Sunday Rant - 4217

PN:

Joe’s Comment – Proof the postmodernist belief that there are no differences between men and women is unfounded.

Passion vs Reality
When Joe and I were instructing workshops re: entering / re-entering the workforce, one of the points we made over and over again was passion is NOT a skill set. It is wonderful to feel passion. Contrary to popular belief, feeling passionate about something doesn’t guarantee success at anything.
Mike Rowe stars in a Prager U. video about this very subject.
Mr. Rowe’s video was (briefly – his fans are in the millions, and include Joe and I) suspended by YouTube for reasons that are incomprehensible without knowing the language of Orwellian doublespeak!
Anyone out there believe that YouTube doesn’t have a political agenda?

Inspiration a la Carte
Coach Lou Holtz (very successful football coach) inspires the graduates at the Franciscan University of Steubenville with a humorous and compelling speech about the three rules he lives by:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=139&v=d3eyc-atEiU

Mexican Primer
The opinion piece at this link paints a very grim picture of Mexico.
Corruption at all levels of government.
Tribal / cabal mentality – coercion is accepted if not applauded.
Unlike the United States of America, the first “Mexican Revolution” (somewhat misnamed) has had a host of sequels. Seems the written word of their Constitution has as little value as logic does with the post-modernist advocates of today.
Transparency International Organization has attempted to measure corruption –

Slavery
Joe and I read an interesting article at “West Hunter” titled “Chained Nixies”.
A quote from the article –
“Peer Vries pointed out that Great Britain, after a while, was getting far more labor power from steam engines that it could ever have gotten from coerced labor. In 1840 England had 17 million “steam slaves”: 121 million in 1870, and 411 million in 1896.
Just a little earlier the main power sources were water and wind: watermills and windmills. As late as 1850 water power was “the leading source of mechanical power on both sides of the Atlantic.””
The article includes the following graphic, which details the use of water power (before steam) in the eastern United States circa 1840. Each water wheel is estimated at approximately 10 horse power –

The conclusion is that the “industrial power” of the North by using water power alone was seven times greater than all of the slave power of the South.
Following the water wheel and windmill came the steam engine, which usurped horses, men, water wheels, windmills, and little tiny children slave laborers (oh! the humanity!) in great numbers.
The industrialization efficiencies of machinery are what ended slavery.
More efficient, more powerful, cheaper, tireless, with much less maintenance.
Joe says if machinery and the industrial age hadn’t happened, slavery (manpower) would still be the rage…..

Lies About Slavery
Joe contends that he has been a slave most of his life.
I say true: he has been a slave to his imagination and emotion; a story of human bondage.
This discussion is about the contentious issue of humans enslaving other humans against their will. This is an ancient human practice.
Any increase in the standard of living for genus homo sapiens sapiens can only be accomplished via change (labor / invention / technology).
Change may precipitate from any or all of the trio of conflicts: man vs nature / man / self. Restricting the metaphor to slavery, there are three distinct varieties – man enslaving other men (and women too – don’t be so damned touchy!), nature enslaving men (ditto), and men enslaving themselves (double ditto).
The topic of humans being enslaved by other humans, the current political “straw man” (especially in the USA) re: slavery is White Western racism, being one sided and against African populations is, in Joe’s words, male bovine excrement. Not because it isn’t partially true, but because the whole story is untold, therefore it is blather.
Enter this essay by Jack Kerwick titled “Slavery: Racially Incorrect Facts“.
As Mr. Kerwick points out, Europeans didn’t get involved in the slave trade until the 15th century. From 1400 to 1900 it is estimated that over 3 million Europeans were pressed into slavery by North Africans (i.e. Muslims), who had been enslaving other humans from the dawn of their religion. Other cultures and other eras were slave states, dating back to the earliest written history, but the issue was not considered immoral, only a fact of life.

Classic VDH
Joe and I are fans of Victor Davis Hanson, an historian and professor emeritus at CSU Fresno. His work is always extremely well researched and referenced. His opinions are worth considering. The following presentation given at the Regan Ranch Center in the spring is worth a careful listen. Joe says he is semi-omniscient:

Mental Illness in California
What in the world are these progressive asshats smoking?
The wackjobs in Sacramento have recently changed the law regarding intentionally infecting someone with HIV – it is no longer a felony!
Read it here.
Joe and I think this is beyond reason. HIV is as good as a death sentence. To intentionally NOT tell a sexual partner you have HIV, or to NOT tell blood donor clinics that you have HIV is an act of manslaughter says Joe.
Of course, if you value someone’s feelings over a moral obligation to harm no other person, we have no use for you.
If you think that way, you are an accessory to manslaughter.

POLITICS, POLITICIANS, WACKJOBBERY, HUMOROUS, STUPID

SUNDAY SERMON

This week the pulpit is host to Canada’s own Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, and a champion of rational thought on the subject of climate change.
The following video is a compilation of many presentations Dr. Moore has given in past years. We are presenting it here because a large part of the video is comprised of presentations Joe and I have not seen before.
Patrick Moore has a plausible, logical, and economical suggestion to resolve the “climate change dilemma” – don’t do anything but instead focus on reducing the future dependency on fossil fuels. Sounds good to us!
A long and interesting review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sl4BcFZPyM

WEATHER (OR NOT)

This week in Vernon was mostly inclement – some mild wind, chilly, rain, cloud.
The days keep passing, shorter and shorter.
Grandson Rourke gets up before the sun on school days.
Grandpa does too, for we are breakfast buddies.
Joe and I have started the annual sweater wearing, because it is too darned nippley without.
The urge to hibernate is strong.