Happy Belated Earth Day

I had more stimulating things to do last Friday than take part in the self-flagellating ritual known as Earth Day. Though I've written at length on environmentalism and anthropogenic global warming, here's a rapid breakdown of why they inspire a mixture of amusement and disdain in me:

• Nobody knows what the "right" temperature is for the Earth. Earth has been far warmer and far cooler over the course of millions and billions of years, so it is nonsensical to claim that Earth is too hot or cold right now.

• Nobody knows what the "right" amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide is. The entire amount currently in the atmosphere is a micro-fraction of the amount during the Mesozoic Era (i.e., the dinosaurs). 

• Of all the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, humans contribute only 4%. So even if environmentalists got their way and set civilization back a few hundred years, this would barely make a dent and would cost us dearly in terms of liberty and prosperity.

• Carbon dioxide makes up only about .0385% of the atmosphere. A far more prevalent greenhouse gas is water vapor, which constitutes up to 4% of the atmosphere, but it's not man-made and therefore offers no pretext for expanding government power.

• There is no scientific consensus on anthropogenic global warning.

• Even if there were a scientific consensus, use your brain rather than let a group of self-interested careerists do your thinking for you. Science the tool is one thing; science the profession is quite another and is heavily influenced by government (i.e., political) money. The lid already has been blown off the rampant manipulation of the temperature data.

• Even if all of the foregoing points are completely wrong, government is not capable of managing the global thermostat. Government can barely operate a VA hospital.

• Even if government is capable of managing the global thermostat, a life of servitude is not worth living.

• The Earth is mortal and will eventually burn to a crisp as the Sun continues to age. It's best to allow free markets and science to proceed unhindered so that we can escape this rock, rather than hinder progress to keep everything pristine just so it can eventually vanish without a trace. Indeed, if nature has a plan at all, it is likely this -- for humans to carry life to new worlds, like bees carrying pollen.

With All Flags (Not) Flying

So the Capitol has decided to take down state flags bearing the Confederate emblem? Good. Now those states whose flags were taken down should respond in kind by lowering the Union flag and acting accordingly.

The Union began as voluntary but was made compulsory in the name of ending slavery; while the irony is rich, we should straighten that out once and for all. My guess is that one or more states offering a haven from the increasingly belligerent and lunatic Union would be swarmed with refugees -- and not from Mexico.

Thank You, Republicans

For illustrating flawlessly what I've argued for years, namely that elections are a farce and a waste of any intelligent person's time. Cutting the people of Colorado out of the primary process and selecting a candidate other than the one they would have chosen for themselves was a masterful stroke. You have exploded the myth of democracy in America more completely than a scholar could hope to achieve in two lifetimes. Anyone who continues to vote at this stage is more than just a "useful idiot" in Lenin's parlance, but a full-blown schizophrenic.

The Donald is proving his worth just as I had hoped, confirming that there will be no revolution within the form -- only without.

Trump's Abortion Gaffe Illuminates A Great Deal . . . About Pro-Lifers

Trump made a critical mistake when asserting that if abortion is made illegal, women who obtain abortions should be punished. The mistake was to assume that people who favor outlawing abortion (i.e., pro-lifers) are consistent and rigorous in their beliefs. In this juvenile day and age, though, feelings "trump" all things, so pro-lifers paradoxically insist that only the doctor who performs an abortion at the mother's behest be punished. How rich.

If one asserts that a fetus is a human life, it follows that intentionally terminating such life is murder, making the only possible conclusion that the murderer and any accomplices be punished. A pro-choicer is at least consistent by rejecting the entire train of thought. A pro-lifer, however, who gets on the train must ride it to its conclusion or be a hypocritical, quivering mass of jelly.

As with so many other aspects of modern life, people want the benefits of their choices without facing the costs. This holds especially true with regard to the feminine imperative, i.e., that women never be held accountable for their actions. Yet this attitude was typical of the dreaded patriarchy, which viewed women as irrational beings who lacked responsibility and therefore could not possess rights. So which is it? Do women have both rights and responsibilities, or neither? There is no middle ground.