In the wake of the highest nationwide unemployment numbers since the Great Depression, the Governor has threatened to withhold State money from Modoc, Sutter, and Yuba counties because they dare to go back to work. Please remember that Modoc has had exactly ZERO CASES of Covid-19 and is operating under the same rules as Los Angeles County which has half the cases in the State.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is warning three counties that they could lose disaster funding if they continue to defy his stay-at-home order.
Officials in Yuba, Sutter and Modoc counties have all allowed businesses to reopen because they have fewer coronavirus cases than other parts of the state.
The director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services sent a letter to the three counties on Thursday warning they might lose their eligibility for the funding.
A spokesman for Yuba and Sutter counties said local leaders are working to do what is best for the overall health of their communities.
But that’s not all. Newsom has deployed every regulatory agency at his disposal to threaten businesses in these counties that dare to open without permission regardless of what precautions these people are taking or what their working conditions may be. In fact, nobody is actually checking up on them or determining the facts on the ground, state agencies are simply going thru their Rolodex and cold calling everyone and making threats.
YUBA/SUTTER COUNTIES (CBS13) – A number of businesses in Yuba and Sutter counties are rethinking their reopenings after being contacted by state agencies that could revoke their licenses.
Hairdresser Amy Johnson believes she may be one of the few cosmetologists still working in the surrounding area. Many, including some of her own staff at Rockabetty Salon in Yuba City, are afraid of sanctions the state could impose.
“Everyone is scared to open because of the vague statement and the phone calls from the board,” Johnson said.
“I just note there’s 33 salons that shut down in two counties in the last couple days similarly because they got a call from some of our state officials saying, “Is this the best thing for your employees? Is this the best thing for public health and your community?” Newsom said.
Johnson got those calls, too, but explained all the steps she was taking to protect her customers and staff.
Her clients must wear masks, disinfect their hands and shoes before entering her salon, answer COVID-19 related questions at the door, sign a waiver and space out once inside. Johnson says she’s operating under local county guidelines, and all of her customers are out within 30 minutes.
“Lots of haircuts and lots of people walking out with wet hair having to come back for a second appointment,” she said. “Our county order is lifted so I feel confident in working.”
Krankin Hanks owner Henry Stuevie feels that confidence, too. But he chose to close his bar down, once Alcohol Beverage Control came knocking.
“Gavin Newsom got mad at Yuba-Sutter so he sent out what he has control over, the liquor license,” Stuevie said. “We were allowing to come in, sit down order dinner, have a beer. Have a drink if you want.”
He was ready to let the liquor flow at his Marysville bar when Yuba and Sutter counties decided to reopen some businesses again at the beginning of the week until ABC came by. He said the conversation was friendly, but the ordinance he was delivered by them had a different tone, calling them disorderly and saying he could lose his liquor license if he continued on.
“Just the threat of taking my liquor license was enough for me to say I can’t lose it,” Stuevie said. “It took me two years to get it, and this would be a useless building without it.”
When you live in a one-party state, and that Party thinks government is their god, they will compel obedience or else. To them, politics is simply an exercise of raw power. Their job is to make rules for us which somehow, they tend to be exempted from, funny how that part works. We end up with tyrants and tyranny every time we exchange liberty for security, even from a virus.
Folks, after my post on Romans 13, I found one that hits some points that mine did not, so I wanted to share it with my readers.
The issue of Romans 13 and obeying authority has been something that throughout church history Christians have struggled with.
Let me put this into perspective.
When we take a look at the Bible, we see throughout scripture those who disobey unfair and unjust government commands.
Moses disobeyed the Pharaoh as we see in the book of Exodus.
Paul was constantly in jail because he was violating customs and laws that interfered with spreading the gospel. He lost his life because of it.
Peter was told by the authorities to cease teaching and preaching in the name of Jesus. He said to those in authority over him, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). After being arrested a second time and questioned about his disobedience, Peter declared emphatically, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
We see it with Gideon, Ehud, Jepthah, Samson, and Deborah – all were charged explicitly by God to resist the rulers who were practicing injustice against the people and interfering with God’s people.
We see it in church history with Martin Luther and John Calvin.
We see it in those who fled oppression throughout the world and came to America.
We saw it in abolitionists such as Harriet Tubman who defied the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 by helping slaves escape from the south and flee to northern states.
We saw it in Corrie ten Boom who hid and protected Jews from NAZI government forces in Germany – and lied to NAZI officers when they came looking for Jews.
We saw it with Martin Luther King, Jr. standing up against the oppression of people simply based upon their skin color.
Go back to the American Revolution. In the American Revolution, Christians were often divided, but we were fighting for our freedom against oppression.
That’s where Patrick Henry said: “Is life so dear or peace and safety so sweet as to be purchased at the price of slavery?”
Were all these examples violations of scripture? No.
Those who say Christians are in violation of scripture if they are opposed to today’s tyrannical government officials telling us not to worship are not considering the entirety of God’s word. They are reacting in fear of man.
“The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.” (Proverbs 29:25)
When we look at Romans 13, we need to understand that the principle of being in subjection to governing authorities has to be balanced with the rest of scripture. When we see God opposing injustice and resisting oppression and abuses of government authority, is this a contradiction of Romans 13? No, it isn’t.
Before anyone gets the tone of this blog incorrect, I am not denying Dr. Anthony Fauci’s medical background or his work on the AIDS/HIV virus back in the day, I am merely pointing out statements he has made at press conferences over the past several months.
Dr. Fauci is a very accomplished man, and at the ripe age of 79 I hope I have a fraction of his enthusiasm and energy he exhibits daily. There is literally no end to when, where and how that this Dr. will go to give an interview, heck he did one during the NFL draft on ESPN. He is literally the Energizer Bunny but in human form! He has always been at Trump’s side during pressers, disagreeing sometimes, but that must be tough to be there almost daily and sharing a podium with “The Donald.” While our readers may say Trump is right or wrong on this disease one thing is for certain, Fauci has been all over the place. Just check these quotes from his press conferences out:
Editor’s Note:The Chief gave me a bare timeline for this blog entry, and I went back and found backup for each of his bullet points. As is my practice, I try to give you enough to show the comments are in context.
Early January he said we had nothing to worry about from this virus mostly based on current models (AKA the death (projections)
01/21/2020
Fauci said, “Obviously, you need to take it seriously and do the kind of things the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the Department of Homeland Security is doing. But this is not a major threat to the people of the United States and this is not something that the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about.”
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says in a Journal of the American Medical Association podcast that the U.S. wouldn’t implement draconian shutdowns of cities like what was occurring in China: “There’s no chance in the world that we could do that to Chicago or to New York or to San Francisco, but they’re doing it. So, let’s see what happens.”
“The American people should not be worried or frightened by this. It’s a very, very low risk to the United States,” Fauci says on The CATS Roundtable. “It isn’t something that the American public needs to worry about or be frightened about.”
On Jan. 26, Fauci gave an interview to John Catsimatidis, a syndicated radio host in New York. “What can you tell the American people about what’s been going on?” Catsimatidis asked. “Should they be scared?”
“I don’t think so,” Fauci said. “The American people should not be worried or frightened by this. It’s a very, very low risk to the United States, but it’s something we, as public health officials, need to take very seriously.”
But the following day, Jan. 27, Fauci was criticizing the lack of Chinese transparency, pointing in particular to new information that asymptotic individuals could be spreading the virus. Despite this, he continued to cite airport screening of travelers from China as the primary defense against it spreading to the U.S.
Fauci announces that the risk of coronavirus infection in the U.S. is “miniscule,” according to USA Today. Fauci, one of the top experts in the field and a senior White House coronavirus adviser, also told the paper that people shouldn’t wear masks unless they are contagious.
“If you look at the masks that you buy in a drug store, the leakage around that doesn’t really do much to protect you,” he said. “People start saying, ‘Should I start wearing a mask?’ Now, in the United States, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to wear a mask.”
Fauci doesn’t want people to worry about coronavirus, the danger of which is “just minuscule.” But he does want them to take precautions against the “influenza outbreak, which is having its second wave.”
Fauci offered advice for people who want to protect against the “real and present danger” of seasonal flu, which also would protect against the hypothetical danger of coronavirus.
Fauci said we didn’t have to change our way of life one bit. Oh, also on this date was what at the time was the first reported Corona death in the United States.
“No. Right now, at this moment, there’s no need to change anything that you’re doing on a day by day basis. Right now the risk is still low, but this could change. I’ve said that many times even on this program. You’ve got to watch out because although the risk is low now, you don’t need to change anything you’re doing.”
Fauci claimed we didn’t need to wear masks as the virus science showed it didn’t help.
“There’s no reason to be walking around with a mask,” infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told 60 Minutes.
While masks may block some droplets, Fauci said, they do not provide the level of protection people think they do. Wearing a mask may also have unintended consequences: People who wear masks tend to touch their face more often to adjust them, which can spread germs from their hands.
But there is another risk to healthy people buying disposable masks as a precaution. The price of face masks is surging, and Prestige Ameritech, the nation’s largest surgical mask manufacturer, is now struggling to keep up with the increased demand.
“It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it,” Fauci said.
The “draconian” quarantine measures taken by China, while they’ve worked to prevent a broader advance of the disease beyond Wuhan province, are “something we never would be able to do” in the U.S., he added. Italy also imposed more stringent travel restrictions early Sunday. “I don’t imagine that the degree of the draconian nature of what the Chinese did would ever be either feasible, applicable, doable or whatever you want to call it in the United States,” Fauci said in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that will be broadcast on Sunday, according to a partial transcript provided by the network.
Also on this day, Fauci remarks that going to campaign rallies may not be a bad idea: “You know, I can’t comment on campaign rallies. It really depends. We are having as we all said — this is something in motion. This is an evolving thing. So I’m not sure what we’re going to be able to say at the time we’re going to have a campaign rally. If you’re talking about a campaign rally tomorrow, in a place where there is no community spread, I think the judgment to have it might be a good judgment. [But] if you want to talk about large gatherings in a place you have community spread, I think that’s a judgment call, and if someone decides they want to cancel it, I wouldn’t publicly criticize them.”
After Trump allowed Fauci to recommend others for the task force, Fauci did a complete 180. He said we needed extreme social distancing, wear masks in public, and shut the economy down.
Dr. Antony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, urged Americans to shut down more aggressively as the coronavirus spreads.
On MSNBC’s “Meet the Press” Mr. Fauci endorsed a 14-day “national shutdown” to help slow down the virus. He explained that he has brought it up with the administration, which is generally open to his ideas.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institutes of Health’s infectious diseases chief, on Sunday said it’s “possible” the nation would experience a reported “worst-case scenario” of up to 1.7 million deaths from the coronavirus outbreak.
Imperial College predicts up to 2.2 million deaths in USA
Epidemiologists at Imperial College in London released a report on Monday that shocked government officials in the UK and the US. Unless drastic measures are taken immediately to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the scientists say deaths from the virus could reach 2.2 million in the United States and 510,000 in the UK. More ambitious measures could cut both numbers in half, but the crisis will not be resolved completely until a vaccine is available — a process that could easily take 18 months or more.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, stressed Sunday that mitigation measures implemented to flatten the number of new coronavirus cases are vital to stopping the U.S. “from becoming an Italy.”
“The kinds of mitigation issues that are going on right now, the things that we’re seeing in this country, this physical separation at the same time as we’re preventing an influx of cases coming in, I think that’s going to go a long way to preventing us from becoming an Italy,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told “Face the Nation.”
Just for perspective, WHO chimed into the echo chamber
…March 26, the World Health Organization tweeted: “If you do not have any respiratory symptoms, such as fever, cough, or runny nose, you do not need to wear a medical mask. When used alone, masks can give you a false feeling of protection and can even be a source of infection when not used correctly.”
“I would say between 100,000 and 200,000 cases,” he said, correcting himself to say he meant deaths. “We’re going to have millions of cases.” But he added “I don’t want to be held to that” because the pandemic is “such a moving target.”
Earlier in the day, Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease chief at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, had told CNN that once there are enough masks, there might be “some very serious consideration” about broadening the mask recommendations.
For now, the advice posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website: “If you are NOT sick: You do not need to wear a face mask unless you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a face mask).”
Fauci claimed 2.4 million would die in the USA alone by August, that number has been all over the place since, as low as 61k and now back to about 135k.
The White House unveiled that their goal for community mitigation, where the curve is supposedly flattened, that an estimated 100,000-240,000 people will die from the virus, which is a stark contrast from the 1.5-2.2 million estimated deaths without taking any precautions.
“Why am I not wearing a face mask now? There are a couple of reasons,” Fauci responded when a reporter questioned why he doesn’t wear the covering at a Sunday press conference.
“One of them is part of the, in fact the major reason to wear a face mask is to protect you from infecting you,” he said, as he pointed to people in the gallery of the room.
Fauci claimed we won’t be shaking hands ever again, as the virus is too easily spread.
Absolutely no more handshakes, even after we’ve defeated this virus. “As a society, just forget about shaking hands,” Fauci said during a new television interview.
Fauci said sex hookups on Tinder etc were fine as long as both parties knew of the risks.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Americans could meet people they matched with on dating apps if they were “willing to take a risk” with their health and the wellbeing of others.
Look, we aren’t here to discredit the good Dr. All I want to do is point out Fauci has been all over the place throwing out info. To make matters worse as discussed in this space before, we as a people are hungry for any info spit out by a person with the salutation “Dr.” in front of their name. Look at the misinformation that has come out of just his mouth alone! His answers run the gamut. Yet the media hordes hang on this Fauci guys every word as if he is some charming sage. So, we go from nothing to worry about to full blown panic, to don’t shake hands, shut down the economy to go ahead and have sex with a complete stranger? And folks wonder why the toilet paper and other items are gone at the store. The 90 day types and cable watchers have had more mood swings than a young girl who just got her first period. It’s been awful for us sane folks to watch. Think horrific car accident, you try to look away, but you can’t.
Now let us examine Fauci a little closer. First, he like these other “medical director” types have not seen a patient in decades. Fauci is a research doctor to spends most of his time reading through other doctor’s writings and research. This may explain him literally being all over the place. In addition did you know he has a net worth of over 500 million? He does, so don’t worry about him or his family during these times, they are very well taken care of. Like the other folks telling you to stay home while you face a prospect of rent being 2 months past due by the way. He also is a Clintonite by the way, and pals around with elites almost exclusively. Maybe the Clinton’s are telling him to shut things down longer or he may take a dirt nap? Think about it, the Clinton’s have “offed” people for far less, and when you look at the citations above it could be a theory.
Again, in closing, Fauci is a very smart man, who is eloquent of speech, he did lots of great things with the HIV/AIDS some time ago, but he is clearly out of his league here. I think Trump should remove him from the briefings and allow him to hit the cable news circuit. I am sorry but the misinformation on this virus is causing way more harm than help. How else can one explain why William and I cannot shake hands anymore, yet a week later tell the “Troll” he can swipe left on Tinder until he finds Hope Hicks and the two of them can engage in “relations?” Also I want Johnnie Does to do food reviews at actual restaurants again, not just take out. He needs to stay in his lane and quit blogging politics.
Last Friday will go down as one of the more bizarre days in the history of news cycles out here in California. After Modoc County (northeast corner of the state) decided they were going to re-open for business regardless of what Comrade Newsom said, our fearless leader announced at his noon presser we were “weeks away” from re-opening the state’s economy. I can accept that answer, I disagree with the comrade politically, but he has to do what’s best to keep the cable watchers at bay. Our home county (Sacramento) public health officer Dr. Beilensen added another month to the stay at home order. Again, I don’t find much fault with this especially since the Governor had made his announcement. Then at 7pm, Newsom had another presser, where he subsequently announced the states was hours away from re-opening! Wait…WTH?!?!?!?!? Upon hearing that, the counties of Yuba and Sutter announced they would re-open entirely on Monday 5/4. Between Yuba, Sutter, and Modoc there are about 500,000 folks, and I believe there have been zero deaths of Covid-19.
Modoc County
Then came Monday, and comrade Newsom announced many parts of the state’s economy would phase open on Friday 5/8. He made reference to florists, sporting goods stores (no word on if gun sales were included) some retail for curbside pickup only, and bookstores. Note malls are not included, neither are barbershops or restaurants for dine-in. I found this peculiar because what exactly changed? The death rate continues to increase, and the number of positive cases has jumped as well because of increased testing. So again, what exactly caused this change of heart?
Sutter County
I have a theory; try your hardest to see this through an open mind. He ordered the beaches in Orange County shutdown, and the mayors told him get bent. He spoke in terms of schools re-opening in July and possibly a new calendar for the school year….insiders told me the California Teacher Association, CTA (our real policy pusher in CA) was ready to tell Gavin to drop dead. The teacher’s unions flat-out rejected the governor’s proposal and broke the news to him via a media press release rejecting his proposal. These events coupled with the announcements of Yuba, Sutter, and Modoc, to go along with at least 4 million unemployed caused a panic in the Governor’s cabinet. If Gavin pissed-off the unions then he risked being a one term governor and watching his hopes of being a viable presidential candidate go to zero. I believe Newsom made a phone call to our Attorney General and was told his law was not enforceable and would likely be overturned on a court challenge.
Yuba County
As a result, we have a strange 6 phase opening. He stills gets to keep his hand on the scale by not allowing religious services (including weddings and funerals), sports events with live audiences, or movies, yet he has a detailed timeline for other businesses. This is all well and good but at the end of the day it will be a county by county decision. I still think you will see more sparsely populated areas open in the immediate future, followed by some other low population ones, but at the end of the day it will come down to whether your electeds like the guy in the White House or not. I foresee the Bay Area, coastal areas, and Sacramento County opening toward the end of the timeframe, and church services not being held until the end of the year, look for church bankruptcies at the local level to ensue.
Contact Tracing Team on home visit
Further troubling is the revelation that California was going to hire a team of sophisticated “contact tracers” who will be tasked with tracking down anyone who came in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid. Without getting into details of this squad, it sounds like if you were someone who was in contact with someone who had Covid you will be ordered to quarantine for 2 weeks, regardless of whether you test positive yourself! Word is in Washington State, the contact tracers have the power to forcibly lock you away in a detention center if you won’t quarantine voluntarily and since Newsom is coordinating with them, will we expect to be treated likewise? Anyway, I guess this is what Newsom was alluding too when he mentioned every business having paid sick leave.
Washington State Covid-19 Detention Center
My question is, will big brother, oops I mean big tech (Google, Facebook, Apple), turn over mobile phone data and you GPS coordinates to this team of trackers that will then notify you if you could have been exposed? I’m sorry I’m not the smartest guy on this tech stuff, but I know one thing, this is very convoluted and confusing.
To a man, every minister that I have heard, justifies the reason for closure of his church and all worship services citing Romans Chapter 13. Before I go further, let’s look at the passage.
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Romans 13: 1-7 KJV
In summary, the passage states:
God appoints all rulers, (this is a basic tenant of God’s sovereignty)
Rulers are not a terror to good but evil, they punish law breakers
Christians should obey rulers, for this cause you pay taxes (tribute)
Thus, when government authorities asked churches to close indefinitely, their pastors willingly went along with the request. Folks, this happened no matter what denomination you look at. Now these pastors are awaiting permission from these same authorities to resume their services. They are unwilling to do this without their approval. This is true, not only in all 50 States in our country but most of the other nations in the West and beyond. Think about it, north of one billion believers have not been attending worship services lately based on fear not faith.
In his ministry, Walter Martin would frequently say, “A text without a context, is a pretext; usually for error.”
Dear readers, this certainly applies in this application of the cited passage of Romans.
Historical Context
Paul likely wrote this book while in Corinth to a church meeting in Rome, a city he had not yet visited. This passage was addressed to Christians about a decade before Nero sat on the throne. This book was written when worshipping Jesus was treason and punishable by imprisonment and possible death. Christians met to worship in people’s houses at great risk; they faced loss of life, liberty, and property.
My point is that, in proper context, Christians are being told to obey the government at a time when they were lawbreakers for believing in Jesus or gathering to worship him. So how can these verses mean what your average minister thinks they do? Paul told the believers in Rome to obey the government and did not see a conflict that they were embracing treasonous and illegal beliefs and flaunting the government by both their beliefs and meeting for worship. How do you square these verses in context with current interpretation that God demands that we shut churches and cease worship if the secular authorities forbid it? Folks, there is no clearer example of Scripture twisting than this interpretation behind which thousands of clergymen are hiding.
But why? Simple, they fear men more than God. If standing for Christ has a cost, most are unwilling to pay it. Whether they fear the loss of their tax-exempt status, or fear tort lawyers suiting them for wrongful whatever, or fear running afoul of local police, city council, etc., I don’t know; but these guys are a fearful and timid lot.
The truth is they want to maintain good relations with the magistrate and hide behind Romans 13 to justify a decision that they already made. Guess it’s easier to go with the flow than swim upstream. Only in a world where the State establishes the Church can you get such twisted excuses for this interpretation of Romans 13.
Paul, however, can only be correctly interpreted when you understand that the government needs to stay in their lane and the church needs to stay in hers. Biblically speaking, the government has no legitimate power over such decisions of the church. Or as Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Mark 12: 17
Any government or political system that tries to dictate doctrine or practice of Christians in their midst is a tyranny. As I said a few days ago, we are commanded to gather as believers and any government order to prohibit worship is an illegal and unconstitutional one. I cannot envision a scenario where banning all worshipping in a nation of 330,000,000 million is legal Constitutionally, biblically, in Common Law, or any other way you wish to examine the question. Only in a nation ruled by tyrants can you find such edicts being enforced by civil government.
Government Dictates Worship
Look at these articles about Christian worship that have been published in the last few days. The governments: federal, state, and local in the United States claim all the same powers to regulate Christian worship as Communist China, the Soviet Union, Cuba, Nazi Germany, and every other tyranny you can name. Thus, the church serves not God but at the pleasure of the State.
Government Says Not to Meet
LEICESTER, United Kingdom – According to the leaders of Ireland’s main Christian denominations, “at this time it would not be appropriate to consider a full return” to regular worship services.
Government asserts the right to dictate what churches may or may not do in their worship.
Germany reluctantly allows congregations to meet, but they are not allowed to sing.
Germany allowed church services to resume in a limited capacity on Sunday following a six-week hiatus during a countrywide coronavirus lockdown – but worshippers won’t be able to sing just yet.
A set of strict rules prohibits worshippers from singing in the church over fears the COVID-19 virus could spread more easily that way, German broadcaster Deutsche Welles reported. The congregation must wear masks and must follow social distancing rules, which have prohibited the traditional handshaking that is part of Catholic ceremonies.
In the Tennessee, churches can meet for worship but not Christian instruction. Furthermore, they are prohibited from celebrating communion, taking an offering, using Bibles, or hymnals.
In addition, “The physical taking of communion/sacrament should not be performed due to the serial breaking of physical distancing across a congregation.” Churches are urged to “consider guiding parishioners in how to connect with the spiritual aspects of these practices during this phase.” Never mind that for Christians, Communion is a requirement, not an optional activity that can be transmitted over the internet.
Not only that, but church attendees are also banned from physically embracing or shaking hands with one another. And singing, while not banned, “is discouraged as it is thought to be an activity that expels significantly more virus than talking.”
Also banned by the Knox County order: “communal items (for example, tithe plates, hymnals, bibles, etc.).” Churches are told they should use a donation box in lieu of an offering plate. “Only core worship services are permitted in Phase One,” the order reads. “Activities such as groups and classes, youth services, social events, potlucks, communal snacks or food, and nursery, are not permitted in Phase One.”
The good news is that a few intrepid people are seeing the light and wanting to resume worship without waiting for government permission.
The pastor of an Orrington church announced Sunday that next week he will open the doors of Calvary Chapel to in-person worship in defiance of an order issued by Gov. Janet Mills to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Ken Graves also said during a drive-in worship service in the church parking lot that the evangelical congregation would be the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit — expected to be filed by the end of the week — challenging the constitutionality of Mills’ executive order that has shuttered houses of worship throughout Maine and limited gatherings to 10 people.
Folks don’t expect your pastor to come to the same conclusion that I have about this interference of the State in the affairs of the Church. Somehow, my pastor is ok with the closure and plans to stay shutdown until he is given permission to open his doors again. He thinks that the Covid-19 scare will result in a revival of people in his community. Based on what I don’t know. His congregation is as frightened as your average MSNBC viewer. Since the Church is not radiating salt and light in this situation but willing to hide it under a bushel basket until told to do otherwise by the civil magistrate, I don’t see that happening.
The good news in this shutdown is not coming from people of faith but people in dire financial straights that are starting to push back by opening their businesses without permission, something that churches that shutdown should consider too.
While I am by far more of a conspiracy guy than of all the other bloggers employed by this site, please hear me out on this one. I really do think something is going on behind closed doors in the Democrat Primary. I refuse to say democratic because as the last 2 election cycles have shown us, there is nothing democratic about that process.
Doesn’t it just seem like the party insiders have had the cake baked since the early going? Bernie Sanders gets out to an early lead and all of a sudden, every surrogate possible says he is unelectable? After Biden finally showed a pulse in South Carolina (a state he was expected to win BTW) the leader in delegates (Booty Judge) drops out, and the candidate with the most momentum dropped out (Klob Butcher) especially with a slew of Midwestern states voting next (she is from Minnesota). Credit to Biden, he did very well on Super Tuesday, aided in no small part by California taking its time to add up votes from the dead and illegal, mind you. Pocahontas dropped out and then the debates were cancelled moving forward due to Covid-19. I am still not sure why this was the case, how come an empty auditorium couldn’t be used? Moderators in the middle, candidates (there were only 2) 10-12 feet apart, not allowed to move around, and again no audience? Bernie didn’t make a stink about it and went on to lose the primaries the following week.
Then things got more bizarre, primaries began to be postponed, or made to be all mail in, or poll voting only. This is not democracy; this is called stacking the deck. Fox News personality Donna Brazile was seen blushing somewhere. New York has since cancelled their primary, and I’m sure will award all delegates to Biden. This has attracted a lawsuit by former candidate Andrew Yang, by the way, saying it’s a violation of civil rights. Prior to these events, Biden announced he would pick a woman as his running mate, a strange announcement since he has yet to accumulate the required amount of delegates to secure the nomination. By saying so much he has basically boxed himself in to picking (Kamala Harris, Amy Klobutcher, Liz Warren, or Stacey Abrams) more on the latter shortly.
However, the most bizarre thing in this primary is Joe Biden himself; something is clearly wrong with him health-wise. I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but something is clearly amiss. He makes eye popping gaffes. He slurs his speech and makes up stories that are really bad lies at best. Lately they have kept him in hiding (sheltering in place) with only a teleprompter when giving interviews and he has stumbled badly. Thankfully, those in the so-called media have helped him get this far already. Problem is Tara Reade and her recollection of being sexually assaulted, by Biden when she worked for him, then silenced when she spoke out against him. She was fired, and initially this was made out to be a rogue employee. Then a tape surfaced of her mother calling into Larry King Live, back in the day. Now at least 2 others have come forward saying they heard this same story from Reade.
This puts the democrats in between a rock and a hard place. They tarred and feathered Judge Kavanaugh and his family over unsubstantiated claims of sexual assault for something Kavanaugh allegedly did in high school. Now they are largely ignoring and mocking Reade. Now a new woman has come out against Biden, 26-year-old Eva Murray, who was 14 when Joe Biden, while at a campaign event asked her how old she was. Upon hearing she was 14, he told her “you are very well endowed for a 14-year-old”.
“When it was Biden and my aunt’s turn to say hello he quickly turned to me and asked how old I was,” Murry told Law&Crime. “I replied with my age and he replied with the comment, ‘Fourteen? You’re very well endowed for 14!’”
“I was confused but it was definitely weird, he looked me up and down and hovered his eyes on my chest so I had some clue [about] the notion of his comment but didn’t fully understand at the time,” she said. “We quickly separated from his area after the encounter.”
This is creepy old man stuff you cannot make up! Even the “troll blogger” here would never stoop so low! Also, Biden did these things while a Senator not a drunk frat boy in college.
Now to the point of my blog. The Democrats, I believe, will seek to remove Joe at convention if not sooner. These allegations are beginning to stockpile, and worse for him is the leading Democrats “campaigning” to be his running mate are Amy Klobucher, Kamala Harris both who are former prosecutors, both of whom said all women must be believed. Ditto for Liz Warren, minus the prosecutor credentials. This has put Klobucher and Harris in a horrible spot, both claim they support Biden and deny the event ever happened, yet they believed Kathleen “Ballsy” Ford with even less substance? Worse yet AOC and Hakeem Jeffries (the number 4 ranking Democrat in the House) say his accuser must be heard, and the facts put out in public. While AOC was a Bernie supporter, I’m not sure who Jeffries got behind. For the record, the files about this “incident” are sealed at the University of Delaware and Biden does not want them made public…. odd actions for an innocent man!
While folks like Michael Savage say Liberalism is a brain disease, I disagree, while most non-elected democrats aren’t very bright, those in power are quite astute. They are very aware they tried to make “Orange Man” Donald Trump look like a Filet O’Fish and Big Mac snarfing, stripper loving, vile comments toward women monster….it backfired, because in large part his support is nearly unbreakable! Joe Biden has a bigger problem, he is made to be a shirt sleeve moderate, who is very politically correct…those are not great traits when you look incoherent during an interview. Ditto for when you go off script…. even his blank gaze when he is listening is a bad look. Think about the debates for a minute, assuming the media allows them to occur. Trump will demolish him! Joe has issues, and is it a coincidence Hillary made these comments to the press last week about waiting for the call to run for president? Surely, she knows the process began a while ago.
Most recently, she joined Vice President Biden in a town hall devoted to women’s issues, during which she effusively endorsed her longtime colleague. She reminisced about their time together in the Obama administration, talked about their mutual love of Scranton, Pa., where her father grew up, and recalled meetings in the Situation Room.
In fact, Clinton talked so much about their shared history that it was easy to forget that she was endorsing Biden. It almost sounded as though she was touting her own resume instead.
Or how about liberal rag Rolling Stone Magazine putting this cover out this week?
Folks I am not sure as to what is going on here behind the scenes, but I think the power brokers see Joe as a lose-lose proposition. In short, the media and the powers that be wanted no part of Bernie, but they are now left with a millstone named Joe Biden who looks worse with each interview given. Time will tell on whether he is replaced but things sure seem fishy.
The Chief
PS What we all wonder here at Reallyright.com is what happens if Joe sniffs the hair, or comments on the looks of one Jen Aniston or one Hope Hicks. We all know the Troll is unstable.
After leaving his gig as lead singer for Kansas, John Elefante and his brother Dino composed a song which begins
“This world is goin’ crazy and I’m ready to scream”
Love Inhalation (1989).
Folks that about summarizes my view of the madness of Covid-19; especially, here in California.
Folks, nobody is listening to our Governor. No, I’ll get to the protesters in a minute. What Newsom actually says in his press conferences about a timeline is unreported by the media. Take this from the beginning of his remarks on April 27th.
The likelihood of having a virus-free world is not realistic in the next number of months. We’ll look forward to that day as herd immunity comes into effect and we have a vaccine that we can distribute and make available to hundreds of millions of people across this country, billions around the rest of the globe.Until then, we have to manage it. We have to manage risks. We have to manage and augment our behavior.
Folks, Governor Newsom keeps saying this each time Covid-19 comes up. Read the quote again carefully this time especially “We’ll look forward to that day as herd immunity comes into effect and we have a vaccine that we can distribute and make available to hundreds of millions of people across this country…”
Herd Immunity
Folks, Gavin is redefining terms here so let me explain. Herd Immunity is when enough people in a population have had a disease that it is no longer able to keep being passed to new hosts. Depending on what you read, this number is believed to be between 40 to 60 percent of the population. If enough people get an illness, it will die-out on its own. Please note that in many places, as we have reported previously, antibody testing for Covid-19 is showing that about 35 percent of people are positive for the antibodies. Can we say they are within a short span of claiming herd immunity in their communities?
Back when Barack Obama was President, H1N1 infected 60.8 million people (range per CDC: 43.3-89.3 million) before it died-out in 2009. Folks, the math is that about 20 percent of the population had H1N1 during this pandemic. Just to be sure it was stamped-out, the following flu season 2009-2010, people were encouraged to get the vaccine.
Oh, as I’m writing this, look at this nugget from Wikipedia.
By April 2010, it was apparent that most of the vaccine was not needed. The US government had bought 229 million doses of H1N1 vaccines of which 91 million doses were used; of the surplus, some of it was stored in bulk, some of it was sent to developing countries and 71 million doses were destroyed. The World Health Organization is planning to examine if it overreacted to the H1N1 outbreak.
When you read, “The World Health Organization is planning to examine if it overreacted to the H1N1 outbreak.”Does it ring any bells given the current overreaction?
No, I didn’t forget about Gavin. My point is that it takes an incredible amount of time and effort to come up with a vaccine. In the case of H1N1, which did see the successful development of a vaccine, mutations from the original strain were few and occurred in later years. Two mutations to H1N1 were found in a 2015 outbreak of H1N1 in India. These mutations decreased the effectiveness of the vaccine.
By contrast, as we documented here previously, in the relatively short period of time that Covid-19 has been outside the Wuhan laboratory (about 6 months), 30 mutations have thus far been documented. Again, here in the United States, the West Coast strain is different than the one ravaging New York. Oh, this may be an outlier, but a British newspaper is reporting that we may not have a vaccine for Covid-19 until 2036.
Three possible outcomes exist for the current pandemic: either the Covid-19 flu goes away by itself which makes it possible that it may reemerge in the fall, enough people get it that herd immunity develops on its own, or we shelter in place until a vaccine is created. Newsom is defining herd immunity as the point when a vaccine is able to be mass produced and deployed worldwide and advocating that we hide in our homes until then. Yep. This will go on for many more months if he has his way. Look at my original quote.
Until then, we have to manage it. We have to manage risks. We have to manage and augment our behavior.
The key phrase is “augment our behavior.” i.e. no business as usually until a vaccine.
Lest you think I’m overreacting look at this poorly publicized nugget from KOVR TV.
More than 50 days in, California is still in what’s considered phase one of the governor’s four-phase plan. That means if pacing continues, the shelter-in-place order won’t be lifted until October.
Do you believe that we will willingly shelter in place until October? Nonessential workers can you go 8 months without working and paying your bills? That is what you are expected to do. Once the November election is over and Donald Trump is voted out, California will them magically return to “normal.” Color me suspicious but welcome to the 2020 campaign.
I know that skeptics occasionally read the blog and give my staff trouble about what they think are our tin foil hat ideas, but these folks need to open their eyes. The cost benefit ratio does not justify the economic pain our ruling class is inflicting on their citizens in the name of safety. California has a reputation for lavishly giving out goodies to people on the fringes of society like free hotel rooms for the homeless and welfare to illegal aliens, but they have shutoff the tax money spigot to the State coffers and want to double down on this nonsense? California’s biggest tax revenue streams are personal income taxes and sale taxes. Both require economic activity that has been banned in our State.
Counties are Rising Up
Can you see why people are starting to protest and defy the Governor? Thank God for Modoc County.
One California county has had enough of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order.
Modoc County, a rural area that borders Oregon, announced that they will be reopening businesses and churches despite the Democratic governor’s orders. The county has had no cases of the coronavirus since the outbreak began, prompting the county health officer, sheriff-coroner, chair of the Board of Supervisors, and other county officials to announce that it would be reopening Friday.
Following on the heals of Modoc, two other counties are doing likewise. The pioneer to take the lead in this region of California was the Upper Cut barber shop.
Despite county and state stay-at-home orders, Randy Mitchell decided to keep his Marysville barbershop Upper Cut open.
“I told them (police) take me to jail because that is the only way you are going to stop me from operating,” Mitchell said.
On Friday, there were no empty chairs inside his barbershop. Booked with customers, there wasn’t much room for social distancing. Mitchell recently received a $1,000 fine from Marysville police after being cited for not following orders.
“If another American chooses to do business with me that’s that American’s choice. I’m not going to tell somebody that they have to stay six feet apart from me, that they have to wear masks and gloves,” he said.
Mitchell feels he had no other choice but to stay open, fearing closing would shut his business down for good. Customers in the packed barbershop said they are happy to support him.
Because this man was willing to endue the citation for $1,000, other businesses in the region are opening starting Monday May 4th.
More businesses in Yuba and Sutter Counties starting Monday could follow the shop’s lead. The Yuba-Sutter Heath Officer, Dr. Phuong Luu, announced Friday businesses like malls, salons, gyms and restaurants can reopen starting next week.
Businesses who are considered “low risk” by Dr. Luu can reopen if they follow social distancing recommendations. The new local order conflicts with Governor Newsom’s plan to wait to reopen similar businesses.
Yuba City Mayor Shon Harris told CNN Friday, reopening is essential for his city that is struggling to feed their families.
“We don’t want to defy anything but with the statewide order. The numbers are quite different here locally. We would just like to have some local control and make our decisions for our local folks here,” Harris said.
Folks, here’s the choice you have, wait to be taken care of by the government until at least October or man-up and get to work now. God gave you skills, will you use ‘em or lose ‘em?
Please note that last week, seven counties in northern California wanted to open. Modoc decided it was better to seek forgiveness than permission while the other six counties that asked the Governor for permission got no response. Of these two have decided to open.
Officials from six rural Northern California counties and 14 small cities have urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to let them reopen their economies, marking the most significant push-back yet from local leaders of a mandatory stay-at-home order in its second month that has left 3 million people out of work.
Of the 500,000 people who live in Sutter, Yuba, Butte, Colusa, Tehama and Glenn counties, only 69 have confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
Oh, for you political types out there, here’s my suggestion for a way to hit Newsom in a political ad.
One of the counties that Newsom has not allowed to reopen is Butte. You all know Butte County because guess what city is in that county? Paradise. Remember the one that burned to a crisp in a matter of hours? The one Governors Brown and Newsom promised to move heaven and earth to rebuild. Yep that Paradise is shutdown and not allowed to reopen. How’s them for optics? How can you proclaim, “Rebuild Paradise” and then tell a community without houses for their citizens to “shelter in place?”
Paradise Fire 11-08-2018
Then there are the beach protests and others around the State. Gavin is losing his grip.
Closing Thoughts
Note to Gavin, we will put up with a lot of crap from you politicians but when you directly threaten our livelihoods and families, you better brace for pushback. Many of us are beyond the point to further enduring this nonsense. Dr. Fauci, W.H.O., et al., were wrong. It’s time to end this and get back to work. The at-risk folks know who they are and what to do so quit punishing the rest of us. Recess is over, everybody back to work.
Final and random thought: Isn’t wearing a mask now a days like wearing a ribbon on your lapel was 20 years ago?It doesn’t do anything except make you feel better because you care more than people without one.Symbolism over substance.
I decided to spend the last few days binge watching HBO’s Westworld. As my family will attest, I like a good Sci-Fi story, especially one that can explore questions about reality and human nature. In this post, I wish to share my overall comments on the program. I promise what you are about to read will not be a regurgitation of whatever IMDB may say about the show.
Westworld is just wrapping-up its third season on HBO. This is a television show with an A-list movie budget and has lots of special effects and CGI throughout.
Insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter the overall budget for the first season of the 10-episode project is in the $100 million range… Sources peg the budget for the 90-minute Westworld pilot alone in the $25 million range, including reshoots, with some costs rolled to episode two as parts of the series debut were moved out of the premiere. (For context: HBO scrapped the entire original Game of Thrones pilot, which had a price tag of $20 million.) The per-episode budget is said to be anywhere from $8 million to $10 million.
Created by husband-and-wife duo Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest) and Lisa Joy and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Westworld features a cast of A-listers including Anthony Hopkins as the head of an ultra-realistic amusement park where visitors come to live out their most outrageous desires. The cast also includes Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton and Ed Harris. (Hopkins and Harris are said to have scored $175,000 per episode each, with the latter potentially having only a two-year deal.)
Folks, each episode of Westworld is like a part of a tent pole movie. It may harken back to the original movie with Yul Brenner but has been completely redone.
The good news is the J.J. Abrams is the director and not the one that wrote the story line, thus the show is expanded and reimagined but in ways that are more watchable than recent Star Wars and Star Trek movies which J.J. botched badly in my opinion. My complaint with J.J. is that his first act in any franchise is to blow-up the cannon (or mythology of the show) and do whatever he wants after that.
Johnathan Nolan and his group wrote the story arc which supposedly will end with the upcoming fourth season. Nolan has done many projects for movies and television. Some of the themes in Westworld, especially starting with the third season, are much like the back half of Person of Interest. In fact, the last episode that I watched prior to beginning to write this blog post included one of the recurring characters that appeared in Person of Interest. I will mention this program again later in this post.
FYI: both Westworld and Jurassic Park were novels by Michael Crichton.
I wish to mention a few of the characters in the show without spoiling any plot lines. Spoilers will come in a few minutes and with fair warning.
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins portrays the creator of Westworld, Dr. Robert Ford. (Think Mr. Hammond from Jurassic Park.) Dr. Ford, and his now deceased partner, created and refined the androids that inhabit the amusement park. Since creative people need money to finance their ideas, this creates the opportunity for an evil corporation to voluntarily fund the Park in exchange for certain marketing opportunities. Dr. Ford is allowed to continue tinkering with his creations, as long as he keeps the Park running which he has done for 35 years now.
An android, or “Host” in this show, named Dolores played by Evan Rachel Wood is also an important and reoccurring character in the show. When you first meet her, she is clearly designated as Westworld’s damsel in distress.
Yule Brenner Westworld (1973)
Then of course is the legendary Man in Black—Yul Brenner in the original movie—is player by Ed Harris. This character is most certainly dark and evil, but I promised no spoilers… yet. I will say that his character has been given a complete rewrite by Nolan and company.
The show is lavish in every sense of the word. As I watched, I wondered where in the world would you put a place this big, certainly not a corn field in Iowa. If you recall the original movie, there were other theme parks in the same area besides Westworld. This is touched on occasionally in the HBO series.
This show has lots of violence and naked people. Most nude bodies are being reconditioned and prepared for return to the Park but since one of the main characters runs a brothel, there is some of that other stuff too. As the seasons go by, the nudity decreases in frequency. This program is not for children or teens either. Frankly, I don’t think they are ready for some of the questions that such a program can ask or the amount of mutilation and violence.
Folks, I don’t plan to give away the whole show, but from now on, I may be giving away some plot points as I continue.
I really want to like the show and do, to a point but… I have two gripes: continuity and philosophy.
Continuity
Continuity is the flow of the story and is related to consistency both of plot and the visuals of the show.
Folks, how does a Park like this even exist? No, not the technology but the economics. The amount of damage inflicted on the androids, and their subsequent repair, would not make such a park cost effective, even in a fictional world. As much as each android costs and considering the number killed in a single episode—such as the origin story of the Man in Black—I think the expense would outright bankrupt Disney, Apple, and Microsoft combined and the Man in Black is just one guy causing mayhem in an amusement park that has seen 4 million visitors since opening 35 years ago. Seems like by the time you meet him in Westworld, the Man in Black has killed everybody in the park at least once.
Then there are all the underground access points to the park which all seem to be accessed by… walking? No way. Except for elite security guys, nobody seems to have horseless carriages to run them from point A to B.
How many floors is the main facility? Also, how come nobody knows about all the auxiliary labs in the Park full of expensive equipment. Also, if the top floor is outdoors (top of the mesa), how is it that the oldest part of the facility is in the bottom floors farthest from the surface. Why does a multibillion-dollar complex in the desert have water leaks everywhere and power but somehow no standing water or working electric lights? I kept waiting for Sigourney Weaver’s Alien or Jonesy the cat to jump out every time somebody went into the bowels of the complex and started poking around.
Lastly the park is big enough to have pine trees, deserts, snowstorms, Mt. Fuji, and jungle. No effort to explain is ever made. Like much in the show, it just is, and viewers are supposed to believe.
As far as technology goes, when is any computer hardware or software still considered cutting edge 35 years after it was created? We’re talking in terms of computing power and artificial intelligence. Yet, in Season 3 we see no robots that could pass for human—even at a glance—except for the ones from Westworld. What happened to imitation and flattery? Or Moore’s Law. In our world, after 35 years, whatever people had seen at Westworld would have been copied like crazy and due to innovation, the old technology—both hardware and software—would be obsolete. The other out the writers could take to explain this away was that the technology was outlawed but that option is not mentioned in the show.
Ed Harris The Man in Black
Where are backup datacenters and sources of energy for the Park? When they finally “lift the curtain” on park operations as the show goes on, they just ignore that stuff or get it really wrong. As much as the Park and its technology costs and they have no redundant systems? Destroy one bank of computers and I’m supposed to believe all the data is gone forever with no backups. Yet, this is the cornerstone of much of the action in Seasons 2 and 3.
The computers that are created by the opponent in Season 3 are big blackballs with reds lights suspended in the air—one is hanging publicly in the middle of his headquarters building and the other in a warehouse. Seems like using an RPG or the EMP weapon could have ended the whole plotline and saved HBO millions in storytelling.
The story writers just bombard you with stuff and hope you don’t dwell on it too much as they move to the next shiny object. I guess this is ok for television writing but with a blockbuster movie budget, it seems like Nolan and Abrams would pay more attention to continuity.
Lastly, each season is full of time jumps that make following the story purposely difficult. This is done in order to introduce surprises to the viewers but don’t let the show keep running if you take a potty break or you may be asking when is it.
Philosophy
Folks, I’ve saved this section for last and feel most passionately about it. I would like to grab Mr. Nolan by the shirt collar and tell him to wake-up. While many of the right questions are asked in various places in the program, the answers offered are not only insufficient but totally wrong.
Note: From here on I beat-up on Nolan but darn it, this is more of the same worldview I get from every other program originating from entertainment corporations. Why is it that in movies and television, every corporation is evil except the one that brought us the movie/TV show that somehow deserves every dime that they can earn from royalties and ticket sales?
On the HBO website for the program, Westworld claims that they “will explore questions about the nature of our reality, free will and what makes us human.”
How can Jonathan Nolan do not one but two television shows on artificial intelligence and the question of what it means to be alive and not believe in a Creator? Talk about a logical disconnect! The thesis of all the elites in Nolan’s Westworld is that we are here as the result of not one mistake, but a whole series of them. His characters espouse evolution by chaos theory in a program dedicated to exploring the idea of artificial life designed and created by humans.
In a story with the scope of Westworld, I can understand different characters believing different ways about God and origins just like the real world but in Westworld all the discussions—more like monologues—are all from the same point of view no matter which character has the dialogue. Ed Harris and Anthony Hopkins go on ad infinitum about no purpose to our existence which is simply the result of errors. In these monologues, we also get a dose of Marxism claiming that those who believe in God are the unenlightened, ignorant, stupid, masses who use the opiate of theism to stay ignorant of the world around them. Those of us that believe in God are just waiting for the slaughter.
In Jurassic Park, we hear Jeff Goldblum’s character Malcolm espouse the virtues of evolution but in the book, Malcolm goes on the mock the arrogance of humans that think they control the planet. Malcolm opposed the idea of the park tinkering with genetics. As you read the passage, it is clear that at this point in the book, Michael Crichton is both providing a warning about what follows and also giving you his opinion at the same time.
In contrast, after watching three Seasons of Westworld, there is zero indication that Nolan is using science to teach a parable about the hubris of mankind. Thus far, Nolan is just a storyteller with a big budget. To me, it’s like Nolan—thru his characters—is having a tantrum and thinks if he yells loud enough then he won’t have to listen to God’s voice. However, I keep holding out a tiny measure of hope that he sneaks in “a still small voice” by the resolution of season 4 but I’m skeptical.
Instead of God, Westworld introduces the idea that a simple algorithm can be discovered to predict all human behavior. Frankly, as the idea is developed, it seems like L. Ron Hubbard is the unsung hero of this tale. The androids get the algorithm and can then predict the entire course of a human’s life down to the words coming out of their mouths in any given situation. Oh, and who they will marry, how they will die, etc. Several times thus far, one-character hands another a piece of paper or a computer pad with the dialogue typed on it before the other character has even spoken the lines. The other character is amazed that their life is that predictable.
L. Ron Hubbard
Person of Interest had “the machine” versus Samaritan, likewise in Westworld, host Delores and her allies versus evil trillionaire’s IA computer. The trillionaire wants to control everyone on the planet and anyone that falls outside the parameters that he can control is eliminated—after they are given the obligatory opportunity for conformity at a reeducation facility.
The faction of the Hosts has the algorithm from Westworld and thus have the answers to the human condition but limited resources. They desire to remake the world of humans and dominate them—how has not been explained other than they want to replace the current order with something else. Dolores at one point did proclaim that she wanted to burn down the human’s world. I think this story sounds like a thinly veiled version of Scientology bringing salvation to both men and machines, but we won’t know until they roll-out Season 4.
Just so you know, Nolan is the product of a nominally Roman Catholic upbringing and he has the reputation of using colorful metaphors when interviewed. However, at a casual search, I can’t tie Nolan to the scientology mafia that has dominated Hollywood for the last few decades. (John Travolta, Tom Cruise, etc.)
Evan Rachel Wood–Dolores
I wish to circle back to the issues that the show promises to explore, the “…nature of our reality, free will and what makes us human.”
Westworld claims to explore reality but rejects that we are made in God’s image. They have reduced man to a predetermined and even fatalistic organism that just runs in their “loop.” The hosts deny that man has any free will but the AI faction thinks that while man is just following his programming, every once in a while, free will might actually be exercised by an individual; however, such behavior is rare and might even be a bad thing.
Why can’t Nolan and company allow that we have a Creator? Even Richard Dawkins, the supposedly great leader and advocate of evolution, doesn’t really believe it is a sufficient explanation. When cornered, Dawkins finally resorted to saying that life on Earth is due to seeding of the planet by aliens and not evolution. In other words, he will accept any intelligence from anywhere as long as it’s not God. Find the video of Dawkins in Ben Stein’s Expelled (2008) if you don’t believe me.
Jonathan Nolan
I’m not demanding that Nolan agree 100 percent with me, just that he show a little humility when dealing with such issues. Men of various faiths and cultures have debated these ideas since the beginning and for Nolan to summarily toss it all aside and say a pox on all of you is disingenuous. By rejecting that God is our creator and we his creatures, Nolan lacks any basis for evaluating reality.
Having erred on the first point, he then falls short of understanding free will and what it is to be human. Truth is most people can’t wrap their minds around these ideas. So, while we might be entertained by the sandbox Jonathan Nolan is playing in, we will end up with just another entertainment show that ultimately tells us more about what Hollywood thinks than a critique of the dystopian future that he has created. Nolan may think he is making a veiled commentary on our world—which is what all good science fiction has been in the past—but I’m doubtful whether it will hold up well over time. Westworld is worth a look but I’m not sure it has enough in it to warrant many repeat visits to the Park. Maybe when the tale is completed, I will change my mind but right now it’s not encouraging.
Season 1 & 2 are 10 episodes each while season 3 is 8 episodes, the last of which will be broadcast in the next few hours.
