The Uncomfortable Truth

Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the first day of Lent. A time of sacrifice for Catholics and many others. As a recovering Catholic, Lent holds a special wonder for me. I’m still asked, “What are you giving up for Lent?”
Such a ritual.
Once upon a time, giving something up for Lent was not only easier, it was good dairy-animal husbandry.
Before the Reformation, the Catholic Church ran everything in France. French farmers knew, as all farmers do, that they had to stop milking their cows sixty days before they gave birth, as it’s not good for the cow. When the cows were dried off, the last of the milk was processed into butter, cream, and cheese. When these fats were gone, that was it for a few weeks. Since calves are most always born in the spring—around Easter--the cows would be dried off about two weeks before the start of Lent. The processed fats could be kept in a springhouse for just about two weeks. On the Tuesday (Mardi) before Lent, the last of the fats (Gras) would be eaten. “Giving up” fats for Lent was what everyone did.
It’s not much of a sacrifice if you can’t get it anyway.
I’m not opposed to a little self-sacrifice. If you believe, as I do, that the man known also as Y’shua bar Yusef is the son of God; that he is the Messiah (or Christ if you prefer the Greek), then you’re aware of the sacrifice He made for you. What goes around should come around.
Jesus was a big believer in Karma. I submit He studied Buddhism.
It has been explained to me once or twice, that Lent is also about reflection. Reflection on how we fit into God’s plan.
In the last several months, I’ve been reflecting on where I fit in. I’ve been studying the Bible and other books. From what I’ve read, Jesus was opposed to organized religion as it was practiced then—and now. Religious opposition had Him killed!
If someone showed up today, teaching us not to judge others--to accept others as God made them; chastising the hypocrites, decrying rituals and phylacteries, preaching love and an end to war, where would he or she end up? Wrong.
Crucifixion isn’t practiced anymore. But you get the point.
It doesn’t make sense to me how people can call themselves Christian and still participate in something Christ opposed.
The more I reflect upon God, His Son, and The Message, the more convinced I become that what we should all give up for Lent is
religion.

Posted by Quentin Colgan at 09:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

First off, I would like to extend Valnetine's Day greetings to my sweetie, Keitha Mashaw: I love you, doll. Here's to many more!

Last time, I wrote that global warming is not the problem. The problem is those people who refuse to admit man’s role in it. Their motive is greed.
Who cares if what we use for energy eventually destroys the planet? Who should worry if the essential monopolization of present energy forms has brought gains to a select few while bringing death, disease and poverty to the many? Who gives a damn if our soldiers have to die for energy? There’s a fortune to be made!
Not by you and me, of course.
Global warming has the power to destroy the fortunes and empires of some very influential people—the ruling class.
There is however, a solution, a way to keep the energy barons happy:
Sell them the sun.
I heard on hate-radio, “If [biomass] fuels were a viable alternative, the oil companies would be all over it.”
Since I heard this on KPAY, I knew it to be untrue.
That’s when it hit me: If everyone had their own oil well (read: energy supply), the oil companies would be out of business. The energy barons only invest in technologies wherein they own all or most all of it.
So, let them own the sun!
This is not a new idea. Back in the ‘70s, the San Diego Gas and Electric Company tried to buy the “rights” to the sun. Meaning that even if you had your own solar collectors, you would still have to pay an SDG&E bill every month. When I mentioned this to an audience in front of the Public Utilities Commission, they were demonstrably upset, as was I.
I was more of an idealist then. The naïveté of youth, I suppose.
But, writing about, speaking about, and wishing about sustainable, clean energy hasn’t changed much of anything, so, it’s time to be practical.
Sell them the sun.
If there are two things this country has in abundance, they are avarice and innovation.
If money could be made from the raw product itself, then the energy barons would be funding all the research necessary to improve every single facet of solar technology. We wouldn’t need Proposition 87, we would already have cleaner alternatives to gasoline engines. You can bet battery technology would improve by leaps and bounds too. Imagine, you come home, and plug your car into your home’s solar-powered energy system. Oh sure, you would still pay a couple of hundred bucks each month to Exxon, or whatever, but, we would reduce CO2 emissions.
I am willing to bet we would have all the clean technology we would need to eliminate CO2 emissions within ten years.
Maybe I should try for that 25 million dollar prize I’ve heard about.
The monopolistic aspects of it could be avoided merely by giving X percent of our money to one company and Y percent to another, etc.
You know, exactly what we do now.
The energy barons could continue to play their little games with us, too. For instance, on cloudy days they could raise rates due to “shortages beyond our control.” When ol’ sol’s “Dimmer Switch” kicks in, they would have yet another excuse to raise their rates, and consequently, their profits.
Maybe we Chicoans would get a rebate as our summertime excess radiation could be sold to the cloudy coastal areas. Oh well, we could hope, anyway.
There is also the wind.
Wind is a function of solar energy. Want to install a little wind turbine on your chimney if you are not blessed with high solar radiation? No problem! Too expensive? How about a tax break? The fatcats would be happy to bribe their whores in Congress to give us tax breaks for buying products that will enrich them.
Because you will still be transferring your wealth to the fatcats.
And isn’t that what America is all about?

Posted by Quentin Colgan at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Is the earth getting warmer?
Absolutely!
That’s not the problem
Is mankind at least partially at fault for global warming?
Absolutely!
That’s not the problem either.
The problem is the people—usually self-identified as “conservative”--who refuse to admit man’s role in global warming.
The method they use to obscure the truth is a classic one—complicating the issue.
An oft-cited study from ice cores taken in the Antarctic shows a cause-and-effect relation between the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and Earth’s temperature. Sure as night follows day, an increase in CO2 leads to an increase in temperature. This doesn’t happen overnight, there is a lag time of years.
That’s not too complicated.
Unfortunately, it’s been happening for thousands and thousands of years—long before man ever appeared. And, there is good evidence this cycle has repeated for hundreds of millions of years.
That’s where people start complicating the issue.
“If it was goin’ on before man got here, then man CAN’T be responsible for global warming.”
Not true.
Nobody can say with any certainty what caused natural increases in CO2 levels. Nevertheless, increased CO2 has always led to increased temperatures. CO2 levels are rising now. On this, there is no argument.
“There are scientists who can PROVE that global warming is not the result of human activity.”
I’ve heard the scientists myself, but they seldom mention that simple, little piece of evidence and over-complicate the issue. Unfortunately, this confuses people who are not scientists.
A long time ago, a scientist named Ptolemy (TAW-luh-me) “proved” that the earth was the center of the solar system and he used mathematics to do it. He confused a lot of people by complicating what was really a simple concept. The confusion lasted for almost 2,000 years.
One way to complicate the issue is to bring up other theories. Those same ice core samples reveal certain particles deposited only during times of increased solar activity. However, their deposition in the ice does not correlate with increased temperatures as neatly as an increase in CO2 does.
In my short life, CO2 levels have increased eight-and-half percent. I don’t believe one needs to be a scientist to see the connection between mankind pumping billions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere and the corresponding increase in CO2 levels.
I mean, DUH!
Unfortunately, there are too many people who either can not or will not do their own thinking. They listen to people who say, “I will tell you what to think.” Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Until a hurricane destroys everything you have.
I will not argue the fact that there are natural forces at work that are causing the earth’s temperature to rise. However, to rule out the role man plays is idiotic. To argue over “how much” man contributes is lunacy. If we were to suddenly lower CO2 emissions, it would take years to have an effect. Waiting to reduce emissions will increase the severity of any temperature increase when it happens. Prolonging the inevitable is insane.
So why do they do it? Why do so-called conservatives confound the issue and confuse people?
That’s easy. Money! That is to say, greed. Pure, unbridled greed.
And therein lies a solution.
Next: the solution.

Posted by Quentin Colgan at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)