Author Archives: rg

“Climate alarmism is doing terrible damage to the young”

A year 12 student speaks out

While UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson can’t find anything better to say about the Industrial Revolution than that it was the time “the doomsday machine began to tick”, thus cynically throwing fearmongering fuel on an already burning fire of widespread pessimism and depression, a brave year 12 student has written about what should be done instead:

We need to start thinking about how to change the world for the better and create a more hopeful future, rather than always focusing on cutting, limiting and reducing our aspirations. All this does is deprive people the world over of purpose and hope. So, instead of criticising governments for not living up to their own doomsday rhetoric, as climate activists have been doing, we need to push them to invest in science and technology, and improve the lives of their citizens.

She squarely places the blame for why this is not happening where it should reside: with the adults.

It’s not fair to blame Generation Z for their pessimism and fearfulness. It’s adults who have encouraged young people to despair in the face of problems like climate change, instead of instilling them with hope and ambition through a positive story of human progress. We need to revitalise young people’s belief in human ingenuity. We need to restore their faith in the future. And we need to show them that it’s possible to move society forward.

Name two issues . . .

. . . impacting your life on a daily basis that have not originated from Government

Here you will find lots of wrong answers. And the only correct one.

This is an impressive way of showing how modern governments have entered into the vacuum left by the widespread loss of faith in society.

Climate fear: The anti-science, anti-industrial revolution

"Misanthropic prejudices of the depressed middle classes" are driving policies

Brendan O’Neill writes about the current COP26 Climate conference in Glasgow as “a severe outbreak of Climate Derangement Syndrome”.

Unfortunately, he is right.

He continues:

“Prime ministers, bishops, princes and noisy greens all tried to outdo each other with their apocalyptic warnings. It has been a grim competition of catastrophes, an orgy of hyperbolic prophecies that wouldn’t look out of place in the Book of Revelation.”

Do they even listen to themselves? You might think not, considering some of the utterances:

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Environmentalism cannot survive democracy

People will not put up with being pushed around forever.

So says an article in “Spiked” today, by editor Tom Slaytor.

Quote:

“The gilets jaunes – the French populist revolt against green fuel taxes which began in 2018 – had a brilliant slogan: they’re worried about the end of the world, we’re worried about the end of the month. No form of words since has better captured the dynamic at play: those with the time and money to worry about climate change are forcing punishing policies on those who are struggling to make ends meet.”

No-one has squared that circle yet, except those who would let the market forces allow human ingenuity do what it does best: adapt to changing circumstances.

Every other suggestion is, at best, self-delusionary, and at worst pretentious posturing and elitist dreaming of ruling and controlling the world — in other words: of playing God.

Central banks and wars

There is a connection between the two

“It is no coincidence that the century of total war coincided with the century of central banking.”

So said Ron Paul, a humble man, great role model, honoured American elder statesman and honest thinker.

His quote goes a long way in explaining why we need to “repeal the 20th century”, as Murray Rothbard and Gary North have said. Along with central banks, of course.

Repealing the century of collectivism, mass destruction and genocide

Our hope resides in a resurrected God

“We shall repeal the 20th century.” These were words spoken by American economist Murray N. Rothbard (1926 – 1995) near the end of an article he wrote in 1992. Another American economist, Gary North (b. 1942), who is a historian and theologian as well, used these words near the end of a lecture he gave in 2010.

Rothbard made clear why he wants to repeal it, when he asked, ironically:

“Who would want to repeal the 20th century, the century of horror, the century of collectivism, the century of mass destruction and genocide, who would want to repeal that! Well, we propose to do just that.”

With “we” he meant what he hoped would be a resurrected movement which in America is called the Old Right, a movement that was libertarian in its core, supported decentralised structures, laissez-faire economics and minimal interference of the government into private lives. This movement was effectively killed off around the year 1900 and replaced by interventionist, imperialist, big-government and big-business supporting politics.

Similar things had happened, or were happening, in Europe. Nationalism was the name of the game, and that sentiment lead to centralised governments continually increasing their interventions into the economy to suit their lust for power. Imperialism was the natural outgrowth of this development. This in turn lead to the original catastrophe of our time, World War One.

Considering that we are by now one fifth into the next century, it is clear that we have been unable to repeal the 20th century. For, as an idea, or phenomenon, the 20th century, in all its awfulness, is still firmly with us. So, how can we go about “repealing” it?

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A Jesuit’s quest to “reform” Christianity

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s contribution to destroying western civilization

Before reading this illuminating article, I had heard of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. But all I knew was that he was a Jesuit cleric who lived in the early 20th century and who had somehow tried to reconcile Darwinism and Christianity.

However, according to the author of the above linked article, Matthew Ehret, Teilhard de Chardin’s role in shaping today’s discourses that are occupying and exercising minds is quite large. And he seems to have been one of the culprits responsible for the weakness of Christianity in the West today. For, as Ehret says in conclusion, it seems to have been Chardin’s conviction that “Christianity had to evolve with the times like any creature wishing to avoid extinction within a Darwinian fight for survival.”

Moreover, Chardin seems to have been a proponent of eugenics. I’ll get to that shortly. First, another thing I learnt is that Chardin seems to have been in the centre of contriving the Piltdown Man hoax and the “discovery” of the Peking Man, very likely a hoax as well.

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Wrong Again, and Again on the End of the World

50 Years of Failed Eco-pocalyptic Predictions

As we approach the COP 26 conference in Glasgow on climate change, it’s worth remembering the many false alarms with regard to the climate so-called scientists have uttered over the past five decades or so.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute has compiled an illuminating list of false alarms which have over the years scared untold millions of people witless. So witless, that they are happy to sacrifice their wealth and that of their children, their children’s children and their neighbours, and the not yet even existing future wealth of the world’s poor in the hope of preventing climate change. So witless, that some of them are happy to resort to frankly terrorist methods in order to externalise their fear. (I’m speaking, of course, of “Extinction Rebellion” and their road-hugging soulmates from “Insulate Britain”).

It may not have been the purpose of those scientists, but the main consequence so far is that many people in the West are now practically begging for tyranny and offering themselves up for slavery to save their skins. It’s a sad spectacle of widespread witlessness. Worse is the mental illness this constant barrage of scaremongering is causing in many children.

But that’s not the scientist’s fault. That is the fault of people who thrive on scaremongering. I’m thinking in particular of the media and many sections of politics.

And the reason the scaremongers can run rampant is that there is no strong counternarrative. The churches, whose holy scripture contains hundreds of times the reminder and commandment to not be afraid, have in this regard been an embarrassing failure.

Why Christianity in the West is Wilting

And why "progressivism" is currently so strong

Christian theologian, historian and economist Dr. Gary North (b. 1942) has something to say on this subject.

In a written introduction to a lecture he gave in 2010 on the history of American conservatism, he says:

“A movement without optimism regarding the earthly future of its adherents suffers from a disadvantage in recruiting, training, and financing evangelists who will sacrifice time and money in order to bring its message to the public.”

In this instance he meant, specifically, conservatism. But he might just as well have referred to Christianity – certainly in western countries.

That North in fact does think this also with regard to most of Christianity today becomes clear when reading these words from the introduction to his book “Christian Economics, Vol. 3: Activist’s Edition“:

“The vast majority of Christians have adopted an eschatology—the doctrine of last things—that insists that the world cannot be reformed. Yes, an individual can use the Bible to reform himself with God’s help. Of course, Christian families can be reformed by biblical principles. Even churches can be reformed or else replaced by better ones. But society cannot be successfully reformed. Neither can the state. In contrast, another group of Christians, few in number in the past, insist that Christ’s redemption is comprehensive. Wherever sin reigns, Christ’s kingdom can reform it. Therefore, the Bible offers answers to every question, including this one: “How should this area of life be reformed?” This is the issue of healing. The concept of healing is related to salvation. A salve heals.”

North continues:

“I am in the second group. I am inviting you to join.”

His books on Christian economics are his “program of reform”.

I agree with North. When I advocate “progress with God”, I am thinking of North’s ideas for “reforming” or “healing” society.

Today’s “progressives” also talk a lot about “reforming” or “healing” society. Their intentions in that respect are what make their movement so attractive — and powerful. Their particular intentions may be laudable. But without God, they will not heal society. On the contrary, their attempts at healing society without listening to God are very likely to make things worse for society and its individuals.