To Comfort The Afflicted
And Afflict The Comfortable

To Comfort The Afflicted And Afflict The Comfortable

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Observercast

Age Of Ignorance

on

BY SHARON MARTIN

Sharon MartinI belong to a prepper group. No, I don’t believe in global conspiracies or the zombie apocalypse. I do believe we all need to be more self-reliant. I don’t believe President Obama is seeking a third term or that he is going to declare martial law. But I’m ready to bug out if I get caught between two wildfires again, like I did during the drought of 2012.

A recent poll showed that more and more people, most of them self-identified as Republicans, no longer believe in evolution. These same folks are convinced that human activity has no relationship to changing weather patterns. What is it about a person’s politics that gets in the way of logic?

We’ve seen it happen before. In the 17th Century, wise women [and some men] were routinely hanged or burned at the stake. They were called witches if they could help you remove a wart or cure a cough.

Then, there was Mao’s Cultural Revolution, where college professors and other educated people were sent to work on farms as part of their “re-education.”

If 98% of scientists agree on something, it can still be wrong, but it is highly unlikely that it is. Human activity and rising carbon levels are changing the face of our planet. Evolution is accepted as fact. Science and knowledge are not the enemies.

If you don’t believe the scientists, believe your own experiences. If you are a gardener, you’ve seen the changes. It’s time to quit looking at the calendar, planting and harvesting according to Grandma’s formula. Instead, pay attention to the jet stream. Some springs will come early and others late. This isn’t your grandmother’s planet.

Ignore the talking idiots on your corporate-sponsored channels and start thinking for yourself. Artificial fertilizers and constant churning of the soil do not make healthy food. The climate is changing, and there’s a pretty good chance that human activity is at least partially responsible. Humans can deny themselves into famine and destruction.

There may be a time when martial law is declared. It won’t be because we elected a black president who wants background checks for gun buyers and insurance coverage for everyone. It will be because our water is too foul to drink and our food distribution system has broken down.

It won’t be because we refuse to post the Ten Commandments in every courthouse but because we have allowed ourselves to be hoodwinked into believing that the rights of a few are more important than the rights of us all.

Start thinking, folks. Embrace logic. Don’t let politics and corporate sponsorships usher in our dark ages.

Sharon Martin lives in Oilton, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer

 

Arnold Hamilton
Arnold Hamilton
Arnold Hamilton became editor of The Observer in September 2006. Previously, he served nearly two decades as the Dallas Morning News’ Oklahoma Bureau chief. He also covered government and politics for the San Jose Mercury News, the Dallas Times Herald, the Tulsa Tribune and the Oklahoma Journal.
Mark Krawczyk
Mark Krawczyk
March 9, 2023
Exceptional reporting about goings on in my home state as well as informative opinion pieces that makes people think about issues of the day...........get a SUBSCRIPTION FOLKS!!!!!!!
Brette Pruitt
Brette Pruitt
September 5, 2022
The Observer carries on the "give 'em hell" tradition of its founder, the late Frosty Troy. I read it from cover to cover. A progressive wouldn't be able to live in a red state without it.