“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert.” –J. Robert Oppenheimer
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
She died a recluse in 1895, ostracized and shunned by society. She withdrew from social interaction and refused to talk about the events of that period. She denied her cow caused the fire until her death. Over a century later, Mrs. Catherine O’Leary and her cow were officially exonerated by the Chicago City Council in 1997.
Huh?! What are you blabbering about again, TB? Well, just taking another little side trip down on the criminal globalist cabal’s propaganda train that goes back to 1871.
The War of Northern Aggression had ended and the victorius cabal had begun converting their industrial, business, medical, etc. holdings into a peacetime economy in a country that was growing rapidly in the west as well as with trade overseas. It was a time of great scientific invention and application advancement. City leaders had big plans.
The Great Chicago Fire
Urban legend of that day grew as the print media spread the gossip flames during the days that followed The Great Chicago Fire (TGCF). The voices of these influencers planted their seeds in the minds of the local population. They said the cause was a cow in the O’Leary barn that kicked over a lantern. Apparently Elsie the cow did the dirty deed that started all of the devastation and death.
Currently on history.com –
“On October 8, 1871, flames spark in the Chicago barn of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, igniting a two-day blaze that kills between 200 and 300 people, destroys 17,450 buildings, leaves 100,000 homeless and causes an estimated $200 million (in 1871 dollars; roughly $4 billion in 2021 dollars) in damages.
Legend has it that a cow kicked over a lantern in the O’Leary barn and started the fire, but other theories hold that humans or even a comet may have been responsible for the event that left four square miles of the Windy City, including its business district, in ruins. Dry weather and an abundance of wooden buildings, streets and sidewalks made Chicago vulnerable to fire. The city averaged two fires per day in 1870; there were 20 fires throughout Chicago the week before the Great Fire of 1871.
Despite the fire’s devastation, much of Chicago’s physical infrastructure, including its water, sewage and transportation systems, remained intact. Reconstruction efforts began quickly and spurred great economic development and population growth, as architects laid the foundation for a modern city featuring the world’s first skyscrapers. At the time of the fire, Chicago’s population was approximately 324,000; within nine years, there were 500,000 Chicagoans. By 1893, the city was a major economic and transportation hub with an estimated population of 1.5 million. That same year, Chicago was chosen to host the World’s Columbian Exposition, a major tourist attraction visited by 27.5 million people, or approximately half the U.S. population at the time.
In 1997, the Chicago City Council exonerated Mrs. O’Leary and her cow. She turned into a recluse after the fire, and died in 1895.”
In my opinion, none of the many stories and news accounts available on line as well as in history publications and other commentaries are more revealing than these below from The Saturday Evening Post article of Oct. 8, 2021, The New Yorker article that was published on Oct. 2, 2023 and a Chicago Tribune article published on Oct. 1, 2021. They will take you back over 150 years only to discover that the media, gossipers (influencers), corrupt politicians and government officials were in the same spearhead then as they are now.
I hope folks in this nation of ours are at least beginning to see that the representationsof historical accounts are often manipulated; changed to influence and reframe narratives to help meet the objectives of the criminal globalist cabal that are in leadership of numerous nations of the world. You and I are great big nothings to them; only allowed to exist to accomplish their wills as needed. We are considered to be replaceable and definitely, deplorable. This condition is also nothing new in mankind’s existence.
Notice in these and most other reports of TGCF that it is now acceptable to consider other possible causes of the great fire since objectives were met and there will be no legal consequences from the shenanigans. Nothing to see here, time to move on – right?
The transplanted former natives of Ireland, Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, the owners of the barn and said cow; were never officially recognized as the source of the fire or charged with negligence despite investigations by the authorities. It appears that their existence nearby was just a convenient explanation to shield what really happened, which has still not been determined or revealed. This needed to be done since many of the accusers had an agenda against Irish immigrants who had been growing rapidly in population in Chicago, especially in the densely populated subject area as well as in nearby neighborhoods impacted most by the fire. In addition, the cabal had business expansion plans for the fire ravaged properties.
How convenient that the city’s infrastructure amazingly remained fully intact after the fire. 👀
Here we are once again with former Irish slaves, indentured servants and the poor being forced to leave their native land to make their way into an expanding America; only for them and their descendants to get the shaft. Most lost everything and their proofs of insurance burned as well. The local and federal governments never raced to their aid. Unless they had access to other funds to rebuild, they had to walk away.
When one studies the actual fire event and the circumstances surrounding it, the stench of nefarious intent waffles through the air. Perhaps the fire truly was an accident that raced out of control quickly. That does not change what happened post fire that sets off all sorts of alarms. Just answering who stood to lose the most and who stood to gain the most answers many questions. However, stopping there would not reveal how the criminal cabal operates.
Numerous internet sources continue to reference article after article of the O’Leary’s cow as the cause of the fire even when they list other potential causes. My grandson’s homeschooling curriculum, Time4learning, had a 2024 lesson about TGCF and its origination point being the O’Leary barn and cow as its sole explanation. They are still selling the false narrative to unsuspecting young people and their parents. I guess teaching children that speculation, gossip and innuendo are facts is called “education” in today’s world.
The Rebuild Per The Left
What happened to Chicago post fire beginning in 1871? Let’s look at one leftist version.
Why of course, it is “The Great Rebuilding” of Chicago!
Notice that National Geographic states, “While there is little doubt…” Elsie and the lantern started the fire. Then the writer adds a Fast Fact at the end and throws in the possiblity of a thief kicking over the lantern with a reference to some scientists believe a meteor shower started it as possibilities to keep their attorneys happy. If an accident really did cause it, the more likely scenario was the musician neighbor or other local thief stole some of the O’Leary’s milk for themselves and kicked over the lantern. The point is they did not know then or now, who or even how it started. They have no evidence. Nobody even knows with certainty whether it ignited in the immediate vicinity of the barn, much less who started it. Yet, the poor working class O’Leary family was charged in the court of public opinion and over a century later the probable misrepresentation continues.
Cast dispersions much, NG? Why yes, that is their malicious intention revealed openly for all to see.
Lets explore deeper and open the Credits section of the article. You will see it was updated in 10/23. The writer is a Mary Schons, who clearly had access to the Saturday Evening Post and Chicago Tribune articles (among others) linked above before her update. Who is Ms. Schons? A writer who cannot easily be identified that focuses on the women’s suffrage movement, African American rights and movements, etc. This appears to be her; a retired school psychologist in the Denver area.
So we turn our attention to a listed editor for the article, Jeannie Evers. I was unable to provide the link of her linkedin page, however, the University of Denver is in both backgrounds of Schons and Evers – which is a reflection of their possible connection. Evers has been an editor for NG since Soetoro’s term began in 2009. So, what is the 230 student Santa Catalina (CA) independent Catholic prep school for girls for whom Ms. Evers currently works as Asst. Director of Marketing and Communications? It is this place.
They proudly display their college referrals across the banner of the home page. Needless to say no conservative schools are shown. Their mission is right in front of you the reader and all of America. Here is Ms. Evers staff bio.
There is another leftist connection featured in this NG article of Schons. The Unitarian Church rears its head in the quoted text. Notice that no traditional Christian or Jewish denominations or independent churches, temple or synagogue leaders are quoted.
Unitarian Faith “We have not lost, first, our geography. Nature called the lakes, the forests, the prairies together in convention long before we were born, and they decided that on this spot a great city would be built.” The Rev. Robert Collyer, speaking to his congregation after the Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed their church
😂 at the Reverend’s description of his god’s (nature) actions. That group has never changed after all these years. The truth was not in them, then or now.
The NG article has been saved by 56 educators, who obviously use it when teaching Social Studies, American History, etc. See how that works? Now multiply this type narrative building of false history in multiple academic disciplines times tens of millions of student interactions in every aspect of education across America every day for decades.
Do not dismiss this one seemingly insignificant historical misrepresentation as unimportant. You, your children, your children’s children, and so on have been and are being taught lies as truth. Not just with this subject, this has been done IN EVERYTHING. If you have not already, it is time for you to think things through and take action.
This is an example of our American house being built on sand that the Bible speaks about in Matthew 7:24-27.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Which leads to His authority in John 14:6.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
As a result if you are a Christian, you cannot accept lies in education (or anything else). Acceptance of lies as truth and speculation as fact undermines the foundation of America and does not reflect your acceptance of Jesus as your Savior. Lies, misrepresentations and disinformation are shifting sand. Build your foundation on the truth, the rock of Jesus Christ. Your role is to shed light on their schemes. Bring the truth as Jesus did. Our American foundation will then stand against Satan and his minions.
That is a primary purpose of this series, to expose some of the lies, misrepresentations, manipulations, and deception employed in America.
Truth
The NG narrative scoundrels cannot refrain from describing the oppressors using the TGCF tragedy as an opportunity to meet their true goals.
“Many poorer Chicagoans couldn’t afford the fireproof materials or skilled masons to rebuild. In addition, many could not afford fire insurance. (Before the fire, many people had insurance, but their policies were burned in the fire.) Without the means to rebuild or insure their property, thousands of people and small businesses were crowded out of Chicago.“
We could stop with that statement from the NG article and know the primary reason for what happened post fire in 1871. The cabal was simply capitalizing on the conditions of misery they helped create for their fellow man.
As a general truth that applies with all events of this type: the losses, devastation, injuries and death created against one group of people is really good business for others. Which leads to the motives for the fire. I am sure it was just coincidences that the source of water (the public Waterworks utility) for fire responders was quickly burned; for the undermanned responders to be given wrong directions and get lost on their way to the fire (conveniently left out of the referenced article, yet, is in others); for the location of the fire to be essentially isolated to a poor area of the city filled with reviled immigrants; that the more effluent residential areas were not impacted; that the biggest area economic driver – the large stockyards and packing plants on the same south side suffered no damage at all; and so on. See the map in the linked article below.
Sickening, isn’t it? Next, consider how quickly the rebuild began. The architects and engineers had not even finished their planning and design work on infrastructure, government buildings, and revamped codes before major reconstruction began. This was done only for it all to be completely ‘built back better’ leading to a business and population explosion in that former working class resident area that culminated in the city hosting the World’s Fair two decades later.
Where have I heard that expression before? Oh, yeah, from the following…
It is a very familiar refrain that echos from the words of the same political elites and globalist cabal over many, many years.
The rewriters of history such as these with NG are employed to create propaganda and false narratives akin to sweeping the footprints from behind the paths of villains as they leave the scenes of the crimes. They are accessories after the fact using journalistic license as cover. The subject footprints may be removed, however, the trail is still there through common sense, logic, research and observations of the mistakes they make in the cover-ups. Those seeking truth can follow the trails of the more known or self identifying clean-up crews to find where they have been active.
First, the actions of the cleaning crews means somebody instructed these removers of the footprints to do so. They did not just come up with it on their own as lone wolfs; the actions are coordinated similar to the mockingbird press activities. Second, that also means the criminals had reasons to have them removed, that they needed certain things to be kept secret. Finally, it demonstrates they are not doing good as God has commanded; they are serving their master, Satan. Which tells us, We the People, how to react.
The following article gives more detail on reconstruction post fire, but still polishes the apple.
Who knows if Chicago would have still accomplished its size and prominence had there been no fires to force the poor local residents and businesses out in great numbers. Perhaps those who desired to locate there would have paid market value to the property owners to sell and leave over time. Oh, who do I think i am fooling with that?! 🤣
Second Fire
But wait, there’s MOAR! There was a second, smaller, less publicized; yet, devastating and deadly fire in Chicago a few years later in 1874. The new post-1871 buildings with more fire proof materials did not burn, however, about 800 older ones were burned up adjacent to the 1871 fire zone. Dang, that’s just some bad luck, right? Well actually, it was good luck for those who swooped in and purchased property on the cheap and rebuilt the area to meet their needs. The first playbook was used again since it worked so well. The following article is well worth the read.
So, let’s think this through. The poor neighborhoods that had the largest groups of Jews, predominantly from Russia and Poland, to go with a large number of African American homes and businesses were destroyed in this fire. Add in the benefit of destroying Chicago’s notorious red light district in the process. The theme of stopping the latter activities as being a good thing was then sold by the media and influencers to the unsuspecting public. Post-fire the Jews, African Americans and prostitutes relocated to other areas farther from the city’s center for the most part.
Supposedly the fire started in a Polish Jew’s rag shop located next door to an oil company of sorts, yet, it was established the owner/operator of the rag shop was away from his business when it happened that late afternoon. It was also well known for many years that the water lines in the affected area were too small (4″), insufficient in distribution network, and clogged throughout that part of town due to improper design, modification and lack of maintenance.
🤫
Can you spell A R S O N?
Guess what area was next for reconstruction in the ‘build back better’ with construction crews and services already stationed in the area performing work from the previous fire? Guess what fire accelerated the city’s infrastructure improvements and enforcement of same in the affected area post fire?
Are we awake yet? The conditions on the ground determine the plan and implementation schedule. Take the long view, the criminal cabal does. Sometimes they get lucky and a true accident or unfortunate event happens of which they are positioned to take advantage quickly. Most times it is an intentional act that creates the calamity and the mechanism for cover up has already been activated.
The criminal cabal know there is always plenty of time to organize and implement what has already been planned decades in advance. They do not press the button every time there is an opening. They wait until the time is right for maximum effectiveness.
No person(s) were charged in either Chicago fire. Yet, entire segments of the population lost most everything they owned and were displaced by ethnicity, race and economic status. Many people were killed and injured in these events.
The criminal cabal did not care, they got what they wanted.
There Is A More Important Fire
I Corinthians 3:10-17
According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
Before you get to the end result in the second paragraph above make sure you consider all of the ramifications of the first. Paul wants us to consider that we should carefully first build a foundation of faith that is built on Christ, which is then applied to our works in life. You will be contributing to the Kingdom of God and providing a platform for others who follow behind you both in spiritual matters and the secular world. How you go about your works in the world and the degree you reflect God’s will in doing so will be tested.
According to Paul, true believers in Christ who errantly build for worldly things without regard to God’s will shall still be saved from an eternity spent in Hell, but barely. Their rewards in Heaven may be quite limited at the judgment seat of Christ.
The pursuit of those worldly things may actually lead to them violating the persons described in the second paragraph. Followers of Christ have the temple of God within them through the Spirit’s dwelling. So harming others is a direct attack against God. I advise against doing that even as the lost about you are doing that very thing.
The Bottom Line
Fire. Used for purification, used for destruction. Used for good, used for evil. Most importantly for Americans, the use of fire is connected to enslavement as well as liberty.
If Mrs. O’Leary, reportedly an Irish Catholic, was a believer in Jesus Christ; all is well as she is with Him in Heaven for eternity. All of the pain she suffered in this cruel world has been replaced with incredible joy. She defended herself and her husband’s honor until her passing from death into eternal life.
But can we say the same about those who committed the subject evil acts that gained them worldly wealth, fame and power for a time? We can hope they saw the error of their pursuits and ways, then repented and accepted Christ before their deaths. If not, eternal destruction awaits the non-believer as well as discipline for the believer who participated in the evil per the quoted scripture above in I Corinthians.
Conclusion
We will continue the discussion of fire events in America for a time in this series. It continues to be one of the cabal’s most visible and effective weapons that has far reaching psychological as well as economic and environmental effects. It is not unreasonable to conclude that the more recent clowns’ use of MKUltra as well as promoting mental illness through gender dysphoria, AI, jabs, transhumanism, etc. will continue to deliver useful victims to assist with the evil activities on behalf of the criminal globalist cabal.
Blessings to all who care to spend time and read these American stories. May something of value be gained.
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
This Rejoice & Praise God Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.
It’s also a place to read, post, and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.
In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.
We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.
Please show respect and consideration for our fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure your opinion addresses the issue only, and does not confront or denigrate the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name-calling, ridicule, insults, baiting, and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.
In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores, and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.
God is in Control . . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . . Keep Looking Up
Hopefully, every Sunday, we can find something here that will build us up a little . . . give us a smile . . . and add some joy or peace, very much needed in all our lives.
“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” . . . “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Dwell in the House of the LORD
At the close of one of the most soul-soothing passages in all the Bible, King David triumphantly announced, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD” (Psalm 23:6).
Being in God’s presence meant everything to David. Since he shared such a close relationship with the Lord, David could picture himself as a permanent resident in God’s house, basking in His constant goodness, love, and care every day. And because death held the promise of eternal life in God’s heavenly kingdom, David looked forward to the intimate and never-ending fellowship of dwelling in the house of the Lord.
The word dwell in Psalm 23:6 means “to inhabit or live.” The house of the Lord is a term often referring to the tabernacle, the temple, or the place of worship (as in Psalm 122:1). But here in Psalm 23:6 the phrase speaks explicitly of “a dwelling house, palace, or local residence of a deity.”
The presence of God is the believer’s true home (Psalm 42:1–4; 84:1–4). “Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house,” declared David in Psalm 65:4. And again in Psalm 27:4, we read of David’s passionate and singular pursuit: “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). To dwell in the house of the Lord was David’s deepest longing. Scripture says he was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22; 1 Samuel 13:14).
Like David, the apostle Paul was sure that nothing in this life, not even death itself, could separate him from the loving presence of God: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).
While preaching on Psalm 23, Charles Spurgeon said, “While I am here I will be a child alone with my God; the whole world will be His house to me; and when I ascend unto the upper chamber I shall not change my company, nor even change the house. I shall only go to dwell in the upper story of the house of the Lord”.
To dwell in the house of the Lord also suggests living with an attitude of heart that expresses constant praise and worship. In Psalm 34:1, David exclaimed, “I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises”. Another psalmist declared, “What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises” (Psalm 84:4).
According to Psalm 84:10, one day spent worshiping in God’s house is better than a thousand anywhere else. The verse continues: “I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked”. “Praise the LORD!” says another psalm. “Let all that I am praise the LORD. I will praise the LORD as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath” (Psalm 146:1–2).
The good things that God provides for us in this life are merely a foretaste of what awaits us in heaven (1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 64:4). A glorious future day is coming when all the redeemed of the Lord will gather around the Lord’s table in His eternal house (Isaiah 25:6–9; Matthew 22:1–14; Luke 13:29–30; Revelation 19:9; 21:2–4). In heaven, as we dwell in the house of the Lord, we will enjoy full, uninterrupted communion with God (1 Corinthians 13:12).
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Our various sister sites, listed in the Blogroll in the sidebar
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.
We can give in to despair…or we can be defiant and fight back in any way that we can.
Joe Biden didn’t win.
And we will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get His Fraudulency out of our White House.
Wolfie’s Wheatie’s Word of the Week:
zoilism
noun
resemblance to Zoilus in style or manner
carping criticism
detraction
unjust criticism
(sometimes capitalized: Zoilism)
Zoilus
Zoilus was a Cynic philosopher and literary critic of the fourth century BCE. He was a Thracian by birth and is sometimes referred to as the “Thracian dog.” His criticisms of Homer were so stinging that he was known as Homeromastix, the “scourge of Homer.”
OK, people – we need some COUNTRY – and this chick seems to know something about it!
https://youtu.be/ttwbrUqLPRY
YOWZA!
OK, that was interesting. YouTube apparently snuffed that video – and I completely forgot which video it was. YouTube now blocks ALL information on all deleted videos, so that you can’t find ways around their censorship. SNEAKY and EVIL Menshevik sisters behind that kind of cynical betrayal of truth. FIGURES.
SO – I researched the post tags to find out who the artist was (Lainey Wilson), and then scanned her videos to figure out which one made sense with my caption, and was something I remembered.
What it was, was an “official” but unreleased awards ceremony video (looked like CMA) of Lainey walking around with her mike, singing this particular song to the audience VIPs, standing right next to them. It was a great video, but I can see why it got pulled. All those celebs, close up – yeah. SOMETHING that somebody doesn’t want seen.
THIS is a somewhat similar video, with the same song, but at a different venue, and it’s not exactly the same scenario, but it looks similar. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0eRFEEBliM
Good stuff. And speaking of STUFF…..
THE STUFF
Remember that thing called IQ? Let’s see what some other people think about it! In fact, let’s see what YOU think about it!
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Our various sister sites, listed in the Blogroll in the sidebar
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.
We can give in to despair…or we can be defiant and fight back in any way that we can.
Joe Biden didn’t win.
And we will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get His Fraudulency out of our White House.
Wolfie’s Wheatie’s Word of the Week:
vendicate
verb
to claim for oneself [obsolete, rarely used in centuries]
Used in a sentence
It is not permitted to a woman, to speake in the congregation, nether to teache, nether to baptise, nether to vendicate to her selfe any office of man.
From: The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women. 1514-1572 1878
Used in another sentence
For divers men having attained to a great perfection in learning, & yet remaining overbare (alas) of the spirit of regeneration and frutes thereof: finding all naturall thinges common, aswell to the stupide pedants as vnto them, they assaie to vendicate vnto them a greater name, by not onlie knowing the course of things heavenlie, but likewise to cling to the knowledge of things to come thereby.
From: Daemonologie. King of England James I 1595
Hmmm. Seems like a perfectly good word that could easily be used in regard to our wonderful Democrats in a variety of contexts.
MUSIC!
An apparently bootleg recording of Hans Zimmer’s orchestra doing the theme from Gladiator in Poland. Despite the low production values, still very enjoyable.
And if you want more, here’s an official recording.
THE STUFF
Gravity looks to be getting ready to get a makeover. I hear more talk like this, in which people are kicking the tires of current theory, and thinking about new ones, all the time.
“The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded.” – James Madison
Now is the time to roll this out. PDT and supporters have been unfairly and unreasonably attacked for years and we have been at a loss at what to do about it outside of the violence the black hats want to incite so they can throw martial law at us. That is how the commie evil works. Do not fall for it.
This story series is a change of plan as I retire both BIMD and Civilized War. it is the writer’s prerogative. 😂 The Civilized War theme is being handled beautifully by our Gail, Joe Lange of Badlands and others as they deep dive on historical events that tie to current events that hopefully reveal to YOU, the readers, that the United States of America have not been UNITED since shortly after the Revolutionary War. In fact, we have been under siege by traitors and seditionists with foreign assistance the entire time. That’s over two CENTURIES for those keeping score at home.
So, we must be a very important target for Satan and his minions to take down. What should that tell us? Those are the type questions and observations we will discuss here as we progress.
My plan is to cherrypick interconnected topics in our American heritage and further expose them in stories. What you will clearly see with each is there is a scriptural reference or answer to lead us to a successful understanding and conclusion of how to address going forward. You will be able to arrive at it using research, comparisons, and logic along with critical thinking skills that the Creator of the universe gave you.
The words from posts of many readers of the QTree are what have inspired this series. I have followed the thoughts and expressions of many of you through the years. There are common themes I have observed from the comments and they reflect a yearning for freedom, truth, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You want to see the good guys and gals win with evil doers punished. You may or may not believe in the God the Father of Abram and Moses or in his son, Jesus Christ. However, all of you expect good things and fair treatment in life that have been defined as good and fair by the Word of God. You have a vested interest in seeing our nation follow and administer the legal documents that are in place. After all, they are our rules for living in this country.
So, let’s get started and allow your minds and imaginations to run free with what could and should be.
Back To The Ancients
A couple of the primary purposes of the BIMD series were to show how many of us are interconnected in some way as well as the parallels if we find the links. We tend to slide through life unaware of the links to people and events. However, the ancient Hebrew people were well aware of them. God told them it was important to remember and tell future generations. So they went on to record their genealogies, rules for living, events, emotions, songs, prayers and so on.
If it was important for the chosen of God, it must be equally important for all people. However, we need to trust God with our whole hearts and minds to fully understand why, and better yet, experience the benefits of doing so. As an example, there are excellent reasons I and II Chronicles exist in the Bible and they are not just for history lessons. For those who are not familiar, the link below gives an accurate summary of them. It is a five minute read, tops.
Now that we have a general idea, let us dig into a scripture passage that could and should apply today in America if we had Godly leaders and/or a similar singularly focused commitment by We the People.
II Chronicles 20:5-30 (NKJV)
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? 7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’ 10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them— 11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:
“Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.”
22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. 23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. 26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
What Was Once Can Be Again
Are we paying attention, America?
King Jehoshaphat addressed the Lord and to summarize his words said something like this in our language, “Lord, we left those enemy peoples alone per your commands when You brought us out of Egypt. You gave us this land forever because of your relationship with father Abraham. Now these enemies are threatening us and we do not know what to do. We are scared. Their forces are too large and we are out of ideas and options. So we are putting our fate into your hands while we seek your favor and protection. Our eyes are on you.”
Then a man from the priestly Levite line named Jehoshaphat (whose name meant “God sees”) who received God’s divine instructions tells the King and people to quit worrying and show up in the valley at the Wilderness of Tekoa where the enemy is preparing for war the next morning. In essence he tells them that God’s got this. The King and people humble themselves before the Lord, believe, and wait.
They then went out the next morning to face their enemies with complete trust in the outcome. When they arrived on the scene they found the Lord had already fought their battle. They see that it was a complete wipe out, nothing but dead bodies everywhere. Apparently their enemies had turned upon themselves to their own complete destruction. So with God’s blessing the people proceeded to take all the good stuff. They head home after a few days of collecting the spoils, singing praises to the Lord and rejoicing. For the rest of King Jehoshaphat’s reign there was peace. I guess so, nobody much would want to mess with a nation that had a God that would fight for them like that.
Faith, trust, obedience, deliverance, joy. That is victory.
Which leads to this observation. The decisions made and actions taken by the people discussed in those two books affected what has happened throughout history as well as what happens in the future on this planet and in Heaven. If you doubt it, look at Israel, Gaza and the Middle East today. We can be so very thankful for this recording of history.
Jesus And The Parables
Jesus continued this method of communication through stories that contained parables for good reasons. Parables are simply illustrations within a larger story that compare one thing to something else. He utilized old testament scripture, history, people, multiple meanings, parallels and interconnections that some listeners could relate to and grasp. They would contain hooks that would encourage the listeners to go deeper in their understanding. The listeners would know or need to know the context in which they were told.
This later point is one reason why so many struggle with understanding the Bible through the years. This same struggle happened to those who were present and listened to Jesus during that time as well as today as we read the the Word or hear it taught and preached. Even his closest disciples had difficulty understanding His words and applying. As a result many were more interested in the miracles He performed. In doing so they missed the most important lessons from the life giving Word as told through the Son of God in doing so. The miracles only happened because the Word of the Son of God was believed and trusted.
In effect, we all need a “rhema” moment as Paul describes. This is when what you hear or read leads you to see things in a new or different way. They become “Eureka!” moments when it all makes sense. The light bulb comes on. You then take it into your being, who you are, and act on it. Which leads to the next, the next, the next and so on. Along that journey you gain from the Lord’s wisdom and insight. His ways become your ways just as Jahaziel exhibited in the previous story. The Lord trusted Him to deliver the message of salvation from those who would destroy His people. The Lord wanted the people to know in advance what would happen to encourage their faith.
However, it all took the faith of the leader of the nation, King Jehoshaphat, to be willing to humble himself and acknowledge that as a people they could not make it on their own. Next, it took the people to realize they were in trouble and that they should go to the Lord and trust His response to their predicament. In that process we learn there was a man in their midst who had a strong relationship with Yahweh. He was trusted by Him to relay the message of future deliverance.
Throughout history many people have demonstrated they are unwilling to take the next step of faith and commit their heads and hearts to understanding God’s Word and its application. They seek reasons not to and instead, discount the value and avoid. They resist committing time, brain cells and their whole hearts to the endeavor. Yet, it is within this commitment decision that the answers they seek lie and rhema comes.
This inattention or rejection of what is important leads to personal enslavement. Do not miss that point. People have the God-given opportunity to participate with their Creator for eternity, yet, choose to yawn, ignore, blow off and move on to more worldly pursuits that interest them. That decision leads to slavery.
Again, Joshua 24:15; Choose this day whom you will serve. Even Dylan knows.
To fully receive what the Lord has for us, including the liberty we seek, we must commit to the pursuit. Slackers will not be rewarded. The Lord knows His children and who genuinely seeks His voice and counsel. He will not cast his pearls before swine as stated in Matthew 7:6. He will not allow the answers to be used against His purposes. As a result the wise follower approaches His throne humbly with a sincere spirit in seeking greater understanding and assistance.
Just as we saw King Jehoshaphat do.
The Ten Commandments and laws were principles for living that also had real life consequences if violated. There is little doubt what a command means; abide by each or expect repercussions. They were the hammer, no gray area left to discuss. They are also timeless and do not need a government of the world to administer or a sermon to understand their validity. In contrast the parables of Christ expanded the reach of God’s commands, laws and will into a guide for daily living and human relations, which He lived out in front of everybody. They were the real world application. They corrected many misconceptions and improper practices that had been developed by the Pharisees, Sadducees and others through the centuries. It is no wonder that Jesus was met with such hostility by the Establishment of His day. He disrupted their money tree and links to power over the people.
As it applies to our lives in America today, does living in accordance with God’s will negatively impact what the Establishment of today tries to accomplish? You bet it does. All we have to do is compare back to the ancients again to see confirmation that there is nothing new under the sun.
You may ask what was so troublesome with how the Hebrew leaders handled the 613 commandments found in scriptures in the Torah that were provided by God before Christ arrived on the scene? Hebrew leaders compiled and proceeded to expand the teachings of God’s commands with their interpretations and required applications, which later took the form of The Talmud (Jerusalem and Babylonian) and other related documents. This led to legalism and style over substance. Some were evil in intent. These teachings were administered and enforced by the religious authorities in their theocracy of religious government. They imposed their “yoke” on the people that led to burdens they could not endure over time. The apostate Hebrew leaders were responsible, just as apostate Christian and Jewish leaders are today, when they add to or take away from the God-given message and context of the Holy Word. The imposed burden becomes slavery to achieve the ends of the leaders, in direct conflict with God’s will for His people.
The commandments and laws of God were given to assist mankind and enable them to remain faithful to Him. Mankind did not exist to serve the commandments and laws.
America Today
Does any of that sound familiar, fellow American citizens?
We have a Declaration of Independence and Constitution based on Godly principles provided by believers in God who founded this country. All signers of the former were self proclaimed Christians at the time of signing. Half had divinity school training. There were 55 Protestants and one Catholic. Of this 56, 48 were born in the American colonies. It is believed by some sources that a few changed to unitarian or became deists at some points after the signing. However, for anybody to say this nation was not founded on Christian principles is absurd. Do not buy that load of garbage.
The vast majority of the Constitution signers were also Christian along with a handful of deists and others who believed in the foundational moralities and truths of the Bible. There were 39 signers of the Declaration who also signed the Constitution. Despite attempts by the rewriters of history and the efforts of their fact checking scoundrel comrades; those facts are irrefutable. The recorded words and lives of the founders attested to the Christian understanding as do the documents themselves. They are two of the most noble, humanitarian governing documents ever produced in world history. The unique thing is that you do not have to be a Christian to receive the benefits of a Constitution that is designed for We the People to govern.
What has happened since the founding of the nation and the implementation of said Constitution? There has been an assault on original intent with the lawless seizing of authority and powers by people opposed to its content using operatives placed in positions of authority and influence. None of this is more glaring than with the unauthorized control over national affairs by our Establishment. These criminals are the current ruling class who have imposed their wills top down on We the People. What they do is a complete circumvention of the laws of our land.
The worldly bible of our nation, the Constitution, defines who has ultimate authority and it is We the People. The Constitution and government that administers it exist for the benefit of We the People. We the People do not exist or serve for the benefit of the Constitution and the government that administers it. The elected officials, their administrative support and agency operatives work for us. Do they act like they do?
As a legally formulated representative Republic, these elected officials who do their own wills and form alliances freely choose to act against the will of We the People, often times in a criminal manner. This is not what God’s will was for His people in ancient Israel or today in America, the land and people dedicated to God at its inception as a nation.
Watching the crimes of these usurpers being committed in full view of the world; the next step normally would be for We the People to identify the offenders who commit them, inform law enforcement entities, and hold the prosecution of same accountable. Knowing that process, the Establishment thoroughly corrupted not only the political parties and processes, but also the enforcement entities and the judiciary. What may be missed in that now obvious conclusion is that the process of corruption took more than a century to accomplish to the current level.
The Establishment simply became levers of control for a cabal of powerful, globalist criminals who desire to rule the world. They follow the will of Satan. All of what they do is opposed to God’s will for the people per his Holy Word. You know it by the fruit of their labors. Who benefits the most from their system?
So what does Satan do to people who cower and refuse to resist? They become enslaved to his will instead of being accountable to God’s. Which was a historical fate of the ancient Hebrews when they took their eyes off God. Conversely, what was the result when they cast their eyes on Him and fully trusted? It is the same for America.
Countering Satanic Oppression In America Today
II Chronicles 20: 12-13:
12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.
Deliverance from slavery and death means we, more specifically MAGA supporters, must humbly approach and keep our eyes on the Lord. Take the step in faith and believe, just like King Jehoshaphat and the ancient Israelites learned. The Lord will then reveal what it is we are to do, if anything. Accept that His will for our lives is best, whatever that may be.
In doing that, what should we avoid? Doing evil, sinning, not trusting Him, and not answering His call when He places something on our hearts. He will tell us when and what if He wants us to do something. All we do is simply live blameless in His sight and keep our eyes upon Him, trusting in His providence and grace, one step and one day at time.
Then humbly watch what He does to deliver us from evil. See the results from God addressing those who would do us harm as they destroy themselves, just like King Jehoshaphat and the ancient Israelites did.
Notice what did not happen in that Biblical story? The King and people were not given the privilege of watching the destruction of their enemies. They were only permitted to see the end result. Bear that in mind for future reference with our current civil war battle in America. I believe God did not want the people to be filled with pride, which would lead them to sin.
Conclusion
All of what has happened in the world since the times of the ancient Hebrews has been the same war raging for the souls of mankind. It is no wonder we are in the condition we are as a nation. We need to accept that this other worldly war will never end until Jesus returns as the Bible indicates. We know this to be applicable to us because this nation was dedicated to God and His principles at its founding.
We know from factual history and observations on the ground today that God will not reward our nation’s leaders for placing a burdensome yoke of enslavement on We the People. Our existence as a nation happened due to the burning desire to escape that same type burden. This desire is voiced throughout our founding documents. Which is why it all seems to be in chaos around us at times. Collectively we have been taking our eyes off God. Instead we have trusted the might of our military, our economy, politics, our ingenuity and so on to stay safe and live well; all of which has been crumbling around us. Now, we keep looking for a knight in shining armor to save the day. Meanwhile all of our existence and expectations can be gone in a blink of an eye as we are learning.
Despite that there is hope. It can all change today…
These stories that tell us of His truth are precious to the soul. They keep us grounded and hopeful for better days. The real history of America reveals we are a nation dedicated to God and His purposes. When we turn from that dedication, that mission of hope for all people; we and others dependent on us suffer the consequences.
We are the sons and daughters of liberty who trust God. We must respond as the faithful of the past did who had their eyes on God and yearned for freedom instead of slavery. If we do, great things will happen.
How to Distinguish a Key Principle of Reason, Logic and Science, from Irrational Exuberance in Contrarian Explanation
I really try to avoid using the term crackpot.
In science, the term crackpot is a bit like the terms Nazi, pedophile, and antisemite are in politics. The word freezes conversation. It strikes fear – often very unfairly – into all who are listening. Indeed, it is used in science for that very reason. Crackpot is very similar to the word crank, only worse. Using it in regards to a single person rarely helps, and using it against the wrong person can actually hurt – both the individual, and science as an enterprise.
As a young but very real scientist, I met MANY emerging young crackpots, who considered me a potential sounding board – and I like to think that I converted most of them to either outright scientists, or scientifically literate aficionados of real science. In fact, I don’t recall ANY junior crackpots who I could not make more logical and scientific by patience, understanding, and teaching of the sublime joys of REAL understanding and discovery.
More than that, was the GOOD that crackpots did for me. By patiently trying to understand what crackpots were saying, I invariably walked away a better scientist. Errors don’t just force you to ask ONE right question – they force you to ask MANY excellent questions. Sometimes it requires the patience of Job, but that’s just one more reason why reading my Bible has been so helpful.
Crackpottery, analyzed deeply, always leads back to real science, often including things I didn’t know, or didn’t know well enough. Most crackpot science is – in my experience, one of three things: (1) some very illustrative, useful, and “teachable” error, or (2) some well-known and very beautiful aspect of science or mathematics, which seems novel, but isn’t, or (3) some kind of “old science” which is very intuitive, but is now understood to be wrong.
Of course, there can be many layers of JUNK on top of the key scientific mistake, as the crackpot uses even more crackpot ideas to hold everything together, as the key idea fails. However, I would not want to laugh too loudly about such a dubious tactic, as “Bondo and paint” are also used very effectively in real science, politics, and law.
Sometimes, when discussing crackpottery in science, I like to say this.
“There is a potential scientist in every crackpot, and a potential crackpot in every scientist.”
I find that crackpot ideas are a great introduction to a conversation about real science. The trick is turning the exuberant crackpot away from the dopaminergic lust of superficial logical connections – and getting them addicted to the patient romance of deep conceptual relationships and understanding. If the latter reminds you of real love – Biblical, academic, humanitarian, or philosophical – you are absolutely right. I believe it is our duty, as people who LOVE science and math, to elevate crackpots from their trap, even if we fail, but in the process, to “teach to the fourth wall”. And that is exactly what I’m doing now.
The hot pants of OMG / string of buzzwords / “maybe this stuff is all related and I can see it” is the addictive pseudoscientific experience that crackpots cannot get out of their minds. But let them experience a “fellow scientist” showing them that they are TRULY CORRECT about something that they said, and how this idea was explored by famous scientists in history, and you can begin the process of instilling the DISCIPLINE that the crackpot so sorely needs.
Reforming a crackpot can take days, weeks, months or years. The key is to nurture the healthy joys that come from disciplined understanding, as a substitute for the toxic buzz of loose conjecture rooted in loose quasi-understanding.
Some crackpots are beyond help, and scientists who are teaching to more open minds (think about our own SteveInCO) cannot afford to waste their time on those few minds that will never attain self-skepticism within this lifetime. Walking away from crackpots who have very intentionally broken and super-glued the keys of reason in the corresponding locks, is simply necessary.
I get this. For all my criticisms of Neil deGrasse Tyson, and scientific disagreements with him, I completely understand his need to tell Terrence Howard to “move along, thank you” and to stop listening to the nonsensical ideas of Terryology.
Note that Joe Rogan does NOT get this, and he will need to be gently schooled on this point. I admire that Joe will listen to Terrence, but Joe is also a bit too easily swept up into Terrence’s world of delusional mumbo-jumbo.
Terrence Howard and Terryology are where we begin this discussion.
To be brief, Terrence was known more as an actor than as a pseudoscientist, but when he appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, he exploded into the national consciousness. I am including the entire 3-hour interview, but I strongly caution against watching the whole thing without having some of the context I’m going to provide. On the other hand, a few random clicks will give you the flavor in a most enlightening way.
Terrence Howard – Full Interview on The Joe Rogan Experience
Terrence Howard is clearly a nice guy, and I am certain that I could be his friend. We might even have some profound discussions about the periodic table, as he comes very close to real science there, and THAT is where I would strike to try to reform him (see sidebar in Appendix). However, he is unlikely to ever gain the discipline of self-skepticism, to temper his equally welcome skepticism of scientific orthodoxy. The best that can be done, is to use him as a living example of an important dysfunction in science, and to educate the masses by reacting to him.
Surprisingly, that works really well, and that’s why I’m here.
Terrence is (in my humble opinion) a living example of the idea that a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
Terrence is an actor, but before that, he ALMOST became a scientist – specifically, a chemical engineer. However, at the exact moment when accepting some discipline from his teacher would have helped him become a true scientist, he rejected the teaching, and dropped out of school.
To get to the heart of that break, Terrence believes that, because 2 times 2 equals 4, 1 times 1 should equal 2. Now, I will admit that the feeling that something should be different is extremely useful in scientific discovery, but we also know from experience that should is extremely dangerous in almost any context. Psychologists routinely repair people by getting them to understand that their list of shoulds has grown too long and nonsensical to be mentally and physically healthy.
Terrence claims that the issue of this mathematical argument is why he dropped out of college – that his teacher could not accept this new form of math, which is part of what Terrence calls Terryology.
I have no idea if that account is true, or the full story, and I strongly suspect that Terrence was having more trouble than just a disagreement with his teacher over math. There is even some doubt that Terrence was ever in college, but let’s just set that aside, and assume that Terrence did start to attend college. It is very likely that Terrence had a bad understanding of math at very basic levels, and was not able to follow the teachers in his classes, due to that faulty understanding. However, in the hubris of academic freedom, which new students often experience, I suspect that Terrence basically went off the rails. Here is a teacher talking about his theory of Terrence’s defective education.
Many people think that Terrence is conflating addition (where 1+1=2 and 2+2=4 are true) with multiplication. I have my own theory – that Terrence is simply intuiting a new operation – unfortunately rather ill-defined – which is basically y=2x but poorly expressed as y=x*x or y=x^2 (y equals x squared).
And once I realized this, I noted something else.
If you ever had any differential (first semester) calculus, you may have noted that y=2x is – more or less – the first derivative of y=x^2 (y equals x squared).
This video explains what that means.
My explanation of Terrence’s idea would then be that the thing that should be 2 at 1, but is also 4 at 2, is in fact the derivative of self-multiplication – not self-multiplication itself.
I’m definitely NOT saying that Terrence Howard “re-invented calculus”, but what I am saying is that his “invention” – in a very typical crackpot way – is in fact a personal rediscovery of something real, known, and actually very beautiful – and THAT is part of the seduction of crackpottery. Terrence is able to see it, but he doesn’t have the patience and rigor to realize what he’s intuiting, nor the language to communicate it. He TRIES to communicate it, but he fails to use the language others have agreed to use. He uses new terms – neologisms – and people almost get it, in a similar way. As Terrence piles on more analogies and scientific verbiage, people nod and make sounds of insight, but nobody really, truly, understands.
Normal people having beautiful mathematical realizations is not uncommon. Moreover, these realizations are sometimes hard to put into words. Thus, these ideas may seem novel and inventive – and they are in fact novel to the person thinking them, and they were likely inventive, to at least some extent (unless they were just badly remembered math lessons). But the idea that this new thought is a NEW INVENTION TO THE WORLD is a huge leap that is almost never true.
The aforementioned near-tangibility of crackpot ideas, and the communicability of that near-tangibility, are part of the danger of crackpottery – the fact that others “kinda get it” just like Terrence does. This crackpot virality spreads a sort of vague almost-thinking which reminds me of the feckless and far-too-innocent Eloi in H.G. Wells story of The Time Machine.
However, don’t expect me to push for “Big Sister” and her net nanny censors to crack down on crackpots. Instead, we need more people to understand math, and to see the beauty in things like y=x^2 and its derivatives.
Biology – same thing. Remember – the vague “almost tangible idea” that men can be women if we all believe they are, is another great example of a viral crackpot idea – in this case, one that the current government endorses.
Trans women are real – they just aren’t truly women, even if we all try to believe that they are. I’m not calling for censorship of that idea, either. I’m calling for no censorship on the questioning of it, just like I would call for no censorship on Terrence Howard’s ideas, nor on the criticism of his ideas.
If you have already been somewhat seduced by Terrence Howard, you really need to listen to some of his critics. That said, I recommend an attitude of love and sympathy – even when you feel frustrated and annoyed. See if you can “do better” than these two critics, in terms of sharing their ability to be skeptical of what is obviously wrong, and remaining firm in your resistance to “feeling” the truth of what Terrence is saying, while still maintaining open-mindedness, and a desire to “make Terrence make sense” – but without compromising your skepticism.
What is the key difference between scientists like me and Steve, and pseudoscientists like Terrence?
Speaking for myself, the difference for me, is that I test and beat up my crackpot ideas, so in almost all cases where my “brilliant” idea isn’t simply WRONG, I discover that I’ve rediscovered something beautiful. Very few of my crackpot ideas have value, and most of those end up being hypotheses and conjectures that are not only limited, but need more work.
In my opinion, you’re not a true scientist unless you’ve rejected literally hundreds or thousands of your own ideas – refining just a few of the survivors into something that might have some limited value.
Self-skepticism is necessary. Enough to tame crackpot ideas, but not so much as to stifle innovative thinking.
What is the difference between, say, Robert Malone, who I deeply respect as a scientist, and Terrence Howard?
In a nutshell, Malone has been skeptical of his own ideas – and at a level which required extreme honesty and moral courage. His willingness to admit that his own technological children – mRNA therapeutics and vaccines – have problems and still need work, is just mensch level eleven. Time after time, Malone sees though the bullshit of a scientific orthodoxy which has cowered before self-interest, money, and power.
Malone, like many who question the current media-and-government-driven “new consensus” in vaccine and therapeutic science, points out the hypocrisy of the sudden new orthodoxy, relative to many of its backers’ own well-established principles of ethics and morality. Examples include the Hippocratic oath, “first do no harm”, patient rights, medical privacy and freedom, and a host of other ideas which were unassailable, just a few years ago. In essence, Malone calls upon the orthodoxy to live up to its own ideals, not in the Satanic Alinsky way that actually hates and despises those ideals, but in a Godly way that deeply loves and respects those ideals.
Crackpots, in contrast, tend to reject the orthodoxy in a dismissive way, without respecting any, or most, of its underlying and fundamental tenets. They almost always fail to explain what’s wrong with the consensus view, or the underlying principles. They dismiss it without adequate explanation. In fact, crackpots who disrespect Einstein without actually doing the hard work of understanding Einstein first, are so pervasive that disrespect of Einstein is almost diagnostic for crackpottery.
Although spotting and pointing out crackpot thinking is important, it is also important for us to push back, when the crackpot term is applied unfairly to people who are simply not crackpots.
Robert Malone, who my friends and I admire, is an obvious example to us of somebody who is not a crackpot, but Neil deGrasse Tyson and Peter Hotez, who we disagree with and don’t like, are also not crackpots, if we are honest. Neil and Peter and their ilk may have other problems, including extreme bias, corruption, and compromise by unethical government involvements, but they are not crackpots.
Even when they look and sound like crackpots!
Now, there are thousands if not millions of true crackpots, most of whom labor in obscurity, and I can’t show them all, but I would be remiss not to include at least one, a man named Roger Spurr, whose awful theories have been discussed on this site very much in the last few days.
Note the disrespect for Einstein – this is very typical.
If you can’t abide listening to his very vague and loose reasoning in the video, try this website, where you can read it instead. For me, that’s easier.
Now, to be completely honest, I (and everybody else with any significant background in physics) have my own “crackpot” speculations on what may be right or wrong with the Standard Model of particle physics, as well as the top competitors for extending or replacing it. My personal crackpottery includes disrespect for supersymmetry, and massive side-eye on what I would call “irrational exuberance by the mainstream in regard to dark matter.” Nevertheless, I am always eager to test those thoughts, trash those thoughts, or modify those thoughts, based on the latest experimental results. Indeed, when the definitive experiments come in, supporting either supersymmetry or dark matter, I will be converted by them – as I should be. What I can say with certainty about Spurr’s reasoning, is that I would have thrown out nearly all of his thoughts long ago, based on the huge quantities of very solid and very basic evidence against them.
In many ways – like the term used by Wolfgang Pauli, that became (fairly or unfairly) the title of a book criticizing the non-productivity of string theory – Spurr is not even wrong.
So what is the path forward?
How do we deal with “bad science” – pseudoscience – crackpot theories – whatever you want to call them?
The Founding Fathers had a very excellent idea with Free Speech.
It is my belief that the ultimate protection against crackpottery is free speech. As long as we can criticize not only the orthodoxy, but the ideas of our fellow critics, then everything is subject to healthy sunlight. When secrecy is used to protect ideas from challenge, or government uses its punitive powers to protect its own very open crackpottery, bad things happen.
To quote a certain blog, quoting a certain scientist:
“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert.”
J. Robert Oppenheimer
I’m good with sunlight, as a way to help us find truth. And I hope you are, too.
One place where Terrence Howard comes very close to actual innovative thinking is in his personal interpretation of the periodic table of the elements. This, despite many, many problems.
Terrence’s thinking about the elements is still (IMO) rather crackpot, and although his view of the table in terms of frequencies seems fascinating, it’s truly unnecessary, as his critics point out. Terrence’s few predictions are also quite wrong. Thus, his very different viewpoint is not clearly any BETTER than any other view of the elements, when gauged by the very basic metric of prediction generation. What Terrence is saying simply doesn’t appear to be useful.
HOWEVER, Terrence does come up with a very nice concept, which is hidden by his crackpot terminology, and almost lost by his inability to create a truly marketable neologism for it.
I happen to be good at neologisms, so I’ll do it for him.
As I’m watching Terrence, I am quite certain that he has “rediscovered” or “repackaged” some well-known concepts which are an important part of freshman chemistry. In particular, the concepts of electronegativity and electropositivity, which are powerful ideas about how different elements behave due to their electronics, seem to be things he’s describing.
Even more, if we accept that Terrence has rediscovered electronegativity and electropositivity, then he also seems to be proposing a very nice idea which bridges those two concepts, and which is frankly very needed, that idea being what I might call, more marketably, electroneutrality.
This is not Earth-shattering, but it’s nice.
So let me just be very clear. In a crackpot way, using bad terminology, making bad predictions, and wrapping it all in an unnecessary “musical” paradigm which most people don’t find useful at all, Terrence has still pushed a rather innovative idea – that highly “electroneutral” elements like carbon are a special thing we need to talk about in that context.
None of that is anything that my freshman chemistry professor didn’t say in different, more conventional ways. That’s exactly how I spotted it in Terrence’s ramblings. But bear in mind – that man was a true genius – with a photographic memory. He was a highly awarded and esteemed scientist, who worked on the Manhattan Project and many other such things. He was a rock star at the university. Students fought with each other and with the campus bureaucrats to get into his classes.
And while that great educator came close, but didn’t quite do it, Terrence straight-up pinpointed the fact that a curve inflection (think second derivative!) located between electronegativity and electropositivity is actually something worth conceptualizing, appreciating, and TEACHING.
I can imagine Terrence in my college chemistry class, taking that idea up to my professor, and that wonderful man not only listening and understanding through the broken terminology, but doing a complete lecture to us on what Terrence had just told him, or using it to create a test question, which he often did when somebody said something he found to be profound. I can see that same professor pushing the idea in chemical education – maybe even writing a paper on the concept. And in doing so, he would have demonstrated discipline to Terrence, showing him the true value of his thinking, and helped him to become an honest-to-God scientist.
I’m not certain if Terrence’s musical and frequency viewpoints have any real value in chemistry, but I do find them fascinating for both scientific and artistic reasons. Beyond that, the reason I don’t dismiss the possibility outright, is that Terrence put his finger on the undervaluing of electroneutrality in chemistry, using his bizarre methodology. So the fact that he came up with a worthwhile thought using it, may say something for the methodology used, especially if the latter could be cleaned up and made practical. I would bet against it, but not so much that I might not actually try to fully understand his frequency methodology at some point.
Like I said earlier, I have always gained something by trying to understand crackpots. Because, as I said, in every crackpot, there is a real scientist trying to get out and say something.
In closing, I’d like to thank Brave and Free for bringing the above video, which started all of this discussion. That is precisely why we’re here, practicing Free Speech – so that we can all learn something!
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
I found this pop music from Papua New Guinea, to be strangely enjoyable.
And yes. Last week’s word of the week – “wame” – led me to it!
Not ready to move there. Lows in the 70’s. Record lows in the 50’s.
THE STUFF
The title of the following video is a bit of an overstatement to make you fear AI, and thus to draw you in. What becomes apparent in the end, however, is how well AI works as a tool, much like older computers did, to help solve thorny math and science problems.
