Month: November 2004

🙂

Needed to add this comment, again from Pournelle:

“Jane Jacobs points out that a Dark Age isn’t when you have forgotten how to do things. It is when you have forgotten that you ever could. French peasants in 650 AD were entirely unaware that Roman farmers could get yields of 10 bushels harvest for 1 bushel planted: they thought it a gift of God if they could get 3 bushels from each bushel planted, and generally didn’t get more than 2. And American educators have apparently forgotten that there was a time when 96% of the people who finished 4th grade could read; we now have 100% attendance at schools and a literacy rate somewhat lower than Iraq’s. But all will be well and No Child Will Be Left Behind, so long as we can juggle the tests and get increasing test scores. The purpose of the education system is no longer to educate but to produce people with certain credentials. Hurrah for the educational reforms of the past three decades.”

And so it goes. Another axe in the hands of the barbarians vigorously hacking away at the roots of Western Civilization…

The MMPA, the LLMB and their partners in crime must thank god for government schools (they do that only while looking in the mirror, you know, since that is where they see their god… ).

Well, as you may have discerned by now, “The Essay” concerning the conspiracy to murder Western Civilization, etc., is going to be even longer in coming… Nevertheless, I’ll probably be posting snippets concerning the signs of that “conspiracy” from time to time. Here is one such snippet, from Jerry E. Pournelle:

“In every college classroom in the nation nothing is taught that is inconsistent with the view that within every oppressed human lurks a burning desire for freedom. In my view in every human heart beats a desire, sometimes burning sometimes not to rob his neighbor and possess his wife: it was once known as the doctrine of original sin.

Chesterton once said that anyone who didn’t believe in original sin could not possibly be reading the newspapers.”

While this may be a slight exaggeration (I suspect there may be as many as two classrooms in a Bible College somewhere in a hick “red state” that still teach about original sin and man’s depravity), it is close enough to the mark. And it is symptomatic of one of the axes weilded at the roots of Western Civilization by the barbarians in academia, in the ranks of the Mass Media Podpeoples’ Army and the Loony Left Moonbat Brigade. That, of course, is the current preconceptual bias against the concept of right and wrong. The concept that there is anything that is clearly always, immutably right and thus there are behaviors that are always clearly immutably wrong is the only “always wrong” concept to the barbarians in academia, in the ranks of the Mass Media Podpeoples’ Army and the Loony Left Moonbat Brigade. To them right and wrong are opinions, and that is the only correct opinion about right and wrong.

Try to have a civilization where “every man [does] what is right in his own eyes”. Go ahead. Try it.

Meanwhile, I need to clean this keyboard… (tired of re-typing every blasted “d”).

Carol Platt Liebau has an interesting article and a blogpost (actually, a series of posts) on the “values vs. issues” argument about the outcome of the last national election. One of the key arguments is over the effect of loosely-defined “values” vs. the national security issue. She asks whether nationalk security might actually be seen as a moral value.

Consider:

“…It is not without purpose that the ruler carries the sword; he is God’s servant, to inflict his wrath upon the wrongdoer…” Romans 13: 4

And Romans 13 is not the only passage that makes clear that civil government has a primary role: creating fear in outlaws by means of the sword.

Did the campaigns in Afganistan and Iraq improve our national security by means of punishing outlaws and creating fear of wrongdoing in other outlaws?

Ask Qadaffi.

But this is not solely applicable to so-called national security issues. We have outlaws a-plenty here at home, as well. The political class as a whole is talking about extending amnesty to one whole class of outlaws: illegal aliens (while disingenuously calling them illegal immigrants).

Martha Stewart was sent to prison NOT for illegal insider trading but for asserting to investigators and the public that she did not engage insider trading. They say she lied, and so they sent her to prison for “lying” to them about something they did not even charge her with. Meanwhile, large numbers of U.S. Senators engage in insider trading on a regular basis and are given a bye.

Jerry Pournelle has famously said (well, if it’s not yet a famous saying, it ought to be),

“We don’t have a rule of law, we have so many laws that if all were enforced impartially we would every one of us be ruined by fines, or in jail, or both. And we know this.”

And this is one major reason why respect for lawful behavior is so low. When you can follow a speeding highway patrolman to his coffee break, you know that not even the law enforcement officers take traffic laws seriously–unless they want to write a ticket. And I doubt that there are many citizens who have not–probably unintentionally!–broken tax laws simply because the laws on what the government takes from our pockets to put in others’ pockets are so arcane as to need a voodoo magister to keep them straight.

With laws designed to make outlaws of everyone and civil government determinbed to NOT make horrible examples of violent outlaws who rape and steal and murder, is it any wonder respect for thr rule of law is a laughable concept today?

A civil government determined to NOT horribly punish (“pour encourager les autres” [heh]) violent criminals and equally determined to have a big stick wherewith to beat citizens into submission, just in case they ever want to (as if that were a remote possibility–ask Martha) is an immoral government.

The primary justification for civil government is to get the outlaws–those who would steal and kill and destroy–off the backs of common citizens. And there’s not much else that is justifiable in our national government functions either biblically or constitutionally.

Yep. Security is a moral values issue.

Just a lil addendum to yesterday’s “thanksgiving”…

Here’s the rub: in a civilized society, civil government is tasked with hounding thieves with “the sword” so that they at least fear being caught out.

The response of the company that shows no shame at having stolen from me (delivered less than what they sold me) seems to indicate they see their behavior as simply business as usual. When that kind of attitude holds sway, thieves run free.

And vigilance committees come into being, because civil government isn’t aprehending such thieves and meting out punishment severe enough to not only discourage them but at least make other potential thieves like them hesitate to show such brazen behavior.

But we can be glad that the choice between civilization and barbarity is becoming plainer. For example, politicians on evbery side of nearly every aisle in this country are calling for “amnesty” for a major class of outlaws, a class that poses a serious threat to the safety and security of citizens of this country: the huge class of illegal aliens. Most Americans (the polls show roughly 3/4) agree that illegal aliens, those who are in the country without valid visas or work permits or legal attempts to gain citizenship, ought to at the very least be expelled.

But our masters in the political realm see it otherwise. And in pushing for amnesty for outlaws, they make clear one line in the war to save (or kill) civilization: honest government. As Jerry Pournelle put it,

“A country that has an elite leadership that defies the vast majority of the citizens is neither a republic nor a democracy.”

OK, back on track, now. Every instance of barbarians at the gate (like the shamefully dishonest merchant I mentioned yesterday and above) or in seats of power (like the politicians who want to give a “bye” to outlaws), there are others who advance the cause of civilization just by holding themselves to a higher standard.

Looked around for another motherboard to suit my needs (because even IF the scoundrels attempt to send me the merchandise I paid for, there’s no telling how long and how much effort it might take to force an ethical response from them). Found one for about the same total cost (delivered) as the one that was NOT delivered… with a case and power supply and other lil goodies thrown in. And—surprise!—it was from a retailer I’d dealt with before and had simply kind of lost track of over the years. No manual. (The other had no manual either, but a manual was easily downloaded.) Problem. It’s an “orphaned” board—the company is still around, but no longer produces motherboards and has removed all documentation for mobos from their website. No search engine produced anything usable.

Hmmm… not good. Nevertheless, I had had good experiences shopping with this small company several years ago, and the same people owned and were running it. Submitted my order, then emailed the company’s owner for help locating a manual or tech sheet. And on a Saturday evening—Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, no less—Steve Weigle at The Village Geek emailed me back with help.

http://www.villagegeek.net

Decent folks, one and all, who have a personal stake in helping their customers.

So, yes, I have seen more and more evidence of creeps, cretins and crooks peopling the landscape of our society, but there does seem to be a remnant of decent folk.

Nice.

(Yes, there are more than a few other decent, honest business folk doing business on the web, but none of the ones I know seemed to have exactly what I needed—except for the ONE left at The Village Geek, a great place to do business. 🙂

I think the “Western Civ” t-shirt from http://www.protestwarrior.com is a good way to key in on a few of the issues in the current culture war:

“Besides Monotheism, Code of Law, Philosophy, Mathematics, Chemistry, Literacy, Physics, Modern Medicine, Sanitation, Electricity, Transportation, Electronics, Computers and Space Travel, WHAT HAS WESTERN CIV EVER DONE FOR THE WORLD?”

Indeed.

Let the game begin.

The story of the following hymn speaks for itself. Draw your own comparisons to your own life and responses to your own struggles.

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, Whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Here’s what one account of the circumstances surrounding this hymn’s authorship says:

“Martin Rinkart was a pastor in the little city of Eisenberg [sic] in
Saxony during the Thirty Years’ War. This walled city was the goal of refugees
during that time. They came and ate all the food, and then there was starvation.
With the starvation came pestilence, until practically the whole population of
the city died. Martin Rinkart, the only pastor left in the city, had as many as
fifty funerals in one day. One evening after having conducted funerals all day,
he sank down exhausted, thinking that he could bear it no longer…”

Actually, Eilenberg was the town’s name, and it was sacked three times during Rinkart’s pastorate. One of those many funerals Rinkart held was for his own wife.

And yet, he wrote the words of this hymn as a response to the trials of the Thirty Years’ War in 1644, toward the end of active conflict.

Consider that as today’s turkey and dressing and the sauces and pies and trimmings wend their way slowly through your system, likely adding another five pounds’ weight by the end of the holidays…

Got troubles?

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

Twenty-six years ago today, two became one. Eventually, two more were added. Today, the children are home from college/grad school celebrating that day with us.

Nice. I certainly know that I had no idea how much getting married during Thanksgiving weekend 26 years ago would make this holiday so very special in years to come. Yeh, it was a great time for obvious logistical reasons: families used to getting together for the day/weekend, several days “off” for most, etc., but that future Thanksgivings would always carry the blessing of the intervening years’ time spent together building family—that I, at least, had no way to foresee.

Tomorrow, I’ll probably post my typical Thanksgiving note. Today, spent with Sue at her cardio appointment, shopping, then at home with the kids, was filled with reflection on all the years spent together… so far. And hopeful prayer for more years together to come.

That’s all. Back to “fam time”…

I’m a little out of the loop, so I just now heard (thx, Meg) that Dan Blather is leaving CBS “News” in March.

Too little, too late.

I’ve not watched ANY CBS programming since Rathergate. Not missed it either. (What’s to miss? Their flagship entertainment franchise, the “CSI” stuff, is lame; what else is there?) Nope, I think that CBS has probably lost more than a few viewers of ALL their programming. Better stuff all over the place. And news? C’mon! None of the Mass Media Podpeoples’ Army on ANY channel report news. Fugeddaboutit.

Nope, CBS: too little, too late. B’bye!

This observation at Polipundit inspired the comparison that follows…

That lil set of facts leads to the inevitable conclusion that the DNC has cast itself in the role of the Black Knight in Monty Python’s “Search for the Holy Grail”… Just substitute the DNC for Black Knight in the dialog below:

__________________________________
Scene 4
The black knight
[King Arthur music]
[music stops]
BLACK KNIGHT:
Aaaagh!
[King Arthur music]
[music stops]
BLACK KNIGHT:
Aaagh!
GREEN KNIGHT:
Ooh!
[King Arthur music]
[music stops]
[stab]
BLACK KNIGHT:
Aagh!
GREEN KNIGHT:
Oh!
[King Arthur music]
Ooh! Uuh.
[music stops]
BLACK KNIGHT:
Aaaagh!
[clang]
BLACK KNIGHT and GREEN KNIGHT:
Agh!, oh!, etc.
GREEN KNIGHT:
Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaah!
[woosh]
[BLACK KNIGHT kills GREEN KNIGHT]
[thud]
[scrape]
BLACK KNIGHT:
Umm!
[clop clop clop]
ARTHUR:
You fight with the strength of many men, Sir Knight.
[pause]
I am Arthur, King of the Britons.
[pause]
I seek the finest and the bravest knights in the land to join me in my court at Camelot.
[pause]
You have proved yourself worthy. Will you join me?
[pause]
You make me sad. So be it. Come, Patsy.
BLACK KNIGHT:
None shall pass.
ARTHUR:
What?
BLACK KNIGHT:
None shall pass.
ARTHUR:
I have no quarrel with you, good Sir Knight, but I must cross this bridge.
BLACK KNIGHT:
Then you shall die.
ARTHUR:
I command you, as King of the Britons, to stand aside!
BLACK KNIGHT:
I move for no man.
ARTHUR:
So be it!
ARTHUR and BLACK KNIGHT:
Aaah!, hiyaah!, etc.
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT’s left arm off]

ARTHUR:
Now stand aside, worthy adversary.
BLACK KNIGHT:
‘Tis but a scratch.
ARTHUR:
A scratch? Your arm’s off!
BLACK KNIGHT:
No, it isn’t.
ARTHUR:
Well, what’s that, then?
BLACK KNIGHT:
I’ve had worse.
ARTHUR:
You liar!
BLACK KNIGHT:
Come on, you pansy!
[clang]
Huyah!
[clang]
Hiyaah!
[clang]
Aaaaaaaah!
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT’s right arm off]

ARTHUR:
Victory is mine!
[kneeling]
We thank Thee Lord, that in Thy mer–
BLACK KNIGHT:
Hah!
[kick]
Come on, then.
ARTHUR:
What?
BLACK KNIGHT:
Have at you!
[kick]
ARTHUR:
Eh. You are indeed brave, Sir Knight, but the fight is mine.
BLACK KNIGHT:
Oh, had enough, eh?
ARTHUR:
Look, you stupid bastard. You’ve got no arms left.
BLACK KNIGHT:
Yes, I have.
ARTHUR:
Look!
BLACK KNIGHT:
Just a flesh wound.
[kick]
ARTHUR:
Look, stop that.
BLACK KNIGHT:
Chicken!
[kick]
Chickennn!
ARTHUR:
Look, I’ll have your leg.
[kick]
Right!
[whop]
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT’s right leg off]

BLACK KNIGHT:
Right. I’ll do you for that!
ARTHUR:
You’ll what?
BLACK KNIGHT:
Come here!
ARTHUR:
What are you going to do, bleed on me?
BLACK KNIGHT:
I’m invincible!
ARTHUR:
You’re a looney.
BLACK KNIGHT:
The Black Knight always triumphs! Have at you! Come on, then.
[whop]
[ARTHUR chops the BLACK KNIGHT’s last leg off]

BLACK KNIGHT:
Oh? All right, we’ll call it a draw.
ARTHUR:
Come, Patsy.
BLACK KNIGHT:
Oh. Oh, I see. Running away, eh? You yellow bastards! Come back here and take what’s coming to you. I’ll bite your legs off!

__________________________________

Yep. The DNC has become the Black Knight of American politics, all right.