Motorcycle Racing, Critical Thinking, and Christians

So let's say you are an avid motorcycle racing fan and one day we happen to meet at a gas station where I am refueling my beloved Triumph. I introduce myself to you as MotoGP Champ and Factory Yamaha rider, Valentino Rossi.

You are shocked. I am obviously lying. How do you know? Because, as an avid fan of motorcycle racing, you know that Rossi is not a 40-something caucasian man with gray hair. Surely my claim is false - I am a liar. You have employed "critical thinking".

You used information that you know about the world of motorcycle racing in general and Rossi in particular, and applied it to me, standing right in front of you. The facts don't fit. My claim is not valid.

Interesting, though, when someone claiming to be a Christian kills another person, the reporters and news agencies covering the story never cast an iota of doubt about their claimed Christian status. They do not know, and do not care to know, enough about the bible and its laws to compare them to the actions of that murderer. If they did, they'd report that the killer had "claimed" to be a Christian, but then they'd also report that his claims did not square with biblical teachings.

But they do not. Why? Because modern media is openly hostile to Christianity and has been for a couple decades. Don't believe me? Watch what happens if a murderer is caught and he "claims" to belong to a professional sports team. The investigation will leave absolutely no stone unturned....

Gotta love video-commentator Molotov Mitchell. He observed how gun sales have skyrocketed since Obama's election and in some places you can hardly find any guns to buy. But flashlights, crank radios and dried food meals can be found anywhere.

In summary he observed: "Americans are no longer preparing for Y2K challenges, they are preparing for 1776."

Booo-yah!! Love that guy. (Sorry this entry was not one of my originals)

Clutch Control, Tire Smoke, Obama, and the Congress

Launching a very powerful motorcycle from a standing start requires a good deal of experience at clutch control. To non-riders, it may seem like throttle control is the most important thing, but it is not. Often, a motorcycle is launched hard with the throttle held steady. The delicate balancing act bewteen bogging the engine, smoking the tire, or wheelying over is controlled by an experienced hand on the clutch. Lacking that, traction control, as has appeared on modern bikes, is a life saver.

So what has this got to do with Obama and the congress?

Picture Obama as a neophyte motorcycle racer. There he is, motor revved up, ready to launch. The light turns green, he whacks the throttle open and dumps the clutch, as neophytes are wont to do. What happens? Tire smoke, and very little forward momentum.

NKeep that image in your head, except now he is President and the economy is tanking. He has the full power and authority of his Office behind him to get it moving. What has he done? He's whacked the throttle (Treasury department) open and dumped the clutch (Stimulus bill). And what is the result? A whole lot of smoke, a whole lot of fuel (money) being burned, with very little movement to show for it.

Remember I mentioned traction control at the end of the first paragraph? That's the "device" the US Congress has at its disposal to help the situaton. Problem is, they are either reticent to use it, or are knowingly complicit in keeping it turned off.

So we go nowhere, burning fuel, making a hell of a lot of noise, and immersed in smoke.