Saturday, January 04, 2014
Friday, January 03, 2014
The BOcare Insurance Bailout
Charles Krauthammer: Stop the bailout, now - The Washington Post:
Good column by Charles pointing out another aspect of BOcare known from the beginning, but hidden in the massive bill.
Not only will you not be able to keep the insurance plans you have now, the Insurance companies will STILL go bankrupt trying to provide what is mandated even with vastly higher rates and deductibles.
So they built a Bailout into the bill to get the Insurance Industry on board ... a bailout that you the taxpayer are on the hook for, along with your higher premiums and deductibles!
The solution if Republicans are smart enough to follow the advice, repeal the bailouts as part of the debt ceiling and let the Democrats squirm. I'm betting the Republicans are too in bed with the Insurance companies to get it done, but it would be a good idea.
'via Blog this'
Good column by Charles pointing out another aspect of BOcare known from the beginning, but hidden in the massive bill.
Not only will you not be able to keep the insurance plans you have now, the Insurance companies will STILL go bankrupt trying to provide what is mandated even with vastly higher rates and deductibles.
So they built a Bailout into the bill to get the Insurance Industry on board ... a bailout that you the taxpayer are on the hook for, along with your higher premiums and deductibles!
The solution if Republicans are smart enough to follow the advice, repeal the bailouts as part of the debt ceiling and let the Democrats squirm. I'm betting the Republicans are too in bed with the Insurance companies to get it done, but it would be a good idea.
'via Blog this'
Thursday, January 02, 2014
GOP Tries to Make Political Points!
GOP’s 2014 horror strategy: Exploit Americans’ misfortune, drum up fake outrage - Salon.com:
Damn those Republicans! They are using a few "false problems' WAY in the past (2013) to attempt to smear the brilliant BOcare legislation. Do we know what is in it yet? Not for employee plans, that is for sure since those were delayed by .... by ... oh, wait, King BO himself!
W? The name has never been uttered from the WH nor in the leftist press since BO boldly stepped in and said "The Buck Stops Here". Blame Bush? Why, BO, Salon, NYT, Chuckles Schumer ... none of them would ever even think of it, Certainly never for "political purposes"!
You talk about a group of people that practice what they preach, one can only stand in complete awe of BO and the American left!
'via Blog this'
Damn those Republicans! They are using a few "false problems' WAY in the past (2013) to attempt to smear the brilliant BOcare legislation. Do we know what is in it yet? Not for employee plans, that is for sure since those were delayed by .... by ... oh, wait, King BO himself!
They’ll continue to pretend that new beneficiaries don’t exist and to solicit horror stories as if the calendar still said 2013, and will do so for as long as they sense it’s to their political advantage.If only Republicans would step up to the plate, accept responsibility and lead strongly as BO did! There is a peach of a guy that ran on a platform, stepped into the job, and I've never heard him or his minions EVER try to dodge any responsibility by going as long as a month into the past!
W? The name has never been uttered from the WH nor in the leftist press since BO boldly stepped in and said "The Buck Stops Here". Blame Bush? Why, BO, Salon, NYT, Chuckles Schumer ... none of them would ever even think of it, Certainly never for "political purposes"!
You talk about a group of people that practice what they preach, one can only stand in complete awe of BO and the American left!
'via Blog this'
Kirsten Powers Comes Out!
Fox News' Highly Reluctant Jesus Follower | Christianity Today:
One woman's story of being pursued and caught by the Hound of Heaven!
'via Blog this'
One woman's story of being pursued and caught by the Hound of Heaven!
'via Blog this'
Arctic Ice Free in 2013, Global Temps Rise 4-8 Degrees in Century
Report: Global temperatures to rise at least 4°C by 2100 | TG Daily:
It's fortunate that the climatologists long range predictions are becoming more accurate while their short range predictions are failing miserably. The IPCC reports show that we have had "no significant warming" in the past 15 years, and the arctic ice expanded significantly and trapped vessels this past summer. Now in the antarctic we have a research vessel trapped and 50 climate scientists being rescued. The NE of the US braces for a major winter storm in the next couple of days, and our temps here are predicted to be negative double digits for at at least one day next week.
I find the local cold temps to be especially fun. MPR has been having an every Thursday "Climate Cast" going over the effects of "Climate Change" locally here in MN (all politics is STILL local!) One of the hallmark "markers" driven home on this show is how "sub zero overnight temps are a thing of the past in MN". Indeed.
Another major topic every time we have high heat or a big storm event is "Warming and Weather Variability". While it is always carefully pointed out that those events are definite signs of GW, days like today, record low temps in Spring, Summer and Fall of 2013 seem to be non-existent on the show ... "just weather" you know!
The credulity of your average American is absolutely stunning. It is like believing someone trying to sell you a house in '08 telling you "houses always go up in value".
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain"!!!
'via Blog this'
It's fortunate that the climatologists long range predictions are becoming more accurate while their short range predictions are failing miserably. The IPCC reports show that we have had "no significant warming" in the past 15 years, and the arctic ice expanded significantly and trapped vessels this past summer. Now in the antarctic we have a research vessel trapped and 50 climate scientists being rescued. The NE of the US braces for a major winter storm in the next couple of days, and our temps here are predicted to be negative double digits for at at least one day next week.
I find the local cold temps to be especially fun. MPR has been having an every Thursday "Climate Cast" going over the effects of "Climate Change" locally here in MN (all politics is STILL local!) One of the hallmark "markers" driven home on this show is how "sub zero overnight temps are a thing of the past in MN". Indeed.
Another major topic every time we have high heat or a big storm event is "Warming and Weather Variability". While it is always carefully pointed out that those events are definite signs of GW, days like today, record low temps in Spring, Summer and Fall of 2013 seem to be non-existent on the show ... "just weather" you know!
The credulity of your average American is absolutely stunning. It is like believing someone trying to sell you a house in '08 telling you "houses always go up in value".
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain"!!!
'via Blog this'
Happy 91 Stan Lee! (No Picture)
Stan Lee Is Now 91 Years Old | TG Daily:
The great Comic creator hits a milestone. I would have thought they would get a picture of him!
'via Blog this'
The great Comic creator hits a milestone. I would have thought they would get a picture of him!
'via Blog this'
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
Blame it on the 1800's
Obama To Americans: You Don't Deserve To Be Free - Forbes:
Good article pointing out some of the many fallacies in BO's economic "thought". Well worth reading, but the bottom line is that we have not had laissez-faire capitalism in over a century.
Does it work? Who knows? But it CERTAINLY isn't even REMOTELY close to what we have had in the last 100+ years! So quit blaming it!
'via Blog this'
Good article pointing out some of the many fallacies in BO's economic "thought". Well worth reading, but the bottom line is that we have not had laissez-faire capitalism in over a century.
Does it work? Who knows? But it CERTAINLY isn't even REMOTELY close to what we have had in the last 100+ years! So quit blaming it!
'via Blog this'
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Corruption, Climate, Consistency
Hit piece journalism:
The first linked piece is by the eminent Thomas Sowell, who covers the fact that there are "experts" that likely have no bias beyond "that is what they think". But, given the broad range of opinions, a "supporting expert" can usually be found for virtually any position.
The 2nd aspect is that "money talks" ... private money, corporate money, and CERTAINLY Government money as well ... since the government has the deepest pockets of all, and it has a gigantic role in educational institutions where ALL of the PHDs are trained and must pass muster if they want to achieve that degree.
Is the discussion of "Human Caused Global Warming" biased? Well, certainly!! There is money on both sides, their are interests on both sides. I for one prefer a few inches more ocean level and some higher temperatures to mile thick ice sheets covering most of the food growing area on earth.
That is my personal bias, but unfortunately given the historic scientific record, I'm pretty sure that in the next thousand years or so, and possibly AT ANY TIME, we will slip back into an ice age no matter what I or the rest of mankind might prefer. Why? Because as best we know, climate has generally been much cooler and more volatile than what we have seen the last 10K years or so, and "regression to the mean" is a common phenomenon.
Given that ANY view on climate is likely to be biased, I like to search out information when I can on BOTH sides.
Here is some data that would indicate that even though the experts are always telling us to believe THEM rather than our lying eyes (and shivering bodies), there may be something to snow in May, shivering cold the last week of July, and plenty of snow and cold in Nov-Dec. http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2013/12/20/2013-one-of-the-ten-coldest-years-in-us-history-with-the-largest-drop-in-temperature/
Do you think NOAA has a bias? How good would it look for BO, "leading scientists", NASA, etc if it came to light that their claims of "settled science" had a lot more to do with "settled politics" than anything else? Nah, no reason at all for them to have a bias, right?
Naturally, the claim will be "that is WEATHER" ... usually accompanied with things like one being a "foolish denier", or some other crack about lack of intelligence, being a rube for the oil companies, etc, etc.
So here we have an exhibit from last summer dealing with a significant number of climate researches trapped in the ice at the NORTH Pole ... which BTW had been predicted in '08 to be "Ice Free" by '13, but instead the ice EXPANDED significantly http://bilber99.blogspot.com/2013/09/ipcc.html
Now, with nature providing no shortage of irony, we have climate scientists trapped in the ice at the SOUTH pole ... http://www.cbsnews.com/news/blizzard-stops-latest-rescue-bid-for-ship-trapped-at-antarctica/
Ok, North America is cold, BOTH poles, SO WHAT! Right?
Well yes, I listen to NPR, I certainly KNOW that record hot temps, lack of cold temps and anything that can be called "changeable weather" is PROOF of Global Warming ... and anything that is record cold, early / late snow, etc, etc is "just weather". Oh, and anyone that doesn't agree with that is certainly either poorly educated, just stupid, or "under the influence of big oil".
We also happen to have the 112 year Mideast snow anomaly http://www.cbsnews.com/news/blizzard-stops-latest-rescue-bid-for-ship-trapped-at-antarctica/
Is any of this "proof"? Certainly not. IT IS DATA! However when people come up with labels like "Denier", and start going to great lengths to call the other guy "corrupt", I tend to smell a rat. Name people you know that are immune to corruption? If you named any, I'd suggest you look a little harder. We are ALL very prone to corruption.
Most people don't like to be called stupid ( for some reason, I rather like it, but I know that is an odd predilection). Most people like to feel that the "powers that be" have some reasonably correct handle on what is going on ... again, I don't, and I have been told this all means that I'm an "iconoclast". I've always assumed that "the experts" each know everything about nothing ... while I like to know nothing about everything! Clearly a FAR superior position!
My advice in 2014 is the same as my advice in any year. Don't believe in ANY currently breathing human. Love them, forgive them, but DON'T believe in them. They are NOT reliable! That goes quadruple for me, and unfortunately includes yourself, ESPECIALLY yourself. We are HORRIBLE at even coming close to the truth about ourselves.
Look for what is OLD. What has stood the test of time, and try your best to understand WHY it has done so ... but realize that it is way more important to know it HAS survived rather than to understand why. That is likely impossible in any case! But that is actually really good news!
Happy New Year!
'via Blog this'
The first linked piece is by the eminent Thomas Sowell, who covers the fact that there are "experts" that likely have no bias beyond "that is what they think". But, given the broad range of opinions, a "supporting expert" can usually be found for virtually any position.
The 2nd aspect is that "money talks" ... private money, corporate money, and CERTAINLY Government money as well ... since the government has the deepest pockets of all, and it has a gigantic role in educational institutions where ALL of the PHDs are trained and must pass muster if they want to achieve that degree.
Is the discussion of "Human Caused Global Warming" biased? Well, certainly!! There is money on both sides, their are interests on both sides. I for one prefer a few inches more ocean level and some higher temperatures to mile thick ice sheets covering most of the food growing area on earth.
That is my personal bias, but unfortunately given the historic scientific record, I'm pretty sure that in the next thousand years or so, and possibly AT ANY TIME, we will slip back into an ice age no matter what I or the rest of mankind might prefer. Why? Because as best we know, climate has generally been much cooler and more volatile than what we have seen the last 10K years or so, and "regression to the mean" is a common phenomenon.
Given that ANY view on climate is likely to be biased, I like to search out information when I can on BOTH sides.
Here is some data that would indicate that even though the experts are always telling us to believe THEM rather than our lying eyes (and shivering bodies), there may be something to snow in May, shivering cold the last week of July, and plenty of snow and cold in Nov-Dec. http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2013/12/20/2013-one-of-the-ten-coldest-years-in-us-history-with-the-largest-drop-in-temperature/
Do you think NOAA has a bias? How good would it look for BO, "leading scientists", NASA, etc if it came to light that their claims of "settled science" had a lot more to do with "settled politics" than anything else? Nah, no reason at all for them to have a bias, right?
Naturally, the claim will be "that is WEATHER" ... usually accompanied with things like one being a "foolish denier", or some other crack about lack of intelligence, being a rube for the oil companies, etc, etc.
So here we have an exhibit from last summer dealing with a significant number of climate researches trapped in the ice at the NORTH Pole ... which BTW had been predicted in '08 to be "Ice Free" by '13, but instead the ice EXPANDED significantly http://bilber99.blogspot.com/2013/09/ipcc.html
Now, with nature providing no shortage of irony, we have climate scientists trapped in the ice at the SOUTH pole ... http://www.cbsnews.com/news/blizzard-stops-latest-rescue-bid-for-ship-trapped-at-antarctica/
Ok, North America is cold, BOTH poles, SO WHAT! Right?
Well yes, I listen to NPR, I certainly KNOW that record hot temps, lack of cold temps and anything that can be called "changeable weather" is PROOF of Global Warming ... and anything that is record cold, early / late snow, etc, etc is "just weather". Oh, and anyone that doesn't agree with that is certainly either poorly educated, just stupid, or "under the influence of big oil".
We also happen to have the 112 year Mideast snow anomaly http://www.cbsnews.com/news/blizzard-stops-latest-rescue-bid-for-ship-trapped-at-antarctica/
Is any of this "proof"? Certainly not. IT IS DATA! However when people come up with labels like "Denier", and start going to great lengths to call the other guy "corrupt", I tend to smell a rat. Name people you know that are immune to corruption? If you named any, I'd suggest you look a little harder. We are ALL very prone to corruption.
Most people don't like to be called stupid ( for some reason, I rather like it, but I know that is an odd predilection). Most people like to feel that the "powers that be" have some reasonably correct handle on what is going on ... again, I don't, and I have been told this all means that I'm an "iconoclast". I've always assumed that "the experts" each know everything about nothing ... while I like to know nothing about everything! Clearly a FAR superior position!
My advice in 2014 is the same as my advice in any year. Don't believe in ANY currently breathing human. Love them, forgive them, but DON'T believe in them. They are NOT reliable! That goes quadruple for me, and unfortunately includes yourself, ESPECIALLY yourself. We are HORRIBLE at even coming close to the truth about ourselves.
Look for what is OLD. What has stood the test of time, and try your best to understand WHY it has done so ... but realize that it is way more important to know it HAS survived rather than to understand why. That is likely impossible in any case! But that is actually really good news!
Happy New Year!
'via Blog this'
Redemption, But Not By the State
A liberal mugged by reality | Power Line:
The picture of prominent MN Democrat Mark Andrew in the linked article is a strong reminder that outsourcing good works to the state may make a lot of well off folks feel better about themselves, it does nothing to heal the souls of their adopted wards.
I find the following paragraph quite haunting:
No matter how much of other folks money and time Mark and his cohorts spend trying "to find a way for them to get in a place where they can turn their lives around", the issue is not a place, but a person. The person of Jesus Christ.
Apart from Christ, there is no redemption, only further sorrow and violence. Were that not the case, the policies of the left would have made this into heaven on earth trillions of dollars ago.
'via Blog this'
The picture of prominent MN Democrat Mark Andrew in the linked article is a strong reminder that outsourcing good works to the state may make a lot of well off folks feel better about themselves, it does nothing to heal the souls of their adopted wards.
I find the following paragraph quite haunting:
“They’re damaged kids, and maybe they’re too far gone, but I think there’s redemption for everybody,” he said. “So we’ll try to find a way for them to get in a place where they can turn their lives around.” Prison would be perfect.Indeed Mark, as are you, I, and "every one" in the words of Tiny Tim. Which is precisely why Christ came to the world to provide that redemption on the first Christmas, and died on a cross between two "damaged kids" that had "gone too far". One of the thieves beside him found that redemption, right there on his cross.
No matter how much of other folks money and time Mark and his cohorts spend trying "to find a way for them to get in a place where they can turn their lives around", the issue is not a place, but a person. The person of Jesus Christ.
Apart from Christ, there is no redemption, only further sorrow and violence. Were that not the case, the policies of the left would have made this into heaven on earth trillions of dollars ago.
'via Blog this'
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Bowing to Pressure, A&E Cancels Duck Dynasty
Bowing to Pressure, A&E Revokes Suspension of ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star - NYTimes.com:
Oh wait, that would a case of "moral turpitude" ... er, what???
MUST the NYT tell it's readers what to think? Are they completely unable to think for themselves?
"A&E Revokes Suspension of 'Duck Dynasty' Star" would be news, the current headline is commentary.
I can only assume A&E "Bowed to pressure" from gay groups at the time they suspended Phil, but thanks to the web, we can actually see the article reporting the suspension thought that suspending him required no commentary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/business/media/phil-robertson-suspended-from-duck-dynasty.html
But reinstatement required that the NYT readers be told from liberal central how they should feel about it!
'via Blog this
Oh wait, that would a case of "moral turpitude" ... er, what???
MUST the NYT tell it's readers what to think? Are they completely unable to think for themselves?
"A&E Revokes Suspension of 'Duck Dynasty' Star" would be news, the current headline is commentary.
I can only assume A&E "Bowed to pressure" from gay groups at the time they suspended Phil, but thanks to the web, we can actually see the article reporting the suspension thought that suspending him required no commentary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/business/media/phil-robertson-suspended-from-duck-dynasty.html
But reinstatement required that the NYT readers be told from liberal central how they should feel about it!
'via Blog this
Forgiveness, WWYD, Merry Christmas
Lutheran Hour Ministries :: Daily Devotions:
The fad of the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelets has receded a lot, but the real question is often What Would YOU Do?
The linked is an excellent devotion based on a possibly apocryphal, but never the less very gripping story of a concentration camp Jewish Survivor hearing the confession of a German Soldier, and being asked to forgive him. The story and the devotion are both very worthy of being added to your life memory.
A number of things hit me hard (again) relative to the tale:
A somewhat short end of the year sermon. All of us die, and none of us KNOW what lies beyond, it is ALWAYS a "leap of faith". For the largely Godless West, it is primarily a faith of one of the following:
I spent a lot of time and study in consideration. Raised a Baptist, a stint as an agnostic by education, Lutheran by compromise (would probably be a Catholic if it was only me choosing).
Don't be confused here ... that is COMPLETELY different from current Muslims flying planes into buildings with "Allah" on their lips. They believe in Allah by FAITH ... which we ALL live by, and which we are ALL going to die by a very short period and accept the eternal results.
However the terrorists didn't found a new religion on what we would have known to be a lie as the Disciples did, accept horrible deaths, usually on crosses, because they would not admit to what they knew to be a lie, and had complete confidence that none of the other Disciples that would have had to be involved in the hoax would either!
The deaths of the disciples are profound evidence for the resurrection of Christ!
I have rambled beyond my usual blogging limits. Perhaps it is the fact of my Mom's first Christmas in Heaven just past. Perhaps it is the recent Duck Dynasty flap and Phil Robertson sharing his faith (much more concisely). Most likely it is just wanting to avoid moving around this AM!
In any case, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
'via Blog this'
The fad of the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelets has receded a lot, but the real question is often What Would YOU Do?
The linked is an excellent devotion based on a possibly apocryphal, but never the less very gripping story of a concentration camp Jewish Survivor hearing the confession of a German Soldier, and being asked to forgive him. The story and the devotion are both very worthy of being added to your life memory.
A number of things hit me hard (again) relative to the tale:
- When Christ forgives those that crucified him, he forgives ME. Humans see sin as having a "scope". Burning down a house full of Jews is much greater in our minds than lusting after a woman in the mall, having too much to drink, or enjoying the misfortune of someone we consider an "enemy", or just "too big for their britches". It isn't -- sin is sin.
- This column soft-pedals what I find to be one of the most chilling parts of the Bible: 14"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15"But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
I don't find those verses comforting at all. In fact, in those fortunately rare late night times when thoughts of the personal final exit intrude unpleasantly, this is way up there are on my "are you ready?" list. I have no doubts I deserve Hell, I have very little doubt in Christ's ability to save me, I still retain significant doubt in the adequacy of my ability to forgive!
- The "device" I use to calm and drift back off to slumber, besides a prayer to grant me the ability to forgive as I have been told to do, is to "let God judge". I don't have any theological background for this to really be acceptable, so take it with a grain of salt.
The idea is that God is sovereign, and do **I** really want "person x" to burn in hell for eternity? No, that seems excessive to me, so, I pray to leave judgement up to God, and to trust in him to do what is right, up to and including eternal punishment. I find it also cures my "how COULD God send someone to eternal punishment"? It lets me reflect on my weak human willingness to somehow even conceive that **I** could somehow "judge" the action of an infinite and sovereign God! He can judge and punish absolutely any way he wants, and my opinion as to such is beyond irrelevancy!
My role is to have faith in his goodness and grace, which OUGHT to be supremely easy given that God was willing to take human form and humble himself to ultimate suffering on the Cross for the chief of sinners, ME -- but in my most human condition of frailty and hubris combined, what ought, sometimes is not!
A somewhat short end of the year sermon. All of us die, and none of us KNOW what lies beyond, it is ALWAYS a "leap of faith". For the largely Godless West, it is primarily a faith of one of the following:
- There is no God, so there is NOTHING beyond
- There is some power, but it is benevolent, so I'm OK
- There is a God, but since there are so many religions, as long as I believe what I believe "sincerely", I'm OK
- I don't think about it much, but I'm definitely better than most people, so either I'll have a lot of company in Hell, or I'm going to do pretty well
I spent a lot of time and study in consideration. Raised a Baptist, a stint as an agnostic by education, Lutheran by compromise (would probably be a Catholic if it was only me choosing).
- The easiest and the hardest choice is the God or no God.
I gave the no God a good try ... for me the problems came down to the Goldilocks Universe and the absolute unprovability of our origin / existence. We have no idea what the base of "matter" is ... once we got to quantum, we started LITERALLY "grasping at strings", as in "String Theory". Right now we are chasing our tail, and our current science is based on what we see in what we believe to be the "current SpaceTime", but to be a true scientist / atheist means accepting that there are something akin to 10 to the 500th UNIVERSES, ALL that has happened, is happening, or could be happening has ALWAYS been happening, is currently happening and ALWAYS WILL be happening.
Next to that, I find the idea that either everything we think we see **IS** the infinite and all powerful God, or was created by him for some purpose, to be infinitely easier to have faith in. The Jewish and Christian teachings that we walk by FAITH are most certainly true. We have no choice whatsoever in the faith part, the only question is "IN WHAT"? Do you want to have a positive belief or a negative (NOT GOD!) belief?
You DO have faith, the question is just "In what?".
- Once #1 is out of the way, you are either "done" relative to God, or you need to decide HOW?
To me, that is a much easier path given the history of mankind. I look at existing cultures, and up to the 20th Century, Western Judeo Christianity was such a big winner that there isn't even any real competition.
Muslim? Not hard to decide if I want to follow a branch off the Bible tree whose favorite wife was a 9 year old girl and believes that people that refuse to join their religion on earth ought to be killed.
Buddhist, Hindu, etc? They don't look very successful in THIS WORLD, I'm having a hard time thinking that they will do well in the next. Worshiping cows, figuring that there really is no need to help anyone unless you want to work on your "karma", etc.
Don't be confused here ... that is COMPLETELY different from current Muslims flying planes into buildings with "Allah" on their lips. They believe in Allah by FAITH ... which we ALL live by, and which we are ALL going to die by a very short period and accept the eternal results.
However the terrorists didn't found a new religion on what we would have known to be a lie as the Disciples did, accept horrible deaths, usually on crosses, because they would not admit to what they knew to be a lie, and had complete confidence that none of the other Disciples that would have had to be involved in the hoax would either!
The deaths of the disciples are profound evidence for the resurrection of Christ!
Next to the Resurrection of Christ being a hoax, 9-11 being an "Inside Job" is very very easy to believe. I find the "Truther" perspective to be almost as much a sign of cluelessness as the multi symbolic "Coexist" bumper stickers! (if they JUST had a crescent with a star, they would make a LITTLE sense)!
I have rambled beyond my usual blogging limits. Perhaps it is the fact of my Mom's first Christmas in Heaven just past. Perhaps it is the recent Duck Dynasty flap and Phil Robertson sharing his faith (much more concisely). Most likely it is just wanting to avoid moving around this AM!
In any case, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
'via Blog this'
Friday, December 27, 2013
Removing the Life From Life
Mark Steyn: Inequality far worse than economic | work, one, health - Opinion - The Orange County Register:
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/12/millennial_narcissism_helicopter_parents_are_college_students_bigger_problem.html
The one area of the Steyn column I wish he would have addressed a bit more is that nobody on either side of the political spectrum has any handle at all on what it is that is going to provide people with work, let alone meaning in their lives in the future.
Which is my answer to the "helicopter parent" article. Maybe parents being TOO involved is some SMALL part of the problem, but I'd argue that "having no THERE there" relative to life in the US is the BIG problem.
So why is it again that "children" ought to finally get out of school by say 26, 30 or so? Certainly not to make money! Money after all is BAAAD! Have kids? Are you crazy? Didn't you know that "the planet has a fever"? It can't sustain the people we have, and the tempratures are getting crazy hot. We have 5 days of single digit highs predicted here, including one negative high ... oh wait, strike that, this is WEATHER not CLIMATE! It is high temps that are climate, I get so confused.
It seems odd that when one takes the idea of children and a better life for their children away, there seems to be a reduction in life purpose? Oh, you could go join the monastery / convent ... oh wait, God died, this is ALL there is ... so better have as much fun as you can! So why is this guys patient crying?
Well, maybe because our children are going to have to pay off a gigantic debt, they were tax slaves before they were conceived. We are the first generation in a long time who did our best to ENSURE that our kids would NOT be better off, so we could have a cushier retirement and not pay for it! The lamest generation followed the greatest.
Deciding not to reproduce may be good for the planet, but from an evolutionary standpoint I think it is at least questionable. Well, at least there will be Muslims, Mormons, and lots of people in 3rd world hell holes to enjoy our passing.
In case you didn't pick it up, my idea is "faith, family, economic expansion including fusion and space travel". I'm just a Neanderthal!
'via Blog this'
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/12/millennial_narcissism_helicopter_parents_are_college_students_bigger_problem.html
The one area of the Steyn column I wish he would have addressed a bit more is that nobody on either side of the political spectrum has any handle at all on what it is that is going to provide people with work, let alone meaning in their lives in the future.
Which is my answer to the "helicopter parent" article. Maybe parents being TOO involved is some SMALL part of the problem, but I'd argue that "having no THERE there" relative to life in the US is the BIG problem.
So why is it again that "children" ought to finally get out of school by say 26, 30 or so? Certainly not to make money! Money after all is BAAAD! Have kids? Are you crazy? Didn't you know that "the planet has a fever"? It can't sustain the people we have, and the tempratures are getting crazy hot. We have 5 days of single digit highs predicted here, including one negative high ... oh wait, strike that, this is WEATHER not CLIMATE! It is high temps that are climate, I get so confused.
It seems odd that when one takes the idea of children and a better life for their children away, there seems to be a reduction in life purpose? Oh, you could go join the monastery / convent ... oh wait, God died, this is ALL there is ... so better have as much fun as you can! So why is this guys patient crying?
Well, maybe because our children are going to have to pay off a gigantic debt, they were tax slaves before they were conceived. We are the first generation in a long time who did our best to ENSURE that our kids would NOT be better off, so we could have a cushier retirement and not pay for it! The lamest generation followed the greatest.
Deciding not to reproduce may be good for the planet, but from an evolutionary standpoint I think it is at least questionable. Well, at least there will be Muslims, Mormons, and lots of people in 3rd world hell holes to enjoy our passing.
In case you didn't pick it up, my idea is "faith, family, economic expansion including fusion and space travel". I'm just a Neanderthal!
'via Blog this'
Gender Neutral Bathrooms, Flies of Summer
Gender-neutral bathrooms: All bathrooms should be open to all users.:
I've been wondering what the next frontier after "gay marriage" would be. We know there has to be one, since there can't be a "progressive" movement unless "progress" is being made.
One of my picks has always been just the further sorting out of "bi-sexual marriage" as in exactly how DOES one deal with "transgender / gender free / androgynous / queer". BTW, Slate uses the term "queer" in the first sentence, so if that is decided to be a terrible slur in 30 years and I'm a famous food network personality, it really WAS an approved word when I used it here!
Of course, so was the "N-word" when Paula Deen last used it, but little details like that make no difference to the PC police. The only choice if you want to be "safe" is to ALWAYS agree with the "progressives" or remain COMPLETELY silent ... and with the current level of surveillance, I'd say you better just "get your mind right".
The logic in this article gives a good insight into the minds of "progressives'.
A minority that "feels uncomfortable" is identified. It is verified that they have no current cultural norms or any transcendent religious thought basis for their group identification. As a group they are identified purely by a physical or behavioral choice. Science may or may not be able to identify if there is actually a physical (eg genetic) origin of their identification, but as in the case of proving there are not space aliens, (or pretty much ANY negative), "it can't be ruled out"!
If you are a "progressive", since people feel strongly about this and it "can't be ruled out", ergo it must exist! Therefore it is a FACT that "these people were MADE THIS WAY" ... apparently by randomness, since there is no God. "Randomness is good, randomness is great, we honor it's "logic". Consider how "foolish" believing in an actual multiple millennium old religion is compared to this "logic".
Certainly pedophiles could be chosen as well (and might be next). The test is, "Can anyone say anything of this group that could NOT be said of gays"? So, the big comeback: "Do you REALLY think that ANYONE would CHOOSE to have sex with children given the legal and cultural taboos? You would have to be CRAZY to believe that!! They MUST have an inherent "desire/drive" that they CAN'T change (or even control)!!!!" (we don't really want to follow the way this logic works, retching could ensue ... animals? rape? cannibalism? "That cannibal had to know people would be offended, he MUST have been "made that way"!"
Note, this is NOT like being black. It is obvious that you don't "choose to be black", nature has already exposed the genetic links quite clearly. Note also the difference with alcoholism. There seems to be very clear genetic markers, but nobody is saying that we need to recognize the alcoholic lifestyle as being "equal or superior to the sober lifestyle".
Human kind as all sorts of innate drives and desires that are at least extremely difficult to control. So for 10's of thousands of years religions and cultures developed to encourage the drives deemed to be adaptive, and inhibit the ones which are not. Monogamy makes for a nice time tested way of both procreating and socializing the young. Gay, not so much. Moderate drinking or abstaining, pretty adaptive, alcoholic, not so much.
Of course, there is a lot of diversity. Winston Churchill was at least borderline alcoholic as have been many great authors and other artists. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of examples of other unusual appetites in great leaders, artists, entertainers and such. If you are of superior intellect, stamina, fortitude, musical ability, or some other positive, you MAY be able to do quite well going against the grain of society and be extremely successful. The list is WAY too long to even start when you talk drugs, alcohol, sexuality, etc, but everyone knows it to be true. FOR EXCEPTIONAL CASES ... which may, BTW be also related to them being exceptional -- where there are great abilities, there are great deficits.
But guess what. There aren't a lot of Churchills, Hemmingways, or even Elton Johns. The structures of morality and culture are for the MASSES ... the average, and especially the below average, which naturally doesn't sit well with the "we are all the same" folks. Yup, you and Jeffery Dahmer can be "the same" all you want. As for me, Viva La Difference!
"Progressives" can't stand this, because they want absolute equality, and if human nature itself is flawed and not infinitely malleable, then their whole project is doomed. Things like making "gay good" and then making it "equal or better with heterosexual" are projects that they MUST be able to carry out. They have to crank up the sanctions to a level where essentially nobody dare open their mouth to say anything other than what their progrom demands. If it causes the need for repression of the folks that aren't "getting their mind right", that is just a price to be paid. They KNOW that what they are doing is RIGHT, so people that don't agree have to be "handled".
"Progressivism" is wonderful because "progress" NEVER stops! You may be thinking to yourself that gender neutral bathrooms will never become law". Well, in CA schools, they already have ! http://calwatchdog.com/2013/08/13/gov-brown-signs-gender-bathroom-bill/
As they say, as CA goes, so goes the nation. I didn't even know the meaning of "gay" until I was out of HS, and then I pretty much couldn't believe it. Of course by the late '70s, it was running wild in CA, and then they were dying like flies from AIDs. One would have STILL thought -- "OK, this was a short term blip, and while it may continue on in whacked out CA, the rest of the country has seen where this easily leads". That was just "gay", I would have never imagined anything like gay "marriage".
I dropped my subscription to Time in the early '90s when they had a sympathetic report on the plight of a poor teacher that was a member of NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association) and it was likely going to cost him his job. Hey, it's not like he declared himself a Christian or quoted the Bible or anything! THAT would be a legitimate cause for dismissal!
The basis of human culture and development is the idea of social norms that are largely passed on to the next generation so we feel that we are part of a meaningful chain of creation with a purpose. Keep changing up the culture so that one generation can no longer hardly identify if the next is even human, and man becomes as Burke said, "Like the flies of summer".
Only it is worse than that! We are NOT flies! Flies need no meaning, they procreate with a vengeance as long as there is food. Not so man. As we see in Europe and the European origin population of the US, man ceases to continue the species when there is no longer any vision of the next generation following a religious and cultural order. We need more than to just pass on our genes. We seek to propagate the hopes, dreams, morals and soul of our civilization!
When that is destroyed, then we perish. Why even have a higher brain that engenders a religion for the hope of eternal life and a culture that is more than a continuation of mere gene pool?
The point is, there is no reason to do so. There is GOOD reason that he Chinese are still thinking expansion, and we are focused on transfer of wealth to the elderly as we pass into the ash heap of history.
'via Blog this'
I've been wondering what the next frontier after "gay marriage" would be. We know there has to be one, since there can't be a "progressive" movement unless "progress" is being made.
One of my picks has always been just the further sorting out of "bi-sexual marriage" as in exactly how DOES one deal with "transgender / gender free / androgynous / queer". BTW, Slate uses the term "queer" in the first sentence, so if that is decided to be a terrible slur in 30 years and I'm a famous food network personality, it really WAS an approved word when I used it here!
Of course, so was the "N-word" when Paula Deen last used it, but little details like that make no difference to the PC police. The only choice if you want to be "safe" is to ALWAYS agree with the "progressives" or remain COMPLETELY silent ... and with the current level of surveillance, I'd say you better just "get your mind right".
The logic in this article gives a good insight into the minds of "progressives'.
A minority that "feels uncomfortable" is identified. It is verified that they have no current cultural norms or any transcendent religious thought basis for their group identification. As a group they are identified purely by a physical or behavioral choice. Science may or may not be able to identify if there is actually a physical (eg genetic) origin of their identification, but as in the case of proving there are not space aliens, (or pretty much ANY negative), "it can't be ruled out"!
If you are a "progressive", since people feel strongly about this and it "can't be ruled out", ergo it must exist! Therefore it is a FACT that "these people were MADE THIS WAY" ... apparently by randomness, since there is no God. "Randomness is good, randomness is great, we honor it's "logic". Consider how "foolish" believing in an actual multiple millennium old religion is compared to this "logic".
Certainly pedophiles could be chosen as well (and might be next). The test is, "Can anyone say anything of this group that could NOT be said of gays"? So, the big comeback: "Do you REALLY think that ANYONE would CHOOSE to have sex with children given the legal and cultural taboos? You would have to be CRAZY to believe that!! They MUST have an inherent "desire/drive" that they CAN'T change (or even control)!!!!" (we don't really want to follow the way this logic works, retching could ensue ... animals? rape? cannibalism? "That cannibal had to know people would be offended, he MUST have been "made that way"!"
Note, this is NOT like being black. It is obvious that you don't "choose to be black", nature has already exposed the genetic links quite clearly. Note also the difference with alcoholism. There seems to be very clear genetic markers, but nobody is saying that we need to recognize the alcoholic lifestyle as being "equal or superior to the sober lifestyle".
Human kind as all sorts of innate drives and desires that are at least extremely difficult to control. So for 10's of thousands of years religions and cultures developed to encourage the drives deemed to be adaptive, and inhibit the ones which are not. Monogamy makes for a nice time tested way of both procreating and socializing the young. Gay, not so much. Moderate drinking or abstaining, pretty adaptive, alcoholic, not so much.
Of course, there is a lot of diversity. Winston Churchill was at least borderline alcoholic as have been many great authors and other artists. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of examples of other unusual appetites in great leaders, artists, entertainers and such. If you are of superior intellect, stamina, fortitude, musical ability, or some other positive, you MAY be able to do quite well going against the grain of society and be extremely successful. The list is WAY too long to even start when you talk drugs, alcohol, sexuality, etc, but everyone knows it to be true. FOR EXCEPTIONAL CASES ... which may, BTW be also related to them being exceptional -- where there are great abilities, there are great deficits.
But guess what. There aren't a lot of Churchills, Hemmingways, or even Elton Johns. The structures of morality and culture are for the MASSES ... the average, and especially the below average, which naturally doesn't sit well with the "we are all the same" folks. Yup, you and Jeffery Dahmer can be "the same" all you want. As for me, Viva La Difference!
"Progressives" can't stand this, because they want absolute equality, and if human nature itself is flawed and not infinitely malleable, then their whole project is doomed. Things like making "gay good" and then making it "equal or better with heterosexual" are projects that they MUST be able to carry out. They have to crank up the sanctions to a level where essentially nobody dare open their mouth to say anything other than what their progrom demands. If it causes the need for repression of the folks that aren't "getting their mind right", that is just a price to be paid. They KNOW that what they are doing is RIGHT, so people that don't agree have to be "handled".
"Progressivism" is wonderful because "progress" NEVER stops! You may be thinking to yourself that gender neutral bathrooms will never become law". Well, in CA schools, they already have ! http://calwatchdog.com/2013/08/13/gov-brown-signs-gender-bathroom-bill/
As they say, as CA goes, so goes the nation. I didn't even know the meaning of "gay" until I was out of HS, and then I pretty much couldn't believe it. Of course by the late '70s, it was running wild in CA, and then they were dying like flies from AIDs. One would have STILL thought -- "OK, this was a short term blip, and while it may continue on in whacked out CA, the rest of the country has seen where this easily leads". That was just "gay", I would have never imagined anything like gay "marriage".
I dropped my subscription to Time in the early '90s when they had a sympathetic report on the plight of a poor teacher that was a member of NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association) and it was likely going to cost him his job. Hey, it's not like he declared himself a Christian or quoted the Bible or anything! THAT would be a legitimate cause for dismissal!
The basis of human culture and development is the idea of social norms that are largely passed on to the next generation so we feel that we are part of a meaningful chain of creation with a purpose. Keep changing up the culture so that one generation can no longer hardly identify if the next is even human, and man becomes as Burke said, "Like the flies of summer".
Only it is worse than that! We are NOT flies! Flies need no meaning, they procreate with a vengeance as long as there is food. Not so man. As we see in Europe and the European origin population of the US, man ceases to continue the species when there is no longer any vision of the next generation following a religious and cultural order. We need more than to just pass on our genes. We seek to propagate the hopes, dreams, morals and soul of our civilization!
When that is destroyed, then we perish. Why even have a higher brain that engenders a religion for the hope of eternal life and a culture that is more than a continuation of mere gene pool?
The point is, there is no reason to do so. There is GOOD reason that he Chinese are still thinking expansion, and we are focused on transfer of wealth to the elderly as we pass into the ash heap of history.
'via Blog this'
Utopia Past
Surviving Life in a ‘70s Sex Commune - The Daily Beast:
It isn't like pretty much every "progressive" idea hasn't been tried in the past. "free love", "communal sharing / no property", "legal drugs", "no work", "gay marriage" and on and on forever.
It is a lot like how many species have been tried on the planet and have gone extinct. The religious / cultural structures that survived the test of time were the ones that had advantages.
No reason that one would expect people that don't understand history and believe that having more data somehow makes them more wise to understand what that means though.
'via Blog this'
It isn't like pretty much every "progressive" idea hasn't been tried in the past. "free love", "communal sharing / no property", "legal drugs", "no work", "gay marriage" and on and on forever.
It is a lot like how many species have been tried on the planet and have gone extinct. The religious / cultural structures that survived the test of time were the ones that had advantages.
No reason that one would expect people that don't understand history and believe that having more data somehow makes them more wise to understand what that means though.
'via Blog this'
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