Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami: We Are All Mortals, Our Planet Fragile


A powerful nation lies in ruins--entire areas scooped from the map. A huge wave barrels across the broad Pacific damaging the western United States. Fear rules supreme as the possibility of nuclear calamity chills the soul as a damaged power plant could face meltdown. Buildings collapse, trains vanish, boats disappear, and people die. Such is the fate of Japan, March, 2011. One of the world's most powerful, well-prepared nations is rendered helpless by the most powerful earthquake ever to hit the nation that knows tremors all too well. Only four quakes have been recorded stronger.

The extent of the Sendai earthquake with multiple after shocks each one of which would normally rate being recorded as a quake of note cannot be fully explored as news accounts are flowing in at a maddening pace. Calling the situation overwhelming is pure understatement.

As if prepared in advance ready for immediate publication, the ideologues are at it again. How shameful it is that the so-called progressive movement of pseudo-scientists, babbling academic elites, and self-obsessed journalists were so quick to make the bold pronouncement the this horrible cosmic tragedy was somehow the result of human activity. Give it time and the sick fear merchants like Glenn Beck and Alex Jones will come up with some insane story line to blame the quake on some secret plot of the planet's puppet masters.  Religious nuts from Islam and Christianity will find reason to affirm the Japanese are being punched by God for some insane reason. For the record, is same sex marriage legal in Japan?

In a world of people obsessed with their sense of self importance and a public hair triggered to assign blame for the most arbitrary reasons, what is so true seems so elusive. There are and always will be earthly and heavenly occurrence's far beyond human control. The most certain thing we all share is that we all will die. The universe is full of phenomenon far more powerful and sweeping that the tiny little human soul can grasp. We stand helpless to forces from beyond like routine sunspots and solar cycles. Our planet can produce furies beyond any technological intervention -- hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanoes, blizzards, and earthquakes among the nastiest.

We can only prepare; we cannot prevent. Still pompous environmentalist blowhards who fail to understand the limits and politicalization of science will continue to make their false sweeping proclamations. Haters like Alex Jones stir up their gullible, ignorant, fearful subjects to believe our government has weaponized the weather and that the government plotted Katrina as an pretense for the government to disarm citizens and throw citizens in to FEMA internment camps.

Sadly, the great natural catastrophes kill the innocent and wicked alike. Just as nature will always have its way, sick human beings will never accept our human limitations to control and explain its power.




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