New Rules (Apologies to Bill Maher)

Well, it has been quite some time, and of course Chaos would apologize to any remaining readers (assuming there are some to begin with), but really, it all seems a bit much these days. It pains Chaos to be right about the US health care system, but what purpose does it serve, after all, to know that if one remains in this country, any medical issues will involve much more funds than one can afford? To know this and remain, it seems, is a willful act of negligence, if not blindness.

At any rate, Chaos now has a few new axioms to live by, having studied multiple issues of massive importance for the last few years, and here they are:

1. Any problem which requires the vast majority of the public to "wake up," "come together," and act in any sort of unified fashion will fail. E.g., peak oil, peak water, peak resources, global heating, driving slower, etc.
2. Any problem which involves disabling or diminishing the influence of large corporate entities will fail. E.g., health care, agricultural reform, regulation of large financial firms, etc.
3. Any problem which requires more than a modicum of understanding by the public (and most especially, the US public) will fail. E. g., all the above examples mentioned, plus drug policy, gun control, and legalization of homosexual rights.
4. Population control will not be mentioned, outside of China, and some doomer blogs.
5. Discussion of the effects of and the eventual exhaustion of exponential growth in use of finite resources is strictly taboo, in all circumstances.
6. Humans will not change unless forced to by changes in circumstances. Changes in actions will always precede changes in attitudes. E.g., we didn't stop overconsuming and borrowing money for same because we figured out it was a good idea, we just ran out of money.

The Merger of Entertainment and Politics

You've seen this already...no words necessary. Just another day in Idiot America.

A Couple Of Visuals To Keep The Mood Going...

The Consequences Of Believing In Fairy Tales

Something Chaos has said for quite some time, in slightly different words, has been confirmed by an actual report. In this article,which wrings its hands about the US' loss of dominance in math and science (itself a rather dated story), we find out the truth, as is often the case, at the bottom:

"Many Americans remain ignorant about much of science, the board said. Many are unable to answer correctly when asked whether Earth moves around the Sun (it does).

They are not noticeably more ignorant than people in other developed countries except on two subjects, evolution and the Big Bang. Although these ideas are organizing principles underlying modern biology and physics, many Americans do not accept them.

“These differences probably indicate that many Americans hold religious beliefs that cause them to be skeptical of established scientific ideas,” the report said, “even when they have some basic familiarity with those ideas.”

Well, Chaos has nothing particular to add to this...

U.S. Chooses Oblivion

Well, this has come to be a perennial event...at international climate heating conference, all Western nations save one agree to specific emissions controls. Whod've guessed the one lonely holdout was the nation with the highest emissions? Once again, an international embarrassment. Here's a couple of juicy quotes to chew on:

“Logic requires that we listen to the science,” said Stavros Dimas, the European Union’s environment commissioner. “I would expect others to follow that logic.” (C'mon, Stavros, don't you realize you're dealing with the US, or more correctly, Idiot America? Science is viewed with suspicion here)

Countries have a choice between a comprehensive agreement or “oblivion”--Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Secretary General.

Just Another Day In Idiot America

Texas Education official fired for circulating email deemed supportive of evolution: you just can't make this stuff up. Fantasy-based thinking trumps reality every time, here in Idiot America. Once again, Chaos is supremely embarrassed to be found living at the epicenter of ignorance.