Judgement Day revisited

Remember May 21, 2011?  What was significant about this date?  That was the day preacher and Family Radio founder Harold Camping predicted the world was going to end.  He purchased billboards advertising the rapture located all over Southern California: “Save the date! Jesus is coming on May 21!”

Well, May 21^st has come and gone a few times.  We all survived and many of us had a pleasant laugh at the expense of the prognosticator who inaccurately predicted Judgment Day.  Of course, there are many similar predictions. Remember the predictions based on the Mayans’ calendar, which ended on December 21, 2012.  Some took that as an indication that signified “the end of times.”  Most of us just assumed the Mayans run out of rock. 

Our periodic fascination with “doomsday” and tragedy reminds me of an old joke I attribute to the late Lewis Grizzard, former columnist from the Atlanta Constitution:

During a terrible flood, the preacher of a small community stood on the top step of his church as the flood waters continued to rise.  Soon a row boat came by:

Boatman: Preacher, get in the boat sir, we have to get you out of here.  The flood waters are still rising and there is no end of this rain in sight.

Preacher: You boys go on and help others, I’ll be fine.  If I need saving, the Lord will save me.

The boat left.  Soon, the preacher was forced to move to the second story of his church.  As he looked out the window at the rising waters a second row boat came by:

Boatman: Preacher, we have to get you out of here.  Please get in the boat

Preacher: You boys are doing good work, go on and help the others.  If I need saving, the Lord will save me.

The waters continued to rise and eventually the preacher was left standing on the steeple holding onto the cross.  As the waters rose to the preacher’s ankles, a helicopter spotted him, flew over and dropped a rope ladder.

Chopper Pilot:  Preacher, grab the ladder, we have got to get you out of here before the dam fails.

Preacher:  No thank you boys, I appreciate your offer but I have faith, if I need saving the Lord will save me.

Eventually, the Preacher was lost to the flood.  As he stood before the Pearly Gates, Saint Peter expressed shock at seeing the Preacher, since it “wasn’t his time.”  The Preacher expressed his disappointment, saying he thought if he needed rescue, “the Lord would save me.”  To which St. Peter replied:

“We sent two row boats and a helicopter, what did you want?”

It occurred to me that this joke, which I first heard over 20 years ago, is a perfect analogy for our current political and climatologically situation.

For the record, I am neither a theologian, nor a climatologist.  However, it occurs to me that the political left and right can at least agree that something is happening with our weather, and perhaps our planet as a whole.  For evidence, I offer the following observation: Since the beginning of the new millennia, we have experienced the following extremely devastating and record setting natural phenomena:

·         Hurricanes along the Gulf Coast and in the Atlantic.

·         Shrinking polar ice caps.

·         Volcanoes in Iceland.

·         Earthquakes and Tsunamis in Haiti, Indonesia and Japan.

·         Record heat & droughts in California, Texas, Russia, South America, India, the American Midwest and throughout the world.

·         Record rainfalls and floods throughout the United States.

·         Blizzards and ice storms with intensities that haven’t been seen in over 30 years.

·         Invasive species, such as the Emerald Ash Borer, the zebra and quagi muscles, and purple loostrife, attacking and displacing native flora and fauna.

·         The increase in tropical diseases, such as West Nile, hitting the United States, which is supposedly a temperate zone.

This is by no means an all inclusive list, and this list does not include purely man-made disasters, such as war.  However, it does offer an alternate version of Mr. Grizzard’s joke:

Imagine a similar scenario, where a “do nothing” politician, constantly denying climate change in spite of evidence to the contrary, continually screams:

“If mankind’s actions need to change, I have faith, the Lord will tell us they need to be changed.”

He and his followers (or mankind if you prefer) are killed in a tragic flood. As they stand before St. Peter, the politician explains why he did nothing to help address climate change. The politician concluded by saying that he thought that if man's activities needed to change, the Lord would have sent him a sign, St Peter replies:

“We sent hurricanes, droughts, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, blizzards, water shortages and disease, how much more of a sign did you need?”

So what’s my point?  Whether you call it global warming, climate change, or the will of God, something IS happening in our environment. And before people start pointing their fingers at me and leaving comments to the contrary let me make one other statement: I am NOT being paid for saying this. I will wager that where ever you are hearing information that is contradictory, there is money involved (advertisements on radio and television for example).

In my learned opinion, there can be little doubt that the principal causes of these climatological oddities, at least in part, are the activities of mankind.  Between the world population that has almost doubled over the past 3 decades, the increase in energy consumption, the demand for more food production leading to deforestation, and the industrialization of China and India; one question must be contemplated: Are we are in a midst of a climatological disaster?  Perhaps Judgment Day isn’t as distant as we may think.

Primary Voting - May 4, 2015

Tomorrow is a primary election day here in Ohio. Many local offices are up for grabs, including Columbus Mayor and 4 seats on the City Council. I cannot understand why people, many of whom valiantly protect their other rights (real or perceived), ignore their one real chance to affect change. You can post opinions on social media until your fingers turn blue; carry signs and protest government action or inaction; write editorials or blogs; or just stand and yell on a street corner on just about any issue you can imagine. Yet nothing the average person can do will impact government more than simply exercising your right AND RESPONSIBILITY to vote.

Speaking as a former mayoral and council adviser, while serving as a city or town engineer, consider the impact your local government has on your everyday life. The U.S. Congress and President may set national policy, but when you think about it, how much does national policy affect your everyday life on a personal level? Tax rates, trade policies, and similar policies do have impact, but no more impact than local policing policies, sales tax and sewer rates, street cleaning and pothole repair schedules, traffic control, fire protection, public parks, libraries, and public schools!

I have had my frequent rants on social media, and I do doubt whether I provide any positive influence at all. But if I ever do have influence, I hope it is through encouraging each and every person reading this post (both of you) to do a little research beyond sound bites and attack ads, and VOTE in every election. I have often heard that American deserve a better government. I disagree. Voter turnout in the last election was around 20% nationwide. If 80% of eligible voters cannot be bothered to vote, then Americans have the government they so richly deserve. Our founding fathers fought for the right of the people to have a say in the operation of their Federal, state, and local governments. Is their legacy a country of people too lazy and ignorant to exercise that right?

The Value of Water - June 19, 2015

In all the reports I've read and opinions I've shared there is one thing that is eminent and undeniable. Something that even to the most radically self-interested human on the planet cannot dispute. Water is a priceless commodity, period. Society simply cannot function without water, whether you are an environmentalist interested in the preservation of vital habitat, an industrialist producing goods, a farmer producing food, utility producing energy, or a consumer simply surviving in a complex society.

Sadly, water is also an exploited and wasted resource. In many regions water is an increasingly rare and valuable commodity. Unfortunately, in the developing world, entire villages have disappeared as a result of water mismanagement. The Aral Sea, located along the Kazakhstan - Uzbekistan border was at one time the fourth largest lake in the world. As you can see from the photograph, it hardly qualifies as a lake anymore because it has dried up due to misuse of water for economic purposes (cotton farming primarily). In the US, the west is in a midst of a crippling drought caused in part, by unsustainable agricultural practices and increasing population.

I do not mean to "pick on" agribusiness because it is certainly clear that waste occurs in every aspect of society. My point to this particular rant is the we ALL must start focusing our efforts on reducing ALL waste in our lives. Our children's future can no longer afford to live in a society based on single use or throw away goods and the false perception of infinite resources. Those disposable bags/boxes/razors/paper towels... all represent water and energy used in their manufacture or production. Those food scraps we all throw out represent water as well, not to mention carbon. Our future is going to depend on the management and balance of our food, energy, and water resources. We cannot continue to waste them or sacrifice one for the other.

Can we put the Confederate Flag issue behind us now? Please? - July 21, 2015

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a liberal. I say this without shame or embarrassment. I was among the many who called for the Confederate Flag (actually the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia) to be removed from the State House in South Carolina. I was also living in Alabama in the late 80s and supported the call to remove the Confederate Flag (actually the C.S.A. Naval Battle Flag) from that state house.

These flags are historic, and to many they do represent Southern Pride and State’s Rights, among other things. But to a large share of Americans, they represent slavery, racism, treason, and hate. Do not blame liberals for that, as it wasn’t long after the Civil War ended that hate groups including the KKK adopted the flag for its own hateful purposes. It has also been adopted by Neo-Nazi groups in Germany because flying the Swastika in Germany is illegal.

In a recent discussion, a good friend relayed a mutual friend’s belief that this is a non-issue (tempest in a teapot). White Americans (such as all the participants in this particular discussion), and indeed most Americans of non-African heritage, cannot fully appreciate the loathing many African Americans feel when they go to THEIR State Capital and see a symbol used by racist groups flying on the dome. I imagine it would be similar to seeing a flag from ISIS or Nazi Germany to me. So these flags should be removed from all State Houses and other government buildings. This does not eliminate racism in America. But it is a good first step.

Most liberals are content with removing the flag from government buildings. So any further repercussions or restrictions on displaying or selling this flag are not our fault. If a business chooses not to sell these flags, than that is their decision, which I assume is done for business reasons. Don’t blame the liberals. Walmart is among the many establishments that will no longer sell this flag. The Walton family is hardly considered a bastion of the new American liberalism. If these businesses were “forced” or pressured by their customers to stop selling these flags, well, that my friends is called free enterprise. The business chose to honor their customers’ wishes

However, I do oppose laws that restrict the private sale and/or display of the Confederate Flags (whichever ones are used). The State of Ohio recently passed a law that forbids the sale of Confederate flags at the State Fair. That, in my humble, non-legal opinion, flies in the face of the first amendment. According to the First Amendment, we all have a right to express ourselves in non-threatening ways. If a displaced Southerner living in Ohio wishes to display the “Stars and Bars,” I believe he has the Constitutional right to do so.

-- Just another useless rant.

Confederate Flag - June 22, 2015

When I lived in Alabama there was a similar controversy (without the tragic killing of 9 people in a church). While I was debating the issue with a friend he raised several points. His points and my reactions are below:

1. "The flag is historic and should remain on the capital as a reminder of our history." Then states in the East should fly the Union Jack; in the Great Plains should fly Le Ticolore of France; Florida and the Southwest should fly the Flag of Spain... Nope, that is no reason to fly the Stars and Bars (the one that fly over the Alabama capital was the Confederate Naval Battle Flag) on Government installations.

2. "It is a symbol of Southern Pride." Not true if you consider the thousands of African Americans and other minorities who live in the South and find it offensive.

3. "It doesn't cause any harm." According to whom? I do not have to elaborate on the atrocities of groups who have adopted the flag as their symbol, chief among them the Ku Klux Klan.

Put simply, there are many in America, of varying skin tones, who consider the Confederate flag a symbol for either racism or treason. It doesn't belong on a Government facility. If Southerners wish to display it at their homes, in their place of business, in their pick-up trucks (pardon the "redneck" stereotype illusion) then by all means do so. The flag should definitely be displayed over Civil War battlefields, memorials, and cemeteries as a tribute to the fallen soldiers who gave their lives for the Confederate States of America. If people wish to use the flag as a personal symbol, no worries. The main issue facing the Southern States, including South Carolina should focus only on removing the flag from Government facilities.