J. D. Pendry

J. D. Pendry

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. - Ecclesiastes 3:11(NIV)

There are blazing azaleas in the foreground, pink and white dogwood trees in the background. Bright yellow forsythia has come and gone. Blankets of creeping purple flox cover hillsides and drape rock walls. Hostas are carefully peeking out, hoping to survive their tender age when they are a deer delicacy. Robins march in Napoleonic formation across the yard searching for bugs or worms or a stray grass seed from a spring patching. The sounds of songbirds fill the morning air.

My wife and I watched Ben Stein’s documentary, Expelled, this weekend. Expelled discusses Darwinism and Intelligent Design. Contrary to what Darwinists would have you believe, Intelligent Design is a scientific examination. It looks at Mr. Darwin’s theory through the prism of science that is light years beyond what was available to him when he published his Origin of the Species in 1859. The PhD packing molecular biologists who question Darwin’s theory point out that the odds of everything coming together by happenstance that exists in a single cell and then emerging as a living organism from Mr. Darwin’s primordial muck are so astronomical as to be incalculable. As one scientist phrased it, trillions and trillions and trillions and trillions and trillions…to one.

You do know that Darwinism provided the basis for eugenics, a culling of the herd meant to rid us of defective humans and their defective genes and was the basis for Hitler’s pursuit of the master race and its accompanying atrocities?

The hard core Darwinists refer to religion as myth, fantasy and fairy tales. My thoughts on that have always been if they are right then the joke is on me, if I am right then eternity minus asbestos under drawers will be much more stimulating for them than they anticipate. If they were intellectually honest people, they would take up the theological debate with a theological scholar like Josh McDowell, author of The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, rather than use their disdain for religion to discount the view points of other scientists. They try to defend their scientific positions by attacking religion, which is not a new debate approach for liberals. As they say out here in the hills, that dog will not hunt. Their method reveals them for who they are - avowed atheists first, scientists second. If you want to have a theological discussion, have one. If you want to have a scientific discussion, have one and that is the point. Intelligent design is not a theological investigation; it is a scientific one albeit one that is stifled by liberal American academia, those holding the research grants purse strings and now the courts.

The most disconcerting aspect of all of this is that the courts have decided which scientific theory can be taught in schools. Scientific research and evidence are not allowed to resolve a science question in America’s classrooms. Darwinism, which is its own creation worshiping rather that creator worshipping religion, prevails. How long can it be before judges saddled with their own boat loads of biases and sitting in their all knowing all seeing bubbles of wisdom, decide which versions of history might be taught? Which political or economic theories?

The problem with the Darwinists is that they cannot allow scientific questioning of their beloved theory if it raises even the slightest hint of intelligent intervention in the process. To do so would concede that there might exist somewhere in the vastness of the universe (the universe that happened by chance one day) a being infinitely more intelligent than they. Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion (a self explanatory title) finally conceded to Ben Stein the possibility of intelligent intervention in the evolutionary process adding that if so, it was probably some space aliens who swooped down and did it.

The most important thing I took away from this movie was not the state of the Darwinist versus Intelligent Design debate. It is the stifling of opposing scientific views to the point that courts decide what can and cannot be taught in American schools. We see the same thing happening now with global warming. Scientists who oppose the accepted liberal views on global warming with mounting evidence that it is a lot of bunk are summarily attacked and discounted. Al Gore’s movie, proven to be scientifically flawed and complete with faked melting glaciers, has been force fed to countless impressionable juveniles in our public school classrooms. I will wager with you that Expelled will never see the inside of an American public school classroom.

Copyright © J D Pendry 2008 All Rights Reserved

J. D. Pendry

“What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.” - C. S. Lewis

After Church service today, I was sitting on the back porch bitterly contemplating my miserable lot in life. I did not have the guns out, nor was I actively hating any particular group of people at the time. Well, maybe there was a little disdain for those Politician-Americans.

I was just being a typical Bitter-American. Hating life in general and looking for someone, anyone actually, to blame for whatever real or perceived problems that I could dream up and hoping that someone would happen along with promises to fulfill all of my utopian fantasies. The main one being free everything.

I am not one for song parodies, I will leave those to Don Surber, but for some reason I could not get the tune Lean on Me out of my Bitter-American mind.

*Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there’s always tomorrow

“You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And it’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” – Barack Obama

Cling to me, when you’re bitter
And I’ll be your friend
It’s me, not your faith that will help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I take the guns from those bitter redneck bigots and provide the hope and change illegal immigrants need
And offer them a welfare state to cling to

*Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don’t let show

“The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more.” – Michelle Obama

“Many of you are well enough off that … the tax cuts may have helped you. We’re saying that for America to get back on track, we’re probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.” Hillary Clinton

Cling to us, when you’re not strong
And we’ll take the pie that others earned for what we need
To help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til Marxism meets all your needs
And gives you plenty of government promises to cling to

*If there is a load you have to bear
That you can’t carry
I’m right up the road
I’ll share your load
If you just call me

“I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.” – Hillary Clinton

Cling to me, when you’re not strong
Because I know danger my friend
I’ll tell some whoppers to help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til America is gonna need
Somebody real to cling to

*So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you’d understand
We all need somebody to lean on

“We ended up launching a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged and to which we have now spent $400 billion and has seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted.” – Barack Obama

Cling to me when you’re at war
And I’ll call your effort and sacrifice a waste
My rhetoric will help our enemies carry on
For it won’t be long
Till I surrender to them
Then Americans will have nothing left, but their faith to cling to

You Bitter-Americans better seriously consider to who and what it is that you need to cling on Election Day.

* From Lean on Me by Bill Withers

Copyright © J.D. Pendry 2008 All Rights Reserved

J. D. Pendry

I have always thought that there must be some reason for President Jimmy Carter’s poor exercise of judgment, but I have never been able to quite put a finger on what exactly it is. I thought senile dementia might explain his conduct in recent years, but that could not explain his previous decision making. I had to rely on my most trusted source of trivia for the answer. I accessed the intracranial hard drive and recalled the world news report about a severe case of Presidential hemorrhoids.

Wrote one Egyptian: “May Allah cure you. This illness should have been inflicted on an unjust leader rather than you, O Carter.”

I do not know why things such as that stick in my mind when I cannot remember my cell phone number.

It appears that President Carter has had a long struggle with this debilitating affliction. There are many physical ailments that might hamper one’s ability to reason, apply simple logic, make rational choices or at least understand the full ramifications of their actions. I imagine a fiery case of chronic hemorrhoids just might be one of them. I can see accompanying bouts of anxiety and depression and maybe even some bi-polar episodes. What else could explain a person being a Grandfatherly Sunday school teacher on one day and one who embraces terrorists and dictators on another day?

President Carter campaigned on the misery index that he invented to show Americans how miserable they were under President Ford’s administration. The misery index is arrived at by adding the inflation rate to the unemployment rate. Unfortunately, it turned out for President Carter that the misery index under his leadership is history’s worst causing President Regan’s campaign to ask, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Inflation and interest rates during President Carter’s reign each topped 18 percent. Imagine 18 percent interest on your car loan or your mortgage. His windfall profits tax on oil companies was a real boon to the economy too. Do you notice a pattern here? With current unemployment rates that would have been considered total employment any other time, we constantly hear how miserable we are and Presidential candidates are vowing to tag “big oil” with a windfall profits tax.

The only dictator that President Carter did not support was the Shah of Iran. The Shah of Iran probably could not have been elected President of the United States, but scanning our current field of possibilities I am not even sure that is a certainty today. As sure as hemorrhoids hurt, it is rare that we get to choose the dictators, monarchs or whatever other title of benevolence you might bestow upon them who want to be friendly towards us. There is always a chance to influence the behavior of those who are friendly.

Western liberals were not too fond of the Shah. Many, among them President Jimmy Carter, were glad to see him deposed by a more “moderate” religious holy man, the Ayatollah Khomeini. Apparently racked with searing butt pain, President Carter could not foresee the ramifications of an Islamic theocracy replacing a western leaning monarchy. That is interesting from a supposed Biblically literate Sunday school teacher. His UN Ambassador, Andrew Young, said “Khomeini will eventually be hailed as a saint” while other advisors described him as Ghandi like and of impeccable honesty and integrity. Is it possible that his whole cabinet had the piles?

The Shah bounced around in exile and eventually ended up in the United States for medical treatment. The Ayatollah demanded that we promptly send him back to Iran for a proper Islamic trial and beheading. When we did not comply with the demand, he ordered his minions to attack our embassy and take American hostages. President Carter is quite proud of his policy of restraint during those 400 plus days. Despite any bungling that followed, President Jimmy Carter owns the Iranian Theocracy and the world threatening terror it supports.

President Carter made some other memorable moves that lacked logic, at least from my small town perspective. He abandoned Taiwan, a democratic ally, in favor of the communist Chinese. Before Carter, we recognized Taiwan as the legitimate government of China. Carter decided it was better for the world if we abandoned them and recognized the communists. There were others too. Americans built the Panama Canal. We built it with an agreement that we would operate it and control the land surrounding it as long as we paid. Carter gave that away too. Reasoning that:

American ownership and control of the canal, Carter said, “exemplified those morally questionable aspects of past American foreign policy which the United States as a nation should humbly acknowledge in its striving for higher moral ground.” - Newsmax Excerpts - The Real Jimmy Carter

He was also good on national defense.

Simultaneously, Carter began hacking away at defense. In his first moth in office, he cut an already-lean defense budget by an additional $6 billion. Then in a rampage he cancels the B-1 bomber - giving congressional leaders all of one hour’s notice - defers the development of the neutron bomb, and even talks up scrapping the Trident nuclear submarine. - Newsmax Excerpts– The Real Jimmy Carter

In 2004, President Jimmy Carter certified “without reservation” the election of Thugo Chavez. No one should have been surprised when Chavez followed by repeatedly demonstrating what a complete idiot, tin pot dictator he is - a real Carter kind of guy.

Now we are at a time when our battle with terrorists and terrorism has worldwide ramifications. President Carter’s approach is to give the dignity of the Office of the President of the United States to the leader of Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organization with American blood and the blood of innocents on its hands. It does not need the prestige that comes with a visit from a former President. With his record of fixing things, we need to be concerned.

I suggest a mega dose of Preparation H. Administered with a fire hose.

Copyright© J D Pendry 2008 All Rights Reserved

J. D. Pendry

Considering the breadth of recorded human history, the United States of America has barely achieved adolescence in its 232 years. In such a brief flash of time, we have become the pot of gold at the end of the world’s rainbow. Many come here, or desire to, because of that. Many want to destroy us, or desire to, because of that. Our existence is an awkward one led by constantly changing voices and with a personality prone to outbursts resembling teenage hormonal turmoil. It is turmoil that results either in a fiery crash at the end of a hairpin turn or an epiphany that allows for a transformation into responsible adulthood. We are in the middle of one of those tumultuous periods now. How we navigate through it just might determine whether we continue to grow as a great nation, or whether we become a brief passage in the recorded annals of the world.

One of my mentors told me that those in your charge will go where you lead them. Likewise, the USA will go where its elected politicians lead it. Scanning the horizon of future leaders makes me feel like I need to fill my pockets with as much as I can grab from our pot of gold and head for the hills. Another mentor of mine advised me that I would do fine in life if I could avoid three things - liars and thieves. I believe that it is no longer possible to do that. Not only can they not be avoided, we tolerate them and have put many of them in charge of protecting our pot of gold.

Each of our three contenders for the presidency insists that we need to improve our image with other nations. None of them insists that the Europeans who had their hands in Saddam’s oil for food till up to their collective elbows, the Middle Eastern countries whose ideologies produced indiscriminate murdering Islamic fascists, or that communist North Korea, the Red Chinese or any number of tin pot dictatorships represented at the United Nations needs to improve their images. No, instead, they insist that the most generous nation in world history with both its treasure and blood needs to improve its image. I am not inspired by any leader who insists that we lower our standards so that failed systems and nations will feel better about themselves. That is the same mentality that says every kid gets to play every game and they all get a trophy at the end. In our short history, we lead the world. It should be clear to the nincompoops who want to lead us that our system is the superior one and it is capable of making great leaps to benefit all mankind when challenged by leadership to do it. John Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon. We did it while the rest of the world, in awe, watched. When they need to inspire us to move forward and invite the rest of the world along for the ride, our current crop of hopeful leaders instead challenge us to improve our image with people who would just as soon remain locked in the 7th century.

The Congressional hearings with “big oil” further illustrate our situation. If you believe that “big oil” is responsible for the high price of the gasoline you pump into your car, you probably will not like this too much. Politicians are the reason and we will not even count the more than fifty cents per gallon that you pay in state and federal taxes. In 1976, our refining capacity was probably adequate for the time. Since then, we have not built a new refinery in this country. That accounts for much of the price of gasoline because the supply cannot keep up with the demand so the price will continue to go up until the demand decreases. In 1980, we had more refineries and more capacity than we now do. That is because environmental regulation makes it cheaper to try to attempt to expand existing refineries rather than build new ones. We need to solve our refining capacity problem then we need to increase our oil supply. We cannot do that either, however, because Congress prevents those who might do so from drilling for our own oil. Our supply and demand problem and our dependence on our enemies for oil is the sole property of the United States Congress, who is happily giving away our pot of gold while trying like good politicians to convince you, who pays the price for their incompetence, that it is someone else’s fault.

Two of our candidates will solve our energy problems with windfall profit taxes on “big oil” and “green solutions” that will not only solve our energy needs, but also create many “green industry” jobs. Broken down, it means they have no plan except the proven failure of growing fuel instead of food. The only industry or job ever created by a politician is politics. Someone in the world will starve behind the genius of the “green industry”. I suggest that we reduce CO2 by demanding that Congress only exhale on even numbered days.

The Maverick boasted that he would have a Manhattan project that would have us energy independent in 5 years. He never got into much depth, but you must know that he believes in the global warming hoax and does not support drilling for our own oil. So, one must assume that his project will be about some other type of fuel. How do you think we will manage switching out fleets of trucks, cars, emergency services vehicles, construction equipment, farm vehicles, our entire military inventory…. in 5 years. I must admit that is a challenge, but more of a suicidal than inspirational one.

Well, we are in great shape. I am going out back to check the dehumidifier system in the bunker. I want to ensure that I do avoid that third thing – wet toilet paper.

Copyright © J. D. Pendry 2008 All Right Reserved.