From My Perspective - - -
Calibration is a word that has been in the news recently. It means: 1) to determine, check, or rectify the graduation of (any instrument giving quantitative measurements); 2) to divide or mark with gradations, graduations, or other indexes of degree, quantity, etc., as on a thermometer, measuring cup, or the like; 3) to determine the correct range for (an artillery gun, mortar, etc.) by observing where the fired projectile hits; 4) to plan or devise (something) carefully so as to have a precise use, application, appeal, etc.: a sales strategy calibrated to rich investors. When the President chose comment on the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., this well-scripted man departed from his use of a teleprompter to draw a conclusion that was lacking in detail and fact. By saying the Cambridge Police “acted stupidly” when they arrested his Professor friend, he needlessly inflamed the incident. In his attempt to back-track from what he had said, the President commented: “I should have calibrated my words differently.” Once again we are privy to the nuanced world of government-speak (Nuanced means: a subtle or slight degree of difference, as in meaning, feeling, or tone; a gradation; expression or appreciation of subtle shades of meaning, feeling, or tone). To ameliorate this situation, the President has invited the Policeman and the Professor to the White House for a Beer. Is that transferable as a solution for the tensions in the world – Drink More Beer? I doubt it!
The United States General Services Administration maintains a Bureau of Standards and Measurements. It is the place where The Standard is maintained for everything measurable – screw threads, rulers, yarn, resistance of grease to water, polyester fiber content, Opacity of Textile Materials to Light of Visible Wavelengths, and the list goes on almost endlessly. The point is – there is a standard that is inviolate and non-amendable. It is the absolute standard by which everything else is measured. If for some reason The Standard becomes compromised, then subjectivism enters and we no longer know or have an Absolute Standard. Ultimately, chaos would ensue. We have an expression “moving the goal-posts” that simply means: “The figurative use that alludes to the perceived unfairness in changing the goal one is trying to achieve after the process one is engaged in has already started.” In practical terms, it makes it more difficult to achieve the goal, or speak definitively, or function purposefully.
In May 2004, Cal Thomas posted a column in the Jewish World Review commenting an the changing standard for marriage in our nation. He wrote: “The Book of Judges…said it best: In those days there were no kings and everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Once that shift has taken place in sufficient numbers, once we become indifferent to immutable truths, the floodtide is not a matter of if but when. Legally, the shift began in 1993 when the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that barring same-sex couples from marrying might violate the state constitution's prohibition on sexual discrimination and must be justified by a compelling reason. Morally, the earthquake occurred much earlier. The shift from personal responsibility, accountability, putting the greater good before personal pleasure, affluence and feelings, and what once was known as the fear of God began following World War II. Consumption and pleasure replaced self-control and acting on behalf of the general welfare. Trying to remind us of the benefits of restraint in 1979…late Bishop Fulton J. Sheen delivered an address in Washington in which he asked how a football field is defined. By its boundaries, he said. There are now no boundaries in America. Any rule is potentially viewed as oppressive and any law - whether legal or moral - is up for debate, negotiation and overturning if it impedes a single individual from fulfilling his or her desire.”
In Deuteronomy 5:1-6, there is a clear declaration: “Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us…with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you…And He said: I am the Lord your God…” Following these words are the reiteration of the Ten Commandments – God’s Standard for what we are to believe about God, and what duties God requires of man. If one chooses to ignore God’s Standards, he does so to his own peril, and chaos results. Consider these things with me.
Calibration is a word that has been in the news recently. It means: 1) to determine, check, or rectify the graduation of (any instrument giving quantitative measurements); 2) to divide or mark with gradations, graduations, or other indexes of degree, quantity, etc., as on a thermometer, measuring cup, or the like; 3) to determine the correct range for (an artillery gun, mortar, etc.) by observing where the fired projectile hits; 4) to plan or devise (something) carefully so as to have a precise use, application, appeal, etc.: a sales strategy calibrated to rich investors. When the President chose comment on the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., this well-scripted man departed from his use of a teleprompter to draw a conclusion that was lacking in detail and fact. By saying the Cambridge Police “acted stupidly” when they arrested his Professor friend, he needlessly inflamed the incident. In his attempt to back-track from what he had said, the President commented: “I should have calibrated my words differently.” Once again we are privy to the nuanced world of government-speak (Nuanced means: a subtle or slight degree of difference, as in meaning, feeling, or tone; a gradation; expression or appreciation of subtle shades of meaning, feeling, or tone). To ameliorate this situation, the President has invited the Policeman and the Professor to the White House for a Beer. Is that transferable as a solution for the tensions in the world – Drink More Beer? I doubt it!
The United States General Services Administration maintains a Bureau of Standards and Measurements. It is the place where The Standard is maintained for everything measurable – screw threads, rulers, yarn, resistance of grease to water, polyester fiber content, Opacity of Textile Materials to Light of Visible Wavelengths, and the list goes on almost endlessly. The point is – there is a standard that is inviolate and non-amendable. It is the absolute standard by which everything else is measured. If for some reason The Standard becomes compromised, then subjectivism enters and we no longer know or have an Absolute Standard. Ultimately, chaos would ensue. We have an expression “moving the goal-posts” that simply means: “The figurative use that alludes to the perceived unfairness in changing the goal one is trying to achieve after the process one is engaged in has already started.” In practical terms, it makes it more difficult to achieve the goal, or speak definitively, or function purposefully.
In May 2004, Cal Thomas posted a column in the Jewish World Review commenting an the changing standard for marriage in our nation. He wrote: “The Book of Judges…said it best: In those days there were no kings and everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Once that shift has taken place in sufficient numbers, once we become indifferent to immutable truths, the floodtide is not a matter of if but when. Legally, the shift began in 1993 when the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that barring same-sex couples from marrying might violate the state constitution's prohibition on sexual discrimination and must be justified by a compelling reason. Morally, the earthquake occurred much earlier. The shift from personal responsibility, accountability, putting the greater good before personal pleasure, affluence and feelings, and what once was known as the fear of God began following World War II. Consumption and pleasure replaced self-control and acting on behalf of the general welfare. Trying to remind us of the benefits of restraint in 1979…late Bishop Fulton J. Sheen delivered an address in Washington in which he asked how a football field is defined. By its boundaries, he said. There are now no boundaries in America. Any rule is potentially viewed as oppressive and any law - whether legal or moral - is up for debate, negotiation and overturning if it impedes a single individual from fulfilling his or her desire.”
In Deuteronomy 5:1-6, there is a clear declaration: “Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us…with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you…And He said: I am the Lord your God…” Following these words are the reiteration of the Ten Commandments – God’s Standard for what we are to believe about God, and what duties God requires of man. If one chooses to ignore God’s Standards, he does so to his own peril, and chaos results. Consider these things with me.
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