The Green New Deal Is An Old Idea
The photo above is by Assenmacher and slightly cropped by me. The license to use it is at this link. It is a photograph of the coffer used by Johann Tetzel. Phillip Schaff writes in the History Of The Church Volume VII the following. “Tetzel was born between 1450 and 1460 at Leipzig and began his career as a preacher of indulgences in 1501. He became famous as a popular orator and successful hawker of indulgences.” (Pg 151 of reproduction of the Second Edition Revised-copyright 1910) You may be wondering, “How does 16th Century German Catholic History have anything to do with the Green New Deal? How is the Green New Deal an old idea?” Please be patient. I will eventually get there.
Schaff earlier wrote on page 148 of the aforementioned work, “the granting of indulgences degenerated, after the time of the crusades, into a regular traffic, and became a source of ecclesiastical and monastic wealth.” He continues, “The idea of selling and buying by money the remission of punishment and release from purgatory was acceptable to ignorant and superstitious people.” Schaff writes, “It roused long before Luther, the indignant protests of earnest minds, such as Wiclif in England, Hus in Bohemia, John von Wesel in Germany, Wessel in Holland, Thomas Wyttenbach in Switzerland, but without much effect.”
Along came Luther
Phillip Schaff describes Luther on pages 144 and 145, by writing, “Luther had as yet no idea of reforming the Catholic Church, and still less of separating from it. All the roots of his life and piety were in the historic church. He considered himself a good Catholic even in 1517. By the leading of Providence, he became innocently and reluctantly a Reformer. A series of events carried him irresistibly from step to step and forced him far beyond his original intentions. Had he for seen the separation, he would have shrunk from it in horror. He was as much the child of his age as its father, and the times molded him before he molded the times. This is the case with all men of Providence: they are led by a divine hand while they are leading their fellow-men.”
Further information about Luther’s historical act is described on pages 155 and 156. “After serious deliberation, without consulting any of his colleagues or friends, but following an irresistible impulse, Luther resolved upon a public act of unforeseen consequences. He wished to elicit the burning question of indulgences. On Oct 31, 1517, he affixed to the doors of the castle church at Wittenburg ninety-five Latin Theses on the subject of indulgences and invited a public discussion.” He chose the eve of All Saint’s Day (Nov 1) because this was one of the most frequented feasts, and the maximum number of people would see it. No one commented on it, but there was no censorship, and people copied it and distributed it to others. It circulated rapidly.
Now, let us talk about the Green New Deal.
One of Luther’s presentation themes was that service and mercy are above indulgences; works of love improve a man, but indulgences promote manipulative behavior. I am casting no stones at the present-day Catholic Church by discussing Luther. I am only illustrating the corrupt activity of purchasing and selling indulgences that transpired back then is similar to today’s plans of buying and selling carbon tax credits. The Green new deal is an old idea. It is not a work of love to clean-up the environment. It is a scheme to manipulate behavior. Worse than that, an industry filled with avarice grew out of the practice of monetizing indulgences. Today, besides greed, an Environment, Social, and Governance score for all citizens of the planet is coming. Ultimate manipulation and censorship are on the horizon.
A new Universal religion is forming. And, unlike the year 1517, now there is censorship. If one disagrees that man-made global warming is a huge problem, the one that differs is accused of being a “Science Denier.” Many of these accusers ironically deny the science regarding genders. They also charge people who disagree with the so-called environmental policies to favor dirty air and dirty water. These are preposterous claims that would be amusing if their success weren’t so dangerous. One must believe the lies and must exhibit proof of their belief. Individuals must also prove that they have the so-called correct views about social issues.
Don’t worry if you pollute
If you pollute too much, you will be able to attain indulgences. This new socialist religion will have methods created where one’s “sins” are removed provided one pleases the right ministers of the socialist faith. If one forces their employees and customers into submission with solar panels and windmills, one will be able to fly in their private jet. Never mind the unreliability of the energy source the minister requires. That is not important. What is important is that we all bow down before the government.
Philip Klein, the Executive Editor and Commentary Editor for the Washington Examiner wrote an excellent opinion piece on July 12, 2019. The title of the work was AOC’s chief of staff comments just killed the Green New Deal. The only problem I have with Mr. Klein’s opinion is that he was wrong. The Green New Deal is not dead yet. In all fairness to Mr. Klein, he accurately quoted AOC’s chief of staff that admitted that the Green New Deal was not about the climate.
I am sure most people wanted Philip to be correct in his assessment that the truth that the Green New Deal was a ruse and that would be enough to kill the idea. Mr. Klein wrote, “The Green New Deal has always rested on deception.” He accurately described that the Green New Deal’s backers have argued that we face a catastrophic emergency and that immediate action is necessary. At the same time, they plan a list of ideas that “American socialists would be pushing regardless of the climate issue.” These are ideas that have nothing to do with any alleged environmental issues.
The magic
Unfortunately, Mr. Klein’s was incorrect when he wrote:
“The errors the AOC crowd makes are to 1.) Overestimate the appeal of radical ideas in practice; 2.) Fail to recognize that national polling does not matter in House and Senate races in more conservative areas.”
Sadly, due to election fraud, the “AOC crowd” got what they needed. Klein continued:
“But even if they could somehow get past these two barriers and magically elect a socialist president, a socialist majority in both chambers of Congress, eliminate the filibuster, and pass the Green New Deal — there’s the implementation issue. That is, the proposal calls for a decades-long economic mobilization. Never in the history of the U.S. has one party controlled all levers of power in Washington for decades. So anything remotely close to the Green New Deal would inevitably be rolled back when Republicans inevitably take power.”
The problem I see is what Klein called magic, and I call fraud. This “magic” may continue with no end in sight. So, I am uncertain the Republicans will ever take power. Speaking of magic, Biden is magically erasing the nation’s borders and may bus “immigrants” to anywhere they are needed to prop up census calculations. This migration will dilute the Republican vote and create a one-party system as already exists in China.
Social Credit System
According to The South China Morning Post:
China’s social credit system is a set of databases and initiatives that monitor and assess individuals, companies, and government entities’ trustworthiness. Each entry gets a social credit score. A reward is for those with high ratings, and punishments are for those with low scores.
China’s economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), and its court system will manage the databases.
Most of the data is from traditional sources such as financial, criminal, governmental records, and existing data from registry offices and third-party sources such as online credit platforms. The Chinese government is also experimenting with collecting data via video surveillance and real-time data transfers, such as monitoring emission data from factories. However, these are not considered primary sources.
The State Council first outlined the plan in 2014 covering individuals, businesses, social interactions, and judicial administration, with the system expected to be rolled out by the end of 2020. I am uncertain of the present status. I am confident of the alarm I instinctively feel from a quote from Premier Li Keqiang, “Those who lose credibility will find it hard to make a tiny step in society,” In China, they speak not of a New Green Deal. Their version is called the Social Credit System. I’m sure one can purchase an indulgence and gain some of their credibility back for the right price.
Liberty is related to energy
Some believe China is becoming more modern and more like the United States. I think the United States is becoming more like China. Despite what you believe, The Honorable Jason Issacs uttered one of the most simple and most profound statements while discussing Energy Grid issues at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He said, “Liberty is related to energy.” That struck a chord with me, and as if a clarion trumpet awoke me from my slumber, I opened my eyes to what the Green New Deal truly is.
As the pandemic enabled our leaders to characterize some as “essential” and others as “non-essential,” the people in charge may eventually determine who must receive reliable energy and who will receive rolling blackouts. The Green New Deal will provide a foothold for the possibility of Energy Poverty to occur within our borders. The Paris Climate Accord does not place restrictions on Russia or China even though they have pollution issues. Yet, it restricts America, a nation that has already reduced harmful pollutants by 73% since 1980, a country with some of the world’s cleanest air.
Who is this Pope of the New Universal Socialist Church? Who leads this new world order that determines what a “sin” is and what is not? By what authority is it determined who must pay modern-day indulgences? More importantly, where is our modern-day Luther? As Schaff described Luther, who will be irresistibly carried by a series of events and be molded by the times before he molds the times? Who will be led by a divine hand to help humankind?