Witches in Georgia, Nuts in Texas

Some time ago a woman in Georgia won a restraining order against a man who had been stalking her for months.  She had met him when he answered her advertisement in a singles column.  In the ad she described herself as a, “wiccan” priestess—a witch!  She was then shocked that she didn’t attract an intelligent, emotionally mature male.  Instead she got a weird, obsessive stalker.  Whom did she think she was going to get?

I realize that I am probably not being as tolerant as the times require, but it seems to me that any adult who calls herself a witch should not be expected to be taken seriously.  Do adults have to be told that there are no such things as witches?  Didn’t we learn that sometime between the Salem Witch Trials and the dawning of the nuclear age?  What seems to be going on here is that the mantra of tolerance which rightly began as a way to combat institutionalized prejudice has been carried to an extreme that says we can no longer refer to anyone as a crackpot.

Let me give that woman a heads-up.  There is no Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny, no Tooth Fairy, and there are no such things as witches.  You might think you are a witch, you might want to be a witch, but you might just as well tell people you are the Queen of England.  For pity sake, people, grow up!  Magicians do tricks, not feats of magic.  Psychics and astrologers can tell a sucker, but not the future.  The only aliens who have landed in New Mexico are the ones who came across the border.  And, in case you are wondering, the Earth is not flat!

We have a culture that is busy creating imaginary demons because it doesn’t have the head, heart, and hands to tackle the real ones.  This nation has serious problems vis a vis energy.  But they are tough problems with tough solutions.  What is more, the scientific issues surrounding energy don’t have the drama or hysterical high that childish fantasies produce.  So instead of real problem solving we have people wasting what little mental resources they seem to posses on one comic book crisis after another!

The nut squad is out in South Texas now in the form of people who are sure that the electric company, AEP Texas, is installing smart meters that will allow space aliens to suck out their brains—or something like that.  We have a professor of English at the University of Texas Pan American asking for a moratorium on the meters.  Part of the problem is his being an English professor.  This is a soft discipline, requiring little empirical background, just a willingness to stick out the doctoral process and speak obtusely.

Smart meters use a wireless communication technology to transmit electrical usage data to power companies and the consumer.  They will allow power companies to work more efficiently, more accurately and, ultimately, cheaper.  There is no evidence that they spy on consumers or cause health problems.  Anyone who tells you this is lying or ignorant. 

In Latin the word, “truth” is veritas.  It means universal principles and laws.  It is reality, naked and unapologetic.  The truth about smart meters is they will allow power companies to get fast, accurate readings of electric usage.  They will allow consumers to monitor their usage and conserve as they choose.  If you want to opt out of them, your electric rates should be higher than mine, because you are standing obstinately in the path of progress. 

Do not believe in fairy tales and keep the faith.