For Jewel, the Tasty Infidel (I wrotes what I wrotes)
Miles Davis
So What
now THAT'S some philosophizing
:)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
If the Trumpet could speak
H/T Gerard via Buzzfeed
Is the young anarchist in the photograph proud of himself? Is he? He is all but naked, he is holding in his teeth a pair of very expensive sunglasses, and though frozen for a moment forever, you can make out the swagger of a man who believes he has accomplished something very important with his wanton act of vandalism. He has made a statement, of course.
Death to the police! The law be damned.
But I am not interested in him...he's a piece of wondrous crapmanship, all right. No. It is the trumpet that has caught my eye.
The trumpet was made according to very strict guidelines. The combination of copper and nickel and other metals was exact, the precise width and bend of the pipes were carefully hammered out, and it was passed on to someone else who buffed and cleaned and polished and buffed again and again and again.
The specific color of brass that plated it was not some helter skelter crap shoot, but a precise calculation by metallurgists.
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The inlaid pearl on the buttons, and the springs, and every little detail that went into the exquisite etchings on its bell made this manly instrument a work that required many skilled hands and minds, with the end result being that the man playing the trumpet submits to the authority of a conductor, who not only knows the trumpeter's part, but all the parts of the symphonic work as well, with the trumpeter playing only his parts when called upon. The trumpeter must trust that the conductor knows his job, and the conductor must trust the trumpeter to likewise know his music and instrument.
The trumpet and the trumpeter are the outcome of strict, ordered and well-disciplined minds and hands, as its music is also ordered. They are in tune with all around them, and take their cues from all around them. And as a result of the order and skill, we who are not skilled in the playing of the trumpet meet with the sublime and are elevated by it.
So, clearly, the man holding the trumpet is not worthy of such a fine creation. As an anarchist, it is the wrong instrument for him. He should be playing the vuvuzela. The vuvuzela is a loud, obnoxious, plastic one-note irritant. Those who blow it adhere to no civilized rules of decency, there is no music in its bell, it is an abomination from hell. It is mass produced by people who don't care about anything but selling as many of these noise makers as possible. It is the base, appealing to the low.
Why is he holding this trumpet? Have you ever just walked into a store and bought a trumpet? It is an expensive thing. Not a toy to be played with.
The vuvuzela is more fitting for the sort of money an anarchist would pay out for anything, if he so much as thought about paying for something.
Not that I can imagine him actually paying for anything. Perhaps he will be allowed to make monthly payments on a slightly toasted police car. I wonder what his credit score is.
Crossposted at Tasty Infidelicacies.
Is the young anarchist in the photograph proud of himself? Is he? He is all but naked, he is holding in his teeth a pair of very expensive sunglasses, and though frozen for a moment forever, you can make out the swagger of a man who believes he has accomplished something very important with his wanton act of vandalism. He has made a statement, of course.Death to the police! The law be damned.
But I am not interested in him...he's a piece of wondrous crapmanship, all right. No. It is the trumpet that has caught my eye.
The trumpet was made according to very strict guidelines. The combination of copper and nickel and other metals was exact, the precise width and bend of the pipes were carefully hammered out, and it was passed on to someone else who buffed and cleaned and polished and buffed again and again and again.
The specific color of brass that plated it was not some helter skelter crap shoot, but a precise calculation by metallurgists.
The trumpet and the trumpeter are the outcome of strict, ordered and well-disciplined minds and hands, as its music is also ordered. They are in tune with all around them, and take their cues from all around them. And as a result of the order and skill, we who are not skilled in the playing of the trumpet meet with the sublime and are elevated by it.
So, clearly, the man holding the trumpet is not worthy of such a fine creation. As an anarchist, it is the wrong instrument for him. He should be playing the vuvuzela. The vuvuzela is a loud, obnoxious, plastic one-note irritant. Those who blow it adhere to no civilized rules of decency, there is no music in its bell, it is an abomination from hell. It is mass produced by people who don't care about anything but selling as many of these noise makers as possible. It is the base, appealing to the low.
Why is he holding this trumpet? Have you ever just walked into a store and bought a trumpet? It is an expensive thing. Not a toy to be played with.
Not that I can imagine him actually paying for anything. Perhaps he will be allowed to make monthly payments on a slightly toasted police car. I wonder what his credit score is.
Crossposted at Tasty Infidelicacies.
Leftist Icon Noam Chomsky to Iranian TV: “US More Fundamentalist than Saudi Arabia and the Taliban,” Bush and Ahmadinejad are “Spiritual Brothers”
(click image for video)
Click on the title to read the story.
Believing Israel Will Strike Iran
In hushed tones, the U.S., Europe, and sections of the Arab world support a military strike against Iran, and the perception is that Israel will be the subcontracted hit man.
When G-8 leaders sat down to weekend talks in Canada prior to G-20 meetings this week, Silvio Berlusconi wasn’t designated the official group spokesperson. But when he was quoted in the press as saying the G-8 “fully believes” Israel will attack Iran, the Italian prime minister was echoing a sentiment most leaders are publicly furrowing eyebrows over and privately anticipating expectantly.
“Iran is not guaranteeing a peaceful production of nuclear power [so] the members of the G-8 are worried and believe absolutely that Israel will probably react preemptively,” Berlusconi told reporters following talks with other Group of Eight leaders outside Toronto.
G-8 leaders met for two days of talks focused on Iranian and North Korean nuclear aims and growing concern over continued development despite renewed sanctions. Referring to a fourth round of UN sanctions handed down against Iran last week, Iranian President Ahmadinejad termed the measures a “used handkerchief” fit for the trash.
In the face of Ahmadinejad’s open defiance and alarm over continued arms development, are European and other world leaders truly concerned over a potential Israel strike that might cripple Iran’s nuclear capability?
“Iran’s nuclear weapons program is something everybody else hopes someone else will take care of,” says Mark Heller, Tel Aviv University’s principal research associate at the Institute for National Security Studies. “And it’s a tacit admission on Berlusconi’s part that they — Europe, the U.S. and all the rest – are not really designed to stop an Iranian nuclear weapons program. I’m guessing that he and maybe many others in the G-8 and elsewhere — including in the Arab world — are hoping Israel will do that.”
The sense of urgency is growing because of increasing levels of uranium enrichment Iran is achieving, bringing the rogue state closer to having a nuclear weapon.
A U.S. National Intelligence report assessed that Iran suspended weaponization in 2003 but continued with enrichment. “They were turning enriched uranium into a nuclear weapon — essentially transforming a huge, unwieldy mass into a usable nuclear weapon,” Heller continues. “When that report was issued, everybody else including the Europeans — who are not normally given to hysteria — made light of the assessment and said they didn’t understand the basis for it.
“It is slowly dawning that there’s no chance of getting the ‘crippling sanctions’ Hillary Clinton once called for to threaten the stronghold of power in the Iranian regime. Conventional wisdom has become: either bomb Iran or there will be an Iranian bomb.”
So when an argument for more time to resolve the issue is put on the table, comments like Berlusconi’s indicate time is neither a luxury nor a neutral factor at this juncture.
“Attempting to put together sanctions packages prepared by Brazilians and Turkish prime ministers trying to appeal to the better sense of the Iranian regime … well let’s just say I don’t think Israel can do anything without close coordination with the U.S. and that’s the universal assumption. And if it happens, Israel will be condemned publicly and congratulated behind closed doors,” Heller concludes.
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OMG, Is the US Government Really This ****** Stupid?
GULEN MOVEMENT FUNDED BY HEROIN VIA THE C.I.A.
UNCLE SAM BECOMES A SARACEN
GOG AND MAGOG ARISE IN PENNSYLVANIA
by Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.
Court records and the testimony of former government officials show that Fethullah Gulen, who presently resides in Pennsylvania, has amassed more than $25 billion in assets from the heroin route which runs from Afghanistan to Turkey.
Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI translator, testified that the drug money has been channeled into Gulen’s coffers by the C.I.A.
“A lot of the drugs were going to Belgium with NATO planes,” Ms. Edmonds said. “After that, they went to the UK, and a lot came to the US via military planes to distribution centers in Chicago, and Paterson, New Jersey.” Ms. Edmonds further said that Turkish diplomats, who would never be searched by airport officials, have come into the country “with suitcases of heroin.”
According to Ms. Edmond and other government witnesses, Gulen began to receive funding from the CIA in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union when federal officials realized that the U.S. could not obtain control of the vast energy resources of the newly created Russian republics because of deep-seated suspicion of American motives.
Turkey, the U.S. officials came to realize, could serve as a perfect “proxy” since it was a NATO ally that shared the same language, culture, and religion as the other Central Asian countries.
The strategy has met with success since Turkey has formed an alliance with Iran and is emerging as the world’s most powerful Islamic nation.
Click on the title to read the article and comments.
UNCLE SAM BECOMES A SARACEN
GOG AND MAGOG ARISE IN PENNSYLVANIA
by Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.
Court records and the testimony of former government officials show that Fethullah Gulen, who presently resides in Pennsylvania, has amassed more than $25 billion in assets from the heroin route which runs from Afghanistan to Turkey.
Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI translator, testified that the drug money has been channeled into Gulen’s coffers by the C.I.A.
“A lot of the drugs were going to Belgium with NATO planes,” Ms. Edmonds said. “After that, they went to the UK, and a lot came to the US via military planes to distribution centers in Chicago, and Paterson, New Jersey.” Ms. Edmonds further said that Turkish diplomats, who would never be searched by airport officials, have come into the country “with suitcases of heroin.”
According to Ms. Edmond and other government witnesses, Gulen began to receive funding from the CIA in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union when federal officials realized that the U.S. could not obtain control of the vast energy resources of the newly created Russian republics because of deep-seated suspicion of American motives.
Turkey, the U.S. officials came to realize, could serve as a perfect “proxy” since it was a NATO ally that shared the same language, culture, and religion as the other Central Asian countries.
The strategy has met with success since Turkey has formed an alliance with Iran and is emerging as the world’s most powerful Islamic nation.
[How is this "success"? For whom?]
But the success has come with a price. The only way to provide Gulen with sufficient funds to topple Turkey’s secular regime and to conduct education jihad within the Russian republics came from the poppy fields of Afghanistan. This scenario serves to explain why US-led coalition troops in Afghanistan are forbidden to firebomb the fields or fumigate the poppies with a chemical herbicide, such as glyphosate.
Despite such testimony and growing concern over Turkey, the Obama administration has opted to turn a blind eye to Gulen and his mountain fortress in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.
Fethullah Gulen has been called the “most dangerous Islamist” on the planet. In his native Turkey, Gulen’s vast fortune has been used to create the Justice and Democratic Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma, AKP), which has gained control of the government.
With the elections of 2002, the AKP gained absolute control of the Turkish government.
Abdullah Gul, Turkey’s first Islamist President, is a Gulen disciple along with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Yusuf Ziya Ozcan, the head of Turkey’s Council of Higher Education. Under the AKP, Turkey has transformed from a secular state into an Islamic country with 85,000 active mosques – – one for every 350- citizens – – the highest number per capita in the world, 90,000 imams, more imams than teachers and physicians – – and thousands of state-run Islamic schools.
Despite the rhetoric of European Union accession, Turkey has transferred its alliance from Europe and the United States to Russia and Iran. It has moved toward friendship with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria and created a pervasive anti-Christian, anti-Jewish, and anti-America animus throughout the populace.
Gulen has purchased newspapers, television networks, construction companies, universities, banks, utilities, technological outlets, pharmaceutics, and manufacturing firms throughout the country. In addition, he has established thousands of madrassahs (Islamic religious schools) throughout Central Asia where students are indoctrinated in the tenets of militant Islam so they may be of service in the creation of a universal caliphate.
This notion is not an idle pipedream. The dream of a universal caliphate came closer to reality in recent weeks with the collapse of the secular government in Kyrgyzstan,
But the Gulen movement is not confined to Turkey and Central Asia. Eighty-five Gulen schools have been set up in the United States as charter academies funded by public funds.
Is Gulen really affiliated with the CIA?
In support of his application for permanent residency status, Gulen obtained letters of support and endorsement, from Graham Fuller and other former CIA officials.
His petition was also endorsed by former Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman, and former Ambassador to Turkey Morton Abramowitz.
Click on the title to read the article and comments.
High School on Route of Paul Revere's Ride Refuses Pledge of Allegiance
This is at FOX. I lived in Arlington during my college days. At the time of the American Revolution its name was Metonomy and it was on the route of Paul Revere's ride on April 18-19, 1775, and the battle road to and from Lexington and Concord runs through the middle of it. A Harrington died on Lexington Green, cut down by British fire. But another Harrington had to fight to have the American flag returned to classrooms in its public high school. And the Pledge of Allegiance is no longer heard in those classrooms.
School Officials in Mass. Town Won't Let Students Recite Pledge of Allegiance
By Todd Starnes
Published June 29, 2010
FOXNews.com
When Sean Harrington entered his freshman year at Arlington High School, he noticed something peculiar: There were no American flags in the classrooms, and no one recited the Pledge of Allegiance. So Harrington enlisted the aid of his fellow students, and now, three years later, they have succeeded in getting flags installed in the classrooms. But the pledge still will not be recited.
The Arlington, Mass., school committee has rejected the 17-year-old's request to allow students to voluntarily recite the Pledge of Allegiance, because some educators are concerned that it would be hard to find teachers willing to recite it, according to a report in the Arlington Patch.
Harrington had presented school officials with a petition signed by 700 people, along with letters of support from lawmakers including Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. But the request to have the pledge recited failed when the committee's vote ended in a 3-3 tie.
"I was really heartbroken," Harrington told FOX News Radio. "It's hard to think that something so traditional in American society was turned down."
His fight has received quite a bit of support from the community. "When I was going to school, it was an honor and a privilege to pledge allegiance to the flag," Francis De Guglielmo, 55, told the Patch. He called the ban an "absolute travesty" and a "disgrace."
Harrington, who will be a senior in the fall, said he will continue to fight. "I'm not a person who quits and I don't back down. It's a very righteous cause and needs to be followed through until the end."
Some committee members voiced concerns about forcing people to do something that might violate their beliefs – including religious beliefs. Among the no-votes was committee member Leba Heigham. "Patriotism is a very personal thing for all of us, but I do not think it is in the school committee's best interest to mandate that any of our employees recite the pledge," she told the Patch.
Harrington said the recitation would have been strictly voluntary.
"If we can't find one teacher who is willing to say the pledge, then the system we have is cracked," he told FOX News Radio, noting that a number of teachers signed his petition. He said the school's ban on the pledge sends the wrong message. "It tells me that we've basically cast aside what our country is founded on," he said. "It's saying that we don't really care, and it's sad."
Arlington's superintendent of schools did not return a call for comment.
School Officials in Mass. Town Won't Let Students Recite Pledge of Allegiance
By Todd Starnes
Published June 29, 2010
FOXNews.com
When Sean Harrington entered his freshman year at Arlington High School, he noticed something peculiar: There were no American flags in the classrooms, and no one recited the Pledge of Allegiance. So Harrington enlisted the aid of his fellow students, and now, three years later, they have succeeded in getting flags installed in the classrooms. But the pledge still will not be recited.
The Arlington, Mass., school committee has rejected the 17-year-old's request to allow students to voluntarily recite the Pledge of Allegiance, because some educators are concerned that it would be hard to find teachers willing to recite it, according to a report in the Arlington Patch.
Harrington had presented school officials with a petition signed by 700 people, along with letters of support from lawmakers including Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. But the request to have the pledge recited failed when the committee's vote ended in a 3-3 tie.
"I was really heartbroken," Harrington told FOX News Radio. "It's hard to think that something so traditional in American society was turned down."
His fight has received quite a bit of support from the community. "When I was going to school, it was an honor and a privilege to pledge allegiance to the flag," Francis De Guglielmo, 55, told the Patch. He called the ban an "absolute travesty" and a "disgrace."
Harrington, who will be a senior in the fall, said he will continue to fight. "I'm not a person who quits and I don't back down. It's a very righteous cause and needs to be followed through until the end."
Some committee members voiced concerns about forcing people to do something that might violate their beliefs – including religious beliefs. Among the no-votes was committee member Leba Heigham. "Patriotism is a very personal thing for all of us, but I do not think it is in the school committee's best interest to mandate that any of our employees recite the pledge," she told the Patch.
Harrington said the recitation would have been strictly voluntary.
"If we can't find one teacher who is willing to say the pledge, then the system we have is cracked," he told FOX News Radio, noting that a number of teachers signed his petition. He said the school's ban on the pledge sends the wrong message. "It tells me that we've basically cast aside what our country is founded on," he said. "It's saying that we don't really care, and it's sad."
Arlington's superintendent of schools did not return a call for comment.
UK - Police say 20 Muslim Slash Attack Thugs have "Disappeared"
Back on the 5th of May I posted the details regarding the savage slash attack, by some 20 muslim thugs, on, Reece Johnson, leaving the father of three with 68 stitches on his face and neck. The attacked was witnessed by a his terrified young son.
See --- British Man left with 68 stitches in his face after brutal muslim gang slash attack
We all KNOW that had the "nasty assault" (see article below) been committed on a muslim man by a gang of 20 white British men the police would pull out all stops and make hunting down the perpetrators a top priority. MPs and other politicians would be rushing to the television microphones to denounce such a heinous act and vow speedy arrests. The attack would have made daily front page news on all the usual media suspects -as they followed up on the police actions or lack thereof.
Unfortunately as Reece Johnson tries to go on with his life, he is still forced to look over his shoulder and wonder where ALL TWENTY of his attackers have disappeared.
We all wonder.
Reece Johnson today:
THIS is the young dad scarred for life by a gang of thugs.
Two months on from the terrifying attack, when Reece Johnson had his face slashed in front of his five-year-old son, the 23-year-old is slowly putting his life back together.
But he has been left depressed by the attack and suffers from nightmares.
He has had the 68 stitches removed from the wound but it has left a six-inch scar.
Mr Johnson admitted: “Every time I look in the mirror, I remember the attack.”
He was confronted at night by a 20-strong gang as he walked past the entrance to Bobby Heywood Park, in Great Lever, with his son, Tyrel, and a friend, on May 1.
But no one has been arrested for the offence, and the father-of-three says he will never move on until someone is put behind bars for the vicious attack.
He added: “I could have been killed. My kids could’ve been left without a dad.
“I feel lucky to be alive.”
He had been to Blackpool for the day with friends and was taking his son back to their Great Lever home when the incident happened.
The trio had walked towards the gang, who were outside the park’s Lever Street entrance.
A row then broke out and Mr Johnson was attacked while his terrified son clung to the leg of his father’s friend.
Click on the title above to read the whole thing.
Understanding War II
Classical Liberal asks:
Out of curiosity, what do you see as JFK's foolishness (I don't necessarily disagree, I'm just curious).
JFK was 43 when he was elected president. His view towards the Soviet Union was to not piss them off.
When he came into office, plans were being made for the invasion of Cuba. Kennedy watered those down. For example, he refused air support during the Bay of Pigs. Such a move puzzled Eisenhower who later asked Kennedy for an explanation. He replied that he didn't want to give the Soviet Union a reason to assault Berlin.
When, in fact, the Soviets were pumped up to see the weak initiative of the Americans in taking on Cuba. The Soviets, upon learning of the Bay of Pigs, thought that it would take the Americans easily under a week to defeat that tiny, difficult-to-defend island. They were stunned when America lost in a few days. Kennedy had just showcased to everyone that the leader of the free world was an indecisive buffoon.
Later in the year, Kennedy had meetings with Krushchev where again he displayed weakness. He mentioned how his ambition was to secure peace. He, also, spectacularly admitted that the Soviets had little to fear from the US because US and Soviet-Chinese arsenals were at a parity. This statement was truly remarkable: It was false! The US was far more powerful but Krushchev didn't mind the silly, desperate president's commentary.
The correct strategy would have been to make the Soviets fear the US. The Soviets should have been afraid to piss off the US not the other way around. Kennedy with his actions had taken the edge off deterrence. Kennedy created conditions which made a conflict more, rather than less, likely.
Obama is making similar mistakes. Today, the thugs in the world don't fear the US as much. The US spends billions of dollars on high-tech weaponry. A great example is stealthy submarines which carry missiles with multiple nuclear warheads. Their purpose is to maintain peace -- not to annihilate civilizations. Their purpose is make the thugs think twice, thrice.... before messing with the US and her friends.
Obama thinks that weapons of this nature are obsolete. He thinks that thugs can be reasoned with and told that they have little to fear from America. This is precisely the opposite of a good strategy. It has been tried before multiple times. The payment in blood is always great.
How Does the Taliban Recruit Children Suicide Bombers? A Look Inside
Propaganda footage from a training camp is intercut with interviews of young camp graduates.UK: Innocent Couple Killed After House Firebombed in Botched “Honor Killing”
From Weasel Zippers:
Nothing to do with Islam…
(Daily Mail)- An innocent couple died in a house fire at the hands of assailants who got the wrong address in a botched honour killing, a court heard today.
Abdullah Mohammed, 41, and his wife, Aysha Mohammed, 39, were overcome by smoke and fumes after an accelerant was poured through their letterbox and set alight.
Their killers were ordered by another man to avenge his family’s honour but instead of firebombing 135 London Road in Blackburn, Lancashire, they started the blaze at 175 London Road, the court heard.
Mr Mohammed was found unconscious in his bedroom along with his wife and two of their three children in the early hours of October 21 last year.
He died the same night while his wife died a week later. Their 14-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son survived.
‘The prosecution say, on behalf of his family, Hisamuddin Ibrahim wanted to kill a man by the name of Mo Ibrahim (no relation) to punish him for damaging the family’s honour for having an affair with his married sister, Hafija Gordi.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Dingy Dem California Congressman Pete Stark Asks Minuteman, "Who Are You Going To Kill Today?"
Once again obnoxious, arrogant libtard Rep. Pete Stark, D-CA, has forgotten that he is supposed to be working for us, not the other way round and has taken to insulting his consituents again. FOX has the video as well as the rest of the story.
Rep. Stark Mocks Border Security Advocates: Who Are You Going to Kill Today?
Published June 29, 2010
FOXNews.com
A California congressman known for edgy sarcasm mocked an opponent of illegal immigration during a town hall meeting last week, asking, "Who are you going to kill today?" before the constituent, a self-identified Minuteman, posed his question.
Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., no stranger to controversy, mocked the idea that the borders are not secure when asked about the federal government's lack of activity on border security.
"We can't get enough Minutemen armed. We'd like to get all the Minutemen armed so they can stop shooting people here," Stark said.
Eventually, members of the audience urged Stark to offer a serious answer.
"If you knew anything about our borders, you would know that's not the case. Our borders are quite secure, thank you," Stark said, drawing jeers.
Stark resumed his hostile act, asking the Minuteman what he would do to secure the border.
"I would send about about 25,000 troops for one thing and build a wall down so vehicles could not pass," the Minuteman said.
"How high and long would it be?" Stark asked.
"As high and as long as it takes," the Minuteman said, elicting cheers.
Stark said he would start a ladder company with the Minuteman if he designed the wall and doesn't shoot the people coming over.
"But I've got to know how high the wall is and I'll sell a whole lot of ladders for people who want to come," Stark said.
"This is a very serious matter and you're sitting there making fun of it," the Minuteman responded.
"I don't have to make fun of you sir, you do a fine job all by yourself," Stark said.
Stark made the comment last week at a town hall audience that included Steve Kemp, a member of the Golden State Minutemen, a group that opposes illegal immigrants. Kemp recorded the confrontation.
The clash came as the national spotlight focuses on Arizona's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigrants and the protests it is drawing across the country, including a legal challenge from the federal government.
Immigration is shaping up to be among the critical election-year issues as Republicans try to regain control of both chambers in Congress riding a wave of anti-Washington sentiment.
Stark, a liberal Democrat, is expected to easily win re-election against a lightly regarded opponent, political newcomer Justin Jelincic, who describes himself as a conservative Democrat.
Rep. Stark Mocks Border Security Advocates: Who Are You Going to Kill Today?
Published June 29, 2010
FOXNews.com
A California congressman known for edgy sarcasm mocked an opponent of illegal immigration during a town hall meeting last week, asking, "Who are you going to kill today?" before the constituent, a self-identified Minuteman, posed his question.
Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., no stranger to controversy, mocked the idea that the borders are not secure when asked about the federal government's lack of activity on border security.
"We can't get enough Minutemen armed. We'd like to get all the Minutemen armed so they can stop shooting people here," Stark said.
Eventually, members of the audience urged Stark to offer a serious answer.
"If you knew anything about our borders, you would know that's not the case. Our borders are quite secure, thank you," Stark said, drawing jeers.
Stark resumed his hostile act, asking the Minuteman what he would do to secure the border.
"I would send about about 25,000 troops for one thing and build a wall down so vehicles could not pass," the Minuteman said.
"How high and long would it be?" Stark asked.
"As high and as long as it takes," the Minuteman said, elicting cheers.
Stark said he would start a ladder company with the Minuteman if he designed the wall and doesn't shoot the people coming over.
"But I've got to know how high the wall is and I'll sell a whole lot of ladders for people who want to come," Stark said.
"This is a very serious matter and you're sitting there making fun of it," the Minuteman responded.
"I don't have to make fun of you sir, you do a fine job all by yourself," Stark said.
Stark made the comment last week at a town hall audience that included Steve Kemp, a member of the Golden State Minutemen, a group that opposes illegal immigrants. Kemp recorded the confrontation.
The clash came as the national spotlight focuses on Arizona's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigrants and the protests it is drawing across the country, including a legal challenge from the federal government.
Immigration is shaping up to be among the critical election-year issues as Republicans try to regain control of both chambers in Congress riding a wave of anti-Washington sentiment.
Stark, a liberal Democrat, is expected to easily win re-election against a lightly regarded opponent, political newcomer Justin Jelincic, who describes himself as a conservative Democrat.
The Bigger The Government, The Smaller The Individual
When the government is big and powerful, with lots of money to throw around, and even more frighteningly, with an almost omnipotent ability to take away your money, individuals are less likely to assert themselves.
Here are two examples, from Rhymes With Cars and Girls. In example one, we find that Real Estate agents are "sitting on the sidelines" waiting to see what kind of economic engineering magic the government is going to pull out of their ass next:
In a wiser world, we would see genetics research as we see astronomy: worth supporting, but without expecting practical benefit. In this world, however, genetics research is far better funded than astronomy and is expected to have practical benefits.
Unfortunately, the benefits have been slight. A New York Times article by Nicholas Wade makes this clear:
For geneticists, to acknowledge the lack of examples is scary. Their funding might be cut! So they don’t. But nothing prevents journalists from thinking for themselves and asking a supposedly “tough” question (”what’s an example?”) — although asking for examples is the most basic question there is.
Thanks to Alex Chernavsky. More about the cargo-cult nature of modern biology. If you don’t believe me, read this: “Of the roughly 50 companies at the conference, not one is focused on approaches related to tracking down new genes. . . . The one corner of the genome-focused biotech industry that’s thriving is the one churning out equipment and services to support researchers in their endless hunt for gene links.”
In other words, the businesses who get government funding are failing. The businesses who stick around are the ones who figure out how to cannibalize off the failures of those on the government tit.
In the first example, Real Estate agents are driven to lethargy by the arbitrary nature of government programs.
In the second, nothing is really getting done, and no one wants to say it, for fear of losing funding.
In both cases, individuals are not doing their jobs because of government interference.
Here are two examples, from Rhymes With Cars and Girls. In example one, we find that Real Estate agents are "sitting on the sidelines" waiting to see what kind of economic engineering magic the government is going to pull out of their ass next:
This plea from Rick Grant to real estate agents to stop waiting for the government’s next trick & get back into actual real estate selling seems symptomatic of a larger issue I was screaming about over a year ago: when the government is this large and bulky and throws around this much money/regulation this haphaardly, the government becomes the economy, the government is the economy.In example two, we find that people in the business of Genetics Research are finding it hard to be honest about their lack of results, because of fear their funding would get cut off:
If real estate agents are (as is implied) somehow on the sidelines keeping an eye on when/whether the government will extend this or that tax credit, or whatever other giant macro government goody/subsidy, well – who can blame them?
What single other factor is going to have a larger effect on housing than this or that monstrous, ill-conceived, corrupt, rent-seeking, ill-informed government act by this or that government blowhard egomanic? What chance do old-fashioned rational market forces stand when the government can decide to “stimulus” ten billion phony dollars this way or that on the whim of some stupid-ass Senator?
Grant wants real-estate agents to ‘get back to work’, but in light of the government’s whimsy, they’d be pretty stupid to. Actually, everyone would.
In a wiser world, we would see genetics research as we see astronomy: worth supporting, but without expecting practical benefit. In this world, however, genetics research is far better funded than astronomy and is expected to have practical benefits.
Unfortunately, the benefits have been slight. A New York Times article by Nicholas Wade makes this clear:
The primary goal of the $3 billion Human Genome Project — to ferret out the genetic roots of common diseases like and and then generate treatments — remains largely elusive. Indeed, after 10 years of effort, geneticists are almost back to square one in knowing where to look for the roots of common disease.“Largely” elusive? Completely elusive is more accurate, as far as I know. Not one treatment has come from this work.
For geneticists, to acknowledge the lack of examples is scary. Their funding might be cut! So they don’t. But nothing prevents journalists from thinking for themselves and asking a supposedly “tough” question (”what’s an example?”) — although asking for examples is the most basic question there is.
Thanks to Alex Chernavsky. More about the cargo-cult nature of modern biology. If you don’t believe me, read this: “Of the roughly 50 companies at the conference, not one is focused on approaches related to tracking down new genes. . . . The one corner of the genome-focused biotech industry that’s thriving is the one churning out equipment and services to support researchers in their endless hunt for gene links.”
In other words, the businesses who get government funding are failing. The businesses who stick around are the ones who figure out how to cannibalize off the failures of those on the government tit.
In the first example, Real Estate agents are driven to lethargy by the arbitrary nature of government programs.
In the second, nothing is really getting done, and no one wants to say it, for fear of losing funding.
In both cases, individuals are not doing their jobs because of government interference.
Kagan lied to Supreme Court in 9/11 case, should be disbarred
From the Astute Bloggers:
As Obama's solicitor general, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan urged the Court to dismiss the suit that our 9/11 families have been pressing against the Saudi government and several Saudi princes for their extensive funding of al Qaeda. The families sued under the domestic tort exception to sovereign immunity, which according to Kagan's Supreme Court brief (at p. 14):requires not merely that the foreign state’s extraterritorial conduct have some causal connection to tortious injury in the United States, but that “the tortious act or omission of that foreign state or of any official or employee” be committed within the United States. 28 U.S.C. 1605(a)(5).The "tortious act or omission" is the wrongful act (the tort) that leads to the injury. Thus she is claiming that for Saudi funding of al Qaeda to be actionable, the funding itself has to have been transacted within the United States. Compare this with the actual wording of 28 U.S.C. 1605(a)(5):(a) A foreign state shall not be immune from the jurisdiction of courts of the United States or of the States in any case – ... (5) ... in which money damages are sought against a foreign state for personal injury or death, or damage to or loss of property, occurring in the United States and caused by the tortious act or omission of that foreign state or of any official or employee of that foreign state while acting within the scope of his office or employment..."Contrary to Kagan's assertion, the law only specifies that the injury has to have occurred within the United States. Not a word about the wrongful act that leads to domestic injury also having to have taken place within the United. Kagan flat lied about the clear wording of a law that goes to the very heart of our ability to use the courts to combat Islamic terrorism, and thanks to the Court's failure to review this crucial case, the simple wording and intent of Congress—that foreign states whose actions do injury in the United States can be sued for those injuries—has now been undone, as if the law had never been passed.
"Oops!... I did it again"
Kagan proves that her lie was self conscious by also lying about the relevant Supreme Court precedent ...
Go to Astute Bloggers to read the whole thing.
Australia incorporating Islam ed in schools
Ugh:
". . . in Australia, the education system is introducing a book into next year's school curriculum called "Learning From One Another> Bring Muslim Perspectives Into Australian Schools."
As you can imagine, there is a petition going around to stop from this being introduced into the school curriculum.
Why should children learn about Islam in secular schools? It is outrageous!!!
US Muslim jurists forbid aid to troops
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 AMJA logo and its chairman Salah al-Sawy |
From Al-Arabiya (with thanks to Will):
WASHINGTON (Ahmed al-Shiti)The Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA) issued a fatwa prohibiting offering aid to foreign troops in Muslim countries whether on the personal or the business levels.
The assembly, made up of jurists and scholars in charge of issuing fatwas for Muslims in the United States and headed by Sheikh Salah al-Sawy, received several inquiries about the stance of Islam on business deals with coalition troops in Iraq or NATO forces in Afghanistan, especially companies that transfer foodstuffs and other supplies to military bases.
The question was posted on AMJA fatwa bank, reads: “Is it permissible to participate in taking food to the American and foreign soldiers working in Muslim lands?” and the answer is, “That would not be permissible, for that would be helping others in sin and transgression.”
The fatwa, number 3062 to be issued by the assembly, stipulated that Muslims are not to help foreigners on personal or business basis as long as their presence in Muslim countries is linked to occupation.
Women's Clits Hacked Off At Cornell University's Presbyterian Hospital
Not by Criminals ...
By a Doctor.
Female Genital Mutilation Performed at Cornell University
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has appeared in the form of "corrective surgery" at a premier American hospital. While we lambaste the practice abroad, some doctors are justifying its use and performing FGM in the United States.
In 1997, it was estimated that 168,000 women and girls had been or were at risk of undergoing FGM. This isn't just immigrants bringing their cultural practice to the U.S.; as it turns out, FGM is being performed at an Ivy League university. This story demonstrates how our image-obsessed culture is encouraging the mutilation of young girls.
Dr. Dix P. Poppas, head of pediatric urology department at Cornell University's New York Presbyterian Hospital, one of the premier hospitals in the nation, has been performing clitoral reductions — a.k.a. female genital mutilation — on young girls. The abhorrent practice, according to the good doctor, is humane because it spares girls from the humiliation of having an "oversized" clitoris. He claims the practice is "nerve-sparing" and that he runs tests by prodding and using a vibrator on the young girls after the surgery.
This man ought to be in Prison, but instead he is practicing Medicine.
He is a modern day Dr. Mengele.
Why Civilizations Fall
In the story of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the main character, Hank Morgan, a mechanic in an arms manufacturing plant wakes up one day in King Arthur's England. He does everything he can to advance the backwardness of the peasants and royalty alike, but in the end it all comes to naught, as the people are forgetful and more comfortable in their ignorance. All of the advancements he made to the civilization in which he found himself was wasted, and there's the nugget of truth for today's civilization.
Advanced as we've become, we are hurtling backwards into a new dark age.
Isaac Schrödinger writes sparingly about this very topic, as he does with everything he writes. Click through the links on this post for details He uses a minimum amount of words for the maximum effect.
Wake up and strengthen the things which remain.
Advanced as we've become, we are hurtling backwards into a new dark age.
Isaac Schrödinger writes sparingly about this very topic, as he does with everything he writes. Click through the links on this post for details He uses a minimum amount of words for the maximum effect.
Every institution in this country is corrupt, slothful, and failing in its basic responsibility to the generations to follow. A nation built upon optimism and faith, which sloughs off its beliefs will descend into hedonism, decadence and fatalism.Why did the Roman Empire fall apart? One important reason is that the people who built and forged the institution had long been dead by the end. Men like Scipio couldn't reach out and teach the later offspring about life and how to wage war.Take a simple example at the micro level: At my high school, I once saw a kid sitting with his African parents. The kid wasn't doing well in his courses. The parents spoke perfect English, were sharply dressed and exuded class. This made an ugly contrast with the boy: shirt half-out, slumped in the chair on to his right side, mumbling on how he'll really do better this time.His parents just couldn't understand. They had sacrificed so much for him. They both worked full-time. They understood how hard life is. They had provided him with so many comforts and opportunities. They had enrolled him in a school in the West. But what was the result? He regularly skipped classes, cheated on assignments and was failing two out of four courses.Why! How! It didn't make sense. This kid was living a life of luxury better than what 99.99% of humanity could dream of. Why was he pissing over every chance he was given?Upon learning history, the question answers itself.
Wake up and strengthen the things which remain.
Sometimes, Something Is Just So Beautiful It Hurts
You know what I mean?
"Mad Men" actress Christina Hendricks loves a man who knows his liquor. "My husband loves scotch," she said, referring to her mate, Geoffrey Arend. "And I love it when he orders it. It's such a classic, masculine drink," she told partygoers at a private tasting for Johnnie Walker Black.
Chicago: Terror Supporters, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Event Canceled At Marriott Hotel
From Jawa:
Good news! Hats off to the Marriott..
R.E.A.L.
The Chicago Marriott Oak Brook hotel states that the July 11 public conference by the Hizb ut-Tahrir America will not be held at that location. The anti-democracy political group, Hizb ut-Tahrir America, had widely promoted the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook hotel as the site for their second public conference, through social media and YouTube. Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) learned today that the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook hotel has decided that the hotel will not be the site for that event. The Hizb ut-Tahrir America has not yet advised its supporters of the planned change, and is not available for comment.Be sure and read it all, lots of links etc.
Human rights activists had been informing Chicago area hotels of Hizb ut-Tahrir America’s decision last year to distribute pamphlets calling for the “death penalty” for those who seek freedom of religion to leave Islam. At Hizb ut-Tahrir America’s July 19, 2009 event in Chicago, they distributed a pamphlet (page 62) that supports killing those individuals who leave Islam as guilty of “treason and a political attack on the Khilafah.”
Controversy Brewing Over Three Prominent Apostates
Ergun Caner, Walid Shoebat, and Kamal Saleem - three names I rarely see in the mainstream media.
From this article in the Washington Post:
FakeExMuslims.com and Ministry of Reconciliation have brought into question the veracity of Ergun Caner's story.
Previously, Walid Shoebat has answered the charges of his being a fake.
I note that the mainstream media refuse to address apostates' criticism of Islam but rather prefer to discredit the apostates themselves. That said, if any apostates of Islam, particularly prominent ones, are definitively determined to be fakes, the anti-jihad will suffer a severe blow to our credibility and go a long way to promoting the whitewash of Islam as a religion of peace.
From this article in the Washington Post:
Liberty University is expected to release a report [this] week on whether Ergun Caner, president of the school's Baptist Theological Seminary, fabricated or exaggerated his account of being a former Muslim extremist rescued by Jesus.The WaPo article has garnered few comments thus far. Read the entire article HERE.
Caner is no ordinary ex-Muslim. His story has made him a favorite in conservative Christian circles, and many credit the charismatic preacher with helping boost enrollment at the school founded by the late Jerry Falwell.
At the same time, some critics say Caner is just the latest charlatan in a line of supposedly ex-Muslim terrorists who have found an audience among Christian fundamentalists seeking to attack Islam.
[...]
Other avowed terrorists-turned-Christians have drawn scrutiny as well, including U.S. citizens Walid Shoebat, author of "Why We Want To Kill You," and Kamal Saleem, who has worked for Focus on the Family and recently wrote "The Blood of Lambs." Like Caner's book, their books purport to be insider explorations of radical Islam.
[...]
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Caner, Shoebat, Saleem and others like them belong to an "industry" that is often perpetuated by fundamentalist Christians.
"The people that are doing this do it to make money or get converts or to get some personal benefit," Hooper said.
Muslims and non-Muslims alike are troubled that these avowed former terrorists have been welcomed as experts. They have appeared on CNN and Fox News and spoken at Harvard Law School. In 2008, they were speakers at a terrorism conference sponsored by the Air Force Academy, the findings of which were to be distributed at the Pentagon and Capitol Hill.
FakeExMuslims.com and Ministry of Reconciliation have brought into question the veracity of Ergun Caner's story.
Previously, Walid Shoebat has answered the charges of his being a fake.
I note that the mainstream media refuse to address apostates' criticism of Islam but rather prefer to discredit the apostates themselves. That said, if any apostates of Islam, particularly prominent ones, are definitively determined to be fakes, the anti-jihad will suffer a severe blow to our credibility and go a long way to promoting the whitewash of Islam as a religion of peace.
First Manufacturing, then Engineering, and Finally Research
When will it become obvious that FREE ENTERPRISE MEANS FREE, and that wherever THAT IS, capital flees.
Ethics are not applicable, this is a LAW OF NATURE ..amoral, darwinian, and final.
I don' know what is made in USA on the shelves of Walmart, but you can bet it's not of much future employment value.
And of course we then have the story of the engineering going to China by municipalities in the USA, and farming.
But our fine labs and schools meant that research was still a province of the US pioneering.
FORGET IT.
"If I had stayed in America, the chances of making a discovery would have been lower," he said. "Here, people are willing to take risks. They give you money, and essentially you can do whatever you want."
China pushing the envelope on science, and sometimes ethicsBy John Pomfret
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 28, 2010; A01SHENZHEN, CHINA -- Last year, Zhao Bowen was part of a team that cracked the genetic code of the cucumber. These days, he's probing the genetic basis for human IQ.
Zhao is 17.
Centuries after it led the world in technological prowess -- think gunpowder, irrigation and the printed word -- China has barged back into the ranks of the great powers in science. With the brashness of a teenager, in some cases literally, China's scientists and inventors are driving a resurgence in potentially world-changing research.
Unburdened by social and legal constraints common in the West, China's trailblazing scientists are also pushing the limits of ethics and principle as they create a new -- and to many, worrisome -- Wild West in the Far East.
A decade ago, no one considered China a scientific competitor. Its best and brightest agreed and fled China in a massive brain drain to university research labs at Harvard, Stanford and MIT.
But over the past five years, Western-educated scientists and gutsy entrepreneurs have conducted a rearguard action, battling China's hidebound bureaucracy to establish research institutes and companies. Those have lured home scores of Western-trained Chinese researchers dedicated to transforming the People's Republic of China into a scientific superpower.
"They have grown so fast and so suddenly that people are still skeptical," said Rasmus Nielsen, a geneticist at the University of California at Berkeley who collaborates with Chinese counterparts. "But we should get used to it. There is competition from China now, and it's really quite drastic how things have changed."
China has invested billions in improving its scientific standing. Almost every Chinese ministry has some sort of program to win a technological edge in everything from missiles to medicine. Beijing's minister of science and technology, Wan Gang, will visit the United States in early July and is expected to showcase some of China's successes.
I am reminded of Bernard Lewis' unmeant warning about Tycho Brae's muslim counterpart. The muslims had lead in all branches of research, certainly since the times of the end of the Dark Ages. But as Brae published his theses his co-repsondent in the Caliphate watched as the ulema ordered the end of his research, and the dismantling of his observatory and equipment after it was ruled to be unethical and religiously not 'correct'. No matter what we think about Islam there can be no question that religious restrictions of any kind, and the use of bio ethicists as a substitute for common sense, the valuing of some abstract wiccan Gaia above the lives of humans here and now, will drive what must be (human progress) elsewhere, BECAUSE IT CANNOT BE STOPPED ANY MORE THAN THE MOTION OF PLANETS.
You can mark the emergence here of this kind of thinking as a superior power with the ridiculous and needless war over stem cells. Stem cell research CAN HELP CURE HORRIFYING DISEASES - PERIOD - and we will have to deal with that - BUT CURE HUMANS. Anything else is, IMHO, reasoning which sanctifies IGNORANCE as ETHICAL. IF all this was going to be easy we could hand it to trained dogs. But you can bet THIS RESEARCH WILL GET DONE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. SOMEWHERE.
As these asian researchers are documented returning home for an economically better life, YOU CAN BE CERTAIN American companies from Pfizer to Fluor, from Procter and Gamble to Intel, Sun and Oracle will start labs (as they have) and then MOVE facilities to China, and then departmental, and finally corporate headquarters.
This will proceed until they endow Chinese universities with more than american ones and we will be sending our gifted children to learn Mandarin and Cantonese in 3rd grade so that they can attend graduate and post doctoral schools in Shenzen.
There is no good or bad attached to this process. It's PHYSICS.
In every field, in every facility, in every law, in every motion we move towards national suicide by many names.
We may have the most individualism and freedoms on earth TODAY, but the force of nature known as CAPITAL doesn't care if we use religious reasoning and cultural ethical considerations to make believe what must be will not happen if we do what some consider 'right'.
China and what they are doing is REAL. It is not a military threat, it is far more serious.
It is a threat of intellectual, engineering, agrarian, and manufacturing dimensions. It is not a drive for world hegemony, it is a BY PRODUCT of few limits, enterprise and human nature, and we have NO ANSWER which will make our children's lives better and more optimistic than ours.
UNLESS- like it or not we free our research, manufacturing, marketing, design and FINALLY EDUCATION to ACHIEVE again.
Son of Hamas Founder Decries Islamic “God of Hate”
It's amazing that we allow millions and millions of illegal aliens of all sorts into this country. And, if you oppose the idea, you are a "racist".
But, this guy, the Lefties want to keep out.For, God's sake.
An Israeli Shin Bet agent also flew in to testify at Mosab Hassan Yousef’s immigration hearing calling him a “great friend and a brother.”
(Washington Times, June 23, 2010)- The son of one of the founders of Hamas is turning his back not only on the organization that now controls Gaza, but the religion that so animates the followers of the group his father helped create.Also see:
Speaking on Wednesday night to the Endowment for Middle East Truth, a pro-Israel organization that focuses on radical Islam in education and media, Mosab Hassan Yousef said, “The god of Islam is the god of hate.”
Mr. Yousef’s father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is a leading imam within Hamas, a group that seeks to impose Islamic law throughout the territory it considers Palestine, land that also encompasses the modern state of Israel.
The younger Mr. Yousef came to the United States in 2007, but only sought publicity after the publication of his memoir, “The Son of Hamas,” this year.
His book details the harrowing story of his recruitment by Israel’s Shin Bet, the country’s domestic intelligence and security service. At the dinner, the man who recruited and mentored Mr. Yousef when the Imam’s son was undercover for Israel, revealed his identity to the public for the first time.
Introduced by his former agent as a “great friend and a brother,” Goner Ben-Itzhak told the audience that he flew to the United States in order to testify before a San Diego immigration hearing on behalf of Mr. Yousef.
“I have known him for more than nine years,” Mr. Ben-Itzhak said. “He has prevented killing and violence.”
Mr. Yousef faces a possible deportation due to charges, ironically, that he is a terrorist affiliated with Hamas.
Mr. Yousef now calls himself a devout Christian, giving credit for his life today to “[his] God on the cross.”
He also said that the greatest problem facing his fellow Palestinians was the religion of Islam.
“They want to destroy Israel while they worship the God that is really their enemy every day,” he said. “There is no denying that they are worshiping their greatest enemy every day while they are looking for enemies.”
He continued, “What would happen if Israel just disappeared from the map? There is no Israel anymore. Would there be peace in the Middle East? Palestinians would kill each other, I guarantee you.”
At the end of his address to the organization, Mr. Yousef said that he was convinced there were other “heroes,” as he called them, that were cooperating with Israel in the Palestinian territories.“We have lots of heroes,” he said. “They work in the shadows to defeat this evil god.”
GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn Leading Congressional Effort to Stop Obama Admin From Deporting Son of Hamas Founder Who Spied for Israel, Converted to Christianity…
Kagan Argued Before Supreme Court: “It’s Fine if The Law Bans Books Because Government Won’t Really Enforce It”
This woman can NOT be allowed to sit on the Supreme Court.
From Weasel Zippers:
Got a note from one of my squirrelly friends
Think about these:
1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments
C O W S
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.
T H E C O N S T I T U T I ON
They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq .... Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.
T H E TEN C O M M AND-MENTS
The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this:
You cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal,' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians. It creates a hostile work environment.
Think about these:
1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments
C O W S
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.
T H E C O N S T I T U T I ON
They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq .... Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.
T H E TEN C O M M AND-MENTS
The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this:
You cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal,' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians. It creates a hostile work environment.
BREAKING! North Korea Not A Terrorist State, Just A Bunch Of Really Bad Eggs. . .
Newsmax:
US: Sinking of SKorean Warship Not Terrorism
Monday, 28 Jun 2010 03:42 PM
The Obama administration said Monday that the sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on North Korea was not terrorism, and not enough by itself to put Pyongyang back on a U.S. terror blacklist.
The State Department said the March sinking of the South Korean frigate Cheonan by a reported torpedo from a North Korean submarine was a "provocative action" and a violation of the truce that ended the Korean war.
But it added that the sinking was the act of one state's military against another and not an act of terrorism. Thus, it is not grounds to put North Korea back on the U.S. "state sponsors of terrorism" list as some in South Korea had wanted, spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
The North had been on the terror list but was removed in 2008 amid progress in the now-stalled effort to get it to abandon nuclear weapons.
The sinking "was a provocative action but one taken by the military of a state against the military of another state," Crowley told reporters. "That in our view does not constitute and act of international terrorism."
However, he stressed that the administration was continually reviewing North Korean behavior to determine if other factors would lead to its redesignation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
"We will not hesitate to take action if we have information that North Korea has repeatedly provided support for acts of terrorism," Crowley said.
An international investigation concluded last month that North Korea torpedoed the vessel near the tense Korean sea border, killing 46 South Korean sailors. North Korea flatly denies the allegation and has warned any punishment would trigger war.
Earlier Monday, North Korea threatened to bolster its nuclear capability in a new — though unspecified — way to cope with what it says is a hostile U.S. policy and military threats amid tensions over the sinking.
Newsmax:
US: Sinking of SKorean Warship Not Terrorism
Monday, 28 Jun 2010 03:42 PM
The Obama administration said Monday that the sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on North Korea was not terrorism, and not enough by itself to put Pyongyang back on a U.S. terror blacklist.
The State Department said the March sinking of the South Korean frigate Cheonan by a reported torpedo from a North Korean submarine was a "provocative action" and a violation of the truce that ended the Korean war.
But it added that the sinking was the act of one state's military against another and not an act of terrorism. Thus, it is not grounds to put North Korea back on the U.S. "state sponsors of terrorism" list as some in South Korea had wanted, spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
The North had been on the terror list but was removed in 2008 amid progress in the now-stalled effort to get it to abandon nuclear weapons.
The sinking "was a provocative action but one taken by the military of a state against the military of another state," Crowley told reporters. "That in our view does not constitute and act of international terrorism."
However, he stressed that the administration was continually reviewing North Korean behavior to determine if other factors would lead to its redesignation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
"We will not hesitate to take action if we have information that North Korea has repeatedly provided support for acts of terrorism," Crowley said.
An international investigation concluded last month that North Korea torpedoed the vessel near the tense Korean sea border, killing 46 South Korean sailors. North Korea flatly denies the allegation and has warned any punishment would trigger war.
Earlier Monday, North Korea threatened to bolster its nuclear capability in a new — though unspecified — way to cope with what it says is a hostile U.S. policy and military threats amid tensions over the sinking.
Governments May Change, But the Lies and the Games Remain
I reckon it's all part of that whole resetting thing. . .
Newsmax:
10 Russian Agents Accused of Spying on US
Monday, 28 Jun 2010 04:35 PM
WASHINGTON – The FBI has arrested 10 people for allegedly serving for years as secret agents of Russia's intelligence organ, the SVR, with the goal of penetrating U.S. government policymaking circles.
According to court papers unsealed Monday, the FBI intercepted a message from SVR headquarters, Moscow Center, to two of the defendants describing their main mission as "to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US." Intercepted messages showed they were asked to learn about a broad swath of topics including nuclear weapons, U.S. arms control positions, Iran, White House rumors, CIA leadership turnover, the last presidential election, the Congress and political parties.
After a secret multiyear investigation, the Justice Department announced the arrests Monday in a blockbuster spy case that could rival the capture of Soviet Col. Rudolf Abel in 1957 in New York.
There was no clue in initial court papers how successful the agents had been but they were alleged to have been long-term, deep cover spies, some living as couples. These deep-cover agents are the hardest spies for the FBI to catch because they take civilian jobs with no visible connection to a foreign government, rather than operating from government jobs inside Russian embassies and military missions. Abel was just such a deep cover agent; he was ultimately swapped to the Soviet Union for downed U-2 spy pilot Francis Gary Powers in 1962.
The court papers described a new high-tech spy-to-spy communications system used by the defendants: short-range wireless communications between laptop computers — a modern supplement for the old-style dead drop in a remote area, high-speed burst radio transmission or even the hollowed-out nickels used by Col. Abel to conceal and deliver microfilm.
Eight of 10 were arrested Sunday for allegedly carrying out long-term, deep-cover assignments in the United States on behalf of Russia.
Two others were arrested for allegedly participating in the same Russian intelligence program within the United States. An 11th defendant, who allegedly delivered money to the defendants, is at large.
Newsmax:
10 Russian Agents Accused of Spying on US
Monday, 28 Jun 2010 04:35 PM
WASHINGTON – The FBI has arrested 10 people for allegedly serving for years as secret agents of Russia's intelligence organ, the SVR, with the goal of penetrating U.S. government policymaking circles.
According to court papers unsealed Monday, the FBI intercepted a message from SVR headquarters, Moscow Center, to two of the defendants describing their main mission as "to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US." Intercepted messages showed they were asked to learn about a broad swath of topics including nuclear weapons, U.S. arms control positions, Iran, White House rumors, CIA leadership turnover, the last presidential election, the Congress and political parties.
After a secret multiyear investigation, the Justice Department announced the arrests Monday in a blockbuster spy case that could rival the capture of Soviet Col. Rudolf Abel in 1957 in New York.
There was no clue in initial court papers how successful the agents had been but they were alleged to have been long-term, deep cover spies, some living as couples. These deep-cover agents are the hardest spies for the FBI to catch because they take civilian jobs with no visible connection to a foreign government, rather than operating from government jobs inside Russian embassies and military missions. Abel was just such a deep cover agent; he was ultimately swapped to the Soviet Union for downed U-2 spy pilot Francis Gary Powers in 1962.
The court papers described a new high-tech spy-to-spy communications system used by the defendants: short-range wireless communications between laptop computers — a modern supplement for the old-style dead drop in a remote area, high-speed burst radio transmission or even the hollowed-out nickels used by Col. Abel to conceal and deliver microfilm.
Eight of 10 were arrested Sunday for allegedly carrying out long-term, deep-cover assignments in the United States on behalf of Russia.
Two others were arrested for allegedly participating in the same Russian intelligence program within the United States. An 11th defendant, who allegedly delivered money to the defendants, is at large.
Monday, June 28, 2010
IMPORTANT : Inside the Black Panther case Anger, ignorance and lies - The dismissal raises serious questions about the department's enforcement neutrality in upcoming midterm elections and the subsequent 2012 presidential election
BUMPED TO THE TOP BY ALWAYS ON WATCH
When integrity is violated in free elections, a free society no longer exists.
From the Washington Times, with thanks to Will:
When integrity is violated in free elections, a free society no longer exists.
Federal Prosecutor Quits Over Order to Dismiss Black Panther Case
From the Washington Times, with thanks to Will:
On the day President Obama was elected, armed men wearing the black berets and jackboots of the New Black Panther Party were stationed at the entrance to a polling place in Philadelphia. They brandished a weapon and intimidated voters and poll watchers. After the election, the Justice Department brought a voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party and those armed thugs. I and other Justice attorneys diligently pursued the case and obtained an entry of default after the defendants ignored the charges. Before a final judgment could be entered in May 2009, our superiors ordered us to dismiss the case.
The New Black Panther case was the simplest and most obvious violation of federal law I saw in my Justice Department career. Because of the corrupt nature of the dismissal, statements falsely characterizing the case and, most of all, indefensible orders for the career attorneys not to comply with lawful subpoenas investigating the dismissal, this month I resigned my position as a Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney.
The federal voter-intimidation statutes we used against the New Black Panthers were enacted because America never realized genuine racial equality in elections. Threats of violence characterized elections from the end of the Civil War until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Before the Voting Rights Act, blacks seeking the right to vote, and those aiding them, were victims of violence and intimidation. But unlike the Southern legal system, Southern violence did not discriminate. Black voters were slain, as were the white champions of their cause. Some of the bodies were tossed into bogs and in one case in Philadelphia, Miss., they were buried together in an earthen dam.
Based on my firsthand experiences, I believe the dismissal of the Black Panther case was motivated by a lawless hostility toward equal enforcement of the law. Others still within the department share my assessment. The department abetted wrongdoers and abandoned law-abiding citizens victimized by the New Black Panthers. The dismissal raises serious questions about the department's enforcement neutrality in upcoming midterm elections and the subsequent 2012 presidential election.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has opened an investigation into the dismissal and the DOJ's skewed enforcement priorities. Attorneys who brought the case are under subpoena to testify, but the department ordered us to ignore the subpoena, lawlessly placing us in an unacceptable legal limbo.
The assistant attorney general for civil rights, Tom Perez, has testified repeatedly that the "facts and law" did not support this case. That claim is false. If the actions in Philadelphia do not constitute voter intimidation, it is hard to imagine what would, short of an actual outbreak of violence at the polls. Let's all hope this administration has not invited that outcome through the corrupt dismissal.
Most corrupt of all, the lawyers who ordered the dismissal - Loretta King, the Obama-appointed acting head of the Civil Rights Division, and Steve Rosenbaum - did not even read the internal Justice Department memorandums supporting the case and investigation. Just as Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. admitted that he did not read the Arizona immigration law before he condemned it, Mr. Rosenbaum admitted that he had not bothered to read the most important department documents detailing the investigative facts and applicable law in the New Black Panther case. Christopher Coates, the former Voting Section chief, was so outraged at this dereliction of responsibility that he actually threw the memos at Mr. Rosenbaum in the meeting where they were discussing the dismissal of the case. The department subsequently removed all of Mr. Coates' responsibilities and sent him to South Carolina.
Mr. Perez also inaccurately testified to the House Judiciary Committee that federal "Rule 11" required the dismissal of the lawsuit. Lawyers know that Rule 11 is an ethical obligation to bring only meritorious claims, and such a charge by Mr. Perez effectively challenges the ethics and professionalism of the five attorneys who commenced the case. Yet the attorneys who brought the case were voting rights experts and would never pursue a frivolous matter. Their experience in election law far surpassed the experience of the officials who ordered the dismissal.
Some have called the actions in Philadelphia an isolated incident, not worthy of federal attention. To the contrary, the Black Panthers in October 2008 announced a nationwide deployment for the election. We had indications that polling-place thugs were deployed elsewhere, not only in November 2008, but also during the Democratic primaries, where they targeted white Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters. In any event, the law clearly prohibits even isolated incidents of voter intimidation.
Others have falsely claimed that no voters were affected. Not only did the evidence rebut this claim, but the law does not require a successful effort to intimidate; it punishes even the attempt.
Story Continues →
As The Weird Turns
Iran says drugs are a biological weapon, all part of a US and Zionist plot.
Fars:
Commander Blames US, Israel for Increased Drug Addiction in World
TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian commander took the US and the Zionist regime of Israel responsible for the spread of drug addiction in the world, stressing that they use drugs as a biological weapon against the freedom-seeking nations.
"The US and the Zionist regime are pioneers of drug distribution in the world and the world arrogant powers use drugs as a biological weapon against the freedom-seeking nations," Commander of Iran's Basij Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said on Monday.
The arrogant powers want to pocket the money earned through the production and trafficking of the drugs, which is the second profitable source of capital after weapons smuggling, and spread addiction among target populations, he added, reminding that most of the American addicts are from the Blacks.
The drug problem will not be uprooted in the world until arrogant powers are not annihilated, the commander underlined.
He described Afghanistan as the main source of drug production in the world, and underlined that NATO forces in Afghanistan are currently in control of 8,000 tons of drugs which they aim to smuggle into other countries to captivate their nations through addiction.
Eastern Iran borders Afghanistan, which is the world's number one opium and drug producer. Iran's geographical position has made the country a favorite transit corridor for drug traffickers who intend to smuggle their cargoes from Afghanistan to drug dealers in Europe.
Iran spends billions of dollars and has lost thousands of its police troops in the war against traffickers. Owing to its rigid efforts, Iran makes 85 percent of the world's total opium seizures and has turned into the leading country in drug campaign.
Late in May, UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura acknowledged increased drug production in Afghanistan, and praised Iran's activities and efforts in fighting drug plantation, production and trafficking.
While Afghanistan produced only 185 tons of opium per year under the Taliban, according to the UN statistics, since the US-led invasion, drug production has surged to 3,400 tons annually. In 2007, the opium trade reached an estimated all-time production high of 8,200 tons.
Afghan and Western officials blame Washington and NATO for the change, saying that allies have "overlooked" the drug problem since invading the country 9 years ago.
Fars:
Commander Blames US, Israel for Increased Drug Addiction in World
TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian commander took the US and the Zionist regime of Israel responsible for the spread of drug addiction in the world, stressing that they use drugs as a biological weapon against the freedom-seeking nations.
"The US and the Zionist regime are pioneers of drug distribution in the world and the world arrogant powers use drugs as a biological weapon against the freedom-seeking nations," Commander of Iran's Basij Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said on Monday.
The arrogant powers want to pocket the money earned through the production and trafficking of the drugs, which is the second profitable source of capital after weapons smuggling, and spread addiction among target populations, he added, reminding that most of the American addicts are from the Blacks.
The drug problem will not be uprooted in the world until arrogant powers are not annihilated, the commander underlined.
He described Afghanistan as the main source of drug production in the world, and underlined that NATO forces in Afghanistan are currently in control of 8,000 tons of drugs which they aim to smuggle into other countries to captivate their nations through addiction.
Eastern Iran borders Afghanistan, which is the world's number one opium and drug producer. Iran's geographical position has made the country a favorite transit corridor for drug traffickers who intend to smuggle their cargoes from Afghanistan to drug dealers in Europe.
Iran spends billions of dollars and has lost thousands of its police troops in the war against traffickers. Owing to its rigid efforts, Iran makes 85 percent of the world's total opium seizures and has turned into the leading country in drug campaign.
Late in May, UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura acknowledged increased drug production in Afghanistan, and praised Iran's activities and efforts in fighting drug plantation, production and trafficking.
While Afghanistan produced only 185 tons of opium per year under the Taliban, according to the UN statistics, since the US-led invasion, drug production has surged to 3,400 tons annually. In 2007, the opium trade reached an estimated all-time production high of 8,200 tons.
Afghan and Western officials blame Washington and NATO for the change, saying that allies have "overlooked" the drug problem since invading the country 9 years ago.
Gaza: Islamist Gunmen Set Fire to UN-run Summer Camp for Children
From Weasel Zippers:
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — Masked gunmen set fire to a UN-run summer camp in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip overnight in the second such attack in just over a month, the UN refugee agency said on Monday.
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees condemned the attack, which appeared to be the work of Muslim extremists who view the camps as a symbol of Western corruption because boys and girls mingle freely.
Afghanistan Arrests Over 20 Christians, Lawmaker Wants Them Publicly Executed
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Over 20 Afghan Christians have been detained in Afghanistan after high-level leaders called for the arrest and execution of converts to Christianity in the Islamic nation, an advocacy group said Friday, June 25.
Oh Yeah Doing The Happy Dance!
I almost expected this since the profile of the court hasn't changed since Heller but wasn't holding my breath.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!
Bloomberg:
States Must Honor Gun Rights, U.S. High Court Says
By Greg Stohr - Jun 28, 2010
A divided U.S. Supreme Court extended the reach of the constitutional right to bear arms by saying it binds state and local governments as well as federal officials.
The justices, voting 5-4 in a ruling that is likely to invalidate Chicago’s handgun ban, said an individual right to bear arms was among the fundamental guarantees protected against state interference through a constitutional amendment after the Civil War.
“A provision in the Bill of Rights that protects a right that is fundamental from an American perspective applies equally to the federal government and the states,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the court.
The ruling broadens the sweep of the court’s 2008 ruling interpreting the Constitution’s Second Amendment as protecting the rights of individuals, rather than just those of state-run militias. It’s a victory for the National Rifle Association, which joined a group of Chicago residents in challenging the city’s laws.
It will open a new front in the fight over gun rights, setting the stage for courtroom battles over the constitutionality of weapons restrictions around the country.
The decision, which came on the last day of the court’s nine-month term, divided the justices along lines that have become commonplace. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas joined Alito in the majority.
Dissenting Justices
In dissent, Justice Stephen Breyer faulted the majority for “transferring ultimate regulatory authority over the private uses of firearms from democratically elected legislatures to courts or from the states to the federal government.”
Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor also dissented.
The high court’s 2008 decision said the right to bear arms “is not unlimited.” The majority said the ruling didn’t cast doubt on laws barring handgun possession by convicted felons and the mentally ill or restrictions on bringing guns into schools or government buildings.
“We repeat those assurances here,” Alito wrote. “Despite municipal respondents’ doomsday proclamations, incorporation does not imperil every law regulating firearms.”
Like the rest of the Bill of Rights, the Second Amendment was originally aimed only at the federal government. The Supreme Court in the 19th century refused to apply the Second Amendment to the states.
More recently, the court has said that some, though not all, of the rights in the first eight amendments are so fundamental that they are “incorporated” into the 14th Amendment’s due process clause, which binds the states.
No Doctrinal Shift
In saying that the Second Amendment is incorporated as well, the court declined to usher in a major doctrinal shift, as some litigants had sought. Advocates across the ideological spectrum urged the justices to rely on the privileges-or- immunities clause, a long dormant provision in the 14th Amendment.
Such a step might have reinforced established constitutional rights including abortion and opened the door to broader protection of other guarantees, including property rights.
Chicago has been the only major U.S. city with a blanket prohibition on handguns. The ban was challenged by four Chicago residents, including Otis McDonald, a 76-year-old homeowner in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the city’s South Side.
McDonald, who says his home has been broken into at least three times, says he wants to keep a handgun by his bed for protection.
The Supreme Court’s 2008 decision invalidated the handgun ban in the District of Columbia, a federal enclave.
The case is McDonald v. City of Chicago, 08-1521.
Bloomberg:
States Must Honor Gun Rights, U.S. High Court Says
By Greg Stohr - Jun 28, 2010
A divided U.S. Supreme Court extended the reach of the constitutional right to bear arms by saying it binds state and local governments as well as federal officials.
The justices, voting 5-4 in a ruling that is likely to invalidate Chicago’s handgun ban, said an individual right to bear arms was among the fundamental guarantees protected against state interference through a constitutional amendment after the Civil War.
“A provision in the Bill of Rights that protects a right that is fundamental from an American perspective applies equally to the federal government and the states,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the court.
The ruling broadens the sweep of the court’s 2008 ruling interpreting the Constitution’s Second Amendment as protecting the rights of individuals, rather than just those of state-run militias. It’s a victory for the National Rifle Association, which joined a group of Chicago residents in challenging the city’s laws.
It will open a new front in the fight over gun rights, setting the stage for courtroom battles over the constitutionality of weapons restrictions around the country.
The decision, which came on the last day of the court’s nine-month term, divided the justices along lines that have become commonplace. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas joined Alito in the majority.
Dissenting Justices
In dissent, Justice Stephen Breyer faulted the majority for “transferring ultimate regulatory authority over the private uses of firearms from democratically elected legislatures to courts or from the states to the federal government.”
Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor also dissented.
The high court’s 2008 decision said the right to bear arms “is not unlimited.” The majority said the ruling didn’t cast doubt on laws barring handgun possession by convicted felons and the mentally ill or restrictions on bringing guns into schools or government buildings.
“We repeat those assurances here,” Alito wrote. “Despite municipal respondents’ doomsday proclamations, incorporation does not imperil every law regulating firearms.”
Like the rest of the Bill of Rights, the Second Amendment was originally aimed only at the federal government. The Supreme Court in the 19th century refused to apply the Second Amendment to the states.
More recently, the court has said that some, though not all, of the rights in the first eight amendments are so fundamental that they are “incorporated” into the 14th Amendment’s due process clause, which binds the states.
No Doctrinal Shift
In saying that the Second Amendment is incorporated as well, the court declined to usher in a major doctrinal shift, as some litigants had sought. Advocates across the ideological spectrum urged the justices to rely on the privileges-or- immunities clause, a long dormant provision in the 14th Amendment.
Such a step might have reinforced established constitutional rights including abortion and opened the door to broader protection of other guarantees, including property rights.
Chicago has been the only major U.S. city with a blanket prohibition on handguns. The ban was challenged by four Chicago residents, including Otis McDonald, a 76-year-old homeowner in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the city’s South Side.
McDonald, who says his home has been broken into at least three times, says he wants to keep a handgun by his bed for protection.
The Supreme Court’s 2008 decision invalidated the handgun ban in the District of Columbia, a federal enclave.
The case is McDonald v. City of Chicago, 08-1521.