributism over the last couple of years.

This 2005 article from Christopher Ferrara of the American Catholic Lawyers Association gives a rebuttal and expose of this branch of Capitalist thought. Originally published in The Angelus magazine and reposted by our colleagues at The ChesterBelloc Mandate, this excellent article presents a summary of why this school of thought is heretical to Traditional Catholics and others of good will.

The reposted article can be read HERE.

Local Currency: "The Food Standard"

2009-03-14T01:13:00.003-04:00

Thanks to our colleague Kevin Carson at the Free Market Anti-Capitalist blog, we found a report from the web log The Oil Drum written by Jason Bradford and dated March 4th. {Click on the web log name to read the report.}

This deals with a project in Mendo, California called Mendo Credits. In effect, it is a local currency similar to the BerkShares project in western Massachusetts. However, the Mendo Credits can be redeemed for beans, wheat and rice. It is a legal, debt-free alternative to the fiat-based currency used in America.

This is another example of Distributist principles put into action on the local level. There's been positive reaction to this project, as there has been with BerkShares. Mr. Bradford's report alone has generated 141 comments as of this writing.

What is known as "complementary currencies", like the Mendo Units, should be encouraged and set up as soon as possible. With the current economy in a shambles thanks to the schemes of Washington's pro-globalist fanatics, these alternative local currencies will aid local economies to get back on their feet.

If you wish to comment on Mr. Bradford's report and project, please let him know you read about it in the Voice. And then act on what you've read.

In Praise Of Linux

2009-03-13T07:38:00.002-04:00

Our colleagues at The Distributist Review have an article talking about the free computer operating system Linux. It may be more pro-Distributist than we think.

The article is HERE. Enjoy!

Defend Organic Small Farming Now!

2009-03-11T18:07:00.004-04:00

The leftist environmental group Tree Huggers of America put out a press release on March 3rd, written by Linn Cohen-Cole. It tells of two more bills heading to the U.S. Congress that -- along with the bills mentioned two days ago -- would further smash the already weakened family farmers and farmer co-ops.

The link to their press release is HERE.

The four bills that need to be stopped cold are:

HR 875, HR 814, S 425, and soon, HR 759

Like so many other bills in the U.S. Congress, this is being snuck under the radar, so to speak. The so-called "mainstream media" won't cover this, or usually botch up the job.

So that means you readers of the Voice must call your Congressmen and Senators and demand they vote "NO" on these bills. Then let your friends and neighbors know what the Congress is planning to do to destroy organic farms, farmer co-ops, roadside stands and even backyard gardens.

This is no Chicken Little alarm over nothing. This is the real deal. Socialists and Monopoly Capitalists are aiming for the small farmers, and to keep control of the nation's food supply to themselves only.

Fight these anti-farmer and anti-Distributist bills now in Congress. Tell your Congressmen and Senators to vote "NO" on these bills. Then spread the word to stop these acts of tyranny. Thank you.

Blogging Against "Thieves"

2009-03-10T19:42:00.002-04:00

E. D. Kain, writing for the blog The League of Ordinary Gentlemen, gives us an excellent essay called "Thieves". It is a detailed criticism of Distributism's two main rivals, as well as a support for what Belloc and Chesterton bequeathed to us long ago. You can read his essay HERE.

Please enjoy, and let him know you read about it in The Distributist Voice. Thank you.

New U.S. Bill Would Ban Organic Farming

2009-03-09T20:16:00.002-04:00

The group Campaign For Liberty, affiliated with Congressman Dr. Ron Paul of Texas, warns us of the bill that would in effect ban organic farming and backyard gardening. And all under the disguise of “food safety.” The link to the report is HERE.

According to the press release from the campaign, bill HR 875 would “literally put all independent farmers and food producers out of business due to the huge amounts of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods”.

The bill would also “legally bind state agriculture depts. to enforce federal guidelines, effectively taking away the states power to do anything other than being food police for the federal dept.”.

There is a similar bill in the Senate, S 425.

We at the voice urge you to call your Representatives and Senators NOW and urge them to vote against these two bills. These bills represent a grave threat to Americans who don't want to be for ever enslaved to factory farming and its supporters.

This bill is another anti-Distributist attack on our family farmers, as well as another power grab by both the federal government and food giants like ADM and Monsanto. Don't let them succeed! Demand your representatives in Washington vote “NO” on these two horrid bills.

Buy It Local, Make It Local

2009-03-07T08:05:00.002-05:00

One of the tenets of Distributist Thought is the promotion and preservation of the local economy in all it's sectors. That includes agriculture, light and heavy manufacturing, service and health care, technology and retail.

When big businesses move out of small towns for the sake of cheap labor, so-called "free trade" and globalism, these towns crumble. But they can revive by implementing what we've learned from Belloc, Chesterton and their legitimate successors.

One of those inspired by them, whether directly or no, is job developer Michael Shuman. This article from the February 9th, 2009 edition of the Christian Science Monitor tells of his efforts to promote these little communities to restore their economic health with a big dose of "localism". The link to the article is HERE.

Let's learn from this and do what we can to bring this tenet of Distributism alive wherever we live and interact. It can only do us and our neighbors a world of good.

New Papal Document Will Be On Economics

2009-03-04T06:20:00.002-05:00

An article by Robert Moynihan, editor of InsideTheVatican.com, gives us advance notice of a new Papal Encyclical. One that will cause as much fury among Capitalists and Socialists as did Leo XIII's Rerun Novarum or John Paul II's Centissimus Annus.

As printed on the website Energy Publisher on March 3rd, Moynihan lets us know that Pope Benedict XVI's newest letter will come down hard on both of Distributism's main rivals. As Moynihan puts it, "it will be filled also with truth about how false economic principles and moral ideals can lead mankind toward the abyss, and into it."

You can read Moynihan's article HERE.

Congratulations to the Holy Father in advance for this important document. Distributists and others of good will await it with baited breath.

Keep Crooks Out Of Co-ops

2009-02-25T22:10:00.003-05:00

Far too many are leery of cooperatives. Not just from lack of familiarity, but from their way-too-close association with the darkness of Socialism. When a co-op's members or a co-op itself is involved in anything illegal, it only stains it's reputation for their entire movement.

Three recent examples will show why this vital part of a Distributist economy and state must be wary of all taint. (All reports were dated February 23.)

1: According to an article from the “progressive” newspaper Seattle Weekly, the state of California allows co-operatives for the buying of so-called “medical marijuana”. Even though the negative effects of marijuana are well-known, those pushing to legalize this drug are using these type of co-ops for such a purpose.

2: According to a report from the news website allAfrica.com, the deputy head of the Zambia Cooperatives Federation warned of fake co-ops getting government provided fertilizer. He demanded total obedience to legal guidelines for operating co-ops, and not cheat it's members of their dividends and benefits.

3: According to an article from The Jakarta Post of Indonesia, police on the island of Bali had to shut down a co-op suspected of running a Ponzi scheme. The police chief said the co-op was illegally running an investment firm, promising members a 150% rate of return. The Post reported that 62,000 investors could get at their money when police shut the co-op down.

As the old saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility.” As part of a Distributist State, co-operatives have the power to change an economy and social structure for the better.

But bad actions on a co-op's part will only hurt their image. It will give ammunition for it's rivals in the Capitalist and Socialist camps. So it must continue to weed out those that would break the law and blacken it's reputation. Let the co-operative movement be a model of both innovation and moral righteousness.

Decentralize The Grid Now!

2009-02-22T02:21:00.003-05:00

A non-negotiable tenet of Distributist Thought is decentralizing ownership of the means of production to as many as possible. One of those means of production is electricity generation.

With the continuous advances in developing low-level technology over the years, it's now possible to generate your own power. This is true for individual homes and local communities. Not only does these advances help homes keep the lights on during emergencies, but it also makes the overall electricity supply safer from terrorist attacks. For the more power generators there are, and the smaller they are, the less tempting a target for sabotage they are.

With this in mind, there are some links from a Cambridge, MA man active in promoting energy conservation and both solar and "micro-power" generation. This link HERE talks of three projects he'd love to get people involved in, promoting more public acceptance of solar power.

And this link HERE from the - alas - rabid pro-Democrat website Daily Kos speaks of employing parked cars or trucks as auxiliary generators. There's also a link HERE on how both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford did a joint project creating an electric house powered with "on-site generators". And all before World War One!

We can do this now to ensure a more pro-Distributist energy policy where we live. At the same time, we can get on both Congress' and Big Energy's case. Demand they get out of the way of average folks making and promoting alternative energy for themselves and their neighborhoods.

Stick it to the Socialists and Capitalists ruining America's energy future. Promote this today! Act on this today!

NEW FILIPINO CO-OP LAW SIGNED

2009-02-18T07:29:00.004-05:00

One of the hallmarks of a Distributist economy is the preservation and expansion of cooperatives. A new law recently signed by the president of the Philippines has done just that and more.

According to the magazine BusinessWorld Online, the new law allows cooperatives to give its members better access to training, as well as better educational and financial services. It also requires more attention to detail of a cooperative's accounting practices, as well as expanding the areas of business where cooperatives may be created.

This is positive news for the Philippines, which has for many years been on the cutting edge in promoting Distributism to the Third World. Congratulations are due to the Philippine government, and may other nations follow their example.

Von Mises Is No Saint

2009-02-10T23:31:00.002-05:00

From November of 2008, our colleague John C. Medaille at The Distributist Review writes a powerful article on Ludwig Von Mises, one of the leading figures of Austrian School Libertarianism.

In his piece called "Can Mises be Baptized?", Mr. Medaille writes on how so many influential American Catholic pundits were seduced by Mises' take on Capitalism. It is such a hard-hitting piece, it generated ninety-nine responses.

You read correctly. Ninety-nine of them!

Go HERE to read both article and comments. Hefty buy solid reading.

FIGHT THE OBAMA REGIME!

2009-01-20T07:41:00.001-05:00

As of noon Eastern Standard Time, Barack Obama will be sworn in as America's 44th President.

This is indeed a dreadful day for America.

For another man will occupy the White House who is...

Committed to killing the unborn through abortion.

Committed to promoting the Sexual Revolution.

Committed to destroying small businesses and cooperatives through over-regulation and high taxation.

Committed to promoting so-called “free trade”.

Committed to continue two un-Constitutional wars in areas of the world that didn't attack America.

Committed to keeping America in the United Nations, the WTO and the IMF.

Committed to destroying privacy and anonymity in our daily lives and financial dealings.

Committed to see America, Russia and the rest of the world swallowed up in a Global Servile State.

Just like Bush before him....

And Clinton before him...

And the first Bush before him...

We at the Voice will do our utmost to oppose the Obama regime in the only way we can...

With prayer, penance and promoting Distributism through this blog and our daily efforts. And we invite you to do the same, wherever in the world you read us.

Thank you and please pray for us.

NEW TOY LAW HURTS MORE THAN HELPS

2009-01-07T20:28:00.001-05:00

Over the last couple of years, toys made overseas – especially from Red China – were found to have lead, which is a threat to young children. Congress passed a new law recently to force businesses to test all 12-and-under children's products for both lead and a chemical that makes plastics bendable. The products listed also includes children's clothing.

But this law has been written too broadly, and threatens the economic health of many stores and domestic toy and clothing makers. And many, if not most of them, are small stores and manufacturers.

Why are they affected by this badly written law? They can't afford to test their clothing for lead and other chemicals. Large manufacturers will be able to bear the costs of this new regulation. But as is sadly typical, small businesses and cooperatives won't and so they go out of business.

Furthermore, thrift shops and consignment stores who sell children's clothing won't be able to do so after February 10th. That is when the law comes into effect. Also under the law, any untested toys or clothings will be considered “hazardous” and must be destroyed. Even if the clothing has no lead at all.

This means many poor and middle-class families, under this law, would be forced to buy their children's clothes at the national chain stores. The same chain stores that imported the toxic toys from Red China and other countries in the first place.

This law would even threaten the ability to legally buy used children's things from yard sales, or even on Amazon and Ebay. Work-at-home mothers making children's clothes for extra money would also be forced to shut down. It would even be illegal to donate used children's clothing to emergency shelters and crisis pregnancy centers.

To call this law anti-Distributist would be an understatement!

This horrid law – called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act – can be modified for the better. But only if Congress acts now before the law takes effect on February 10th. We at the Voice urge you to call your Congressman and Senator, and demand this law be changed NOW!

As a poster on the Traditional Catholic forum Fisheaters summed it up:

“There are so many problems with this: It hurts American business, it goes against the rights of consumers and small business owners, it's oppressive to the poor, it's dangerous for children, it's wasteful and bad for the environment, it's going to put people out of work, it's amazingly heavy-handed, it puts us even more in China's pocket.”

To get more detailed info on this bill, as well as how to demand it be changed for the better, please click HERE. Please do it now!!!

Cobbett Classic Reprinted

2009-01-06T21:23:00.002-05:00

William Cobbett (1763-1835) was an English writer, politician and author, much like Belloc was. He was one of the many who would lay the foundation for what, a century later, would be known as Distributism.

Chesterton wrote a book about him in tribute to this pioneer of economic and political decentralization, which can be found HERE.

A heretofore little-known work of Cobbett's, called THE EMIGRANT'S GUIDE, is now being reprinted by Economic Justice Media, publishing arm of the Virginia-based Center for Economic and Social Justice. More info on this book and where to buy it can be found HERE.

We at the Voice encourage you to buy and read this book. And then act on what you read.

Where Does American Conservatism Go Now?

2009-01-06T21:00:00.002-05:00

With the Republican's defeat in America's 2008 national elections, many on the American Right are asking themselves "What do we do now? Where do we go from here? What happens next?"

Thanks to our colleague at The Western Confucian, there is a good answer to all three...towards Distributism.

He refers to a talk by Allan C. Carlson, author and friend of Distributism within the branch of the American Right called "paleoconservatism". Originally given at Yale University in November of 2008, the talk is deep and thorough and deserves to be read. And then acted upon.

Known as "Learning From Conservative History: Main Trails . . . and Less-Traveled Paths", it can be accessed HERE.

Three Way Debate Set for April

2009-01-06T20:50:00.002-05:00

From our friends at The Society For Distributism comes this great announcement:

Garden City, NY, USA. A conference hosted and sponsored by the Nassau Community College for Catholic Studies in Long Island, New York, is confirmed for April 4th, 2009 at the College Center Building. The debate will present and contrast the Capitalist, Socialist, and Distributist positions in economics. The Conference, Catholicism and Economics, will present and compare the intellectual arguments about the compatibility of Catholicism with, respectively, democratic socialism, democratic capitalism, and distributism.

Thomas Storck will speak for the distributist position. Dr. Charles Clark will be the speaker on democratic socialism. Michael Novak will be the main speaker for the democratic capitalist position.

From 11:30am until 12:30pm there will be a luncheon for all in attendance (speakers and audience) including sandwiches, salads, cake, coffee/tea/cold beverages. Following lunch, there will be a brief tribute to the recently deceased Catholic scholars, Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J., and Msgr. Michael Wrenn. The debate will begin at 1pm with a half hour presentation by each participant. Subsequently, there will be an opportunity for the participants to respond critically to one another, with a brief summary statement made by each main speaker. Dr. Stephen M. Krason, President of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, will close the event with a short reflection on the conference from the perspective of Heinrich Pesch and Solidarism. The event will conclude by 4:30pm.

Thomas Storck is an author, a member of the Editorial Board of the Chesterton Review and of The Society for Distributism.

Dr. Charles M.A. Clark is a Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance, Peter J. Tobin College of Business, St. John's University, Jamaica, Queens, New York.

Michael Novak is the George Frederick Jewett Chair in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute of Washington, D.C.

Stephen M. Krason is Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.

All conference attendees must register. In order to register for the conference, contact:

Nassau Community College

Office of Life Long Learning

One Education Drive

Garden City, New York, 11530

1-516-572-7472.

The Office of Life Long Learning will send you registration material and a mandatory parking permit through the mail. Parking on campus without a valid permit could result in being issued a parking ticket. Those lost on campus and in need of directions to the College Center Building can contact the Office of Public Safety, 1-516-572-7100.

For more information, contact:

Richard Aleman

The Society for Distributism

P.O. Box 37

Hicksville, NY 11802

1-516-508-1871

societyfordistributism@gmail.com

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T14:46:00.001-05:00

On behalf of Jovan and myself, we at the Voice wish you all a Merry Christmas!

May the Holy Family keep you safe and well all the New Year!

Cry For Madagascar

2008-12-07T16:30:00.002-05:00

As I wrote in The Distributist Review slightly over two years ago, Madagascar had the potential to become a Distributist state and still does. Recent events have put that possibility farther away than it should.

Daewoo Industries, one of South Korea's largest and most influential, has signed a deal with the island's government that appalls. The multinational conglomerate signed a 99 year lease with the Tananarive government for millions of acres of arable land. How many millions? They're equal to half – literally half – of all the arable land in the country. The size of which is equal to the entire nation of Belgium! The BBC reports on it HERE. And the influential South Korean blog The Marmot's Hole goes into further detail on it HERE.

Why? Thanks to the idiotic rush to speculate on world food prices – and the disaster it inflicted on world food supplies – nations like South Korea want to protect itself from any similar calamity. So it has turned to Africa to use it's largely untapped mineral and agricultural wealth to feed it's people. The Communist Chinese are doing similar projects regarding the Dark Continent's mineral wealth, especially with its fellow Marxist counterparts in Zimbabwe.

This is neo-colonialism returning to Africa, albeit under a more economic-oriented disguise. And such things must not be allowed to continue. Like all the other nations of the world, the people of Madagascar must be taught of Distributism. The God-given insights of Belloc, Chesterton, Schumacher and Solzhenitsyn and those who come after them have a desperate need to be applied.

South Korea and Madagascar could have a better economic relationship than what they've settled upon now. And that would under Distributism, not neo-colonialism.

DEFEND LIFE IN LUXEMBOURG!

2008-12-04T08:15:00.002-05:00

According to this report HERE from the BBC, the Parliament of Luxembourg is planning to cut power from the sovereign, His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Henri. The London Times also reports on this horrid bill HERE. And why?

Because he won't sign a law that allows the evils of euthanasia to rum rampant in that tiny country.

An alliance of Socialist, Liberal and Green deputies pushed through this bill by a 30 to 26 margin. And the Christian Social party, though it opposes this evil bill, will not do anything to stand in the way of this bill's implementation. So they will “trim” the power of the Grand Duke instead.

His Royal Highness, who's family is descended from St. Louis IX – the greatest of all French kings, opposed the euthanasia bill for "reasons of conscience". Then the Grand Duke's conscience is well-formed indeed on this issue. For euthanasia is part of the typical eugenics agenda that both Globalists and Sexual Revolutionaries demand for every country. And so-called “mercy killing” is anything but merciful, for it treats the life of the elderly, mentally ill and sick as less than human.

Belloc and Chesterton, in the early days of the Distributist League, fought similar measures brewing in the British Parliament. Chesterton in his work Eugenics and Other Evils thundered against this revival of the crimes of Herod the Great in the Twentieth Century.

Protecting the traditional family and the sanctity of life is a key tenet of Distributist Thought. And like subsidiarity, it is non-negotiable.

What can we do to push this back? Along with prayer, which is the necessary beginning of all good action, contact the Luxembourg Parliament by e-mail, postcard and letter. Be brief and polite. But demand they leave the Grand Duke and the Constitution alone. And don't put the euthanasia bill into law...ever! And spread the word to pro-lifers worldwide and get them to do the same!

Don't let the Socialists and their allies triumph in Luxembourg. Defend the defenseless and defend the Grand Duke!

NO AUTO INDUSTRY BAILOUT!

2008-11-18T07:37:00.000-05:00

Do you remember when Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca came to the U.S. Government, hat in hand, to ask for Federal bailout money? Even though it went against Constitutional laws, Uncle Same approved and gave Chrysler said money. Iacocca was hailed at an economic hero and a business genius.

What did we, the American public, get out of this? The “K” Car.

For years, many Americans have complained of not-so-good quality and worse out of American-made cars. The usual reasons get trotted out like old horses from some dilapidated barn.

The unions are blamed, thanks to their high salaries and health and pension plans.

The chairmen and governing boards are blamed, thanks to their sky-high salaries and bonuses.

Engineers and lower level executives are blamed, sitting on discoveries that could increase fuel efficiency and safety for reasons of greed or power or both.

All of these have their places in the growing demise of American car manufacturing, no doubt about it. But there are also another reason why more Americans have turned to foreign models. And that is lack of domestic competition.

Smaller rivals like AMC, Nash, Studebaker and Checker were eliminated, one by one, thanks to the Big Three and Big Government joining together to squeeze them out. Especially upstarts like Tucker and his Torpedo, incorporating then unheard-of features like safety belts and the engine in the rear, were squished before they got off the ground. The DeLorean sports car is another good example.

If Washington and the Big Three in the auto industry would get out of the way, we could have more domestic competition in the marketplace from smaller rivals. More and more bailouts, as is proposed for the auto industry like it was for the banking industry, does nothing for the market economy in this country.

So from a Distributist perspective, several things need to be done.

One, the Congress must vote NO on the proposed auto industry bailout. It is unconstitutional, and won't guarantee that the Big Three automakers won't make the same mistakes that brought them to where they are now.

Two, the auto unions should not only fight for worker ownership in their companies, but also worker management of the same. There should be worker-representatives on the governing board of the auto makers, giving the working man and woman a say on how the company should be run.

Three, the Big Three should be broken up into smaller companies, so as to reduce the specter of domestic monopoly in this industry.

Four, any Federal restrictions on smaller car manufacturers – written in favor of the Big Three – should be repealed.

The American auto industry, like so many others in the manufacturing sector, must be rebuilt on a foundation that favors smaller scale production, built on a cooperative basis, eliminate Socialist micro-management and over regulation, and promotes worker ownership and management of these companies.

The Voice asks our readers to call their Congressmen and Senators, and demand they vote NO on any proposed Federal bailout of the Big Three automakers.

Twenty Tips To Survive The Next Depression

2008-11-07T19:58:00.002-05:00

Our colleague Bob Waldrop from the Oklahoma Food Cooperative has put up a list of twenty things you can do NOW to prepare for the economic hard times ahead.

These are general strategies that you can start doing today, as well as teach any willing neighbor interested in this. Go HERE to learn more about them.

Solzhenitsyn, Distributist

2008-11-03T21:47:00.002-05:00

From our colleagues at The Distributist Review, here is an excellent essay by Richard Aleman about the late Russian author and dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn. It talks of his reaching the same conclusions about BOTH Socialism and Capitalism that many others have taken, whether or not they read Belloc and Chesterton.

You can read the essay HERE.

Swedish Localist Speaks To South Koreans

2008-10-28T20:59:00.003-04:00

Thanks to our colleague Joshua Andreas at The Western Confucian, we have this article on the Swedish-born activist and pro-Distributist speaker Helena Norberg-Hodge.

She is the founder of the International Society for Ecology and Culture.

As Joshua noted, her talk was very encouraging, as she advocated a return to small farms and businesses fueling a nation's economy. She called it "bottom-up economics".

And as Joshua noted, unlike many in the Western Decentralist Left, she railed against the myth of "overpopulation". Good for her!

Please go HERE to read Joshua's article. Then do what you can wherever you live to put what you read into practice. It will help to build a Distributist Earth where you are.

FDA Bullies Small Natural Vitamin Companies

2008-10-22T19:09:00.003-04:00

This disturbing article, dated October 21, is written by Mike Adams for the alternative health news and information website NaturalNews.com. Mr. Adams is the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center in Tucson, Arizona.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has had a terrible reputation with the natural and so-called "alternative" health sector. There has been documented cases of FDA legal harassment and worse, as Mr. Adams notes in his essay, which you can read HERE.

He calls for all small vitamin and natural supplement companies in America to join together in a lawsuit against the FDA. There is also a bill filed in the U.S. Congress by the intrepid Dr. Ron Paul of Texas, called the "Health Freedom Protection Act". You can read more about it HERE. The Voice supports such actions, and encourages our readers to do likewise.

What the FDA is doing violates a core principle in Distributist Thought - subsidiarity. That is, taking care of things at the lowest level possible. The Federal government is wrong to persecute small health and vitamin companies like these. Both restrictions on the FDA and unified action between these companies will repel these immoral and Socialist actions by this agency.

Do what you can to help these noble efforts succeed, and tell your neighbors about it. Thank you.

Bill Powell Article On Distributism

2008-10-20T21:46:00.002-04:00

Freelance writer Bill Powell has written an excellent brief article for the Neo-Catholic and Neo-Conservative website InsideCatholic.com on Distributism. The article leans more toward the economic side of what we hold true, not as much on the political side. You can read the article HERE.

This is a good introduction to give anyone you know who is curious about what Distributism is. If they are, give them the article or the link to it.

For the first step in building a Distributist Earth starts with YOU.

Bernanke's Stimulus Plan Not Good Enough

2008-10-20T18:27:00.004-04:00

According to a report today from Jeanne Sahadi of CNNMoney, the current Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is calling for a second "economic stimulus package". The aim is to restart the economy by encouraging spending. You can read the report HERE.

But such a plan is stupid when the nation's economy is mostly rebuilt on a service industry basis. As my colleague Prof. John Medaille at The Distributist Review pointed out, one can grow an economy only by growing, mining or making things. Thanks to pro-"free trade" fanatics running both parties in Washington, D.C., big businesses were given incentives to relocate outside the U.S.A. So with any stimulus monies given, they would only flow out of the country, not circulate within. The money would go to buy foreign-made products, not domestic ones.

Whatever form such a stimulus plans takes, whether Democrat or Republican, it will not help in the long run if current situations still apply.

Which means we Distributists have to encourage a rebuilding of the country's manufacturing base...but on a small business and worker-owned and managed cooperative basis. And the politicians in D.C. need to renounce "free trade" policies that have helped to bring us to the economic nightmare we're living in now.

Tell your Congressman and Senators to vote "NO" on the second stimulus plan until they put in policies to bring the factories home NOW.

BALLE Co-Founder On Changing The Economy

2008-10-13T19:37:00.002-04:00

From The Sun Magazine of August, 2008, there is an interview with Judy Wicks, co-founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). There are one of the links we have here on the Voice. You can read the interview HERE.

In this interview, she speaks of her work in promoting the strengthening of local economies over the nation one. In light of the engineered fiascoes from the so-called "Bailout Bill" and the international credit crunch, it is encouraging to read about people working toward a Distributist future.

One neighborhood at a time.

Be warned, however, that Ms. Wicks tends to promote the "progressivist" worldview on international affairs. That is, rightly criticizing American and Western foreign policy measures, but ignoring similar ones from the Communist and Socialist nations like Russia and Red China.

This is what we Distributists have to face and deal with when promoting endeavors like BALLE. It is our duty to teach those who are "progressivist" that real social progress stays in line with the Church's Social Teachings, common sense and logic.

For real social progress won't happen if they are abandoned for a poisonous dystopia that folks like the late John Lennon put in his song "Imagine".

As St. Paul told us in the New Testament, "Test everything, hold fast to what is good."

The Remnant On The "Bailout Bill"

2008-10-11T12:27:00.002-04:00

Brian McCall, who writes for The Remnant - the oldest Traditional Catholic magazine in America - pens a powerful essay on Catholic Social Teaching and the current economic crisis. You may read his essay HERE.

The second paragraph alone deserves special mention:

"St. Thomas Aquinas predicted such a collapse of an economic system like the one under which we have been toiling. In Lecture IX on the Ethics of Aristotle, he commented that eventually all exchange transactions will cease in a society which continually violates the principles of commutative justice in economic exchange transactions."

To put it in simpler terms:

If you eat too many fatty foods, you'll clog up your arteries and die of a heart attack.

If you hear too many rock songs at full volume, you'll damage your eardrums and risk going deaf.

If you stare at the sun for even a short time, you'll damage your retinas and risk going blind.

If you pour sugar into the gasoline tank of your car, it will gum up your engine and your car won't run anymore.

So if you continually break God's laws regarding running a nation's economy - allowing usury for loans, fractional reserve banking, speculation, fiat currency and so on - you'll damage your economy and run your nation into the ground. McCall goes into greater detail on this, especially relating to the current housing crisis that led to this series of fiascoes in Washington DC and elsewhere worldwide.

In Distributism, such things as usury, fractional reserve banking and so on are rejected from the outset. For it is based on the sound foundations of Divine Law and common sense.

Or put another way, if you want to keep an economy robust and alive, don't do the things that will make it sick or kill it. Don't base your national currency on just the say-so of the government. Don't allow loaning on unproductive loans. Don't build your national economy on a mostly service industry basis. Don't concentrate economic and political power into the hands of a self-proclaimed "elite few".

Read and ponder Mr. McCall's essay. Break it down into a way your neighbors can understand and talk with them about it. Work with them in your neighborhood and region to change any law defending such economic crimes.

You will then help your society become more Distributist and, thus, saner and healthier.

Athanasius on the "New Ali Baba"

2008-10-11T01:34:00.003-04:00

Our colleague "Athanasius" of the web log Athanasius Contra Mundum has written a hard-hitting piece for our allied blog The New Distributist League. It is on the results of the so-called Bailout bill, known by it's euphemism as the "Economic Rescue Plan". Click HERE to read his powerful analysis.

The bailout was a fraud. The way it was rammed through the Congress was a fraud. The song-and-dance routine the government leaders do to defend this plan is a fraud.

But what can one expect when our Congress is dominated by Globalists and Socialists - whether Marxist, Fabian or Corporate? The elites who conjured up this curse, both Republican and Democrat, did it to rescue their allies on Wall Street. Not us.

What does this mean for Joe and Jane Average in America? For the short term, as I've read from the "mainstream" and alternative media experts is:

1) Stock up on essentials like food, drinkable water, soap, gasoline and the like.

2) Get out of debt as quickly as your means will allow. The economist Dave Ramsay has a good plan which has worked for thousands, and can been read on his website HERE.

3) Keep a good reserve of cash on hand for emergencies.

For the long term, what shall we do?

Don't expect any real help from either Washington or their Big Business allies. We will have to rebuild our economy ourselves with God's grace and mercy. It will have to rebuilt from the bottom-up with our pooled resources, with the poor and middle classes working together.

It means rebuilding our agricultural and industrial sector on a pro-small business and cooperative basis.

It means targeting the needs of the local and regional economies over the state, the state over the nation, the nation over the world.

It means the creation and maintenance of locally-based inflation-proof currencies to help stimulate the local and regional economies. One of the best plans for that is the BerkShares plan in Western Massachusetts, which you can read about HERE.

It means teaching the general public about Distributist Thought, how it is practical and how it can be implemented where they live. It won't be easy, but nothing worth while ever is.

And it means starting all this TODAY! Do what you can where you are to start it.

Introduction

2008-10-09T01:14:00.002-04:00

And I'm Jovan Weismiller, also a former (sporadic) contributor to The Distributist Review. I have promised Mr Moore that I will try to be more active in posting here. I hope that we can make a contribution to the ongoing struggle to establish a just economic order based on the Social Magisterium of the Church.

Greetings To You All!

2008-10-08T16:05:00.002-04:00

Laudetur Jesus Christus et Maria Virginae!

Hello everyone. This is Roy F. Moore, columnist for Gilbert Magazine and former contributor to The Distributist Review. Welcome to this new news and opinion web log promoting Distributism and a pro-Traditional Catholic worldview.

What is Distributism?

It is a literal alternative to BOTH Capitalism and Socialism, especially it's Communist and Fascist variants. For a more detailed explanation, please go to the Wikipedia entry on it HERE.

It was co-founded by the great English authors and journalists Hilaire Belloc and Gilbert Keith Chesterton, or GKC to his fans. It has been refined by other great minds over the decades worldwide.

On the American political spectrum, we are neither "liberal" nor "conservative". Chesterton, one of the world's most prolific authors, had this to say about this political divide long ago:

"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected."

In the upcoming weeks and months, this web log will report on events in America, Canada, Russia and elsewhere from this unique worldview. Plus there will be social and moral commentary ground in the traditional teachings of Catholicism, both Latin and Eastern Rites.

May the Voice help spur you on to work and pray for positive change wherever you live. Thank you for your time and attention.