The Narthex
Metallic Sacrilege
Civic infrastructure and sacred symbols have become mere objects for plunder
By John M. Grondelski | September 18th 2025 11:12 AMA peculiar subset of modern moral corrosion is metal theft: the stealing of objects ranging from manhole covers to fire hydrants to be sold as scrap metal. Copper currently sells in the $4.60–$4.70 per pound range, making it a tempting target. What might look like petty crime is, in fact,…
READ FULL BLOG POSTRandom Ruminations #20
Dressing to the Zeroes... Stealing from the Dead... Polish-American Contributions... more
By John M. Grondelski | February 21st 2025 3:20 PMDressing to the Zeroes Once upon a time, being “dressed to the nines” meant being dressed to perfection, with distinction. It was expected in public, including many places today’s Americans would no longer expect. When I went to college in the late 1970s, my primary way home was by airplane:…
READ FULL BLOG POSTMetal Theft & Moral Rust
Parts of U.S. cities are going dark because thieves are stealing copper wire from lamps
By John M. Grondelski | July 30th 2024 12:30 PMDescribing the “den of infamous resort” where Old Joe, Mrs. Dilber, and others haggled over things pilfered from the possessions of Ebenezer Scrooge, Charles Dickens called that “beetling shop” a place where “iron, old rags, bottles, bones, and greasy offal were bought. Upon the floor within were piled up heaps…
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