Trouble with Bernies

The Bernie meme was an interesting phenomenon. My favorite one was very telling. It was Bernie as a tribble, as in Star Trek's TOS episode Trouble with Tribbles.

I watched it again last night to catch-up my memory on the story line.

Tribbles seem like cute and cuddly animals that make a pleasant purring sound. However, they have a secret. Let them have a little food, and they multiply ten fold.

In the episode, the Enterprise with Capt. Kirk was to guard grain at a space station from Klingons since it was to be used to feed a Federation outpost near the Klingon border.

Unfortunately for the station and Kirk, the grain compartment had air vents that allowed the small tribbles to get into the grain compartment.

The Bernie-as-Tribbles meme shows that Bernie and the (Democratic) Socialists (DSA) will sneak into a hole and eat resources from within. They have taken-up camp in the Democratic Party (DNC) and have taken over its resources. They could take over our country and eat our resources like they did in Venezuela. Then very little to nothing will be left for the rest of us. The DSA members will eat the grain that capitalism provided and give the rest of the country the scraps, like it always ends up happening. Socialism will then leave the country in ruins after capitalism is eaten through.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Part III

 I just finished the Star Trek novel The Lost Years.

It's about the Enterprise crew's time between the end of the original series (ST:TOS) and the first movie.

Since it was a while since I watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture, I watched it again.

In 2014, I wrote two blog posts about the movie.

The posts came down to the longing for God along the Augustinian line (no rest for my soul until it rests in Thee, God) and baptism.

Upon re-watching the movie, it actually seems more like the sacrament of the Eucharist.

V'ger wants to touch the creator, who is human.

In reality, we touch and become one in a real, physical way with the One True God through Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity physically joins with us in a real and spiritual sense, since he is truly and substantially present in the form of bread and wine that enters our body. He joins with our body.

We don't join together with a halo or energy around us like Decker and V'ger's probe did. However, our lives are never the same.

The Great Star Trek Reset

You may have heard of the Great Reset of the World Economic Forum (WEF), its Leader Klaus Schwab's plan to re-imagine capitalism, i.e., bring about world communism. The outline of the plan is on their website for all to see (and in an entire Time magazine issue, among many other main-stream publications). This is not a conspiracy theory; it's a conspiracy.

The video of other main parts of the plan was scrubbed from their website which included lovely goals such as, "You will own nothing, and you will be happy," and "A handful of countries will dominate." (See more info here.)

All this reminds me of Star Trek, specifically, Captain Picard's explanation of the Star Trek utopian future to Lily in the movie First Contact.

There is no money in the Trek universe (except for some of the backward worlds). Technology has freed us from slavery-in-the-pursuit-of-frivolous-trivialities. He also made it clear that all planets in the Federation of Planets are one-world governments (it is a requirement for entry into the Federation).

The visionary creator of Star Trek was an Atheist. Everyone knew it. He wrote episodes mocking belief in God left and right in the original series (TOS) and the Next Generation (TNG) series.

He would love this development of the world elites in business and government if he were living. He died during the production of TNG, I believe.

On a side note, I plan to read Comrade Schwab's book COVID-19: The Great Reset when I can get a free copy (I don't want to give him more of my money than I have to).

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Part I The Good Shepherd

***Spoilers Alert!*** In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kkan (TWOK), Spock sacrificed his life for the lives of the entire crew of the Enterprise. By contrast, in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (TSFS), Kirk sacrificed his career, other friends, and possibly his life to save his friend and colleague Spock.

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31428610@N05/3350673287/meta/

Before he went on his mission to save Spock, Kirk asked permission of the commanding Admiral of space dock, Admiral Morrow, to use the Enterprise that was being decommissioned. He also mentioned that he had to take the Enterprise to the quarantined planet Genesis (from TWOK). He was denied permission.

After being denied permission, Kirk passionately said that he would find a way to get to Genesis and save Spock. Admiral Morrow warned Kirk not to disobey his orders and ruin his career that always exemplified rationality.

Was Kirk being irrational or illogical?

The same could be asked about Jesus in the parable of the Good Shepherd.

[Jesus said,] “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’" Luke 15:4-6

This parable is about a sinner, a "lost one" who repents. When the lost one is found, he is said to have repented and returned to the path toward heaven with Jesus.

This act of finding the lost sinner meant that Jesus the Good Shepherd would have to sit and eat with sinners. This act itself could potentially ruin His reputation among his community.

However, in the Gospel of John, it says, "I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep." (John 10:14-15)

It is more important to get the one sheep than to save one's own life or stay with the safe people, the in-crowd. The Good Shepherd made that choice with the full knowledge that the search for the lost sheep would end His own life on the cross and His reputation.

Jesus the Good Shepherd and Kirk were indeed being rational and free in their choices to save the one that they loved. They knew the risks. Since they were free, they had the liberty to make the hard choice even though it may end their lives and potentially ruin their future reputations.

To be continued ...

The Host Part I

The Host is a relatively new movie with Saoirse Ronan that was written by the same person as the Twilight series (I found this out just now). I never watched any of Twilight, but this Host movie was creepy.

It was creepy because it reminded me of a reverse demon possession.



Usually, in the Bible and in movies, when people are possessed by a demon, they try to destroy their host. For example, "Lord [Jesus], have pity on my son, for he is a [possessed] lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water." (Here's another example (Legion).)



There was a reversal of this tendency in The Host. The alien "souls" who were possessing the humans were stopping them from being violent to other humans and the Earth.

Why is this a bad thing? (Why don't you tell me in the comments below?) Perhaps it is because taking away someone's freewill is against God's prime directive (God's will).

(Speaking of prime directive, the Trill on Star Trek (Dax et al.; Dr. Beverly's Trill) had hosts who freely submitted to being used as hosts. So, the same objection can't really be raised in that case.)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Part IV

[So, I contacted Paramount to ask permission to add various clips to my posts on Star Trek II that I can't find on YouTube, but they unfortunately denied me permission. You'll just have to go watch it again if you can't recall what I'm referencing; yea, I know big burden (I wish I had time to watch it too, esp. part deux).]

This time, I would like to focus on the scene where Kirk, Spock, and Bones are first discovering what Project Genesis is (in Kirk's quarters). At the end, Bones has, let's say, some misgivings on the whole idea of reorganizing matter for a new matrix (just universal armageddon, that's all). While, Spock has the coolly logical, i.e., stoically utilitarian understanding of the usefulness of the technology.

We can see a parallel with the bomb, except that the (atom) bomb was initially created for destruction, not a means to constructively help society.

There are those who only see nuclear technology as an immanent danger to the entire planet. While there are those who see it mostly as a good that can bring clean energy (no one will actually use it in war). One side is calling the other inhuman while the other side is whispering "passionate nut".

Positive technological advancement must have a balanced approach that takes into account (1) the necessity of making or using the technology and (2) the moral implications that surround its manufacture or use. They must go hand in hand.

We must balance Spock and McCoy through civil discourse.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Part III

(Links for Part I / Part II)

One the best scenes of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was the dialog between Kirk and Spock in Spock's quarters.

Kirk was debating whether to take the training crew of the Enterprise under Spock's command to a potentially dangerous location.


 
This scene is so good since it shows how two totally different people, one totally logical (really utilitarian stoicism) and the other passionate, can be friends and colleagues.

If you watch the other Star Trek movies and even the original series, these two and McCoy would just hang out together.

But what's the use of hanging out? Well, friendship in and of itself has no uses per se, but is a good in itself. Natural Law Theory defines friendship as one of the basic goods that is good in and of itself.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Part II

It seems that the main point of Star Trek II - other than vengeance - was that, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

It is quite remarkable that this logic was set in direct contrast to Khan's vengeful passion.

In the end, however, both Spock and Khan were dead. How did their companions fare? Spock voluntarily gave his life for his companions lives and Khan took all the lives that were set about reaching Khan's personal goal.

Most people see love as a passion for the other. However, the highest form of love is to do something positive for/to another person for the others sake, not ourselves.

Jesus said, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:13)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Part I

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (TWOK) was by far the best Star Trek movie. Based on Moby Dick, Khan believed from hell's heart that Captain Kirk killed his wife, so he pursued him with hateful vengeance, even with his last breath.

Of course, the plan was foiled by Spock who sacrificed his life for the despised Kirk.



I was thinking specifically about Spock's Christlike sacrifice when I remembered the first time I heard the phrase, "Good deeds never go unpunished." My high school choir director uttered these words, and then later went on to heroically save a drowning kid from the Delaware River. (Go figure.)

This phrase was shortsighted in the final analysis. TWOK showed this in that Spock's true self lives in Dr. McCoy. This could obviously indicate that we live in our friends' memory, but I think it was deeper than that. Since Spock's Katra could be passed onto another, was it possible that his Katra could live on in the Ultimate Mind, God? I think that was a distinct possibility.

So, ultimately, good deeds in love could assure our infinite existence in the Mind of God.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Part II

This post is about the "meld" between the V'ger probe and Decker.



In the last post, I likened Decker to God the Father (Creator) and the V'ger probe as standing in for humankind. This post will discuss how the relationship between Decker and the V'ger probe is parallel to God the Son and to an individual.

During this clip, Decker wanted to be with the V'ger probe who was once his love interest Ilia. The V'ger probe who is made in the likeness of Ilia, who now stands-in for V'ger, wants with all its being to be with Decker.

This whole relationship reminds me of what St. Paul said about the one-fleshness between man and woman in marriage. He said that the sacrament of marriage was mysteriously a direct parallel to the bond between Christ (Jesus) and the Church.

The question is, how does an individual become part of the Church to have this special relationship with Christ? The answer is baptism.

This Star Trek movie is a commentary on baptism!

The "meld" scene above sort-of shows how Christ and His disciple become a new creation through baptism.

Could it be that the Enterprise is the Holy Spirit that brings the Christ character (Decker) to V'ger? That may be too much. What do you think?

(My first post on Star Trek: The Motion Picture is here.)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Part I

I thought for a long time that Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Star Trek I) was the second worst Star Trek movie after number five, but the more I think about it, the richness in its symbolism is pushing it higher and higher on my list (at least past number three).

I love Star Trek because of the gadgets, gismos, and science that are incorporated or forced into the show. I'm not as interested in the characters, save for Spock, especially the actors who play them. (This is why Sheldon of The Big Bang Theory TV show logically makes no sense to me in this regard. Why should he be interested in the actors who play the characters since they are just speaking and bringing alive the words that the writers make up? Though I digress.) The Heisenberg compensator (for beaming to work) alone has given me hours of pondering as to how it could work.

I wonder, in their final analysis, whether the writers realized the theological profoundness of their project. This post will mention a single overarching one.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 27 (CCC 27) reveals that, "The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself."

V'ger represents man and Decker represents God (Creator). V'ger, although knowing the accidents (or the stuff/workings) of the universe, nevertheless desires with a great passion to know the Creator from within its innermost core, the old stuff of ancient TI calculator circuitry. (Just because the heartfelt longing is old doesn't mean it is not there as from the beginning. / Sidebar: It has been said that all the electronics of the Apollo hardware could now fit in a single TI calculator.)

Although growth in knowledge of the universe seems to be completed at infinity, it is not enough for V'ger. It's programming is not complete. Hence the search climaxes in Star Trek: The Motion Picture with the interaction between Decker and V'ger via the probe (more on this in a later post).