Really Right – Page 77 – Religion, Politics, and Culture: Explained and Defined

Conversations with the Naïve III

Wow, do we have a great one this week, coming live from Safeway in Elk Grove on a Thursday at noon.

While traversing the aisles of said grocery store, I was grabbed by an older lady, around 70. On occasion the thought of being grabbed by an older woman may have its appeal but this was no such encounter. This gal looked at me and said, “You look smart. I need to axe you a question.”
I said, “Your first strike is assuming I’m smart but go ahead, just don’t axe me.”
She looked at the pharmacist and said, “He looks smart right?” The pharmacist nodded in approval. The lady said to me, “Can you believe the shots for the flu are not free here?”
My response was, “Well, this is a business so I wouldn’t expect them to give something away for free.” She looked at me in total disbelief. I added, “Corporations are in the business of making money and I’m not quite sure why she thought it should be provided at no cost to her.” She looked like her mind was in a total pretzel, so I said to her, “Well by no means should I be considered a census of the store. Feel free to poll other shoppers here. Take care and good luck with your free-for-all.” Her last remark was she is going to Kaiser because they give out shots for free.

Holy smokes! There is a lot to unpack here but to keep it simple, this lady should probably not be upright, let alone free to terrorize our shopping centers! It reminds me of a store concept that went out of business by Panera called “Pay What You Think its Worth.” Yes, that same Panera, the group thinkers, thought, well people would pay more to subsidize the people who didn’t want to pay at all, and viola…wrong.

Panera Bread is closing up its last pay-what-you-can cafe in Boston, admitting that the experiment aimed to combat hunger was “no longer viable.”

Link: Panera Bread pay-what-you-can test ‘no longer viable’; last cafe closes in Boston

This lady, I mean, what the hell? Why would you get a shot for free? …Safeway doesn’t even advertise that. By the way this lady didn’t have a cart or basket so obviously she came for the free stuff only. This lady wants people to give, give, give, and she has zero intention of opening her purse! Say what you want about evil corporations, greed, and the like, but Safeway, through parent company Albertson’s employs thousands of people and is a source of their livelihood. Why would they just give things away, no strings attached? Sorry Robert Kraft, before you get too excited, the items with no strings attached here are groceries and shots.

People are completely unreal these days. The sad thing is, here in California, she likely found quite a few people to agree with her that it should be free. This type of thinking from her generation (Baby Boomers) has destroyed what is left of America. First they bankrupted Social Security and put Medicare on a very unsustainable tilt. Now they think everything should be free, but I’m sure the string attached is raising taxes on the working folks (err, the rich)…because they can afford it.

To people like this lady, corporations are evil, and should be driven out of business. Her ilk pay no attention to the number of people employed by said Evil Corporations. This person thinks Kaiser gives out shots for free; mind you….I guess she never became aware of Medicare or health insurance or well, just common sense? Sadly, the latter is in short supply these days.

Now her generation and their likeminded offspring want Medicare for all.

Free stuff for everyone. Isn’t that what our country is, “the land of the free?” The hidden secret is they want everyone paying in to keep the Ponzi going till after they expire then who cares. Perfect example, I pay $420 a month for healthcare. Imagine if the federal/state government got that action every month instead of Anthem Blue Cross?

Enough facts and logic, I would hate to confuse the naïve any further. Hopefully this lady didn’t have time to put out the bat signal in reference to the free shots because I guarantee you that 90-Day Guy and his ilk would have broken every land-speed record to get to their local Safeway.

Krafting Hypocrisy

“The Chief” and I recently held a teleconference in which the main object of discussion was the arrest of Robert Kraft. The mixed messages of this story when viewed with other events in our culture today illustrate a schizophrenia that just can’t be reconciled.

Was Kraft’s Behavior Criminal (allegedly)

In his article, The Chief, took a rather libertarian position on the issue of prostitution. Clearly Florida law enforcement took a dim view of ‘the oldest profession”. Kraft’s arrest was reported about the 22nd of February. But just over a week later (March 3rd), US Senator and Presidential wannabe, Kamala D. Harris, is featured in a Washington Times article advocating for the legalization of prostitution nationwide. She wants Federal law to negate the prostitution laws in all 50 states (57 if you believe President Obama).

Obama’s visit to 57 states

The decriminalization debate among Democrats spilled into the 2020 presidential race last month when Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California said she was supportive of the idea — although the legalization crowd complained that she was still too timid.
It was less than a decade ago that the Democratic Party embraced same-sex marriage and just three years ago that it formally adopted a platform plank to legalize marijuana. Rep. Raul M. Grijalva of Arizona, chairman emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said decriminalizing sex work is on “that same trajectory.”

“But when you are talking about consenting adults, I think that you know, yes, we should really consider that we can’t criminalize consensual behavior as long as no one is being harmed,” she said.
It’s a major shift from 2008 when, as San Francisco district attorney, she called the idea ridiculous.

Link:Kamala Harris gains momentum among Democrats with proposal to legalize prostitution

OK, so Kraft should forfeit his NFL franchise for paying for sex but a serious candidate for US President says if effect, “whatever floats your boat.” How can both be simultaneously true?

Can I See Your Green Card

Next, Kraft’s hospitality providers were specially targeted because the women that entertained him were in the country illegally. Wait just a darn minute! What is the Left always telling us? There are no illegal aliens in the United States. Aren’t we told they are undocumented workers? Aren’t many states including California suing the Trump Administration because he is trying to enforce immigration law? In the name of state’s rights, California is saying, “No” these people are our guests and welcome here. California and many other states assert that you have no right to know the status of people from other places. They want everyone with our borders treated the same.

Look at the hypocrisy in this logic. Does the law hold customers responsible for the immigration status of employees in the businesses that they wish to utilize? Do you ask the cook at your local taco place for his papers before ordering the combo plate with refried beans? When the AAA driver arrives at your roadside emergency, do you check him for a current Green Card and driver’s license before letting him put a new battery in your disabled car?

Given that customers are not responsible anywhere else to know the immigration status of a business’s employees, why is Robert Kraft being held to a different standard? Because he is rich? Because he likes President Trump? Because a guy that old can still need the affections of a woman? Folks let’s face it, when a naked woman is reaching for your manhood, the last thing on your mind is her immigration status.

Conclusion

Robert Kraft is a rich guy that wanted to satisfy his primal urges without any consequences. He has enough people in his past vying for their share of his vast fortune. As such he did what many wealthy people (and Democrats) do all across our great country, he sought out a business that offered a service that “consenting adults” could utilize. As a customer, it is ridiculous that people are trying to hold him responsible for the immigration status of somebody else’s employees. It is more than ironic that the same political party that is carrying the torch for legalizing prostitution nationwide is the same party that runs the county where he was arrested for doing the very thing they want to make legal.

Robert Kraft is being prosecuted by Democrats for doing things that Democrats say should be legal. I think the real problem is that Democrats just haven’t figured out how to tax prostitution, yet they know Kraft can afford the tax, so they are just mad about the lost revenue. Or maybe there just isn’t any unifying logic in this whole thing and they really are just schizophrenic. Michael Savage says “Liberalism is a mental illness” and maybe this is just another example of symptoms to prove his case.

Apple is the Me Too Company

Back when Steve Jobs ran Apple, they were regarded as an innovator in consumer electronics. (Actually it took a $150 million dollar cash infusion from Microsoft and Jobs returning to save Apple a few years after he had left the Board of Directors but I digress.) It was shortly after this period that they began marketing the iPod and Apple Store. A few years later, they came out with their big cash cow, the iPhone.

Now that Tim Cook is caretaker of the Apple brand, the company is much different. They are years behind the competition and shamelessly copying the ideas of leading technology companies and incorporating proven technology into their existing devices.

5G

We have thoroughly documented this in regards to their purposeful refusal to demonstrate or market any true 5G devices in 2019 and beyond. But there are more examples.

Folding Phones

Samsung reportedly supplied a set of foldable displays to both Apple and Google. And if sources are to be believed, the displays delivered to Apple is quite similar to what you see on Galaxy Fold except for the fact that Apple got 0.1-inches smaller in size.

“We know that Samsung Display has supplied a set of foldable drives to Apple and Google in order to fully expand its folder-based display business and uncover customers,” an industry source familiar with the Samsung Foldable Display told ETNews.
Samsung playing a part in Apple’s upcoming foldable device, in turn, rejects the possibility of the Cupertino-based company indigenously developing its own foldable displays and slapping it on the Folding iPhone.

Apple and Google soon to go Fold, thanks to Samsung displays

“Apple has been a leader for quite a long time in a few areas such as Touch ID, Face ID, and easy payments with the phone,” Wozniak said. “They’re not the leader in areas like the folding phone, and that worries me because I really want a folding phone.”
–Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak

Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak wants Apple to manufacture folding iPhone

If Samsung is charging $1,980 for their low end foldable phone, what do you think Apple will charge for theirs?

Unified App Platform

Back in 2017, Bloomberg first reported that Apple is planning to follow this same path as Microsoft to create an unified app platform that will allow developers to target iOS and macOS devices. This project is code-named “Marzipan.”

Report: Apple to combine iPhone, iPad and Mac app development platform by 2021

Marzipan is expected to be revealed in 2021. Given its smaller PC ecosystem, tighter restrictions on diversity of hardware and software, virtualization done on other operating systems (Windows and Android) by other companies, and ability to learn from their competition, Apple is better positioned to attempt this unification. However, they are last to the dance in this area also. This roll-out will be about a decade after a similar announcement from Microsoft.

Apple Ditching Intel

Apple used to make their own CPUs and then gave up and went with Intel products. Of course Apple charged more than other manufacturers for the same hardware. This arrangement has severed them well for over a decade; however, in the last few years, they have decided that it might be time to follow HP, Microsoft, Dell and others and get away from an Intel only model. Next year they are expected to roll-out their first ARM-based MacBook.

We all know that Apple will be replacing Intel processors in their Mac lineup with their in-house designed ARM processors in the future. According to a latest report by Axios, developers and Intel officials have privately confirmed that this transition will start as early as next year. Next year, you can expect Apple to release at least one ARM-based MacBook that can run iOS apps natively.

Apple to ditch Intel processors for MacBooks next year

My Thoughts

Please note that going with an ARM processor for their PCs will make it easier to write code to achieve the goal for a unified app platform; however, currently, ARM processors lack the “horse power” to do intensive computing tasks. Apple might find itself with both ARM and Intel devices needing support. This is something that would complicate their stated goals.

I find that a full program on a PC is much superior to a stripped-down app that tries to do the same thing. I think Apple will encounter some real problems in trying to unify their phone and PC experiences. There is a real danger of “dumbing down” their PC to make it just an extension of their phones. This defeats the reason to have the PC.

Look for them to copy Microsoft and Samsung and allow their phones to hook-up with PC monitors which will also support a mouse and keyboard. Again, a decade after the completion first did it.

Apple is a “me too” company. The irony is that they will claim all the stuff that they copied from others as their new innovations. The Apple faithful, who know no better, will gleefully drink the Kool-Aid from Cupertino.

Robert Kraft is Unfairly Targeted

News broke Friday morning (02/22/19) that New England Patriots owner and essentially a villain to all football fans Robert Kraft was arrested for soliciting prostitution at an Orchids of Asian massage bar in Jupiter, Florida. There was a large press conference, and the police department made it seem as if years of detective work finally took down the Sopranos. Additionally there are way more names to be released and Kraft wasn’t even the biggest customer of this place.

Authorities charged at least 173 people with crimes, including human trafficking and soliciting prostitution. Six people are charged with running the ring.

Link:

Victims of alleged human-trafficking ring that ensnared Robert Kraft were forced to live in massage parlors and perform sex acts, according to police

First of all full stop, this is not the first “massage bar” to be busted by the police as a human trafficking ring, and is far from the last. A Massage Envy in Elk Grove, CA had the same thing happen to it. These places are a hot bed (no pun intended) for this type of activity, a massage place that just opened near my office has a sign when you walk in “We offer no additional “services” do not even ask.” It’s even a big running joke with most guys; oh I’m going to a massage parlor, looking for a happy ending.

SO in total about 200 names are going to be dropped, with charges forth coming and I don’t really know why. Let me lay out my case….

First of all Kraft just like any other man decided to engage in a sexual activity at a business, and it sounds like it wasn’t his only trip, I don’t see an issue here. Before you play the morality card, let me add Kraft is obviously in a weird state of his life. His wife died about 7 years ago, he has partied with strippers, hung out with rappers, and even started wearing a gold chain….he is clearly self-destructing. He went to this place for a little rub and tug, and while definitely he has no sense of morality, I don’t see a crime. This won’t play well but I see a nothing burger here, move along and focus on the real criminals in this case.

While he may have engaged in the sex act, it took 2 to tango and sadly this is the part the media doesn’t want you to hear. Kraft is widely seen as a villain, his Patriots have won like 20 Super Bowls in the last 21 years, so he is a manufactured villain. Time to take him down. I remember these conversations in my childhood, ‘life isn’t fair”, “takes 2 to tango”….however that doesn’t apply today, the generation in charge now including the police chief, DA and others in South Florida are ignoring the bigger picture to snag the “big one.” How come no charges have been announced against the owner? What about charges against those holding the girls against their will? The girls were supposedly kept there and not let out, and silence? Your detectives installed cameras, but you didn’t try to save the girls? Just catch Robert Kraft, a pro golfer, the head of Citibank’s banking division, and so far a bunch of no names? This is the type of backward thinking that has become common over the last 10 years, it’s not about identifying the criminal; instead, it’s about ensnaring the biggest catch. I guess public relations is a path to better funding next fiscal year.

The problem is Police, District Attorneys and judges have far too much power, and it is not more obvious than this! Actually I hope someone has a good answer for why surveillance went on so long. If you think people are in danger you get them help ASAP. If you’re wrong, apologize, pay a sum to settle and move on. In this case, how come we haven’t arrested the human traffickers? Many men are behind this, and a few women too. It’s a horrible crime but it doesn’t feel right making Bob Kraft out to be the bad guy here. The crimes are no laughing matter but seriously? This is how low we have stooped as a country? Completely ignoring Jussie Smollett and his half-baked crime?

I just see an old man helping out a local small business. Kraft also makes for great headlines, Spygate…Deflategate….now……Tailgate? Additionally, why does everyone say they “look forward to their day in court?” People actually look forward to that? When I hear that I mark down guilty.

Kraft also openly supports President Trump so I wonder if this is political payback for his support of Trump. Clearly, the league favors the other party.

UPDATE
It has come to the attention of this blogger that there is a movement underway to make Mr. Kraft sell his team.

Regardless of the eventual outcome in the investigation in general or Kraft’s case in particular, this is an opportunity for the NFL to live up to the moral standard it touts so fervently. Sports writer Jane McManus called on Saturday for the NFL to ban Kraft from the league if the allegations are true…

Link:

Robert Kraft’s arrest is a chance for Roger Goodell to show the NFL is serious about its morality policies

Apparently we live in Soviet Russian where the governing powers can just force you out with little notice. I think there is a racial element at play here. 90% of the NFL players are black, the owners are overwhelmingly white, and players can be suspended for conduct such as DUI, domestic violence, drug/gun charges and the like, owners really cannot be. This reeks of a way for the players to punish someone who is without a doubt is one of the most popular owners in football with fans in the “New England Area.”

Stay tuned folks,

“The Chief”

Tesla Stock Tanks

Facing a cash payment of over $900,000,000 that is due and payable today (March 1st), yesterday Elon Musk took to Twitter and announced that Tesla was reshuffling the deck chairs. Tesla announced that they were eliminating their brick and mortar showrooms and opting for an online only purchasing option. Buy now and take delivery in June, (he hopes).

Tesla also announced that it is shifting sales worldwide to online only to “achieve these prices while remaining financially sustainable.”
“Shifting all sales online, combined with other ongoing cost efficiencies, will enable us to lower all vehicle prices by about 6% on average, allowing us to achieve the $35,000 Model 3 price point earlier than we expected,” the company said in a statement.
“Over the next few months, we will be winding down many of our stores, with a small number of stores in high-traffic locations remaining as galleries, showcases and Tesla information centers,” the statement continued. “The important thing for customers in the United States to understand is that, with online sales, anyone in any state can quickly and easily buy a Tesla.”

Tesla unveils $35,000 standard Model 3, shifts worldwide sales to online-only

Somehow this attempted misdirection was supposed to make Wall Street forgot that a huge chunk of their cash reserves evaporated today.

Tesla Inc. (TSLA – Get Report) shares traded sharply lower Friday after founder and CEO Elon Musk said a move to offer a cut-down version of its flagship Model 3 sedan will likely result in a first quarter loss, only weeks after telling investors he would turn the clean energy carmaker into the black.

“Given that there was just a lot happening in Q1, and we’re taking a lot of one-time charges and there are a lot of challenges getting cars to China and Europe, we do not expect to be profitable in Q1,” Musk told journalists on a conference call late Thursday. “But we do think that profitability in Q2 is likely.” That view was reiterated in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday.

Tesla Extends Declines as $35,000 Model 3 Unveiling Raises Q1 Profit Questions

After my last post on February 6th, I was given a lot of grief about being pessimistic on Tesla but three weeks later their shares went from an opening of $316.50 on 02/06/2019 to a close today 03/01/2019 of $294.79.

Please note the share price yesterday on the graphic as opposed to today’s close.

Elon is also being accused of violating securities laws because of his behavior yesterday.

Tesla short-seller Gabe Hoffman says Elon Musk broke security laws again

Highlights of the video above include:

Tesla Model 3 sold 6.5K in January and < 6K in February
Car production is fixed price, how can they move their prices around and still make a profit?

Other Tesla news can be found below.

Tesla to shell out cash for big $920M bond payment

Tesla’s cash flow numbers after this bond payment are going to get very difficult: Gasparino

Elon is keeping it afloat but his empire is listing badly and the bleeding continues.

Cold War Tome on Socialism More Relevant Now

If you want a cold, honest assessment of socialism you will not do any better than David Chilton’s forgotten book, Productive Christians in an Age of Guilt Manipulators. Written at the height of the Cold War (1981), it is more relevant now than it was when he wrote it.

I have owned my copy of the book since I met David back in 1989 but I never read it. Why? Back in 1989 is when the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union collapsed. I considered reading it back then, but we thought socialism, like the Soviet Union, had been disgraced and relegated to the scrap heap of failed human experiments. Sadly, like a bad movie or a fatal case of cancer, socialism is back.

One reason that I like reading the book is because Chilton is far removed from the current controversies raging in our country. This makes him a disinterested party free from opinions on Bernie Sanders and A.O.C. He is looking at the facts of socialism from a philosophical and historical perspective.

David goes further by not just describing the disease but the cure. In his writings, all things are measured by Scripture including governments and their ideas. On its surface, the book is a rebuttal of a “Christian Socialist” named Ron Sider.

I’m not done with the book, but I just had to blog on it after reading the excerpt which I quote below.

Envy is the greatest disease of our age. It is often confused with jealousy and covetousness, which have to do with wanting the possessions and privileges of others. Envy is much more insidious – and deadly. Envy is the feeling that someone else’s having something is to blame for the fact that you do not have it. The principal motive is thus not so much to take, but to destroy. The envier acts against the object of his envy” not to benefit himself, but to cut the other person down to his own level-or below. The American Puritan divine Samuel Willard defined envy as “a man’s repining at his neighbour’s Prosperity, looking upon himself to be Hurt by it.” In his massive study of envy, Helmut Schoeck points up this central factor: “the envious man’s conviction that the envied man’s prosperity, his success and his income are somehow to ‘blame for the subject’s deprivation, for the lack that he feels. ‘ It can be summed up in Pierre-Joseph Proudhon‘s famous epigram: Property is Theft!

This explains why “Envy and Malice are inseparable”; as we can see from the example in Genesis quoted above, the envier’s goal is destruction. Henry Hazlitt writes: “The envious are more likely to·be·mollified by seeing others deprived of some advantage than by getting it for themselves. It is not what they lack that chiefly troubles them, but what others have. The envious are not satisfied with equality; they secretly yearn for superiority and revenge.”

And it is this envious, destructionist mentality, nursing itself on the notion that ”your wealth is the cause of my poverty, “that is the basic ethos of socialism. For socialism does not…..and cannot – build up capital. It seeks only to expropriate or destroy the capital of others. It exalts a malignant, misanthropic disposition into an article of political economy, a machine for tyranny. Socialism is institutionalized envy.
Pages 139-140

David Chilton’s book can be found here

Productive Christians in an Age of Guilt Manipulators

The PDF file is a free download from the publisher. If, like me, you like the dead tree version try searching Amazon.

David Chilton Wikipedia page

Paid Family Leave: Conservatives Invited to Join the Darkside

Wednesday, I was browsing my email account when this gem from former Pennsylvania US Senator, Rick Santorum, showed up in my IN Box. Folks, when I read it, I had about the same reaction that I do when Chef Gordon Ramsey is pillaging a restaurant’s walk-in refrigerator on Kitchen Nightmares.

I wanted to hurl.

Santorum claims to be a conservative; however, a quick internet search reveals that “These days, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is a senior analyst on CNN…”

The email in question stated that Santorum has started a campaign to get Conservatives on board with supporting paid family leave. Rick apparently is proud to attach his name to this idea. “Little Marco Rubio” is also attached to this venture. Here is a screenshot of the email from Santorum.

Santorum’s email promoting Paid Family Leave

Santorum, like the Republican Party in California, has jettisoned the old notion of less government and exchanged it for more tyranny. Apparently the old adage “if you can’t beat ‘em…” still rings true. When “conservatives” are offering more government as the solution to the problems created by government, then you know that something is amiss.

Folks the entire concept of paid family leave is nuts. The only reason that women must work is due to the confiscatory taxation of our population. If you added everything up, half of what you earn goes out in taxes of one form or another. If you don’t believe me, just make a list. FYI there are about 30 different taxes on your telephone. I don’t even think the “Sith Lord” could list them all but he’d probably get closer than our average reader.

What real Conservatives believe or at least they used to, is that you should keep more of your money because you can spend it better than someone in Washington or Sacramento.

The idea that a Conservative Political Action Committee (C-PAC) would ever give Santorum, Rubio & Company a place at their event is proof that their values are eroded.

In case you went to public school or weren’t paying attention, we threw the British out of here in 1776 because of a three percent tax! Boston Tea Party ring a bell? The cry was “Taxation without representation.” So how has the “taxation with representation” worked out?

Oh, speaking of three percent tax rates, that was the maximum tax proposed on the very rich in 1917 when the temporary tax called the Federal Income Tax was adopted to pay for our involvement in World War I. Again, how has that taxation with representation worked out?

Many years ago, I did contribute to Santorum’s failed Senate re-election bid. In light of recent events, it’s a good thing he lost. If this is what it takes to stand out in Republican circles these days and gives you the “street cred” to claim the conservative mantle then Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell aren’t the only guys stinking up the once Grand Old Party.

Oh, if you check Rick’s website, they are talking about letting you tap your Social Security Trust Account to pay for this. No, really.

The plan is relatively straightforward — new parents could borrow against their future Social Security benefits by taking up to twelve weeks of payments after the birth of a child.

Link: Rubio’s pro-family, conservative family leave policy promotes stability

Back in the last year of the Bush Administration, I looked up the government’s statistics on unfunded mandates of the Federal Government. Social Security was the lion’s share of underfunded mandates totaling about 55 trillion dollars and now “Little Rubio” wants the snowflakes to tap it? Great idea.

I like President Trump but apparently he supports this idea too.

If this does get implemented, how much will you bet me that the Democrats find a way to take all the credit? This has been one of their pet issues for many years.

Hey Rick, way to throw the next generation under the bus by claiming to save them. Oh wait, I sense another government program on the horizon to fix this mess…

Review: Bob Dylan a Spiritual Life

Recently, I have found myself reading more books and watching less television. Cord cutting has the advantage of not distracting me as much with nonsense. For those in the “snowflake” generation, a B.O.O.K. is also known as “Bio Optical Organic Knowledge”.

Background

In the last few weeks I read two books about the same era that have a remarkable amount of overlap. I started with Larry Norman: Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music. This book is about the original Christian rocker. The book discusses the good, the bad, and the ugly of the music industry and also Norman’s very flawed and human trek thru this world.

Larry Norman: Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music

Norman got his musical start in the 1960’s in San Jose, CA. In the early days he shared the stage with Janis Joplin and many other names that you might recognize. He eventually moved to Los Angeles and made a name for himself. In the book you learn about Norman’s street preaching, Bible study, and other endeavors. I highly recommend the book.

So you may be wondering why I start with Larry Norman in a discussion about a Bob Dylan book. Because their lives are incredibly linked together.

The Apostle Paul spoke about spiritual growth in these terms:

For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
I Corinthians 3:4-7.

Larry Norman sowed many seeds that grew and matured which eventually touched Bob Dylan’s life in a way that only God can. Larry is never mentioned in the Dylan book and that is a shame because the two men clearly knew each other, if only at a distance.

Norman includes Dylan in his song, Song For A Small Circle Of Friends which he released in 1971. Why Dylan is part of this “small circle” remains unsaid in either book.

Dear Bobby watch your fears all hide
And disappear while love inside starts growing,
You’re older but less colder
Than the jokes and folks you spent your childhood snowing.

And Someone died for all your friends
But even better yet, He lives again.
And if this song does not make sense to you,
I hope His Spirit slips on through,
He loves you

Link: Lyrics–Song For A Small Circle Of Friends

An example of their intersecting worlds is the Bible study that Norman started in Los Angeles in the late 1960’s. This study morphed into the church that Dylan attended prior to releasing his Slow Train Coming album in 1979. Other people and actions in the Norman book impact the life of Dylan or those around him. Other folks that are common to both men and in ways most unexpected include Billy Graham, President Jimmy Carter, and Jews for Jesus.

Another interesting overlap of both men’s worlds is not documented in either book. Larry Norman produced an album of up and coming Christian musicians. On that album was a track by Leslie Phillips called Beyond Saturday Night. Leslie’s first LP was later released and titled Beyond Saturday Night but was a different studio recording of the same song. Leslie released four Christian albums before changing her stage name to “Sam Phillips” and “going secular.” As this transition was happening in her life she married a fellow named T-Bone Burnett who was a member of Dylan’s touring band and frequently played with Dylan over the years. T-Bone converted to Christianity while touring with Dylan.

Enter Bob Dylan

After completing the Larry Norman book, I ordered the book Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life by Scott Marshall. Cost $16.95

The publisher describes the book as:

Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life bridges the gap between purpose and meaning in grand fashion. It offers readers an informative, entertaining, and nuanced look into Bob Dylan’s spiritual odyssey. Today, there is not a Dylan book in existence that exclusively focuses on his spiritual odyssey through years of research and original interviews with those who know him and his journey well, such as Barry Beckett, Arthur Blessit, T-Bone Burnett, Carolyn Dennis, Dave Kelly, Regina McCrary, Maria Muldaur, Scott Ross, Jerry Wexler, and Paul Wasserman. The evidence abounds and Dylan’s friends and fans provide a plethora of insight into this veritable music icon’s spiritual side.

The book is exhaustively footnoted and generally follows Dylan’s career in chronological order.

Dylan Controversy

Many folks in Christian circles have voiced their concerns about Dylan and his profession of faith.

The two songs that come to mind as critiques of Dylan are Steve Taylor’s title track from 1984, Meltdown and Dave Edward’s 1981 song, Commercial Suicide.

Elvis and the Beatles have seen a better day
Better off to burn out than to melt away
Dylan may be fillin’ the puddle they designed
Is it gonna take a miracle to make up his mind?
–Steve Taylor

Additional Info: Steve Taylor: Meltdown

He was the prophet of a generation
They watched his every cryptic verb
People everywhere in every nation
Would bow and worship every word

He gave them songs and made them wild with passion
They would leave his name is history
Then he sang a little out of fashion
And so he gave them one more mystery

And then they cried – Commercial suicide…
Watch how you say it
We’ll never play it
–Dave Edwards

Additional Info: Dave Edwards: Commercial suicide

Dylan the Good Stuff

From reading A Spiritual Life what you discover is that Dylan’s story is confusing, not so much for what he says, but more for what those around him want to be true. Often what you’ve heard about Dylan is what others are projecting onto him and not his words.

Scott Marshall does a good job of separating the wheat from the chaff. He looks not just at Dylan’s words but his music to show that Dylan is actually rather consistent. Dylan will respond to stupid interviewer questions with obtuse answers but when treated respectfully he can be rather forthcoming about his faith. When it comes to Dylan’s answers about his faith, however; the words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Matthew come to mind, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Many folks just don’t understand Dylan’s answers and their Biblical references.

After reading the book, I not only think I have a grasp of where Dylan is spiritually but can understand his point of view.

Marshall has responded to the criticisms of Dave Edwards and Steve Taylor (quoted above) and his answer is one that I appreciate. If you want to meet the man behind the mystique then Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life is well worth your consideration.

Thoughts on “Kill It and Grill It”

On internal combustion vehicles, the front end is often called “the grill” because it has an area that allows air to flow thru the radiator to cool the engine. But now Californians may mean something entirely different when talking about their automobile and “the grill.”

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Get ready to break out your recipes for roadkill. Eating wild animals killed by a car could soon become legal in California.
State Senator Bob Archuleta introduced a so-called “you kill it, you grill it” bill at the Capitol this week.
The bill reads, “each year it is estimated that over 20,000 deer alone are hit by motor vehicles on California roadways. This translates into hundreds of thousands of pounds of healthy meat that could be utilized to feed those in need.”

Kill It And Grill It? Roadkill Could Become Legal To Eat

Ok, so thought number one was the parody that Rush Limbaugh did many years ago on the subject. He illustrated serving roadkill with a parody of diners eating the special of the day at mythical Furs Cafeteria. About the third day of running the parody, he got a polite cease and desist letter from Furr’s Cafeteria letting him know that they were offended. Rush had to alter the parody as a result.

Furr’s claims it doesn’t really serve roadkill

In the old days roadkill was given to jails and prisons as a way to supplement the menu. Since Jerry Brown let so many felons out of prison without serving their sentences (over 50,000) maybe this is the Democrat’s way of making them feel at home in the “real world.”

However, there is more to this juicy story…

UC Davis has maintains a website documenting roadkill incidents across California.
In 10 years, the California Roadkill Observation System has recorded 60,000 cases of roadkill collisions, mostly with deer.

Ok, color me shocked. Did you know your tax dollars were hard at work funding the California Roadkill Observation System? Is the guy running this vital government agency a double major in environmental studies and traffic engineering?

Please note that you’ve been paying for this for at least the last ten years. Does that mean Arnold Schwarzenegger authorized this boondoggle too?

Next please note the math in this story. Bob Archuleta claims there are 20,000 deer killed each year on California highways while the taxpayer funded California Roadkill Observation System claims that 60,000 animals—mostly deer—have been murdered by passing autos in a ten year period.

Using Bob’s statistic, we should expect over 200,000 deer to be killed in a ten year period. That sounds like we are supposed to celebrate deer genocide by destroying the evidence that there were ever any deer in California.

As a former deer hunter, I’m saddened by this issue. In many parts of the state, deer are almost as scarce as jack rabbits these days and now government is trying to give you an incentive to run over them with your car. Need a bambulance?

Bambulance–Actual 9-1-1 call

The bill, notwithstanding any other law, would authorize (a) a person who unintentionally strikes and kills a deer, elk, antelope, or wild pig on a roadway in California with a vehicle to recover, possess, use, or transport the whole animal and salvage the edible portions of the animal…

Link: Will Californians Eat Roadkill For Dinner?

The bill is discriminatory in several ways.

First, after hitting a deer with my vehicle, how does anyone know what my intent was? The only other witness to the carnage (good word choice in this context) is dead.

Second, besides a town baring the name, are there any antelope in this state?

Third, this bill discriminates against other species of animals commonly hit by vehicles and consumed by groups living in the state. Rabbits, coons, and possums come to mind. But why stop there? What about cats and dogs? If they can’t stay on the leash and happen to wok in front of you then aren’t they fair game too? Cows and horses are both consumed in this state and occasionally wander in front of vehicles as well.

I personally have hit one dog, one cat, two owls, one pheasant, at least one snake, and a possum since getting my license at age sixteen. Oh, the owls and pheasant were all airborne when the fatal blows were struck.

If you look at the economic direction of this state, are they anticipating a time when we will be like Venezuela and need to eat anything we can grill just to survive? Is this the end-game of healthcare for all and other utopian ideas?

Lastly, don’t you find it curious that vehicle insurance statistics are not cited to prove the widespread slaughter of furry mammals by motorized vehicles? We are all required by law to have our cars insured so clearly hard numbers exist as to the actual number of such collisions that occur annually.

Oops Google Puts Microphones in Nest Gizmo But Didn’t Tell You

For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Luke 8:17

For those of you that think you have privacy any more, here’s yet more proof it’s an illusion.

According to a new report, Google “unintentionally forgot” to mention the existence of a microphone on the Next Guard. The report mentioned that Nest users were unaware that the Nest Guard comes with a microphone as it was not mentioned anywhere including the website and the spec sheet.

Oh, Google’s justification was:

The spokesperson also mentioned that the on-device microphone was never on and is only activated when users specifically enable the option. Moreover, Google stated that they added the microphone as a way to allow for future developments and to add more security features to the device through software updates.

Google hid a microphone in Nest devices, never told anyone about it

In early February, Google announced that its home security and alarm system Nest Secure would be getting an update — users could now enable its virtual assistant technology, Google Assistant.
The problem: Nest users didn’t know a microphone even existed on their security device to begin with.
The existence of a microphone on the Nest Guard (which is the alarm, keypad, and motion sensor component in the Nest Secure offering) was never disclosed in any of the product material for the device.
On Tuesday, a Google spokesperson told Business Insider the company had made an “error.”

Link: Google says the built-in microphone it never told Nest users about was ‘never supposed to be a secret’

OK folks, pop quiz, what else has Google or someone else put a microphone in without telling you? Your “Smart TV” or gaming console? You mesh network gizmo?

Isn’t there enough microphones in your house already?

Cell phone
Smart watch
Laptop
Children’s toys

Plus any speaker not in use can also act as a microphone. Think stereo, clock radio, television, sound bar, etc.

Please note that Google only needed a software update to turn on the microphone and that means others with ill intent could access it too.

Somehow when Jesus spoke those words in Luke, I don’t think he had Google in mind however, I guess we don’t have to wait until judgement day any more for our private deeds to be made public, just get the wrong organization or nation state to pay attention to you and the future can be now. Jesus tells us that we will be condemned by what comes to light and I’m sure that would be true in this life as well.