Sometimes It Hits Me

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe. -- Thomas Jefferson

Many so-called "Blue Staters" are susceptible to the notions of the global warming alarmists. I had always marveled at the number of people who would buy into the improbable scenarios that are protrayed in works of fiction such as The Day After Tomorrow, Reefer Madness and An Inconvenient Truth.

I enjoy a good eco-scare story. Movies like Damnation Alley were a good way to kill a few on a rainy Sunday. The problem is when government officials' attitudes start reflecting some of the fears put out by these works of overt irrationality.

Most of us have never feared winged monkeys despite watching the Wizard of Oz some 35 times. Why should we fear the world tilting on its axis, Earth running out of oxygen, or whole states totally swamped out by tsunamis.

Then it occurred to me. New Yorkers, not to pick on them, but to give the seminal example, are often at the mercy of their environment. How many remember the plight of New York City residents when the garbage workers went out on strike? Now that is an environmental catastrophe. Garbage could take over your whole life. It would pile up at the doors, and eventually trap you in your apartment building. There is indeed a reason to believe that your environment can affect you in New York.

Meanwhile, out in the real world, there's plenty of room to roam around. Our garbage is well tended to, and there is no obvious environmental or population problem. In fact, bring on the tired, the poor, the wretched refuse; we have room here.

Here, yes in red state country, we observe that the earth is resilient, renewable, and irrepressible. We can handle all the carbon dioxide you want to send our way. Anyone who doesn't think so, should regard the dandelion. The point is, none of us should believe we have nearly as much impact on the environment as the movies would seem to say we do.

There is also a big danger in letting the big city types set any kind of environmental policy. From where they stand, something has to be done. Maybe so, but they should keep the cures to themselves, and let the rest of us live our lives free from their "solutions".

Conspiracies and Complicities

The three aims of the tyrant are, one, the humiliation of his subjects; he knows that a mean-spirited man will not conspire against anybody; two, the creation of mistrust among them; for a tyrant is not to be overthrown until men begin to have confidence in one another -- and this is the reason why tyrants are at war with the good; they are under the idea that their power is endangered by them, not only because they will not be ruled despotically, but also because they are too loyal to one another and to other men, and do not inform against one another or against other men -- three, the tyrant desires that all his subjects shall be incapable of action, for no one attempts what is impossible and they will not attempt to overthrow a tyranny if they are powerless. -- Aristotle


For you see, the world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes. -- Benjamin Disraeli

I have been bothered recently by the treatment of persons identified as "wacko conspiracy theorists" for wanting to learn the truth. High profile persons mock and deride honest people like Alan Keyes who would simply like to see a birth certificate.

Recently, Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck have taken up against the inquiry. O'Reilly misses and dismisses a lot in his efforts to be perceived as fair and balanced. Glenn "hold to the truth" Beck should know better than to dismiss a constitutional truth. A certificate of live birth, which simply proves that someone was born somewhere is not the same as a birth certificate, and shouldn't be accepted as such, without other proof. Now, do I think it makes a difference? Yes, for future reference. If in fact it turns out Obama was born out of the US, it will be but one in a long list of serious mistakes leading to the election.

I believe in Occam's razor. Occam's razor teaches that the simplest explanation is almost always true. The simplest explanation to me is that this child's mother wanted US citizenship for her son, and learned of a way to accomplish that in August 1961. Not the first time, nor the last. This is done many times a day in the US even now.

I don't normally subscribe to conspiracy theories. For example, the torturous logic behind those who believe in US government complicity in 9/11 leaves me unconvinced. Too complicated. Too hard to cover up that many loose strings. Sure, a lot of folks are suspicious, and not all things can be explained.

But to dismiss those who seek the truth is to promote untruth. No matter the results of the find.

Many conspiracies turn out to be true. Here's one.

A hospital record of birth would be helpful here. No, it's not a "right wing conspiracy". It is an issue of constitutional importance.