"I am for a government rigorously frugal and simple. Were we directed from Washington when to sow, when to reap, we should soon want bread." -- Thomas Jefferson
Something amazing happened starting around June 21st of this year in the Northern Hemisphere. Some called it, "unexpected" while others said it was "unprecedented". What was this event? Well, in the real world, we call it Summer. And its been happening longer than man has lived on this planet.
The days get longer, temperatures rise, the oceans get warmer, and the jet stream sometimes gets wonky, leading to some odd weather in unexpected places. Having been around some time, I have watched this cycle come and go.
During the Summer of 1980, a high pressure system camped over Texas. In Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, high temperatures exceeded 100 °F (38 °C) a total of 69 times, including a record 42 consecutive days from June 23 to August 3, of which 28 days were above 105, and five days above 110. It was freakin' hot!
Why do I remember that Summer so well? I was an industrious lad growing up. I had two older sisters, and working parents of modest means. Which meant if I wanted anything, I had to work and earn money to buy it. I loaded hay on trucks, mowed lawns, did extra chores, babysat for neighbors - kids not babies, I even published my own satirical newsletter - The Daily Freak. Which at the height of its popularity, had a distribution of well over 3 - but it did have fantastic pass-along numbers.
As soon as I was old enough to work a "real" job, I jumped on it. I was 15. It was a full service car wash, and I started at the bottom - drying cars. I quickly moved up to steaming cars, which was the brief spray down to remove the tar, dirt, and oil near the wheels. This was especially difficult work in Summer. Its 100 degrees, no breeze or clouds, and the water exiting the wand is a blistering 200 degrees. Needless to say, you can't do this job in a swimsuit.
I don't know how much weight I lost that Summer, but I do remember catching something called Prickly Heat, which is similar to a heat rash. Not fun at all. They later let me move around to the vacuum station, and driving the cars - which was really cool, since I did not have a license yet!
There really has not been a Summer that compares to 1980 in my lifetime. For my parents it was the 30s (Dust Bowl 1930-36). And that's really the point. You judge weather events by your own experience. And if you are just 15, its likely a slightly warmer Summer to you is the "hottest ever" that YOU have experienced. But the Earth was here LONG before you were, and will be here LONG after you have gone.
The weather pattern was finally broken by Hurricane Allen hitting the Texas coast, bringing much needed rain, and cooler temperatures. It was the first hurricane to make landfall in Texas in 9 years.
I say all that just as a foundation for the people who think whatever happens TODAY is the worst/best/fastest/highest ever. And, what you experience locally, may be drastically different elsewhere. At a time when Texas is enduring a Summer heatwave, England may be enduring torrential rains and an "unprecedented" cool Summer. While in the Southern Hemisphere, they are dealing with a rare snowfall In Johannesburg. The Earth is huge and full of weather surprises all four seasons. Summer comes, Summer goes. There's truly nothing new under the Sun.
For those who skipped school to protest the Sun with Dr. Greta - the itinerant dropout princess, Summer is when the Earth tilts toward the Sun, either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. This means they are receiving MORE energy from the Sun. Many assume that the Sun releases the exact amount of energy - it doesn't. This influences weather and climate on Earth. Here is a very simple video that explains this wonderful, God-Designed process, easy enough for government-school educated students.
The curvature of the Earth can also create differences depending on how far North (or South) you are. For instance in Finland, they are close to the North Pole. In Summer, they experience sunlight around the clock (18-19 hours outside of Lapland). They call it the Midnight Sun. Its cool, but will mess with your mind.
Things You Should Know By Now
1. The seasons are controlled by the movement of the Earth around the Sun. This largely determines the amount of energy that reaches the Earth. However, the Sun is not constant. The amount released varies. Even Nasa cannot deny this.
2. It gets warmer in Summer - sometimes much warmer. And cooler in the Winter.
3. The Earth is MASSIVELY large. It is 75% water - often very deep oceans. The remaining 25% includes areas that CANNOT be inhabited by man - poles, deserts, mountains, lakes, rivers, or places like the Everglades, that would have to be drastically changed to live there. The entire population of the planet COULD fit on the island of Hawai'i. But we are to believe that a few soccer moms are destroying the planet when they drive their kids to school? No! Man is rather insignificant when you consider the size of the globe, and the influence of things beyond his control, like the Sun, and the precession of the Earth.
4. Within the global warming movement, there are people who believe that CO2 is a pollutant, and needs to be regulated. They blame the oil & gas industry, the very folks that make modern civilization possible of KILLING the planet by drilling. CO2 is vital for life on this planet. All plant life, including that which lives in the ocean, DEPEND on plenty of CO2 to survive. Its most peculiar that the same people demanding a "plant-based" diet, are attempting to deprive plants of what is necessary for them to thrive. Since many in government schools may not know this, here is a short explanation of photosynthesis. If you continually skipped school to protest the Sun or something, you may have missed this truth.
5. Our benevolent green overlords would have us believe that the Greenhouse Effect, the process whereby the atmosphere maintains a livable temperature on Earth, even when the planet is facing away from the Sun's energy, is being overwhelmed by CO2 produced by modern civilization. No doubt we are producing more CO2 than say 200 years ago. But natural sources dwarf mankind's output. Volcanoes, oceans, animals, decaying matter, and on and on are constantly producing CO2. So how much is needed before everything goes catawampus? Its funny you asked. 95% of greenhouse gas is WATER VAPOR. Yep, you heard it right - H20 in vapor form. What about the remaining 5%? CO2 and other gases. You will often see pie charts that even neglect showing water vapor, to amplify the hysteria surrounding CO2.
11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. 12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:11-12 NLT
When you KNOW the Lord, you remain at peace. Knowing that He designed the planet, anticipating everything we could possibly do to it. When someone prophesies disaster, you can have a laugh and be at peace, knowing God has you covered.
But the left thrives on chaos. In fact, they cannot get legislation approved through traditional ways. Instead, they rely on courts or executive orders to push their agenda forward. They especially LOVE CRISES. Whether real or imagined - often the latter. They dispatch agitators to advance their agenda, often ignoring the will of the people. That is exactly what the climate change (née global warming) agenda is all about. It started way back in the 70s. Algore pushed it forward. And now they are recruiting hundreds of kids - useful idiots to drag it across the finish line.
Who Is For Polluting?
He is a good looking kid, but I hid his information because its really not about him, or what he believes. Its all about the irony of a young man, in a country blessed with an abundance of water, but yet half the country does not have running water or basic sanitation. And yet there he is on Twitter, being manipulated to protest against modern civilization. And he's standing on a DIRT ROAD!
Its likely he truly believes that climate change is about to destroy the world. That's actually quite sad, because it is a completely irrational fear, and no young person should have to deal with that. I know from experience when teachers tried to groom me with the coming ice age nonsense. Kids are easily manipulated. This young man, and his country has FAR MORE IMPORTANT things to deal with than "climate change" or any other imagined crisis. They must survive.
Solving Climate Change In Five Paragraphs Or Less
Using their very own numbers, I'm going to prove climate change is no problem at all. And I'm giving ALL THE GLORY TO GOD, because He already had it covered.
2. An average tree consumes 48 pounds of CO2 a year. There are approximately 3 trillion trees on the planet. Total CO2 consumption 144 trillion pounds consumed annually. That's just the trees.
3. Oceans, both plant and aquatic life, are absorbing CO2 at huge rates. One estimate on Kelp came to 400 billion pounds per year. Add in all the other creatures/plants great and small, and surely that number rivals the trees.
4. Even in cities, you find almost every home surrounded by grass, shrubbery, garden plants. Prairies and grasslands stretch out across whole nations. How much do they absorb? One acre will consume 3600 pounds of C02 per year. Global grassland counts are hard to find. So let me make this simple. The US has several national grasslands for a total of 3.8 million acres, Just that much is sucking in 13.8 billion pounds of C02 per year. Imagine all the grasslands in Canada, Alaska, Russia and Africa. And then add in all the yards, playgrounds, gardens around the world. That is a lot of CO2 being consumed. But I bet you never heard about that.
5. And just like that, we've already doubled, almost tripled the amount of human created CO2 with natural sources that are consuming it. Why then the panic? If scared, plant some trees or shrubs. The Earth was created to SUSTAIN life until its time is complete. Enjoy its beauty, and stop worrying about the climate!
Instead of planting trees, or adding more green space, we are building bird-murdering windmills by the hundreds. They are eyesores, not environmentally sound, and not that efficient. Same goes for solar panels - a technology I saw demonstrated at a local college in the 70s as part of a elementary school field trip. It was a neat trick back then, and it hasn't progressed very far from that. It takes up huge areas and produces a fraction of the energy as traditional sources. At best, it complements traditional energy production, and might be useful for individual use. Neither could truly be described as "green" energy.
Just when you thought it was safe to watch beer ads again, another company drops another deuce on the world. This time it comes from Miller Lite, a brand from Molson Coors, yet another multinational company. Between them and InBev, they own the majority of top beer brands in the world. So choose wisely.
Take a look for yourself.
Who Is The Target?
My first question is who were they targeting with this ad? Is this supposed to motivate men to buy beer? Is it, aspirational, hoping to change the thinking of Miller Lite drinkers, altering behavior that has been around for generations? Does the average woman relate more to the sexy models, or the frumpy farmers? Does the spokeswoman command your attention, or is she simply annoying? Is there a pocket of people, men or women, upset that folks don't thank women sufficiently for the creation and development of beer?
The Richness Of The English Language
I find the offensive language unnecessary and annoying. Even though it is censored here, I suspect it may not be in the original, either way its crudeness loses any moral high ground. Women in bikinis are no way similar to feces. Those women worked hard to develop their bodies, and get plenty of sunlight. They went on many auditions, and then made the cut. They were paid for their work, and I promise you, they did work, as "eye candy" and spokeswomen for the brand. Its very mean trashing them now, as many are now enjoying life in their golden years. They did NOTHING wrong!
Do Women Farmers NEED A Handout?
Why is the "fertilizer" given to the farmers? Are they not able to purchase it? Surely there is a cost associated with "recycling advertising" - why do women not have to pay? And there is not an infinite supply of this, so maybe one season for one farm and you're done. Seems like small potatoes. And when done, what has truly been accomplished? Have you added new consumers? Do more women drink your brand? Does ANYONE care?
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Do Beer Companies HATE Their Customers?
So many unforced errors by companies lately. I know its been decades since I studied advertising/marketing in college, but are they teaching some sort of "new" marketing these days? Recommending offending your base to win more customers?
If I own a small HVAC business in Kansas, and I like to go fishing and hunting. And on occasion, enjoy a few cold Miller Lites, what is my reaction to this? I probably react as most people would, "What the heck?" I assume its an attack on me, because you know, I kind of liked seeing those pretty women associated with my brand preference. I am very happy with my wife, but the pretty ladies reminded me of my youth with my wife, and that made me happy. But now, my beer is insinuating that I am some sort of disgusting pervert. And frankly, that does not sit well!
Who Is Ilana Glazer? And Why Is She Lecturing Me?
I just want to enjoy my beer. But instead I've got this annoying New Yorker, who likely has never had a Miller Lite, lecturing me about beer and beer advertising. I've never seen this woman, her voice is annoying, and someone needs to wash her mouth out! Why, Miller Lite, why did you release this Harpy on the world?
Begone from me you Succubus - which is ironic, because Succubi were supposed to be sexy demons, not angry trolls from hell. Hand me the latest SI Swimsuit edition. Maybe that will cleanse my palate.
Yikes! Are We In Bizarro World?
Final Thoughts - Say Goodbye To Miller Time
Fortunately, this is not nearly as bad as what Bud Lite is doing to themselves. But I do expect folks to start rethinking their beer decisions if this continues.
I would take this ad and bury it with the Ark of the Covenant - somewhere it can never be found. Its just really bad. I can't imagine a bunch of marketing experts at Molson Coors watching that hot mess and thinking, wow, that's awesome. I assume the intent was to acknowledge or empower women in some way, and it woefully fails in both. While insulting the thousands of ladies who have represented beer brands in advertising, collateral, and at appearances. They are people who helped build the brand. And this ad just crapped - apologize for the language, all over them. Molson Coors should apologize.
If the intent was to be funny, it completely failed. It was like watching a train wreck, knowing the end was going to be even worse than the start. Educational? Not really. Its likely true women were involved in brewing throughout history, but giving them all the credit - few would believe that.
Think of all that goodwill built over time. Where, "its Miller Time" was a common idiom for going to enjoy some adult beverages, often Miller Lite. Sometimes after a day at work, or a game, or just because you were free, you could enjoy a nice, cold beer. But that is Americans in a nutshell. They just want to be free. Left alone to enjoy life without be constantly lectured. But now even our favorite brands are trying to manipulate us, and frankly, its tiresome.
Marketing is actually pretty simple. Find a community that would use/desire your product/service and give them reasons to buy. Once you establish a solid consumer base, don't mistreat them.
Its worked for quite a long time. And successfully for a whole lot of companies in a variety of industries. Unfortunately, Anheuser-Busch (AB) forgot this simple advice and through a serious of truly bad mistakes, has put their flagship brand, Bud Light, in a death spiral.
A Lesson From History
The year was 1983. Cadillac was a dominate brand in the luxury car market, but GM got greedy. Somebody within the organization thought it would be super cool to create a brand extension of the line that would be priced low enough to capture just a wee bit more share of the market. And fend off some of the new luxury sedans coming from Europe and Japan.
In the comfy surroundings of some executive conference room, that sounded like a great idea. They likely toasted their brilliance with adult beverages - maybe Bud Light. And to maximize profitability, they would use the Chevrolet Cavalier base as their starting point.
Look at that beauty. Isn't it sweet? Imagine, you are a YUPPIE (Young Urban Professional) in the 80s, and you were about to pick a car that would reflect your prosperity, and make you the envy of your peers. You look at Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and then the mighty Cimarron. Which brand likely wins that contest?
In 1983, I had just started working at a brand new Tom Thumb grocery store in Longview, Texas. I started as a package clerk - a lofty name for bag boy. With any new company, the cream rises quickly. My hard work was noticed, and even though I was still in high school, I was promoted to Nighttime Produce Manager. Impressive right? I had total control over the produce section from 6pm to sometimes well after midnight. I had a cray cray abusive boss - but that's another story, for another time. My responsibilities included making sure everything was rotated, watered, and the racks were full and faced - the act of bringing products to the front of the shelf and making sure their labels are facing forward. Of course the whole section had to be clean, floors and all. In back, I wrapped tomatoes and other produce, prepped for the day folk, and then cleaned the back room and cooler. Sometimes, I created mini tornadoes in the massive sink - that was wicked cool, and did valuable research tasting various fruit. And, if that wasn't enough, I also had evening responsibility over the flower department. They all left by 7 pm. If anyone wanted flowers, I was their guy. I knew NOTHING about flowers. But I did my best, and most people seemed to appreciate my feeble efforts. I was quite creative when pricing my personal arrangements. And I think most folks knew what was happening and approved of my ignorance.
On busy weekends, there were moments when I had to help bag groceries. It was something I was quite good at, and enjoyed the face time with the guests. Tom Thumb's slogan at the time was: We Stand Behind Everything We Sell. Something I often jokingly shared with my guests as I carried out their food. Most folks were very nice, sometimes even tipped. A few I knew from church or school. And others were just interesting to chat with for a few moments.
And then one day I carried out a load of groceries for what we now would call a cougar. She was a very successful single lady, probably in her late 40s, but still very striking. She was being flirtations, but in a truly fun way - there was no aggression to it. We reached her car and she asked if I would put them in the back seat. It was a new car, with that awesome new car smell. After each bag, I took a moment to look around inside. It was rather nice, but looked quite familiar, as I had been shopping for a car myself. She was very proud of her new ride and asked me what I thought.
Being young, I still had not mastered the fine art of being tactful. So, I dumbly asked, "Is this a Cavalier?"
Her smile disappeared, replaced by a look of disappointment. Understanding that my question was not meant as an insult, but was simple ignorance, she recovered a bit and said, "No. This is a Cadillac Cimarron!"
This of course changed my approach as well. It really was a nice looking car inside and out. But to me, it truly looked like a Cavalier. We said our goodbyes, and she was on her way.
What Does This Have To Do With Bud Light?
GM did not value their customers, and released a vehicle that truly diminished the brand, and set the company back decades in the luxury market. Not until Cadillac Escalades started appearing in movies and rapper videos, did the brand start to recover from the Cimarron misstep. And it was an unforced error. Nobody thought about their current customers. There are now plenty of luxury brands that are considered before Cadillac, as its considered by many, their grandparents car. They would much rather drive an Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Volvo, Tesla, Infiniti, Lexus, Acura, Aston Martin, or Porsche.
Unless you have been living under a rock, AB, now a multinational brewing conglomerate, and parent of Bud Light, thought it would be super cool to reach out to the tiniest of tiny minorities, the transgender community.
I stopped drinking adult beverages many years ago. But I can tell you exactly what people think about drinking domestic beers. They choose a brand often by which one all their peers agree to drink. This is done primarily for simplicity. You go to a bar, "Three Bud Lights please." That is much easier than ordering a different beverage for each person in your group. Having a party, or going to the lake? Its much easier buying one brand that everyone will drink and be happy. After the first one, most people don't really care. They say they do, but they don't. I evolved through many brands in my youth - Coors Light, Miller Light, Corona, Amstel, and even some harder stuff mixed in. I settled on Miller Light because most of my friends either liked it, or drank it regularly. Bud Light was never really high on my list, although if offered, especially free - you drink! The first was not great, but after that nobody really cares. So if I attended a party that was offering Bud Light, I drank Bud Light.
Bud Light over time built a dominant position among the young, including college students and recent grads. They were also strong among the blue collar folks, of all ages, who work hard and play hard. Bud Light drinkers were very loyal, and ABs marketing was clever and entertaining. So they continued to stay loyal to the brand, often for decades. What else would a brand manager desire?
Her name is Alissa Heinerscheid, and as VP of Bud Light, she came in like a wrecking ball. And in her short tenure, lost their core customers, and wiped out decades of goodwill, just to push a far left agenda. If she is still on the payroll, I would be shocked. If someone purposely wanted to tear down AB, I don't think they could have done more than what Alissa has done. Just listen to what she said in an interview before all hell broke loose. Skip the fluff and go straight to the meat - 22 minute mark through minute 27. And think about what I just wrote - who are the loyal drinkers of Bud Light, and what are their expectations for the brand.
It is clear that she just doesn't like Bud Light drinkers. She is better than they are, and through advertising and INCLUSIVITY she is going to teach them a better way. And, because she is so brilliant, like Moses, she and her team of like-minded minions, will lead all the disadvantaged folks of the world through the flood of beer brands to the promised land, where the only beer is Bud Light. And I am only slightly exaggerating.
Part of a master plan was advertising featuring women as the protagonist, and casting a couple where Alissa asserted the woman wore the pants in the family. Just watch this spot and see if it makes you thirsty for a cold beer.
You've had a hard day at the construction site. Worked from sun up to sun down. And its time for a cold one. Does this motivate you to go grab a cold Bud Light? Or you are planning a weekend barbeque with your friends from college, does this make you want to rush out and buy a case of Bud Light? Of course not.
NOBODY believes this couple drinks Bud Light. Its doubtful beer is a regular choice at all. And if it is, its likely imported, or some custom made beer that doesn't taste as bland as Bud Light. They can afford to buy anything they want - even a brewery. Why would they EVER drink Bud Light! And the folks that might be moved by this spot, are smart enough to figure this out. Regular Bud Light drinkers see this and wonder if perhaps they are drinking the wrong beer.
Bud Light is a Cavalier, NOT a Cimarron.
And you thought there was no connection between the stories. How dare you doubt me!
You can put a Bud Light in the hand of anyone famous and it doesn't change what is inside. Plus, you have decades of marketing and goodwill invested in building the brand image as a beer for young partiers, and working folks of all ages. When you just don't care, there is always Bud Light. AB, feel free to use that tag line. Just send me the royalties when sales skyrocket.
Take a look at another ad approved by Alissa and her team. Imagine you are a twentysomething contractor, who enjoys a few cold ones on the weekend. Does this motivate you to buy more Bud Light?
Honestly, its a cute ad. There is nothing technically wrong with it. But women don't drink Bud Light. Are we supposed to take this as empowering women? Perhaps, as they established clearly in the spot that she could handle beer BETTER than the man with less glasses and on a tray. So should we assume the subtle message is women are generally better? Why would that motivate men to buy more Bud Light? And for women, maybe that helps their confidence, but does it make them change decades of drinking habits and switch to a cheap beer? Maybe if they are in college. But those ladies were likely already drinking Bud Light. Not because they like it, but because that was what they were given - see the paragraph above. People adopt the choices of their friends, mainly for convenience.
Does the spot entice people who consume other brands to change? No. What about people who don't drink adult beverages? Do they suddenly want Bud Light? No. So what in the world was this spot supposed to accomplish, if not to push a narrative? It certainly doesn't build the brand or grow market share.
Bud Light WAS apolitical. It didn't care who you voted for or what issues you supported. It was there when you were sad to cheer you up. And gave you confidence to talk to that pretty girl that smiled at you. People could drink it together and have a laugh at what those idiots in Washington were doing regardless of party affiliation. So why introduce politics into the brand narrative?
The Coups De Grâce - An Annoying Man in Woman-Face
Just when you think the brand couldn't go any lower, Alissa said, "Hold My Beer." A struggling entertainer, trying desperately to get noticed on social media, decided to reimagine his act as a young woman. Nothing much changed except now he put on female clothes and did a really bad parody of women. It was insulting and childish. Years ago when white actors put on blackface, people were united that it was racist and cultural appropriation of the worst kind. What Dylan Mulvaney does on social media, pretending to be a woman, is just as disgusting. It is insulting to women everywhere, and the equivalent of blackface.
I am aware there is a history of men in theater dressing as women, and dressing as drag has been around some time. That doesn't make it any more excusable to mock women. Slavery has been around centuries, that doesn't make it OK. Maybe there is a place in art for cross dressing, but at what point is it art, and when does it become insulting and sexual appropriation? For better or worse, Alissa thought signing this travesty as a spokes parody was a good idea for her brand. Just think about it for a moment. An effeminate male, dressed as and pretending to be a woman, was going to RESONATE with their core customers, and help expand the brand? What were they smoking at AB?
I apologize ahead of time for posting this. But to nail the point, you must see it to believe how bad it truly was. Watch the video with this in mind. Would this ever make you desire Bud Light?
Remember, this is a MAN pretending to be a woman. Notice, he acts like he doesn't know what March Madness is, mocking the intelligence of all women. Yes, there are folks, men and women, who don't follow sports. But this is a caricature of women. This is not imitation. It is not his deep desire to BE a woman. He prefers to PRETEND, because Dylan in woman face is where the payoff is greatest.
I don't really blame Dylan. If companies want to waste thousands hiring him, get all the cash while you can. But guess what, consumers don't HAVE to buy those products. And in the case of Bud Light, that is exactly what is happening.
The Left learned in the 19th century how effective it was to organize into groups to terrorize, agitate, and riot for or against the issues that are important to them. In more recent times they have created hundreds of charities, NGOs, and foundations - often with taxpayer funding, to undermine the Liberty of Americans. Some organizations started as just a man and a fax. Now, many are significant operations that use social media, protests, and letter writing to intimidate politicians and businesses to comply with their demands. For instance, take the Climate Scam. You can't get on social media without seeing multiple tweets a day reporting on how the Earth is one SUV trip away from total collapse. The Left recruits brainwashed kids to do their bidding, thinking they will attract more young people, and be bulletproof - as adults don't want to debate children. So every fringe movement on the far left seems far more powerful than they actually are. They can call upon hundreds of useful idiots to appear for a protest, and even supply opposition players to make the operation more newsworthy, and apparently they pay enough that these ne'er-do-wells continue to participate.
Now consider the transgender movement. In America, it is estimated that about 0.005% to 0.014% of people assigned male at birth (that is, roughly one in 10,000) and 0.002% to 0.003% of people assigned female at birth (that is, two or three in every 100,000) are diagnosable with gender dysphoria. And that is after almost a decade of HEAVY promotion through entertainment and education. The medical community and pharmaceutical companies see a massive revenue source convincing otherwise healthy kids that they need to be surgically mutilated, and placed on drugs to turn them into the person they believe they are. Its madness. But they have already accomplished much, by convincing folks their kids need more than 50 shots from birth to adulthood. It truly is madness. But the two groups have very deep pockets, so along with the usual divide America crowd, they are all in for the destruction of families and American culture, one child at a time.
The rise has been so fast, that many have noted a spiritual dimension to it, linking this to the return of Ishtar, the ancient demon. Ishtar was a sorceress. She was known for her powers to alter people’s affections, passions, thoughts, and, at times, their essence. (Return Of The Gods - Jonathan Cahn 2022 P. 123) Her goal is to blur the lines between the sexes, feminize all that is masculine, and masculinize the feminine, leaving both wanting, and incapable of being the person God made them to be. In fact, it is rebellion against God, which is the same as witchcraft. (1 Samuel 15:23)
The Right is notoriously bad at organizing. There are many reasons for this. Most Conservatives have jobs, run businesses, and are in careers that limit their free time. They are busy with family, church, volunteering, and their free time is precious. Plus, they truly want to be left alone, to simply enjoy life. They like to believe that most Americans share their love of God, America, and Liberty. And frankly, its frustrating when they find out differently.
Many folks have attempted to organize boycotts on the Right. Most fizzle, as there is no real passion for many of them. That is what makes the Bud Light action so interesting. Nobody really organized this. It was totally organic. Folks saw the ads, and the video of Dylan, and then the comments by Alissa. Sure, many commentators on the Right poured fuel on the fire, but they did not call for anything. It just happened. Bars stopped selling both bottles and tap. Convenience stores to giant warehouse stores began reporting that people weren't buying Bud Light and many AB products. At first this was all anecdotal. Then ABs stock dropped like a rock. People made videos of Bud Light being destroyed, poured out, parodied, or rejected. The following was from a Red Sox game. Wouldn't you expect Bud Light to be flowing at a sold out baseball game?
The Left's kneejerk reaction is to call all who choose not to buy AB products, racists, or haters, or transphobes - the usual lazy tripe. But its not about Dylan. Hear me out. Go to any college, hang out with the theater or arts crowd and you will meet dozens of Dylans. People willing to sell their souls, literally do ANYTHING to get noticed. I went to school with several.
So Why Are So Many People Rejecting Bud Light And AB?
1, Americans are tired of having alternative lifestyles forced down their throat. You can't watch TV, or go to a movie, without LGBT characters forced into the narrative, ever pushing the limit of decency on screen. Go to the Internet, same thing. Watch any video streaming or social media and there are new and more aggravating stories every day. And there seems to be an ever increasing amount of videos from the extremists in the trans community threatening to attackChristians and Conservatives for some perceived grievance. And its already happened in Tennessee. Even suggesting that the LGBT lifestyle is sinful, or that God can transform your life, is firmly rejected. Bud Light's endorsement of Dylan indicates that they agree with the trans community, and their aggressive, and increasingly violent, ideology.
2. Sometimes, you just want to drink a beer and forget the politics. But AB took that away by choosing to very publicly side with the extreme left. They betrayed their loyal customers, some have been buying Bud Light for decades. If Bud Light will not be loyal to them, why should they be loyal to Bud Light? Its a good question that deserves an HONEST answer.
3. Most Americans really don't care what you do in your own bedroom. If an adult wants to whack off their willie, and pretend to be a woman, go for it. However, if I knew the guy, I would do my best to ask him to reconsider, as most people regret the surgery later on. As seen here, here, and here. And targeting children is especially evil. Is this really the movement AB wants to align their brand with - folks that are unable to discern their own sex, and want to force their confusion and delusions on others through entertainment and education?
4. The trans community is AGGRESSIVELY targeting children. Most children have doubts about themselves, or question who they are. These are often very temporary emotions. But activists are exploiting this by attempting to convince kids there is something wrong with them. And convince their parents to transition their children. If you want to make Americans angry, attack their kids. And that is exactly what the LGBT community is doing, and been very open about it. There are already too many child predators in society. And yet Bud Light openly embraces a whole community that is targeting kids for nefarious purposes.
5. The average Bud Light customer does not protest and does not attend political rallies. They are rugged individuals who rightly believe the only minority that matters in a free country is the INDIVIDUAL. Bud Light drinkers might be Christians, even nominally, but more likely they live by a basic morality like the Golden Rule. They don't want trouble. They simply want to be left alone. And when its time to relax, they want to drink a beer and not think about all the craziness in the world. Bud Light robbed their customers of this luxury. By jumping in the culture wars, and firmly on the side of people who are actively attempting to transform the country. They have aligned themselves with the same folks who attack all the things that make life fun.
The Left wants to disarm hunters, and leave millions of Americans defenseless as violent crime skyrockets. It must be noted that while they attack guns, they encourage their own to be armed and threaten their "enemies" with violence - a bit ironic. The agitators want to take away folks' toys - their car, truck, boat, or plane that uses gasoline, believing somehow it will reduce the amount of energy released by the Sun. They are shutting down the domestic oil industry and most energy production - how many Bud Light drinkers do you think work in the oil fields, energy, and construction? The Left attacks professional sports, adding politics where it does not belong. And it even gets worse. Men, who can't make it competing against their peers, reimagine themselves as women, and humiliate women in their own sportsand locker rooms. After kids, attacks on women (daughters, sisters, and wives) are the quickest way to piss off the average American and of course, Bud Light drinkers.
What About The Women?
For many years, Budweiser targeted young men, often using young, gorgeous women in their ads and marketing outreach. The Bud Girls, as they were called, often represented the very best that America offered. They had rules defining acceptable behavior and appearance: "A Bud Girl doesn’t smoke, swear, use drugs, or have tattoos, non-ear piercings, or a criminal record."
I suspect every male that ever bought beer, was at one time influenced by an attractive woman. It may have been a TV ad, a poster, a life-size cutout, or a timely visit to your favorite bar by the Bud Girls. Admit it. There is nothing to be ashamed of by this type of behavior. All the brands have used women to promote their products. They do it because it works. But for some reason, Alissa decided to end all that.
Bud Light actually had a pretty solid campaign that coincided with the Game of Thrones' popularity. The series of ads was set in medieval times and revolved around a King and Queen, and their love of Bud Light. The Dilly Dilly campaign - not sure if that was the official name, was not sexist, promoted the brand in a fun way, and worked in a time when shows about knights, kings, castles were quite popular. That has not changed, but maybe it was time to phase out that campaign.
With the change in tone of their advertising, as demonstrated by the videos above, a kinder, more gentle version of Bud Light emerged. The new tag line was equally boring: Easy To Drink - Easy To Enjoy. Sounds like a sparkling water campaign, but what do I know about Woke Beer Marketing. With the campaign set for the Summer, Alissa's team sought an influencer who might give them a bump during the critical Spring season of basketball tournaments, the start of baseball, and of course, Summer. Would it be a famous athlete? Or a sexy actress? Or maybe a Country singer? No, those are far too obvious. They found a man who had previously done very little in life, until finally during the Pandemic, he decided he wanted to pretend to be a woman. For some reason, people watched his absurd videos, and after a few months, he had 1.8 million followers. Who knows where they came from. So Alissa's team thought it would be really great to have him as their new social media influencer.
You might wonder, as I did, if they did any checking to see how many Bud Light drinkers were among his audience. I would be SHOCKED if there were more than 500. And those are the ones who always agree with surveys, whether or not they actually drink Bud Light. So someone at AB, saw Dylan's numbers, maybe even watched his videos, and said, "Hey, this guy might deliver us a few thousand new customers!" Or something like that. I would have promptly asked, are those the type of customers we want? I just don't think you are going to find many beer drinkers following a man pretending to be a woman, no matter how fabulous he might be.
On April Fools Day, 2023, the madness began, with his very first video with Bud Light, and the worst imitation of a woman ever. The video went viral, and the collective response was something like, "Ewww!" Followed by exclamations like, "What the #%$&!" And then Dylan proudly displayed Bud Light cans with his face. That was just too much to take. A few people ranted on social media. But the majority simply took it all in and quietly went about their business. And when the time came to choose what to drink, they chose to abandon the beer brand that had abandoned them.
Maybe this was just a one time situation. A marketing hiccup as we might say. Folks knew something was terribly wrong, but were reluctant to be seen as "attacking" the little confused man. And then the video of Alissa was found and it went viral. It was then obvious that yes, it was planned, and frankly, they didn't give a damn about their regular customers. They should just shut up, and "drink our swill no matter who we pick to promote OUR brand".
Like an approaching thunderstorm on the prairie, if you look, you can clearly see it, and its massive. You can't hear it, or feel it, but know its coming. First, a few anecdotal reports came in of Bud Light no longer moving. Then, there were bars who could no longer sell it, bottles or tap. Other AB brands slowed down too. Each day produced more stories, and then a few videos found their way online. Bud's stock dropped, and although they remained silent for two weeks, it was time to do something. Crisis management is tough. If you move too quickly, you could make things worse. And yet too slow can be equally bad.
As the CEO of a company founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew.
We’re honored to be part of the fabric of this country. Anheuser-Busch employs more than 18,000 people and our independent distributors employ an additional 47,000 valued colleagues. We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.
We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.
There was no apology. In fact, there wasn't even an acknowledgement for what they had done to piss off their customer base. At best, it was an appeal to keep buying so all these people could keep their jobs. At the same time of this release, they put out an ad with a very similar message.
Some time passed, and seemingly nothing changed. People still rejected Bud Light. And then the global leadership spoke in a conference call. Their leader barely acknowledged the recent events in the United States. And why should he? He is the Grand Poobah of a massive multinational megacorporation. The events in April were like him stepping in crap. He can't be bothered to wipe it off. Just find some flunky to clean it up, and then quietly fire him, so nobody knows that you were foolish enough to step in crap.
That was what I took from his remarks. He also believed that like the Covid lockdowns, they would survive. The boycott will pass, and sales will return. He promised plenty of ad spending, and financial incentives for everyone involved in distribution. All is well.
Unfortunately, there may be some truth to his statement. People may soon forget. Buying Bud Light at half the price of Miller Light might move a few cases here and there. Maybe in a year or two, things will slowly return. Or maybe not. I truly think they have mortally wounded the Bud Light brand. Listening to the man and woman "on the street" remarks at various locations, makes me think that Bud Light is forever linked with leftist politics, specifically transgenderism. Its going to be quite difficult to rid themselves of that perception. And they have done NOTHING to date to make me think that they truly understand why people stopped purchasing their product.
Its laughable to think a few more ads, especially like the horsy campaign above, is going to change the attitudes of Bud Light drinkers. AB needs to decide if they are with the Left, or stand with America. They need to acknowledge their mistake - which may be impossible, as this will anger the rainbow coalition. But here's the thing - those aren't Bud Light drinkers, and never will be. Its not HATE to stand up for American values of Faith, Family, Freedom, Fairness, and Friends!
How To Resurrect A Dead Brand
What is the future of Bud Light? Back in college, when we were short of funds and wanted to buy beer, there were a handful of very cheap, generic beer brands. In the short term, that is what Bud Light will likely do. Appealing to those with limited funds is about the only way to get customers. AB is big enough to have a loss leader in the mix - at least temporarily. Will that be enough to overcome the stigma? I don't know. It depends on where the ideology takes us. This is a very aggressive movement. Attacking female sports, replacing women in every thing from Women of the Year Awards, to even influencer engagements! Women are largely asleep to what is happening, yet they are starting to wake up. And the attacks on children through the schools and entertainment is certainly waking up many parents. The Trans movement is a very tiny minority, yet they seem to have unlimited funds and support at the very top of the Democrat party. They are a formidable foe.
The Road To Contrition
Alcoholics Anonymous actually has 12 steps to recovery. For Bud Light the path could be less. It all starts with admitting you have a problem. This involves a close examination of management. Get rid of the arrogant ones who think they are better than the customers. Ideally, find folks who actually drink Bud Light, or at least don't hate the folks who do. The house cleaning may have to be deep and wide, to avoid promoting some elitist lefty back into a position where this happens again.
From the top down, take a strong public position on what values AB supports. The time for generic statements is over. Will you pander to the 3%, who think they can change clothes and become a different sex? Or will you embrace Americans who make this country great. Whose values align the most with AB? If it is truly the extreme Left - because unfortunately, there is no middle ground between them, you will lose the average American. The vast majority of Americans are politically and culturally in the center-right. The "extreme right" is largely a myth, often controlled opposition created by the Left. As an example, KKK, Nazis, BLM, GW fanatics all are creations of the Left. They all share similar goals - big government, high taxes, and use racial differences to create division and strife, and split the population into groups like, victims and oppressors. If that is the horse that AB wants to ride, good luck. You will lose American consumers for good.
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. (Matthew 3:8 NLT)
Consider the Wisdom found in the Living Word. Nobody expects AB to become a Christian organization, or even religious - although the left clearly is a belief system. But the Wisdom is still sound, even for a secular company. Americans need to see their contrition manifest across ALL their marketing efforts. Celebrating REAL FEMALE HEROES would be a nice start!
If AB can't choose the right side of the culture/political wars, they should stay 100% neutral. Even if they think everyone should be gay or trans, don't force that on your customers. It is assumed that most top executives will lean heavily left, and support demonic causes. Its just the way things are. But the minute the company starts promoting bad politicians and evil causes, customers have every right to stop buying their product. No product is powerful enough to force their customers to agree with their ideology. Especially in the adult beverage industry, where there are dozens of options of beer.
Rethink the advertising and the tag line. AB must earn the core back, which means male focused advertising that appeals to the young and blue collar folks - people who literally Make America Great! A "We Messed Up" campaign, where a Bud Light team travels the country, personally apologizing might be the ticket to a recovery over Summer and before the critical football season. Maybe include the Bud Girls - real ones, or even better Ana De Armas trying to rescue the brand from the evil that hijacked it. Slight digression there. The apology tour needs to be fun, but yet sincere. This would coincide with an outreach to the distribution chain who has needlessly suffered because of really bad decisions at the very top. Again - AB feel free to use my ideas. I seek no publicity, but I would accept a generous gratuity for my suggestions.
It was announced recently that the Theology Faculty at the University of Helsinki is conferring honorary doctorates on 8 individuals, including the Climate Princess herself, Greta Thunberg. In her amazing 20 years, she has accomplished so much, like skipping school to make folks aware that the Sun sometimes makes the Earth warm, and sometimes not so warm. And she has read speeches at the UN, very angrily, denouncing modern civilization, and vowing never to forgive those who don't take her chicken little warnings seriously. Those actions were so impressive, the theology faculty at the ivy-covered walls of Helsinki U, thought she deserved an honorary doctorate. Truly, any serious theologian should be concerned with the rantings of an unhinged, teenage climate agitator.
Previously, U of H doctoral candidates specialized in areas like, Biblical studies, church history, internationally or in the North-European and Finnish contexts, or the study of religions and religiosity outside the Christian traditions. Other areas of study included systematic theology, social ethics, ecumenical theology, and the philosophy of religion. I'm not quite sure where global warming agitation fits in, but I am glad the door is open for me and other deserving folks. That is truly outside the box thinking.
I thought honorary doctorates, especially in theology, were reserved for those folks who had lived long and productive lives, often in academia, but not always, accomplishing great things for both God and man. But now that the standard has been reimagined by the fine folks in Helsinki, it seems appropriate to suggest they consider me for such an honor, and closely review my credentials. Since honorary doctorates are now dispersed like candy, I want my chocolate bar!
A Little Bit About A Big Man In A Small Country
The Finnish people are entertaining and fun to be around. The blonde hair, blue eyes, sharp features and wit - made me feel right at home in Finland. At 6'5" I tower over most Finns, but share their Nordic appearance. Its no surprise I was once nicknamed "Viking King" during my college days. But they were not scared, nor did they run away. Instead, they were simply curious about the gentle giant from Texas in their presence, and wanted to know more. They might have crowned me King of Finland, but fortunately, Finland has no monarchy. If I wasn't a Believer, who strongly embraces Individual Liberty, I would be a perfect Finn!
I especially enjoyed their ability to draw out any meeting for hours, attempting to build consensus. I once worked for a Finnish company, and visited Helsinki and Tampere during my employment. There were four trips in all to Finland, one for each season - Winter 1, Spring, Fall, and Winter 2. And if you are flying that far away from Dallas, Texas, you stay for a time. That's possibly more time in Finland than Greta, although she did grow up next door in Sweden.
Finland is gorgeous. Tampere reminded me of Minnesota, with all the lakes formed by glaciers that receded long before man had any industrial output. Helsinki, especially when it was warm enough to be outside, was spectacular. Very pretty city, and was quite clean for a major metropolitan area.
They were comfortable fighting with or against the Nazis, just as they were with or against the Communists. And they are pretty fierce winter warriors. The food needs a little work, but I understand the limitations of being so near the Arctic Circle may impact variety. But I must admit, where would we be without Saunas and mobile phones?
Finland is a small country, about half the size of Texas. But they do punch above their class. Finnish is a most unusual language, funny to look at on paper, but quite pleasant to the ear. Yet there are only 5 million Finnish speakers globally. The majority of folks also speak Swedish, English, and/or Russian. Finnish is one of those languages that will likely fade away in a few more generations, as the world is shrinking every day. To have almost any impact outside of the country, you must be proficient in another language, usually one of the three above or Chinese, German, or French.
Making My Case
I feel silly, like Paul pleading his Hebrew bona fides in Philippians 3. Yet, if U of H is serious about handing out honorary doctorates to just about anybody, why not me? Here are a handful of reasons why I should be considered for a University of Helsinki Honorary Doctorate in Theology. I know its hard to match Greta's many accomplishments, but I do what I can.
#1 - As a Product Manager for Pro Set trading card company, I volunteered to assemble a trading card product for the coming Gulf War (first one). My only conditions were that it had to be educational, presenting all nations involved, including the belligerents, fairly. I wanted complete control over the product's design, creation and manufacturing - I ended up with about 70% control. And the final product had to be a quality product that we would be proud to share with our kids, and grandkids. The Desert Storm trading card set had 250 cards, including every country involved, key leaders, and many of the deployed weapons. We had assistance from the US Military, and consulates from all over the world, including the Iraqi Embassy, who provided a lovely shot of Saddam Hussein.
It became clear that the conflict would be over quite quickly. This led to the entire team of writers, editors, and computer artists literally working around the clock to finish the product and send it to the printer. For several days, I did not leave the office, and ended up writing a few card backs just to get the product complete. It was the fastest we had ever taken a product from concept to printer - just over one week. There were a couple of weeks of preplanning, which included traveling to DC to gather images from the military, and send requests to embassies and consulates for pictures and information - it was the 90s, so Internet and the digital age was not quite on our side.
The product was well received by many, including a "Best Desert Storm Set" award from Non-Sport Update - a magazine which tracked trading card products that did not feature athletes. You might be wondering if that is such a big deal. Well, at least 9 companies released sets, including Topps, who put out 3 different batches: Series 1-3. So, yes, there was some competition - if you can call it that.
But here is the point. The ONLY set that had a card on Finland (#17), and their contribution to the war effort, was Pro Set. And at the time, I knew very little about Suomi. Imagine, a product manager for a trading card company in Dallas, Texas USA, cared enough to include your country in our product. That's worth something, right?
#2 - In 2022, I published a Christian study journal, My Sheep Hear Me: Tuning In The Voice Of Jesus. Its available to over 200 million Amazon Prime subscribers worldwide. The 8-week study is designed to help Christians recognize the leading of their Heavenly Father, and be sensitive to His voice.
#3 - My love of the Bible started at a very young age. My parents purchased me an illustrated children's Bible, written in a comic format. I literally read it until it fell apart. Then, the church presented each child with a copy of the Revised Standard Version, and that became my regular companion. I served as an acolyte, and while my Mother was employed by the church, I cleaned the sanctuary and filled the pews with supplies - envelopes, cards, and sharpened pencils. Its sounds trivial, but very necessary for services.
In college, I studied New Testament, communications, history, eventually earning a BA in Advertising Management. After college, I was a part time teacher for a singles class, giving two memorable lessons called: Its A Wonderful Life and Elijah & Elisha: Tag Team For God. I also found time to coach a boy's church basketball team all the way to the championship.
I could have skipped school and protested the weather. But instead, I did things to improve myself, and the world around me.
#4 - I launched a blog and several web sites starting in 2001. They include: Matney Woodard Entertainment, King's Kid Stuff, Harrison Woodard - a personal blog, and this site. My sites include Christian Children's stories, Biblical stories, sermons, and Christian commentary for all ages. Between all sites, there are over 200 pages of Christian content. Visitors from every "inhabited" continent have viewed more than a 1.5 million pages. So where is my academic LOVE?
#5 - As continuing homage to all things Finland, several of my children's stories feature Finnish names. Hanna's Parade - about the donkey who carried Jesus on Palm Sunday. Kirsi, The Little Lost Lamb - about the shepherds who were at the Nativity. Duarte, The Good Shepherd - about a llama who protects a little lamb named Taru.
#6 - In college, I worked as a stringer, gathering court filings in a major lawsuit filed by the families who lost loved ones in a Delta Airline crash at DFW Airport. I was employed by one of the top newspapers in the state, while also contributing to the college newspaper. Why is this relevant? Why are staged arrests of Greta newsworthy?
#7 - When not working on Desert Storm. I was the Hockey Product Manager at Pro Set. This is a very popular sport in Finland, and many of their players now make their way to the NHL. When I took the position, I knew nothing about hockey - I lived in Texas. But learned the sport, and launched three hockey products, one card/confection product, and created Rink Rat, our hockey mascot. One of my favorite memories was being in Toronto for an NHL event. I spotted kids at the entrance of the hotel joyfully opening our packs and trading the cards. Has Greta ever created a product that brought joy to the lives of children? Or has she been content to just fill them with fear and anxiety about an issue that is beyond their capability to solve?
#8 - One of my favorite stories was an homage to a Finnish coworker, who I thought was gorgeous. Heli, The Star Of Bethlehem was named for her. This is the backstory of how God selected which star would shine above the Nativity, and lead the wise men to Jesus.
#9 - Not only do I have a presence online, but my work has been enjoyed all over the world. Christian radio ministries in the Caribbean have read my stories on air. A Middle Eastern country published The Three Camels, in Arabic. An Indian firm used my story, The Carpenter And The Little End Table, in their English reader. Spreading the LOVE of God globally, not fear.
#10 - No story has impacted the world more than Heaven's Art Gallery. It has received much praise, as it makes you question the value of your life through God's eyes. God has a plan for every Believer, His perfect will. But too many folks get redirected and sent down the wrong path - their life never to admired in Heaven's Art Gallery.
#11 - Maybe I should mention I write Christian children's songs. Including the Palm Sunday Song, which will likely be performed by kids in churches around the world this weekend.
#12 - And no Christian site would be complete without some Christian poems. One of the most popular, Stand Firm, is a call to stay strong even in the face of adversity.
So much more I could mention. So many times I have volunteered with churches and charities, supported ministries, and helped strangers. I've taken on some really odd jobs, like the Summer I salvaged the possessions from house floods and fires for restoration. A truly disgusting, and yet very sad job.
Well, that's my case. My accomplishments up against hers. Who has done more for God and man? I will send an official note to the appropriate folks in Finland asking for their consideration. Hopefully, the decision will come quickly.
I expect at least a courtesy email from the UH Theology department. Even a thanks, but no thanks note would certainly be appreciated.
For decades, the global warming movement has been rightly accused as being not much more than a religion for many folks. Points are rarely made unless they include an obligatory "I believe" to their claim. Hundreds of prophesied climate disasters fail to materialize - which is a sure sign of a false religion, with a lying priesthood and hypocritical layfolk.
But now, we have yet more evidence that climate change (or if you prefer - global warming - they are the same), is in fact, truly a religion. The University of Helsinki's Faculty of Theology has announced its Honorary Doctorates for 2023. Let's define some terms, just so we are all on the same page.
Theology - the study of the nature of God and religious belief.
Religion - a particular system of faith and worship (Contrast with Christianity - which is a personal relationship with a Living Lord and Savior).
Honorary Doctorate - a degree given by a college or university to someone who is not a student, but who has done something important.
Among the fine folk nominated by this presumably reputable place of higher learning, are the following, with a very brief description of their noteworthy contribution to the world.
Riho Altnurme is Professor of Church History at the University of Tartu. He is the leading expert in Estonian church history and has produced a wide range of scholarly publications on issues such as Soviet religious policy in Estonia and the history of theological education in the country. He has collaborated with Finnish church historians for over 25 years.
Annabel Brett is Professor of Political Thought and History at the University of Cambridge. Her extensive publications focus on mediaeval and early modern moral and political thought, with an emphasis on the natural law tradition, Aristotelianism and scholastic philosophy, as well as, in recent years, the history of international law. Professor Brett was a member (2008–2013) of the scientific advisory board of the Centre of Excellence in Philosophical Psychology, Morality, and Politics (PMP) funded by the Academy of Finland and headed by Simo Knuuttila.
Grace Davie is Professor Emerita at the University of Exeter. She has served as a visiting professor at, for example, the University of Helsinki’s Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies and Uppsala University. Authoring a number of works on the sociology of religion that have become classics, Davie has created new concepts in the field. In her career, she has significantly strengthened the theme of religion in the social sciences as well as the approaches of the social sciences and political studies in theological research.
Philip Esler, Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Gloucestershire, is a pioneer in the social-scientific study of the Bible. He has opened up a number of new approaches to the study of early Jewish and Christian texts through sociological, anthropological and socio-psychological perspectives. He has also explored New Testament theology and the Bible’s relationship to visual arts. Esler has collaborated closely with scholars from the University of Helsinki in joint researcher networks and as a member of support groups for research projects.
Maria Immonen has had a long career in international aid in countries including Finland, Tanzania and Switzerland. She is currently Director of the Department for World Service at the Communion Office of the Lutheran World Federation, the first woman to hold the role. She leads the federation’s extensive humanitarian and development work, focused on the most vulnerable and on global responsibility. Immonen is an alum of the University of Helsinki Faculty of Arts.
Mia Lövheim is Professor of the Sociology of Religion at Uppsala University. She specialises in religious, media and social change, particularly from the perspective of gender and youth issues. She is a founding member of the Nordic Network on Religion, Media and Populism and the International Society for Media, Religion and Culture as well as the honorary chair of the latter. She has collaborated actively for years with University of Helsinki researchers involved in the study of religion and media and communication studies. During the 2023 autumn term, she will work at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies.
Munib Younan has for decades been the public voice of Middle Eastern and especially Palestinian Christians. In his work as President of the Lutheran World Federation, he has played a globally significant role as a Christian leader and theological policymaker. His approach emphasises the positive role of religion as a factor encouraging public engagement. Younan completed his master’s degree at the University of Helsinki and throughout his career has fostered close relationships with Finnish partners.
AND
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish opinion-maker and activist. The School Strike for Climate she staged outside the Swedish parliament building in autumn 2018 soon expanded into the global Fridays for Future movement, in which schoolchildren urge decision-makers to take climate action based on scientific evidence. The value of her uncompromising and consistent work for the future of our planet has been recognised with several major awards and prizes. Her actions have obliged all of us with the task, as members of communities and societies, but above all as human beings, of making changes to our everyday lives.
Do you remember the Sesame Street song - One Of These Things (Is Not Like The Others)? It goes something like this - "One of these things is not like the others, One of these things doesn't belong, Can you tell which thing is not like the others, By the time I finish my song?"
Can you tell which one of the honorees just doesn't belong?
As a Christian, I have to chuckle a bit at the recipients, as I doubt many of these will ever lead someone to Christ. But at least some are nominally Christians, connected to the Lutheran denomination. So there is hope that God can use them for something. I can pray for their Salvation, so they can be placed in the Body of Christ as it pleases the Father. I keep reminding myself, this is THEOLOGY. The study OF God, not necessarily a relationship WITH Him.
Then, there is wee Greta. How vast is the difference between her academic background and life achievements, and the rest. She is a school drop out, and an itinerant agitator. Her work encourages kids to skip school and pester adults about topics that not even scientists completely understand, or can even find common ground. And have the exalted faculty at the ivy-covered walls of Helsinki U ever listened to the teen ne'er-do-well speak? This is from the transcript of her infamous UN rant, along with my comments,
"My message is that we'll be watching you."
Who is this we? Climate fanatics? Truant children? Should the world be afraid of tiny global warming fanatics coming at us because we prefer to get to places as efficiently and cheaply as possible? What is this delusion that she thinks the world cares what some brainwashed teen thinks? People wonder how the tyrants in history came to be. Look no further than this little tyrant in training, Dr. Greta.
"This is all wrong. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!"
You bet its wrong. She (at this time) was 16. She SHOULD be in school - a real one that actually educates. Who is going to young people for hope? And why is she so angry? Nobody asked her to be a climate martyr. Where are her parents? Why are they allowing her delusions to fester?
"You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!"
Who stole her dreams? Most likely her nutty parents, and the handlers and groomers they forced on the impressionable young girl. Who is suffering and dying? Man's humanity to man is a big reason people might be dying. Certainly not climate. And its the ideology that Greta embraces, big government tyranny, and loss of individual Liberty, that has historically murdered the most people. There has been an estimated 262 million victims of democide in the last century. That by far surpasses war and ALL weather events in body count by multiple times. And yet Greta demands even bigger government, or possibly one government for all? Let the elevator reach the top floor doctor!
If you want anything done young lady, you are going to need MONEY. Even the supposed solution to this climate insanity is a major transfer of wealth from rich nations to poor. And of course higher taxes, more regulations, and less freedom for all, while our benevolent dictators fill their Swiss accounts with our wealth. Sounds downright peachy, don't you think? Its funny, for EVERY crisis, the solution is always the same.
I feel sad for the girl. Her parents royally screwed up her childhood. She truly believes she has the whole world on her shoulders. That's too much pressure for any young'un. But then again, her delusions fit perfectly with the granola crowd at the UN, which is nothing but a bunch of fruits, flakes, and nuts.
"You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you."
"We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming, whether you like it or not."
These are the last two paragraphs of this twaddle. Whoever penned her rant tried their best to add some scientific muscle to it, but failed. If we are all to die because of 1.5 degree Celsius increase, there is no hope for man. But anyone with a brain knows that is rubbish. The Earth has been far hotter, and far colder throughout its time. Mankind has adapted throughout history to significant changes in climate - its a historical fact, or if you are Algore - an inconvenient TRUTH.
The Medieval Warm Period (roughly 1000-1300) was a time when Europe saw higher crop yields, and Vikings settled a place called Greenland, which was much greener than it is today. And there was also a period of time called the Little Ice Age (roughly 1500-1850), when the Greenland Viking colony collapsed, glaciers spread, crops failed etc. The point being, just within recorded history there have been SIGNIFICANT climate change events that had nothing to do with the actions of men. Common sense should tell you this. But when you are an uneducated teen, pretending to be an expert in climatology, its like the ceiling - over your head.
One only has to look up in the sky and see the primary reason why this planet warms up and cools down. Its called the Sun. And unless you can create a dimmer switch for it, there is literally NOTHING you can do to influence its behavior.
In closing, look at her language - "We will never forgive you." Its not class warfare, but worse. Its dividing families, turning children against adults, kids against their very own parents. Imagine suburban parents both working 40+ hours a week to keep the lights on and food on the table. Their little Nazis come home, radicalized by protests at school, demanding that the parents do more to "save the planet!" That is not a recipe for a healthy family. Educators pulled that crap on me in the 70s, telling us that we had to flee to Mexico to avoid the coming ice age. Thank God for a Spirit-filled Mother who knew the Word. We sat down and she ended all my fears concerning the Earth. But it sure made me angry that a teacher would lie to me. Still bothers me today. Its why I get so passionate on this issue!
There's that word - change. Its every radical's favorite word. But they never answer this - change to what? Here is a paraphrase of one of my favorite Obama speeches. He loved change. Just imagine a few fainting coeds in the audience.
"I'm not talking about loose change. I'm not talking about spare change, or change from the vending machine. I'm for real change not a change of address. Feelings change, seasons change, time changes, so we must change. You change your tires, you change your brakes, you even change your socks and underwear. But that's not the change I'm talking about. Regime change, social change, changing hearts and minds. That's the change I'm talking about. Who's up for change?"
One might wonder, what does global warming agitation have to do with theology? There may be a connection, since everything about the global warming scam is predicated on believing without question what the media and scientists tell you. These same individuals are funded by folks who demand that they report the most catastrophic outcomes possible, based on unreliable models built by humans, with manipulated data. And if you dare object, question, or present alternative facts, you are immediately labeled a heretic, or the more fashionable title, climate denier, and canceled from social media, and shunned by woke folks. Sounds familiar, right?
As "theologians" you would think some of these people might know the Creator. It just might be possible that God knew precisely what man would do, and planned accordingly. He provided all the elements a modern society needs. His Earth provides energy in a plethora of plentiful ways - oil, gas, coal, water, and on and on. His creation, trees, plants, and oceans absorb CO2 and release Oxygen in its place. How cool is that? And He told the sea, “You may come this far, but no farther; your proud waves stop here” (Job 38:11 HCSB)
21 Hear now this, O foolish people without understanding or heart, who have eyes and see not, who have ears and hear not:
22 Do you not fear and reverence Me? says the Lord. Do you not tremble before Me? I placed the sand for the boundary of the sea, a perpetual barrier beyond which it cannot pass and by an everlasting ordinance beyond which it cannot go? And though the waves of the sea toss and shake themselves, yet they cannot prevail [against the feeble grains of sand which God has ordained by nature to be sufficient for His purpose]; though [the billows] roar, yet they cannot pass over that [barrier]. [Is not such a God to be reverently feared and worshiped?]
23 But these people have hearts that draw back from God and wills that rebel against Him; they have revolted and quit His service and have gone away [into idolatry]. Jeremiah 5:21–23 AMP
It is idolatry, to worship the Earth and ignore its Creator. And you have to be pretty darn arrogant to think that mankind, occupying less than 10% of the Earth's surface, and far less than that in any appreciable density, is somehow able to exert more power and more influence than forces like the Sun, gravity, Milankovitch cycles, magnetic field, volcanoes, oceans/currents, and on and on. If only God had provided a way to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen!
She's a regular rock star. I wonder how many of these students were either taken to the event by a teacher, or given extra credit by their school for attending. I can't imagine even Finnish children giving up their personal time to hear the crazy teen agitator from Sweden. Unless they want Fridays off to "protest" against the Sun.
At the end of the day, I suppose all we can do is pity Greta. Her parents created this monster, and now they will have to live with it. Although I suppose their income and quality of life has dramatically changed since she has taken on her climate quest.
But I imagine a simpler life for Greta. Where the family sits down for dinner, and she shares how she painted a picture at school. And then in science class, she learned all about photosynthesis - and was amazed at how wonderfully complex God made our world. After they eat, the family would gather for a fun game of King Oil. Where she would learn to enjoy the hunt for oil and big profits. What a lovely dream.
I suppose since she was awarded the Honorary Doctorate, a gift might be appropriate. It should be mandated that every climate agitator presented with an Honorary Doctorate in Theology gets their very own King Oil board game. Then, they can learn to love oil, and leave civilization to folks who actually accomplish things.
I get no pleasure in the ridicule of a child - although she is 20 now. That is why the left grooms kids to be agitators from an early age. They imagine adults will be less likely to counter the crazy claims of a child. But the stakes are too high when it comes to the global warming scam. If they succeed at claiming CO2 is poison - a gas that is essential for life on this planet, they literally can control everything anyone does on Earth. And that is the goal - absolute control. Scare enough people so they will not resist higher taxes, less freedom, and bigger government. And before long, we are just peasants to a handful of benevolent overlords. The money will flow freely into the hands of the elite, and not make one degree of difference in the global climate, or lift a single person out of poverty. Truly demonic in every way.
Useful idiots like Greta are great at spreading the message in what seems a harmless way. And once enough people stop resisting, its always the useful idiots that are quickly and quietly liquidated. Some learn from history. Others just make the same mistakes.
Final Thought - Greta also published a book!
I think for my next blog, I will list my accomplishments, and make my case for deserving one of those doctorates. If Helsinki U is handing out Doctorates in Theology like candy, I want in on it. Call Me DOCTOR. Watch for that this week!
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