July 20th, 1969.
Fifty years ago today, Neil Armstrong stepped out onto the lunar surface. Showing utter grace and class, he claimed this achievement on behalf of the entire the human race.
Prior to that, Buzz Aldrin silently read John 15:5 and took communion. The first prepared meal on the moon was in remembrance of Christ. The first book read on the moon’s surface was God’s Word.
The moon landing was particularly stunning when one considers that the first flight took place less than 66 years prior.
The United States sent 5 more manned missions to the moon. Having made the point, practical considerations asserted themselves, and we’ve since focused on far more cost effective unmanned exploration of our solar system and the current orbital program. The current orbital program has reaped enormous commercial benefits, and will continue to do so.
Will we go back to the moon? Murmurings by the current administration point to that possibility. There is no practical reason to go back, of course. Establishing colonies would take centuries to yield anything resembling a return on such a titanic investment. We haven’t even made recycling aluminum cost-effective here on Earth yet. Shipping minerals from a quarter of a million miles away is presently out of the question.
The sole motivating factor is the People’s Republic of China. They’ve managed to take their own giant leap, thanks in part to the technology they managed to steal from us during the 90’s. The thought of them landing on the moon and returning our flag back to us is horrifying.
A Nation Divided
As I write this, my heart is wrenching from my chest. Someone I care about, someone I respect, someone with who I deployed posted an article with the following headline this past week:
TRUMP IS A RACIST. IF YOU STILL SUPPORT HIM, SO ARE YOU.
His comment: “No doubt in my mind!”
I’m not going to link to it, provide the website, or mention the author.
For some reason, the algorithm saw fit to send this to my feed. I did not respond to the person on whose page I found this, and I never will. Because it just wouldn’t do any good. We’ve come to a point where we are all simply calcified in our belief systems, and presenting mountains of evidence to the contrary is akin to casting pebbles at Sarzanello Fortress.
Here are my issues with this:
If everyone with whom you disagree is a racist, then everyone is a racist. And if everyone is a racist, then no one is a racist. Racism used to actually mean something: a deep-seated belief that your race is divinely ordained or genetically destined for dominance. True racism will falsely rely on the Word of God or Darwin’s Maxim to justify such beliefs. After all if “God” or “Science” is on your side, then who could possibly justify their opposition to you?
And Now On To These Yahoos.
From left: Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib hold a news conference on Capitol Hill, July 15, 2019. (Erin Scott/Reuters)
The strategy is simple. If the Marxists can convince the rest of us that The United States is systemically flawed, then they can gain the power necessary to replace it with something else.
Fortunately for our nation, the unforced errors of these four are endless. We could go on about their lack of understanding of economics, ordered liberty and the rule of law. And yet with all that, they’ve committed the most unforgiveable transgression possible in public life. They’ve become boring. Hope you all enjoy getting primaried.
The genius of the Founders was their ability to come to terms with Human Nature. Attempting to create a perfect society always leads to mass purges and tyranny. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, God save us from those who would take away our liberty for our own good.
The Founders anticipated that we will always be beset on all sides by those who will grind their boot into our face “for our own good.” That’s why the Constitution is above all else, a limit on the government’s power.
Reflect on this correlation: the nation that at its founding imposed limits on it’s government sent a man to walk on the moon less than 200 years later.
More Food For Thought.
Let’s give credit to our Nation where credit is due. The United States underwent an excruciating reformation 1861 – 1864. By some estimates, 680,000 mostly young men died. If the shedding of blood is truly required for the remission of sins, then by any measure the United States has paid for its sins.
The culture of this nation is one of constant self-examination and self-improvement. To those that assert that America is inherently racist, go pound sand.
Selah
I didn’t know that either, I was living in Venezuela at the time with my for babies they were 18 months apart each. I was so busy I didn’t know if I was coming or going! But it is something how in life you do get to know what happened even if it’s many years later! Thanks for sharing!