"Green Energy"?

MASSIVE failure.

Well, expect for the green that the companies have received in the form of government subsidies and loans.

I used to read Mother Earth News.  I actually put some of their ideas into play.  We recycled, reused, and otherwise followed the conservative - in the sense of conserving resources - guidelines.

We never went full-out and built a model low-energy home.  Lack of funds was largely the problem - instead, we bought used houses - sometimes, VERY used.

The fact is, low-energy, Earth-friendly solutions work best at the consumer level.  Stop energy leaks, keep the heating/cooling minimal, and enjoy the savings.  Don't pay the price for organic food trucked at a great distance - plant a garden.  Don't mandate what materials/energy savings for consumer goods should be - let the consumer decide - whether that's clothing (used is cheaper, and definitely Earth-friendly), appliances, or cars.

Don't subsidize cars marketed to the wealthy - which is what Prius and Volt owners are.

Don't subsidize mass transit that isn't used - consider programs to help working people get a used, reliable car, or lend them money to put one in working order.  Don't demonize the owners of SUVs - many of them need to haul materials or people, or both, in those cars.

In short, stop using the environmental movement as a way to slap around those who don't agree with you politically.

Research on the Brain Front

I've long been fascinated by people who've experienced strokes or brain trauma.  My grandfather experienced his first stroke when I was quite young, and I watched his efforts to recover physical movement, memory, and control of thought processes.  He tended to repeat himself, as he had to when first working on recovery.  That repetition served to re-build his memories.

This article, although not new, addresses some of the recent research on patients with either minimal consciousness or what has been called a "vegetative state".  Keep reading till the end - about the 4th page, it's clear that much of what doctors "know" about the possibilities of meaningful recovery is dead-on wrong.

For that reason, I'm generally opposed to Living Wills that work in favor of pulling the plug too early, or even those that favor sedating the patient into an early death.  I've made my wishes known to my husband and children, and will be filling out the Right to Life website's alternative to Living Wills.

Read here to find out why Living Wills are not a good choice.

Round-up of Interesting Reading

I've been doing too much posting on Facebook (OK, it's easier than writing a coherent post, and MUCH quicker, leaving me an opportunity to have a life).

So, here's some posts you need to see:

From Right Wing News, some VERY disturbing quotes from people in the Obama administration.  I'm particularly disturbed about # 6.

"One way to carry out this disapproval might be to insist that all illegitimate babies be put up for adoption—especially those born to minors, who generally are not capable of caring properly for a child alone. If a single mother really wished to keep her baby, she might be obliged to go through adoption proceedings and demonstrate her ability to support and care for it. Adoption proceedings probably should remain more difficult for single people than for married couples, in recognition of the relative difficulty of raising children alone. It would even be possible to require pregnant single women to marry or have abortions, perhaps as an alternative to placement for adoption, depending on the society." -- John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. So, we have a man with the morals of Joseph Mengele advising the President on science. It also shouldn't be lost on anyone that while Obama is yammering on about a "war on women," he has someone on his staff who has come out in favor of FORCED ABORTIONS.

I'm sure that you're thoroughly sick of hearing about the Zimmerman-Martin case.  But, Mike Adams writes about the underlying reasons why the Black community is pushing it so hard.

Mike Adams writes about a lonely older woman, bringing tears to my eyes.  If you know a senior without nearby family, please visit them this week.

PERSONAL NOTE:  I've been fascinated by the sight of my grandchildren using the IPad.  They are enraptured in a way they haven't been with the computer (they used to want to borrow my Macbook when I came to visit - now, they just beg for the IPad.  I've offered the Mac to the losing child, but they aren't interested).  Jobs really has something with this tech toy.

I could add more right now, but I'm working.

Reading Humanae Vitae

I was avoiding housework spending a FEW minutes browsing, and found a reference to In Humanae Vitae, the much-derided encyclical from Pope Paul VI, in 1968.

The person linking the English translation said that the entire thing was only about 4 pages long.  This intrigued me, and I decided to read the actual document, rather than what I had previously depended on, excerpts and commentaries.

It's worth reading, especially in light of recent developments with the Catholic Church and Obama's HHS.

We are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children. (14) Equally to be condemned, as the magisterium of the Church has affirmed on many occasions, is direct sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary. (15)

Similarly excluded is any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end or as a means. (16)

Those who argue for toleration of a lesser evil are rebuked:

Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good," it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it (18)—in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general.

That boldfaced part is in line with Pope Benedict XVI's comments about an HIV-infected person using condoms - it is the lesser evil.

Following sections discuss the other consequences of contraception, which affect the quality of the relationship and the nature of the parents' response to a "failure" of contraception.  It's WELL worth reading.

Sowell & The Entitled Victim Mentality

He's a true treasure, that Sowell is.

With all the talk about people paying their “fair share” of income taxes, why do nearly half the people in this country pay no income taxes at all? Is that their “fair share”? Or is creating more recipients of government handouts, at no cost to themselves, simply a strategy to gain more votes?

Assistance from others is SUPPOSED to be short-term.  Only in rare cases (permanent disability, partial or total) is the help meant to continue.  What our Liberal government has done is TAKE money from those that earned it, to give to others, who have NOT.

Examples:

• Taking from working-class taxpayers to give to upper-middle class kids to attend college - either directly, through grants, or indirectly, through loans.


• Taking from those who work minimum-wage jobs, so others can hold out for a better-paying job when unemployed.


• Taking from those who DIDN'T go overboard with home price, and subsequently lose value in the home, to give to those who bought ridiculously overpriced homes with WAY too much footage.


• Taking from working mothers to give to welfare mothers - who could bloody well get a job, just like the person that is paying their support through taxes.

No one is suggesting that we let people starve.  BUT, have you seen the poundage on many of the "poor"?  They're NOT in the last stages of starvation.

What I am suggesting is that this is a time of crisis, which calls for triage.  If people are needy, we should:

• Provide emergency food


• Provide emergency shelter

That's it, folks.  That food may not be prime rib, but it should keep them alive.  The shelter may not be palatial, but it should keep them warm and dry.  If people lose their homes, maybe they'll learn not to bite off so large a hunk of the pie.  If people won't work a minimum-wage job, they're not hungry enough.

Anything more, they'll have to find a charity to supply.  Government is NOT a charity.  Assistance is for EMERGENCIES.

Period.