“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
What is it that feeds our battle, yet starves our victory?
A Note From Your Humble Boilerplate Recycler
I know that for the past few weeks, there’s been precious little science content for you to skim past.
It’s been one thing after another…Hopefully upgrading one of my two machines to Qubes 4.2 (from 4.1) will be the last item. On the other hand, it’s possible I’ll upgrade the other machine next weekend (but I will start after the daily posts). On the other other hand, the next upgrade should go a lot more smoothly. I’ve done a lot to automate the massive number of customizations I have inflicted on my computers. (I don’t think most Qubes users would recognize my system.)
Speaker Johnson Pinging you on January 6 Tapes
Just a friendly reminder Speaker Johnson. You’re doing some good things–or at least trying in the case of the budget–but this is the most important thing out there still hanging. One initial block released with the promise of more…and?
We have American patriots being held without bail and without trial, and the tapes almost certainly contain exculpatory evidence. (And if they don’t, and we’re all just yelling in an echo chamber over here, we need to know that too. And there’s only one way to know.)
Either we have a weaponized, corrupt government or we have a lot of internet charlatans. Let’s expose whatever it is. (I’m betting it’s the corrupt weaponized government, but if I am wrong, I’d like to see proof.)
A Political Statement
One of my stock jokes is to say, as I head off to the bathroom or washroom or restroom, “I’m going to go make a political statement.”
It certainly seems like urinating is a good way to make a statement about the YSM, and defecating works for politicians. Or the other way around is good too, though “#1” just never seems emphatic enough.
Maybe “#1” is just being polite, and “#2” is telling the fixtures what you really think.
Anyhow, I pretty much do plan to be polite to RINOs that electioneer or fundraise. I’ll tell them, Sorry, but I need to GO Pee…
Language Warning
In the next piece I had to discuss a particular topic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t discuss it without naming it. Therefore I apologize in advance for having to do so, and apologize to anyone offended by the sight of the name.
RINO McDaniel
RINO McDaniel continues to infest the GOP. But RINO McDaniel isn’t the problem.
Let me be crystal clear on this, RINO McDaniel is a lower-than-whale-shit, piss guzzling ratfucking shit eating traitorous rancid syphillitic cunt. Her worth as a human being is substantially less than zero, any oxygen sucked into her lungs is wasted, and it would be, no matter what job she had.
I fear I haven’t been clear enough, but that will have to suffice.
But she is not the problem…or rather, she would not be a problem were it not for others. She’d still be as I have described, but we wouldn’t know who she is and would not care, because she could do no damage. She’d just be anonymous human refuse.
No, the real problem is the fact that a majority of the 168 top GOP people voted for her. And now that has happened five times so they cannot claim they didn’t know what she was.
In spite of the fact that under her “leadership” the party has deliberately sabotaged the will of its base, has deliberately refused to challenge blatant election fraud, had gone out of its way to ensure certain candidates do not get nominated, has diverted donor money to namby-pamby candidates who have all the electoral appeal of a puddle of dog vomit…and in general has done nothing whatsoever to help fix the problems that plague America.
However that last is to be expected; I cannot expect anyone who IS the problem to help FIX the problem.
RINO McDaniel would be powerless without an entire party leadership of the same mind as her. They want this dismal performance; they want to ignore the party base.
If she were to drop dead this instant, it would solve nothing as someone just like her would be elected by those same pustulous people.
According to Charlie Kirk, about 55 people voted against her, 10-12 wanted something different but were too chickenshit to do the right thing, and roughly 100 people voted for her enthusiastically, and even had the unmitigated gall to complain to Kirk about US. Fuck ’em. Rusty 12 gauge bore brushes would be too good for these arrogant pricks and cunts.
Every single one of those hundred is just as bad as she is. In other words, they are all worse than I described at the beginning of this piece. And no doubt those people in turn have people who supported them to be state party chairs and whateveritis they call the other two people from each state and territory who were voting.
It’s time to face up to the fact that the Republican party is effectively owned by the shit-eating RINOs. We’ve got more work to do, a lot more work, to make the GOP an instrument for the restoration of the United States of America. And that’s in addition to cleaning up our elections.
There’s no point in cleaning up elections just to elect ratfucking RINOs.
OK, hopefully now you will have some inkling of my true attitude towards RINOs. Sorry that words were inadequate to give you the full picture.
The Real Fascist is His Fraudulency Joe Biden*
*Or whoever has his hand rammed up that meat puppet’s ass.
Brandon (which I will use as a term for whoever is the power behind the Porcelain Throne) has thrown down the gauntlet…but in a way where most of America will never see it. The networks didn’t carry his tirade. CNN air brushed it (or whatever you call editing the red background) for its five viewers (who aren’t trapped in airports).
Luckily for me I live in Colorado, and therefore, despite my best efforts, I probably didn’t vote for Donald Trump.
Of course, for this purpose who I actually did try to vote for will be essential, and they undoubtedly know.
The prior election must be acknowledged as fraudulent, and steps must be taken to prosecute the fraudsters and restore integrity to the system.
Nothing else matters at this point. Talking about trying again in 2022 or 2024 is hopeless otherwise. Which is not to say one must never talk about this, but rather that one must account for this in ones planning; if fixing the fraud is not part of the plan, you have no plan.
Small Government?
Many times conservatives (real and fake) speak of “small government” being the goal.
This sounds good, and mostly is good, but it misses the essential point. The important thing here isn’t the size, but rather the purpose, of government. We could have a cheap, small tyranny. After all our government spends most of its revenue on payments to individuals and foreign aid, neither of which is part of the tyrannical apparatus trying to keep us locked down and censored. What parts of the government would be necessary for a tyranny? It’d be a lot smaller than what we have now. We could shrink the government and nevertheless find it more tyrannical than it is today.
No, what we want is a limited government, limited not in size, but rather in scope. Limited, that is, in what it’s allowed to do. Under current circumstances, such a government would also be much smaller, but that’s a side effect. If we were in a World War II sort of war, an existential fight against nasty dictatorships on the brink of world conquest, that would be very expensive and would require a gargantuan government, but that would be what the government should be doing. That would be a large, but still limited government, since it’d be working to protect our rights.
World War II would have been the wrong time to squawk about “small government,” but it wasn’t (and never is) a bad time to demand limited government. Today would be a better time to ask for a small government–at least the job it should be doing is small today–but it misses the essential point; we want government to not do certain things. Many of those things we don’t want it doing are expensive but many of them are quite eminently doable by a smaller government than the one we have today. Small, but still exceeding proper limits.
So be careful what you ask for. You might get it and find you asked for the wrong thing.
Political Science In Summation
It’s really just a matter of people who can’t be happy unless they control others…versus those who want to be left alone. The oldest conflict within mankind. Government is necessary, but government attracts the assholes (a highly technical term for the control freaks).
A Few Things We Cannot Blame on His Fraudulency
I am pretty sure Joe Biden had nothing whatsoever to do with the 30 Years War that ran from 1618-1648 and probably killed about a third of the people then living in what is now Germany.
Nor did he cause the collapse of either Roman empire (Western, 476 CE, Eastern 1453 CE). Nor the ignominious failure of most of the Crusades. Nor the collapse of Bronze Age civilization around 1200 BCE (including the collapse of the Minoans and the blowup of Santorini).
However, my utter lack of ability to imagine how he could possibly be responsible for these things is not a valid argument against them, so I await correction if appropriate.
His Truth?
Again we saw an instance of “It might be true for Billy, but it’s not true for Bob” logic this week.
I hear this often, and it’s usually harmless. As when it’s describing differing circumstances, not different facts. “Housing is unaffordable” can be true for one person, but not for another who makes ten times as much.
But sometimes the speaker means it literally. Something like 2+2=4 is asserted to be true for Billy but not for Bob. (And when it’s literal, it’s usually Bob saying it.) And in that sense, it’s nonsense, dangerous nonsense. There is ONE reality, and it exists independent of our desires and our perceptions. It would go on existing if we weren’t here. We exist in it. It does not exist in our heads. It’s not a personal construct, and it isn’t a social construct. If there were no society, reality would continue to be what it is, it wouldn’t vanish…which it would have to do, if it were a social construct.
Now what can change from person to person is the perception of reality. We see that all the time. And people will, of course, act on those perceptions. They will vote for Trump (or try to) if their perception is close to mine, and vote against Trump (and certainly succeed at doing so) if their perception is distant from mine (and therefore, if I do say so, wrong). I have heard people say “perception is reality” and usually, that’s what they’re trying to say–your perception of reality is, as far as you know, an accurate representation of reality, or you’d change it.
But I really wish they’d say it differently. And sometimes, to get back to Billy and Bob, the person who says they have different truths is really saying they have different perceptions of reality–different worldviews. I can’t argue with the latter. But I sure wish they’d say it better. That way I’d know that someone who blabbers about two different truths is delusional and not worth my time, at least not until he passes kindergarten-level metaphysics on his umpteenth attempt.
Lawyer Appeasement Section
OK now for the fine print.
This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines, here, with an addendum on 20191110.
We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.
And remember Wheatie’s Rules:
1. No food fights 2. No running with scissors. 3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone. 4. Zeroth rule of gun safety: Don’t let the government get your guns. 5. Rule one of gun safety: The gun is always loaded. 5a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty. 6. Rule two of gun safety: Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy. 7. Rule three: Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. 8. Rule the fourth: Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
OK, the standard “line” on why gold is sliding downwards right now is that the investors are starting to conclude that the Fed is not going to drastically lower interest rates. Since they habitually chase rates of return (they’re not gold bugs nor even terribly concerned that the organic fertilizer might hit the rotating ventilation device) that’s bringing them to the dollar right now. So gold might soon find itself struggling to stay over 2000 ferns (“fern” = “FRN” = Federal Reserve Note).
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
China is in the White House
Since Wednesday, January 20 at Noon EST, the bought-and-paid for His Fraudulency Joseph Biden has been in the White House. It’s as good as having China in the Oval Office.
Joe Biden is Asshoe
China is in the White House, because Joe Biden is in the White House, and Joe Biden is identically equal to China. China is Asshoe. Therefore, Joe Biden is Asshoe.
But of course the much more important thing to realize:
Joe Biden Didn’t Win
乔*拜登没赢 !!! Qiáo Bài dēng méi yíng !!! Joe Biden didn’t win !!!
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.”
The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God is . . . righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God.
Paul says in Romans verse 14:17, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Then in verse 18 Paul confirms that serving Christ like that is indeed a manifestation of God’s Kingdom because it pleases God. “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”
What does Paul mean by “Kingdom of God”
This is the only place in the book of Romans where Paul uses the word “kingdom.” But he uses it elsewhere and we can know what he means by “Kingdom of God.” Four clarifications:
1) First, he means the reign of God, not the realm of God. We tend to think of a kingdom as a place. But for Jesus and for Paul it almost never has that meaning. Rather it means the reign or the rule of God. You can see that here: Where the Holy Spirit is bringing about righteousness and peace and joy, the Kingdom (that is, the reign of God) is being manifested.
2) The Kingdom of God refers to His saving reign, not to His total providence over all things. In one sense God reigns over all. So you could call everything “God’s Kingdom.” But that is clearly not the way Paul uses the term. The Kingdom of God is God’s redemptive reign. His saving reign. When Jesus said to pray, “Hallowed by your name, your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6: 9-10), He meant that the coming of the Kingdom would be the extent of God’s rule where His name is hallowed and His will is done the way angels do it—obediently and joyfully. So the Kingdom of God is God’s reign, not realm; and it’s His saving, redeeming reign bringing about the hallowing of His name and the joyful doing of His will.
3) The Kingdom of God is fulfilled partially in the present and will be consummated at the end of the age when Christ comes a second time. Paul speaks of unbelievers not inheriting the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9), and so treats the Kingdom as yet future. But then he also says to believers that “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son,” and so treats the Kingdom as already present.
4) The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Christ are the same. He says in Ephesians 5:5, “Everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous . . . has no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.” There is one Kingdom, and it’s the Kingdom of Christ and of God. So to serve the Kingdom of God is to serve Christ, and to serve Christ is to serve the Kingdom of God.
So Paul is saying in verse 16, Don’t use your good—your good faith and your good liberty—to hurt anyone. Don’t put that much weight on eating and drinking. It’s not that crucial. Why? He answers in verse 17: Because “the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
The saving, redeeming, sanctifying rule of God—the Kingdom of God—has broken into this world in Jesus Christ, the Messiah—the King—and the evidence of His rule in your lives is not eating and drinking. You may think that your liberty to eat all things is what God’s Kingdom produces. But that’s not quite right. What the Kingdom produces is something far deeper and larger than how you use your liberty to eat.
Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit (v. 17)
What does Paul mean that “the Kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”? That is not immediately obvious because Paul uses at least two of these terms in more than one way. Righteousness can mean the righteousness that God imputes to us when He declares us righteous through faith even when we are guilty sinners (Romans 4:5). And it can mean the righteousness that He then, on the basis of that right standing, begins to work in us (Romans 6:13, 16, 18, 19, 20). And peace can mean the peace that we have with God (Romans 5:1) or the peace we have with each other (2 Corinthians 13:11).
Paul has in mind the second kind of righteousness and peace—namely, the kind that God works in us in relationship to each other. But it may be that he wants us to think of both and remember that our practical righteousness and peace that we work out with each other is built on the perfect righteousness that He imputes to us by faith alone and the peace that we enjoy with him.
It’s remarkable how similar this sequence of righteousness, peace, and joy is with the sequence of thought in Romans 5:1-2. “Since we have been justified by faith [that is, declared righteous!], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” So there is righteousness imputed through faith, peace with God, and joy in the hope of His glory.
Paul is probably referring to our practical lived-out righteousness (rather than the imputed righteousness of Christ) and the practical-lived out peace with each other is the phrase “in the Holy Spirit.” “The Kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” This seems to mean that the Holy Spirit is working these things right now. He is ruling in us to make us more righteous, more peaceable, and more joyful. This seems to be the fruit of the Spirit now, not a declarative act back at the beginning of our Christian lives. This work is built on justification by faith. But now the Spirit is producing in us these things: righteousness, peace, and joy.
That, Paul says, is the Kingdom of God. In other words, the work of the Holy Spirit and the advancing of the Kingdom of God are the same thing. This is exactly what we saw in the ministry of Jesus, for example, in Matthew 12:28. Jesus said, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” The work of the Spirit is the presence of the Kingdom of God. Or to say it another way: The reign of God is exercised through His Spirit.
So when the Spirit rules and conquers our selfishness and pride, and replaces it with Christlike righteousness, then we will not grieve and destroy a brother for the sake of food. The Spirit of God—the Kingdom of God—creates righteousness and peace and joy. This is what the Spirit of God does. He creates righteousness and peace and joy. And when you have these, you don’t grieve and destroy a weaker brother.
Serving Christ in This Way Is Pleasing to God (v. 18)
Then in verse 18 Paul confirms this by explaining that what he has just said is in fact what pleases God. “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God.” That is, whoever serves Christ in the way that verse 17 just described is pleasing to God.
What did verse 17 say? It said that righteousness comes “in the Holy Spirit.” And when it comes “in —or by—the Holy Spirit,” it’s the Kingdom of God coming. So if you serve Christ that way, you please God. What does that mean? What is it here that pleases God?
What pleases God is not just when we serve Christ—not just when we try to do the righteousness that He commands—but when we do it in a certain way. And that way is described in verse 17 as “in the Holy Spirit.”
There is a way to serve Christ that would dishonor Christ. That’s why Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” There is a way to serve Christ that would dishonor him. And there is a way to serve God that would dishonor God. That’s why Paul said in Acts 17:25, “God is not served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”
Christ and God are dishonored if we serve with the mindset that they need us, and are dependent on us instead of us being dependent on them for life and breath and ransom and everything. What pleases God is when He is shown to be the giver in our service of him. If we serve God as though we are the giver and He is the needy one, He is not pleased. It makes Him look needy and dependent. But He is not.
So verse 18 says, “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God.” That is, whoever serves Christ—obeys Christ, pursues the righteousness that He commands—in the way described in verse 17 is pleasing to God. Namely, the one who depends on the Holy Spirit for what he pursues. The one who serves with the deep and happy confidence that God is always serving us in our service of Him. He always remains the supplier. Always.
A text that is frequently prayed is 1 Peter 4:11. Peter exhorts each of us to be “one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Serve with the expectation that the strength to serve will come from God. Then God will get all the glory. Do we want our serving to be an expression of His Kingdom or of our power?
What pleases God, is when our serving is the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. This is why the writer to the Hebrews closed his book with this benediction, “Now may the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
God works in us what is pleasing in His sight. And the fact that He works it in us is part of what makes it pleasing in His sight.
The Kingdom of God is not food and drink. It is righteousness, peace, and joy which come by the powerful working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The one who serves Christ in this way—depending on the work of the Spirit for all the help you need and renouncing all self-reliance—pleases God and manifests His Kingdom in the church and extends His Kingdom in the world.
So then, let us, as verse 19 says, “Let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” Don’t flaunt our freedom. Love our brothers and sisters. And do it not in our own strength, but in the Holy Spirit. This is the Kingdom of God. This is His rule in our midst. https://www.gotquestions.org/kingdom-of-God.html
What is it that feeds our battle, yet starves our victory?
Speaker Johnson: A Reminder.
January 6 tapes. A good start…but then nothing.
Were you just hoping we’d be distracted by the first set and not notice?
Are you THAT kind of “Republican”?
Are you Kevin McCarthy lite?
What are you waiting for?
I have a personal interest in this issue.
This Man is Pissed!
And if you aren’t…what the hell is wrong with you?
Is This Our Anthem?
Or at least our song to march to?
I’m sure most of you know I don’t believe in “devolution” or any variant of “we’re really still in charge” and certainly not the ones that come with “They’re waiting for everyone to wake up.”
No, I don’t think the good guys are in charge. But that makes it even more necessary that people wake up.
This might be the Uncle Tom’s Cabin of our age. (Or perhaps the recent trafficking movie was it. Or maybe both.)
Certainly there seem to be a huge number of people who are finally having the light bulb turning on when they hear this song.
Joining The Herd Of Lemmings
I’ve had cause to consider a few things. Maybe we’re going about it the wrong way, and we need to ditch Trump
Yeah, NO
Trump all the way! Why? Because being hated by the people who hate him is a sign of impeccable character, that’s why.
The haters can go fuck themselves with rusty twelve gauge bore brushes. I’d prefer ten gauge but that’s kind of scarce, so…I’m willing to compromise.
The RINO’s Dilemma
The RINOs who who have burrowed in and taken over most GOP organizations, from the state down to local organizations, have quite a dilemma on their hands, and most of them have their heads too far up their asses to realize it.
OK, I’m not talking about the liberal in a Republican area, who knows they’re in the wrong party, but is there because it’s the only game in their town; they hope to capture a nomination someday, at which point they’re guaranteed to be elected…otherwise, they never will be. These people are a hazard in any heavily conservative area.
No, I’m talking about the guys who are a little bit conservative and want to do some good by going into politics, and they’re in a closely matched area, closely enough that they can join the party they are most aligned with and still have a chance. They think the Democrats…particularly the ones who end up running for office…are nuts.
They don’t think much better of the Deplorable types, either. A bunch of bumpkins whose hearts are in the right place, mostly…OK a bit extreme. But they think Deplorables can’t understand that first you have to get elected, then work within the system to change things…a slow process. They genuinely want many of the things Deplorables want…just not as much. The government is spending too much. Or they need to spend money on highways instead of welfare for illegal immigrants. But they want to work within the system to get these things done.
Or maybe they think things are pretty close to ideal right now, and they want to nail it in place.
The problem is, that means they don’t stand for anything in particular. And it shows. They’re about as unappetizing to the electorate as a puddle of dog vomit. The folks in the middle, who they think they are appealing to because they themselves are not extreme, would honestly prefer a clear-spoken radical to someone who qualifies everything they say to the point where they sound like they don’t believe anything at all.
The problem these “Mild RINOs” have, is they just can’t see that. And the reason they just can’t see that, is their entire sense of self-worth is tied up in not seeing that. In their minds, they’ve worked tirelessly for their party, to keep those crazy Democrats out…only to have to constantly fight with a small number of crazy Republicans–who are only liabilities if they end up as candidates. They’ve fought the good fight, and if they can just find the right candidate, someone with some charisma, they might stop the crazies…without being too beholden to the OTHER crazies. In the meantime it’s not working. What’s a responsible guy in politics to do?
They simply cannot understand that the Republicans can’t succeed as the party of nothing in particular. Not really in the past, and certainly not today when people are starting to realize that no matter what they do in the voting booth, the country is still about to fly off a precipice. If they did see it, they’d suddenly have two choices: Go away and let the GOP succeed, or stay and fight. But “go away” isn’t really an option, because what’s the point of having a party now owned by the crazies, win?
Well, they have a dilemma…and WE, therefore have a problem. And we would have that problem even IF they realized that they had a problem…that they were the problem.
No one ever thinks they are the bad guy. Even Epstein probably thought he was the good guy. Right up to the moment where he didn’t kill himself.
So if you ever wonder why these unappetizing dufuses cling on even when their fingernails are being left behind…that’s why. They don’t understand no one wants them, and can’t imagine that no one should want them. And oftentimes their greatest pride is in all the hard work they’ve done for the party. They’re not going to give that up; it’d be psychological suicide.
If you’ve worked with these people, there’s a good chance you like them and consider some of them your friends. But even if so…we’re going to have to give them a good, hard shove. Because America is more important than those milquetoasts’ egos.
Justice Must Be Done
The prior election must be acknowledged as fraudulent, and steps must be taken to prosecute the fraudsters and restore integrity to the system.
Nothing else matters at this point. Talking about trying again in 2022 or 2024 is hopeless otherwise. Which is not to say one must never talk about this, but rather that one must account for this in ones planning; if fixing the fraud is not part of the plan, you have no plan.
Lawyer Appeasement Section
OK now for the fine print.
This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines, here, with an addendum on 20191110.
We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.
And remember Wheatie’s Rules:
1. No food fights 2. No running with scissors. 3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone. 4. Zeroth rule of gun safety: Don’t let the government get your guns. 5. Rule one of gun safety: The gun is always loaded. 5a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty. 6. Rule two of gun safety: Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy. 7. Rule three: Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. 8. Rule the fourth: Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
Gold went nowhere awfully fast. It declined over the week, then suddenly jumped back up Friday on account of whatever it is that’s happening in the Middle East today (apparently something to do with Yemen). Silver, very similarly. Net move almost zero. But platinum went way down this last week and palladium isn’t doing so well either.
Fuck Joe B*d*n
Due to complaints about foul language, I’ve censored the most objectionable word in the title of this section.
B*d*n, you don’t even get ONE scoop of ice cream today.
(Please post this somewhere permanent, as it will continue to be true; the SOB will never deserve a scoop.)
Obligatory PSAs and Reminders
China is Lower than Whale Shit
Remember Hong Kong!!!
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
China is in the White House
Since Wednesday, January 20 at Noon EST, the bought-and-paid for His Fraudulency Joseph Biden has been in the White House. It’s as good as having China in the Oval Office.
Joe Biden is Asshoe
China is in the White House, because Joe Biden is in the White House, and Joe Biden is identically equal to China. China is Asshoe. Therefore, Joe Biden is Asshoe.
But of course the much more important thing to realize:
Joe Biden Didn’t Win
乔*拜登没赢 !!! Qiáo Bài dēng méi yíng !!! Joe Biden didn’t win !!!
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.”
REJOICE!!!
For most of the culture today, it appears that joy is elusive.
Turning to entertainment, impurity, drugs, sports, relationships, shopping, or whatever else – all in the hope of finding deep soul satisfaction. Perhaps it’s the confusion that joy is an emotion – a desire to find continual happiness – and thus always on the search for the next emotional high. But the only way we’re going to experience joy is when we realize the source of it is not in circumstances, situations, or emotions. The source of joy is God Himself. He is the fullness of joy.
Psalm 16:11 tells us “You [God] make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
The fullness of joy is found in the presence of God … nowhere else.
Paul tells us in Galatians that joy is a fruit of the Spirit (5:22). Joy is not something we produce or whip up – joy is something that comes as a natural outflow of having the Spirit of God residing within us. When we’re in Christ and He is in us, we find the fruit of His Spirit being produced within us.
Regardless of circumstance, situation, or trial – we can have joy within our lives because we set our gaze on Christ and declare our trust in Him, no matter what we face. It was from a prison cell that Paul commands us to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).
Again, joy is not about emotions, feelings, circumstances, or trials – it’s about a steadfast trust in our God amidst the difficulties.
Three times Paul explicitly commands believers to rejoice.
Philippians 3:1a – Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. …
Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In all three verses above, the main verb (“rejoice”) is in the present, active, imperative. An imperative is a command – so we’re commanded to “rejoice always.” The active voice tells us that we’re responsible for the action – we’re commanded to choose joy and rejoice always. And the present tense in Greek is the idea of the “ever-present tense” – in other words, this action should always happen.
So Paul commands us to choose joy every moment of our lives. We’re to rejoice regardless of circumstance, situation, or emotion.
How can we practically “rejoice always” in all situations, every moment of the day? Here are some reflections and ideas how …
We must know that God is the source of joy
True joy (and the fullness of it) comes from God alone. He is the fullness of joy as Psalm 16:11 tells us “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
You can see this idea in our passage in Philippians 4:4. The command is to rejoice “in the Lord.” Our joy and rejoicing comes from and is found in Jesus. He is the source of all joy. And if the fullness of joy is found in His presence and He does not change (see Hebrews 13:8), then the only place we should ever seek joy is in Him.
Joy is a fruit … the natural outflow of the life of the Spirit within us
Joy is not something we produce within us, nor is it a facade or smile we put on to make people think we have joy. Joy is an evidence of the life of Christ within us.
When we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, what comes out is His “fruit” – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We don’t have to strive to replicate or produce it, it will naturally bear itself as long as we remain (abide) in Him. Just as a healthy tree doesn’t have to work, strive, or grit its teeth to produce fruit – if it’s a healthy tree, it’s guaranteed to produce fruit – because of the life within it.
We’re told in John 15, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. … Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing (John 15:1, 4-5).
The job description of the branch is not to produce fruit (that will come as a natural result of abiding) – the job description is staying/remaining/abiding in the vine. It’s only in the vine that the branch receives life. And when that branch abides (remains) in the life of the vine, it will bear fruit.
In the same way, God, through His Spirit, wants to produce (and be) the joy in our lives.
Joy will be evident in our lives when we abide in the source of life: Jesus.
Joy is not about circumstances but a purposeful response amidst the circumstances
Being joyful doesn’t mean you need to be ignorant or ignore what’s going on around you, rather it’s about having the proper perspective amidst whatever life throws at you.
Joy is the set of the sail of the soul in the wind of circumstance. Joy is living from a new heavenly perspective.
When Paul commands us to rejoice always, he’s not giving us a cute phrase that we can put upon our refrigerator – he’s writing this with a beaten back sitting in a prison cell.
Paul knew great suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11:24–28, Paul recounts his struggles by saying, “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there’s the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”
Yet it same man who despite all those painful struggles, commands from a prison cell, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). Paul wasn’t ignorant of his situation or the pain he experienced, but rather determined to “leap for joy” no matter what he faced.
Jesus gave the same commission in Luke 6:22-23, “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”
Rejoicing doesn’t have to make sense … but it does need to happen (always)
It’s encouraging that “rejoicing always” doesn’t always have to make sense. But whether joy makes sense in the situation or not, we’re still called to do it.
Because joy is not an emotion like happiness, we can rejoice even with tears in our eyes and sorrow in our soul. So whether we feel happy or sad, we’re still called to rejoice.
We must decide to rejoice in every moment – good, bad, or ugly – even if it doesn’t make sense … perhaps especially if it doesn’t make sense.
To rejoice is a command. We must obey.
There are times when we must command our minds or souls to come in alignment with truth. In the Psalms, you find that the Psalmist will do that very thing. For example in Psalm 42:11, the Psalmist asks himself, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” Rather than live in self-reflection or the despair, he commands his soul in the second half of the verse, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
Regardless of how we might feel, let us choose to obey the command to rejoice always, in all circumstances.
Joy increases with the increase of pressure (suffering, trial, persecution)
Joy has an interesting quality about itself – the more pressure we experience, the more joy should be produced.
When life presses us with pain, suffering, trials, hardships, or difficulty – that added pressure should only cause our joy to leap all the higher. Can we imagine living in such a way that the harder we’re squeezed, the more joy bubbles forth? Sound crazy? Perhaps. But it describes the life of a Christian.
Joy is a present declaration in our future hope (we rejoice because we know the future)
When we rejoice, it’s our present declaration in our future hope. If we know the end of the story, and the hope that awaits every believer, we can rejoice regardless of what happens around us.
Jesus said, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). When we know where we’re going, we can rejoice! What if we lived with an eternal perspective – looking at our “momentary afflictions” in light of eternity?
1 Peter 4:13 – But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
1 Peter 5:10 – And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Romans 8:18 – For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
2 Corinthians 4:17 – For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
Hebrews 12:11 – For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 13:5b-6 – For He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Joy exposes and declares our focus and trust in God
What we rejoice in declares our focus.
When we experience God’s joy in our lives, it reveals that our focus is Jesus and that we trust in His provision and timing (even if we don’t see the results immediately).
We rejoice because we know trials and difficulty lead to maturity
When you see the end result of difficulty, you find yourself joyfully enduring it.
James tells us, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4).
Similarly, Paul says in Romans 5:3–4, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope …”
When we face trials and difficulty, it produces steadfastness, endurance, character, and hope. In short, trials and hardships develop maturity in our lives.
Joy is most evident (or seen more clearly) in our trials, sufferings, hardships, difficulties, and weaknesses
The best place to see if we’re rejoicing is not during times of ease. It’s easy to have joy when things go well … but joy is proven in difficulty. As pressure increases in our lives, so too our joy should expand and be seen more clearly
Paul rejoiced in his weaknesses because it was in his weakness that the power of God was made more evident (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). What if we saw trials, sufferings, hardships, difficulties, and weaknesses not as something to dread but something to rejoice in.
What the world needs now more than ever is to see believers not walking in fear or worry but rejoicing – especially with everything going on in our world.
We rejoice because we know God is King … and He has overcome the world
There is always a reason to rejoice because our God is King of kings and Lord of lords and He has overcome the world! He is the victor! He is the savior! He is King!
Psalm 97:1 – The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
John 16:33 – I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
We rejoice because God is a God of Joy
God is a God of joy.
Psalm 16:11 – You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Zephaniah 3:17 – The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Nehemiah 8:10b – And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
John 15:11 – These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
God does not want us to be conformed to the pattern and image of the world (Romans 12:2), rather we are to be conformed to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). Since He is full of joy, so too our lives should ever be rejoicing!
Joy is to be a distinctive mark of a Christian
Is joy one of the distinctive marks in our lives?
We know Christians are supposed to be known for love (John 13:35) and Peter says that we’re to wear the clothing (the mark) of humility (1 Peter 5:5). In fact, all the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are to be the evidence of the life of the Spirit within a believer – which means joy should be one of the “dominant themes” bearing itself out in our lives.
Paul reminds us that the Kingdom of God is one of joy (remember, He is a God of joy and His kingdom bears His nature) – “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
Let Us Rejoice Always
If joy isn’t an emotion nor based upon circumstances, then there’s every reason to “rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!”
Is that true in our lives?
Would we walk with God along His paths, in Whose presence is the fullness of joy, as He becomes our joy and bear that fruit in and through our lives?
As Isaiah wrote, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10). deeperchristian.com/12-reflections-on-the-command-to-rejoice-always
The above image is from the “Deagel Population 2025 Forecast Report” of June 2020. It is available here: https://web.archive.org/web/20200629112402/http://www.deagel.com/country/forecast.aspx. In this post, Yours Truly will offer some aspects and thoughts into this alarming report. This is not a full-on analysis; it is, rather, the start of a discussion. Please bear with me here. (And, yes, there’s a connection to labs in Ukraine.)
The trail begins with a link that was posted by a fellow-denizen of The Q Tree: https://expose-news.com/2023/12/24/deagels-depopulation-forecast-confirmed-by-pfizer/. The “bottom line” of the Deagel Corporation 2020 population forecast report, for the United States, is a population reduction of 68.5% by 2025. The is also a predicted stunning drop in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the country. The figures for these are the ones on the above image.
In Yours Truly’s opinion, if anything like the above predictions indeed come to pass, the consequences for life in the United States would be widespread and profound. Entirely aside from (and not at all to minimize this damage) the incalculable and deep emotional/psychological effects that such a loss of lives would bring in its train, there are also literally the innumerable negative effects on every aspect of daily living that would also develop. Who would be available to fix the car? Who would be available to put on a new roof? What about farmers, food production and transportation, grocery stores? What about going to the doctor, the dentist, the hospital? What about every aspect of education and schooling? Another question needs to be asked: Are the millions of mostly-uneducated, mostly-unskilled, illegal “migrants” that have been swarming into the United States for the past three years supposed to fill these jobs?
In “raw numbers”, the current population of the United States is 340,909,166, per www.worldometers.info. If the 68.5% Deagle Report population reduction prediction is applied, the calculation is: 340,909,166 x .685 = 233,522,788 “eliminated” by 2025. In “raw numbers”, 340,909,166 – 233,522,788 = 107,386,388 remaining United States population by 2025. Another, non-Deagel, figure is also in play here: the “official” CDC figure of 11 May 2023, which states that 81.4% of the United States population has had at least one injection of a COVID-19 “vaccine” — in other words, 270,227,181 persons (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-people-booster-percent-pop5.) It is possible that the Deagel Report (written in 2020) did not take into consideration a potential enormous influx of illegal “migrants” into the United States between 2021 and now.
The Expose article cited above discusses the effects of the modRNA COVID-19 “vaccines” on pregnant women and their unborn children. The article cites the Charles River lab analyses of the 44 female Wistar lab rats involved in the Pfizer-BioNTech experiments with the company’s “flagship” modRNA COVID-19 “vaccine”, BNT162b2 (bear in mind that this is the “vaccine” that was used in the United States from December 2020 until May 2023, when the FDA quietly withdrew it from use, substituting the said company’s “2023 – 2024 Formula COVID-19 Vaccine”, what may be termed a “descendant clone vaccine” of BNT162b2.) In the Wistar lab rat study, 22 of the rats were injected with BNT162b2; the other 22, the control group, were injected with saline solution. The rats were put into “cohabitation” with male rats in order to get them pregnant. The pregnant rats were then carefully followed in the lab. Almost all of the pregnant rats gave birth. After nursing and weaning the pups, all of the mothers and their pups (except for a few who were already “sacrificed”) were euthanized and examined. The results were detailed in a report that was given to the FDA early in 2021. A “scientific paper” was published on the study and the results: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2021.05.007, “Lack of effects on female fertility and prenatal and postnatal offspring in rats with BNT162b2, a mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine”, Christopher J. Bowman, et al. This “scientific paper” claims that there were NO deleterious effects on the Wistar lab rats that were injected with BNT162b2. HOWEVER, as seen in an image from the “paper”, the results show otherwise. IN ADDITION, the 10 co-authors of this “paper” WERE ALL AFFILIATED WITH PFIZER-BIONTECH.
It is obvious, from the above image, that BNT162b2 literally “targets” the ovaries, in addition to the spleen. Recall, also, that there are two dangerous lipid nanoparticles (ALC-0159 and ALC-0315) in this “vaccine”, in addition to the PRRARSV “backdoor key” code that was likely inserted. These lipid nanoparticles and the PRRARSV code both work to facilitate the rapid distribution of the modRNA of the “vaccine” throughout the recipient’s body; and, to facilitate entry of the “vaccine” ingredients into every cell of the recipient’s body.
While The Expose article cited above is concerned with the negative effects that the modRNA COVID-19 “vaccines” have on pregnant women, their unborn children, and on female fertility in general, there are other alarming “signals” that these “vaccines” are causing what is being termed “excess deaths”: for example, https://twitter.com/EthicalSkeptic/status/1740975673462972607; and, the rise in what is termed “turbo-cancers”, as presented by Yours Truly in a post: www.theqtree.com/2023/11/29/the-covid-19-vaccines-pave-the-way-for-turbo-cancers-and-a-note-on-the-virus-itself/. Finally, there is the information that Pfizer-BioNTech gave to the FDA on 30 April 2021, listing the over 1,200 types of negative effects that BNT162b2 had on persons who took it after the FDA, in December 2020, granted the initial EUA for this modRNA COVID-19 “vaccine” to be used in the United States: www.phmpt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/reissue_5.3.6-postmarketing-experience.pdf (please see page 30 of this report, Appendix 1. List of Adverse Events Reports of Special Interest.)
(Yours Truly is not, for purposes of this post, discussing NIH / NIAID funding for SARS-CoV-2 research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the Baric Lab at UNC Chapel Hill, and at other labs: today’s post regards United States Department of Defense funding for biological (weapons) research, especially in Ukraine.)
Yours Truly is not a statistician, actuarial, or medical professional; one is a concerned citizen. However, it does appear that the United States government was indeed involved in funding, and financially supporting, via the Department of Defense, contractors and sub-contractors in the construction and research activities of biological (weapons) labs in Ukraine. (This is aside from the fact that the NIH / NIAID were, and still are, funding research into COVID-19 “vaccines.”) It is clear that the modRNA COVID-19 “vaccines” literally “target” the organs and functions of the bodies of those who took / still take, these “vaccines.” It is a fact that the FDA in the United States knew, back in April 2021, that these “vaccines” have over 1,2000 types of negative effects on the bodies of people who take them — including cancer and death — but that this agency still recommends that people continue to take these “vaccines”, in the form of the “2023-2024 Formula COVID-19 Vaccine”, which is itself a “descendant clone vaccine” of the original BNT162b2 (and, in the “2023-2024 Formula COVID-19 Vaccine” by Moderna, a “descendant clone vaccine” of that company’s “flagship” modRNA COVID-19 “vaccine”, mRNA-1273.)
In Yours Truly’s opinion, both the Deagel Corporation and the United States Department of Defense have many questions to answer about their knowledge of, and/or involvement with, the entire COVID-19 disaster. For example: What, exactly, did the Deagel Corporation know between November 2019 and June 2020 about COVID-19 which influenced the company’s 2020 report that forecasts a 68.5% population reduction in the United States by 2025? Another example: What exact communications did the United States Department of Defense have with Pfizer-BioNTech and with Moderna related to these companies’ development of BNT162b2 and of mRNA-1273?
What are unknown, because no one can really predict the future with complete certainty, are the effects of some “wild cards”: of “vaccinated” people refusing to take any more COVID-19 “vaccines”, and not allowing their children to have them; of “vaccinated” people following a protocol to try and mitigate / eliminate the poisons of these “vaccines” they have in their bodies; and, the continuing spread of the truth about these dangerous and deadly “vaccines.”
Yours Truly will make it clear that one is not an “anti-vaxxer.” There are some vaccines, such as the Tetanus vaccine, that are valuable. However, the COVID-19 “vaccines” are proving to be NOT “safe and effective.”
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32, KJV)
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.”
Out with the Old. In with the New!
As this Old Year ends, we can be thankful for God’s Mercy, Grace, and Blessings. As the New Year begins, we can look forward to new Mercies, and more Grace and Blessings from God. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
Isaiah 40:31 – New Strength Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – New Creation Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Psalms 98:1 – New Song Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.
Romans 8:18 – Future Glory I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Ephesians 4:22-24 – New Self You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Jeremiah 29:11 – New Plans For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Proverbs 23:18 – Future Hope There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
Psalms 31:23-24 – Future Hope Love the LORD, all His faithful people! The LORD preserves those who are true to Him, but the proud He pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
1 Peter 1:3 – New Birth Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Lamentations 3:22-23 – New Mercies Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Ezekiel 11:19 – New Heart I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
Colossians 3:9-10 – New Self Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Revelation 21:5 – Everything New He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Praise God in the good times! Praise God in the bad! Praise Him, give Him glory, Be joyful, be glad!
What is it that feeds our battle, yet starves our victory?
January 6 Tapes?
Paging Speaker Johnson…this is your conscience calling you out on broken promises.
For all your high talk about your Christian moral background…you’re looking less and less like you have any kind of moral background.
If You are a Patriot and Don’t Loathe RINOs…
Let’s talk about RINOs, and why they are the lowest form of life in politics.
Many patriots have been involved with politics, often at the grassroots, for decades. We’ve fought, and fought, and fought and won the occasional illusory small victory.
Yet we can’t seem to win the war, even when we have BIG electoral wins.
I am reminded of something. The original Star Trek had an episode titled Day of the Dove. It was one of the better episodes from the third season, but any fan of the original series will tell you that’s a very low bar. Still, it seems to get some respect; at a time when there were about 700 episodes of Star Trek in its various incarnations out there, it was voted 99th best out of the top 100.
In sum, the plot is that an alien entity has arranged for 39 Enterprise crew, and 39 Klingons, to fight each other endlessly with swords and other muscle-powered weapons. The entity lives off of hostile emotions, you see and it wants a captive food source. (The other 400 or so Enterprise crew are trapped below decks and unable to help.) Each side has its emotions played and amplified by the alien entity; one Enterprise junior officer has false memories implanted of a brother who was killed by Klingons. The brother didn’t even exist.
Even people killed in a sword fight miraculously heal so they can go do it again.
The second best line of the episode is when Kang, the Klingon captain, notes that though they have won quite a number of small victories including capturing Engineering, can’t seem to actually finally defeat the Enterprise crew. He growls, “What power is it that feeds our battle yet starves our victory?*”
Indeed. He may have been the bad guy, but his situation should sound familiar.
We are a majority in this country. We have a powerful political party in our corner. There is endless wrangling.
And yet,
What power is it that feeds our battle yet starves our victory?
In our case, that power is the RINOs in our midst. They specialize in caving when on the verge of victory. Think of Obamacare’s repeal failing…by one Republican vote. Think of the way we can never seem to get spending under control (and now our entire tax revenue goes to pay interest on the debt; anything the government actually does now is with borrowed money).
We have a party…that refuses to do what we want it to do, and that refusal is institutionalized. If you’ve been involved with GOP politics, but haven’t seen this, it’s because you refuse to see it. Or because you are part of the problem yourself. (If so, kindly gargle some red fuming nitric acid to clear the taste of shit out of your mouth, and let those not part of the problem alone so they can read this.)
We fight to elect people, who then take a dive when in office. But it’s not just the politicians in office, it’s the people behind the scenes, the leaders of the national, state and county branches of the party. Their job is to ensure that real patriots never get onto the general election ballot. They’re allowed a few failures…who can then become token conservatives who will somehow never manage to win (Jordan), or can be compromised outright (Loren Boebert).
That way it doesn’t actually matter who has a congressional majority. I remember my excitement when the GOP took the Senate in 1980. But all that did was empower a bunch of “moderate” puddles of dog vomit like…well for whatever reason forty years later the most memorable name is Pete Domenici. And a couple of dozen other “moderates” who simply had no interest in doing what grassroots people in their party–those same grassroots people who had worked so hard to elect them–wanted them to do.
Oh, they’ll put up a semblance of a fight…but never win. And they love it when we fight the Dems instead of fighting them. Just like that alien entity, whose motto surely was “Let’s you and him fight. It’ll be delicious!”
If you think about it, your entire political involvement has come to nothing because of these walking malignant tumors.
That should make you good and mad.
The twenty five who blocked Jordan, and the hundred people who took that opportunity to stab Jordan in the back in the secret ballot should make you good and mad.
I’ll close this with another example of RINO backstabbing, an infuriating one close to home.
In my county, the GOP chair is not a RINO. She got elected when the grassroots had had enough of the RINOs. Unfortunately the state organization is full of RINOs, and the ousted county RINOs have been trying to form a new “Republican Party” and get the state GOP to recognize them as the affiliate. I’m honestly amazed it hasn’t happened yet.
In other words those shitstains won’t just leave when they get booted out; they’ll try to destroy what they left behind. It’s an indication that they know we know how important that behind-the-scenes party power is.
So they must be destroyed. That’s the only way they’ll ever stop.
We cannot win until the leeches “on our side” get destroyed.
What power is it that feeds our battle yet starves our victory?*
We know it. What is going to be done about it?
*NOTE: The original line was actually “What power is it that supports our battle yet starves our victory.” I had mis-remembered it as feeds. When I checked it, it sure enough was “supports” and that’s what I originally quoted. On further reflection, though, I realized my memory was actually an improvement over the reality, because feeds is a perfect contrast with starves. I changed it partway through the day this originally posted, but now (since this is a re-run) it gets rendered this way from the start.
If one must do things wrong, one should do them wrong…right.
RINOs an Endangered Species? If Only!
According to Wikipoo, et. al., the Northern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) is a critically endangered species. Apparently two females live on a wildlife preserve in Sudan, and no males are known to be alive. So basically, this species is dead as soon as the females die of old age. Presently they are watched over by armed guards 24/7.
Biologists have been trying to cross them with the other subspecies, Southern White Rhinoceroses (Rhinoceri?) without success; and some genetic analyses suggest that perhaps they aren’t two subspecies at all, but two distinct species, which would make the whole project a lot more difficult.
I should hope if the American RINO (Parasitus rectum pseudoconservativum) is ever this endangered, there will be heroic efforts not to save the species, but rather to push the remainder off a cliff. Onto punji sticks. With feces smeared on them. Failing that a good bath in red fuming nitric acid will do.
But I’m not done ranting about RINOs.
The RINOs (if they are capable of any introspection whatsoever) probably wonder why they constantly have to deal with “populist” eruptions like the Trump-led MAGA movement. That would be because the so-called populists stand for absolutely nothing except for going along to get along. That allows the Left to drive the culture and politics.
Given the results of our most recent elections, the Left will now push harder, and the RINOs will now turn even squishier than they were before.
I well remember 1989-1990 in my state when the RINO establishment started preaching the message that a conservative simply couldn’t win in Colorado. Never mind the fact that Reagan had won the state TWICE (in 1984 bringing in a veto-proof state house and senate with him) and GHWB had won after (falsely!) assuring everyone that a vote for him was a vote for Reagan’s third term.
This is how the RINOs function. They push, push, push the line that only a “moderate” can get elected. Stomp them when they pull that shit. Tell everyone in ear shot that that’s exactly what the Left wants you to think, and oh-by-the-way-Mister-RINO if you’re in this party selling the same message as the Left…well, whythefuckexactly are you in this party, you lying piece of rancid weasel shit?
In Defense of Ranked Choice Voting
One of the biggest obstacles to direly-needed change is RINOs, and one of the weapons in their arsenal is the “Wasted Vote” argument.
Periodically a third party has arisen, trying to hold RINOs to account by putting pressure on them from outside of the party, since doing so from the inside has historically done very little good. But, even if you find a third party candidate who perfectly reflects your views, you’re likely to vote for the RINO anyway. Why? Because if you don’t, the Democrat might win, and that would be even worse. So if you vote for that third party (that few will vote for), you’re throwing your vote away and increasing the likelihood of the Democrat winning. (It’s half as much a gain for the Democrat, as actually voting for the Democrat would be. Not as much, but half as much. Because although you denied the R your vote, you did not flip your vote to the Democrat.)
The Republican Party Establishment knows you don’t love them. But they know you hate the Democrats worse, and they use that to continue to herd you into supporting them. With gritted teeth you cast your vote, but your vote counts the same whether you cast it enthusiastically. And the other alternative, pissing on the voting apparatus to express your actual feelings, is probably a felony.
But what if you could vote for that third party without increasing the chances of the Dem walking away with the prize?
This is what ranked choice voting, or instant runoff voting, can do provided it is properly implemented. (And this includes the votes, and only genuine votes, being counted honestly, of course. However, I’m going to compare it to what we have today, and pretend that is honestly done too. RCV can’t work if it’s not honestly administered, just like our current system isn’t working because it isn’t honestly administered.)
The idea behind RCV is to vote by expressing your order of preference. You could vote for the Patriot Party, then for the RINO Party as your second choice (and ignore the Democrat, the Green, the Overt Socialist Schmuckmonkey Party, etc).
What does this do? It nullifies the wasted vote argument. Your vote will be counted for the Patriot party, first, then instead of it being “wasted” when the Patriot Party loses, it ends up going to the RINO. Actually, it’s just barely possible that the Patriot Party would actually beat the RINO, if people weren’t all individually afraid to vote for it.
It’s just like the famous “Prisoner’s Dilemma” where your fear of other peoples’ actions prevents you from doing the optimal thing–and vice-versa. As long as Job Lowe is afraid to vote Patriot because he’s afraid you’ll vote RINO, you’ll have to vote RINO because you fear that Job Lowe will, because he fears you will.
So on the whole I like RCV. It gives you a no-risk way to vote against the RINO scum, and in favor of someone who deserves your vote.
The problem is, as done here in the US, it comes packaged with a “jungle primary.” A bunch of candidates get to put their name out there, and the top four (or so) candidates get onto the “main” ballot. This gives party establishments their way around the threat of a good third party bumping them off. Because they know that few people bother with primaries, and third parties don’t have the resources to run in a primary…so they throw two or three establishment hacks into the primary and they will probably beat the third party. The result is the RINOs end up with two of the four slots in the general election, and the Dems get the other two. Now there’s suddenly no third party candidate on the ballot at all.
If we were to combine RCV with the present system where each party could nominate exactly one candidate to appear on the November ballot, or at the very least, ensure minor parties could get onto the ballot with at least one candidate regardless of the primary, we would be getting somewhere, but the establishment is smarter than we like to give them credit for. They will support the jungle primary + RCV “solution” rather than the more appropriate one-candidate-per-party + RCV solution.
It’s not RCV that is the problem, it’s the primary structure grafted onto it.
Justice
It says “Justice” on the picture.
And I’m sure someone will post the standard joke about what the fish thinks about the situation.
But what is it?
Here’s a take, from a different context: It’s about how you do justice, not the justice that must be done to our massively corrupt government and media. You must properly identify the nature of a person, before you can do him justice.
Ayn Rand, On Justice (speaking through her character John Galt, in Atlas Shrugged):
Justice is the recognition of the fact that you cannot fake the character of men as you cannot fake the character of nature, that you must judge all men as conscientiously as you judge inanimate objects, with the same respect for truth, with the same incorruptible vision, by as pure and as rational a process of identification—that every man must be judged for what he is and treated accordingly, that just as you do not pay a higher price for a rusty chunk of scrap than for a piece of shining metal, so you do not value a rotter above a hero—that your moral appraisal is the coin paying men for their virtues or vices, and this payment demands of you as scrupulous an honor as you bring to financial transactions—that to withhold your contempt from men’s vices is an act of moral counterfeiting, and to withhold your admiration from their virtues is an act of moral embezzlement—that to place any other concern higher than justice is to devaluate your moral currency and defraud the good in favor of the evil, since only the good can lose by a default of justice and only the evil can profit—and that the bottom of the pit at the end of that road, the act of moral bankruptcy, is to punish men for their virtues and reward them for their vices, that that is the collapse to full depravity, the Black Mass of the worship of death, the dedication of your consciousness to the destruction of existence.
Ayn Rand identified seven virtues, chief among them rationality. The other six, including justice, she considered subsidiary because they are essentially different aspects and applications of rationality.
I’m sure enough of this that I put my money where my mouth is.
The prior election must be acknowledged as fraudulent, and steps must be taken to prosecute the fraudsters and restore integrity to the system. (This doesn’t necessarily include deposing Joe and Hoe and putting Trump where he belongs, but it would certainly be a lot easier to fix our broken electoral system with the right people in charge.)
Nothing else matters at this point. Talking about trying again in 2024 or 2026 is pointless otherwise. Which is not to say one must never talk about this, but rather that one must account for this in ones planning; if fixing the fraud in the system is not part of the plan, you have no plan.
This will necessarily be piecemeal, state by state, which is why I am encouraged by those states working to change their laws to alleviate the fraud both via computer and via bogus voters. If enough states do that we might end up with a working majority in Congress and that would be something Trump never really had.
Lawyer Appeasement Section
OK now for the fine print.
This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines, here, with an addendum on 20191110.
We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.
And remember Wheatie’s Rules:
1. No food fights 2. No running with scissors. 3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone. 4. Zeroth rule of gun safety: Don’t let the government get your guns. 5. Rule one of gun safety: The gun is always loaded. 5a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty. 6. Rule two of gun safety: Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy. 7. Rule three: Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. 8. Rule the fourth: Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
Gold up a bit. Palladium took a $34 hit on friday, and is down over a hundred bucks after its recent climb up to last Friday’s price. Platinum took a $16 hit on Friday but still closed a bit up for the week. Gold only went down $3 on Friday. Silver down a bit this week.
This is as good a time as any to point out an interesting factoid. When we were on the gold standard (and could actually use gold coins), an ounce of gold was $20.67. No, it wasn’t worth $20.67, it was $20.67. Even if a double eagle (a bit less than a troy ounce of gold, plus copper mixed in so it would be a bit harder) were left unstruck (just a featureless disk) or wasn’t even in the form of a disk, it was $20. The government stamping it was just letting you know that it really was the requisite amount of gold.
Note that today’s gold price is 2,063.20 (that’s ask, bid is 2,062.20). Of course that’s the “paper” price; you’ll get charged more at the coin shop (one online place is charging $2166 per ounce…more than $100 over the paper price). That’s very close to the “magic number” of $2067 per troy ounce…the price at which the dollar is worth 1/100th what it was when it was tied to gold.
(Note: The dollar was supposedly still tied to gold at $35/ounce after FDR confiscated the heavy yellow stuff from the citizens, but only foreign governments could make the exchange. Which meant that if you were suspicious that maybe paper dollars were being inflated, you couldn’t cover your bets by trading them for gold money. And even just having to deal with foreign governments that we could strongarm, we still had to shut that loophole down under Nixon.)
The Hugh Janus of the Solar System
Getting the Obligatory Jokes Out of the Way
The planet is called “Uranus.” And it is the butt (so to speak) of many jokes on account of that name. Astronomers avoid the “your anus” pronunciation in favor of “YER-in-us” but that sounds like “urinous” which is just about as bad. Best to sidestep the whole thing and stop pronouncing the U with a “y” in front of it. The Greeks (who invented the god Ouranus) didn’t. So: Call it OO-rahn-us and the bad jokes go away forever.
Of course we dodged a bigger bullet than the one we took. It was on 13 March, 1781 before someone finally noticed that that one particular very faint dot in the night sky (it is barely visible to the naked eye…provided you’re far away from city lights) was not a star.
I’m not kidding about it being visible to the naked eye. Hipparchus may have put it in his star catalog in 128 BCE; it was definitely seen by John Flamsteed in 1690, who marked it in his star catalog as “34 Tauri.” (We still use “Flamsteed numbers” today.)
That person was William Herschel, and noticing that it wasn’t a pinpoint of light in his telescope, he thought at first that he had found a comet. Other astronomers were suspicious that it was something else, some daring to suggest it might be a planet. After a couple of years, Herschel finally accepted that he had found a hitherto-unknown planet. And this was an extraordinary claim…every hitherto-known planet, after all, had been known since ancient times. It had probably never even occurred to anyone that there might be more of them. Herschel actually became a celebrity for this discovery; King George III offered him a £200 annual stipend provided he was willing to move to Windsor castle.
So what to name this new planet?
Herschel wanted to name it Georgium Sidum, “George’s Star.” After King George. Yes, that King George. (This was between the Battle of Yorktown (September 28, 1781) and the Treaty of Paris–we were technically still in the Revolutionary War.)
Can you imagine the hilarity? The list today would be Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, George, Neptune…Especially after it turned out that “George” rolled around on its side (I’ll explain that shortly).
But seriously, can you imagine naming a planet after that asshole?
So instead, we named it after everyone’s asshole.
An early triumph of rule by the people: we elevated the common man above mere monarchs.
OK so what is this thing?
It turns out that Uranus averages 19.2 AU from the Sun…which is to say, it “lives” 19.2 times as far away from the Sun as the Earth, and thus gets just a bit over 1/369th of the sunlight we do.
Its radius is 25,559 km (versus 6,378 for Earth). So it’s intermediate in size between Earth and Jupiter. The mass is 14.536 times that of Earth…not really intermediate between us and Jupiter (at 318 earth masses); it’s closer to us even on a logarithmic scale. The surface escape velocity is 21 km/sec (versus our 11 km/sec). It rotates once (relative to the Sun) in 17 hours, 23 minutes, and 14 seconds, versus 24 hours for Earth. It takes roughly 84 years to make one trip around the Sun.
Earth and Uranus, size comparison
Probably Uranus’s most distinctive feature is its axial tilt. You can look at this one of two ways: Either the pole is tilted 82.23 degrees relative to its orbit, and the planet rotates backwards, or it’s tilted 97.77 degrees relative to its orbit, and the planet rotates forwards (or “prograde”). Wikipedia prefers the former way of looking at it, I (and many real astronomers) prefer the latter. (If you look at it the way Wikipedia does, you’re defining the north pole of the planet as the one “above” its orbit, but then the sun rises in the west. Looking at it my way the sun rises in the east–that’s the definition of east–and the north pole is to your left as you face sunrise, again by definition.
Either way, this means that the planet is basically lying on its side, and so that’s where the joke about George rolling around on his side would have come from.
On Earth, our seasons are caused by our roughly 23 degree axial tilt. On one side of our orbit, the northern hemisphere is tipped toward the sun, leading to longer days and warmer temperatures, on the other side, we have shorter days and lower temperatures with the sun lower in the sky at high noon. (And in the southern hemisphere, the situation is reversed, they have winter while we have summer, and vice versa.)
With Uranus at one point in its orbit the north pole points almost directly at the Sun…so almost the entire northern hemisphere has sunlight, all day, continuously, while the southern hemisphere has night…continuously. Only a thin band near the equator has a regular day/night cycle, and in this band the Sun barely pops up over the horizon–then sweeps about 180 degrees around the sky, trimming the non-existent treetops, before it goes back down again.
This is very different from our situation on Earth; with the polar regions getting more sunlight on average than the equatorial regions…and just to make it more different, the seasons are each 21 years long!
Uranus’s appearance from a backyard telescope is as a pale green dot; its basically about the same color as rusted copper (which some people insist looks blue to them). To my eye it’s more green than blue.
Herschel himself discovered two of Uranus’s moons (though one should think that any anus comes with exactly one moon…er, never mind); three more were discovered before space flight for the 5 moons I learned about as a kid. The total is now 27.
Uranus was discovered to be surrounded by a ring system in 1977. It was found not by direct observation, but by observing Uranus pass in front of a star. We were hoping to learn something about Uranus’ atmosphere by watching the light spectrum of the star, which we did, but the surprise was seeing the star wink out five times both before and after the passage; the two patterns matched and the conclusion was that there were very faint rings around Uranus. (I’ll pause while more guffawing at tasteless jokes happens here.)
OK one more to get out of the way. There are trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide in Uranus’s atmosphere. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is the major reason why rotten eggs smell so bad. So yes, Uranus stinks. (Hopefully you didn’t need an astronomer to tell you that.)
In general, Uranus, along with Neptune, is considered an “ice giant” planet. Not because it has a lot of frozen ice in it, but because it’s fairly rich in the sorts of compounds that make ices, like water, methane, and ammonia, relative to Jupiter and Saturn. Or to look at it in the most sensible way, it has much less hydrogen and helium than the two big boys have.
Recent Observations/Discoveries
We’ve only ever visited it once with robot probes, and that was Voyager II in 1986. Here’s a natural color image:
This picture was taken by Voyager II as it approached Uranus, and admittedly is not terribly exciting (it’s just the picture used to make the size comparison I showed above). There’s very little visible detail; it’s an off-white cue ball. To see anything significant, you have to use wavelengths we can’t actually see.
As it turns out Uranus has insane winds and a lot of stormy weather. Here’s a timelapse of images taken by Voyager:
You can see all sorts of spots, banding, and so on, much like you have on Jupiter and Saturn.
Another major discovery by Voyager II is that Uranus’s magnetic field has multiple axes in it, instead of just one “bar magnet” inside the planet there are two or three of them.
(This is supposed to be an animated GIF; it’s not working for me.) We at first thought that this was due to Uranus’s rotating “on its side” or possibly by luck we caught it in the midst of a magnetic field reversal. But Neptune has a similar situation as we found out in 1989 when Voyager II flew by it, so that scotches both theories (the odds of both planets going through a magnetic field reversal just as we happened to visit them are pretty doggone low). We now think it’s due to a shallow layer of the planet generating the magnetic field.
Hubble space telescope has taken some pictures as well, including the first seen “dark spot” (2006)
And probably the best HST picture I’ve seen…even highlighting the dark rings:
So why did I pick this week to talk about this planet?
Well, in part it was the Hugh Janus jokes from last Thursday. I didn’t have the gumption to write this that week, so here I am doing it today. But really, it’s because James Webb Space Telescope gave Uranus some attention. (Uh, I guess that’s an opening for more jokes.) These pictures were taking with NIRcam (the Near InfraRed camera, i.e., one that uses wavelengths over a wide range…overlapping our eyes in red and orange). Of course these are all false color.
You see rings, and many of the moons. Actually, you can see a lot more moons if you get the full image instead of this cropped excerpt:
(Yes, those are mostly galaxies in the background, including a beaut of a face-on spiral at far right and an obvious edge-on spiral up and to the left of Uranus.) The five classic moons show up as bluish-purple “stars” here; many others are also in the image as we shall see below.
Here’s another picture with the moons labeled:
So…James Webb Space Telescope continues to kick ass!
Obligatory PSAs and Reminders
China is Lower than Whale Shit
To conclude: My standard Public Service Announcement. We don’t want to forget this!!!
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
China is in the White House
Since Wednesday, January 20 at Noon EST, the bought-and-paid for Joseph Biden has been in the White House. It’s as good as having China in the Oval Office.
Joe Biden is Asshoe
China is in the White House, because Joe Biden is in the White House, and Joe Biden is identically equal to China. China is Asshoe. Therefore, Joe Biden is Asshoe.
But of course the much more important thing to realize:
Joe Biden Didn’t Win
乔*拜登没赢 !!! Qiáo Bài dēng méi yíng !!! Joe Biden didn’t win !!!
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.”
A Visit from Christ Author: Angie Mosteller
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the earth, Every creature was stirring, awaiting a birth. The time for Messiah was certainly near, The prophets foretold it; the Bible was clear.
From the book of beginnings, the very first sin, God’s word made it clear how His grace entered in. Born of a virgin, He’d come as a man. The Creator among us, the time was at hand.
The stars were arranged to show marvelous things, Setting Wise Men to journey and find the true King. Shepherds in Bethlehem gazed on the sky, Longing to see him, their Lord the Most High.
How could they know that the very next night An angel of God would speak words of delight? The Savior was born, it was news of great joy. In a cloth and a manger they’d find the dear boy.
And a heavenly host would soon join to sing Of the glory of God and of wonderful things. He entered creation, set position aside To show us how deeply His love did abide.
Sin sent us away from our almighty Lord. He became one of us that we might be restored. He’s the Prince of our Peace; He’s the one who makes whole. He is Wisdom Incarnate, a Shepherd of Souls.
He’s the Author of Life; He’s the Ruler of All. He can offer salvation, on His name we call. The shepherds and Wise Men would bow to adore Holy God among men, our greatest reward.
All glory and honor is due to this King. Let all join in worship; let every tongue sing. Jesus is Lord, all creation proclaims. He’s the first and last, He’s always the same.
History turned on the first Christmas day, When God became man in a humble display. As we think of the manger in which He was laid, Let our hearts welcome Him to the world He made!
(more by bc)
Our Messiah arrived, and blest by God’s Dove, He gave us Himself to show us God’s love. The deaf now hear and the blind now see, The burdened unyoked, the slaves are set free.
Mute tongues shout for joy, the lame leap high, Living waters gush forth. Free. Not to buy. Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Our Messiah has come! So what did men do? They put Him on trial and scourged Him, too. They nailed Him to a cruel cross of wood; This Man of Peace, perfect Love and true Good.
They mocked Him as He hung, struggling for breath, The only relief would be granted by death. “Father, forgive them;” now close to death’s knell, And when He died, God forgave us as well.
A highway appeared, it’s called The Way; For us who use it, not a one will stray. Only the redeemed will be walking there, In robes of pure white, with no sins to bear.
We’ll come to God, all singing His praise, With everlasting peace for all our days. Gladness and joy, golden crowns on each head, Ours forever by the blood that Christ shed.
All glory to God, our Father on High, Who gifted us faith so we’d never die. Glory, majesty, dominion and power, All to our God through eternity’s hours.
And so we rejoice, our Savior was born To die for our sins, not that we should mourn. But all, with great joy, celebrate the day That God gave us Life, and showed us the Way.
What is it that feeds our battle, yet starves our victory?
January 6 Tapes?
I won’t beat this dead horse too much. We got some kind of weirdly redacted release of some number of tapes.
Paging Speaker Johnson…this is your conscience calling you out on broken promises.
News Flash
Today, it is still the case that Joe Biden didn’t Win.
I realize that to some readers, this might be a shock; surely at some point things must change and Biden will have actually won.
But the past cannot actually be changed.
It will always and forever be the case that Joe Biden didn’t win.
And if you, Leftist Lurker, want to dismiss it as dead white cis-male logic…well, you can call it what you want, but then please just go fuck off. No one here buys that bullshit–logic is logic and facts are facts regardless of skin color–and if you gave it a moment’s rational thought, you wouldn’t either. Of course your worthless education never included being able to actually reason–or detect problems with false reasoning–so I don’t imagine you’ll actually wake up as opposed to being woke.
As Ayn Rand would sometimes point out: Yes, you are free to evade reality. What you cannot do is evade the consequences of evading reality. Or to put it concretely: You can ignore the Mack truck bearing down on you as you play in the middle of the street, you won’t be able to ignore the consequences of ignoring the Mack truck.
And Ayn Rand also pointed out that existence (i.e., the sum total of everything that exists) precedes consciousness–our consciousnesses are a part of existence, not outside of it–therefore reality cannot be a “social construct” as so many of you fucked-up-in-the-head people seem to think.
So much for Leftist douchebag lurkers. For the rest of you, the regular readers and those lurkers who understand such things: I continue to carry the banner once also carried by Wheatie. His Fraudulency didn’t win.
Let’s Go, Brandon!!
Hey China!
Or rather, “Hey Chinese Communist Party and your entire array of servitors, ass-wipers, and fellators!”
You’re not even worth my time this week. When you decide to act like civilized people, maybe I’ll give you a lesson or two in how non-barbarians behave.
Hey BiteMe! (Or, Whoever Has Their Hand Rammed Up That Putrefying Meat Puppet’s Ass)
[Language warning]
You and yours have caused a lot of injury. Literal injury with your war on people who don’t want to take an untested vaccine. When people die in an emergency room because a hospital won’t admit them because they haven’t had their clot shot, that’s a crime.
I’m going to address here the insult on top of the injury, because I am among the insulted. I still have my health but apparently you want me to live under the 8th Street Bridge (which actually isn’t on 8th Street, but whatever, that’s what the I-25 overpass over Cimarron is called), so maybe if you have your way that won’t be true for long. Dreadful time of year to become homeless.
No, you’re just trying to make me unemployed, because I won’t take your fucking shots.
Well, that threat is NOT going to work. I. Won’t. Take. Your. Fucking. Shots.
And it looks like enough people agree, that you’re having to back down, you worthless asswipe.
You’re LOSING.
You LOSER.
You Chinese-bought ratfucking traitor.
I would love to see you die an agonizing, humiliating death. (This isn’t a threat, because I am not threatening to cause that death. I am just announcing my intention to party if it happens.) It would be just recompense for the way you’re killing America…and millions of Americans.
His Fraudulency
Joe Biteme, properly styled His Fraudulency, continues to infest the White House, we haven’t heard much from the person who should have been declared the victor, and hopium is still being dispensed even as our military appears to have joined the political establishment in knuckling under to the fraud.
One can hope that all is not as it seems.
I’d love to feast on that crow.
(I’d like to add, I find it entirely plausible, even likely, that His Fraudulency is also His Figureheadedness. (Apparently that wasn’t a word; it got a red underline. Well it is now.) Where I differ with the hopium addicts is on the subject of who is really in charge. It ain’t anyone we like.)
Justice Must Be Done.
The prior election must be acknowledged as fraudulent, and steps must be taken to prosecute the fraudsters and restore integrity to the system.
Nothing else matters at this point. Talking about trying again in 2024 is hopeless otherwise. Which is not to say one must never talk about this, but rather that one must account for this in ones planning; if fixing the fraud is not part of the plan, you have no plan.
Lawyer Appeasement Section
OK now for the fine print.
This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines, here, with an addendum on 20191110.
We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.
And remember Wheatie’s Rules:
1. No food fights 2. No running with scissors. 3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone. 4. Zeroth rule of gun safety: Don’t let the government get your guns. 5. Rule one of gun safety: The gun is always loaded. 5a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty. 6. Rule two of gun safety: Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy. 7. Rule three: Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. 8. Rule the fourth: Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
Whoever ends up in the cell next to his, tell him I said “Hi.”
中国是个混蛋 !!! Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!! China is asshoe !!!
China is in the White House
Since Wednesday, January 20 at Noon EST, the bought-and-paid for His Fraudulency Joseph Biden has been in the White House. It’s as good as having China in the Oval Office.
Joe Biden is Asshoe
China is in the White House, because Joe Biden is in the White House, and Joe Biden is identically equal to China. China is Asshoe. Therefore, Joe Biden is Asshoe.
But of course the much more important thing to realize:
Joe Biden Didn’t Win
乔*拜登没赢 !!! Qiáo Bài dēng méi yíng !!! Joe Biden didn’t win !!!
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.”
“Be Holy, for I am Holy”
In Hebrew, the words translated “holy” and “holiness” have to do with being “set apart,” “separate,” “different,” or “dedicated.” The absolute moral purity of God’s character sets Him apart, making Him different from every other living creature. Yet He calls His people to be holy as He is holy. Humans generally think of holiness as obeying God’s law. But, for God, holiness is not a mere action or a set of behaviors. Holiness is His essence. God is morally and ethically perfect by nature. So how can we set ourselves apart to reflect God’s holiness in the way we live?
The Bible reveals that God’s holiness of character is a model for believers’ lives and our shared communion with others. Both passages (Leviticus 19:2 and 1 Peter 1:16) and their surrounding verses stress that those who wish to replicate God’s holiness must reflect His holy nature in their relationships with other people and their sincere love for fellow believers.
In Leviticus 19:1–37, God applies the Ten Commandments to various areas of life, spelling out in great detail for the Israelites how to be holy as He is holy. They were to honor their parents, keep the Sabbath, not practice idolatry, worship and offer sacrifices properly according to God’s instructions, provide for the poor, not steal, cheat, seek revenge, and not follow pagan customs and rituals. The commands continue, covering every aspect of spiritual, moral, family, work, and community life. Included is the charge to “love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18).
Peter also lays out how we can live in the light of God’s command to be holy as He is holy. First, he says to discipline our minds: “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world” (1 Peter 1:13, NLT). We are to exercise self-control and stay alert both mentally and spiritually. This mental discipline requires a concentrated focus on trusting in the Lord to get us to our final destination, where we will experience the fullness of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
Paul expresses it like this: “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12–14, CSB). If we focus only on the short-term—our current situation—we run the risk of straying off course. But if we live with total trust that Jesus Christ will return to accomplish all that He started in us (Philippians 1:6), it will make a significant difference in how we live.
“You must live as God’s obedient children,” says Peter, “Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires” (1 Peter 1:14, NLT). When we “do not conform to the evil desires” (NIV) we had before we came to know Christ, we live in response to God’s holiness, adopting His behavior as our pattern.
This change of behavior begins on the inside with our attitude and mind-set. When our inner thought life, our purpose, and our character are changed into the image of Christ, our outward selves and outworking behavior will alter naturally. This process is the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification: “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
As part of his teaching on cultivating holiness, Peter instructs believers to “live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear” (1 Peter 1:17). Living as strangers here on earth hammers home the idea that our earthly lives with all their challenges and struggles are only temporary. Even in our pain, we can live with hope as citizens of a future heavenly reality. Reverent fear refers to humble, respectful awe of God, which motivates us to live obedient, holy lives.
Finally, Peter makes the point that living in the light of God’s holiness means demonstrating “sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart” (1 Peter 1:22, NLT).
Believers ought to be notably different from non-believers and their old selves because of their relationship with God through Jesus Christ. His holy presence in our lives produces in us a loving obedience to God’s Word, which ultimately forms God’s character in us. If we are set apart for God’s use, separated from our old, common way of living, we are following God’s command to “be holy for I am holy.” https://www.gotquestions.org/be-holy-for-I-am-holy.html
