New year; new attitude

It’s 2o08. Whoopie. Cheer. ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz. 

I’m sorry, my give-a-damn must have broke. Get set for a bazillion political ads that won’t mean a thing. Other than your donated dollars going through candidates’ accounts to radio and TV stations at top rates, allowing ad salespeople to make a little more money this year than usual.

I think I’ve read too much. I’ve become TOO educated on how our country works. Damn the Internet, anyway.  Aw, well, in the last days knowledge is supposed to greatly increase. Mine has. Politics on a national level are only for ego maniacs, because they KNOW they’re not really going to be the ones in charge. They just want their ego to be the center of (most people’s) attention.

Being a (one time) patriot, I’ve made it a point to vote in every election possible. Even the dintzy little county elections when only 2 percent of the voting population shows up.  After giving six years of my life to the US military, I swore I was going to exercise the right I stood up to defend.

But I stopped this past November. I gave up voting. It really doesn’t matter, except on the local level, and even then it’s iffy.

 Call me fatalistic. Some of my best friends do. I’m not bothered.

Don’t worry, there’s still a pint of opinion left which I’m sure to spill from time to time.  But truth is truth, and John Edwards is right: We have two Americas.  BUT NOT in the sense that he describes them.

The two Americas are first the facade one — the one which has leaders that we (think we) elect — the one’s that put on a really good show for us as they spin and sputter their way through achieving the goals of the REAL leaders of the second America. The REAL America.The one with leaders whose names we don’t know because we don’t elect them. The one’s who have so much money and so much power that they’re BORED — and the only way they keep themselves entertained is playing chess with real countries at the expense of real human lives.

Conspiracy theorist? Nope. No theory about it. Too many facts out there to be a theory. But it IS marginalized by the main stream (puppets of the unelected leaders) press. Ignored is probably a better word. Even castigated as kooky.

It’s all part of the game.

No biggie. What is, is. God has his own plan, and he’ll use the foolish to confound the “wise” in his own time.

In THAT, I trust. In the facade of what we’re going to encounter on TV this year, I don’t.

So instead of getting involved by burning all my time and energy debating the political pigpen, I have my own personal hobbies to engage my time.  Life is too short to spin wheels on things that don’t matter.  I’m going to spend 2008 doing things for me and for my family. In our little circle of influence. That’s what really matters.

A debate call for Al Gore

It appears someone of high stature is willing to call Al Gore to a debate, and make it as international and as public as it can be.  The letter sent to Al’s private residence (and made open to the public) is straightforward enough, but I love the statement made by the challenger, the Viscount Monckton of Brenchley:

“A careful study of the  substantial corpus of peer-reviewed science reveals that Mr. Gore’s film, An  Inconvenient Truth, is a foofaraw of pseudo-science, exaggerations, and errors, now being peddled to innocent schoolchildren worldwide.”

It appears that the former policy advisor to (then) Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher believes that when science is applied, the light on Gore’s position becomes quite dim.

Read more about it if you like.   

Wash Your Hands of the Global Warming Debate

What makes your humble blogger Lave sus Manos an expert in global warming?  Nothing.

What makes Al Gore an expert in global warming? Nothing.

What the difference between the two? 

Al Gore has LOTS of money and political power, a big famous name, and a publicity machine. And because of all that he’s much better than Lave sus Manos at manipulating the emotions of the masses.  THAT’s the difference!

A good salesperson knows that people buy on emotion but justify their purchase by logic.  Al Gore knows that if he plays on people’s emotion (predominately guilt and fear in this case), he can get them to “buy into” his position as he (allegedly) justifies it by logic.

But There’s a Problem:
Many of the world’s climatologists disagree wholeheartedly with Al Gore. They say his logic is based on false assumptions. Are they right? Maybe. Maybe not.

But – - – because the climatologists also do not have political power, big names, big money, and a big publicity machine, they cannot manipulate public opinion like Al can.

Follow the money. Follow the ego (Al’s).  Follow a former Vice President’s desire for a legacy.  Al Gore makes good money promoting global warming – (you think he gives these speeches for free?).  Al Gore gets to rub shoulders with Hollywood’s elite and his name stays before the public eye.  He did, after all, want to be president. He wants his name in the history books. So when someone said to him “let’s make a movie and we’ll associate your name with it,” my guess is Al saw a second chance at fame and fortune.

Another problem: 
All this focus on global warming is stirring of the public’s emotions — and serves as an excellent distraction from the real issues at hand.

How Open-Minded Are You?
If you’re open-minded you look at both sides of an issue, do you not?  So if you’ve given time to listen to Al Gore, then give time to what some of these climatologists and geologists say.  They are, after all, – unlike Al Gore or your humble blogger Lave sus Manos — learned in their respective sciences.  

Don’t listen to me.
Don’t listen to Al.
Listen with an open mind to what both sides are saying.

Peruse The Great Global Warming Debate
Look at the history of climate change in the world (be sure to scroll down)
Check out the animation of geologic shift through the ages from UC Berkeley
And spend some time on the science page of globalwarming.org

I’m not advocating that we pollute our planet or waste energy.  What I’m saying is that many of these experts estimate that only 2% of the currently rise in temperatures is due to man’s action.  So be wise and act accordingly, but don’t get all guilt-ridden that you’re destroying the planet by using your lawn mower.

If you’re really concerned about the future of the planet and you want to exercise your emotions, then get angry about the powerful few getting rich playing both sides of almost every regional armed conflict (which causes the senseless death of millions of people and needlessly devastates innocent families). In many cases these powerful few actually foster and prod these conflicts so they can pad their own pockets and feed their egos.

In other words, wash your hands of misguided guilt and fear.  Instead pray that these hidden power groups be slowed, halted, and even thwarted.