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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Will Republicans’ decision to kill a funding bill that would have strengthened the U.S. southern border ultimately work in their favor, or will it come back to bite them?

From here, it seems like an openly traitorous thing to do.  But is it really any different from the dozens of other things Trump has done since he emerged onto the political scene?

Once you’ve tried to overthrow the U.S. government, what’s the big deal about sabotaging national security for political purposes?

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

The creator of the meme here believes that memes themselves have the power to affect change.

Of course, blog sites like this may largely be “preaching to the choir” when it comes to politics, but I like to credit many people with an open mind, and a willingness to change their thinking when new information presents itself.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

The idea that Trump may escape justice via a U.S. Supreme Court decision to the effect that he is immune from criminal prosecution is on all Americans’ minds.

Absolutely terrifying.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Of the 19 co-defendants in the Fulton County criminal prosecution into Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, it seems that no-one faces greater short-term pressure to stay out of prison than Ken Cheseboro.  An indicted co-conspirator who has “flipped” against Trump in favor for a non-prison, parole-only sentence, he appears to have told many lies along the way, and is now facing further indictments.

If there has ever been a single person who wound up honestly happy that he had gotten into bed with Trump, whether it be politically, financially, or legally, it sure would be interesting to speak with him.  That’s a unicorn, to be sure.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

At left is what Bertrand Russell said perhaps a century ago.

My take on this may be slightly different, in that I call religion our prescientific understanding of the universe.  Human beings with our newly formed big brains were called upon to crave an explanation for natural phenomena: disease, weather, astronomy, etc., and we wanted our fear of death somehow assuaged.  Absent science, religion was our only choice.

One hundred years hence, however, is there any reason to have any confidence that “religion … will fade away?” As we look at Israel vs. Hamas and the banning of abortion here in the United States at the hands of the evangelical Christians, do we see any progress along the lines that Russell predicted?

What we do see is a civilization careening at the edge, largely because of its failure to adopt science.  When it comes to climate change mitigation alone, it looks like we’re going to cook our home planet.

If I could only be a believer, my life would be so much easier. But I can’t accept that channel, and neither should you.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Even as a small boy, I was a tough sell on religion, but the concept of a Devil whose work is to pull us away from Christ is arguably more ludicrous.  Of course, I don’t speak for everyone on this point.

That said, pointing to Lucifer as the cause of random things you don’t approve of, in this case veggie burgers, seems absurd beyond words.  Again, that’s just me.

Keep in mind that demand creates its own supply.  As long as there are people looking for answers to life’s tough questions who accept (and actually pay to hear) the words of Rick Wiles, you can remain assured that he and the other televangelists will remain a vibrant and lucrative part of our society.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

We need to add to this:

• Character doesn’t matter.

• Telling the truth is for sissies.

• Treason and sedition are acceptable ways of staying in power after you’ve lost an election by seven million votes.

 

What kids will learn if Trump somehow escapes justice:

• Rule of law means absolutely nothing in the United States.  There are banana republics all over the world in which justice matters more than it does here.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Here, a couple of journalists from Bloomberg attempt to explain how climate change mitigation is receiving political backlash, both in the US and the EU (two of the three largest emitters).

Bottom line: extreme right-wing forces on both sides of the Atlantic are wielding considerable power.  The last thing we need.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Who doesn’t completely admire this man, if for only his sheer humility?

As a tutor, I essentially teach.  If I have a kid in front of me who wants to learn math/science or any of the humanities, I’m pretty effective.

But occasionally, I come across moments where I can open up that mind and get it to look at life and learning on a grander scale.  In those few moments, I suppose I could be called Socratic, thus flattering myself.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Here’s what Santa Monica (CA)-based environmentalist Zan Dubin wrote to the editor of the Los Angeles Times in response to an article on income and childbearing, which includes: “What largely remains overlooked, however, is the abject failure of America’s political elite to protect the country’s middle-class standard of living.”

Zan responds:
I was glad to see a prominent article giving voice to those who choose to be child-free.
However, falling birthrates were described as a negative trend because of economic concerns. Why not quote scientists or environmentalists who have different concerns or see the upside to this complex situation?
The title of this 2022 study in the journal Biological Conservation says it all: “Overpopulation is a major cause of biodiversity loss and smaller human populations are necessary to preserve what is left.”
In a March 2023 article in Scientific American, Harvard professor Naomi Oreskes approvingly quotes the Royal Society: “More people ‘has meant that ever more natural habitat is being used for agriculture, mining, industrial infrastructure and urban areas.’ ”
In a 2013 interview, David Attenborough said, “All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people, and harder — and ultimately impossible — to solve with ever more people.”
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