Atlas Gone, New Energizer Bunnies, What Contradiction?

Ed Cline has a good but depressing post at Rule of Reason on how businessmen are caving in to the power lusters in congress. This time it's Altria, formerly Phillip Morris. I think all of the businessmen who would have defended themselves are gone, replaced by the mixed economy versions that are all to happy to become partners of the government and do what they are told. Another thought: this can't bode well for labor unions. I don't think the Gettlefingers and Hoffas see what's coming. Once businessmen are gone, the unions will be dealing with an all powerful government. Then again, maybe they like that idea.

****************************************

Dennis Chamberland at Quantum Limit has an amazing success story: the Mars rovers are the new Energizer Bunnies. They just keep going and....
(links to some photos too)
****************************************

JunkScience.com links to the website of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works which partially reprints a 2001 Chicago Tribune story on how eco-friendly Bush's ranch at Crawford is. Of course this is to be compared to the recent revelation of how eco-friendly Al Gore's house isn't.

Now I don't care how much energy Al wastes. If he's paying for it he has the right to waste it all if he wants. But why is he allowing himself to be such a two-faced hypocrite by demanding everyone else reduce their so-called carbon footprint while he enlarges his own?

I think if government encouragement causes men to regard the issue of truth or falsehood as irrelevant, then related concepts such as 'contradiction' will also be irrelevant. They treat such concepts as floating symbols (not even abstractions) to be used to achieve certain range of the moment goals, but which are not connected to reality in any way.

That is why Sen John Kerry was able to say during the 06 presidential debates "I have never waivered" even though his wavering is a matter of congressional record. He was just trying to achieve an immediate concrete bound goal--to posture as a man of uncompromising conviction--because he believed that others believed that such a posture is a virtuous thing. Such concepts as contradiction, waivering, flip floping, fact, have no meaning to such people. That's why Mr. Gore can preach to the world for years and not notice the hypocrisy. Such a concept is just a linguistic tool, not a real thing.

I won't go into why Mr. Gore is so adamant on global warming here. That might be another post, but I do think the smallness, almost childlike minds of those who would lead us is astounding, and frightening.