Reply To: Idiot of the Year

[Gurnelista]

Just Iron wrote:

Just come in so haven’t taken in the replies to my last post. Maybe in the morning. Meanwhile ….

Hi Gurney You made 4 points so I’ll answer each one then add a bit more.
1. The idiocy was never about ‘not making good decisions’. It was about the most powerful and influential man on the planet making a series of awful, abysmal ones.
2. Energy. The Green New Deal. Yep. You nailed it. I disapprove ..almost to the point of despair .. of Biden’s Green energy policy. (My first real ‘outing’ in the bag, Gurney). A policy that helps to plunge hundreds of millions ..not just in the USA but across the Globe.. into energy poverty and distress; that enhances Putin’s capabilities; that gives unbounded joy to the CCP; that not only doesn’t help the environment but actually makes it worse. Genius!
3. Sidey may differ from me in some perspectives but he definitely shares my advocacy of fairness. You might ask yourself, Gurney, why all your contextual skills and undoubted intellect go sailing down the Swanee whenever my faith comes into view. For example … why did I refer to Feminist voices on Afghanistan. Is it because, as you said, my focus is solely on Christians? Are you under the illusion that Feminists mainly advocate for the disciples of Jesus? The idiocy in Afghanistan was that it had all the hallmarks of a woefully uninformed and hastily conceived grab for a ‘political trophy’ with scant regard for women, minorities, those who helped the allies … and ‘apostates’ now fleeing death because of their Christian faith. To pull troops out first! Idiocy. To leave allies scrambling! Idiocy. To leave tens of billions worth of state of the art weaponry. Idiocy. To consider the Taliban honourable and reliable partners. Idiocy. To signal to nasty, malevolent regimes across the Globe that the US is either naïve or spineless. Idiocy. I think you catch my drift.
4. No. I don’t endorse criminal behaviour. Whether it is storming Capitol buildings, looting and torching black owned stores and businesses, influence peddling for millions of Chinese lucre or fabricating narratives to discredit political opponents I am firmly on the side of accountability. It’s not for nothing that Justice wears her blindfold … and so should we all be impartial and consistent in our zeal for truth and justice.
Finally …. The Big Reveal. Have I ever mentioned that I am a Christian.? Probably.(Groan) I believe in the sanctity of human life and so am not a fan of abortion. I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I believe that there is such a thing as a man and a woman. I believe in social justice. I celebrate the wonderful racial and cultural diversity on the planet. I love freedom of thought and freedom of speech. I believe in respectful and honest discourse. I don’t believe in labelling or mocking or cancelling people who have different opinions. And I’m probably more to the right than the left … with a bit of movement in between on some issues. Thats me out of the closet .. if I was ever in it.

So, that’s quite a plea, JI! Let’s summarise:

You think Biden is not just an idiot but idiot of the year, because:
a) You don’t like his decisions (n.b. this isn’t a REASON for idiocy, it’s your own opinion of his premiership).

b) You don’t like his policy on decarbonising the biggest energy consumer in the world, and weaning the country off fossil fuels because it implies poverty for the many. Yet, not to pursue that policy means even greater and more serious threat to the denizens of the world. Well, in short, what’s needed is a new politics whereby the poorest nations don’t pay for the consequences the richest nations’ consumption habits. Carrying on as we are would be to ignore the consequences of climate change, which really would be idiotic.

c) You think Biden should not have completed the process of withdrawal from Afghanistan which Trump started, because human rights of all kinds were being violated by Taliban. I rather think he’d be damned if he did and damned if he didn’t withdraw. It’s a thankless task either way, particularly as the troops’ presence wouldn’t be able to guarantee safety. But my main point is that being caught on the horns of this dilemma and choosing either option, is not a qualification for idiocy.

d) Unity and reconciliation? Your plea doesn’t mention it other than to say there should be accountability. So, where does Biden’s alleged idiocy enter into it?

Incidentally, as a practising Christian you might take issue with the expression ‘fossil fuels’. Fossils are usually over 10,000 years old, considerably older than the bible suggests for the age of the earth. How on earth does a practising Catholic reconcile that?

As for the final flood of virtuousness at the end, it’s all very nice. But, it’s also quite general – for example ‘freedom of speech’ could well be interpreted to mean freedom to disparage and lie about whoever and whatever you like! Abortion? Well I’m not a “fan” either. I don’t think anyone is a “fan” (bad choice of words), but I respect a woman’s right to choose. A deafening silence from you on the death penalty tho’.

I hope you can practice what you preach, but the wobbles over the need for decarbonisation and unity do raise serious doubts.

No further questions.