The Selection of a Supreme Court Justice.

Senators hold hearings and question prospective judges before they may be seated on the bench of the supreme court. All too often these Q. and A. sessions are little more than grandstanding by the senators. I'd like to see them get down to the basics in some of their queries with such questions as:

Have you read the constitution?

Have you read the Federalist Papers?

On December 5, 1947, Albert Einstein, the physicist, and Oskar Morgenstern, the economist, accompanied Kurt Gödel, the mathematician to his U.S. citizenship exam, where they acted as witnesses. Gödel had confided in them that he had discovered an inconsistency in the U.S. Constitution, one that would allow the U.S. to become a dictatorship. Einstein and Morgenstern were concerned that their friend's unpredictable behavior might jeopardize his chances. Fortunately, the judge turned out to be Phillip Forman. Forman knew Einstein and had administered the oath at Einstein's own citizenship hearing. Everything went smoothly until Forman happened to ask Gödel if he thought a dictatorship like the Nazi regime could happen in the U.S. Gödel then started to explain his discovery to Forman. Forman understood what was going on, cut Gödel off, and moved the hearing on to other questions and a routine conclusion. Do you know what inconsistency in the Constitution Kurt Gödel claimed to have discovered?

The commerce clause in the constitution has been used to justify much meddling and interference by the Federal Government in the affair of the citizens by such things as setting minimum wages and controlling prices. These laws by the Federal Government cause distortions in the economy by creating shortages and surpluses. How should we proceed to correct the situation?

On History and Philosophy

We study history in high school and I hated it then but read and enjoy it now. But history is not just dates and events. To be understood it must be interpreted. The why and how did an event occur comes from this interpretation. The interpretation must then be directed by a philosophy. Therein is a weakness in our education system, perhaps a tragic weakness. So I posit that philosophy should also be studied in order that history may be interpreted. So what are the main branches of philosophy?

The two main branches of philosophy are metaphysics and epistemology.

Metaphysics concerns physical existence, everything from the universe to an atom. It would discuss questions like what does “table” mean? What differentiates a table from a chair or a bed?

Epistemology concerns thought itself and its extension, communication. Is the thought reasonable and/or logical? Will the words properly convey the thought? What thought is behind those spoken or written words?

Ethics is a third branch of philosophy. Is it a right or wrong action you are contemplating? Does it serve to destroy or enrich a good or evil effect? It rests on metaphysics and epistemology.

Esthetics is a fourth branch of philosophy. Is it beautiful or ugly and why? It also rests on epistemology and metaphysics.

Politics is the fifth and last major branch. It concerns man’s organization into a society and rests on ethics. “What is fair or ethical?” is a key question this branch of philosophy addresses.

Our ethics and politics in this country is built upon an Anglo-Saxon, Judaeo-Christian heritage, as opposed to Arabic-Islamic tradition.

If one were to discuss philosophies meaningfully to understand their consequences, a starting point might be the writings of Karl Marx on the one hand and Ayn Rand on the other.

Yesterday was Communist Day at Church

Why do I say that? Because of the first scripture reading. It was from Acts 4:32-35:

“Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”

You say, “That validates Communism and gives it credence.”

Well nothing could be farther from the truth. This experience was nothing like what Russia experienced in the early twentieth century. Firstly, it was a voluntary association, not forced upon the disciples by any government. Secondly, it was a group of a few hundred souls and not a national tyranny of control that the disciples enjoyed.

Climate change - don't believe it!

The buzz used to be “global warming” but that got to be tiresome so they changed the buzz to “climate change”. Since global warming began to be a non-issue when it began to appear that cooling was taking place instead. Climate change however is certain, it is now spring when the temperatures are mild, then will come summer when it will be hot, then fall for mildness again, and winter when it is cold; so climate change is a certainty.

No, what it is really about is the government and the politicians taking more control over your life. Telling you what temperature to keep your home, what kind of car to drive and so forth.

Just the facts maam as Sergeant Friday used to say. Carbon dioxide is already a miniscule part of the atmosphere, about one tenth of one percent of the total gasses in the atmosphere.

Botanists have already demonstrated that green plants grow more robustly in an atmosphere that is rich in carbon dioxide. What is the basis of most of our food? That’s right, green plants. Eliminate carbon dioxide and you will be faced with a diet of nothing but mushrooms.

Look very skeptically at those who preach about climate change, then go see a good movie.

History Repeats

From page 17 of the book Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler by Robert Gallately (FSU professor of history): "Soviet and Nazi regimes both gained followers from among the idealists, the young, and the better educated. Such people virtually worshipped their leaders, and even the ice-cold rationalists among them could recall the ground seeming to tremble beneath their feet when they came into the presence of these men." Does that sound like Obama and Geithner?

Tell Me Its an April Fool's Prank

Tell me that we do not have a socialist for president that is reinforced by a congress that is also mostly socialist.

Isn't it ironic that the Chinese complain that Obama is spending like a crazy man?

It was reported on the news last night that an attack is planned on Washington. I quote the lead paragraph from an article on Foxnews.com: "The commander of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility Tuesday for a deadly assault on a Pakistani police academy and said the group was planning a terrorist attack on the White House that would 'amaze' the world." In a perverse way I find myself kind of rooting for the terrorist.