With a big bow to Blackie Sherrod who had a weekly column with something like that title, I offer the following and remember they are worth just what you paid for them.
I get so irritated when I hear someone say “judge not, lest ye be judged” during a discussion or debate because without exception they are using the quote out of context and to justify their own behavoir, opinion or position. It is so often heard when someone has been caught in wrong doing. You heard Clinton’s defenders use it all the time when he was found out. Firstly, they are only quoting the first part of the verse and that makes it entirely misleading. The full quote is “judge not lest ye be judged, for by that measure shall ye be measured”. The guilty like to conveniently forget that part. The verse isn’t at all about not judging, it is about hypocrisy. The Bible is an entire book about judging. Christ himself said repeatedly that Judgment Day is at hand and he preached on that subject often. So the next time you hear that verse misused please remember this little lecture and correct the verse abuser. Hypocrisy was the sin above all others that most distressed Jesus. Remember the comments about the Pharisees? and how he treated the money lenders at the Temple? It was their hyporcrisy that he despised.
Without question the most inspirational event of my lifetime was the the Appollo landing on the moon. The whole world was watching and cheering. I felt such pride in mankind and being an American. To think they did all that with nothing more sophisticated than slide rules. Yeah, there were some computers but they were pretty primitive then and the real engineering was done the old fashioned way and they were good, very good. It was the achievement of a generation.
Do you sometimes wonder if we should finally get around to sending a bill to the Europeans for saving their bacon during both wars? Of course Germany was supposed to pay for WWI but you know how well that went. Not only did we never send a bill, we even sent more money when it was really needed after the war with the Marshall Plan to rebuild all of Western Europe. While Europe spent very little on its military during all those years of the Cold War we ponied up. We got lots of grief from the French in particular and they even pulled out of NATO. We won the Cold War under Reagan and they also were the beneficiaries of that victory. Anyone remember any of them even saying thank you? The economic boom of Europe didn’t take off until the Cold War was history thanks to good old Uncle Sam. They are sometimes so quick to critize but sure do like the results of our military taking the lead. I am not even talking about Iraq or any of the recent events but rather from 1950 to 2000. It was American tanks and missiles that kept Europe free. And at the expense of the American taxpayer.
Without doubt the biggest technological advance of this century will be turning sea water into potable water. Forget oil, water is the most precious of our resources and our demands are growing exponentially. Only, 3% of all the water in the world is fresh and 2/3rds of that is locked up in the ice sheets. We will literally be able to make the deserts bloom when that day comes. Oil will fade at some point as our primary energy source. I have complete confidence in modern science to finally get another basic source for our energy. It will take a while. But the water supply will be more critical much sooner. It is the fount of life, literally.
Robots–the day will come when that will be the next “dot.com” boom. Just as the TV industry grew like a mushroom overnight so will robotics one day. The nation that does the engineering and assembly will be the one with millions of new jobs and revenue streams. I am not talking sci-fi Asimov type robots but the real deal that will do so much at your home and your office and even your car. I predict the day will come when everyone will want their own personal robot, just like all the kids have those Ipod thingies now.
The Battle of Britain was at it peak about now 68 years ago. If you had been living in London or southern England you would have seen the sky filled with aircraft every day and most nights. It was a close run thing and the Germans changed their strategy which ended up costing them dearly. They were winning when they attacked the British air bases but the pace was too slow for Hitler and they switched to more bombing of industrial and urban areas That set them up for the Hurricaines and Spitfires of the British. After the worst was over Churchill made was of his many famours quotes, “never have so many owed so much to so few”
A Sage for the Ages 