Global Cooling/Warming, Climate Changing to Extinction - So let's review. In the past 45 years or so, we have evolved from "global cooling" in the '70's that was going to kill us to "global warming" in the '90's that was going to kill us to the less specific "climate change" around 2008 that will kill us. [That last one came about because, well, the global warming numbers just weren't adding up.]. Just in case none of that has scared you enough to recycle, the lastest scientific report out of Stanford, Princeton and Berkeley universities (as reported on HuffPo) has now gone full-on "imminent extinction". Yeah, as if things weren't bad enough, now we are going to go extinct in some unspecified time really, really soon...
"Avoiding a true sixth mass extinction will require rapid, greatly intensified efforts to conserve already threatened species and to alleviate pressures on their populations -- notably habitat loss, overexploitation for economic gain,* and climate change ... However, the window of opportunity is rapidly closing."The opportunity is rapidly closing, people! Okay, I am not an anti-science/global cooling/warming/climate change denier and I really do believe that we must be much better caretakers of our natural world. We have been doing a pretty good job since the tearful Native American Indian and "Don't Mess With Texas" PSA's were aired in the '60's in cleaning up our lakes and rivers and finding ways to not kill the forests off. And by all accounts, we have saved the whales from extinction. But really, now they are hawking full-on extinction?
Personally, I have no doubt that they may be right about human extinction, but it's not going to be because of "overexploitation for economic gain" [at the same time they are extracting more grant money from the global community for their own "economic gain"]. It's going to be because Mother Nature tires of us and shakes and quakes and blows us off her face like the annoying gnats we are. Or maybe it will be a giant comet slamming into the Earth like the one during the 5th mass extinction that took out the dinosaurs. That's just me, but what do you think?
End Hate Now - Let's talk about the Confederate flag. In light of the most recent attack on the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in her state, SC Governor Nikki Haley has finally announced that she will pass whatever legislation it takes to remove the Confederate flag that flies high on the lawn of their state capital. Even though I am a quasi-Southerner, I have absolutely no emotional connection to the Confederate flag, so I say burn the dang thing if it makes people feel safer. I have long had my own thoughts about the kind of person that wanted to display that flag because as my Mother says, it really is no different that the swastika. It is time for its extinction and to be relegated to the giant dustbin of history.
All that aside, I am so proud that, instead of fueling more hate after the death of nine of their parishioners in a senseless and stupid mass murder, the good Christians of that church and the families of the victims chose forgiveness. It was a breath-taking moment. Instead of fueling more senseless violence and hate, they chose to come together with so many others from around the country to hold hands and stand up to "the devil" and call it by it's proper name - Evil. Because it was an evil act brought on by a hateful monster whose hateful message should not be fed, but starved out of existance. And that can only be done by good people standing up to it. It is a moment that would have made Martin Luther King proud. By the way, did you notice that Al Sharpton and all the other race hustlers have been deafeningly silent? Maybe love and forgiveness can win.
And finally -
A "Pie Factory"?? - Okay, this has nothing to do with extinction, but I need to correct a grievous wrong and just outright lie by our very own Andrew. It was not as Andrew stated in a comment on his post yesterday, a "pie factory" in the most famous episode of "I Love Lucy". It was a chocolate candy factory. Dear Lord, how will we recover from this disgrace?
*[emphasis added]
36 comments:
If you saw that my post was going in and out, it was Blogger's fault, not mine. I never make mistakes over and over again...;-)
I think everyone knows my opinion about the Confederacy. If not, let me shamelessly pimp one of my own posts: LINK
The title should give my thoughts pretty clearly.
I just want you to know I am not, NOT dancing around my room singing the "Battle Cry of Freedom."
The shooter isn't the brightest bulb if he thought unambiguous murders would cause strife. If he was clever he would have shot a young black guy or three and fudged the circumstances.
The ensuing debate over what actually happened would have been as acrimonious as they usually are and while a race war isn't in the cards, maybe there would have been there would have been pointless riots and looting and fools apologizing for them.
The only thing the loser accomplished with his clear act of murder was to make the Confederate flag politically radioactive.
Not political, but tragic news out of the world of film music. :-(
As for the Confederate flag, I certainly understand its historical significance, but you know what? Lots of things have historical significance and we don't display every last object associated with our past. I guess it's one of those things I'll never understand.
I wish more conservative commenters agreed with you about taking care of the world. I remember one Earth Day, Michelle Malkin said something like, "Yeah, well I'm gonna turn all my lights ON!" It's like, you don't have to be a tree-hugger, but you don't have to be a #$%& either!
(Insert your own profanity there.)
re Confederate flag Part II,
My rule is this: I don't want it at government buildings (except museums, certain monuments, etc.) but I, who has lived his entire life in the Deep South (Heart of Dixie, actually), don't make assumptions about people who display it.
While I bristle at the notion of hijacking a tragedy to win some unrelated battle, (Guns don't kill people, flags kill people?) my little heart is glad that the best they'll manage this time is to get a flag taken down.
I'm conservative and I think I have a great track record of taking care of the Earth. In 1970 I was only 16 but many of us organized an Earth Day Clean-Up of the Current River in our town and many ditches and parks; something I continued with for years with my Scouts. Stewardship is not something that only the Left possesses, it's interesting that I don't see a lot the Local Lefties, I like to call them Bolsheviks when we have annual cleanups around out town now. They're too busy thinking big thoughts and worrying about the next extinction I guess..
As to the Confederate Flag, Hell, take it down, but think about what's next. The left will get all butt-hurt about something else and then it will be the target...it will never end. Comparing the Confederate Flag to the Nazi Flag is a bit of overreach, actually it's a whole bunch of overreach...I wonder how the American Indians might feel about the Stars and Stripes.
Would you believe it was a typo, Bev? ;-) Seriously though, I swear I remember them smacking each other in the face with pies, but apparently not. :(
On the flag, I'm with Critch. I don't care about the flag BUT I don't want the left being able to dictate their pet peeves... because they have a super long list that includes pretty much everything you and I believe in. I also despise the idea of letting the left convert a tragedy into an unrelated political victory, and I despise the idea of letting asshole nutjobs force people's hand when it comes to policy.
On extinction, it is (using the technical term) bullship. This is the same old sales job they have been using for years to pump up global warming. There is also a great deal of fraud with regard to extinction and it has to do with the fact they are no creating species at record numbers and those new fake species are what are going extinct because they're not real species, they are just freaks within existing species.
Seriously, they get money to find "new species" so existing species get broking into dozens of "new" species.
BTW, that said, it is political dead end (and it's stupid and distinctly un-conservative) to be opposed to taking care of the environment. The difference is that we do it when it makes sense rather than as an absolute and our goal is to preserve it for future use, not to return it to a state without humans.
Liberal environmentalists are insane because their goal is a world without humans and our talk radio guys are politically toxic because they make a big deal about loving pollution so they can be anti-left. Once again, rational and conservative is the way to go!
Sorry, everyone. I will be back to respond later...busy morning!
Seriously though, I swear I remember them smacking each other in the face with pies, but apparently not. :(
Andrew - No, that would be Congress. I can get them confused too.
Let me add that despite my opposition to removing the flag on a philosophical level, I would not try to oppose it's removal. The self-righteous lemmings have spoken and the rest are racing to have always been on board, and experience shows that standing in their way is never wise, nor productive as they will now look for a scapegoat to blame for the continued existence of this tremendous evil and they will savagely punish anyone who is not of the hive mind.
As for the future... let me predict... the Confederate flag will now have a SURGE in popularity as it becomes de facto illegal. It will also become a genuine cause of violence as whackos like this shooter will now have a specific grievance they can point to when they claim "they're taking away my rights!"
And the lemmings will wonder how this could have happened...
Sad... Dick van Patten died. RIP
Andrew -
As did film composer James Horner. I linked above but here it is again.
We even had a discussion about him in which I tried to convince you that his scores for Star Trek II and Krull were not the same! :-)
Scott - I have always been earth-friendly. It is the only place we have to live at least right now and we have to take care of it. It's all just common sense. Even my very Republican/conservative parents drive Prius', are recycling nuts and are more environmentally conscience that any liberals I know. Oddly most of the people I know who declare that they are liberals, are the least likely to do even the most simple things like recycling. But they are also the first to scream "ANTI-SCIENCE, KNUCKLE-DRAGGING DENIER!" on Facebook if you challenge them to an environment-related word-duel.
Confession - I am a compulsive, almost OCD recycler....just be warned.
Surge in Confederate flag sales on Amazon. Meh. I'm not a libertarian (apparently I like Bev, am a natural support of Rick Santorum :) ) nor am I a big fan of the Confederacy, but if people want to associate (or for that matter, disassociate) themselves with said flag, they should be free to do so.
They are just letting others know where they stand and honesty is better for social relations in the long term than dishonesty no matter the sentiments expressed.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/06/23/confederate-flag-sales-up-at-amazon-by-2300-percent/
Scott, I saw that. Sad. But yeah, I hear them both as really, really close to being the same thing.
Bev, With liberals, it's only intent that matters. The deed itself is irrelevant to judging a person's behavior. So you may recycle, but you aren't doing it because you care as sublimely as they do... even though they don't actually recycle.
Anthony - I agree with you and Rick Santorum [AAARRRGGHHHHHH......NOO!!!!!]. I would much rather have the Confederate flag right out there in the open so you know where they stand. Btw, I think this about open-carry laws. I would much rather know that someone is armed because then I know and can act accordingly. Rather than to be in a situation where I could only wish that someone was packing heat.
Scott and Andrew - Most composers' work is similar. They have signature phrasing, chord progressions, and keys they like to work in. That's why you can recognize the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Max Steiner, and Stephen Sondheim.
I never open carry, it's tactically stooped. A few years ago a whacko walked into a city council meeting here in Missouri and the first person he shot was the uniformed cop...I like that element of surprise.
I stayed at a pricey hotel in Denver one time and they were compulsive about reminding us to put recyclables in the proper containers..then we would watch the Hispanic ladies cleaning the rooms dumping all the containers into one big container.
Oddly, I don't think I own any Confederate Flags.
On the lighter side of the news...
http://linkbeef.com/l-a-gang-member-gold-plates-own-genitals-to-death/
Los Angeles | An L.A. gang member, Nazario Conchuza Gonzalez, who is part of the infamous Ms-13 gang, also called Mara Salvatrucha, has died of medical complications after attempting to gold plate his own genitals to celebrate his 17th anniversary.
O... M... G...
Wow! Now that is Darwinism in action!
Critch, I don't either, but that shouldn't prevent us from being able to come up with our own list of things we want banned! I'm building a list of things I see as symbols of hate! :D
Bev -
I have no doubt of your Earth-friendliness. :-) It's just a shame too many on the right (the public figures, anyway) would rather mock the left than do something useful. And that perceived indifference ends up alienating moderates like yours truly.
And speaking of recycling, I agree re: music. In this case, James Horner was rather infamous in some circles for his liberal use of Prokofiev, not to mention his own recycling of themes. There are pieces in Star Trek III that sound EXACTLY like Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, there's a cue in Apollo 13 that's ripped off from Sneakers, etc.
But in the end, everyone's guilty of that sort of thing. And on a personal note, as much as I love Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams and Danny Elfman, it was Horner who scored my childhood. (The Land Before Time, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, etc.)
I think many conservatives react to "settled science" of the manipulated and narrow data. How many times over the last 20 years have we been told "the End Is Near" by the same folks who live in 10,000+ sq ft. homes that suck up more energy than a medium size city while they fly on their private Gulf Streams telling us lowly folk we must cut back or move to caves? How many times have we been told that the Arctic and Antarctic ice is melting (in the Summer) on,h to find out that in the Winter it has grown to more than last year?
There's just too much "don't mind the man behind the curtain. I am the great and powerful Oz who knows all!" There is too much of rules applying to thee and not for me in the Global Cooling/warming/Climate Change/extinction tgoal post moving and changing the name when the science doesn't match going around. Give the facts and people will be less skeptical. And not calling people names when the question the data would a healthy step in the right direction. That is just my observation since the Ecology movement of the '60's...
Really, how oxymoronic is the settle science of climate chnage?
Best post on the South so far by Jonah Goldberg.
LINK
I will say the left has admirable message discipline. Gun control (ridiculous and doomed to fail since shootings no longer change anyone's minds) seems like a more 'natural' response and that is what Obama was pushing for. Savvier minds decided to focus on an issue Dems could win on.
Well, they got the Flag pulled down, they got Amazon and E-Bay to stop selling it...Hey, the liberals have solved all the problems, because that little whacko killed those people because the Flag made him.
Anthony, The left is strong with groupthink. It's almost eerie how one of their leaders proposes a change and within minutes liberals everywhere are spouting that change as if it's always been their most fundamental belief. It's like they are drones.
Critch, That was expected, but they'll be back in both places. Amazon did the same thing with porn for a few days. Also, there are other places it will still be sold.
The serial idiots on CNN were postulating that maybe we need to be looking at the Jefferson Memorial in DC; he owned slaves you know. My God, these people are the best little Bolsheviks I've ever seen.....I don't know how many of ya'll are Southerners, but this hysteria over the battle flag is going to backfire on those idiots at some point...they are really pissing people off.
Critch, That's the left for you. The problem is that once you give them an inch, they throw out ten more inches and then ten more and soon they are demanding the whole mile. They are an endless grievance machine.
This: When the South was solidly Democratic, we got “Gone With the Wind” nostalgia. Now that it’s profoundly less racist, but also less useful to Democrats, it’s the enemy of all that is decent and good.
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