Epiphany 1: Who Are You Fighting For?
May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace! ~Psalm 29
Who Are You Fighting For?
There are no emergencies. There are only simple next steps.
Idolatry is in the details, especially in the era of the weaponization of information.
Wisdom calls for insight, especially in an epoch of variation, shadow, and constant change.
The active blocking of informed consent, the intentional obfuscation of early treatment protocols, the half-million preventable deaths, all labeled disinformation by "The Trusted News Initiative," the international de-platforming service of the BBC. Meanwhile, the highest court in the land scatters fake news in the full assurance that retractions are always in fine print and after the damage is done.
If you don't believe in the devil, it's time to start. If you don't pray to Jesus, it's time to admit that you should.
The line between us and "them" is getting more obvious. Will you break out of the mass formation hypnosis and say something about it?
Brace yourself. It's hard to break the silence. Because the fear is in your belly, and your belly is the greatest liar of all.
There are no emergencies. On the narrow path of following Christ, there are only simple next steps, and they are always clearly lit.
Till angel cry and trumpet sound,
The Mad Christian
Clickbait Paradise
Mass disinformation neurosis
If you've been listening to the Mad Christian lately, you might have heard the term "mass formation psychosis" mentioned more than once. Folks who promulgate the theory suggest that pandemic restrictions have created perfect conditions for people to fall under the spell of mass formation.
The theory requires that a few things be present before mass formation can occur. When there is fear in the air, people willl put aside their rationality and do as they are told. Add social isolation to the mix, as well as a steady stream of confusing information and the will to go against the flow erodes away.
While the term "mass formation psychosis" has been doing the rounds in conservative corners of the internet, Google and its media allies tried to scupper the theory's credibility. Even conservative commentators took umbrage at the idea, arguing that the culpability of bad actors is diminished if their behavior is a result of losing their minds. Surely, they say, there are more plausible explanations?
A recent read through E M Forster's "The Machine Stops" from 1909 reminded us that nothing is new under the sun. Forster's sci-fi novella is one of those which could have been written today. In a dystopian future, humanity is living beneath the ground, having ravaged the planet (to make pulp for newspapers). They are distracted by novelty, trusting The Machine to cater to their every whim. The Machine hums in the background of their lives and mediates their existence through tubes and wires.
Physical contact is shunned, as is the terror of "direct experience." Images are preferred over the real thing and "first hand ideas" are considered dangerous. All is safe, predictable and comfortable, with people spending their days collecting ideas and communicating through glowing discs. It doesn't cross their minds to go outdoors, nor spend time with others in-person. But when trouble comes, they are unprepared.
While this is not a mirror image of our times, the vision of humanity joined together only through technology is striking. How did they become so isolated and dependent on a machine? One character realizes there are benefits to meeting together, as he begins to question his existence. The joy he experiences as he leaves his small room and uses his hands to dig his way to the surface is a metaphor Mad Christians will understand intuitively.
Whether or not you feel that mass formation explains our moment, the things we re-discovered in these long months are treasures found in the darkness. The value of fresh air, of human touch, of quiet and unhurried times, to think and discern - these will always be circuit-breakers when madness is raging. Time spent praying the Psalms and being in church is an antidote to the white noise. But not everyone is awake. Some won't want to hear that they can face the future without fear, but we should tell them anyway. Throw a wrench in the machine.
Blind spots
President Biden repeated his mantra that COVID is a "pandemic of the unvaccinated". Whether he truly believes that or is using fear as a way of controlling people's behavior is not clear. However, the amount of changes in messaging lately makes us wonder. During hearings for arguments against the President's vaccine mandate, Justice Sotomayor made the wild claim that 100,000 children were hospitalized with COVID. Even the progressive fact-checkers were baffled. As with the President, we wonder if she truly believes that, or if she just wants to ratchet up hysteria for who-knows-what-end.
A study has found that patients who experienced severe "breakthrough" cases of COVID had at least one underlying risk factor, such as age or a compromised immune system. There were more reports that New York hospitalization admissions have not been accurately recorded. Prime age mortality (ages 18 to 49) was up quite a bit in 2021, with the majority of deaths from causes other than COVID. The more information we are reading, the way forward looks a lot like what some voices were calling for from the beginning: protecting the vulnerable and letting others go about their lives. This sensible approach might have prevented the fallout from lockdowns and mandates that we will be dealing with for years to come.
After saying they need 75 years to release all their COVID vaccine data, the FDA has been ordered to share everything by the end of the year.
A Texas university has developed a new patent-free COVID vaccine.
Breakthrough cases
It would seem that slivers of sense keep breaking through the white noise. CNN is late to the party, finally warning that obesity is linked to COVID deaths. One of the creators of Astra Zeneca's COVID vaccine has pointed out that it is not sustainable to vaccinate the planet every 6 months. Israel has decided to halt the roll out of a 4th jab as has the UK. The Washington Post noted that former government advisors are saying we should learn to live with the virus rather than trying to eliminate it, questioning the administration's "vaccine-centric" approach to the pandemic.
But President Biden is largely continuing his set course, heavily hinting at COVID shots for preschoolers. Georgi Boorman argues this could shatter parents' trust in vaccines.
Various school districts have decided to close schools to in-person learning, but even the New York Times and the WashPo are realizing this is a bad idea. Whether government officials and corporate media can now undo the climate of fear they were pivotal in creating remains to be seen. As Mike Solana pointed out in his recent blog— we have all been changed and breaking habits formed in fear is difficult. Keep going, Mad Christian! More than ever, we know that God's word is the objective source of truth we need. When all around us gives way, His strong word is our sure foundation.
Anyone for tennis?
The World's Number 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic was detained by border officials after landing in Australia last week. While he had been granted an exemption to compete in the Australian Open by the event's organizers, immigration authorities were not satisfied that he met COVID standards.
While politicians are trying to blame each other, they have painted themselves into a corner. To let him play sets a precedent that will test Australia's insane COVID rules, but to boot him out loses revenue and face for the folks who gave him the green light. Organizers of other Grand Slam matches say they have no issue with Djokovic, even France which has made a point recently of alienating unvaccinated citizens.
Djokovic has refused to disclose his vax status but has previously spoken publicly about being against the jab. His legal team have produced evidence that he recovered from COVID last month. Game, set, ... and hopefully match!
Blame game
Last year's Capitol riot was solemnly commemorated by the Democrats (and a few Republicans) but Americans might be a bit tired of hearing about it. President Biden blamed Trump for inciting the mob and Former President Trump blamed Biden of indulging in "political theatre". While VP Harris said January 6th was on a par with the World Trade Center attacks and Pearl Harbor, Glenn Greenwald pointed out that our elites may have lost all perspective.
As with the pandemic, climate change, and "domestic terror," nebulous perils give rise to "threat inflation." A casual survey of human history shows that ramping up the fear is a way of justifying more surveillance, censorship, laws, and government control.
While no one in the crowd that day appears to have been charged as an actual insurrectionist, there are a whole lot of questions about who really agitated the mob. Although trying to obstruct lawmakers at their work is wrong, it is certainly not the preserve of the right-wing. We can pray that lawbreakers are punished and that justice is done in our nations, wherever we may be.
Booms and crashes
Mortgage rates are heading upwards again, after setting record lows in the last few years. There was a little freak out over new rules for payment apps, such as Venmo and PayPal. The IRS will require tax information for vendors who complete $600 or more worth of transactions in a year. Grow explains that the rules which, kicked in at the beginning of this year, are aimed at taxing the cash economy. The rules apply to side-hustle earning, not personal payments.
A $740bn military spending bill was approved by the House and signed into law by the President.
Reuters says the Biden administration is considering fresh rounds of pandemic stimulus. Does he know that criminals stole nearly $100bn of COVID relief?
Beef anti-trust
The Counter has examined government efforts to boost competition in the meat industry. Currently four large companies control the majority of meat production in the US. Counteralso dive into trends in farmland consolidation and what that means for water rights.
The Department of Agriculture has come under fire for recent changes to its labelling rules. Genetically-modified ingredients will fall under the term "bioengineered."
Russia is here to help
Russia continues to make headlines, after President Tokayev of Kazakhstan requested help to quell unrest in his country. Russia has many interests in its southern neighbor, including its oil reserves and nuclear testing sites. It is also in Russia's interests to not let Kazakhstan become unstable or collapse. Key security officials have been ousted from the Kazakh government.
The nation is home to 15% of the world's Bitcoin miners, after many were ejected from China during Beijing's crypto crackdown last year.
Given Russia's sketchy history of stirring up trouble, we hope Kazakhstan knows what its doing.
Headlines from far away
A baby boy lost during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has been reunited with his family.
A series of attacks were reported in parts of the Middle East. The attacks appear to have been revenge for the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general who was killed in a US drone strike in 2020. In Baghdad, however, US defense systems successfully staved off a drone attack on an American military base.
Sudan's Prime Minister has stepped down amid unrest, leaving the military in charge
Quick Hits for the Eyebuds
🎿 Off the beaten-track: An insane ski run
🦈 Texas had its own fish-nado
🌩️ Researchers say there was less lightning during lockdowns
🚸 Why did the goldfish cross the road? Because it could!
⤴️ If emojis were drawn to scale
🐾 American Kennel Club recognizes two new dog breeds
🍯 Winnie-the-Pooh is now public domain
🦀 A thieving crab snips through a golf club
🚨 Trippy: strobe optical illusion
🔭 The James Webb telescope has left the building/planet
🤖 The best of 2022's CES tech
🚜 John Deere revealed its autonomous tractor, which might be a little more useful than...
🚘 ...BMW's color-changing car
🏗️ An in-depth look at the collapse of the Champlain Towers
⌨️ Super-fast keyboard: 500wpm
☕ A pro-life coffee co.
📝 Here's some crazy things one man learned last year
A Good Word: Rec's from the STWN
Here's this week's roundup of mentions from this week's episode of Stop the White Noise.
The Carnivore Diet by Shawn Baker
Wild Things by Stephen James and David Thomas
We listen to the end- The Wednesday What-Not by Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller
And then, in addition to the always open invitation to visit Rockford, IL, the Rockford Walk for Life is happening this weekend. Join St. Paul!
Promo of Friends
This week, Dr. Koontz was a interviewed by Pastor Jason Braaten from The Gottesdienst Crowd podcast. As recommended by Rev. Fisk, listen in to Dr. Koontz talk about persecution and being a Christian. It can be found on the Gottesdienst website or wherever podcasts can be found.
Sweetness You May Have Missed
Fix Something (The Year that Will Be)
Let us pray: O God, by the leading of a star You made known Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles. Lead us, who know You by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.