Saturday, October 10, 2009

And the Winner is….

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Jimmy Carter, no! Yassar Arafat, no! Al Gore, no! Those were all ill-thought former choices. It is our very own President, BHO; and the Scandinavian Follies continue. We have apparently entered a time when those recipients of the prestigious prize have gone from Miss Congeniality to Mr. “I Think It Might Happen.”

Ah Scandinavia, from Denmark to Norway, we find the snowy slush in the streets barely equivalent to the mush in their minds. Keep in mind that their global position is roughly equivalent to Alaska. In February, much of Norway is shrouded in near total darkness which apparently serves to hide the intent of these crypto-communists, with unpronounceable names, from true peace loving peoples. Unlike those scant months of summer when they have brilliant sun and mid-night twilight, they choose the timing of the advance of their globalist agenda in the darkening skies of impending winter gloom. Lord, save us from the inter-solstice mischief of winter.

Amid the shock of the announcement and the plaintive pleas of innocence and feigned humility from the president, I continue to question the relevance of the entire affair. One factoid I gleaned from the near universal reporting is the decline of importance of those former recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. If I have to explain Jimmy Carter’s continuing plunge in credibility, Yassar Arafat’s heinous record, or Al Gore under constant attack for his contrived charts, graphs, and psuedo-science then this point will be less than obvious. For good or ill, most recipients were at the peak of their game when they got the gold and the 1.4 million. It was all downhill from there.

If you have your Nobel and a lifetime sinecure, why bother with seeking to enlarge your accomplishments? In the serious sciences, it is an acknowledgement of a lifetime quest to solve a problem of international scope and seek a benefit to every person on the globe. In the more subjective arenas--literature, peace, etc.--it carries an inborn curse of finality.

What great book was written after its author received the prize? Aside from Carter’s carpentry skills, an equivalent talent shared with millions of home handymen, what has he done on the Nobel level? Granted, Arafat continued to notch his gun after the award but that is not what he achieved the honor for. Or was it?

So is this a predictor of the fate of the current recipient? As his ambitions become more and more obvious, even to many of his former supporters, and as the shine wears off the medal, so too may the acceptance of reshaping America and the Constitution be tarnished. One can only hope that the tradition continues and he eventually slips into obscurity as well.



In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Thursday, October 8, 2009

What’s This About Bombing the Moon?

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Good grief, don’t we have more pressing matters to attend to? I know, they figure they can tell by raising a big dust cloud if there is water present. Since it’s pretty cold up there I can’t imagine that any water would be obvious in any form other than ice. It’s not like you could detect a steady drip drip, drip. I mean, did we see any snow drifts or icicles up there the last time we went? Man has been ogling the moon for centuries and I would think someone might have noticed an ocean or a big lake or at the least a lazy creek on the moonscape.

In some scientific minds there is, no doubt, concrete reasoning for this move but it sure does escape me. Let’s just say for grins and giggles that I’m wrong. So what? What are going to do, build a pipeline to bring all that valuable H²0 treasure down here. Given the temperature in space, that would require heated towers which would tax our already overburdened fuel sources to the max. A few trays of ice cubes would be hopelessly impractical. Come to think of it, the whole deal seems pretty silly to me.

Perhaps the intention would be a prelude to full colonization of our satellite neighbor. Boy, we are just dying to live a world of scant gravity and freezing temperatures. It could soon become a spot where the slurpee became the beverage of choice. I can just hear their triumphant cry now, “Houston, the water bucket has landed.”

At various times over the last few decades, I have been very impressed with the noble aims of our space program. This is definitely not one of them. Maybe I’m just too old to fully appreciate this effort and all it means, not just to our country but to mankind in general. My limited scope does not easily reveal the full scope of this project.

My greatest fear is that folks will get accustomed to “shooting the moon.” Since that is my name, I shun the thought of legions of people rejoicing because we ‘shot the moon.” There are very few of us so even the loss of one ‘moon’ would be tragic; especially for those of us who are moons. Over the course of nearly eight decades I have already heard just about every “moon” joke that ever came from the stage or a gaggle of kindergartners and they were all of equal quality. I see no reason to add fuel to the fire.

So, what now? If you have any influence with NASA I strongly urge you to mention that you oppose this effort. However, if the blast happens to dislodge vast quantities of pure gold, I certainly wouldn’t object to hauling some of that back here for general use. It might go a long way toward balancing our budget which, as you well know, is in horrible shape. Is it possible that our leadership is already aware of this possible outcome? Nah!

In summation I can only say; “I’m agin’ it.”



In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Commenters' Thoughts

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Reading the blogs is often not as enlightening as reading the reader comments. Often they may be singled out as worthy stand alone commentary. Even though they refer to the original article, they often have relevance beyond the object of the provoking blog post. My suggestion is to read them and capture the thought as presented.

If you wish to have one of the posts which provoked these observations click here for one of them by Roger Simon.

Jim Bruce:

“When America is put (even more) at risk and the you-know-what hits the fan, you will hear people say that Obama failed to protect America. That will be incorrect: He will have REFUSED to protect America.”

Oct 6, 2009 - 7:44 am

Mike G in Corvallis:

“This one is on an observation by John Derbyshire.

Wherever there is a jackboot stomping on a human face there will be a well-heeled Western liberal to explain that the face does, after all, enjoy free health care and 100 percent literacy.”

A comment quote from bgates on Roger Simon’s blog. It stands alone.

"Obama will be remembered as the most disastrous head of state in the Americas since Montezuma.”

This is from Bill Whittle at the conclusion of a rant on the handing out of lab coats at a White House presser.

“And by having them wear white lab coats, you see, he is making sure we realize they are doctors. But I remain confused. Couldn’t they also be lab technicians? Perhaps they need to wear that reflector thing on their foreheads. Damn it, no — Dentists wear those too, and no one would be persuaded to give up their current insurance just because a hundred and fifty dentists wearing white lab coats and reflectors nod in agreement. What they should have had was stethoscopes around their necks! That would have gotten this bill passed!

And so it goes. Yet another speech, with props appropriate for a fourth grade show and tell, to sell the rubes on something they seem unwilling to want to buy and another appeal to oratory in place of substance. And meanwhile, out at the edge of the campfire’s glow, lean and cruel wolves circle red-eyed and hungry, watching and learning.”

Milton Friedman :

"Is there some society we know that doesn’t run on greed? What is greed? Of course none of us are greedy; it's only the other fellow who's greedy.

"The world runs on individuals pursuing their separate interests. The great achievements of civilization have not come from government bureaus. Einstein didn't construct his theory under order from a bureaucrat. Henry Ford didn't revolutionize the auto industry that way.

“In the only cases in which the masses have escaped from the kind of grinding poverty you're talking about, they have had capitalism and largely free trade.

“If you want to know where the masses are worst off, it's exactly in the kinds of societies that depart from that. The record of history is absolutely crystal clear: that there is no alternative way so far discovered of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free enterprise system."

From IMAO with have this from Frank J.

“…the only thing he got out of his meeting with the IOC was a coupon for five dollars off a ticket to the 2016 Olympics.”

These preceding quotes were all found in the comments section of the various blogs. I know that reading them is sometimes tedious but it can also be very rewarding. When the people speak it is often well worth the time to listen.


In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Military Absentee Voting

There is an epic rhyme attributed to Rudyard Kipling which covers this morning’s post.

“God and the soldier, we adore,
In time of danger, not before.
The danger passed and all things righted,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted.”

The state of Virginia, in a blatant effort to stifle the voting franchise granted to ALL its citizens, has enforced a law which allows them to send absentee voter packages and notification of election to military citizens out of state the day before the election. That is not a typo—they can mail these packages to points all over the globe the day before the election. This applies not only to those who wear the uniform but their dependants as well, who accompany them on some far flung assignments.

“The Democratic Chairwoman of the Virginia State Board of Election (appointed by the Democratic National Committee Chair Tim Kaine, in his capacity as Virginia Governor) Jean Cunningham just claimed a legal basis for massively raising the barrier to voting for soldiers at war.” The original assertion is here.

Not only is this a disgrace to disenfranchise these brave young men and women but it is immoral. Since national elections are involved, it would appear that a remedy may lie in the congress. This is a question which should be addressed immediately and corrected to enable them to vote. We expect voter fraud and manipulation from ACORN and the goons of SEIU but not overt action by elected officials to subvert the right to vote by the military.

At the least, in Kipling’s poem, the slight of God and soldier waited until the dangers were past. In the mind of today’s Democrat party in their avaricious pursuit of an election at any cost, no one is immune from their mischief even while fighting for their lives.

Is their no lower boundary to which these cretins will stoop?



In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Monday, October 5, 2009

Monday Morning Rant 112

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I was stunned this morning when Lee Parsons furnished a bit of information which really straightened out some faulty thinking. From the pulpit he asked those who question God to consider why their confusion with His decisions is sometimes a mystery. Typically they range from the deprivation caused by the loss of a loved one to a starving people in some far away land or a natural disaster which takes the lives of many with random savagery. This is normally followed by the observational question, “How could God allow this to happen?” He wisely pointed out that if we had a thorough understanding of the mind of God that would then make us— God!

We are limited to the boundaries imposed by our own frame of reference and its implied selfish concerns. He, on the other hand, sees all things within the scope of the unbound realm of the universe. We do not come equipped with the points of reference to even vaguely understand the immensity of that with which God deals. As you gaze into the night sky and the uncountable specks of light it would be well to remember that some of those specks represent galaxies and solar systems which dwarf ours by comparison. Through all of this grandiosity we are assured that he counts the hairs on our heads and notes each sparrow as it falls.

We sometimes refer to ourselves as a “child of God.” Our self-interest manifests itself with impatience with the Almighty when he does not deliver precisely, and on time, our every personal wish. We take that opportunity to lash out at Him and assign blame just because we didn’t get our way.. In other words, we become a childish brat among spoiled multitudes ignoring our gifts and the fact of our very lives in ignorance of their source. While we observe many role models who assume this posture, we need remember that our true relationship with Him is one on one. Ultimately, it is we ourselves who are responsible for our actions regardless of how easily we may blame others.

As we deal with other issues on the rant, please keep these opening remarks in mind.

“Ring down 211 central”

If you have ever uttered those words, you are at least 75, or older. You directed the request to a black microphone on the front of an oak box hanging on an outside wall with two exposed bells, a receiver and a crank on the side. A thin wire reached from your home/business to a pole outside where it joined others and went to a “central” office. Here an operator connected actual wires together on a switch board and completed your call. This is where the expression, “the ‘lion’ is busy” originated.

Today, in some municipalities we risk arrest while driving down a highway, by flipping the cover, thumbing in some numbers or pushing a speed dial, to talk to others halfway around the world. The receiver’s cell phone announces your call with “The Ride of the Valkyries” or whatever you choose to be disturbed by. Busy “lions” are furnished a recorded message of the necessity of the call.

This incredible service, which connected people as never before, was made possible by the Bell Telephone Company and hundreds of smaller outfits which functioned on a local basis with individual phone service companies. They largely operated at a profit and performed a minor miracle in communications. It was an example of capitalism serving the needs of all the people as they provided the infrastructure to service millions of accounts.

Fast forward now to the darling of the internet age, your internet service provider (ISP). Now instead of confirming that “supper’s ready” or “the doctor will see you at 4pm.” we have encyclopedic knowledge at our finger tips. We also have news, opinions, personal websites, games, and sources which touch every aspect of daily life. If you lose the user’s manual for that fancy gadget you couldn’t live without, you can bring it up on line, print it, and no harm done. If you need a dictionary, encyclopedia, thesaurus, foreign language translation, or the complete works of Shakespeare; they are at your fingertips at no loss of shelf space in your library..

Currently, the only remaining problems are sufficient speed, coverage and costs. So far, the costs have been largely borne by individual companies who benefit from providing the services. They have ponied up $850,000,000,000.00 so far with an additional $300,000,000,000.00 on tap by 2012. That is a grand total of 1.150 trillion dollars so far for infrastructure and services to keep the data flowing. Believe it or not, they have shown a profit on that incredible investment.

Enter the villain, newly appointed FCC chairman Julius Genachowski, has regulatory plans for the internet which will cripple the providers from ever making a profit and thus curtail progress to provide improvement of services for every one in the country. The ISP’s goal was to provide universal 4G coverage for all subscribers. Barring that possibility, those of us in the sticks are doomed to dial-up or satellite, neither of which are sufficient to download operable videos or maintain anything close to “normal” operation in other functions. Writing this piece requires I have 7 resources available for fact checking and reference and the system barely sustains it. A more complicated enterprise would require many more and be impossible.

In an earlier submission to the FCC, the Americans for Tax Reform stated: ““In order for free-market models to provide for the further development of broadband access, it is absolutely critical that government intrusion not prevent private capitalfrom recouping its investment. If private capital becomes convinced that its ability to recoup its investments is less likely, it will be less likely to make the significant investments in broadband that is the very goal of this FCC inquiry.”

Unbelievable as it may seem, currently I must drag my lap top to Mc Donald’s twelve miles to a nearby town to get broadband WiFi. I share this problem with millions of Americans. Obama promised change we could believe in. With this recent appointment, the only change I see is the continued downward spiral for the people in this nation.

Stewart Brand Rethinks the Environment

They say that with age comes wisdom. Sometimes it does. Stewart Brand could easily be called one of the fathers of the environmental movement. Over fifty years later he has adjusted some of his views and now seems nearly sane. It is a long video (16 min.) but well worth your viewing. Being basically simplistic I found about thirty seconds of it at min. 6 the most interesting of all as a train goes through the middle of a slum. You may have to play with the site a little but the effort is well worth it. There is no doubt, the guy is bright, and his views are well worth the trouble.

The actual title of the piece is “Stewart Brand proclaims 4 environmental heresies.”

And finally

After a 23 day hiatus on lawn mowing caused by a trip to Washington, D.C., torrential rains and mechanical problems, I tackled the 15” grass with a reworked carburetor and a lot of determination. The four acres took three days and mowed grass had to be picked up with the lawn rake. I lost weight in the process because I was $81 lighter in my wallet for the repairs. Oh well, it looks great and I doubt it will have to be mowed more than once again this season. (Ed.: My thinking is $81.00 is a heck of a lot better that losing $4000.00 for a new mower.)

Under cover of tall grass, the armadillos did a number on the landscape, turning over rocks and digging deep holes. God bless ‘em, I wish they’d take their talents elsewhere. The birds at the feeder continue to thin out and I regret their absence. As usual, in an oak forest, we are not experiencing much in color change on the trees but we do have a surplus of acorns (Boo Hiss) and walnuts. All in all, the place looks good and we’re getting ready for the season which enriches Ozark Electric. We are very comfortable with the idea that God is in charge and the seasons will change.



In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon