November 4, 2009
Well if a hack like L. Ron Hubbard can do it, why not a hack like Algore:
Al’s Gore’s much-anticipated sequel to An Inconvenent Truth is published today, with an admission that facts alone will not persuade Americans to act on global warming and that appealing to their spiritual side is the way forward. (Gee, if the facts were against me I might resort to superstitious mumbo jumbo too, especially if it meant $Billion$ in my wallet.)
“I’ve done a Christian [-based] training program; I have a Muslim training program and a Jewish training program coming up, also a Hindu program coming up. I trained 200 Christian ministers and lay leaders here in Nashville in a version of the slide show that is filled with scriptural references. It’s probably my favourite version, but I don’t use it very often because it can come off as proselytising,” Gore tells Newsweek.
Come on down and be HEALED by the all the lies I continue to spread at the AGW Church of Al. Gee, coupled with this admission from July, he’s admitted AGW is not based in reality and is designed to control our lives. Wow, who doesn’t want to support that? Pass the plate.
In a May 12, 1780 letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams wrote a little about the beauty of France, but then explained that he didn’t have time to pursue them as he wished:
I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Painting and Poetry Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine.
The surface meaning is quite obvious. Adams must work hard in France in order to secure free and peaceful existence for the independent American colonies. This is a sacrifice he makes, not only for his own sons, but for all sons of America.
Notice how Adams originally wrote “Painting and Poetry,” but then he crossed it out because he had a better thought. Originally, he just thought to say that his sons would be able to do fun stuff. But then he probably came to his senses and realized that, even in France, only the rich got to enjoy all of the culture. In fact, his sons have to study subjects with practical commercial value so that his grandchildren have the freedom to indulge in luxury activities such as the study of painting and poetry. (Philosophy is, apparently, considered a practical subject.)
Even back in the 1700s, we see that study of art was considered a more fun thing to study than mathematics or commerce. Have times really changed all that much? I think what has changed is that Adams assumed that his grandchildren would study painting and poetry as a hobby and not because they expected to earn money doing that. Adams considered the study of painting and poetry to be a luxury, and not a way to prepare the student for employment. And that is where things are different today. There is a great sense of entitlement among our nation’s most intelligent youth. They expect to study fun stuff, and then they expect that someone will give them a job because they studied fun stuff.
From: Half Sigma
From Jay Guin at One in Jesus
One of the biggest problems facing sub-Saharan Africa (south of the Sahara) is the inability of the countries to export food and cotton for a profit because of crop subsidies the Europeans and Americans provide their farmers.
You see, for poorer countries, the easiest way to earn a profit and gain foreign currency is through agriculture, but the US and European farm lobbies manage to squeeze the taxpayers for subsidies that create artificially low prices for Western-grown food — which keep the poorest of the poor from being able to export food more cheaply than the West can despite its much higher production costs.
This is a problem for both political parties, because both have powerful senators from farm states who protect the pocketbooks of their constituents. And it never occurs to them that this violates the Bible.
You see, I think American Christians are free to compete on a level playing field with anyone. But using our wealth to freeze the poor out of international markets is sin.
And it violates the Democratic Party’s principles opposing government welfare for the rich; and it violates Republican Party’s principles favoring free trade. There are numerous farmers who grow unsubsidized crops and do just fine competing with the rest of the world. But Washington lacks the will to cut subsidies that indirectly subsidize re-election campaigns. And no one complains much because, well, our allegiance is to ourselves, rather than to all of God’s children.
Just so, the serious problem of illegal immigration in the United States is debated by Christians in terms of legality and expense and which party the immigrants will support. Never have I heard Christians debate the question in terms of what is best for the Mexicans — not even as a factor to be considered. Indeed, mention the Golden Rule or “love your neighbor” in such a conversation, and you’ll sometimes be viewed with bemusement or scorn by your fellow Christians.
I don’t pretend to know the answers to the illegal immigration problem, but this much I’ve figured out: Christians are not allowed to argue in terms of selfishness. And I wonder what would happen if we seriously talked about how we might deal with the problem by helping Mexico rather than how we can help ourselves with no regard for the consequences to the Mexicans.
As my friend Harvey Schultz says, “Something to think about.”
White House Spokesferret Robert Gibbs announced that Obama met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss the war in Afghanistan. Gibbs bragged that Obama will have spent 20 hours on Afghanistan strategy sessions (after today, of course). Gibbs even called this 20 hours over nine months “an extensive and exhaustive review” of the situation.
Meanwhile, Obama has played golf 24 times in the same period. Let’s see… 24 sets of golf at about four hours a pop… that’s 96 hours on the links, and that doesn’t count the drive to and from the course.
Leadership is all about priorities. And apparently, golf is about five times as important to Obama as the life and death struggle in Afghanistan. Perhaps Gen. McChrystal can buy a set of Pings to get a little more face time with the CinC.
From: Exurban League
