Story Lines

Story Lines

Charlie Earl

Sports reporters are similar to their senseless counterparts who cover “serious” news. They behave like lemmings and follow the compelling story line of the day. Be it “Harbowl,” “Sibling Rivalry,” or “The Brother Bowl,” the Super Bowl reports about the contest between the San Francisco Fortyniners and the Baltimore Ravens will be dominated by the relationship of their respective coaches. Reporters and story lines go together in the same way that piranha fish and floundering water buffalo’s do. As the frenzied fish are feasting on the unfortunate critter, other significant foods sources may be floating down the river but the single-purposed mindset of the fierce amphibians causes them to ignore it. Reporters and so-called journalists grasp a story line and follow it to absurdity while other more relevant ones may be ignored.

As a former instructor for journalists and reporter wannabes, I can attest that many lack the two most critical attributes that are vital for disseminating the news to citizens. Those are curiosity and the thirst for knowledge. Many people in the news and sports realms are grossly ignorant, unaware of their ignorance and stay that way for most of their careers. What little curiosity they do possess is wasted on meaningless and salacious inquiries that do nothing to truly inform the public. We are presented with a series of worthless “facts” that do not expand our field of knowledge nor do they elevate our discourse. Titillating scandal sells papers and opinions delivered as facts are broadcast into the homes of gullible viewers. What passes for news is more accurately labeled as commentary or gossip meanwhile too many of our citizens are captivated by the irrelevant and lulled by the unimportant. In defense of the “news” industry it is impossible to inform us of everything that has occurred in any given day. It is just as difficult to make us aware of every important activity of any day so why do they waste our time and theirs by including fluffy feel-good feature stories when there is too much “hard news” to fit into the coverage window? The gate keepers determine what stories are worthy of our attention.

The guardians of the republic, the gatekeepers, decide what stories to print or broadcast (or cablecast or dishcast) and determine their positions of importance relative to the other events of the day. The editors and producers are the gatekeepers of information in the papers, on the newscasts and the webcasts. If the event is consistent with their storyline or agenda, it will receive a prominent position in the news. If not, the event may not be covered at all or relegated to an obscure position. Just like the Congressional staff members control the flow of information to our exalted leaders, the gatekeepers manipulate the “news” that we see or hear every day. Governments at all levels also function as gatekeepers. That is why we have classified documents, secret negotiations and enabling legislation. They rightly fear that full disclosure may incite the peasants. Just like grammar-school children, they revel in their secretive positions because it enhances their power over you and me. How can we legitimately complain when we lack all “the facts?”

The primary difference between government and media gatekeepers is their access to or willingness to acquire information. Although many in government may not possess all the information and details about a given event or law, they nevertheless believe they know enough to warrant its secrecy. The media, on the other hand, rarely know enough and even more rarely question the existence of hidden facts and information, but they filter what they do know through an ideological prism. Secrets, therefore become more insulated because politicians wish to protect their legacies and journalists wish to shield the political class….. or they might lose “access” to the power brokers. Together they form an unholy alliance of gatekeepers to surround the citizens in darkness and insulate themselves from accountability. What a deal! It may be time to charge the gates and wrest the power of information control from the current holders of the keys.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

Liberty's Leeches

Liberty’s Leeches

Charlie Earl

Leeches are bloodsuckers, and generally are considered to be parasitic and unhealthy. Historically leeches were vital components of medical care because they were used to drain “malevolent” blood from diseased or infected bodies. Progressives and statists are very similar to leeches in the political sense because they lure us with their life-saving prescriptions but ultimately drain our vigor away once they become firmly attached to our political body. Just like their biological counterparts they cannot self-regulate when sucking the blood of a nation. They do not recognize that when they consume too much of the vital liquid, the patient will die. The blood they consume is liberty, and the more they ingest the closer the United States of America moves toward death.

Perhaps a hundred years from now if we continue at our current pace of government growth, there will be a United States of America. It will not be the same nation we have today, nor will it in any shape or form resemble its founding. The only “united” aspect of the nation will be the citizens’ fear and loathing of their malevolent overseers. The only “states’ element of that country will be a series of arbitrary lines with no distinction among the various geographical sectors. “America” will simply be a hemispheric reference rather than a word that triggers dreams and hopes for desperate people across the planet. “America” as an idea or a promising vision will join the ranks of Shangri La and Nirvana as imaginary or mythical destinations for those who are burdened and damaged by reality of living in an oppressive state. Medieval medicos would apply a leech or two upon the afflicted area. If the infirmed did not improve quickly enough, more leeches would attached around the offensive area.

The ancient medical practitioners failed to understand the circulatory nature of our vascular system. Thirteenth century Arabs had some rudimentary knowledge of the nature of the circulatory system, but it wasn’t until the 16^th Century that William Harvey outlined the interconnected and comprehensive nature of the system. Today… there are many voices crying about the ignorant practice of too-big government’s leeching. Meanwhile the huge government apparatus at all levels….local, state and national….are sucking the life-blood of freedom from our republic and its people in numerous ways and by multiple means. Prohibitions and mandates compete for our unfailing compliance.  The leeches are everywhere and each little evil organism is taking a portion of our liberty. Even when we successfully remove one or two of the nasty blood suckers, a host of them remain.

So…who are the fake doctors and false shamans who are applying the leeches to our nation’s body? They are numerous, relentless and powerful. The first among equals are the professional politicians who spend their lives running for offices to “solve” the very problems they create. Their susceptibility to emotional appeals, their willingness to embrace special interests and their burning lusts for power merge together to drive them to diminish our liberty while improving their own fortunes….political and financial. Every little notion can be transformed into a great and necessary idea if a career politician senses an advantage from pursuing it. No idea or meddlesome regulation is too small for consideration if the politician will be hailed as a “savior” by some insignificant interest group or mammoth corporation.

The ants in the dirt otherwise known as the bureaucracy are indefatigable in their leeching of our freedom. As individuals they may be nice, generous and reasonable people, but in the aggregate each bureaucrat in his or her own sphere rules, regulates and mandates without a clear understanding about what other leeches in other departments, bureaus and agencies are doing to suck the blood out a robust body. Each little leech or rule may not provide the tipping point, but when combined, they leave a bloodless corpse. Millions of little ants across the nation are leeching the life’s blood from our people.

Other people…present company excepted… are inadvertently placing the blood-sucking annelids all over the body politic through their incessant demands that “government do something.” It could be a bicycle trail in the township, a new “bypass” highway in an urban center or an offensive grope and search regime at the nation’s airports. When citizens (and sometimes non-citizens) demand action, the ants and their careerists seek opportunities to comply, and thus, drain away a few more drops of our life force….our liberty. There are many other types of leeches that we’ll save for a later rant. Crony capitalists and lobbyists are two notable examples, but for now we must apply the tourniquet, remove the offending worms and renew our blood supply of freedom. Leeches are no longer considered sound medical practice, and we must ban them from our national body as well.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

cearlliberty@gmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

 

  

Cool Illusions,Cruel Reality

Cool Illusion, Cruel Reality

Charlie Earl

Frankly I’m sick and tired of “hip and cool.” Perhaps that’s because I’ve never been either of them and I’m somewhat jealous of those who are. Or it could be because I’m a notoriously slow adopter of trendy notions. For example…I bought my first (and only) green leisure suit in the mid-eighties long after the trendy fashion statement had faded into obscurity. It seems as if I’ve spent my entire life two beats behind the prevailing drummer. Of course…I’ve never had much rhythm...lousy dancer. I’m not certain if my attitude reflects my disgust with those who chase “the latest new thing,” or with my own doubt and self loathing because I’ve never been able to catch the trend.

My “un-hipness” extends to areas other than fashion such as contemporary entertainment. “America’s Home Videos” seems to be the opening salvo in our current obsession with “reality” television. I’ve watched it once and thought it vapid. I’ve not viewed “Idol” or any of its numerous copycats. “Glee” was my program of choice for one episode, and I watched it because it was suggested by a friend. News, business and sports comprise my viewing portfolio with occasional escapist trips into RFD-TV and “Booknotes” on C-SPAN 2. Actually, aside from Buckeye sports, my only “can’t miss” program is “Presley’s Country Jubilee” on RFD-TV, Saturday evenings at 7:30pm (EST). I also enjoy “Larry’s Country Diner” and “Country’s Family Reunion” on that same channel (#345 on DirectTV). Each and every day my appreciation grows for the old traditional entertainment and programming. Patsy Cline and Marty Robbins are still great stars in my unhip cavalcade.

As I have grown older, my desire to be “current” has been replaced by disdain for the “new.” I can’t decide if I’m similar to Walter Matthau in “Grumpy Old Men” or more like Clint Eastwood in “Gran Torino.” The Lennon Sisters, Rolling Stones and I are older now, and I suspect that our priorities may have changed. I know mine have. I no longer lust for Janet Lennon nor do I wish I shared Mick’s sexy appeal. They are both old… just like me. Today Janet (who is my age) appears appealingly matronly while Mick seems ludicrous (not the rapper, Ludacris). I wonder if my retreat into the traditional memories may be simply a mechanism for coping with the rapid change that confronts me, or is it a recognition that some things of the past that I previously dismissed really do have value?

Most of us love or know someone who is in the grasp of Alzheimer’s, dementia or senility. We compassionately express our sorrow about the circumstances and assume that the experience may be much more difficult for caregivers and loved ones than it is for the afflicted one. In those instances that have personally affected me, the patients frustration at being unable to recall recent events was painful to observe, but when the individual retreated into an historical memory zone, the attitude, the demeanor or the confidence they exhibited was precious. For me…the saddest part of these excursions into the past was that I was not a part of them. It’s as if I were a plant or an uninvolved observer who was witnessing an event from long ago.

Some people have managed to survive childhoods filled with horror and agony. Do they… if they slip into the foggy universe of dementia, relive the terrors of times long past? Or do they recall more pleasant occasions? Do they enjoy the cool illusions of make-believe memories or are they once again confronted by cruel realities? Maybe those of us who fondly recall the pleasantries of our past are merely loading our memories for the gentle slide into yesterday. I really don’t intend to be maudlin, but sometimes I wonder if memories can be God’s tender gateway to blessed eternity.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

cearlliberty@gmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

   

Moving Forward

Moving Forward

Charlie Earl

My goal for the three previous columns was to pique your interest about a source and method for generating electricity that outperforms our present system in a number of ways. You can probably detect from my writing that I am neither a scientist nor an engineer. I am a curmudgeonly commentator who has a passion for liberty….nothing more. So why jump off my usual path of ranting and raving about government perfidy and inefficiency? It is because the cause of liberty needs many tools to prevail. One of the stronger devices in our toolbox is The Constitution of the United States, and while it has been abused, twisted, distorted and perverted by statists and politicians over the years the 9^th and 10th Amendments remain intact if only in principle.

The federal (more accurately, the national) government has grown beyond its capacity to fulfill its role as a servant of the people. It has become a tyrannical master who fears the people and attempts to control us. If we are to retain some semblance of our nation as the Framers designed it, then our best hope lies with the individual states as our catalysts for liberty. State politicians, aside from lusting to be national politicians, are no braver or wiser than their federal counterparts. The more independent each state can become in self-sufficiency, the better the odds that our leaders will muster the courage to “face down” the federal monster. The politicians and bureaucrats at the state level may not feel compelled to surrender our liberty in return for federal crumbs if we have the will…and the wherewithal to stand alone.

We in Ohio are blessed by having fresh water sources on three sides of our nearly-square state. A close look at our aging and rusting former industrial infrastructure will illustrate that we manufactured products from Cincinnati to Steubenville to Youngstown to Toledo. Our western counties are the breadbasket of Ohio. Their rich black soils sit on the eastern edge of the famous Corn Belt. The western Ohio bounty is varied and rich. Towers from grain elevators dot the horizon and giant farming rigs toil the fields. Cattle, swine and a number of useful species roam the feedlots of our state. Scattered throughout the Buckeye State, entrepreneurs and workers create, build and market an uncountable number of products and services. We have it all….or at least, we have enough to subsist.

Energy is abundant here, and we can leverage that abundance into a rebirth of our former industrial might. We can develop new and better source of energy generation so that the power of our energy exports will elevate our basic subsistence into prosperity. Thorium/LFTR technology can be the lever that frees our natural gas, coal and oil industries for “best use” applications or export. As you visualize Ohio, you will note that we have several urban centers that are ripe for a more regionally-based placement of electrical energy generation. Youngstown-Alliance-Ashtabula; Cleveland and its burbs; Akron-Canton-Massillon; Mansfield and the NC Ohio sector; Toledo-Findlay; Dayton and its surrounding communities; The Queen City and her neighbors, and the southern and southeastern corridors. Each area can enjoy the benefits of cheaper energy, abundant power and surging prosperity. Our 210 mile by 240 mile square of bounty could enjoy an explosion of opportunity for every citizen of our state, those who have left to find jobs can return, and our children may choose to stay here.

This effort to use the genius of Thorium/LFTR power generation as an impetus should be a slam dunk, no brainer move for Ohio. Political correctness such as wind and solar have captured the imaginations of the politicians and bureaucrats although LFTR is much cheaper and extremely more efficient with a much larger production capability. Legislators must be informed, then prodded and held accountable. Citizens and service clubs must hear the story. The Coalition of Freedom was formed by patriots who discovered the power of LFTR/Thorium to significantly improve our lives. They are willing to lead the educational charge and the legislative efforts, but they cannot do it alone. You as stakeholders in our state’s future must be aware and be unstoppable. Speak with your civic clubs and patriot organizations, and encourage them to invite a Coalition of Freedom officer or Thorium/LFTR expert to address an upcoming meeting. The ball will not roll unless we push it first so let’s get the ball rolling for Ohio’s (and other states’) energy independence.

Coalition of Freedom:  www.coalitionoffreedom.com

Energy From Thorium Foundation:  www.th90.org

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

cearlliberty@gmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

  

The Reactor

The Reactor

Charlie Earl

In our two previous columns we provided an introductory overview and a closer look at Thorium as an energy source. Some mode of processing is necessary to transform Thorium from mere particles of soil into a reliable energy source. A reactor is needed, but not the huge dome-like structures we see dotting our horizons. The Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR or “lifter”) can be a much smaller version than its monstrous cousin. Although not too hip, the LFTR is a much cooler dude than its hotter uranium-based counterpart. Cooler is better and less dangerous for local communities than is the current technology for nuclear electricity generation. Although nuclear energy has an amazing safety record, the echoes of Chernobyl still linger and decrease the opportunities for developing new plants. LFTR technology using Thorium as a fuel source can allay the fears of many and meet our power requirements.

Once again we turn to our legion of buddies on Wikipedia to explain the differences:

Reactors that use the uranium-plutonium fuel cycle require fast reactors to sustain breeding, because only with fast moving neutrons, the fission process provides more than 2 neutrons per fission. With thorium, it is possible to breed using a thermal reactor. This was proven to work in the Shippingport Atomic Power Station, whose final fuel load bred slightly more fissile from thorium than it consumed, despite being a very neutron inefficient reactor type (Shippingport was a fairly standard light water reactor). Such thermal reactors require much less of the expensive fissile fuel to start and have a slow, gentle response in power changes.

It’s that “slow gentle response in power changes” that illustrates a primary safety-related aspect of the Thorium/LFTR union. A LFTR malfunction will cool down rather than meltdown. A recent illustration might be the Japanese reactors that were affected by the tsunami. When the operating situation was radically altered by atmospheric conditions and structural breaches, the units moved into meltdown and critical mass modes before technicians or operators could fully shut them down. In other words…the soup continued boiling after the stove was turned off. The LFTR reactor’s natural state is to cool down rather than accelerate the heating process.

The safer aspects of LFTR technology are advantageous when locating the power plants. Because the plant cools down if it malfunctions, it does not have to be located adjacent to bodies of water as do our present nuclear plants. Smaller units can be constructed to serve smaller geographical areas thus providing an extensive backup or redundancy if a plant had to be shut down for routine maintenance, expansion or any other reason. As a consequence, the cost per unit, transmission costs and power losses are reduced. Each unit would require a much smaller footprint than the present plants, and would not disturb a community’s community aesthetic appeal. Some experts in the field believe that it may ultimately be possible to construct smaller units that might serve a huge industrial plant, an industrial park or perhaps a subdivision. Safety and savings will be radically enhanced when our power generation is in not concentrated in a very few vulnerable locations. 

There are multiple side benefits that accrue when LFTR technology is utilized.

Fission products of a LFTR include stable rare elements such as rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, xenon, neodymium, molybdenum, zirconium and cesium, which are relied heavily on in modern electronics and industrial processes. Xenon is easily removable during normal operation since it is a gas and has a low solubility in the fluoride fuel salt. The radioactive isotopes of xenon decay quite quickly leaving radioactive cesium behind, which is easily separated from the stabilized xenon. Xenon and krypton, the remaining noble gasses, can be readily separated by their mass or boiling point (cryogenic separation) after the initial short term decay holdup period. Xenon-136 has high value in physics experiments

Conventional reactors consume less than one percent of their uranium fuel, leaving the rest as waste. With well working reprocessing LFTR may consume over 99% of its thorium fuel. The improved fuel efficiency means that 1 tonne of natural thorium in a LFTR produces as much energy as 35 t of enriched uranium in conventional reactors (requiring 250 t of natural uranium),^[6] or 4,166,000 tonnes of black coal in a coal power plant.

More efficient, safer and more flexible are reasons enough for supporting LFTR technology. Cheaper to construct, lower transmission costs and numerous application possibilities are mere icing on the cake.

Energy From Thorium Foundation: www.th90.org

Coalition of Freedom:  www.coalitionoffreedom.com

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

cearlliberty@gmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com