The End of Civilization?
When most of us think of civilization, we think about advanced societies. Ones that have achieved high levels of social, educational, and cultural development – and where artists thrive.
We also think about order, where people live in peace with each other and settle their differences without riots, violence, mayhem, chaos, tumult, crime, or name-calling. In other words, where people are civil and respectful of each other.
The United States is the great experiment in civilization. Not only because of our Constitutional rights but because it was/is the great melting pot of all kinds of cultures and what had been traditional mores for people of all backgrounds, races, and creeds – some not so civilized before assimilation.
We’ve had our challenges and sometimes had strong resistance to making the American Dream come true for all our citizens. But we’ve made progress on every challenging front, ending slavery, suffrage for women and extending all our rights to all. At the same time the country has prospered like no other in history. Different and divergent people have come together, assimilated under our Constitution and laws, and lived and worked in harmony under our brand of capitalism.
As I look back over the last several years, I can’t help but get a sense that the civilization of our unique country is in peril of ending. It is unrecognizable from what it once was. It’s not only that concern – but that the peril is deliberately created – which makes our country’s potential demise even more disheartening.
Here’s why. I reference several examples.
Equality Under the Law
This is an absolute requirement, an essential must to a free society – and civilization.
Riots and arson are now crimes dependent on whether whatever happened is consistent with the preferred narrative of the ruling class. That makes the justice system not blind – and not equal. We now have politicized the law in too many places to ignore. It’s OK now to rush to justice before the facts are known without regard for the word ‘alleged’ under our system. Criminals are now released without bail. Stealing less than $900 worth of merchandise off a store’s shelves is a misdemeanor and likely never prosecuted. Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted by the system but not by the politicos and anarchists who have managed to get the media to sing their dissent and disappointment of our system. George Floyd died at the hands of a since convicted policeman and we have one who shot and killed an unarmed woman in the Capital on January 6, but we don’t even know the shooter’s name, much less the circumstances. And no investigation was conducted as far as we know. Civilization and fairness – and the public – suffers under unequal treatment under the law. It’s civilization in regression.
Border control
Functioning societies have borders. The United States has no southern border currently. The official position of our government seems to be an open invitation to all seven billion people in the world. But hello! – illegal immigrants are here illegally. Upwards of 2 million will enter this year. They didn’t follow our law to gain access to the country and there’s no consequence – only benefit. And ‘amnesty for all’ are the words now used freely in the halls of Congress and the White House. A ‘free-for-all’ of immigration is not civilization – it’s the wild west relived.
Elections
Open and honest elections have been a hallmark of our democratic system the last 100+ years. But a simple requirement like having an ID now produces controversy. Mass mailings of ballots and ballot harvesting do not instill confidence, yet our Congress wants to federalize elections when the Constitution clearly gives that responsibility and authority for our elections to the States. Civilization under democracy suffers with the loss of confidence by the public in our elections.
Governmental Mandates
Government ‘lockdowns’ and mandates in sync with the COVID pandemic totally ignored our Constitution. (They still do.) Only selective businesses and organizations were allowed to operate. Untold numbers of small businesses, the backbone of our economy, disappeared. It was accepted that government had the power to override rights guaranteed to citizens. We were told whether we could congregate/assemble or see Mom or Dad or go to church. Arrests were made of violators. This stuff is ‘third world’ and autocratic – not civilization. Rioters and protesters were exempted if their actions fit a pre-approved, ruling class narrative. Vaccine mandates continue crossing the line between government recommendation (and individual choice) and autocratic directive. Employment is a pact between employer and employee without government intervention. Mandates are not civilization.
‘Woke’-ness
In the supposed interest and sensitivity of the few, everyone must now re-learn what we can say, how we can say it, and where we can say it. It’s a direct attack on free speech.
Under the guise of ‘social justice’ our history is being rewritten and serving to indoctrinate our children to be racist.
Identity politics takes us backwards to tribalism, not civilization.
Victims and oppressors. Systemic racism. White supremacy. All are dividers and not truth. It’s propaganda and destroys civilization.
Transgender fanaticism – ‘gender fluidity’ – is a path taking us the wrong way. Denial of biological gender is academic and ideological BS. But it’s at its craziest in the US where women are not allowed to compete fairly. Yet we have a Dept. of Education that requires it. Civilized?
Critical Race Theory is being taught in our public schools and parents who object are labeled domestic terrorists to be investigated by the FBI and US Attorneys.
Being woke also means you advocate for the elimination of fossil fuel and The Green New Deal.
Our big tech, social media companies show their woke-ness by canceling people and on-line expressions with the ‘wrong’ view.
The size and power of government, in addition to bankrupting the country, is creating a scenario of catastrophe for its citizens – who are treated more and more like those of Cuba and North Korea.
Let’s act like we have a vote on ‘woke’ vs. fairness, equity vs. equality, chaos vs. self-determination, and keep our civilization before it’s too late to save it.
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Have a great and prosperous week.
Hug somebody.
SPIDER Bites
After 3 years in getting there, last April NASA’s Solar Parker Probe entered the sun’s atmosphere (the corona – what we see when there’s a total eclipse) – some 8.1M miles out from the sun’s center. The probe shortened its orbit, collecting data, until it reached the 4M mile mark where the mission team will keep it until June 2023. It’s a true, close-up study of the stars and their impossible to imagine power and energy. If you’re wondering why the probe doesn’t burn up, it’s about shields and heat transfer. Think of the difference between putting your hand in a hot oven versus putting it in a pot of boiling water. In the oven, your hand can withstand significantly hotter temperatures for longer than in the water because the heat transfer to your hand is faster in water. Impress your friends.
Lions and Tigers and Bears and Omicron – Oh My! Early indications are omicron is more contagious but with milder illness symptoms – like a cold or flu – but is apparently resistant to current vaccines. It’s likely an indication of a COVID endemic and we, and our President, should be celebrating. One death recorded in the US in Houston to a medically compromised man who had omicron. All pandemics end. The Spanish Flu in 1918 killed nearly 700K Americans – when the US had one-third of its current population – and ended in 1919 because people who didn’t die developed (herd) immunity – without a vaccine. The FDA approval of the new Pfizer (and limited approval on Merck’s) at-home pill is more good news. But despite all that – let’s scare/panic people some more and restrict their faces, movement, and activity, yes? How about 55K died of heart disease last week?
Headline: “Hundreds of flights cancelled because airlines lose staff to COVID.” Sad for the people affected, but there’s 45,000 commercial airline flights/day in the US carrying 2.9M passengers.
The “US House Select Committee” on the January 6 breach of the WH – with all nine members appointed by Speaker Pelosi – is expected to issue its findings in early 2022. Meanwhile lots of ‘drama’ with subpoenas and contempt charges flying around that the media loves. BTW, I find it difficult to call Jan. 6 an ‘insurrection by unarmed protesters.’ That’s not how insurrection is defined. The violators should be charged but not found guilty based on partisan rhetoric.
NY City’s Council has voted to allow 800K non-citizens to vote in local elections. What does it mean to be a citizen anymore?
You may recall, among a long list of other doomsday projections, Al Gore and the UN IPCC predicted the island of Tuvalu – midway between Hawaii and Australia – would be 20 years underwater by now due to climate change. The small island, formed by a volcano, is basically flat so currents and waves have more erosive impact than many other volcanic islands. Geologists think the island may be engulfed at some future point, but not by a rising sea but because it’s also apparently sinking. How much did we pay for that original doomsday forecast?
President Biden extended until May 1 the moratorium on student loan payments toward the $1.37T debt the government – ‘we’ – are holding for 36M Americans. Since our government doesn’t need it, why not? They can always print more.
Elon Musk for President! He doesn’t need the money and has a great attitude toward democracy and freedom, in addition to being brilliant. Just what we need right now.
