What machine? The Stupid machine. You know, the one where everywhere you look its an ad for a supposed trick, or a testosterone treatment that makes grandpa look like a ripped weight lifter, or some strange gadget that the power companies hate, or watch this video before its banned crap. Or maybe UFO’s, giving Bigfoot an anal probe while the president is snorting cocaine…look here for what may be the scariest web site ever http://beforeitsnews.com/  A guy I know actually referred me to this place to support whatever it was he was buying into that day. I haven’t had a good nights sleep since.

If the internet is ridiculous, so has become cable TV. We have Ancient Aliens, absolute buffoonery, where  every single awesome achievement of man, had alien intervention. We have ghost detectives ranging from east coast white guys to down south hillbillies. We have reality show after reality show, all apparently vying to become the lowest common denominator in absurdity. We have RWCRFM productions pretending to be news. We have competitions ranging from nerdy nerds doing nerdy stuff, to manly men traversing Alaska. We have dancing and singing competitions that need your input to vote the advancement of your favorites. For crying out loud one of the most popular shows right now is about a bunch of goofy goofs that make duck calls. Where does it all stop?

The one thing every one of these shows, or internet scams require, is YOU. Well, maybe not you, but somebody like you, to tune in or click their way to cuckoo land. The only way these purveyors of ignorance continue to exist is by someone, or lots of someones participating in or with what they are selling. And what they are selling is a path to fantasy land where rules of science, common sense, and truth, are foregone for a moments worth of somehow pleasing abandonment of reason. Which after repeated exposure, could  result in permanent dislocation of the ability to even think for oneself. Assuming that malady isn’t already an inherent condition…

I make a conscious effort to avoid these shows, that I call “speculation TV” or “reality shows”   Even if I’m watching a decent show and a stupid commercial comes on, Ill mute, or change the channel. I do my best not to travel to hysterical conspiracy theory internet sites, I also do my level best to instill into my kids the ability to reason, and think critically. I’m teaching them to separate the wheat from the chaff. How to see the B.S. for what it is, and to point and laugh appropriately. And most importantly of all, not to participate in an activity that has the capacity to lower your IQ by 50 points.

Now, all of that said, I do like Pawn Stars, and Swamp people. Both reality TV, both obviously using arranged situations, but at least one  can learn a few things from Pawn Stars (besides the fact that the shows stars can be total jerks), and Swamp People is just too similar to a line of work I’ve been in for over 30 years. No I haven’t been killing gators, but I have been out on the river/lakes enduring the weather, the wind, and risking my butt to make a living. So, lets call them my reality show vices. I guess its ok for everyone to indulge in some escapism, but damn at the sheer volume of the available ways to do it, yet there are some lines that I wont cross. (Fox News/Ancient Aliens/and X-ian Mingle commercials)

Ok, end rant…yeah, I know its crazy to condemn the situation and still subscribe to some of it. I guess how deep you dive in can be called the ‘dipstick’ gauge. I come up 2 reality shows deep. Which is 3 shows short of a full crankcase. There is room for many puns here…

I’m sitting here with my foot burning all to hell. Working on an old truck with one of my sons, we have water in the crankcase oil. I finally got around to getting the old truck in the shop, and poured some old kerosene I had, about a quart, in the crankcase and warmed the engine up for a few minutes. The kerosene, or diesel either one, acts as tarnish remover, and helps clean up sludgy goop from your engine. Speaking of goop, Gunk ( I believe) makes a product that does exactly the same thing. I have used the Gunk product a few times, and guess what? It smells exactly like diesel, but it will cost you 5 bucks or so for a quart!

Anyway, I put the kerosene (kerosene and diesel are closely related, kerosene being a tad more refined) in the crankcase and warmed it up for close to 5 minutes, then turned it off. Time to drain the oily goopy mess. That job done, its time to pull the cylinder head, and look for a blown head gasket, which would be  best case scenario, or a cracked head, being a bad bad scenario, or worst case scenario, we have a cracked block. I figure to start in order of  gasket first, then have the head pressure tested, and if neither one of those is the culprit, the block will be the guilty party by means of elimination.

Time to remove the water hoses from the block to radiator, my son uses a flathead screwdriver to loosen the clamp on the lower radiator hose, and using an old shop rag to shield his hand tugs at the hose. It spews a little bit, nothing too surprising, then Whoosh! It blows loose with a tremendous steam fueled force, the main flow went downward, right on my left foot. Thankfully what little that spewed upwards did no real harm to either of our upper body/facial areas, but my foot took a hot bath. I was hopping on one foot, with my foot burning, all the while looking at my son, trying to determine if he was ok, and the burning in my foot instead of decreasing, kept getting worse. Once I saw he appeared safe, I took the time to yank off my shoe and sock. Safe to say, we are done for the day. Another lesson learned in life, and sadly learned the hard way. I honestly did not think the engine had been run long enough to build up that kind of heat, but I was surely mistaken…

Tomorrow is another day.

No bail for Pa. parents in faith-healing death:

http://home.myhughesnet.com/news/read/category/Us%20News/article/ap-bail_hearing_set_in_pa_babys_faithhealin-ap

How do you even respond to such…infantile stupidity? Tragedy enough when it happens once, but this is the SECOND time one of their own flesh and blood children, have died from a case of severe neglect, due to religious numbskullery. Apparently they were convicted of involuntary manslaughter the first time. So how is it these fine representatives of religion were enabled to do it a second time?

All I can do is shake my head, and wonder for the fate of our species…and hug my kids a bit harder today.

The Boy Scouts of America voted to allow gays in their membership. Time to cue up the “wailing and gnashing of teeth” by the RWCRFM’s. (Right Wing Conservative Republican Fundamentalist Morons, I wish this place offered a glossary) The surprising thing to me, is a stale ole stodgy, dogmatic institution actually had the guts to put it to a vote at all. The norm for such an institution is usually to hold on to their out dated ideals no matter how loudly the public outcry becomes…and then act like nothing happened at all, writing it off as a misunderstanding, or engaging in outrageous victim blaming episodes.

As a kid I was Cub Scout, for a year..maybe a year and half. Been a long time ago, and I’ve eaten and slept a few times since, so my memory is a little fuzzy on the subject. I graduated to the Boy Scouts, but didn’t stay long. I enjoyed the experience for the most part, but there was always a nagging uncomfortable knowledge, even at that point in my youth, that being forced an oath of sorts to Glob, was somehow a necessity to be part of the group. I played along like a good lil doubter, but it rubbed me the wrong way then, as it still does today. I wonder how many decades it will take, to be allowed to join this group, without proclaiming a belief or loyalty to the x-ian Glob?

As far as gays being allowed to join. Good! There should be no effort by public or private institutions in this country to hold judgement on, or restrict any particular ethnic group, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation held by anyone. To do so is a direct violation of our constitution’s intent.

Cue up the x-ian revisionists claiming “this is a x-ian country based on biblical values” Umm, nope, sorry. Do some actual reading up on the subject. Do not believe the crap you have been told by the Becks, the Limbaugh’s, Faux News, or the RWCRFM’s you may know. This country was founded by men who had the knowledge and the foresight to understand that religious intrusion in matters of the state was a very bad idea.

“What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society?  In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people.  Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient auxiliaries.  A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not.- “A Memorial and Remonstrance”, 1785 (James Madison)

I lifted that phrase, from here: http://freethought.mbdojo.com/foundingfathers.html     – a good many more there, and the entire page is a good read. Read that page, let it soak in, and understand the x-ian revisionists are lying to you.

Finally, congratulations to the BSA for getting caught up with the 21st century…well sort of.

The Camden Chronicle. Camden Tn., and far closer to home than I would prefer.  A small town newspaper, not exactly news worthy stuff usually. The common small town fare that no one really cares about, except maybe graduating students parents, or any one interested in local events.

For many years I have done my best to avoid this publication. What contact I have had with it has generally left me feeling more STUPIDER for reading it than I was to start with, and the paper my wife brought home today is no exception. Indeed one of the stupidest things I have ever read was wedged in between its pages this fine day. (Thursday May 23rd 2013 edition, editorial page of all places)

In order for anyone to completely grasp the extent of the stupid, I am going to have to type this ignorant sludge word for excruciating word. I do hope there is a good place for those who must endure this kind of self abuse. Here we go, proudly authored by a Mr. Randy Reed, and my interjections will be in italics.

Titled: The Most Important Book in the World

The worldwide flood of Noah’s day, boy what a wonderful and important subject! (if you say so) The bible definitely teaches a literal, worldwide flood. Genesis 7 says “all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered.” It also says, “fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail and the mountains were covered.” (well now, off hand calculations tell me that 15 cubits would be about 20 feet or so? If that’s the case them thar is some awfully small mountains Jethro, and that depth would be consistent with localized floods recorded all over the globe, by many different cultures) Any American needs only to look at the Grand Canyon and clearly see evidence of a worldwide flood. (best I can tell, nearly of the geologists of this era are under the general consensus that the earth is indeed a few billion years old, and the Grand Canyon was formed over possibly many millions of years, and NOT the result of a single catastrophic incident)

By the way Scientists really see flood evidence everywhere. (no, they don’t. There are evidences of localized floods in many areas, but no evidence whatsoever of a world wide Noah style flood) Its a matter of choosing to admit what they see and also all the bible truths that follow if they choose to admit the flood. (Ohhh, the trope spewed out by the likes of AIG? Same evidence, different interpretations? I have heard somewhere a saying, that “you are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts” ) Second Peter (Second Peter…whut?) says that they are “willingly ignorant” of the flood. So many evidences are there! The scientist (so called) says that several “stratums” of the earths layers are hundreds of thousands of years apart. (Them stupid scientists, they don’t know nuthin, and they surely cant be trusted) Then, they find a tree preserved straight up through several stratums (and most of these trees they find don’t have roots, showing they were violently yanked out of the ground and set back down.) (you have been reading that widely discredited book by assistant professor of psychology Dr Paul D. Ackerman, PhD, haven’t you?) These type problems are called “problematica” (big word huh) meaning they don’t know how to explain it. ( I got a funny feeling even though you stated the definition, you might be having trouble with it, and most likely copied and pasted it without actually..you know…looking it up) Then they find a metal spike in a stratum supposedly way before mans time. They call these “geological leaks”, meaning another sign of the flood, which we choose to ignore. (citation needed)

In 1976, a quarry digging crew out west found an 80 foot long whale standing on its’ tail preserved! Explain that without a worldwide flood! These things go on and on. We see then, that Glob (yes, I changed the deity reference with a children’s cartoon replacement) judged this whole world once for forgetting Him. It will happen again, according to scripture. This time it will be by fire. Are you ready for blah blah freaking blah….(end story)

Ok, after some Googling I found both the upright tree and the upright whale fossil thing, are indeed discredited pseudo science published by Dr Paul D. Ackerman, note there is a PhD after this guys name. In what area did he get his education?…psychology. Now how is it a PhD in psychology qualifies you to be an expert in geology?

Any way, what we have here, is a futile attempt to use pseudo science to bolster biblical claims. All I can think at this point is, if you are so sure of your faith, why in the hell do you feel the need to back it up with total nonsense? If your faith is so certain, it should stand on its own, with no need for fake science to support it. The recent association of pretend science, supposedly demonstrating biblical factoids, is surely a curious occupation. One might think that modern science with all of its unfortunate facts, leading to testable, repeatable outcomes, might make people start wondering why this? ..and why that? “We cant be having them learnin stuff! So..hey Jeb, hows about we make up our own science to keep em stupid?”

Recommended reading:

http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/geology/gc_geol.htm (Grand Canyon)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_geology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_consensus

..and if you are brave enough:

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/hovind/howgood-gc.html ..both the tree and whale thing are covered here. Look about halfway down the page for “Poly- Strata Fossils”

as well as…from the above link,  thorough coverage of the upright whale story:

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/polystrate/whale.html

And here…more interesting discussion:

http://rosarubicondior.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-creationists-lie-to-us-10.html ..the whale..
http://rosarubicondior.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-creationists-lie-to-us-11.html … the trees

If you dare to check out the Rosa Rubicondior blog, be sure to investigate the rest of the “How creationists lie to us” series. It gives a comprehensive slap down of our PhD’s book of “derr”…

I generally don’t give a hoot one way or another what fables, folklore, mythologies or religions people subscribe to. However when they have to resort to half truths, lies, misrepresentations, quote mines and unsupported make believe science, to lend credence to their beliefs, that is dishonest. Dishonesty by its devious nature, at some point, requires some sort of illumination, don’t you think?

Now, I will end by saying I know not whether Mr. Randy Reed is merely regurgitating invalid pseudo science here, or if he is aware that the very misleading, so called information he is getting, is corrupt. Either way, I recommend a little more digging before publishing this kind of garbage, lest you make a fool of yourself.

Also, worth mentioning is the pure simplicity of copying and pasting uninvestigated nonsense versus the time consuming and irritating necessity, of showing its fictitious underpinnings.

Shelldigger