Opus 2019-022: The Real Fake, part 2 of 2

Modern science has sold its soul to the god of political correctness and federal grants.  Leftists in government wave a checkbook and “science” declares that we need to stop global cooling.  A few years later they wave it again and we are stopping global warming.  Every time they warn us that the end is near they pass more regulations that take away our liberty.  You may have heard the declaration recently of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.  I found it many places but am using part of the title from Real Clear Politics.

"The World Is Going To End In 12 Years If We Don't Address Climate Change"

The claim is ridiculous.  One reason is that it has been repeated again and again for years and it is based on lies.  It isn’t flawed science, it is lies.  The scientists who produce the data know that they have faked it and are only doing it to advance the left’s political agenda.

So I would agree that the end of America as we know it is near.  It will not be because of any type of climate change.  It will not be because of obesity, water pollution, extinction of an insect or any of the other things we worry about.  It will be because we have swallowed the pill that fake science has produced for us.

There is still time to get it right but I am not seeing it happen.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-021: The Real Fake, part 1 of 2

I am not overly concerned when I hear that we live in a post-Christian culture.  Since I believe in God and believe that Jesus is God, the current trends in society are just that, current trends.  We need to understand the difference between the organized church and the church as the body of Christ.  One is a legal entity which may or may not be necessary.  The legal institution can exist with no believers as a part of it.  There are many immense edifices today that have signs declaring them churches but they contain noone who believes in the physical resurrection of Jesus or His divinity.  They exist because somewhere in the past lot of money was invested and the interest on those investments keeps the doors open.  The real church is made up of believers whether they have a brick and mortar structure or meet in a park.  The true church will endure until the end.

What really concerns me is that we are living in a post-science culture.  The value of science is the scientific method which salutes a theory proved wrong almost as much as one verified.  True science it is never “settled”.  There will always be questions and experiments based on the three foundations:  Observable, repeatable, measurable.  Those who don’t understand that have a long history of declaring things like “you cannot go faster than the speed of sound” and “You can tell intelligence by the shape of the head”.  The world of real science and honest investigation is passing away.  What is now called science has become a pawn in the hands of left wing politicians who want to use the respect science has earned as a tainted club to force people into socialism and government tyranny controlled by a small elite. 

To be concluded...

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-020: The 400+

I keep hoping that we as a people will learn.  I am not sure I am seeing it yet.

Cases in point:  The Covington Boys, the three week extension on the wall, the latest headline in almost any venue that has headlines. 

In each case the media paints a picture, people buy it, and then we find out it isn’t true or is nothing to worry about.  With the smear of the Covington Boys it was clear that even people who claim to be on the side of conservative values are part of the problem.  I am not sure which is worse Catholic leaders who jump to judgment or National Review writers who condemn without a thought of their own.

I keep remembering the 400 FBI files that disappeared under the Clinton watch.  I would love to have a list of the names and see how those people have caved at key times.  Of course the 400 were small potatoes compared to what Obama made available.  It makes me wonder what they have on me.  I think of the cameras and microphones in almost every piece of electronics we now have in our houses.

I am too old to go to camp.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-019: Show Some Respect

Rodney Dangerfield has become the avatar of the 21st century.  We have come to the point where nothing gets any respect.

I remember I used to respect the police.  I thought FBI agents were noble servants of the republic.  And judges, what could be more worthy than a judge?  Pastors were awesome.  Teachers were the best. 

But what did I know?  Have I just learned to be more observant or have things changed?  I think it is both.  As I get older and have a broader pool of knowledge I find that things I used to accept now get me to raise my eyebrows.  I know that when I listen to the music I enjoyed as a kid I wonder how I survived the sexual innuendoes and suggestive pictures.

As a teacher I came to realize how lacking the profession is.  Part of that is the change that has gone on since I was a kid.  When I was in school being a teacher was one of the few professions that women and minorities could expect to use their talents, so if I had a black teacher it was someone who today would qualify to be a doctor or senior vice president if given the chance.  Today, with a few exceptions, we get the leftovers.  Principals were objects of awe.  Being sent to the principal was something to be avoided at all costs.  Now kids are on a first name basis with them and they side with the kid against the teacher.  Little respect needed here.

I have watched the FBI and court system become objects of derision rather than respect.  Top law enforcement has been using their power to destroy patriotic Americans based on political party.  You may have seen the FBI swat team that conducted a pre-dawn raid to arrest an elderly man who was accused of process crimes.  Judges ignore the Constitution and precedent to mold society when the left can’t succeed in the legislative process.  The ultimate was when the people of California passed a constitutional amendment and the state supreme court ruled it unconstitutional. 

As for pastors, I was one.  I have seen men put their wives to work so they could do their thing.  I have seen the egos.  I have watched as they have had affairs and embezzled funds.  I have watched the unworthy promoted and the worthy ignored.

I am sure none of this is new.  It doesn’t mean I have to like it.  I am an idealist at heart.  I hope I always remain one even though my eyes are more open.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-218: Headlines: It Ain’t 1776

At this point I am not impressed with the “revolt against socialism” in Venezuela.  Socialism is an addictive form of welfare.  It is a conscience drug.  People begin to believe that they deserve something.  When they revolt, I am not so sure it is against socialism as much as it is that they don’t think they are getting their share.

Revolutions as a whole don’t always make things better.  One of the things about the United States is that it’s revolution was led by people who were genuinely interested in liberty.  They wanted it for themselves, yes, but they also wanted it for their fellow citizens.  The final words of the Declaration of Independence should be taken literally.  I have quoted it before, I offer it again.

“And for the support of this declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

They believed in “Providence”.  That means they bought into the Christian understanding of God, what He expects and how He works.  They were fenced in by that.  It meant that George Washington refused to be made king and that a succession of presidents turned loose of power when they left office.  I think we were unique in history because of those leaders.  I wish we had more like them today.

I am not sure the revolutionaries in Venezuela understand it that way.  I would hope I am wrong but the history of revolutions is that when the dust settles, those with the biggest dust pans start becoming the tyrants they replaced.  I am afraid that those marching are simply looking for someone else to step up and promise to make life better with bigger handouts.

I could be totally wrong.  I hope so.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-217: Father Figure

I am seeing a lot of confusion on recent history.  I keep seeing Walter Cronkite held up as the example of what American Journalism should be.  I think that a more accurate memory would be that he is the one who built up trust and then betrayed the country.

Keep in mind he is the one who lost the Vietnam War.

Why do I say that?  It goes back to the Tet Offensive of 1968.  For years all the antagonists of the Vietnam war had observed a truce during Tet.  It was an important holiday to the Vietnamese and was honored as such.  About the closest we in the West can come to the Tet Truce was the Christmas in World War I when the two sides came out of the trenches and sang Christmas carols together.  It is hard to believe, but it happened.

In 1968 the South Vietnamese and American forces were on stand-down to recognize the day.  The Communists decided that this was their chance to win big.  They infiltrated large numbers of North Vietnamese troops and gathered up all the Viet Cong they could find.  Then, when the allies were totally unprepared, they attacked.  They expected to have a walk over and bring the war to a screeching halt. 

It didn’t work out like they planned.  In spite of being totally unready the Americans and South Vietnamese rallied and cleaned the Communists’ clock.  What was supposed to be a slaughter of Americans turned out to be “the only good commie is a dead commie”.  There were a lot of good commies after there failed attempt at an atrocity.  It was the biggest defeat that the invaders had suffered.

You would not have known that from watching the news.  “Uncle” Walter took the lead in coming on the evening news and declaring that the war was lost because the Americans and Vietnamese had been so severely mauled.  It was the original Fake News.  And because he had built up such trust with the American public, he was believed.  He lied.  He deceived.  He lost the war because it took a long time for the public to be able to discover that we had won the battle, hands down.

So please.  Don’t act like Walter Cronkite was a virtuous icon.  He was the father of Fake News.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-216: Being Cheeky

One of the hardest lessons for me to learn about life is that some people have a need to be yelled at.  I was raised on the principle of turning the other cheek.

(Matthew 5:39 KJV)  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

I understand it and apply it on a regular basis.  Unfortunately there are many people who are so locked into their style of aggression they look at it as an invitation.  They have been taught that the way it works is you keep pushing until you meet resistance, then you back off and search for another victim or begin to communicate.  Think of them as scavengers such as jackals, hyenas or vultures.  They are looking for the weak and infirm.  They do not go for the healthy and robust.  In fact, I think it is the same way for lions and other predators.  They don’t chase the strongest.  They drag down the weak.

The principle of turning the other cheek is that we are to avoid conflict and give people the benefit of the doubt.  They may be having a bad day.  Cut them some slack.  The hard part is discerning who the total aggressors are. 

When I am driven to the point of screaming back at someone I always feel guilty.  What always amazes me is how mellow they can become after I stop yelling.  It should not be my default.  The Bible is full of admonitions to not fly off the handle.  I am still thinking it needs to be a tool in my repertoire. 

homo unius libri