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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

At left is a quote from a figure in one of the pop religions born in the 20th Century.

It may make sense on first inspection, but let’s think about it for a moment. Shouldn’t one’s ideals be subject to change as he matures and encounters new information?

Let’s take an example.

A former friend of my son believes in white supremacy, unlimited gun rights, that the pandemic was planned and put into place by the U.S. government, and dozens of other equally unsupported ideas. In his teen years, he dropped out of school. Wouldn’t it be nice if he were to wake up one day and jettison this entire line of thought?

Maybe he could recognize that signing up to be a lifelong moron wasn’t such a great idea. He could now join the ranks of people who can actually think.  Not such a bad bargain, is it?

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

The point here is that Trump supporters are about to go down in abject failure.  I doubt it.

As my mom pointed out to me in our phone call last night, bringing criminal charges against him will usher in his martyrdom.

The United States has an incredible appetite for this type of hate and stupidity, and it’s not just going to vanish, regardless of what happens in Trump’s upcoming criminal prosecution.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

A local reader asks: Is there a place (around here) that sells men’s ties? Thanks in advance!

My response: You’ll do just fine at the thrift store (see logo at left). I alone recently donated at least 60 ties from the collection that I had amassed over my 30 years as a business consultant in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. What’s the value in buying a brand new tie when so many, in perfect condition, are discarded every day, as fashion has changed?

If I wanted a fedora hat, I don’t think I would fly to London to find a hatter.  Would you?

If you can’t accept the idea of being seen at the thrift store, I understand.  Wear a disguise if you must.   Personally, if I can support an industry that provides value to low-income people and prevents the needless consumption of natural resources, I’m extremely proud to wear that mantle.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

One of the most disturbing trends in American society today is its newfound revulsion for people accused of being “woke,” a synonym for caring, well educated, and respectful.

I recall Matt Gaetz’s interrogation of Mark Milley (see memo and photo) during which he accused the general of being woke, thus endangering all Americans by way of his “feminization” of the armed forces.  This was then echoed by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.

Milley, a man of intelligence and honor, not to mention respect for rule of law, elected not to offer to beat either of these two trust fund babies into a pulp.

U.S. Army Gen. Mark A. Milley

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I’m not sure this is going to work, Matt.  If the FBI comes for Trump, assisted as necessary by 1.1 million members of the U.S. military with their $850 billion annual budget, I’m not sure that Ron DeSantis is going to be able to hold them off very long.

That’s presuming this presidential hopeful wants to commit an array of felonies.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s a prediction from former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega on the Manhattan DA’s indictment against Trump that is rumored to be coming tomorrow.

All I can say in response is “I damn well hope so.”

As the world waits anxiously, we all trust that the scope of the crimes is such that it would have warranted charges against anyone, and that they are clearly not politically motivated.

In any case, wouldn’t this better be done after Fulton Country Georgia indicts Trump on a crime several orders of magnitude larger, i.e., trying to overthrow the United States federal government?

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I know I’ve made this point before, but I feel some level of sympathy for the foot-soldiers of the insurrection.

These are people who broke what they believed to be an immoral set of laws, and were ordered to do it by the person they believed to be the rightful President of the United States.

Following the surrender of the Confederacy, the Union could have prosecuted not only the South’s highest ranking officers, but every single person who took up arms against our country.

This, of course, heightens the imperative to prosecute Trump and his co-conspirators at the top.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I’m suspicious of the flag here.  In particular, I doubt that they have sold a single one, because I don’t think even the dumbest pseudo-patriot / faux-Christian would want to make such an asinine statement about himself.

Now, it’s true that I have not been in the backwoods of the Deep South, but we have our fair share of Trump supporters here in this rural part of Central California.  There are even a few flags here and there is support of the former president, but nothing this idiotic.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Here’s an excerpt from legendary environmentalist Bill McKibben’s appearance on Democracy Now! earlier today, in which he points out how insane our civilization’s response is to climate change.

ConocoPhillips, which is developing that ill-begotten project up in the Arctic, has tens of billions of dollars of loans from the banks that we’re talking about. The (big banks) keep funneling them money so that they can do these kind of projects. And, I mean, that one is just absolutely emblematic of the insanity. They’re going to have to literally refreeze the ground up there before they’re able to — the ground that they have melted, before they’re able to drill again for yet more oil.

But it’s not just up in the Arctic. Look at what’s happening in Africa. Cyclone Freddy blows across Malawi, leaving huge devastation, while Total, the French energy giant, and others are busy trying to build a giant oil pipeline across the heart of Africa. This is — as the IPCC said yesterday, this is really the battle for the future of planet Earth.

McKibben, however, is not giving up, noting that people of all ages are protesting this lunacy in numbers never before seen, and divesting from fossil fuel companies as well.

I had the honor of meeting him at a Bioneers conference pre-pandemic; he is quite a powerhouse.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

As long as there are huge numbers of Americans who reject what the rest of the developed world has learned about the connection between gun control legislation and the lessening of gun violence, there will be politicians who will happily sell our children’s lives to make possible their next term in office.

Regardless of how stupid you may happen to be, I hope you don’t get a call asking you to identify your kid’s lifeless body, shot to pieces, in your local morgue.

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