The Problem With Bold, New Thinking: Its Rather Old and Worn Out

Mark Noonan9 Comments

Jeffrey Taylor in The Atlantic reviews Jerry Coyne’s new book, Faith Versus Fact and has this to say:

…Primarily, though, Coyne focuses on the epistemological. He notes that religion has always advanced hypotheses about the cosmos and the origins of life—matters that he argues belong within the realm of science. He bluntly evaluates faith’s record of teachings about the natural world as a “failure of religion to find out the truth about anything.” Worse, he states, faith from the start leads humans toward “thinking that an adequate explanation can be based on what is personally appealing rather than on what stands the test of empirical study.”

Coyne is clear in his argument that to understand the cosmos there is no need of a “Creator.” What science says about the temporal nature of our own solar system, in fact, renders more than improbable the existence of a divine plan for humanity. “Human tenure on Earth,” he writes, “will end when the sun … vaporize[s] the Earth in less than five billion years,” while the universe “will also end [through] heat death,” with temperatures falling to absolute zero. What does this say for those who insist there’s a divine plan for mankind on Earth? The “God of the gaps,” Coyne argues, is losing out as science fills in the missing pieces…

Gee? Really?  Well, that settles it – since this universe of ours is doomed to die, there must be no God.

Do people really believe this sort of thing?  Have the people who make such statements ever so much as cracked open a theological book? As for humanity surviving five billion years until the Sun vaporizes the planet – seriously? Anyone who is betting on humanity surviving 500 years is taking a sucker bet. If there isn’t a God who is going to save us by miraculous action, I wouldn’t be surprised if humanity was finished 200 years from now – we’re already dying off as a species at this very moment (one crucial aspect to survival of the species is having children; the global birth rate in 1950 was around 37.2 kids per 1,000 people; as of 2015, it was about 19.4…and if it keeps up, it’ll be 13.4 by 2050).

Continue reading →

In Congress, July 4th, 1776

Mark Noonan10 Comments

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…

…We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Who is in Favor of America?

Mark Noonan30 Comments

Read a couple tweets yesterday from Charles Cooke (@charlescwcooke):

I don’t like its being done per se, but the fact that people can burn American flags with legal impunity helps to show me that I’m free. 1/2

And frankly I’m much more interested in that beautiful principle than in the people who choose to use it in a way that I dislike. 2/2

I replied:

Disagree; that we allow the burning of the American flag shows that there are people who want me unfree.

One burns what one does not want. The flag is an abstract symbol of freedom.

 

I like Cooke’s writing. I think he’s intelligent, well informed and far seeing. He’s a go-to guy for political commentary; so please understand I’m not actually going after Cooke. I get Cooke’s point – we must allow that which is disagreeable to us to ensure our own freedom. And, in fact, that disagreeable things go on proves that we are free. But is this really so?  Are we really free when we permit people to rampantly work for anti-freedom? Are we sure, that is, when we allow arguments against freedom to thrive that our freedom will survive?

Continue reading →

We Are Ten Years from Complete Conservative Victory

Mark Noonan19 Comments

Huh?  How’s that?  Wait a second, Noonan – are you nuts?  The Supreme Court just decreed that the law doesn’t matter. Furthermore, Hillary is the odds-on favorite to replace Obama so we’ll have four to eight more years of lawless liberalism imposed from on high…and even if we vote GOP, those spineless cretins will just roll over for it. You, sir, are ’round the bend – we are on the cusp of the Union of Socialist States of America.  Get used to it!

Well, not so fast. First off, it is well-known to all who study history (which pretty much excludes everyone on the left – but also a goodly portion of those on the right) that in human affairs what appears to be most strong is usually an inch away from crushing defeat while that which seems to be nearly extinguished is just about to flame into sublime victory. Looks are, indeed, very deceiving. The apparent triumph of liberalism ushered in on January 20th, 2009, is looking, upon close examination, rather rocky.  Think about it:  if liberalism was really the way things are going, then the Obama Administration would not have relied upon screwball re-writes by the Supreme Court to save their signature achievement – they would have brought it back to Congress, firm in the knowledge that liberalism is so popular that the Congressional GOP wouldn’t even dare tinker with it other than to enact what Obama demanded. Didn’t quite happen that way, now did it?  Liberalism can only win these days when there is a President who will just ignore the law and go ahead and do it…or when a bunch of lawyers find some way to twist the plain meaning of the law to suit their desires. People heading for triumph don’t act like that – people fighting a desperate rear-guard action to save themselves act like that.

Continue reading →

The Week That Was

Cluster22 Comments

It was a helluva week for the “fundamental transformation” of America brought to you by the fascist progressive minority and the newly minted fourth branch of government – the legislative wing of the Supreme Court. When CJ Roberts ruled on the individual mandate vs tax issue in 2012 I think everyone was a little surprised that he ignored the obvious intent of the legislation that the mandate was a “penalty”, not a tax, because the authors knew very well that selling a tax increase to pass the bill was not an option. Yet the tax angle was the only option to pass Constitutional muster, and Roberts was there to save the authors from themselves in the final ruling. Fast forward three years, once again CJ Roberts ignores the intent of the legislation as expressed by Jonathan Gruber to force State’s to set up exchanges or lose out on Federal subsidies. In order for the numbers to work, the Federal Government needed State’s to set up exchanges so they could pass on the financial burden of the subsidies, yet when many State’s refused to accept that financial burden, or went broke trying to set up exchanges, the entire ACA paradigm was in peril. Enter newly minted SC Legislator Roberts to save the day yet again as he magically waved his wand, reinterpreted the intent and made all the little fascists happy. It is obvious the SC no longer strictly interprets the constitutionality of legislation as it is written. They now have magic powers to see into the hearts of man, assess the intent and rule accordingly. And just a reminder, these folks are not up for election and serve in their positions for life, so in reality it wasn’t a good week for our “representative republic” at least on this issue.

In re: to SSM, I think public sentiment was clearly headed in this direction and despite the numerous failures at the State ballot boxes in recent years, SSM was on a trajectory towards acceptance. Enter the SC Legislative branch, who once again disrupt the natural evolution of democratic reform and impose their position on the issue upon the ignorant masses who are clearly not as evolved and wise as they are. Ironically, had patience won out and State voters were the impetus of change, this issue would not be the rancorous issue it has become. But that possibility was evidently not acceptable to the petulant progressive fascists who once again relied on the Legislative branch of the SC to impose their desires. Again, a bad week for our “representative republic”.

And while we are all adorn in rainbows, love and free health insurance, ISIS is having a field day in exploring new ways to slaughter innocent people. Remember them? I don’t even think Orwell could have envisioned this.

Government: Just a Word for Lines We Stand In Together

Mark Noonan10 Comments

Yep, the bigger we make government and the more power we give it, the better – via Hot Air:

The number of veterans seeking health care but ending up on waiting lists of one month or more is 50 percent higher now than it was a year ago when a scandal over false records and long wait times wracked the Department of Veterans Affairs, The New York Times reported. The VA also faces a budget shortfall of nearly $3 billion, the Times reported in a story posted online ahead of its Sunday editions. The agency is considering furloughs, hiring freezes and other significant moves to reduce the gap, the newspaper reported. In the last year, the VA has increased capacity by more than 7 million patient visits per year, double what officials originally thought they needed to fix shortcomings, the Times reported. However, the newspaper added, department officials did not anticipate just how much physician workloads and demand from veterans would continue to soar. At some major veterans hospitals, demand was up by one-fifth, the paper reported.

Our Big Government liberals will naturally call for more money and more bureaucrats. They will never understand that the primary purpose of government, as conducted by its officials, is to increase the power and wealth of government. Even when we restrict government to its most narrow, constitutionally-mandated powers, those in it will still be seeking after themselves, first – and the people, at best, a distant second in their concerns. It is just the way things are. People are like that. A bureaucrat has a choice in how to spend his day: vigorously working for the people (for which he will get no additional pay or benefits), or vigorously working the system to benefit himself. Guess which way things go? And this is true even if a majority of the bureaucrats are selfless – it only takes a few in the mix who are self-serving to ensure the whole system is screwed up.

The bigger the government gets the less capable it will be in doing what we want it to do. You see it, yourself, every day – schools that don’t teach; roads that are in disrepair, etc. We’re spending vastly more – in real dollars and per capita – on all things government than we ever were and things just keep getting worse. More run down, more difficult to accomplish, more lengthy in process, more expensive in the end. We need to spend a decade repealing laws and cutting down the size of government just to get to a point where the human mind can start to comprehend the scope of it and decide what to do.

Monday Morning Open Thread

Mark Noonan

Seems that the anti-Israel forces are gearing up for Gaza Flotilla III. What could go wrong? You know, you can pretty much bring all the food and medicine you want into Gaza…you just have to go thru Israeli security to do it as the Israelis have this bizarre, freakish desire to not allow arms into a place stuffed full of people who want to kill all the Jews. I know; weird.

The Russians are making a play for Greece – which reminds me that Russia has never liked the fact that they don’t control Constantinople and the Straights. The deal would be along the lines of Putin opening up a line of credit for Greece’s welfare state and Greece going into alliance with Russia. This is considered fearful, and it is – but it would actually be most immediately fearful for Turkey. In case you ever wondered why the British and the French allied themselves with the Turks to fight the Crimean War – this is why. Its a long time from 1854, but some things stay the same…and these days there is no French or British Empire with armies and navies worthy of the name.

Latest investment advice: stuff your mattress with cash.

Hillary is calling for gun control – which means if you’re a Democrat activist in a red State, don’t be expecting any visits from Hillary or campaign cash…she’s not even remotely interested in the States Romney won in 2012. Though it might work out rather funny if Sanders or someone ends up being credible in the primaries as Hillary would then have to win a vote in some red States…

In spite of electing Obama in 2008, it looks like the world is doomed.

Saw a claim on Twitter that Nixon was drunk during the Yom Kippur War – which did lead @RogerStoneJr to note this means a drunk Nixon is better than a sober Obama.

How about some quotes?

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. – C. S. Lewis

It has been discovered that with a dull urban population, all formed under a mechanical system of State education, a suggestion or command, however senseless and unreasoned, will be obeyed if it be sufficiently repeated. – Hillaire Belloc

No weakness of the human mind has more frequently incurred animadversion, than the negligence with which men overlook their own faults, however flagrant, and the easiness with which they pardon them, however frequently repeated. – Samuel Johnson

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. – Mark Twain

The Declaration of Independence dogmatically bases all rights on the fact that God created all men equal; and it is right; for if they were not created equal, they were certainly evolved unequal. There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man. – G. K. Chesterton

 

Ever Wonder What a Real Christian is Like?

Mark Noonan12 Comments

They are like this:

“I forgive you,” said the daughter of 70-year-old Ethel Lance to the 21-year-old man who allegedly murdered her mother in church and appeared at an emotionally charged video court appearance in Charleston on Friday afternoon, two days after a horrific mass shooting here…

…“You took something very precious from me, but I forgive you,” Lance’s daughter said through tears. “It hurts me. You hurt a lot of people, but may God forgive you.”

This is what it means to be Christian – to take up the cross and follow Jesus. This is difficult. None of us know ahead of time if we can really do it (and, at all events, it is Jesus who really does it for us – we just consent to His action).  And if the man repents of his sin and asks for forgiveness then as far as Christians are concerned, that is a done deal. Sure, he still has to pay the price of the world for his crimes – which might end up being the surrendering of his life – but no Christian will have a word of condemnation to say about him. He’d be just another brother in Christ, in spite of his crimes.

So, for you secularists out there who denigrate Christians who sin and then ask forgiveness – we’re serious about this. It is for real. We’re not just using our “invisible sky god” to get off the hook. This is how Christians are and always will be.

Laudato Si: My Take On It

Mark Noonan23 Comments

As a Catholic, first and foremost I urge everyone to actually read what is written – do not trust MSM summaries of it and don’t take the word of those who have a particular axe to grind. Read it yourself – decide for yourself what it all means. Encyclicals are meant to be read; prayerfully and with mercy and charity. But, also as a Catholic, permit me to speak a bit about it. Here are just a few bits I’ve looked over so far.

The first thing which caught my eye is this:

Pope Benedict asked us to recognize that the natural environment has been gravely damaged by our irresponsible behaviour. The social environment has also suffered damage. Both are ultimately due to the same evil: the notion that there are no indisputable truths to guide our lives, and hence human freedom is limitless.

This is an important thing to say – we are not actually entirely free agents. Our freedom granted by God can only be properly used when we are voluntarily choosing to do what is right. It is true that we can choose evil – that is built into our free will…but when someone chooses to do wrong, that is not an act of freedom. It is, actually, an act of self-slavery – someone riveting chains of servitude upon himself. There are indisputable truths to guide our conduct and we ignore this at our extreme peril.

Continue reading →

Trump

Cluster13 Comments

So the megalomaniac has finally stepped up and entered the POTUS race, something of which he has been saying he would do for quite some time and I have to say from a business standpoint, I am intrigued. I was a big Romney supporter for this same reason and that is I would like to see a successful CEO run this country like a company, not a daycare. Trump had a good line yesterday when he said that the “brand” of the US needs to be great again and I like that train of thought. This country needs to win more often in the negotiating room and on the battlefield. We need to care more about what we think about other countries and less about what they think about us. And make no mistake, Trump has been very successful negotiating with other countries and politicians through the myriad of overseas ventures he runs and other countries are very aware of where he stands and how tough he is to compete with.

I find it amusing how the MSM and progressives are bashing Trump over his ego, yet they found the same quality in Obama to be inspiring. Remember when Obama was proclaiming his election was the moment when the seas began to recede and the planet began to heal? Obama has a worse egotistical problem because his massive ego is not supported by any great accomplishment. And no – lying through your teeth to win the POTUS election is not a great achievement. Trump’s accomplishments are obvious and well known. It will also be hard to bash Trump over his wealth considering the MSM’s admiration of Bill and Hillary’s recent accumulation of wealth.

All in all, I think Trump’s entrance into the race will be interesting. He does not have to raise funds or pander to any narrow constituency. He is able to speak his mind freely, and if he offends someone or causes someone to have to go to his or her “safe space”, then I will like him even more. It’s time this country has an adult conversation about who we are, the mess we are in, and what it will take to emerge once again as a country respected and feared by the rest of the world.