Friends, I strongly recommend this fine article to you. It makes the very sensible point that, as Americans and Westerners applaud the resistance of Ukraine to the Russian assault on its independence and territorial integrity, the fact is that applause, per se, won't save Ukraine. In fact, it's very doubtful whether the Ukrainians can save themselves, by force of arms, and whether Western economic sanctions, combined with a massive campaign of virtue signalling, can make much of a difference either. Ergo, the article advises us to shelve our "bellicose talk" in favor of constructive efforts to bring both sides together to negotiate peace. After all, there's a good chance that, right about now, the Russians would love to find an exit ramp leading away from this madness. Wouldn't offering them one be the right thing to do?
This article observes that pro-Ukrainian propaganda has, overnight, taken over the internet, and has in many cases obliterated common sense. Not surprisingly, the Russia-Ukraine war was also instantly weaponized by the Left, to deride Trump and Republicans as Putinesque, and to suggest that Putin and Republicans are engaged in a broad struggle to destroy Western democracy. These arguments are, of course, absurdly weak, but, in a "fact free" media environment, people will believe almost anything. Nothing new about that!
https://spectatorworld.com/topic/media-turned-russia-war-ukraine-trump-redux/
Efforts to isolate Russia from the global economy and even from Western culture continue to escalate. Probably most troubling is the closing down of Russian media in the West, and Western media in Russia. In other words, if we continue down the present path, pretty soon it will be well nigh impossible for Russians to communicate with the West, and the pursuit of peace could become a logistical impossibility! I hasten to add that misunderstandings which lead to war are much less likely when major powers share information and remain in contact. Raising the drawbridge that allows for intergovernmental and intercultural communication is not a sign of strength. It's a sign that the juvenile intolerance of woke cancel culture is now the guiding principle of U.S. foreign policy. I disapprove!!!
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/visa-mastercard-russia-sanctions/2022/03/05/id/1059821/
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/ny-financial-russia-ukraine/2022/03/05/id/1059822/
In some rare, non-Russian/Ukrainian news, the United Methodist Church is soon to become...a lot less united. Conservatives are splitting from the mainline Protestant denomination because they disagree with the ordination of homosexual clergy, and the performance of gay marriages. My opposition to gay marriage is a matter of public record, but I do find it regrettable that social issues are causing the dissolution of one of the great Protestant churches. Every other facet of modern life is being politicized, though, so it's unrealistic to expect that the Christian religion will be immune. In any case, I wish the Global Methodist Church much success, I hope its millions of members will stay true to their faith, and I pray that their new leaders will be upright men of God.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/united-methodist-church-splits-over-lgbt-beliefs
Lastly, here's a neat little piece on the declining appeal of the four-year college degree. Apparently, more and more young people are finding alternatives to a traditional university education, and more and more businesses are deciding to evaluate job candidates based on their skills instead of their formal educational credentials. I say: hear hear! I'm not one to pooh-pooh higher education, naturally, but I've long believed that a person is more than the sum of his degrees. In fact, I think it would make a lot more sense to judge us all based on a standardized test, which would be normed and objective, rather than by the mere acquisition of a piece of paper that claims that we're "smart". Neither method yields the equality of results that lefties are looking for, of course. The only way to achieve that goal is to subordinate all measures of merit to neo-Marxist ideology...and we're well on our way, especially in higher ed. Hip hip hooray?
How very interesting (among other words I could use), that the fools in the current administration (I like regime better), in our holy city of Washington, DC, are so concerned with defending the so called invasion of The Ukraine, and do nothing to stop the invasion of our country from illegal immigrants, consisting in many cases of criminal gangs, drug cartels, potential terrorists, human sex traffic, and illegal weapons, not to mention unknown future pandemics.
ReplyDeleteNick
ReplyDeleteIsolating Russia from Western culture? What is "Western culture" that is so great, that people everywhere want it so badly. Is it hip hop? Is it bringing back "Saturday Night Fever" style disco dancing? How about reviving "The Madison"?
Remember the Russian version of this culture about 10 years ago named "Pussy Riot", a Putin protest art/punk collective. A bunch of sluts went up to Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior and danced half naked in front of the altar. Looks like they got arrested. One of them went on a hunger strike at a regular prison, and got transferred to a Siberian penal colony in response.
So what is "Western culture"? Looks like it is woke cancel culture, which may be superior to what? Janis Joplin? Elvis?
What kind of Western culture are we talking about that Russia and everywhere else on this f****** planet need so badly? Give me a hint. Is it the Gay agenda? Apparently Putin in not much for that.
That United Methodist Church split has been coming for some time now. This is also true for Lutherans, and a few other churches, many of which call themselves "nondenominational".
ReplyDeleteGRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH in the San Fernando Valley area of L.A. County California is super anti-gay and is headed by John MacArthur (for the last 50 years) and speaks against Gays and related openly in and out of his megachurch, and without fear or compromise.
Nick, you are clearly wrong on gay marriage. There is no objective downside to letting two people of marrying age who desire to marry one other person. You are also wrong on there being some sort of standardized test. How could you come up with one that would capture the multiple intelligences that people possess?
ReplyDeleteThere are also issues with current standardized tests even as predictors of success in college. The SATs explain 25-26% of the variance in college grades. That means 74-75% of the variance is explained by other factors.
I am happy to see younger people exploring other possible options rather than just seeing college as an only option, particularly in terms of education in the trades.
Ray, you clearly didn't get the memo that Sleepy Joe is protecting/administering our border in a dramatically successful, humane, and generally stellar fashion. It's a real point of pride for him! Plus, as you know, everytime an "immigrant" crosses our southern border, an angel gets its wings...
ReplyDeleteRay, you ask some fair questions about "Western culture". You know, when I hear that Russia is now to be cut off from the latest Hollywood blockbusters, and from posting on Twitter, part of me thinks: man, is that all it takes -- one little invasion of Ukraine? Maybe a few red states ought to get in on this conquering Ukraine business. They could spare themselves a lot of garbage masquerading as "culture"...
Yes, sadly the split in the United Methodist Church has been a long time in coming. To be fair, when Christians can't even agree on the definition of "marriage" anymore, the faith is in trouble, to say nothing of Western Civilization as a whole. On the other hand, now that we've abolished men and women, as objective categories, perhaps the debate about gay marriage is now moot?
Rod, let me get this straight: there's no "objective downside" to letting two people marry each other, regardless of sex? But there would be, presumably, an "objective downside" to letting THREE people marry each other? Please, explain to me how that works. As usual, "objective" and "downside" are definable only by the lights of leftist reason...so I'm not optimistic that I'll receive an answer is that is either objective or reasonable. I mean, just to introduce a note of common sense, isn't it obvious that the proliferation of gay and alternative lifestyles is contributing to the decline in the birth rate...and wouldn't procreation be an "objective upside" to traditional marriage? Nah. What was I thinking? Human beings are bad for Mother Earth, so God bless those wonderful gays for their sterility!
Intelligence is, indeed, a complex concept, and difficult to measure. The sort of intelligence that leads to scholastic success is, however, highly correlated with strong performance on standardized tests, as everyone knows. The tests were introduced in the first place because they have more objective, universal validity than almost any other measure. I mean, what's your alternative? High school grades? Please!
I too am happy to see that options besides higher ed are becoming more viable and respected. Part of me, frankly, thinks that the thousands of colleges which cater, in large measure, to young people who are ill-suited to the rigors of a liberal arts education and who seem to have no great desire to obtain one, ought to be repurposed accordingly.
Nick, I don't have an issue with more than two people marrying. We have examples of Mormons having multiple wives. While I personally have issues with the role of women in those relationships, and worry that, in the future, some of the myriad half-siblings will have children who might pair up with one another, the fact is that most of those families live quietly and relatively happily in their enclaves. Not my choice, but, that's the point -- it's not MY choice, but others.
ReplyDeleteAs for birth rate decline, I don't see the link to same-sex marriage. Unless you are suggesting that more people are being born with sex same preference, then you have to look for other causes -- the biggest being opposite sex couples marrying later in life and closing the optimal time for multiple successful pregnancies. In fact, one benefit of gay marriage is that many same sex couples adopt, and often adopt the older children who have a tougher time getting adopted.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Megaditto on the Davidson article! We do bear a heavy responsiblity for Ukraine's catastrophe. Its time for us to man up and do the right thing, which is as he said: be honest with Ukraine! And that no matter the humiliation for us.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy et al from Jack: Presumptuous preemptions of the foundational principles of Western civilization: the far left is blithe to advance them according to its irrefutable will. All who disagree are anathema to them. Tell me, why did those who fought for gay "marriage" (I put it in quotes because I consider it an absurdity confirmed by 5000+ years of civilization, with all its painful progress in thought, trial and error and legal discourse) insist on assuming the term "marriage"? Though many of good will think it confers desirable legal rights, many of the far left insist on it in their dismissive and always bigoted way. Why? Why not simply and democratically seek the legality of civil unions providing all such rights but without polluting a sacred institution? Because they know that in compromising an institution proven as lastingly fundamental as marriage they go far toward destroying the Western civilization they so despise.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: The left has chosen even to invade the Christian religion, even the clearly fundamental Catholic Church, to advance its secular values and discredit Christianity to pave the way for. . . WHAT!? Why, their proven subhuman Marxist dreams and values? That this has caused schism among the faithful should not be surprising, no, not at all!
ReplyDeleteJack, if a civil union was to confer all the rights that a marriage would have, then except for the title in the license, the content would be exactly the same. It would be a distinction without a difference. That would require all states to go through their laws and make sure that civil unions were treated the same as marriage.
ReplyDeleteThe question becomes -- if "marriage" and "civil union" is a distinction without a difference, then why not adopt one term or the other, rather than having two functionally exact terms. From a practical point of view, using the term "marriage" would create fewer hassles.
In addition, this is not a leftist conspiracy to destroy Western Civilization. Quite the opposite -- same sex marriage PROMOTES family (not to mention fairness). There are also lots of conservatives and libertarians who are supportive of same sex marriage, and liberals who are not supportive.
Ray from Jack: Agreed: the uncomprehending far left marionette has enabled a rare old mess in our country hasn't he? Our borders expunged and those who would insolently defend them? Denounced! Our energy independence is presumptuously curtailed by now White House exalted far left forces determined to force their airy assumptions on us all,NO MATTER the price! Why, not for environmental purity but for the establishment of permanent leftist control of all we live and value, via the incremental extension of government fiat enabled by unproven assumptions of human generation of " global warming". Its this latest power grab, by a left catastrophically discredited, in history, society, culture, economics and common sense, in the last 100+ year we should see undeniable truth. They have no shame and NO humanity!
ReplyDeleteRod from Jack: Thank you for your creditable argument, free of ad hominem attack, with those assertions I made above. My response: the most exalted convocation in our history, the Constitutional Convention, devoted much energy to embodying historically endorsed values. Is it too much to ask of Scotus (then) and our state legislatures to enact law respondent to proven Western insitutions?With respect, I think you may raise the issue of equality. But if democratically established rights such as rightful not necessarily equal,distribution of advantages (income, deference, property and safety) are lawfully secured, what reason is there for further assault on Western values? I still challenge far leftist attack on this! I still think their their intent to be revolutionary and our country does not deserve that!
ReplyDeleteRod, your evenhandedness in permitting gay marriage AND polygamy is commendable. Personally, I'd allow any number of inventive romantic combinations, but I still find it intolerable to acknowledge the moral/social equivalence of alternative lifestyles with heterosexual marriage. That's a bridge too far, and no society or civilization would have dreamed of it more than twenty years ago.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course you're right that declining fertility among heterosexual couples is the main cause of our general lack of procreation, but I still maintain that the proliferation of alternative lifestyles, which CANNOT, biologically, lead to pregnancy, can't be helping much!
Rod, sure, gay marriage promotes "family", but family has also been redefined to mean...virtually anything the Left wants it to. And recall that, to the Left, family arrangements are eminently dissolvable. Why, even my gender can be reimagined in an instant! So, yes, you'll grant us "family" galore, but you've also unmoored the family from tradition, from biology, and from common sense. I'd say family ties are weaker than at any point in human history, so...well done promoting "family values"! Jack is so right: we tamper with the time-honored formulae for familial bliss, strength, and unity at our immense peril!
Quite right, Jack: there's no need to reinvent the intellectual and moral basis for Western Civilization. If ain't broke, don't fix it!