I love doing “random thoughts”. No pressure to get it right, or stay on topic. Just whatever floats around in my unpredictable head.
Words Have Meaning And Politicians Know It
Words have meanings and politicians who want to control your life know that.
The switch from using “global warming” to “climate change” was not a coincidence. We are experiencing record cold temperatures across the country. In Oklahoma City, we recently had -15 below windchill. In the airport, I heard a bunch of people blaming “climate change” on the cold weather, something unthought of just a couple of years ago.
People forget that 20 years ago the government wanted to grab power over the economy because we were headed into a new ice age because of man made pollution. Then 10 years ago, since the temperatures were rising, we switched to “global warming” and declared it was being caused by human activity. Politicians rushed to grab power because we were going to “destroy the Earth within a matter of years”. DOOM was on the horizon unless sweeping economic and political changes were not made immediately.
Fast forward to today… most people don’t realize that we began a cooling trend almost ten years ago, unreported by the media of course. That is when the government and environmental activists realized they were going to have to change the term” global warming” because it would no longer be applicable once the American people woke up. So we adopted the term “climate change” which is a credit to their shrewdness and ability to manipulate the masses.
I saw the proof of it the other day listening to a group of people talk about our “weird extreme weather”, how all of it was caused by “climate change” and if we don’t do something about it “the world is going to come to an end”.
When are people going to wake up and realize this is about grabbing political power and making money. If you don’t believe me, check Al Gore’s bank account.
A Change In Attitudes
Have you noticed that nowadays kids, teenagers and college aged young adults are very publicly affectionate with full body hugs, lingering physical contact, and generally speaking, a high amount of physical affection? I don’t mean girlfriend/boyfriend PDA… I’m talking about just a general group dynamic.
It struck me most when I kept seeing over and over the kids at church, youth groups and Christian events hanging all over each other, embracing one another in full body hugs, kisses on the cheek and arm-around-waist contact. Don’t get me wrong, hugs and kisses are great… but let’s not be naive. Our kids are much more sexually aware and exposed than 50, 20, or even 10 years ago.
Twenty five years ago when I was a teenager, a full body hug and having a girl “hang” on you, or stand around with your arm around her hips, would have been something that would have at least been reserved for your steady girlfriend… not for every young lady in youth group.
I’ve been noticing this trend for the last couple of years, and most notably, wondered if our Christian kids were immune to it. They are not. And I mostly hang out in pretty conservative churches. Again, don’t be naive… this “uber-affection” is all part of the process of being sexual. I would urge youth group leaders and parents to give some thought and effort to teaching their young adults about what all this means concerning guarding their purity for the future.
Maybe I’m just getting old.
Small Town Stuff
I love living in a small town were you know people. You go get a haircut you say hello. Go the post office and you know the clerk by name. Stop to get gas and ask the clerk how their families are.
Go to kids sporting event, and catch up with neighbors and people you actually know. The sheriff drives by and you wave at him.
Of course, the gossip mill is pretty effective and it stinks driving 30 minutes to buy a head of lettuce in the “city”. But all in all, I’ll take the small town life any time. It’s not “better” than city life… just a personal preference.
Marketing Gimmicks
Every time I go to the grocery store and the clerk says “you saved $24.00 on your purchases today”. I did?
I got a basket full of stuff, with prices clearly marked on them. I made a silent agreement to pay that amount for those items. How did I “save” money? I knew the price, I agree to pay it. I didn’t “save” anything…
Who cares, right? No one probably, I just like to observe how the marketing media has trained all of us to think. We see commercials for products that are “$199 but today only, it’s $29, you save $179!” Really? How’s that? It’s for sale for $29, I agree to pay $29. That’s not saving anything… that’s buying at a certain price.
Now, if something has been for sale for an entire year at $179, and for 1 day only, it went on sale for $29, then returned to $179 the next day, I might agree I “saved” some money. However, in reality, I still didn’t “save” anything since I spent $29.
Watch commercials, especially infomercials… listen to retail and grocery stores… watch how they condition people towards believing they are smart shoppers and intelligent for “saving” money by shopping at their location. It’s all about marketing and manipulating consumer processes.
Not that any of it matters… I just get tickled when I realize how much they treat us like “sheep” on Madison Avenue.
 |
|||||
 Digital Photography |
 Bible Q&A Vol. One |
 Internet Pornography |
 Knowing The Will of God |
 Life Without Debt |
|
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Do you really travel 30 mins. for a head of lettuce? I’m sure you do as growing up I had about a 20 + min. trip for milk or anything else we needed. Now I’m in the CT suburbs but if needed I could walk to a grocery store–best of both worlds.
I AGREE! “You saved $55.oo today Mrs. S. ” Well if I paid full price last week but I only (try to) purchased on sale, lost leaders–I wouldn’t be able to purchase it at full price. Marketing…
Enjoy the day–spring is starting here : ) Love the temps hate the ticks.
Nora
PS We’re watching so go get that head of lettuce etc. and have a fantastically healthy lunch.
Words Have Meaning And Politicians Know It ~ I ignore it ALL, the weather will be what it is, ONE DAY AT A TIME! : )
A Change In Attitudes ~ I’ve noticed how teens “hang full body” on their parent in photos. I wonder at times if there’s sexual activity there…. maybe it’s just I’m getting old, but we just didn’t do that.”
Small Town Stuff ~ I use to feel the same until moving to a “city” then I conciously kept the “Hello – how are you?” etc… It seems to open convo., perhaps I’m just a social butterfly? lol
Marketing Gimmicks ~ Kinda like the coupon I get for my birthday… “One FREE blizzard with the purchase of another…” And 199 – 179 = 20. Some of us DO read your writing… lol
Hugs, Love, Peace,
~Joni
Whether you call it ‘global warming’, ‘climate change’, ‘environmental activism’, ‘smog’, or whatever else you think of is not an issue that needs to be addressed?
I grew up knowing that when they said we were going to have thunderstorms, I knew we would have a dirt storm first. Do you not think that farming practices had changed our environment? Should we have poo pooed those who said we needed to alter our farming methods? Those people who lived in the highly industrialized area couldn’t hang their laundry outside if they didn’t want it all to turn to a dismal gray color. Do you think the smokestacks belching black coal smoke weren’t changing the environment? Do you think acid rain is somone’s imagination? Do you think the throat burning and eye iching sensations you have when in conjested traffic is just your imagination or irritation over delay in getting where you want to be? Do you think man has nothing to do with the dissappearence of the rain forests? Do you think the demise of rain forests is not going to change the ecology and atmosphere of that area? What about the mushroom clouds and nuclear pollution? Is that not a threat to your environment? Do you honestly think that the combination of all these things cannot in any way effect our global atmosphere? Do you not think we are slaves to the traditional energy companies and systems of today? Has world culture and population not changed the issues you face daily from those your ancestors faced?
The Bible does not literally address any of the issues I have listed. Does that mean we Christians can just go merrilly along our way and ignore them? Does the commission we are assigned with in Matt. 28:19-20 only command that we get a patent confession of faith from our brothers? What are all the other things Christ, by his example, revealed to us that we should be concerned about? (vs. 20) Am I my brothers keeper? And, if I am, should I be concerned about what physical condition I am leaving this world in for the generations of brothers to come?
Al Gore, whether you agree with him or not, gets paid by those who invite him to speak. Motivational Christian speakers get paid by those who invite them to speak. Television personalities, Christian or not collect big time bucks for speaking at rallies. Try getting former President G.W. Bush to come give an address for a meeting. Do you not think he gets a pretty good stipend for his presentation? What he does with that stipend is not the issue. Organize a Tea Party and try getting Sarah Palin to be your featured speaker. Do you think she isn’t going to go home a little richer than she was before coming?
You are right. Words have meaning and politicians know it. Every successful salesman knows that catchy phrases and words have meaning. Every successful Pastor or Evangelist knows that words and how they are used is the difference between success and failure. To declare that my words are unequivocally inspired by God and yours are not, is a little egotistic. Declaring myself as having the unerring interpretation of Scripture denies anyone else of having that same ability, unless they agree with me!
I concur! When I’m in the grocery store sometimes I’ll choose a different brand than my ‘normal’ brand, because it’s on offer. I’ve not saved anything, because if it hadn’t been on offer then I wouldn’t have bought it. So, no saving! Just sensible shopping. And maybe a better brand for the money I was planning to spend. It’s manipulation, as if they are saving you money, but they’re not!
You always have loved the small town life Dad. Where as my thought is…”People live here? Like… by choice?” Keep the random thoughts coming Pop, they always make me smile.
Love, Jordie
I’m so thrilled that one of my own kids actually reads my writing. Now if I can just get the other six on board… maybe my wife will start to read my stuff too.