The American TFP

The War in Hormuz Exposes Humanity’s Dangerous Chokepoint Addiction

by Edwin Benson June 29, 2026

If there is one lesson to be learned from the war in Iran, it is that supply chains are vulnerable and fragile. Certain geographical chokepoints exist that can bring down the world economy. The Strait of Hormuz suddenly became a concern for everyone. To make matters worse, the modern economy is based … Read more

Saint Teresa of Avila’s Prayers Ease a Good Priest’s Path to Heaven

by Edwin Benson June 25, 2026June 25, 2026

Statue of a veiled saint holding an open manuscript, gazing upward in a church interior

This article is the fourth part of a series about Purgatory, a topic that is rarely discussed today. A knowledge of Purgatory is essential if souls are to avoid the pains of this place of expiation. The first article can be found here. In Chapter Five of Purgatory by Father F.X. Schouppe, … Read more

U.S. Hospitals are Dropping “Gender Affirming Care” for Minors and Offering “Detransitioning”

by Edwin Benson June 23, 2026

A recent article in The Texas Tribune carried a message to all concerned about sexual transitions generally, and to America’s children, in particular. Sanity Returns to a Great Hospital “Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston has to create a detransition clinic for transgender patients later this year and keep a list of ‘potential’ … Read more

Exploring the Monumental Ugliness of the New Obama Center

by Edwin Benson June 16, 2026

The Barack Obama Presidential Center will open to the public on June 19 and is already surrounded by controversy, primarily for its appearance. In fact, controversy has been a constant companion of the project since its announcement. To call it stark is an understatement. In fact, one admittedly right-wing source referred to … Read more

Whoever Heard of Eleven-Year-Old Terrorists? Luring Children into Nihilistic Violence

by Edwin Benson June 10, 2026

The FBI is warning parents that their children could be lured into terrorist gangs. All this might take place without leaving their homes. Usually, tales of recruiting into violent terrorist gangs do not call to mind middle-class children playing video games after days in their suburban junior high schools. However, recruiters are … Read more

Selling Daughters in Afghanistan: a Time-Honored Custom that the BBC Tolerates

by Edwin Benson June 8, 2026

In a single article, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) managed to cover two very different bankruptcies—one being that of Muslim culture and the other being of any sense of morality the vaunted state-run British media giant may once have had. A Destitute City Much of the article focused on seven men who … Read more

Why Can’t the World’s Best Technologies Create Smarter Students?

by Edwin Benson June 2, 2026June 2, 2026

The lure of the perfect teaching machine is great. The reality is always disappointing. Machines simply cannot adapt to students’ needs as rapidly or smoothly as a competent and caring teacher. Tales from the Classroom Consider this parent’s lament. “When my son was in first grade, he came home from school in … Read more

How Catholic Principles Shaped Pugin’s Bold Architecture

by Edwin Benson May 29, 2026May 29, 2026

The following article is the second of a four-part series that features the life of Augustus Pugin, the renown English Catholic architect of the nineteenth century. The first article is found here. Long before Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin accepted the tenets of Catholicism, he absorbed its culture. Like many young men, Pugin … Read more

The Recess Revival: Data, Doctors, and Teachers Agree Kids Need Daily Play

by Edwin Benson May 26, 2026

On April 22, 2026, Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma signed Senate Bill 1481, requiring that all elementary school students (grades kindergarten through five) receive at least forty minutes of recess daily over and above the amount of time they spend in Physical Education. The new law has two other requirements. “Recess shall … Read more

Will SCOTUS Use the Texas Ten Commandments Case to Free America From an Unhistorical and Unconstitutional “Separation of Church and State”?

by Edwin Benson May 22, 2026

On April 21, 2026, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, adjudicating en banc, issued a narrow 9-8 ruling in Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District upholding the constitutionality of the Texas law (S.B. 10) mandating the posting of the Ten Commandents in Texas public school classrooms. The ACLU plans … Read more