Speculation and implications

After much careful research, including but not limited to the invention and manipulation of data, I have succeeded in reconstructing a typical day in the life of an acolyte in the Temple of Climate Change. He begins early, rising with the sun, although not paying any particular attention to it, because, after all, the sun never changes, and he knows for a fact that nothing about the sun could possibly affect climatic conditions on Earth. He gathers with other devotees before the graven image of Mike Mann nailed to a hockey stick, and they spend an hour or so chanting, "The science is settled. The science is settled." After a meal of grass and rainwater (because he believes in "eating locally" and nothing else grows here at this time of year), he sits down at his computer and plays with temperature graphs, flattening bumps and raising dips with the fervour and conviction of an Old Testament prophet ("Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low"). Having coaxed all his raw data to resemble the Divine Hockey Stick, he then forwards it to a select group of cronies for that process of dedicated and thorough rubber-stamping known as "peer review," then it's off to the useful idiots of the mainstream media, who will unquestioningly publish it with headlines including such hot-button words as "crisis," "urgent," and "emergency." Should anyone have the temerity to challenge him on the validity of his work, or to suggest - horrors! - that it may be somewhat lacking in such minutiae as truth, fact, or reality, he simply calls them nasty names and reverts to chanting his mantra: "The science is settled," along with its variants: "The evidence is overwhelming" and "Thousands of scientists agree..." - knowing that scientific fact is, of course, established by consensus.

After a long day of such arduous toil, he can relax, watch the weather forecast ("record cold") and possibly toy with his latest grant proposal, although this is a mere formality, since the Temple clearly has the UN in its back pocket, along with such credulous nincompoops as the President of the United States, as well as the tinpot dictators of sub-Saharan Africa, who don't give a flying poop about the climate, or their people; they just want our money and this seems like a remarkably easy way to get it. (Is anyone gullible enough to believe that Mugabe, for instance, is going to spend money on infrastructure? Give me a break...)

What makes me laugh, albeit sadly, is that, having thrown out God and replaced Him with science, we then foolishly expect our new idols to exhibit the same integrity and righteousness as the God of the Bible. Why should scientists be any less fallible than politicians, CEOs, cult leaders, or used-car salesmen? We routinely expect lying and cheating from these others; why are we so shocked when scientists do it, too? What happens when the academic community, the repository of vast amounts of specialized knowledge which the rest of us lack, turns to forwarding a totalitarian ideology?

Afterthoughts

Now that the provincial election is over, and the Legislature once again reinvented in much the same configuration as before, and both interest and tempers have retreated from their peak of lukewarm, I feel safe injecting insight.

With regard to the Green party, it seems quite clear that their status as a "viable third option" is a figment of the media's imagination. The Green party is nothing more than a single-issue fringe group, with more candidates, but not more credibility, than the Sex party or the Marijuana party or others of that ilk. Toward the end of the campaign I was driving to work one morning and a downtown intersection was peppered with Green supporters, most with anachronistic amounts of facial hair, dancing around and carrying placards. "Gracious me," thought I, "the responsible and productive members of society are at, or on their way to, work at this hour, and here are these people with leisure to stand around and wave signs. Are they all independently wealthy?" We wonders, yes we wonders.

As for the NDP, they valiantly kept the wind blowing, but, having offered nothing, achieved nothing. Just as well. They're dandy in opposition but clueless in government.

And so we're in for another four years of business and bellyaching as usual...

Bara-a-ack

It should come as no surprise that the new administration in the US continues to pay lip-service to Christianity while opposing, in its policies, many of the most basic principles thereof. That kind of thing goes back at least as far as Constantine. What saddens me is that people are so easily taken in by it - "people" meaning genuine, sincere, well-meaning Christians who fail to do their homework with regard to Obama's positions and policies, and instead, allow themselves to be carried along and lulled by his impressive speeches. Because the man can speak. No doubt about it. He is a master of crowd manipulation. But then, so was Hitler. There's not much point in talking about human rights as long as we continue to rip apart, suck out, and incinerate the most helpless humans of all. There go your much-touted future generations, sir.

Those with eyes to see should consider carefully whether we are watching this scenario unfold: "...he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest....given power to take peace from the earth, and to make men slay each other...'A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages,and do not damage the oil and the wine!'...given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." I don't think it's likely that Barack Obama is THE antichrist. But don't forget that the spirit of antichrist is already active in the world. And our job is what it has always been: pray for those in authority. Hold out the Word of life. Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

On the off chance that I'm being a little harsh (today is, after all, his second day on the job), I will say this in favour of Barack Obama: he has the best name EVER to burp to.

Truth will out

For someone who is overwhelmingly a non-watcher of TV, it's surprising how ads (that run during the news) will catch my attention sometimes. Before advertisers start rubbing their hands in glee, however, I hasten to point out that their efforts pique my interest for reasons far removed from what the creators intend. Case in point: the Lotto Super 7 ads lately - one with a woman on a massage table, and another with a man and a bunch of vehicles. Have you noticed that there is no one around these people other than paid flunkies? Not a soul. They have all the toys, but no real relationships. And this is supposed to make me want to buy lottery tickets? Yech.

Nice to see some truth in advertising for a change.

Cold comfort

Got a new fridge a few weeks ago. This is a good thing. The old one had taken to peeing on the floor. When cats do that I have them put down. However, the job of cleaning the floor fell to me. And as I scoured on bended knee, I ruminated (okay, snarled) thus: Put a man on the moon, we can. Sent an unmanned probe to Mars, we have. But after six thousand years of technological progress, what is a woman still doing? SCRUBBING THE FLOOR, THAT'S WHAT! All those billions poured into NASA, and they still haven't come up with an unmanned probe that does housework. Now THAT would be useful. That would begin to justify the ridiculous amounts of money they suck up. Honestly, those guys are supposed to be so smart, but they can't seem to see the foolishness of looking on lifeless planets for clues to the origin of life. Since life is clearly confined to the earth, it's a safe bet that it originated here. Why not check out the historical evidence? Genesis chapter one...Come to think of it, life used to originate in my old fridge from time to time. But I threw that stuff out.

On being a dad, although I'm not

This being Father's Day, I'd like to dedicate this post to my friend and fellow-musician Dave. I read an article the other day summarizing a lot of research on the importance of a father to a child. In a nutshell, a dad who's around, and involved, has a positive impact on every imaginable aspect of a child's life. Dave is 40-something and has three school-age kids. He spent their early years with booze and cocaine as his companions, so he has some catching up to do and some long odds to beat. And he's determined to succeed. He's been clean and sober for more than a year now, and he's working hard, paying off his debts, taking parenting courses...most of all, he's being the stable, dependable father every child needs. And he knows God is on his side, too.

My prayer is simply that, having put his hand to the plow, he will not look back. Run the race with patience, brother. Keep your eyes on the prize.

NIMBY

Been following the MacLean's/Mark Steyn fiasco?

Geez, these days I don't seem able to step out of the house without committing a hate crime - MARK STEYN
http://www.macleans.ca/canada/opinions/article.jsp?content=20080604_84794_84794

Maybe it would be best if we lost this battle - At the tribunal, there's no defence of fair comment, or good faith, or even truth - Andrew Coyne
http://www.macleans.ca/canada/opinions/article.jsp?content=20080604_37964_37964

Mark Steyn says he wants to lose human rights case
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080606/macleans_article_080606/20080606?hub=TopStories

Let's be clear, now, this is Canada, not Nazi Germany or Stalinist USSR. Canada. Peace, order, and good government. Wake up, sleeping giant, before you bleed to death from gnat bites.