Sunday, May 18, 2008

Obama Fever - Unforeseen Consequences

I did not fully realize the import of the stories of Republicans’ anxiousness over their recent defeat in Mississippi until I read the opinions and statistics in Frank Rich’s column this morning. I still believe as I predicted in this year’s predictions that – baring any unforeseen political catastrophes – McCain will win the general elections.

However, what I did not anticipate was the effect of so much voter turn out locally. Even though record numbers of voters are going to the polls for the national election, local and state elections may receive the biggest impact. And if the numbers quoted in Mr. Rich’s column are indicative of what is to come, Democrats stand to make rather respective gains in Congress and state houses.

I left the following comment at Frank Rich’s NYTimes site:

“Wouldn’t it be funny if in the general election the white majority in the South and in cities in the North insured McCain’s victory, while a record black turnout for Obama – although insufficient for him – nonetheless overwhelmed local elections in favor of Democrats, decisively shifting the balance of power in Congress. Would that be funny, or what?”

Maybe I got it all wrong. Maybe this ground swell for Obama is genuine and much more significant than I (and many others) realized. I’m cynical and think the worse of how Americans will react to just about anything.

However, with in this cynicism, unforeseen consequences abound -- it's part and parcel. Local elections going decidedly in favor of Democrats while losing the national elections would be a prime example – and that it was not anticipated is the clincher.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Does science make belief in God obsolete?

One of those advertisements or something like that at the Huffington site attracted my attention, I clicked on it and went to a site called the John Templeton Foundation. It was asking the following question: “Does science make belief in God obsolete?”

They had a place to leave a comment, and if you know me, you know I couldn’t resist that, so I left the following comment.

Answer to question: No, science re-enforces belief in God.

Awareness (science) is God’s second greatest gift. Like no other living thing, we know and understand our presents in this universe, and through scientific investigation, we will come to know and understand more and more.

Life is God’s greatest gift. The more science discovers about the universe, the more unique life becomes. We have looked and listened and no sign of life in any form has yet to be found.

Worse case scenario: There is no God or higher life form of any kind. We are it. There is no other life in the universe (remember, this is worse case scenario). The coming together of molecules that led to DNA was astronomically unique and was never replicated anywhere else. If that is the case, then we are God, or will be one day.

We are advancing so fast and space is so vast, we will develop the technology to intercept the Pioneer spacecrafts long before they reach anywhere near another solar system. We will develop the ability to live forever. We will develop the ability to travel through time (whatever that is).

One day we will be able to travel back in time to rescue our ancestors from oblivion and you and I will live forever − which God has promise to us all if we just have faith.

That’s then end of my comment. Last time I check – which is the time of this posting – I was about eighth down in the stack. If you have read this blog, you know that there is nothing new in what I said. I’ve been banging away all over the internet saying the same thing.

I think this is a good tie in to my previous post about the Pioneer anomaly. That’s the buzz word of the new century: Tie-ins.

Yea, verily I say unto thee, go forth and do like wise.