Posts Tagged ‘reality’

It’s all part of the cultural divide

Posted: November 28, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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One of the things that I find interesting about the meltdown concerning “global warming” and the climate change e-mails is how it symbolizes the cultural divide.

Not so much Red vs Blue, Conservative vs liberal, Robert Stacy McCain vs Charles Johnson (great timing changing sides btw Charles) but really in terms of how people look at things and why.

Way back in my HiWired blog days I wrote this to Glenn Reynolds concerning the Haditha debate.

Since the 60’s two unifying forces, for good or ill, were removed from the country: the removal of Judeo/Christian values as the semi-official moral code of the public schools) and the death of the draft/aka Vietnam. (actually ending in the 70’s). These two changes had one thing in common, it took two generations for them to have the following effect:

It is now unlikely that a student going to school today, had a teacher or parent who 1. Served in the military or 2. Was taught that moral code in school. To a whole generation now being born these are things that belong to outsiders. This makes the military and religious people outsiders and strange to one group and vice versa.

One important part of that moral code is truth and honor. Judeo/Christian values stress truth, lies are the work of the Devil. That is why contrary to the pop culture the Church’s role in the promotion and advancement of science and the University system looms large. It is a search for truth and as I’ve said before the only reason to be a Christian in general or a Catholic in particular is because it is true.

The concept of honor comes from the base of truth and is why it is so prominent in the military and also explains why the vast majority of people in the military come from Judeo/Christian backgrounds. The concepts of truth and honor are significant and the shame of violating those concepts are dreadful to a believer. Even if one didn’t believe in the religion itself the shared VALUES of truth and honor of the the Judeo/Christian system applied with great benefit to the culture as a whole.

One of the glories of Science is the reliance on truth. The best science consists of the gathering and measuring of data and the constant testing of it. The whole process of hypothesis, test and conclusion is a relentless search to confirm the known and discover the unknown truths of existence. This relentless search has improved the human condition beyond measure. When Christ says:

“you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

he is pronouncing the first commandment of science. The truth of knowledge frees the potential of the mind in as sure as the truth of Christ frees the soul.

What does this all have to do with the Climate Change e-mails? Just this: In two generations relativism and secular humanism rejection of Judeo/Christan values led to the idea that “truth” is relative and that one need to accept and even celebrate relative “truths” for the sake of various causes. This has been pushed culturally and politically with disastrous (and sometimes comical) results, but when that becomes the case in the sciences then bad things happen.

Would you want to be behind the wheel of a car who’s designer decided that he has his own different standard for how breaking and acceleration should work? Would you want to have him withhold his calculations or defend his actions by calling you a “friction denier”? How would you like to finance his production and have to drive your car under those same rules even if you don’t own one?

The subordination of truth for the sake of a cause and the abandonment of honor as a virtue is bad in any field, in science it leads to societal stagnation and decay. It is why daylight needs to be shined on this fraud and on the elites that decided they were going to protect it for the sake of money, stature and power. If it is rewarded or defended and or ignored then we condemn ourselves and our children to a world of superstition worse than any we have yet experienced.

Update: Nameless? Click on the link to the Glenn Reynolds letter I included in this post or on my amazon reviews and you will find my name very easily.

Update 2: Hey reputable scientists always throw away basic data, and people say Christianity is something taken by faith. Over to you Mahablog is there a climate gate now?.

Some miracles are more possible than others

Posted: November 23, 2009 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
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Today I went to the unemployment office to re-open my claim (hopefully the study and Wednesday’s interview will make it semi moot).

Because of some things at the house the plan to get there before it opens was shot so I was ready, I had my Palin book and my Ipod and was prepared for a two hour wait like the last time…

…they had me taken care of in 15 minutes. Apparently the claim re-opening is the easiest thing in the shop, but 15 minutes with the place packed? That is one serious miracle.

As a believing Catholic I’m prepared for miracles but wasn’t prepared for that.

However some things are almost a miracle too far, like the New York Times covering the hacked Global Warming Documents:

And as a nice sequel of sorts to our previous post on leftwing cognitive dissonance, Orrin Judd spots this staggering moment of hypocrisy from the New York Times’ Andrew C. Revkin of their “Dot Earth” blog on Friday:

The documents appear to have been acquired illegally and contain all manner of private information and statements that were never intended for the public eye, so they won’t be posted here.

And they don’t contain any obvious state military secrets as well, unlike say the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War or more recently, the secrets of War on Terror, or any of a number of other leaked documents the Times has cheerfully rushed to print.

Back in 2006, when his paper disclosed the previously confidential details of the SWIFT program, which was designed to trace terrorists’ financial assets, New York Times executive editor Bill Keller said on CBS’s Face the Nation, “one man’s breach of security is another man’s public relations.” Of course, much like the rest of the media circling the wagons with ACORN, it’s not at all surprising that the Times circles the wagons when it’s necessary to save the public face of their fellow liberals.

After all the release of this information won’t put American soldiers lives in danger or risk national security so of course it’s not worth printing.

You know eventually if they don’t just fold the paper might decide to just market strictly to their niche liberal market. If that happens then watch it become even worse.

When I first started reading Instapundit there was a blub at the top that said “The NY Times of Bloggers”. I think the Times if they had any brains would set a goal to be called the Instapundit of Newspapers.

If they set that as a goal and acted accordingly what a change that would be.

Update: Investigations come to the fore.

Q: Given the history of Louisiana how does taking the $300mil hurt Landrieu with La voters?

Posted: November 22, 2009 by datechguy in Uncategorized
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A: I’m thinking I’m thinking.

Robert Stacy isn’t a Catholic but I am

Posted: November 21, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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So when I read his post and the links within, I’m required to act.

So What I’m doing is going to the site of the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry (St. Robert Bellarmine is the patron of our pastor, he is always quoting him). Where I found this action page and this collection note.

I printed out this page and will include it in the collection and just double up on the collection to the parish.

Knowing my pastor he will ask about this and that will lead him to this page, there are plenty of local charities that need the money so it’s not like it will be a problem.

It is vital for Christians in General and Catholics in particular to remember that the primary duty is Worship of God, avoidance of sin and the goal of heaven. All we do in charity is in keeping with that goal. One is in danger of losing sight that Christ is the means to the end, when people use Christianity as the means to a different personal end it will likely lead to a bad end. There is a reason why the 1st commandment is the 1st.

As the Gospel says:

When he was in Bethany reclining at table in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil, costly genuine spikenard. She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head. There were some who were indignant. “Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil? It could have been sold for more than three hundred days’ wages and the money given to the poor.” They were infuriated with her.

Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good thing for me. The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them, but you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anticipated anointing my body for burial. Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them. Mark 14:3-10

It is interesting to note that directly afterward being rebuked for putting a cause (even a good cause) before Christ that Judas goes off to deal with the chief priests.

Something for these guys to consider.

None of this should be a surprise, Christianity in general and the truth of the Church (one and the same) will always be attacked from without and from within by the enemy, from without to keep people away from the truth and from within to disillusion and deceive those who have found it. A roman collar is not a guarantee of salvation any more than membership in another church is a harbinger of damnation.

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