Were we all sleeping when we allowed the world to become insane? How did we let it get to this point? Especially Christians, who should know better - why were we silent for so many years? Lots of examples, then some comments on Eric Metaxas’ book “Letter to the American Church”
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:10-12
SCIENCE
More EV fires
As if dealing with a hurricane wasn’t enough, some folks in Florida suffered EV fires. Salt water and electric batteries don’t mix. Some of the cars actually burst into flames.
pray for families in Maui and our southern states who have lost everything
Upside down logic
From “Coffee & Covid”, Sep 2
“In late July, Forbes ran a story that proves jab-induced cognitive impairment, headlined, “Chop Down Forests To Save The Planet? Maybe Not As Crazy As It Sounds.” (I disagree. It is as crazy as it sounds.) The sub-headline was even worse: “Bill Gates and other investors are betting Kodama Systems can reduce carbon dioxide in the air by chopping down and burying trees. Now if only Uncle Sam would get on board with tax credits, too.”
We used to call that waste. Wasted energy, wasted lumber. I thought planting trees was a good thing. I thought deforestation was a bad thing.
Boosters not tested
From “Public”, Sept.2 - “In 2021, two veteran FDA officials, Dr. Marion Gruber and Dr. Philip Krause, resigned under pressure from the White House to approve the first booster. Emails obtained through the Freedom of Information Act suggest the officials wanted more thorough clinical studies before approving a third shot. Last year, the FDA approved an updated booster that had only been tested on eight mice, and that proved to have little efficacy. The US government paid nearly $5 billion for 171 million of these boosters, and only about 20% of those eligible received a dose. In the end, tens of millions of doses were wasted.” (ie., thrown out)
Follow the money
“… Pfizer and Moderna have earned tens of billions of dollars from their Covid vaccines. They could easily fund clinical trials for new boosters. Given the enduring controversy around the risks of Covid products, regulators could also easily require studies to ensure that the new boosters have clear clinical benefits for humans. That the FDA has not done so indicates how few lessons the agency has learned over the past three and a half years.”
Scientists that don’t see global climate change as a crisis
Stu Turley Aug 31 “1600 Scientists…” “International scientists have jointly signed a declaration dismissing the existence of a climate crisis and insisting that carbon dioxide is beneficial to Earth, contrary to the popular alarmist narrative.”
Fossil fuel comeback
Surprise – world records were made in use of wood, coal, oil, and gas in 2022! Renewable energy, not so much
Read more in David Blackmon’s substack
Watch out! wind generator blades fly off
From “Tango with Renewables” Aug 31 - major Danish wind farm maker, Orsted, having problems “Ørsted A/S (CPH:ORSTED) said today that a rotor with all three blades split from the turbine's nacelle and fell into the sea at its 400-MW Anholt offshore wind farm in Danish waters…Ørsted said that it is taking extra precautionary measures, and is requesting that the relevant authorities establish “no-sail zones” at all of its offshore wind farms that have the same turbines as the ones installed at Anholt.” (emphasis mine)
paying for energy we don’t use if it’s windy when we don’t need it -from Azra Dale’s “Tangle with Renewables”, (Sept.3 article by David Turver)
“…some of the renewables are turned off because there is not enough demand to meet the available supply. This is called curtailment. However, even though the market value of the energy generated is low, we pay the much higher ..price not just for the power supplied but also for the curtailed power. Yes, we pay for power we do not need and do not consume. We also pay to keep some of the natural gas plants idling in case the wind drops suddenly or when the sun sets.”
On the other hand, what about times when it’s not windy?
“Dunkelflaute is a German word for periods where it is dull with little wind. This type of weather is quite common in Northern Europe and means there are significant periods where little or no energy can be generated from wind or solar. In these cases, gas-fired generation has to step in to fill the gap…”
What about ocean wave power?
I remember years ago hearing about getting energy from the ocean’s waves, but haven’t heard anything about that in several years. Out of curiosity, I did some searching. Apparently the idea is ‘dead in the water’. Many projects have been cancelled, several companies have gone out of business, and new projects can’t get funding.
subscribe to “My Two Cents” for free
from a Scientific American article Aug.10 2021: “But despite decades of research, the motion of the ocean has proved difficult to harness. Wave patterns are unpredictable, seawater corrodes metal generating machinery, and waves’ energy is simultaneously dispersed across three dimensions (up-down, forward-backward and left-right). In part because of such challenges, the electrical output from several nascent, large-scale wave power projects has lagged behind predictions.”
Your comments are welcome
FINANCE
The essence of investing
From “Compounding Quality” Sept.3 “It’s very simple: buy quality stocks at bargain prices.”
The UN’s stupidity leaves me speechless (almost)
Another example of insanity - The UN wants to charge Aramco, the largest oil producer, with human rights violations because they think oil production ruins the ‘climate’. Doomberg nails it Sept.4: “To identify where the real power lies, ask yourself a simple question: which can’t the world live without, oil or the UN?”
Nobody wants to predict anything anymore
They all hedge their bets to almost meaningless levels -
Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Slimmon ‘predicts’ S&P 500 could leap another 11% this year.
That’s a prediction? “could”? Sure it could. But if the S&P doesn’t go up 11%, Mr. Slimmon will say “I didn’t say it ‘would’ go up; I just said it ‘could’ go up.
This is typical of 99% of financial ‘predictions’ in the media. It explains why half the advisors say it will go up, and the other half say it will go down.
FAITH
“The Essential Church” film by John MacCarthur
The church was designated ‘non-essential’ during covid lockdowns, while at the same time, bars, nightclubs, and Planned Parenthood were allowed to be open. That is insanity. But this film makes it very clear that the church is essential. It’s essential for Christians to be free to gather together for worship and fellowship.
Update on David Daleiden
Remember David Daleiden? He founded the anti-abortion “Center for American Progress” in 2013, and went underground to videotape interviews with Planned Parenthood representatives, using hidden cameras. He wanted to find out and document exactly what they were doing in their abortion clinics. Planned Parenthood then sued him for invasion of privacy and had him arrested! Kamala Harris, now vice president of the United States (!) was California attorney general during the investigation against David Daleiden, but didn’t bother to investigate Planned Parenthood! (more insanity)
Judge Orrick, an appointee of Barack Obama who presided over one of the lawsuits against Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress, has been accused of founding an abortion referral clinic that sent pregnant patients into Planned Parenthood’s fetus-harvesting program. (‘fetus’ is simply latin for ‘baby’ - it’s a baby that they’re killing and chopping up for parts.)
Judge Orrick refused to recuse himself from the case, which shocked the nation with their undercover investigation of Planned Parenthood’s aborted baby body parts trade.
In 2015, Orrick issued a gag order stopping Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress from releasing an additional 200 hours of video footage. Later, he and a federal jury awarded Planned Parenthood a $16 million verdict (!) against Daleiden and his organization. They are appealing.
The unbelievably evil Planned Parenthood operation used all of their powerful, ungodly contacts in high places to accuse David Daleiden of being the ‘bad guy’ for exposing their wicked, murderous practices.
Some undercover videos show how Planned Parenthood employees callously and flippantly negotiated the price of tiny baby hearts, lungs, livers and brains.
Now, for the update
News item from the Thomas More Society, Sept.3, which has been defending Daleiden:
“A Texas lawsuit could bankrupt Planned Parenthood… and the pro-life movement has David Daleiden to thank for it.
You see, back in 2015, the state of Texas started the process to defund Planned Parenthood and decertify them as an official Medicaid provider because of the release of David's shocking undercover videos.
But Planned Parenthood continued to receive $10 million in illegal Medicaid payments in Texas…
Now the state is suing the abortion giant to the tune of $1 billion for Medicaid fraud—which could total $1.8 billion after interest, fines, and penalties, potentially bankrupting the abortion giant.
Truly, David’s videos are still sending shockwaves throughout the pro-life movement, 8 years after he first released them.”
Bev and I support the Thomas More Society, and hope you will too!
Abortion is worse than murder
Also from the Thomas More Society, Aug.30:
“pro-life activist Lauren Handy, as well as her four co-defendants, have been found guilty of violating the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinical Entrances) Act and of a conspiracy against “rights.”… Lauren was at notorious abortionist Cesare Santangelo’s facility that day in October 2020 because she believed—and continues to believe—innocent babies were being born alive and left to die.
The Court has branded Lauren and her four co-defendants as “violent” criminals…
After the jury returned the verdict, Lauren and her fellow pro-lifers were handcuffed and hauled off to jail by an army of U.S. Marshals.
“The one thing the defendants had really agreed upon was to remain non-violent…”
“…The real violence is what happens during the abortion procedure.”
“Ms. Handy has been condemned for her efforts to protect the lives of innocent preborn human beings. We are preparing an appeal and will continue to defend those who fight for life against a Biden Department of Justice that seems intent on prosecuting those who decry abortion and present it as it is—the intentional killing of children in utero.”
We believe that the FACE Act is now demonstrably unconstitutional, especially in the wake of the U.S Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs, which tossed Roe onto the trash heap of history.”
Recommended – “Letter to the American Church” by Eric Metaxas
A call for Christian men and women to speak out and not be silent. Drawing from his vast knowledge of Germany under Hitler in the 1930s, (he wrote the biography of Deitrich Bonhoffeur) Metaxas explains that the German churches were mostly silent and went along with Hitler. Not only that, but he sees the same thing happening in America today. The vast majority of pulpits are silent on the culture’s anti-God, anti-Christian, anti-bible, anti-life madness. The prevalent attitude seems to be that as long as you believe in Jesus, you don’t need to pay attention to anything else. Our responsibility to be in the fight against evil is seldom mentioned. Is the church asleep? Are we?
looking back
The 60s were known for the hippy age, the ‘flower children’, psychedelics, Woodstock, and free love. I don’t remember the churches saying much about it. Free love, the euphemism for sex outside of marriage, was thought to be without consequence because of the invention of the contraceptive ‘pills’ widely available. Along the same lines, Hugh Heffner’s “Playboy” magazine glamorized sex in the 60s. Pornography became a big industry. Again, the churches were mostly silent.
Adultery was still frowned on in the culture, (and still is) so free love was mainly sex between unmarried couples, which led to its inevitable consequences – unwanted pregnancies, because no contraceptive method is foolproof, and that in turn led to abortions.
Pregnancy was especially a problem for high school girls, so in many cases, their parents, although not happy about it, actually took them to whatever nearest state allowed abortions. For those beyond high school age, abortions were often sought simply because they weren’t ‘ready’ to settle down, marry, and raise a family. In fact, pregnancy was an unwanted hindrance to their lifestyle.
In Engel v. Vitale (1962), the Supreme Court held that the Establishment Clause prohibited the recitation of a school-sponsored prayer in public schools.
In 1973 the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court case made abortion legal in the U.S.
Abortion became a billion dollar industry. Planned Parenthood has even been illegally selling baby parts. OHSU (Oregon Health Science University) is a buyer.
Why are the churches silent?
Meanwhile, most churches, and therefore most Christians, have preferred to avoid the subject, and remain silent, because someone might be ‘offended’. Churches usually have mortgage payments to make and they have salaries to meet, so the human, natural response of the leaders is to want good attendance with the accompanying good income from tithes and offerings. However, in spiritual matters, the natural response is usually the wrong one. The mission of the church is to proclaim the Truth; the Good News about Jesus Christ. But speaking the Truth also includes speaking the truth on issues of the day, speaking against sin and evil practices, not avoiding the tough issues and not remaining silent. This does take courage when there’s a risk of some people leaving the church, or a risk of becoming a target of government reprisals, as was the case in Hitler’s Germany.
we have no excuse
The longer we are silent, the bolder and stronger the anti-Christian forces become. We need to pray and ask God’s forgiveness for the times we’ve looked the other way, and for the courage to speak up.
The churches in Germany in Hitler’s day had no idea how bad it was going to get, and now we’re beginning to see unimaginably evil government actions in America.
-but don’t forget 1 John 4:4 - “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
I’m thankful for Eric Metaxas’ book, “Letter to the American Church” calling us to action.
I’ll close with the rest of that Ephesians passage on our spiritual battle -
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17
this was a hard one to write - we have to live in the real world, but don’t let it take your joy away - here’s a lighter read - “Surprised by Joy”
the next post will be a re-evaluation of Bitcoin and crypto currencies