I hear a timer ticking...do you? Seriously. I hear it, I can feel it in my bones. Depending on how long I dwell on things, it can make me sick to my stomach with trepidation- this waiting.
What am I waiting for? Good question. I can't be specific, as usual, but I can venture a guess. To put it as simply as possible:
Life as you know it is going to be GONE.
I don't like to elaborate, even though I do have my own ideas of what this means, but I cannot be sure that what I see in our future is not colored by the news media or my personal opinions on things that I see happening.
But, just for fun, just so you know how seriously off the deep end this could really get- here it is in a nutshell:
Forget about driving a car, gas will be first, too expensive, and later there just won't be any.
You better learn how to grow and produce your own food because a trip to the grocery store, like gasoline, will cost you immensely, and later, there just won't be any of that nicely packaged, fortified, homoginized, processes food left. Electricity? If you've got a generator, maybe you'll have it for a little while longer. Water? Better learn how to collect rain or filter that creek water. Heat? AC? Toilet? Microwave? Nope.
Are you laughing yet? Nice gutteral, American guffaw shaking your body at the moment? I wish I could laugh. Unfortunately, I feel this coming so deep in my veins, I'm trying my very best to be in denial, believe me. It just looks too clear to me.
So, what then? We all wait and see? I guess so. I don't know that I could stand and actually allow this sort of stuff out of my mouth without fearing the reaction. I know I am not the only one who feels that the America we know it is on the path to oblivion, however, I get a strange sense of a definite impending horror- I just can't be specific, as much as I want to be- even if the specifics turn out to be exactly what I think/feel - as I have written above.
I know that all things work for the good of those who love God. So, while I sense this mess about to explode- I do not fear the actual situation- lack of food, lack of basic civilized stuff- I fear the people who have no hope, no perspective, nothing. I fear them, and I fear for them. I know I will be fine because the Lord is my ultimate provider, my ultimate protection, my sovereign King and Lord. But what about YOU, random person? Where will your sanity fall when all that you perceive as normal and essential is gone like a puff of smoke? What can I say that would pull you out of such despair?? I am at a loss at the moment. I suppose I must wait until the Lord gives me words and actions. And the strength- both physical and mental - to pull it all off.
It's gonna get crazy. Please believe me. Please.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
This is who we really lost June 25th, 2009
"Man In The Mirror"
I'm Gonna Make A Change,For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .
As I, Turn Up The Collar On MyFavourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To SeeTheir Needs
A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other OnThe Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got NowhereTo Go
That's Why I Want You To Know
I'm Starting With The Man InThe Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could HaveBeen Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The WorldA Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself,
AndThen Make A Change
I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No Home,
Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not Alone?
A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
They Follow The Pattern OfThe Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No PlaceTo Be
That's Why I'm Starting WithMe
I'm Starting With The Man InThe Mirror(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To ChangeHis Ways(Ooh!)
And No Message Could HaveBeen Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The WorldA Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself AndThen Make A Change
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
You did the first of these things better than most people, MJ. May the little you knew about Christ have been enough to deliver you to Him- finally happy, with someone who truly loves you for you.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The rest of it, June 21 '09 message
(New stuff in this lovely burnt umber color.)
Now, today being Father’s Day, I feel a little obligated to mention fathers- even though Father’s Day is one of my least favorite days, just because, well, duh, my dad isn’t here with me. I think about my dad every day. What is interesting now is that I see him a little differently, I can see areas of his life that, back then, weren’t really any big deal, but looking at them now, I can see how he lived out his faith.
My dad’s dominant spiritual gift, without a doubt, was service. He was a master electrician and could fix pretty much anything- cars, toilets, garage doors that his youngest and cutest daughter crashed her jeep through…
Anyway, my dad did a lot of side jobs- he had one probably every weekend, maybe even two or three. My mom would get so mad when he’d say he’d be home at noon, and show up at four. If the people my dad was working for had something else he could do, he would do it. Another thing that really burned my mom up is the way he would charge people. He would never state a price specifically. He’d just let the people say, “Is 200 bucks enough?” and he’d pretty much always say “sure.” My dad got paid next to nothing sometimes for jobs he’d spend 8 ours at, use lots of materials, and do some serious electrician magic- and it didn’t even occur to him that he wasn’t getting what he was worth.
In that way, my dad worked for God. He did his very best regardless of the pay, regardless of the time it would take, regardless of how snooty the people were, and so on. He worked for God. He lived out his faith as best as he understood it should be done.
But enough of my dad…that was just my little nod to Father’s Day. What I really want to focus on is the whole “living out our faith” thing.
And, just for fun, I have a little demonstration/illustration type thingy. I’d like to introduce you to Ms. Lillly Livin-it-out and Mr. Bernie Bury-it.
Jesus intends for us to live out what we learn and believe. In Matthew 7: 24- Jesus says this of his teachings: put it into practice!! Interestingly enough, this comes right after the scariest verse ever, 7:21- the whole “Not all who say to me Lord Lord…away from me you evil doers” thing. But, what I would really like ya’ll to understand from this silly little illustration thingy, is that Ms. Lilly isn’t just living it out because she’s got super skills and is just a really cool and talented person. Heck no. Lilly is able to live it out because she’s tapped in to the wealth that our God has given us so that we are able to live it out! I’m talkin’ bout spiritual gifts, and I’m talking bout the BODY of Christ, the church.
Pb has been a broken record lately talkin’ bout this place being a launching pad. Maybe you get a picture of a rocket in your head, or something like that, you know, blasting off our roof here on Mountain road. We know that rockets just don’t blast off to nowhere. They have a goal, they have a destination. It’s important for us to remember our goal when we are doing our “launching.” Pb has given us the perfect place to aim with “love God, love your neighbor, love one another.”
Now, let’s think about what makes the rocket launch- what goes on to actually get that thing moving. First of all, it takes like what, hundreds of people working behind the scenes? A bazillion gallons of fuel, doctors to check the astronauts, not to mention the actual astronauts, engineers, physicists and other space nerds…you get the idea.
The same thing goes for us here at FCC. We must all work together, and we all have different jobs, different spiritual gifts! As Fred said when he gave his teaching the other week- if you’ve got Jesus, you’ve got a spiritual gift- YOU’VE GOT ONE! Maybe two! There is no question about that. There is this question: Are you using it to glorify your Lord and further His kingdom?
Eph 2: 10 Our work is prepared in advance. The Lord sets ‘em up and by His Grace we knock ‘em down! It is imperative that we seek out these deeds, this work, this faith in action stuff. 1 Peter 4: 10 says pretty emphatically, Use those gifts! God doesn’t just give us some crazy skills and then sit back to watch us ignore them, bury them- can you imagine if you spent your weekend teaching your child to tie his shoes and the very next time you see him running outside, he’s got bare feet. Wouldn’t you be like, Um, hello? What did we just spend hours on? Same with God- he gives us crazy cool spiritual gifts and He’s like, “Um, hello, don’t you want to see how awesome this whole thing is? My whole plan, the way I get my business done…come on, here people! What’s a guy gotta do?”
Now, I just want you to think about how this place would look if we were all focused, using our spiritual gifts, tuning in, plugging into our Lord as much as possible. I don’t really know what it would look like, to tell you the truth, but if Jesus is our focus- it ain’t gonna be a bad thing, that’s for sure. The joy in this place, the comfort, the hope, the trust we would all have, as a unit, together- there is nothing in this world that is going to stop God’s people working through His almighty sovereign power!
So, here it is. I’ve just given you a blank note card. You can write the message you’ve received on it- and then you can do one of two things: Be a Lilly, or be a Bernie. What are you going to do with your spiritual gifts? What are you going to do about the things Jesus has commanded us to do? If you think you can hold out a little longer, warm that church seat a little bit more, be a sponge and just soak up the information, store it away for when you think you’ll really need it, or when it’s more convenient and less of an imposition on the life you’re living right now…I don’t think you’re listening. We are the Body of Christ- if we aren’t moving like Him, serving like He did, loving, reaching out, helping like He did- whose Body are we? Because we sure aren’t acting like Christ. And it’s time. NOW.
I can see a lot of you asking, “Yeah, ok. Got that- tell me what to do!!” I don’t necessarily have the answer for that- I can say it would be a good idea to find out what your spiritual gift is. If you already know, write up a list of ways that you could use your spiritual gift in service to Christ. If you need some ideas, ask an Elder, ask pb. I can guarantee you this- if you know your spiritual gift, and you think there is just nowhere you are currently needed in the ministry of FCC- um, WRONG. You have a place, I guaranteeeeeeeee it. We, as a church, working together, will find your place for you, help you get started, encourage you in every way. We can do this! We must do this! Let’s all be Lilly!!
Now, today being Father’s Day, I feel a little obligated to mention fathers- even though Father’s Day is one of my least favorite days, just because, well, duh, my dad isn’t here with me. I think about my dad every day. What is interesting now is that I see him a little differently, I can see areas of his life that, back then, weren’t really any big deal, but looking at them now, I can see how he lived out his faith.
My dad’s dominant spiritual gift, without a doubt, was service. He was a master electrician and could fix pretty much anything- cars, toilets, garage doors that his youngest and cutest daughter crashed her jeep through…
Anyway, my dad did a lot of side jobs- he had one probably every weekend, maybe even two or three. My mom would get so mad when he’d say he’d be home at noon, and show up at four. If the people my dad was working for had something else he could do, he would do it. Another thing that really burned my mom up is the way he would charge people. He would never state a price specifically. He’d just let the people say, “Is 200 bucks enough?” and he’d pretty much always say “sure.” My dad got paid next to nothing sometimes for jobs he’d spend 8 ours at, use lots of materials, and do some serious electrician magic- and it didn’t even occur to him that he wasn’t getting what he was worth.
In that way, my dad worked for God. He did his very best regardless of the pay, regardless of the time it would take, regardless of how snooty the people were, and so on. He worked for God. He lived out his faith as best as he understood it should be done.
But enough of my dad…that was just my little nod to Father’s Day. What I really want to focus on is the whole “living out our faith” thing.
And, just for fun, I have a little demonstration/illustration type thingy. I’d like to introduce you to Ms. Lillly Livin-it-out and Mr. Bernie Bury-it.
Jesus intends for us to live out what we learn and believe. In Matthew 7: 24- Jesus says this of his teachings: put it into practice!! Interestingly enough, this comes right after the scariest verse ever, 7:21- the whole “Not all who say to me Lord Lord…away from me you evil doers” thing. But, what I would really like ya’ll to understand from this silly little illustration thingy, is that Ms. Lilly isn’t just living it out because she’s got super skills and is just a really cool and talented person. Heck no. Lilly is able to live it out because she’s tapped in to the wealth that our God has given us so that we are able to live it out! I’m talkin’ bout spiritual gifts, and I’m talking bout the BODY of Christ, the church.
Pb has been a broken record lately talkin’ bout this place being a launching pad. Maybe you get a picture of a rocket in your head, or something like that, you know, blasting off our roof here on Mountain road. We know that rockets just don’t blast off to nowhere. They have a goal, they have a destination. It’s important for us to remember our goal when we are doing our “launching.” Pb has given us the perfect place to aim with “love God, love your neighbor, love one another.”
Now, let’s think about what makes the rocket launch- what goes on to actually get that thing moving. First of all, it takes like what, hundreds of people working behind the scenes? A bazillion gallons of fuel, doctors to check the astronauts, not to mention the actual astronauts, engineers, physicists and other space nerds…you get the idea.
The same thing goes for us here at FCC. We must all work together, and we all have different jobs, different spiritual gifts! As Fred said when he gave his teaching the other week- if you’ve got Jesus, you’ve got a spiritual gift- YOU’VE GOT ONE! Maybe two! There is no question about that. There is this question: Are you using it to glorify your Lord and further His kingdom?
Eph 2: 10 Our work is prepared in advance. The Lord sets ‘em up and by His Grace we knock ‘em down! It is imperative that we seek out these deeds, this work, this faith in action stuff. 1 Peter 4: 10 says pretty emphatically, Use those gifts! God doesn’t just give us some crazy skills and then sit back to watch us ignore them, bury them- can you imagine if you spent your weekend teaching your child to tie his shoes and the very next time you see him running outside, he’s got bare feet. Wouldn’t you be like, Um, hello? What did we just spend hours on? Same with God- he gives us crazy cool spiritual gifts and He’s like, “Um, hello, don’t you want to see how awesome this whole thing is? My whole plan, the way I get my business done…come on, here people! What’s a guy gotta do?”
Now, I just want you to think about how this place would look if we were all focused, using our spiritual gifts, tuning in, plugging into our Lord as much as possible. I don’t really know what it would look like, to tell you the truth, but if Jesus is our focus- it ain’t gonna be a bad thing, that’s for sure. The joy in this place, the comfort, the hope, the trust we would all have, as a unit, together- there is nothing in this world that is going to stop God’s people working through His almighty sovereign power!
So, here it is. I’ve just given you a blank note card. You can write the message you’ve received on it- and then you can do one of two things: Be a Lilly, or be a Bernie. What are you going to do with your spiritual gifts? What are you going to do about the things Jesus has commanded us to do? If you think you can hold out a little longer, warm that church seat a little bit more, be a sponge and just soak up the information, store it away for when you think you’ll really need it, or when it’s more convenient and less of an imposition on the life you’re living right now…I don’t think you’re listening. We are the Body of Christ- if we aren’t moving like Him, serving like He did, loving, reaching out, helping like He did- whose Body are we? Because we sure aren’t acting like Christ. And it’s time. NOW.
I can see a lot of you asking, “Yeah, ok. Got that- tell me what to do!!” I don’t necessarily have the answer for that- I can say it would be a good idea to find out what your spiritual gift is. If you already know, write up a list of ways that you could use your spiritual gift in service to Christ. If you need some ideas, ask an Elder, ask pb. I can guarantee you this- if you know your spiritual gift, and you think there is just nowhere you are currently needed in the ministry of FCC- um, WRONG. You have a place, I guaranteeeeeeeee it. We, as a church, working together, will find your place for you, help you get started, encourage you in every way. We can do this! We must do this! Let’s all be Lilly!!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
A little alarmist, but probably has a scary grain of truth in there...
HR 2749: Totalitarian Control of the Food Supply
Food FreedomJune 17, 2009
A new food safety bill is on the fast track in Congress-HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The bill needs to be stopped.
HR 2749 gives FDA tremendous power while significantly diminishing existing judicial restraints on actions taken by the agency. The bill would impose a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme on small farms and local artisanal producers; and it would disproportionately impact their operations for the worse.
HR 2749 does not address underlying causes of food safety problems such as industrial agriculture practices and the consolidation of our food supply. The industrial food system and food imports are badly in need of effective regulation, but the bill does not specifically direct regulation or resources to these areas.
To read a detailed account of the bill, go to: http://www.ftcldf.org/news/news-15june2009.htm
(Read the section on tracing. That is NAIS, isn’t it? – highly disguised yet triggered by the word “trace.” )
Alarming Provisions:
Some of the more alarming provisions in the bill are:
* HR 2749 would impose an annual registration fee of $500 on any “facility” that holds, processes, or manufactures food. [isn't this every home in the US, every garden?] Although “farms” are exempt, the agency has defined “farm” narrowly. [What is the definition?] And people making foods such as lacto-fermented vegetables, cheeses, or breads would be required to register and pay the fee, which could drive beginning and small producers out of business during difficult economic times. [Yes. There are laws against this corporate-size-destroys-the-little-guy policy, aren't there? Are home bread or cheese or lacto-fermented vegetable makers who make for their own families included in this?]
* HR 2749 would empower FDA to regulate how crops are raised and harvested. It puts the federal government right on the farm, dictating to our farmers. [This astounding control opens the door to CODEX. WTO "good farming practices" will include the elimination of organic farming by eliminating manure, mandating GMO animal feed, imposing animal drugs, and ordering applications of petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides. Farmers, thus, will be locked not only into the industrialization of once normal and organic farms but into the forced purchase of industry's products. They will be slaves on the land, doing the work they are ordered to do - against their own best wisdom - and paying out to industry against their will.
There will be no way to be frugal, to grow one’s own grain to feed the animals, to raise healthy animals without GMO grains or drugs, to work with nature at all. Grassfed cattle and poultry and hogs will be finished. So, it’s obvious where control will take us. And weren’t these the “rumors on the internet” that were dismissed but are clearly the case?]
* HR 2749 would give FDA the power to order a quarantine of a geographic area, including “prohibiting or restricting the movement of food or of any vehicle being used or that has been used to transport or hold such food within the geographic area.” [This - "that has been used to transport or hold such food" - would mean all cars that have ever brought groceries home so this means ALL TRANSPORTATION can be shut down under this. This is using food as a cover for martial law.] Under this provision, farmers markets and local food sources could be shut down, even if they are not the source of the contamination. The agency can halt all movement of all food in a geographic area. [This is also a means of total control over the population under the cover of food, and at any time.]
* HR 2749 would empower FDA to make random warrantless searches of the business records of small farmers and local food producers, without any evidence whatsoever that there has been a violation. [If these bills cover all who "hold food" then this allows for taking of records of anyone at any time on no basis at all.] Even farmers selling direct to consumers would have to provide the federal government with records on where they buy supplies, how they raise their crops, and a list of customers.
[NAIS for animals and all other foods?]
* HR 2749 charges the Secretary of Health and Human Services with establishing a tracing system for food. Each “person who produces, manufactures, processes, packs, transports, or holds such food” [Is this not every home in the US?] would have to “maintain the full pedigree of the origin and previous distribution history of the food,” and “establish and maintain a system for tracing the food that is interoperable with the systems established and maintained by other such persons.” The bill does not explain how far the traceback will extend or how it will be done for multi-ingredient foods. With all these ambiguities, [with all these ambiguities, it is dangerous, period, separate from the money] it’s far from clear how much it will cost either the farmers or the taxpayers. [It is massive and absurd and burdensome beyond the capacity of people to comply - is this not fascism? - so it is a set up for being used to impose penalties endlessly and/or to eliminate anyone at will.]
* HR 2749 creates severe criminal and civil penalties, including prison terms of up to 10 years and/or fines of up to $100,000 for each violation for individuals. [Does it include judicial review, Congressional oversight, a defined and limited set of penalties and punishments for a defined set of “crimes”? Or is it entirely ambiguous and left to the whim and sole power of “the Administrator”? Who is that person set to be? Is it Michael Taylor, Monsanto lawyer and executive, as Food Democracy has said? That is, do these bills set up an agency by which the entire US food supply will be turned over to the control of a multinational corporation under WTO regulations (and not to US farmers and not to US laws under the Constitution), with boundless freedom to do what it wants, and one infamous for harm to farmers and lack of safety of food?
If it was not clear before how frightening these bills were, this small section of provisions, should make their actual fascism clear now. It goes way beyond “food safety” to absolute control over farms, animals, food, and us, including our movements and access to food at all.
Action to Take:
Contact your Representative now! Ask to speak with the staffer who handles food issues. Tell them you are opposed to the bill. Some points to make in telling your Representative why you oppose HR 2749 include:
1. The bill imposes burdensome requirements while not specifically targeting the industrial food system and food imports, where the real food safety problems lie.
2. Small farms and local food processors are part of the solution to food safety; lessening the regulatory burden on them will improve food safety.
3. The bill gives FDA much more power than it has had in the past while making the agency less accountable for its actions.
HR 2749 needs to be defeated!! Please take action NOW.
To contact your Representative, use the finder tool at www.Congress.org or send a message through the petition system (the petition will be on our website this evening) athttp://www.ftcldf.org/petitions_new.htm. Or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
To check the status of HR 2749, go to www.Thomas.gov and type “HR 2749″ in the bill search field.
Food FreedomJune 17, 2009
A new food safety bill is on the fast track in Congress-HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The bill needs to be stopped.
HR 2749 gives FDA tremendous power while significantly diminishing existing judicial restraints on actions taken by the agency. The bill would impose a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme on small farms and local artisanal producers; and it would disproportionately impact their operations for the worse.
HR 2749 does not address underlying causes of food safety problems such as industrial agriculture practices and the consolidation of our food supply. The industrial food system and food imports are badly in need of effective regulation, but the bill does not specifically direct regulation or resources to these areas.
To read a detailed account of the bill, go to: http://www.ftcldf.org/news/news-15june2009.htm
(Read the section on tracing. That is NAIS, isn’t it? – highly disguised yet triggered by the word “trace.” )
Alarming Provisions:
Some of the more alarming provisions in the bill are:
* HR 2749 would impose an annual registration fee of $500 on any “facility” that holds, processes, or manufactures food. [isn't this every home in the US, every garden?] Although “farms” are exempt, the agency has defined “farm” narrowly. [What is the definition?] And people making foods such as lacto-fermented vegetables, cheeses, or breads would be required to register and pay the fee, which could drive beginning and small producers out of business during difficult economic times. [Yes. There are laws against this corporate-size-destroys-the-little-guy policy, aren't there? Are home bread or cheese or lacto-fermented vegetable makers who make for their own families included in this?]
* HR 2749 would empower FDA to regulate how crops are raised and harvested. It puts the federal government right on the farm, dictating to our farmers. [This astounding control opens the door to CODEX. WTO "good farming practices" will include the elimination of organic farming by eliminating manure, mandating GMO animal feed, imposing animal drugs, and ordering applications of petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides. Farmers, thus, will be locked not only into the industrialization of once normal and organic farms but into the forced purchase of industry's products. They will be slaves on the land, doing the work they are ordered to do - against their own best wisdom - and paying out to industry against their will.
There will be no way to be frugal, to grow one’s own grain to feed the animals, to raise healthy animals without GMO grains or drugs, to work with nature at all. Grassfed cattle and poultry and hogs will be finished. So, it’s obvious where control will take us. And weren’t these the “rumors on the internet” that were dismissed but are clearly the case?]
* HR 2749 would give FDA the power to order a quarantine of a geographic area, including “prohibiting or restricting the movement of food or of any vehicle being used or that has been used to transport or hold such food within the geographic area.” [This - "that has been used to transport or hold such food" - would mean all cars that have ever brought groceries home so this means ALL TRANSPORTATION can be shut down under this. This is using food as a cover for martial law.] Under this provision, farmers markets and local food sources could be shut down, even if they are not the source of the contamination. The agency can halt all movement of all food in a geographic area. [This is also a means of total control over the population under the cover of food, and at any time.]
* HR 2749 would empower FDA to make random warrantless searches of the business records of small farmers and local food producers, without any evidence whatsoever that there has been a violation. [If these bills cover all who "hold food" then this allows for taking of records of anyone at any time on no basis at all.] Even farmers selling direct to consumers would have to provide the federal government with records on where they buy supplies, how they raise their crops, and a list of customers.
[NAIS for animals and all other foods?]
* HR 2749 charges the Secretary of Health and Human Services with establishing a tracing system for food. Each “person who produces, manufactures, processes, packs, transports, or holds such food” [Is this not every home in the US?] would have to “maintain the full pedigree of the origin and previous distribution history of the food,” and “establish and maintain a system for tracing the food that is interoperable with the systems established and maintained by other such persons.” The bill does not explain how far the traceback will extend or how it will be done for multi-ingredient foods. With all these ambiguities, [with all these ambiguities, it is dangerous, period, separate from the money] it’s far from clear how much it will cost either the farmers or the taxpayers. [It is massive and absurd and burdensome beyond the capacity of people to comply - is this not fascism? - so it is a set up for being used to impose penalties endlessly and/or to eliminate anyone at will.]
* HR 2749 creates severe criminal and civil penalties, including prison terms of up to 10 years and/or fines of up to $100,000 for each violation for individuals. [Does it include judicial review, Congressional oversight, a defined and limited set of penalties and punishments for a defined set of “crimes”? Or is it entirely ambiguous and left to the whim and sole power of “the Administrator”? Who is that person set to be? Is it Michael Taylor, Monsanto lawyer and executive, as Food Democracy has said? That is, do these bills set up an agency by which the entire US food supply will be turned over to the control of a multinational corporation under WTO regulations (and not to US farmers and not to US laws under the Constitution), with boundless freedom to do what it wants, and one infamous for harm to farmers and lack of safety of food?
If it was not clear before how frightening these bills were, this small section of provisions, should make their actual fascism clear now. It goes way beyond “food safety” to absolute control over farms, animals, food, and us, including our movements and access to food at all.
Action to Take:
Contact your Representative now! Ask to speak with the staffer who handles food issues. Tell them you are opposed to the bill. Some points to make in telling your Representative why you oppose HR 2749 include:
1. The bill imposes burdensome requirements while not specifically targeting the industrial food system and food imports, where the real food safety problems lie.
2. Small farms and local food processors are part of the solution to food safety; lessening the regulatory burden on them will improve food safety.
3. The bill gives FDA much more power than it has had in the past while making the agency less accountable for its actions.
HR 2749 needs to be defeated!! Please take action NOW.
To contact your Representative, use the finder tool at www.Congress.org or send a message through the petition system (the petition will be on our website this evening) athttp://www.ftcldf.org/petitions_new.htm. Or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
To check the status of HR 2749, go to www.Thomas.gov and type “HR 2749″ in the bill search field.
Attempt 1, incomplete at the moment.
Now, today being Father’s Day, I feel a little obligated to mention fathers- even though Father’s Day is one of my least favorite days, just because, well, duh, my dad isn’t here with me. I think about my dad every day. What is interesting now is that I see him a little differently, I can see areas of his life that, back then, weren’t really any big deal, but looking at them now, I can see how he lived out his faith.
My dad’s dominant spiritual gift, without a doubt, was service. He was a master electrician and could fix pretty much anything- cars, toilets, garage doors that his youngest and cutest daughter crashed her jeep through…
Anyway, my dad did a lot of side jobs- he had one probably every weekend, maybe even two or three. My mom would get so mad when he’d say he’d be home at noon, and show up at four. If the people my dad was working for had something else he could do, he would do it. Another thing that really burned my mom up is the way he would charge people. He would never state a price specifically. He’d just let the people say, “Is 200 bucks enough?” and he’d pretty much always say “sure.” My dad got paid next to nothing sometimes for jobs he’d spend 8 ours at, use lots of materials, and do some serious electrician magic- and it didn’t even occur to him that he wasn’t getting what he was worth.
In that way, my dad worked for God. He did his very best regardless of the pay, regardless of the time it would take, regardless of how snooty the people were, and so on. He worked for God. He lived out his faith as best as he understood it should be done.
But enough of my dad…that was just my little nod to Father’s Day. What I really want to focus on is the whole “living out our faith” thing.
And, just for fun, I have a little demonstration/illustration type thingy. I’d like to introduce you to Ms. Lillly Livin-it-out and Mr. Billy Bury-it.
-----------insert skit thingy here---------------
Jesus intends for us to live out what we learn and believe. In Matthew 7: 24- Jesus says this of his teachings: put it into practice!! Interestingly enough, this comes right after the scariest verse ever, 7:21- the whole “Not all who say to me Lord Lord…away from me you evil doers” thing. But, what I would really like ya’ll to understand from this silly little illustration thingy, is that Ms. Lilly isn’t just living it out because she’s got super skills and is just a really cool and talented person. Heck no. Lilly is able to live it out because she’s tapped in to the wealth that our God has given us so that we are able to live it out! I’m talkin’ bout spiritual gifts, and I’m talking bout the BODY of Christ, the church.
Pb has been a broken record lately talkin’ bout this place being a launching pad. Maybe you get a picture of a rocket in your head, or something like that, you know, blasting off our roof here on Mountain road. We know that rockets just don’t blast off to nowhere. They have a goal, they have a destination. It’s important for us to remember our goal when we are doing our “launching.” Pb has given us the perfect place to aim with “love God, love your neighbor, love one another.”
Now, let’s think about what makes the rocket launch- what goes on to actually get that thing moving. First of all, it takes like what, hundreds of people working behind the scenes? A bazillion gallons of fuel, doctors to check the astronauts, not to mention the astronauts, engineers, physicists and other space nerds…you get the idea.
The same thing goes for us here at FCC. We must all work together, and we all have different jobs, different spiritual gifts! As Fred said when he gave his teaching the other week- if you’ve got Jesus, you’ve got a spiritual gift- YOU’VE GOT ONE! Maybe two! There is no question about that. There is this question: Are you using it to glorify your Lord and further His kingdom?
Eph 2: 10 Our work is prepared in advance. The Lord sets ‘em up and by His Grace we knock ‘em down! It is imperative that we seek out these deeds, this work, this faith in action stuff. 1 Peter 4: 10 says pretty emphatically, Use those gifts! God doesn’t just give us some crazy skills and then watch us ignore them- can you imagine if you spent your weekend teaching your child to tie his shoes and the very next time you see him running outside, he’s got bare feet. Wouldn’t you be like, Um, hello? What did we just spend hours on? Same with God- he gives us crazy cool spiritual gifts and He’s like, “Um, hello, don’t you want to see how awesome this whole thing is? My whole plan, the way I get my business done…come on, here people! What’s a guy gotta do?”
Now, I just want you to think about how this place would look if we were all focused, using our spiritual gifts, tuning in, plugging into our Lord as much as possible-
My dad’s dominant spiritual gift, without a doubt, was service. He was a master electrician and could fix pretty much anything- cars, toilets, garage doors that his youngest and cutest daughter crashed her jeep through…
Anyway, my dad did a lot of side jobs- he had one probably every weekend, maybe even two or three. My mom would get so mad when he’d say he’d be home at noon, and show up at four. If the people my dad was working for had something else he could do, he would do it. Another thing that really burned my mom up is the way he would charge people. He would never state a price specifically. He’d just let the people say, “Is 200 bucks enough?” and he’d pretty much always say “sure.” My dad got paid next to nothing sometimes for jobs he’d spend 8 ours at, use lots of materials, and do some serious electrician magic- and it didn’t even occur to him that he wasn’t getting what he was worth.
In that way, my dad worked for God. He did his very best regardless of the pay, regardless of the time it would take, regardless of how snooty the people were, and so on. He worked for God. He lived out his faith as best as he understood it should be done.
But enough of my dad…that was just my little nod to Father’s Day. What I really want to focus on is the whole “living out our faith” thing.
And, just for fun, I have a little demonstration/illustration type thingy. I’d like to introduce you to Ms. Lillly Livin-it-out and Mr. Billy Bury-it.
Jesus intends for us to live out what we learn and believe. In Matthew 7: 24- Jesus says this of his teachings: put it into practice!! Interestingly enough, this comes right after the scariest verse ever, 7:21- the whole “Not all who say to me Lord Lord…away from me you evil doers” thing. But, what I would really like ya’ll to understand from this silly little illustration thingy, is that Ms. Lilly isn’t just living it out because she’s got super skills and is just a really cool and talented person. Heck no. Lilly is able to live it out because she’s tapped in to the wealth that our God has given us so that we are able to live it out! I’m talkin’ bout spiritual gifts, and I’m talking bout the BODY of Christ, the church.
Pb has been a broken record lately talkin’ bout this place being a launching pad. Maybe you get a picture of a rocket in your head, or something like that, you know, blasting off our roof here on Mountain road. We know that rockets just don’t blast off to nowhere. They have a goal, they have a destination. It’s important for us to remember our goal when we are doing our “launching.” Pb has given us the perfect place to aim with “love God, love your neighbor, love one another.”
Now, let’s think about what makes the rocket launch- what goes on to actually get that thing moving. First of all, it takes like what, hundreds of people working behind the scenes? A bazillion gallons of fuel, doctors to check the astronauts, not to mention the astronauts, engineers, physicists and other space nerds…you get the idea.
The same thing goes for us here at FCC. We must all work together, and we all have different jobs, different spiritual gifts! As Fred said when he gave his teaching the other week- if you’ve got Jesus, you’ve got a spiritual gift- YOU’VE GOT ONE! Maybe two! There is no question about that. There is this question: Are you using it to glorify your Lord and further His kingdom?
Eph 2: 10 Our work is prepared in advance. The Lord sets ‘em up and by His Grace we knock ‘em down! It is imperative that we seek out these deeds, this work, this faith in action stuff. 1 Peter 4: 10 says pretty emphatically, Use those gifts! God doesn’t just give us some crazy skills and then watch us ignore them- can you imagine if you spent your weekend teaching your child to tie his shoes and the very next time you see him running outside, he’s got bare feet. Wouldn’t you be like, Um, hello? What did we just spend hours on? Same with God- he gives us crazy cool spiritual gifts and He’s like, “Um, hello, don’t you want to see how awesome this whole thing is? My whole plan, the way I get my business done…come on, here people! What’s a guy gotta do?”
Now, I just want you to think about how this place would look if we were all focused, using our spiritual gifts, tuning in, plugging into our Lord as much as possible-
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
saute
You know those days where it feels like your brain was plopped into a simmering pan of butter, garlic, and onions? And all that strong flavor has been soaked up into your brain, and your own thoughts are so saturated with that other stuff, and you can't tell which are your thoughts, and which are the corrupted stew-thoughts?
Yeah, well, this is one of those months. Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes= one year, and I can feel each one of those minutes. Tick tick tick.
God is busy, that is for sure, but my part in His grand plan seems to be in neutral. I suppose that is fine- if it's His will, it fine, more than fine. I'm just waiting. Worst place to be ever.
An elephant's gestational period is like, 72 months. At least I don't have to wait that long for some forward motion in this life. Five to go. And I'm not saying there won't be forward motion before this baby. There could be, it just doesn't feel like it right now.
And so, as I write this worthless brain purge, I will wait on the Lord and whatever it is He's got going. Good or "bad". At least its not winter, ay?
Yeah, well, this is one of those months. Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes= one year, and I can feel each one of those minutes. Tick tick tick.
God is busy, that is for sure, but my part in His grand plan seems to be in neutral. I suppose that is fine- if it's His will, it fine, more than fine. I'm just waiting. Worst place to be ever.
An elephant's gestational period is like, 72 months. At least I don't have to wait that long for some forward motion in this life. Five to go. And I'm not saying there won't be forward motion before this baby. There could be, it just doesn't feel like it right now.
And so, as I write this worthless brain purge, I will wait on the Lord and whatever it is He's got going. Good or "bad". At least its not winter, ay?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Because I had to or I would think about it waaaay too much while I should be sleeping...
I fully admit to being an obsessive compulsive music snob of the worst kind.
Even though I only listen to Christian music nowadays, I'm still a music snob. Very much so.
Here are 25 songs that rock, period. And they might make it quite evident that I am a white female partial to classic rock. I'm sorry I don't like Prince or country music enough to allow them on the list.
25. Free Fallin' : Tom Petty (As long as you can get the image of Tom Cruise singing this one out of your head, it rules.)
24. Don't Stop Believin' : Journey (I would have picked a cheesier Steve Perry song, but, well, nah.)
23. Young Girl : Gary Puckett and Union Gap (My dad liked GP/UG, I just like to sing like GP really loudly.)
22. Got my Mind Set on You : George Harrison (All the stuff in your house will dance if you play this song, seriously. I've seen the video.)
21. The Seeker : The Who (Because I was one.)
20. Show me Your Glory : Third Day (The first Christian song I loved)
19. The Way you Make me Feel : Michael Jackson (I dare you to not groove to this one.)
18. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes: Crosby, Stills, & Nash (and sometimes Young, but who cares, really.)
17. Save Me: Queen (Anthem! Scream it!)
16. Tie between: Devil in Disguise/Hard Headed Woman : Elvis (I wonder why I like Hard Headed Woman so much, and why I sing it with such zest?)
15. The More : Downhere (A Christian band with a lead singer that sounds like Freddie Mercury)
14. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant : Billy Joel (it's only annoying when everyone sings along)
13. Daniel : Elton John (we sang this on our own plane to Spain.)
12. The Lighthouse Song : Nickel Creek (This band just rules. Never heard them? Do so now.)
11. I've Just Seen a Face : Paul McCartney/The Beatles (You cannot NOT like this song.)
10. Dance, Dance, Dance: Steve Miller Band (Do as the song says and it's even more fun.)
9. Under Pressure : Bowie/Queen (Who is cooler? Freddy or Bowie? Hmmm...tough call.)
8. Levon : Elton John ("He calls his child Jesus because he likes the name." Weird lyrics, great melody.)
7. I Believe (When I fall in love it will be forever) : Stevie Wonder (Awwwwwwwwwww. Swoooooooooooon.)
6. Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'Bout Me) : Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (Thanks again, Dad.)
5. Baba O'Riley :The Who (just hearing the first few seconds of this song makes me crazy.)
4. Your Song : Elton John (aka, My Song.)
3. Summer/Highland Falls: Billy Joel ("It's either sadness or euphoria," you are so right, Billy.)
2. Tiny Dancer : Elton John (soundtrack to my high school years.)
1. I Will : Paul McCartney/The Beatles. (This is "our song" (Seth+Me) and it is also the song I sing to my children when I put them to bed at night. It rules. The chorus is the sweetest thing ever. "Love you forever and forever...")
Honorable Mentions that I just thought of:
I've Seen All Good People/Your Move: Yes
America : Simon & Garfunkel
That's The Way : Led Zep (these first three are all on the Almost Famous soundtrack, which I no longer own....but I'm ok with that...)
Crazy on You: Heart
A little bit me, A little bit you : Monkees
Livin' on the Edge : Aerosmith
Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard : Paul Simon
White Room : Cream
Fox on the Run : Sweet
Carry on Wayward Son : Kansas
The Wind/Wild World/Don't Be Shy/If you want to sing out, sing out: Cat Stevens (he's generally pretty cool.)
Closer to Fine/Power of Two/Least Complicated/Get out the Map : Indigo Girls (cannot beat these two icky women for some killer harmony.)
and then of course, there's the stuff I listen to exclusively these days,
You are my Joy/Forever and Ever Etc: David Crowder Band
Here I Am/The Real Jesus/Stir/Little is Much: Downhere
Altar and the Door/Caught in the Middle/Slow Fade: Casting Crowns
Revelation/Born Again/Who I Am: Third Day
Now that I've gotten all those secular classics out of my system, I'll go right back to music with a more important purpose...glorifying my Lord. Who needs any other music when you got that kind of music??
Even though I only listen to Christian music nowadays, I'm still a music snob. Very much so.
Here are 25 songs that rock, period. And they might make it quite evident that I am a white female partial to classic rock. I'm sorry I don't like Prince or country music enough to allow them on the list.
25. Free Fallin' : Tom Petty (As long as you can get the image of Tom Cruise singing this one out of your head, it rules.)
24. Don't Stop Believin' : Journey (I would have picked a cheesier Steve Perry song, but, well, nah.)
23. Young Girl : Gary Puckett and Union Gap (My dad liked GP/UG, I just like to sing like GP really loudly.)
22. Got my Mind Set on You : George Harrison (All the stuff in your house will dance if you play this song, seriously. I've seen the video.)
21. The Seeker : The Who (Because I was one.)
20. Show me Your Glory : Third Day (The first Christian song I loved)
19. The Way you Make me Feel : Michael Jackson (I dare you to not groove to this one.)
18. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes: Crosby, Stills, & Nash (and sometimes Young, but who cares, really.)
17. Save Me: Queen (Anthem! Scream it!)
16. Tie between: Devil in Disguise/Hard Headed Woman : Elvis (I wonder why I like Hard Headed Woman so much, and why I sing it with such zest?)
15. The More : Downhere (A Christian band with a lead singer that sounds like Freddie Mercury)
14. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant : Billy Joel (it's only annoying when everyone sings along)
13. Daniel : Elton John (we sang this on our own plane to Spain.)
12. The Lighthouse Song : Nickel Creek (This band just rules. Never heard them? Do so now.)
11. I've Just Seen a Face : Paul McCartney/The Beatles (You cannot NOT like this song.)
10. Dance, Dance, Dance: Steve Miller Band (Do as the song says and it's even more fun.)
9. Under Pressure : Bowie/Queen (Who is cooler? Freddy or Bowie? Hmmm...tough call.)
8. Levon : Elton John ("He calls his child Jesus because he likes the name." Weird lyrics, great melody.)
7. I Believe (When I fall in love it will be forever) : Stevie Wonder (Awwwwwwwwwww. Swoooooooooooon.)
6. Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'Bout Me) : Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (Thanks again, Dad.)
5. Baba O'Riley :The Who (just hearing the first few seconds of this song makes me crazy.)
4. Your Song : Elton John (aka, My Song.)
3. Summer/Highland Falls: Billy Joel ("It's either sadness or euphoria," you are so right, Billy.)
2. Tiny Dancer : Elton John (soundtrack to my high school years.)
1. I Will : Paul McCartney/The Beatles. (This is "our song" (Seth+Me) and it is also the song I sing to my children when I put them to bed at night. It rules. The chorus is the sweetest thing ever. "Love you forever and forever...")
Honorable Mentions that I just thought of:
I've Seen All Good People/Your Move: Yes
America : Simon & Garfunkel
That's The Way : Led Zep (these first three are all on the Almost Famous soundtrack, which I no longer own....but I'm ok with that...)
Crazy on You: Heart
A little bit me, A little bit you : Monkees
Livin' on the Edge : Aerosmith
Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard : Paul Simon
White Room : Cream
Fox on the Run : Sweet
Carry on Wayward Son : Kansas
The Wind/Wild World/Don't Be Shy/If you want to sing out, sing out: Cat Stevens (he's generally pretty cool.)
Closer to Fine/Power of Two/Least Complicated/Get out the Map : Indigo Girls (cannot beat these two icky women for some killer harmony.)
and then of course, there's the stuff I listen to exclusively these days,
You are my Joy/Forever and Ever Etc: David Crowder Band
Here I Am/The Real Jesus/Stir/Little is Much: Downhere
Altar and the Door/Caught in the Middle/Slow Fade: Casting Crowns
Revelation/Born Again/Who I Am: Third Day
Now that I've gotten all those secular classics out of my system, I'll go right back to music with a more important purpose...glorifying my Lord. Who needs any other music when you got that kind of music??
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Quotes to make you bang your head against your computer screen.
"Current lifestyles and consumption patterns of the affluent middle class - involving high meat intake, use of fossil fuels, appliances, air-conditioning, and suburban housing - are not sustainable." - Maurice Strong, Rio Earth Summit See what happens when you try to deny me prime rib. Go ahead. See.
"We need to get some broad based support, to capture the public's imagination... So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements and make little mention of any doubts... Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest." - Stephen Schneider, Stanford Professor of Climatology, lead author of many IPCC reports "Honesty is such a lonely word...everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly ever heard, but mostly what I need from you."
"Unless we announce disasters no one will listen." - Sir John Houghton, first chairman of IPCC
"It doesn't matter what is true, it only matters what people believe is true." - Paul Watson, co-founder of Greenpeace I think my head is going to explode...oh, wait, it just did. WWWHHHHAAAAATTTTTT??????
"We've got to ride this global warming issue. Even if the theory of global warming is wrong, we will be doing the right thing in terms of economic and environmental policy." - Timothy Wirth, President of the UN Foundation
"No matter if the science of global warming is all phony... climate change provides the greatest opportunity to bring about justice and equality in the world." - Christine Stewart, fmr Canadian Minister of the Environment I think that is false logic, Msss. Stewart. How does environmentalism- caring for the environment- help with justice and equality? Wouldn't that be caring for people? And it's NOT one in the same, if you say such a thing, come here so I can put my foot in your face with much enthusiasm.
"The only way to get our society to truly change is to frighten people with the possibility of a catastrophe." - emeritus professor Daniel Botkin Built on the Rock, ya'll!! You can't frighten me with catastrophe, punks!!
"We require a central organizing principle - one agreed to voluntarily. Minor shifts in policy, moderate improvement in laws and regulations, rhetoric offered in lieu of genuine change - these are all forms of appeasement, designed to satisfy the public’s desire to believe that sacrifice, struggle and a wrenching transformation of society will not be necessary." - Al Gore, Earth in the Balance Does anyone, anywhere actually take Al Gore seriously? This is not a rhetorical question. Find me someone that can say, with no giggling or smirking or sarcasm of any kind, "Yeah, Al Gore, he's a smart guy, intelligent guy. I would totally take his advice on...stuff."
"Isn't the only hope for the planet that the industrialized civilizations collapse? Isn't it our responsiblity to bring that about?" - Maurice Strong, founder of the UN Environment Programme Hey, industrialized civilization collapsing is GOD's job, Mr. Strong. You keep your filthy UN mits off that sort of thing!! You'd probably end up messing everything up and actually causing society to thrive or something, morons.
"A massive campaign must be launched to de-develop the United States. De-development means bringing our economic system into line with the realities of ecology and the world resource situation." - Paul Ehrlich, Professor of Population Studies
"The only hope for the world is to make sure there is not another United States. We can't let other countries have the same number of cars, the amount of industrialization, we have in the US. We have to stop these Third World countries right where they are." - Michael Oppenheimer, Environmental Defense Fund
"Global Sustainability requires the deliberate quest of poverty, reduced resource consumption and set levels of mortality control." - Professor Maurice King
"Complex technology of any sort is an assault on human dignity. It would be little short of disastrous for us to discover a source of clean, cheap, abundant energy, because of what we might do with it." - Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute
"The prospect of cheap fusion energy is the worst thing that could happen to the planet." - Jeremy Rifkin, Greenhouse Crisis Foundation
"Giving society cheap, abundant energy would be the equivalent of giving an idiot child a machine gun." - Prof Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University Unless you teach the idiot child how to use the machine gun and pop a few caps in Proffeeessssssssor Ehrlich's hiney. Then your little analogy is poop, you...poop!!
"The big threat to the planet is people: there are too many, doing too well economically and burning too much oil." – Sir James Lovelock, BBC Interview
"My three main goals would be to reduce human population to about 100 million worldwide, destroy the industrial infrastructure and see wilderness, with it’s full complement of species, returning throughout the world." -Dave Foreman, co-founder of Earth First!
"A total population of 250-300 million people, a 95% decline from present levels, would be ideal." - Ted Turner, founder of CNN and major UN donor Um, ideal for what, exactly?
"... the resultant ideal sustainable population is hence more than 500 million but less than one billion." - Club of Rome, Goals for Mankind
"If I were reincarnated I would wish to be returned to earth as a killer virus to lower human population levels." - Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, patron of the World Wildlife Fund
"I suspect that eradicating small pox was wrong. It played an important part in balancing ecosystems." - John Davis, editor of Earth First! Journal
"The extinction of the human species may not only be inevitable but a good thing." - Christopher Manes, Earth First!
"Childbearing should be a punishable crime against society, unless the parents hold a government license. All potential parents should be required to use contraceptive chemicals, the government issuing antidotes to citizens chosen for childbearing." - David Brower, first Executive Director of the Sierra Club Why, thank you Mr. Brower, you've just influenced my decision to have as many children as my Lord would like me to have...5, 6, 7, 8, whatever!
"We need to get some broad based support, to capture the public's imagination... So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements and make little mention of any doubts... Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest." - Stephen Schneider, Stanford Professor of Climatology, lead author of many IPCC reports "Honesty is such a lonely word...everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly ever heard, but mostly what I need from you."
"Unless we announce disasters no one will listen." - Sir John Houghton, first chairman of IPCC
"It doesn't matter what is true, it only matters what people believe is true." - Paul Watson, co-founder of Greenpeace I think my head is going to explode...oh, wait, it just did. WWWHHHHAAAAATTTTTT??????
"We've got to ride this global warming issue. Even if the theory of global warming is wrong, we will be doing the right thing in terms of economic and environmental policy." - Timothy Wirth, President of the UN Foundation
"No matter if the science of global warming is all phony... climate change provides the greatest opportunity to bring about justice and equality in the world." - Christine Stewart, fmr Canadian Minister of the Environment I think that is false logic, Msss. Stewart. How does environmentalism- caring for the environment- help with justice and equality? Wouldn't that be caring for people? And it's NOT one in the same, if you say such a thing, come here so I can put my foot in your face with much enthusiasm.
"The only way to get our society to truly change is to frighten people with the possibility of a catastrophe." - emeritus professor Daniel Botkin Built on the Rock, ya'll!! You can't frighten me with catastrophe, punks!!
"We require a central organizing principle - one agreed to voluntarily. Minor shifts in policy, moderate improvement in laws and regulations, rhetoric offered in lieu of genuine change - these are all forms of appeasement, designed to satisfy the public’s desire to believe that sacrifice, struggle and a wrenching transformation of society will not be necessary." - Al Gore, Earth in the Balance Does anyone, anywhere actually take Al Gore seriously? This is not a rhetorical question. Find me someone that can say, with no giggling or smirking or sarcasm of any kind, "Yeah, Al Gore, he's a smart guy, intelligent guy. I would totally take his advice on...stuff."
"Isn't the only hope for the planet that the industrialized civilizations collapse? Isn't it our responsiblity to bring that about?" - Maurice Strong, founder of the UN Environment Programme Hey, industrialized civilization collapsing is GOD's job, Mr. Strong. You keep your filthy UN mits off that sort of thing!! You'd probably end up messing everything up and actually causing society to thrive or something, morons.
"A massive campaign must be launched to de-develop the United States. De-development means bringing our economic system into line with the realities of ecology and the world resource situation." - Paul Ehrlich, Professor of Population Studies
"The only hope for the world is to make sure there is not another United States. We can't let other countries have the same number of cars, the amount of industrialization, we have in the US. We have to stop these Third World countries right where they are." - Michael Oppenheimer, Environmental Defense Fund
"Global Sustainability requires the deliberate quest of poverty, reduced resource consumption and set levels of mortality control." - Professor Maurice King
"Complex technology of any sort is an assault on human dignity. It would be little short of disastrous for us to discover a source of clean, cheap, abundant energy, because of what we might do with it." - Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute
"The prospect of cheap fusion energy is the worst thing that could happen to the planet." - Jeremy Rifkin, Greenhouse Crisis Foundation
"Giving society cheap, abundant energy would be the equivalent of giving an idiot child a machine gun." - Prof Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University Unless you teach the idiot child how to use the machine gun and pop a few caps in Proffeeessssssssor Ehrlich's hiney. Then your little analogy is poop, you...poop!!
"The big threat to the planet is people: there are too many, doing too well economically and burning too much oil." – Sir James Lovelock, BBC Interview
"My three main goals would be to reduce human population to about 100 million worldwide, destroy the industrial infrastructure and see wilderness, with it’s full complement of species, returning throughout the world." -Dave Foreman, co-founder of Earth First!
"A total population of 250-300 million people, a 95% decline from present levels, would be ideal." - Ted Turner, founder of CNN and major UN donor Um, ideal for what, exactly?
"... the resultant ideal sustainable population is hence more than 500 million but less than one billion." - Club of Rome, Goals for Mankind
"If I were reincarnated I would wish to be returned to earth as a killer virus to lower human population levels." - Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, patron of the World Wildlife Fund
"I suspect that eradicating small pox was wrong. It played an important part in balancing ecosystems." - John Davis, editor of Earth First! Journal
"The extinction of the human species may not only be inevitable but a good thing." - Christopher Manes, Earth First!
"Childbearing should be a punishable crime against society, unless the parents hold a government license. All potential parents should be required to use contraceptive chemicals, the government issuing antidotes to citizens chosen for childbearing." - David Brower, first Executive Director of the Sierra Club Why, thank you Mr. Brower, you've just influenced my decision to have as many children as my Lord would like me to have...5, 6, 7, 8, whatever!
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