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Robert Canright

Jurassic Park and the end of Progressivism

An important fact that we all need to understand is that the foundation of progressivism is dead.  Progressivism is a form of socialism espoused by President Woodrow Wilson and all the Democrats that have followed in his path.  The basis, the foundation, of this progressivism is the belief that by having political control and enough power, then paradise on earth can be attained by experts in the Administrative State wielding the power of science.  Progressives place enormous faith in science, but the foundation of this faith is gone.

We need to explain to the liberals and socialists that progressivism is dead and they need to abandon it.

In this short article I will quote Michael Crichton expounding on this point within his novel Jurassic Park.  It is a real treat to see such a profound idea laid out in a novel.  The following quote is from pages 350-351 of this book.  The scientist Malcolm speaking to the Jurassic Park owner, Hammond.

"But now," he continued, "science is the belief system that is hundreds of years old. And, like the medieval system before it, science is starting not to fit the world anymore.  Science has attained so much power that its practical limits begin to be apparent.  Largely through science, billions of us live in one small world, densely packed and intercommunicating.  But science cannot help us decide what to do with that world, or how to live.  Science can make a nuclear reactor, but it cannot tell us not to build it."
...
"At the same time, the great intellectual justification of science has vanished.  Ever since Newton and Descartes, science has explicitly offered us the vision of total control.  Science has claimed the power to eventually control everything, through its understanding of natural laws.  But in the twentieth century, that claim has been shattered beyond repair.  First, Heisenberg's uncertainty  principle set limits on what we could know about the subatomic world.  Oh well, we say.  None of us lives in the subatomic world.  It doesn't make any practical difference as we go through our lives.  Then Godel's theorem set similar limits to mathematics, the formal language of science.  Mathematicians used to think that their language had some special inherent trueness that derived from the laws of logic.  Now we know that what we call 'reason' is just an arbitrary game.  It's not special, in the way we thought it was."

"And now chaos theory proves that unpredictability is built into our daily lives.  It is as mundane as the rainstorm we cannot predict.  And so the grand vision of science, hundreds of years old -- the dream of total control -- has died in our century.  And with it, much of the justification, the rationale for science to do what it does.  And for us to listen to it.  Science has always said that it may not know everything now, but it will know eventually.  But now we see that isn't true.  It is an idle boast.  As foolish, and as misguided, as the child who jumps off a building because he believes he can fly."

"This is very extreme," Hammond said, shaking his head.

"We are witnessing the end of the Scientific era.  Science, like other outmoded systems, is destroying itself.  As it gains in power, it proves itself incapable of handling the power."

Here are the key points from this dialog.  These are direct quotes:  (1) Science has claimed the power to eventually control everything, through its understanding of natural laws.  (2) And now chaos theory proves that unpredictability is built into our daily lives. (3) And so the grand vision of science, hundreds of years old -- the dream of total control -- has died in our century.

Do you see that with the death of the dream of total control comes the death of progressivism?  This is huge revelation for our society, but we are not spreading the news like we should.

This is a point of hope!  We have hope that we can turn our liberal and democrat friends and neighbors away from the delusion of progressivism by explaining how it is intellectually bankrupt, that progressivism is a false dream.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
ISBN 978-0-345-53898-7
Ballantine Books: New York,
copyright 1990

 

1787 -- The Last Time a Convention to Amend our Constitution Was Called

 Here is the text of the last call for an amendments convention.

Resolution of Congress, February 21, 1787

                 Whereas there is provision in the Articles of Confederation & perpetual Union for making alterations therein by the Assent of a Congress of the United States and of the legislatures of the several States; And whereas experience hath evinced that there are defects in the present Confederation, as a mean to remedy which several of the States and particularly the State of New York by express instructions to their delegates in Congress have suggested a convention for the purposes expressed in the following resolution and such Convention appearing to be the most probable means of establishing in these states a firm national government.

                Resolved that in the opinion of Congress it is expedient that on the second Monday in May next a Convention of delegates who shall have been appointed by the several states be held in Philadelphia for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation and reporting to Congress and the several legislatures such alterations and provisions therein as shall when agreed to in Congress and confirmed by the states render the federal constitution adequate to the exigencies of Government & the preservation of the Union.

 Reference:  On pages 13 and 14 in “The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787”, volume III, edited by Max Farrand, Yale University Press, 1966  https://www.amazon.com/Records-Federal-Convention-1787-Vol/dp/0300000820/

 Notice these important words:  “…for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation …”

 

New York Times Attacks Tucker Carlson

The New York Times (NYT) hates Tucker Carlson so much that they ran a huge attack piece on him.  You can go to your public library and look for the Sunday May 1, 2022 issue of the New York Times.  American Nationalist by Nicholas Confessore starts on page one and continues across many pages.  This is one of the largest articles I have ever seen.

The online version of the Sunday NYT hit piece is dated 4/30 and is in three parts.  Here they are.  You will probably need a subscription to read them:

American Nationalist: Part 1
How Tucker Carlson Stoked White Fear to Conquer Cable
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/30/us/tucker-carlson-gop-republican-party.html

American Nationalist: Part 2
How Tucker Carlson Reshaped Fox News — and Became Trump’s Heir
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/30/us/tucker-carlson-fox-news.html

American Nationalist: Part 3
Inside the Apocalyptic Worldview of Tucker Carlson Tonight
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/30/us/tucker-carlson-tonight.html
This is an audio-visual tour

Anyone the NYT hates this much must be doing good our country.  I will now start watching Tucker Carlson on Rumble ( https://rumble.com/ ).  I just searched on "Tucker" inside of Rumble and I see they have episodes of Tucker Carlson Tonight. 

Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty

 Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty is engraved on this statue (click on the image and it will enlarge)

The quote, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty," is usually, but erroneously, attributed to Thomas Jefferson.  Researchers have attributed a longer version of the quote to John Philpot Curran (1750 – 1817):

"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." – Speech upon the Right of Election for Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1790, as quoted in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations

Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations, ed. Suzy Platt, provides a cross reference to the first known appearance of the quote in its shorter form, in a speech by abolitionist Wendell Phillips in 1852:  "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

There you have it:  the famous quote, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty" is not originally from Thomas Jefferson, but from the abolitionist lawyer Wendell Phillips.  

See this article for all the details:  Eternal Vigilance by Anna Berkes (https://www.monticello.org/site/blog-and-community/posts/eternal-vigilance)

Blade Runner Death Scene - like tears in the rain

The science fiction movie Blade Runner has a great death scene.  The android played by Rutger Hauer is dying and says these words:  

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die."

When he dies, he releases a white dove that flies heaven-ward.  An effective scene, very well done.

Here is a nice article about these lines:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tears_in_rain_monologue

Bush's Words after 9/11

 After the 9/11 terrorist attack on the twin Towers in New York City, President George W. Bush spoke these words on television from the Oval Office.

Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.  These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.

These are profound and meaningful statements.

You can see him say this in the Netflix documentary, Turning Point.  He says this in episode 2, past the 30 minute mark.