News Weakly - 9/3/22

Arizona/Nevada Boon
California has had their final hearing. Cars sold after 2035 will have to be electric. Beyond that, 35% of cars sold in the state as of 2026 will be fossil-fuel free. (How do they enforce that? "I'm sorry, Mr. Jones, we just sold our 65% of gas cars. You'll have to buy electric or nothing.") You know the outcome, right? There is no law against buying cars outside of California. Arizona and Nevada are looking forward to the increased car sales. Since the average cost to buy and run an electric car in the U.S. is $10,360 over against a gas car at $8,691, a good portion of middle to lower income people are trying to figure out how they'll pay for their expensive housing and overpriced auto.

Practically Principled
Last year some House Republicans introduced the Life at Conception Act to the House, a bill that would give equal protection for humans in all stages of life. It hasn't gone any further than introduction. Now, however, the LA Times is reporting that it's coming back to bite some Republican candidates. They've had to "recalibrate their antiabortion stance" because America wants to kill babies and they might not get elected this November if they don't agree. In Arizona GOP Senate nominee Blake Masters has scrubbed off all his pro-life rhetoric from his website because being pro-life doesn't help you win elections. It's practical, perhaps, but it's practically murder just the same. That is, being practical doesn't make it any less murder, and if getting elected is more important than retaining fundamental principles of protecting the innocent, then perhaps the Republicans deserve to go down with the Democrats. Dropping principles because they're impractical only makes politicians practically principled.

America Has Changed
Renowned guru and font of wisdom, Ozzy Osbourne, has declared he is moving to the UK because "America has changed." Too many murders. "I'm fed up with people getting killed every day." As we all know, people don't get killed in the UK. Good move, Ozzie. But Ozzie is right. America has changed. We are a culture of death -- in entertainment, in the demand for the deaths of innocent human beings, in the willingness and even eagerness to kill for stupid things like cold french fries, etc. If we can't physically kill, we will do it in other ways like the "cancel culture" or "doxing" or "swatting." You know ... creative killing. And if you are opposed to all this killing, you are on the wrong side of history ... as long as "where we are" is the "right side of history."

Disappointed
On the series, The Expanse, while they stared into the impossible in space, the Christian character was asked, "Do you think God wants us to be here?" I thought she gave the best possible answer. "I'm pretty sure the Scriptures are silent on this." So you can understand my disappointment to read that the National Association of Evangelicals issued a report on what we should be doing about global climate change. I'm pretty sure the Scriptures are silent on global climate change. Sure, our job is supposed to be to "tend the garden" -- to take care of creation -- but it has always been and, beyond that, I'm not at all sure what that has to do with either "global climate change" or "evangelical" -- the Gospel -- except to further dilute the issues.

Then there is Matt Chandler, a pastor in Texas, asked to step down because of "inappropriate texts" to a woman not his wife, thoroughly disqualifying him from biblical pastorship ("one woman man"). (I am heartened that the elders at that church acted swiftly and decisively. Rare these days.) We see another pastor fail; the world sees Christianity and her Savior falter. I am disappointed. (Is that what would be called "understatement"?)

False Identity
If "I identify" is the rule of truth, why did British YouTuber Oli London have to apologize for identifying as transracial? He was assigned "white" at birth but considered himself Korean and had multiple surgeries to look like BTS star Park Ji-min and now realized it was "wrong." What's the difference?

Fast and Expensive Food
Without regard for inflation and the pain it causes those with the lowest wages, California has passed its "FAST Act," a law that allows workers and unions to set wages up to $22/hr on fast-food chains. No other types were included. McDonald's is warning that it will increase the cost of eating at their restaurants by 20%. Sounds good ... to avoid eating fast food in California. And, oh, by the way, fast-food workers, you know that as your wages increase, the prices get passed on to consumers ... which includes you. How long before $22/hr is not a living wage anymore? I'm guessing "tomorrow" in California. (Does anyone remember "dollar menus"?) And now lower income Californians are going to have to figure out how to afford their overly priced cars, houses, and fast food.

Don't Say Gay
A report from the New England Journal of Medicine reports that, of all monkeypox cases, "98% of the persons with infection were gay or bisexual men" and 95% of transmission can be traced to sexual close contact. Now, we don't want to stigmatize sexual relations, but God did say that same-sex sex is "unnatural" (Rom 1:26-27) and there would be physical consequences. So, if we can just start immunizing 3-year-olds, we should be able to nip this in the bud.

Who's to Blame?
A giant sunspot has developed on the surface of the Sun pointing toward Earth. It has developed a delta-class magnetic field with enough energy to release X-class solar flares. Greta Thunberg blames global climate change. Biden blames Trump and his supporters.

The Danger of Conservatives
Biden said, "MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards. Backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy. No right to contraception, no right to marry who you love." Unfortunately, too many Americans will look at that and nod, as if it's true. Please note. Nowhere in the world do you have an unlimited right to choose. America does not hold to unlimited privacy. Contraception has never been an issue. And you still can't marry who you love. (Ask the guy who loves his mother or the girl that loves pizza.) Bold, blasting, blatant lies aimed at making you NOT think. That's how some intend to "heal the soul of America." I'm not a "MAGA" person, and the president is making me feel unwelcome in America.

Spelling Bee: B-E-E
Would you be surprised to learn, given the unreliability of the California electric grid, that Newsom has announced that all cars must be wind-up by 2035? Which may be one of the many reasons that California's chief export is residents. You probably would not be surprised at the latest study that says that more women are waiting to have children until after they're out of college, employed, settled down, infertile, and dead. The Bee did a story on Todd, a chump who worked his way through college and paid off all his own loans. Loser. I mentioned the story above about Ozzy Osbourne planning to move away because America is so bad. He says he's moving back to Ghrizzah Hurgle Kroocy Breedle Boop. I'm sorry, Ozzie, I didn't catch that.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.