The Crowhill Journal

In case you don’t remember, new social media site Parler was shut down after the Jan. 6 mess “because of continued posting on the Platform that ‘seeks to incite ongoing violence in the U.S.'” (See Parler Back up After Social Media Platform Shut Down for Over a Month)

People pointed out that Facebook was used far more than Parler to plan Jan. 6, but … nevermind. Facebook is a liberal company and Parler is (allegedly) a conservative company, so different rules apply.

And now, the Facebook whistleblower is confirming that yes, Facebook was just as guilty.

Will anything be done? I’m not holding my breath. I doubt Congress has the courage to go after Facebook and risk losing their campaign contributions.

Pigweed and I are thinking of a new series for our podcast (something related to churches), and to get a sense of whether I could tolerate it or not, I tried to listen to Joel Osteen’s show.

I only lasted about ten minutes, and I felt I needed to bend my brain in a more sane direction, so I looked up a video by Sinclair Ferguson (a very sober-minded Scot). In it, he said the following.

And for some of us who are not blessed with the American perspective on existence but have a Celtic melancholy running through our disposition, and know that our mother would’ve beat the living daylights out of us if we’d ever talked in public about anything that we ourselves have done, you realize that there is a certain discomfort level in [talking about his book].

There are some things in life where you can’t succeed unless you’re willing to promote yourself, and I’ve long recognized that I have competing instincts in that regard. I can and do promote myself, but I hate it, and I only do it half-heartedly.

I’ve also suspected that a lot of my reticence to promote myself comes from my mother — who was English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh. So maybe that confirms SF’s comment about Celts. (My reticence also comes from the Proverbs: “Let another praise you and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.”)

I’ve known many people who, with little talent, do very well for themselves, because they have no hesitancy about promoting themselves, asking for things, etc.

Since a lot of that probably comes from nature and/or nurture, that’s yet another kind of “privilege” that’s very important to a person’s success. (If anyone is keeping track.)

Just saw this.

The jet stream has started an unprecedented shift north, which could wreak havoc on weather in the US and Europe

It’s totally legit to report that warmer air is pushing the jet stream north, which will affect weather. Calling it “unprecedented” bugs me.

I studied geology in college. In geology you think in terms of very long time spans. So when I see claims about some “unprecedented” change, I immediately think “how long has this been going on, and how much data do we have?”

It’s almost impossible to believe that we have enough data on the jet stream to call something “unprecedented.”

Headline writers are in the business of getting your attention — getting you to click. Fear, astonishment, “you won’t believe,” etc., is their stock and trade. But this exaggeration filters into the way we think, and the way we see the world. E.g., it’s not just that weather patterns will change. It’s “unprecedented.”

Some of my data got compromised somewhere out there, and I’ve been getting notifications that I’ve applied for loans, or student loan forgiveness, or whatever.

Norton LifeLock told me I could put a hold on my credit — so nobody would be able to apply for a loan in my name. There are only three credit bureaus, and it only takes a few minutes to place the hold.

Given all the data breaches and nonsense out there, it might be prudent to put a hold on your credit until you know you need to apply for a loan.

This is worth your time.

Imagine you are a nurse who bravely cared for Covid patients for a year — before there was a vaccine. You got Covid. You recovered. You now have natural immunity.

Then the government says you have to get a vaccine in order to keep your job — despite very strong evidence that natural immunity is at least as good as the vaccine.

You might say, “so get the vaccine too, and you’ll be double protected.” (Like I am!)

But people have the right to make their own decisions. I think most of the reasons people are concerned about the vaccine are nonsense, but there may be situations where “hesitancy” (after talking to a doctor) is justified.

Sen. Paul is right to call the administration’s take on this arrogant and authoritarian.

“Shut up and do as you’re told, or we’ll ruin you.”

I want people to get one of the vaccines (with some possible exceptions). But I also want to live in a country where the government has more respect for people’s decisions, and seeks to persuade rather than cudgel.

Another way to put this: the virus is a real and serious threat, and most people should get with the program and get vaccinated. But an authoritarian government is a bigger threat than Covid.