Agree with Me

Farmers were denied entry at a screening of the documentary film, “Gasland, Part II,” recently.  Apparently the promoters did not want people in the audience who did not agree with the thesis of the film, that fracking is bad.  http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/04/23/fracknation-filmmaker-claims-group-farmers-was-barred-from-gasland-part-ii/?intcmp=features

Politicians have been stacking crowds for years.  Only those who will cheer for the candidate are allowed in the audience.  When a trickster gets through and begins shouting or heckling, it causes a stir.  Agree with me or shut up.

I understand the desire to have a sympathetic audience.  But we need to be careful not to stifle honest, open debate.  The climate of political correctness has had a chilling effect on free speech. 

Because certain beliefs are assumed to be true, and are rarely challenged, there are certain things that cannot be said. 

• Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. 
• The pro-choice movement supports the right to choose who is a person. 
• Politicians (many, if not most) are motivated by political self interest and power.
• Both major political parties work to gain and retain power more than they work to support and defend the U.S. Constitution. 
• The news media are motivated by their own self interests of ratings and revenue; big government stories produce big audiences, so the media are biased toward bigger government. 
• Printing money will ruin our monetary system; it is only a matter of time before it falls apart.
• Personal morality is essential for civilization.
• Morality cannot be defined by majority vote.
• Guns owned by citizens protect citizens from government tyranny.
• Scientific evidence for Darwinian evolution has enormous gaps.
• Religions that encourage lying to advance their religion are dangerous.
• Entertainment often distracts citizens from the important issues.

Those who agree with the politically correct party line are given the microphone.  In the media, all we hear is one perspective.  When we hear it enough, we tend to believe it.  Even if it is not true.

Gun Control

The gun control advocates sense that the time is right to make some big changes.  The emotional tide is right.  There is far too little discussion about the reason we have a Second Amendment to the Constitution. 

The Founders had lived under the tyranny of England, and knew that citizens need protection against overstepping government. 

The real motivation behind gun control is not safer schools, but tighter government control of every aspect of life.  It is one thing to fear a rogue criminal with a gun.  It is another to fear the authorities who can systematically limit your freedoms, and ultimately put you in prison--or worse.

Hello again

It's been over three years since I have posted anything on this blog.  Even so, people have occasionally found my blog, and apparently read something.

I had even forgotten how I logged on to the blog.  I had my daughter, who was home from college for the weekend, help me break the code.  Now, I'm back in business. 

Ah, yes...where shall I start?

How about a quote?  I heard Ravi Zacharias say on a video blog:  "Any stigma can beat a good dogma."  You may speak the truth, but if people can malign you or your ideas, then your message won't be heard.  Well said, Ravi.

More on Toyota

Looks like there is more to the story on Toyota. A few days ago I learned that Toyota has "black boxes" in its cars, recording devices that note the state of systems just before and after air bag deployments.

These recordings can only be read with software created for (by?) Toyota, and only one computer in all the United States has this reading software. Seems like the company is not interested in making these crash data widely accessible.

If there is any willful withholding of information essential to public safety, then Toyota is clearly begging for investigation.

Unfortunately, the congress seems particularly ill-suited for leading a pursuit of the truth.

The Right Thing To Do

I heard the president say today that the congress should pass his health care reform bill because it is the right thing to do. How I wish that our governmental representatives were motivated by doing what is right.

Some politicians probably really have persuaded themselves that they are doing right when they vote for bigger and bigger government. But somewhere deep down, they have to know that something is wrong.

Spending is more than out of control. It is on auto-pilot, set to ratchet up every day and every year. While we owe so much money that we'll never pay it off, we are borrowing more. This week we are extending unemployment benefits, for only $10 billion. Chump change.

Everywhere I turn, I see more government spending. On the radio I hear commercial after commercial about some federal government info website. These commercials cost money and we are broke. I heard one yesterday directing me to a .gov website that will tell me how to be a better father. I'm all for good parenting, but the government has no business telling me how to raise my children.

Maybe there is a website that gives budgeting tips.

What are we exporting?

Toyota has been in hot water since all their recalls hit the news. The problems are a big deal. They are safety issues.

But the strange thing about this story is that the U.S. congress wants to grill the president of Toyota. When have they ever called-on-the-carpet the CEO of a foreign company? Maybe the imported vehicles have had such a stellar track record that we never had a reason to interrogate them.

But it looks to me like Toyota is being treated like an American company. We have so thoroughly tutored the Japanese in manufacturing that they have learned how to make colossal mistakes and (maybe) how to cover them up.

They are exporting cars to us, but we are exporting flawed manufacturing systems to them. That's one way of leveling the playing field.

Meanwhile, I have to say, it looks like Ford is doing something right.

At least it's not terrorism

Reports of the plane crash in Austin today have been interesting. A man burns down his house, leaves suicide notes and then flies a plane into a federal building. The top cop there assures us that this was not terrorism.

Well that makes me feel so much better. He was mad at the IRS, the Catholic Church, his accountant and his wife. I guess if he was a Muslim they would call it terrorism. But since he is just mad at the world, it is merely a plane crash.

Seems to me that someone is a terrorist if he attacks innocent people. Maybe it's not terrorism if you are not trying to advance some political/religious agenda. In any event, it's sad and scary when people begin flying planes into buildings.