Monday, February 27, 2006

Check out this poll

Professor Bainbridge has an intriguing poll:
If Dick Cheney Resigns, Who Should Bush Pick as the Next VP?
Now, I'm not suggesting that Cheney quit, as has been rumored. Frankly, the rumors strike me as wishful thinking. But, if the VP slot were open for ANY reason, who would you chose?

I submitted my choice, and was VERY surprised that the far and away leading pick was C. Rice. My guy, Guiliano, was below the double-digits.

Why would I want Rudy? Well, my belief is that the VP in such a case would have a serious leg up on the next election. And he's the guy I'd support, basically because he's a guy who isn't afraid to buck the established wisdom, and he's a tough-minded SOB (I say that affectionately). I don't believe that America can afford to elect anyone who seems to be waffling on foreign policy or security issues. It's pretty clear that Islamicists would hesitate to take on Rudy. They know he'd have no hesitation about punching back.

What can I say? If your house is under seige, and you have to loose the dogs, which breed do you want to have?

This?

Or this?

All I know is, when I took care of my mother-in-law's bulldog in her last years, nobody asked how old the dog was, or if she bit.

They just got out of the way - fast. Even at 3 am, if the dog needed to relieve herself, I didn't hesitate to take her out by myself, even in a rough neighborhood. The sight of that sturdy body with those big jaws caused more than one tough guy to cross the street and move away fast.

Tags = News and Politics

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Don't do it for yourself, do it for the gene pool

When sexual species reproduce asexually, they accumulate bad mutations at an increased rate, report two Indiana University Bloomington evolutionary biologists in this week's Science. The researchers used the model species Daphnia pulex, or water flea, for their studies.

The finding supports a hypothesis that sex is an evolutionary housekeeper that adeptly reorders genes and efficiently removes deleterious gene mutations. The study also suggests sexual reproduction maintains its own existence by punishing, in a sense, individuals of a species that meander into asexuality.
I can just imagine the scientist persuading his significant other to turn off the computer and come to bed.

Tags = Science

Talk about a Catch-22!

The school district of Elmwood Park, IL, has a major problem. After asking 2 potential students about their immigration status, the state, under pressure from state board Chairman Jesse Ruiz, took away their state funding, and suspended their sports teams from competing:
"As the son of a Mexican American who was here illegally for eight years, you would have denied me an education,'' an angry Ruiz told Elmwood Park officials during the board's monthly meeting. "You are not supposed to discriminate against any children based on any immigration status.''

Immigration questions shouldn't even be asked during enrollment, he said.
So, if I understand that "reasoning" correctly, because your daddy was a lawbreaker, we need to ignore the laws of our country?

District 401 was attempting to comply with federal regulations about temporary B-52 visas - districts are not supposed to let them attend school. Ironically, one kid, whose B-52 had expired, was permitted to attend - because THAT made her an illegal immigrant.

I think I need to lie down - I'm getting light-headed.

Tags = Immigration

Something new

Via another SC blogger, Jason Trommetter, a Perl coder, I found Blogmarks. They seem to work sorta like Blogrolling, with some differences. I've just started playing with them, and may eventually use it in place (or in addition - you can never have too much redundancy, you know) of Blogrolling.

Mail me any comments if you end up playing around with it.

Tags = Technology

I found a new gadget

I noticed that a user of Stickam had visited me, and I was curious about what it was, so I followed the link.

If you look at the media player (purple tech skin) on the sidebar, you'll see the Stickam player. I'm going to play around with it for a few weeks, and report back on whether it's worth the landscape.

After all, now that I have the MP3 player, I need to start getting more into the multimedia world.

Tags = Technology

I'm not worthy

I was avoiding my grading virtuously and diligently searching out worthy blog posts to comment upon, when I re-read Bill Whittle's Sanctuary post. Please, if you haven't ever read it, stop right here and do so.

When I finished, I almost felt like packing up this blog - why do I bother, when there are those people who absolutely blow me away to do so much better in this medium?

Almost. Because the beauty of blogs is that it's an opportunity to take a look around from the inside of someone else's thinking, unmediated by an editor. And, good as Bill is, he can't have the same stuff inside his head as I do - different sex, different experiences, different temperament.

Sanctuary is a long post about the tremendous gift we in America have all been given.
And then, on the way to my stunning girlfriend’s apartment to bitch about how unfair life was treating me, I saw a fairly common sight in Los Angeles. I saw a group of young Mexican men gathered on a street corner, waiting for any kind of work.

And there, through some act of grace that occasionally opens my eyes and reveals to me a better person in my reflection, I suddenly realized that these men are waiting – fighting -- to work long, backbreaking hours for next to no pay. They sleep in small, cheap apartments, hot-bunking it, working sometimes two or even three jobs and keeping nothing for themselves. They never eat out, never go to movies, and planning for a future is not an easy thing when every penny you make above what you absolutely need goes back home to Mexico to feed your family.

And I stopped at that light, and looked at these men. And I realized right there that I, this wide-eyed idealist that writes about America, am in point of fact exactly what is wrong with America today.

I make a fortune. I make a fortune doing creative work with gentle and funny and artistic people. On a normal week, I work from ten until six, three or four days a week, and all I do is sit behind a computer in a dark, air conditioned room and make decisions: who says what and who is looking where. And that’s it. For this I get paid in two to three weeks what these men will have to work an entire year of backbreaking, hopeless labor to achieve.

And there I am: bitching and complaining and wondering why things are not better for me. Boo-freaking-hoo.

This is the poison that will eventually kill us all. I should spend an hour a day prostrate and thanking God I was born an American. How many struggle and die for this privilege?
It's an even greater privilege for me, because I'm a woman. I can (and have) gone to school, not as a luxury, but my right. I didn't work to send my brothers to school.

I chose my own husband, lived where we wanted to, quit jobs I didn't like, raised three children without undue fear of them dying at a young age, traveled around cities and the country by myself unmolested, and and talked and argued (even in public!) with men whenever my ornery nature inclined me to.

I dress as I like, mindful only to cover up when the weather is inclement. I swim without fear of drowning due to layers of fabric weighting me down. I can smile and talk to strangers, without bringing down the morality police to beat and shame me into more modest behavior. Right now, I am (temporarily) living many miles away from my husband, managing my own money, buying a house, and working.

My husband frequently asks my advice. Sometimes, he takes it. He is not unusual. Many American men do the same. Many men think of their wives as their best friend. Imagine that!

I can attend any church, synagogue, temple, or mosque I want to, or not. I can vote, or not. Nobody tells me who to vote for (well, except for the many PACs, whom I ignore). There is no fee to vote, and no penalty not to.

When I am hungry, I can stop at a restaurant, fast-food place, take-out, or buy groceries and cook. Or, bring them home, and tell my husband, "It's your turn, I've had a rough day", collapse into a chair, and watch my choice of some hundreds of channels. Try that in any but the modern countries (and not even all of them).

Oh, on that TV. I can watch mindless dreck (sometimes I do) or improve my mind with free and public access channels. I can see movies, comedy, drama, re-runs, porn, or family entertainment. I can "attend" religious services from my recliner, buy clothes, exercise equipment, or kitchen stuff, or find out how to Make Money Fast in Real Estate.

Or, I can do what I normally do, bypass TV entirely to surf the 'Net. My choice.

When I do go into a store, I am surrounded by thousands of items, with endless choices - even in toilet paper (color, softness, 1 or 2-ply, single, four, or multiple rolls, quilted or plain, brand name or generic). I'm fairly exhausted by the sheer variety. And that's just toilet paper! One tiny part of many, many aisles of products.

I can be checked out by pleasant clerks, or be trusted to check myself out (imagine the trust level that implies). I can pay with cash, check, or credit card. I can have someone help me take the groceries to my car (my OWN car), or wheel them out and load up myself. And it doesn't take half the day.

When I go home, there's water on tap (hot and cold - even filtered), machines to make food prep and storage more convenient and safe (stove, fridge, coffee maker, food processor, electric rice cooker, dishwasher - that's just a few of the many machines available). Dinner takes just a short time to make - there's a cable show called 30 Minute Meals. No all day cooking over an open fire that takes precious fuel to create.

When I'm cold, I can turn up the heat from the little gadget on the wall. Or, I can get a sweater, one of MANY I own, if I'm feeling more frugal. I don't have to huddle with my family to share body heat. We have our own bedrooms.

When I take my clothes off at night, I have clothes to change into. The ones I take off, I put in a hamper, to wash before they are worn again. When I do wash, I put in the soap from the box I bought in the store, load the tub, turn the dial, push start, and walk away. I return later to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer. It's a matter of a few minutes, not hours of dragging the clothes to the river, and beating them on the rocks. Or (yuck!) making my own soap.

After writing this, I can't believe that I complain as much as I do. I complain (sometimes) about having to go to work. It's well paid work, in relatively pleasant surroundings, indoors and climate-controlled. It's not dangerous. It won't shorten my life. They'll even pay me after I get old and decide I no longer want to work. They'll even give me enough money that I won't have to move in with my kids.

It's not just the stuff you can buy that make America so great - it's the fact that your life is your own.

Want to dress like an idiot? Go ahead.



Want to color your hair? No problem.



Want to sell everything, and ride around the country in an RV or on a motorcycle? Sure, many do. No passports or permissions required.





In a sense, every American hit the lottery - the day they were born in America. Think of it - unbelievable freedoms and opportunities to achieve riches beyond the dreams of most of the world. Just for being born.

Now, go and live your life as though you're grateful for the gift.

Tags = Culture

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Not wanted by whom?

Take a close look at the woman below.



Her name is Marianne van den Anker. She is a "health" official in Holland, who wants the people of CERTAIN groups to be forced to have abortions - for their own good, of course:
The target groups for her program are Antillean teenage mothers; drug addicts and people with mental handicaps, she said, according to a report in Expatica.

According to the report, Van den Anker said children from these groups run an "unacceptable risk" of growing up without love and with "violence, neglect, mistreatment and sexual abuse."
Well, we can't risk that, can we?

The MSM can't be bothered with this story. WorldNetNews is the only major paper I've seen that thinks the story is important.

CNN has room to feature the video clip about "The Curse of the Athletic Woman" - which, BTW, is that - horrors - it causes eating disorders! Compared with being forced to undergo a medical procedure designed to rip a wanted child out of a protesting woman's womb, well, it's just OBVIOUSLY more important news.

Who are these "Antilleans"?

Blacks. So where are the protestors who might get some attention to the proposed Black Genocide?

Well, we know what One Black Man thought was truly important to comment on:
So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention.
Item about Marianne van den Anker found on Once More Into the Breach. I'll add them to the Blogroll.

Sometimes, I'm ashamed to be of Dutch descent.

Tags = News and Politics

Friday, February 24, 2006

It's the little things that count

From the Ohio News Now site:
An argument over toilet paper turned deadly in Florida.
Marion County authorities say a man accused of fatally beating his roommate initially denied doing it, then later confessed.

According to an affidavit, the man told investigators he and his roommate were arguing because there was no toilet paper in the house. He says the roommate pulled out a gun, so he beat the man with a sledgehammer and a claw hammer.

Detectives say the victim was beaten so badly he had to be identified through his fingerprints
Well, I've been the one sitting on the porcelain, without a shred of paper to complete the job, so I have SOME sympathy.

I guess the headline on this one should be:

Guns don't kill people, sledgehammers and claw hammers kill people

Courtesy of A Face Made 4 Radio, A Voice Made 4 the Internet

Tags = Stupid People

Thursday, February 23, 2006

I'm not as dumb on Geography as I thought

Very Smart
You scored 79% knowledge, and 6% confusion
You are very smart. You know a lot of details about the world. You have probably traveled a bit and were paying attention along the way. Also, you didn't choose any (or many) seriously incorrect answers. Great job on that part. Don't forget to vote on this test!



My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 10% on knowledge
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 74% on confusion
Link: The World Geography Knowledge Test written by dowland2005 on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test


Tags = Geography

I'll be there in spirit

Mischa has a link to a worthy cause - a drive to support the Danes. Christopher Hitchens state the case forthrightly:
the question of Denmark: a small democracy, which resisted Hitler bravely and protected its Jews as well as itself. Denmark is a fellow member of NATO and a country that sends its soldiers to help in the defense and reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan. And what is its reward from Washington? Not a word of solidarity, but instead some creepy words of apology to those who have attacked its freedom, its trade, its citizens, and its embassies. For shame. Surely here is a case that can be taken up by those who worry that America is too casual and arrogant with its allies.
Has the civilized world learned nothing from history? The tyrants and bullies must be firmly dealt with early - failure leads them to wrongly conclude that they are the Next Great Thing - and the ghosts of Holocaust victims can bear witness to that kind of mistake.

As Julia Roberts said in "Pretty Woman" - "Big mistake. Big, huge."

Denmark deserves the support. That tiny country stood up the the Nazi empire when bigger countries shrugged a Gallic shoulder or pretended they didn't notice. They're fighting to stand firm amongst a sea of marshmallow states, and it isn't easy. If the Islamic world doesn't like our backing them, P*** on them!

The rally will be at Danish embassies tomorrow. I won't be able to get free (school day), but will do my part to publicize it.



Tags = News and Politics

War - the old-fashioned way

I just read in CNN about the continuing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The civilian population has taken refuge on "floating islands".
Daniel Augstburger, the head of the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Congo, said many people had taken refuge on islands formed by clumps of papyrus plants floating on lakes in Katanga's Upemba National Park.
Technically, it appears that it's not officially a war - previously, the Congolese soldiers fought Rwandan-backed rebel forces - but it sure looks like one to me:
"Both sides are living off the backs of the population -- there is total impunity. There are attacks, murders, mutilation and pillaging," Augstburger said.

"There are now more than 120,000 who are displaced in Mitwaba," an area 400 km (250 miles) north of the Lubumbashi, the capital of copper-rich Katanga.

Congo is home to 17,000 U.N. peacekeepers, making it the world body's largest peacekeeping mission. But they are spread thinly across the vast country and just several hundred have been deployed to Katanga, which is the size of France.

Humanitarian crises elsewhere in the Congo, where aid workers say fighting and war-related hunger and disease kill 1,000 people a day, mean there are also only a handful of organizations looking after Katanga's displaced.

"We are trying to get more humanitarian actors into Katanga," Augstburger said. "Congo provides us with an enormous list of crises. We can't be everywhere as we don't have unlimited resources."

Because of the severity of the crisis, which is compounded by drought in some parts of Katanga and the plundering by gunmen of what little food stocks civilians had, the U.N. has begun transporting food into Mitwaba by helicopter.

International organizations this month launched a $681 million appeal to help ease the humanitarian crisis in the Congo, which has been called the deadliest since World War II and has killed an estimated 4 million people since 1998.
I'm not sure what the UN forces are doing. It may be a situation where the intelligent thing to do is to wash one's hands of involvement, and walk away. But that's very hard to do.

This is the kind of war that raged through most of history. Merciless men swept in, looted everything, killed most of the men, commandeered others as fighters (if lucky) and slaves, and raped the women. It's only in relatively recent history that attempts have been made to reign in actions against civilian populations.

The most expedient way to deal with thugs who have no scruples about targeting civilians may be to deal with them "the Chicago way". Remember Sean Connery in "The Untouchables"? Maureen Dowd does:
In the movie "The Untouchables," Sean Connery, a cop named Malone, instructs a naïve Eliot Ness on going up against gangsters.

"If you open the can on these worms you must be prepared to go all the way, because they're not gonna give up the fight until one of you is dead," he says. "You wanna know how you do it? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way, and that's how you get Capone. Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that?"




Well, are we?

Tags = News and Politics

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Blogroll missing

I just checked my site - the blogroll is missing. I really depend on it, too. I probably should back it up, just in case this happens again.

Now, I've got to go to a site that will have links up, so I can catch up on my reading.

What, you thought I was too busy posting to read others? No way!

Tags = Blogging

All's well today

Normally, I find returning home after a visit with my family depressing. I miss them, and it can be very hard to be so far away from them.

However, this time, my husband and I talked (well, we talk every time) about his coming to SC earlier than originally planned. I should know sometimes around Easter what his plans are. I'm crossing my fingers.

I'm also enjoying the new home. It's nice to be coming home to a place you like to be in.

Tags = Personal

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

New Book

I've been reading The Bourne Identity - very good, quite engrossing. I really can't believe that I never read any of the Bourne novels. However, after a slightly puzzling first chapter, I caught on to enough of the storyline to enjoy the rest immensely. I've added a link to the sidebar - click if you want to buy. I'll admit, I'm part of the associate program - I'll get some small amount of money if enough of you do. It seemed like a good idea, since I already spend my retirement money on reading material.

Tags = Books

This is distressing!

Thanks to a Cotillion post, I found the following:
Gianna Jessen's mother was seven-and-a-half months pregnant when it was decided to abort the foetus she was carrying.

A saline solution was injected into Gianna's mother's womb, which doctors thought would kill the foetus within hours.

This time, most unusually, the procedure failed and Gianna was born alive, thanks in part to a shocked nurse.

She was so taken aback by Gianna's live delivery that she summoned an ambulance to whisk her from the abortion clinic to the hospital.

She weighed only two pounds at birth and needed to stay in hospital for nearly three months.

In an ironic twist of fate the abortionist had to sign her birth certificate.
I've posted a copy of the sturdy survivor below.



She's in London, telling her story, and trying to make inroads in the pro-abortion culture. Lots of luck, kid, since people like Ann Furedi, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, have this to say:
there is very clear guidance to make sure this sort of thing does not happen."

She added that cases like Gianna's were now less likely to happen because of advancing technology and tightened regulations, and that when a woman opted for a late abortion it was usually because the babies had a foetal abnormality.

"If women have a wanted pregnancy and go into labour prematurely they need to know that everything will be done to their babies, but if they need to have an abortion at this late stage then the intention will be that there is not live birth and the procedure should avoid a live birth.
Well, I'm certainly glad she cleared THAT up! And just how should "the procedure" avoid that possibility?

Don't ask. That kind of thinking is what spawned the "Baby Fay" regulations. You remember Baby Fay - the kid the hospital tried to starve after she survived an abortion attempt? Think it can't happen here?

Don't tell that to Terri Shiavo. Or Haleigh Poutre, whose "caretakers" tried to disconnect the breathing tube and remove food as a wasted effort, due to what they called her condition - "virtually brain dead".

Fortunately, a guardian of her interests fought the hospital and the court, and, today, Haleigh is breathing on her own and responding to her surroundings.

Tags = Disability Rights

Immigration thoughts - Wednesday

I'm a few hours early for the weekly post - I'm still a little tired from my weekend trip.

The news from Toledo is grim and gives me the shivers (via A Face Made 4 Radio, A Voice Made 4 the Internet. Both the situation with the KindHearts charity (using the pretext of fulfilling Muslim charitable committments to send money to terrorists), and the 4 Toledo residents (guess which religion?) who plotted to attack Iraqi and US military personnel - they've just been indicted in federal court

I feel grateful that this was nipped in the bud. But, I have to worry that others may still be plotting.

Tags = Immigration

Big news from Ohio



From the Plain Dealer, a Cleveland-area newspaper
Federal agents seized the offices of KindHearts - a Toledo-based Muslim charity- on Sunday while the U.S. government simultaneously ordered U.S. banks to freeze KindHearts' assets during an investigation into possible terrorism funding.
Well, I can't say that I'm surprised. It's like killing a hydra - the mythical many-headed creature. Each time Hercules chopped off one head, two more appeared. The way he finally prevailed, was to cauterize the wound left at the base of the head each time. Maybe we have to do the same - each time, tie up the funds of the individuals involved, keep them in court fighting to get the money back, and, incidentally, occupy the lawyers involved.

Tags = News and Politics

Friday, February 17, 2006

What a country!

Jane Galt of Asymmetrical Information is amazing - her posts, though not as frequent as I would like, are always pithy and pungent.
Once you're living in a Western democracy, it's all frigging quibbling." By the standards of history, the homeless guy sleeping on the church steps next to my building is rich beyond dreams of avarice1. Whether we get a few more bucks for Medicare, or HSA's, just doesn't . . . well . . . matter very much. Yet to go by the picture you get from the media, the four horsemen are ever saddled up and ready to ride.


Tags = Culture

Immigration - a little late

I'm trying to remember to post on Immigration/Homeland Security topics on Wednesday, but, due to the recent move, I just didn't get around to it.

But, here's a link I think we should all make good use of - it allows you to send a free fax to Congress (hopefully, you'll use that ability to target illegal immigration). I found it on Backcountry Conservative.

Tags = Immigration

Thursday, February 16, 2006

A new Danish Flag

 

I'm uploading another Danish flag, since the one I have is really too small. I'll add it to the sidebar later. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Preparing for leave

For those who are not teachers, a dirty little secret exists about taking a day or two off from the job.

We work very hard NOT to take them, because it's really more work to NOT go to work than to show up, however impaired with germs. If a teacher takes a day off, we have to prepare the lesson plans (in fact, OVER-plan, since we never know just who will be taking over our job that day. We also have to write very detailed instructions, print out class lists (a bigger job when the kids change classes), put away all stuff you don't want to walk away (hey, what can I say, some kids are a little light-fingered), and take away the keyboard (teachers who don't do that last are likely to come back to find the keyboard - shall we say, different) and mouse (I've had mouses mice given an orchidectomy).

But, I had an opportunity to attend a Forensic Science workshop in Cleveland, and, (some of you have already figured this out) also visit my dear family in the same place over a long weekend. Tax-deductible, no less.

Tags = Personal

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

DSL again

I spent most of the evening on tech support - the DSL was installed in the new place, the kit was there, but it took many tries to get the Internet installed correctly.

However, all's well...



Not so with the Vice-President, however. I'm not sure what the press is going ballistic about:
As reporters scold the White House for skimming on the details, Democrats also called on the vice president to be more forthcoming. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urged Cheney to hold a press conference, which he has not done since 2002. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused the administration of being the most secretive in "modern history."

"Talk about secrecy, the vice president accidentally shoots someone and keeps that a secret for nearly a day. That man, of course, is now very sick," Reid said.

Cheney's office said that he had been informed around 12:30 p.m. EST that hospital officials were going to hold a 1 p.m. press conference. When the vice president returned from a meeting with Republicans on Capitol Hill, he watched part of the news conference, his office said.

On Monday, the state gave Cheney and Whittington warning citations for breaking Texas hunting law by failing to buy a $7 stamp allowing them to shoot upland game birds. A spokesman for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said warnings are being issued in most cases because the stamp requirement only went into effect five months ago and many hunters weren't aware of it.

The Parks and Wildlife Department report said Whittington was retrieving a downed bird and stepped out of the hunting line he was sharing with Cheney. "Another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest at approximately 30 yards," the report said.
Let's see - the Vice-President, in a normal huntin trip, accidentally shoots a friend. It appears that the friend also concurs with the VP's assessment of the situation, and the VP is not legally culpable.

The friend later suffers what his doctors term a "silent heart attack", easily treated, and not needing surgical intervention. In deference to the privacy of his friend, Cheney waits for his medical team to make a report.

Have I got that? Oh, and did I mention? Cheney hasn't made statements about the incident:
Cheney's staff made an agreement with the owner of the property on which the incident occurred to have her notify the local media, he said.

"This was handled by the vice president's office," McClellan explained. "The vice president felt that Mrs. Armstrong should be the first person to get that information out since she was an eyewitness."

Reporters countered that they thought it was highly bizarre to make such an arrangement with a private citizen.
Well, actually, it seems to me to be a proper way to deal with it. Rather than immediately jumping in, and making himself the focus of the story, Cheney allowed an eyewitness to tell her version of things. If he had immediately issued a press release, wouldn't the media have jumped all over him, because he was trying to control the story.

The man can't win. Oh, except at the voting booth.

Tags = News & Politics

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Responding to the cartoon controversy

As I see it, the best way to respond to the over-the-top excesses of the Muslim rioters protestors is not to give them fuel for their unwarranted rage (i.e., publishing the cartoons), but to expose the world to the hypocrisy of the Islamic world, including:
the grotesque caricatures of Christians and, most especially, Jews that are broadcast throughout the Middle East on a daily basis? The sermons on Palestinian TV that refer to Jews as the sons of pigs and monkeys? The Syrian prime-time TV series that shows rabbis slaughtering a gentile boy to ritually consume his blood? The 41-part (!) series on Egyptian TV based on that anti-Semitic czarist forgery (and inspiration of the Nazis), "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," showing the Jews to be engaged in a century-old conspiracy to control the world?
Show them for the mealy-mouthed hypocrites they are. I know that most Westerners have no knowledge of the depth of the bigotry that exists in the Islamic culture. We need to have our networks showing BOTH the protest, and the LACK of protest that the Muslims exhibit against other religions' sensibilities.

The image below is "from Hezbollah's TV station Al-Manar in Beirut, Lebanon, showing a scene from the ''Al-Shatat'' or Diaspora, on Wednesday Oct. 29, 2003. In this scene, a council of the "Jewish World Government" plots to take control of the world. " (from the Anti-Defamation League site.



The show is made in Syria, and very popular throughout the Arabic world. The description the ADL has is graphic:
Each episode of Ash Shatat opens with the following text scrolled on the screen:

"Two thousand years ago the Jewish Rabbis established an international government aiming at maintaining the world under its control and suppressing it under the Talmudic commands, and totally isolating them from all of the people.

Then the Jews started to incite wars and conflicts, while those countries disclaimed them. They falsely pretended to be persecuted, awaiting their savior, the Messiah, who will terminate the revenge against the Goyim that their God, Jehovah, started.

In the beginning of the 19th century, the international government decided to increase the conspiracies and the Jewish international secret government was established, headed by Amschel Rothschild."
This kind of "entertainment" is clearly designed to increase suspicion and distrust of Jews. It truly is deliberately inflammatory, and those who produce it, promote it, and watch it, should be ashamed of themselves. They have forfeited any right to protest a supposed slur on their religion.

Tags = News and Politics

I'm a homeowner!

I finally closed on the house. The next few days are going to be a lot of moving, cleaning (old place and new place) and arranging and organizing. So, don't expect very many posts, and certainly not anything long. I'll upload some pictures once I've had a chance to take some.

Tags = Personal

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Check out the lettering of the signs below

If you check out the lettering of the riot protest signs below (previous posts), you'll notice something striking - they seem to have been lettered by the same hand. Particularly the "s" letters. I'm guessing that they're mass produced using a "crude" font. Anyone seen that particular font before?


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Harold Ford & Barack Obama - separated at birth?

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Do these guys look sufficiently alike that you might confuse them?

Apparently, it happens a lot. Some might charge racism, others think that two young, light-skinned black men might reasonably be called by the wrong name occasionally.

You decide.

Barack Obama

 
 Posted by Picasa

Little Green Footballs puts the controversy in perspective

You've got to see the cartoon on LGF's site. It explains why the West doesn't "get" the major disrespect to Islam shown by the cartoons.Tags = News and Politics

I'm back, did you miss me?

I was out of town Tuesday, wasn't able to get Internet (can you believe lodgings that don't include wireless?), so, I've been a little out of the loop. Network news told me very little; I had to check out the web last night to get caught up.

It's pretty clear that the recent "spontaneous Muslim reactions" to the cartoon "provacation" were carefully planned and organized. One of the best explanations for their occurrence is from Civitas, who explains:
the likely decision today in Vienna by the International Atomic Energy Agency to report Iran to the UN Security Council for continuing with its programme of nuclear research. If that decision should occur, when the UN Security Council gets round to considering what form of sanctions to impose on Iran, guess to whom chairmanship of the Council will have passed.

You’ve got it... plucky little Denmark.Suddenly, the pieces fall into shape. The rumpus suddenly escalated, complete with fabricated offensive cartoons, to so enflame Muslim opinion that Denmark could be intimidated directly through a threatened Muslim boycott of its goods, or indirectly by the EU fearful of a wider boycott, into voting in favour of Iran.


Tags = News and Politics

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Addition to the Blogroll

I've added Meg's Musings to the Blogroll. I found her on The Cafeteria is Closed. She had commented on something I'd noticed - the apparent crude lettering on many of the signs is, to my eyes, created by the same hand.

I'm deeply suspicious of the "spontaneity" of the outraged Muslims. It seems to be a HIGHLY coordinated set of events.

Tags = Leftist Riots
 


Lest I forget, I'm going to be adding this to my sidebar. I'm actually of Irish, English, German, and Dutch descent, but, WTH, when it comes to standing up to terrorism, we're all Danish. Posted by Picasa

Salute to the Model

See the image below?



It's Helena Houdova, a Czech model. Why am I featuring her on this post?

Because, when touring Castro's Island Paradise , she took photos of Havana's slums. That's a no-no in those Communist Paradises. So, she was arrested, and her film confiscated.

However, the quick-thinking young woman saved the digital memory card - in her brassiere.

Story originally found on JunkYard Blog

Sometimes, when the media keeps featuring the stupid and narcissistic, not to mention the outright criminal thugs they hold up as "role models", I think it's important to point out young people who have higher values, and who act on them.
The photos Houdova saved will be included in an exhibition she plans to organize together with People in Need, a Czech humanitarian relief organization that has supported Cuba's pro-democracy opposition. The exhibition would portray Cuba’s beautiful scenery but also highlight its political oppression, Houdova disclosed.

During her 10-day stay in Cuba, Houdova said, her meetings with dissidents, the wives of political prisoners and ordinary Cubans reminded her of her childhood in Communist Czechoslovakia.

Story courtesy of NewsMax
Here's to you, Helena!

Tags = News and Politics

Remembering Gib Shanley

Gib was a Cleveland, OH sportscaster. He was good, and very popular for many years.



But it's the flag incident that most people remember best:
Some people will always remember Gib Shanley for the Iranian flag incident in November 1979. Of course, he hasn't forgotten it either.

A story ran on the 6:00 news about an Iranian burning the American flag. Gib was irate on two fronts, first that an Iranian was using the privileges of our constitution to destroy our flag and second that Americans stood by and watched it happen.

He knew the story was scheduled to repeat at 11:00, and he knew he had to do something. He tried to talk Don Webster into doing something with him, but they couldn't really come up with the appropriate reaction.

As the story aired at eleven he got angrier and angrier, and without thinking, when the camera came to him he grabbed the Iranian flag they had on the set and set it on fire! The burning flag and Shanley were only on camera for 12 seconds, but it will not soon be forgotten.

It was months later that he found out it was actually the Shah's flag and not the Iranian flag he burned.

Of course there was a flood of calls into the station, almost every one of them supported his action and praised his (and the stations) courage. "Today there would be law suits, a demand for a public apology and I'd be off the air, but things were different then. I had to promise not to do it again, but frankly, I suppose I would do it again today"
I looked for a copy of any images, but couldn't find any. Just now, I tried searching - flag burning - with various Middle Eastern countries in the search.

Do you know that I only pulled up images of AMERICAN flags burning? It's true. Apparently, no other flags have been the preferred choice of flag-burners. Or maybe they're made of asbestos (assuming the manufacturers are still allowed to sell it).

Good luck, Danes. May a Gib Shanley rise up among you - soon.

Tags = News and Politics

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Don't miss this post

Aw, Francis, my man, you're in rare form with this one. Leave it to you to spank the striped-pants brigade, and leave a mark:
The United States is a highly significant nation in many ways, but most significant in international and symbolic terms for this: we represent uncompromising principles of liberty and justice. We'll go to war to uphold and maintain them; indeed, we've gone to war several times to bring them to others. The other free and semi-free nations of the world point to us as their icon, the land where the ideals to which they've pledged themselves were born and are best defended. The impact of equivocation from the State Department, or any bastion of high federal officialdom, on something as fundamental as freedom of speech could be internationally disastrous.

Dear President Bush:

Please issue a definitive statement of absolute, unconditional support for Denmark as soon as possible. And kindly instruct those striped-pants clowns at State to keep their traps shut until they can say something worthy of an ordinary, freedom-loving American.

Yours most sincerely,
Francis W. Porretto
Curmudgeon Emeritus of Eternity Road.
Go, read the entire thing. I confess, when I read the updated State Dept. communique (can't find the accent thing), I was just relieved that it was better than the first one, which I posted about below.

But he's right - we can't afford the luxury of NOT nailing our flag to the mast. For our own protection, if nothing else, we need to make it clear that we won't back down on basic principles of democracy.

Tags = Culture

Osama Bin Laden as Christ - oh, brother!

This is insulting to Christianity. However, I am not overcome with the urge to gather all my friends together, and storm the gates of the "art" gallery. The artist, Tafa, is pictured below on the left.



Lest you think the resemblance to OBL was unintentional, WiredNewYork's Morry Alter talked to Tafa, and asked about that:
On the phone with me, the artist declined to do an on-camera interview, telling me the work speaks for itself, but adding, the resemblance to Bin Laden was no accident.
His bio:
Born in Ghana, West Africa, Tafa obtained a bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. In 1991, he moved to New York City. With vision and energy, Tafa´s expression continues to grasp the core of life, song, motion, and truth.
Well, SOME people like his work. The Eickholt Gallery has this to say about Tafa:
Born in Ghana, West Africa, TAFA's sensibilities are informed by the vibrancy and
rhythms of his culture. He achieved international acclaim for the work that won
him first prize in the Swiss Painting Competition in 1989, and since has been a
growing sensation in the New York art world. Many of his works reflect various
sociopolitical issues surrounding struggle with rich hued abstract subtlety.
Among the most stunning of his works are his stadium pieces which offer a
profound sense of visual depth with an almost cursory reliance on subject matter.
These are images that must be seen to be believed.
Yeah, the OBL as Christ piece has to be seen to be believed.

Tags = Culture

No clue on Human Rights

I read of the State Department's apparent caving into PC pressure, and forgoing a long-held committment to human rights from All Headline News:
State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper says, “These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims. We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression, but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable.”
Where to start? Well, first I checked out the State Department's web site, and found the directory:
OFFICE OF PRESS RELATIONS (PA/PRS)
Director Tom Casey
Chief Press Relations Serv. Julie Reside
Press Officer for SA, AID, L, PRM, D Nancy Beck
Press Officer for NEA, AC, NP, PM, VC, P Susan Pittman
Press Officer for EUR, A, DGHR, IRM, RM, M Brenda Greenberg
Press Officer for EAP, CA, EB, H, IO, E Louis J. Fintor
Press Officer for SA, INL, INR, OES, G Amanda Batt
Press Officer for NEA, ECA, IIP, M/OBO, S/CPR, R Joanne C. Moore

and, finally, WAY down the list,

Press Officer for AF, DRL, HIV/AIDS, S/WCI, T Kurtis A. Cooper 2109 202-647-2492
What do those initials mean?

AF Africe
DRL Democracy, Rights, & Labor

(Earth to Cooper - the right to freely express your opinions, however inflammatory, IS a human right)

He clearly should have an understanding of the importance of a free press, as this part of his job publishes this report, which extolls the wonderfullness of access to a free media, and its importance to democracy. I can't believe that he doesn't see the irony.

HIV/AIDS Self-explanatory
S/WCI Apparently a symbol for a fax number the he can be reached at
T No idea

Who is Kurtis A. Cooper? I searched for him (I started to say "Google" him, but I didn't want to open that censorhip issue), and found several interesting things.

He spoke out when Nepal arrested protestors:
"The United States has called repeatedly for the king to release detainees, lift house arrest and restore civil liberties and freedom of press," US State Department spokesman Kurtis A Cooper said.
Good, he seems to understand about freedom of press - I was a little worried about that.

He's apparently been sent with unpleasant messages before (via the OC Online Community:
The Bush administration has postponed punishing Saudi Arabia for restricting religious freedom, giving the U.S. ally six more months to show it has made progress in its treatment of religious minorities.

One year ago, the State Department declared that religious freedom was absent in the Arab kingdom. Under U.S. law, the Bush administration could have imposed sanctions such as trade restrictions — as it has done with some other countries.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice notified Congress last week that she had authorized a 180-day waiver of action against Saudi Arabia "in order to allow additional time for the continuation of discussions leading to progress on important religious freedom issues."

Rice raised the issue last week in a meeting in Washington with the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, and stressed the importance of continuing to work on it, said State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper.
So, is he personally on the fence about religious freedom? It's not clear from this article.

The culture at State hasn't changed much since Condi took over. It's still the place where employees worry about what other countries think, instead of pursuing goals that set the tone for the discussion. I realize that it's a slow process to move the path of a dinosaur, but, come on - this is freedom of the press!

Tags = News and Politics

Library Freedom

You have an opportunity to fight the pro-censorship American Library Association, by just clicking the link. Add your vote to those who think the ALA is weaseling on condemning Castro's jailing of those who create private libraries.

Here's the problem (via Babalu Blog, who gave the link to the FAWs from Friends of Cuban Libaries.
In response to a public statement by President Fidel Castro that "There are no prohibited books in Cuba, only a lack of money to purchase them," Cuba's first independent library, named in honor of Felix Varela, was opened in 1998 in the city of Las Tunas. The Felix Varela Library was established in the apartment of Berta Mexidor, an economist, and her husband, Ramon Colas, a psychologist. Approximately 100 independent libraries, located in the homes of volunteers, now flourish in Cuba despite an unprecedented campaign of harassment, threats, intimidation, police raids, arrests, physical assaults, evictions and confiscations. Most of the libraries are affiliated with the project begun by Ramon Colas and Berta Mexidor, while others have been established by groups of teachers, journalists, religious denominations, etc. In addition to offering public access to uncensored books, Cuba's independent librarians also sponsor uncensored debates, seminars, public meetings, art exhibits, literary contests and children's programs, all free of government control.
How anti-Revolutionary! To see a problem, and fix it yourself! Obviously, the Running Dogs of Capitalist Pigs have started these libraries only to tick off El Jefe (see below, with his homie, Hugo Chavez).



See what a nice person he is? Obviously showing that he's in favor of same-sex marriage.

Just kidding. In truth, in Cuba homosexuals get thrown in prison. If they have AIDS, they are also quarantined.

But let's not get off-topic. Why did the ALA NOT condemn Cuba's vicious move to block free libraries?

From the ALA site: (bold emphasis mine)
In the wake of the Castro regime's recent crackdown on political dissidents, including at least 10 identified as independent librarians, the Cuban Library Association (Asociación Cubana de Bibliotecarios) circulated an open letter to colleagues around the world clarifying the status of those arrested and convicted of criminal activity.
Because we all know that without a clarified status, some anti-Revolutionary people (see Running Dogs definition) might come to the wrong conclusions.
The statement, sent April 30 from Havana's public library, reads in part: “No Cuban librarian, no graduate of any of our Cuban library schools, nor any librarian or paraprofessional who currently or ever has worked in the Cuban library and information system has been detained.”
Oh, good. At least the official guild isn't having their members held in prison. That's probably because they have all the cojones of John Kerry.
The letter goes on to claim that those arrested were funded by various U.S. government agencies. (Translation provided by Larry Oberg, director of the Willamette University library in Salem, Oregon.)

The pro-democracy independent libraries are usually operated out of activists' homes and offer some materials said not to be available in Cuban public libraries.
SAID not to be available? Haven't any of these so-called information specialists even bothered to check out the allegations? I mean, by by-passing the propagandists in the official libraries and looking for the truth.
The names of the independent librarians arrested are listed on the website of the Friends of Cuban Libraries, a nonprofit organization run by Robert Kent in New York City dedicated to promoting intellectual freedom in Cuba. One of the group's members claims to have seen two indictments that “specifically accuse defendants of operating libraries containing 'subversive' books.”
Morons.

Tags = Media

On-going series on CNN

Rick Sanchex is covering the issue of immigration from CNN. While I watch little TV, it might be worth seeing what he has to say. He updates on Anderson Cooper's blog.

Tags = Immigration

Immigration

The issue of immigration isn't just a matter of big, bad, anti-Latino bigots against the desperately poor, humble foreigner, eager to breathe the air of freedom and opportunity.

A bigger issue is whether we, the tax-paying citizens of the USA, have a right to control our own borders. By controlling our borders, we can better protect our own citizens from harm. Otherwise, we leave ourselves open to IMPORTING TERROR AND CRIME.
A federal task force seized arsenals of illegal weapons and homemade bombs in Laredo, Texas, in connection with a Mexican drug trafficking battle, authorities said Friday.

The feds captured more than 30 homemade bombs, grenade components, assault weapons, silencers, machine gun assembly kits, bulletproof vests, police scanners and cash, Julie Myers, assistant secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a statement.
Along with the Latinos and others who just want to be able to get work, a loose border also tempts the evil. When our borders are porous, we open ourselves up to a lot of things, some of them not so innocent as others, as seen above. Where the poor and desperate are, so dwell the jackal who feeds off them.

On the Urban Dictionary, an unmoderated look at language, I found the following definition of an immigrant:
One who lacks the qualities necessary to prosper in his homeland.
There is some truth to that definition. However limited the opportunities in other coutries, let's not forget that SOME upward mobility usually exists, through the traditional venues of education, frugal living, and owning your own business. The "economic immigrants" have failed at, or rejected these traditional venues.

Tags = Immigration

Another good reason for not letting kids have cell phones in class

From Business 2.0,
A study by the University of London's Institute of Psychiatry, commissioned by Hewlett-Packard, finds that "an average worker's functioning IQ falls 10 points when distracted by ringing telephones and incoming e-mails ... more than double the four-point drop seen following studies on the impact of smoking marijuana."
So, let me get this straight, it would be better to have a stoned kid nodding off in class than one chained to his/her cellie? And, we all know just how ready to learn and motivated the average toker is.

Tags = Technology
From Fox News, this report:
the Labor Department report showed the January unemployment rate dropped to a 4-1/2-year low 4.7 percent from 4.9 percent in December. The last time the rate was lower was in July 2001 when it was at 4.6 percent.

The closely watched monthly report reflected a relatively vigorous labor market that was likely to fan concern that a tightening labor market could produce stiffer wage demands.


What I'm finding a little confusing is that Fox News also posted this news:
The number of U.S. workers making new claims for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week to 283,000, the government said on Thursday, although a more reliable long-term measure of claims fell to its lowest in 5-1/2 years.

The Labor Department said initial claims for state jobless aid rose 11,000 in the week ended Jan. 21 from an upwardly revised 272,000 the prior week.

Wall Street economists had forecast initial claims would rise to 305,000 from the initially reported 271,000 the previous week.

The four-week moving average of initial claims, which smooths weekly volatility for a more reliable indication of underlying employment trends, fell by 10,750 to 288,750, the lowest level since July 2000.


It's the same basic news, right? The best unemployment news in 4 1/2 years.

So, why was the first heading "Weekly Jobless Claims Fall Unexpectedly", and the second "Weekly Jobless Claims Up Slightly"? I'm wondering why Fox had 2 stories about the same basic situation. Was it just to allow a reporter to get the second headline showing?

CNN has the cheerful news:
The unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in nearly five years in January, the government reported Friday, as employers added a respectable 193,000 jobs to payrolls.
Ohio is at 5.9%, my new state of South Carolina is at a staqgering 7.0%. That last number must be modified a little - it's the winter, and much of the state is rural.

Tags = Economy and Media

Thursday, February 02, 2006

60 Facts about Jack Bauer

I've not been hugely into Jack Bauer. It's not that I don't like the show, it's just that I haven't a TV right now (that situation should shortly be rectified, once I close on my house). So, a lot of the excitement about the "24" show has passed me by.

However, I really like these Fun Facts about Jack Bauer. Found on The Llama Butchers, courtesy of the always wonderful Beth, at Yeah, Right, Whatever.

Tags = Humor

Global Warming

Kevin McGehee of Yippee-Ki-Yay! has the ULTIMATE answer to the question of whether global warming really does exist. Take my word for it.

Tags
= Science

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Funny, if more than a little snide

Sometimes, Jane Galt makes me giggle. Like today, posting about the Democratic voting down Social Security reform:
Memo to Dems: if the American voter wanted sullen, rebellious adolescents in Congress, they would have sent their own, if for no other reason than to get them out of the basement.
Alas, the situation seems to be on permanent "Let's ignore it and maybe it'll go away" status. Guys, act like men (and women). Suck it up, and tell Granny and Gramps that the GOOOOOD times are over. No more raises; no more new entitlements; and maybe, just maybe, we'll still have a few dimes left for the trailing Baby Boomers.

I should be so lucky.

Tags = News & Politics

Lies of the Left

This COULD be a lengthy post. But, I'll try to winnow it down to a reasonable length. The CA Parent Bribery 'Scandal' - the 1...