Hi folks, I've just made a donation to Soldiers' Angels Project Valor-IT. It's a very worthy cause helping wounded servicemen and I'd strongly recommend you donate whatever you can.
Pick a team- Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines- and give what you can to help those who have been wounded. Team Marines are currently in the lead- so do what you can to either keep them in front or help your preferred branch to do better. It also helps to spread the word so tell your friends and family too.
Project Valour-IT helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries. Items supplied include:
# Voice-controlled Laptops - Operated by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, they allow the wounded to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.
# Wii Video Game Systems - Whole-body game systems increase motivation and speed recovery when used under the guidance of physical therapists in therapy sessions (donated only to medical facilities).
# Personal GPS - Handheld GPS devices build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD.
I just want to add- I'm a British citizen but the work American servicemen do, currently fighting terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, serves to benefit not just America but the UK and many other nations. I'm thankful for the courage and dedication of America's servicemen and women.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Police Apathy
A British man discovered a gang-land gun- loaded and left in a plastic bag at a playground- so he did the decent thing and phoned the police. They first of all offered to come to his home but as he had just had a confrontation with the gang he was afraid they would follow him there. So, instead of driving to him at the scene, they told him to walk to the nearest police station to hand it it- two and a half miles away.
If he had been stopped by police en route and discovered with a gun he would- according to the police themselves- have been charged with possession.
The authorities seemed to be completely unperturbed by the thought of the man walking alone with a gang's gun- and cash and a passport; even though he had just had a run in with them over it. Why did they not show any concern not only for his safety but for the risk of a loaded firearm falling back into the hands of the gang?
No doubt their reluctance to drive to meet him at the playground indicates that they were in no hurry to go to his home either. Their disinterest in a gang's loaded firearm, possibly one used in a crime, is pretty surprising. Why were they not interested in questioning the thugs who demanded that the gent hand over their gun? Why no interest in obtaining the best possible forensic testing of the weapon, etc? Why tell a member of the public to carry a loaded firearm through city streets- when he faced arrest or a confrontation with armed police officers if some member of the public spotted the gun in the bag?
The only answer can be a shocking level of apathy on the part of the police.
In fact, it turns out that the gun was used in a gangland shooting just five days before it was discovered but police were unable to link it to an individual and so no case has gone to court.
If he had been stopped by police en route and discovered with a gun he would- according to the police themselves- have been charged with possession.
The authorities seemed to be completely unperturbed by the thought of the man walking alone with a gang's gun- and cash and a passport; even though he had just had a run in with them over it. Why did they not show any concern not only for his safety but for the risk of a loaded firearm falling back into the hands of the gang?
No doubt their reluctance to drive to meet him at the playground indicates that they were in no hurry to go to his home either. Their disinterest in a gang's loaded firearm, possibly one used in a crime, is pretty surprising. Why were they not interested in questioning the thugs who demanded that the gent hand over their gun? Why no interest in obtaining the best possible forensic testing of the weapon, etc? Why tell a member of the public to carry a loaded firearm through city streets- when he faced arrest or a confrontation with armed police officers if some member of the public spotted the gun in the bag?
The only answer can be a shocking level of apathy on the part of the police.
In fact, it turns out that the gun was used in a gangland shooting just five days before it was discovered but police were unable to link it to an individual and so no case has gone to court.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Operation Rize
Hard to take a small sample of the article to illustrate this story. In short, UK police used a relatively new law designed to seize the assets of criminals to raid some safety deposit boxes. What's startling- and frightening- is that instead of raiding the boxes of identified criminals, the police obtained a warrant to raid every single box in the facility. They cut them open with angle grinders, catalogued the contents and then basically argued that if you had cash or valuables in the boxes, you were assumed to be guilty and had to prove that you had obtained the valuables legally.
I always thought that a man was innocent until proven guilty- not any more.
Under POCA, the burden of proof lay with the box-holders. Finding evidence for wartime treks across Europe, or charting migration stories from the Partition of India and beyond, would cost many of the box-holders tens of thousands of pounds.
For example, one Jewish family fled Europe before the war with some diamonds sewn into their clothes. Fearful that at some point they or their children might need to flee again they kept the diamonds in a safety deposit box. To get their belongings back they had to pay to carbon date the diamonds, proving they were cut in the 1930s.
And that's just one example of many. It's also worth noting that the law used to carry out the raid was never intended for this kind of operation- dubbed a fishing expedition. In fact, the first judge in London they took the case to turned down the warrant request. So the police went "judge shopping", travelling outside of the capital to a nearby town where the judge was less knowledgeable about such cases- and they dazzled him with statistics that proved to be incredibly wrong in order to obtain the warrant. No need for things such as evidence here.
I strongly urge you all to read the whole article to get the full picture of this scandalous raid- inspired, it would seem, by the police failing to meet their seizure targets. The fact that officers are not being sacked for this shocking abuse tells you all you need to know about how far the notion of individual liberty in the UK has fallen.
I always thought that a man was innocent until proven guilty- not any more.
Under POCA, the burden of proof lay with the box-holders. Finding evidence for wartime treks across Europe, or charting migration stories from the Partition of India and beyond, would cost many of the box-holders tens of thousands of pounds.
For example, one Jewish family fled Europe before the war with some diamonds sewn into their clothes. Fearful that at some point they or their children might need to flee again they kept the diamonds in a safety deposit box. To get their belongings back they had to pay to carbon date the diamonds, proving they were cut in the 1930s.
And that's just one example of many. It's also worth noting that the law used to carry out the raid was never intended for this kind of operation- dubbed a fishing expedition. In fact, the first judge in London they took the case to turned down the warrant request. So the police went "judge shopping", travelling outside of the capital to a nearby town where the judge was less knowledgeable about such cases- and they dazzled him with statistics that proved to be incredibly wrong in order to obtain the warrant. No need for things such as evidence here.
I strongly urge you all to read the whole article to get the full picture of this scandalous raid- inspired, it would seem, by the police failing to meet their seizure targets. The fact that officers are not being sacked for this shocking abuse tells you all you need to know about how far the notion of individual liberty in the UK has fallen.
My Parents Were Awesome
Discovered this website yesterday and I love it- essentially old photos submitted by folks of their parents when they were young and cool.
Definitely worth a look- some interesting characters and great photography. I love looking at old photos like these.
I'm going to have to see if I can get my scanner out of storage and send in some pics of my Mum and Dad- I have a few of them looking great when they were younger.
Definitely worth a look- some interesting characters and great photography. I love looking at old photos like these.
I'm going to have to see if I can get my scanner out of storage and send in some pics of my Mum and Dad- I have a few of them looking great when they were younger.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
White House Admits Joe Was Right
Well, well, well, look what we have here. Buried late on a Friday night the White House releases a statement that, let's not beat around the bush, proves that Joe Wilson was right to declare that Obama was lying when he said Obamacare would not provide cover to illegal aliens.
Big hat tip to Stop The ACLU for catching this.
The question, as we all know, arises from the Wilson “You lie” outburst, and the core claim that notwithstanding specific bill language barring illegal immigrants from participating in the “exchange,” as a practical matter, there is no way of verifying the citizenship of applicants — which is the current state of play. Republicans say that then means illegal immigrants would end up being enrolled in plans — bill language or no bill language.
Today, for the first time as far as we know, the administration is backing a provision that would require proof of citizenship before someone could enroll in a plan selected on the exchange.
In other words, Obama was either just plain ignorant-wrong when he made his no illegal cover statement or else he knew what the bill said and he was, in fact, lying to Congress and the American people. So which was it smartest-president-ever? Were you lying or did you just not know what you were talking about in your carefully prepared big speech?Big hat tip to Stop The ACLU for catching this.
Friday, September 11, 2009
9/11 Never Forget
Seems hard to believe that it happened eight years ago.
Gateway Pundit has a small round up- I strongly suggest watching the video of the second plane's impact on the WTC from a different angle than is normally seen. Nothing brings back memories of that terrible day (or crystallises the horror of it all) quite so vividly as seeing the actual footage again- which is what follows:
And from Cox and Forkum, originally posted in 2003.
Gateway Pundit has a small round up- I strongly suggest watching the video of the second plane's impact on the WTC from a different angle than is normally seen. Nothing brings back memories of that terrible day (or crystallises the horror of it all) quite so vividly as seeing the actual footage again- which is what follows:
And from Cox and Forkum, originally posted in 2003.
Liberal Reaction To Joe Wilson
A moronic so-called comedian who goes by the name "DantetheComic"was so incensed by Joe Wilson's daring to call out Obama's lies to Congress that he goes off the deep-end. First off, he send this tweet to me (after I congratulated Wilson's stand)-
you are a f**ktard and need to read a book and a newspaper and not comic books and neo nazi books
Yeah, apparently Monster Hunter International (the only book I can remember referencing on Twitter) is a neo-Nazi book. As for comics, I'm not sure what he's talking about because I'm not much of a comic fan any more and don't think I've ever referred to reading one on Twitter. Incredibly he missed the many links to newspapers there. Well, I say incredibly but given his own output it's perhaps not too surprising. He went on to spew the following bile on Twitter-
Joe Wilson you are a good example why there should be a white christian Rebublican holocost
JOE WILSON...........You are like the 5th person to screw up from S. Carolina in the past year. We may have to blow that state up.
luciferiscoming and his name is JOE WILSON
President Obama is our president. I believe in him and our country and Joe Wilson SPIT on our flag tonight
(To another Twitter user who agreed with Wilson) are you nuts, you c*nt, please go kill yourself
JOE WILSON is alive and well and Kennedy is dead. Shame.
JOE WILSON......if a demacrat yelled out durring a BUSH speech he would have been arested. (Note - not exactly true.)
Joe Wilson thank you since I have ranted about what a piece of crap you are I have gained 30 followers
Joe Wilson eat my nuts
Joe Wilson should resin (Note- I believe he means that Wilson should resign, not turn into resin)
Joe Wilson needs to be punished
(To a Joe Wilson supporter) are you nuts? F**k Joe Wilson and you. That was our president he heckled not Carrot Top
I had Obamas speech on DVR and just watched it. Brilliant. That man is going to change the world. Screw Joe Wilson and other whackjobs
As a comic I hate Hecklers! JOE WILSON is the top piece of sh*t heckler in the world. You f**ktard. (This delicate blossom should never watch Prime Minister's Question Time)
Hey to all the pussys that were following me until I spoke my mind about Oboma and Joe Wilson go f**k yourselves and dont follow me anymore
Go Oboma. Fuck those peice of sh*t republicans who sat there and heckled you and acted like children
Joe Wilson resign now you f**ktard
Joe Wilson if you were a dem durring a Bush speech, you would have been escorted out. How dare you (See above)
F**k you Joe Wilson you piece of sh*t, who the f**k do you think you are yelling at our president.
There needs to be a white christian republican holocost
All the white christian rebublicansneed to all move to Alabama and start thier own country, then left bomb the shit out of those dumb fucks
White christian republicans annoy the sh*t out of me.
I am so sick of dumb f**ks who can not read bashing our president. Show us proof of any thing he has done wrong.
(To another Wilson supporter) Fred let me guess....you love Joe Wilson....you are a white, republican christian. Your level of education and respect are low.
All of the spellings are his originals. Ironic, isn't it, that he slanders someone else's level of education when he can't even spell Democrat? And calling for respect when he's insulted others and called for a holocaust of Christian Republicans? Wow.
No doubt Dante's off to name-call all the liberals and Democrats who attacked Bush, calling him a liar, a murderer and even Hitler over the past eight years...
you are a f**ktard and need to read a book and a newspaper and not comic books and neo nazi books
Yeah, apparently Monster Hunter International (the only book I can remember referencing on Twitter) is a neo-Nazi book. As for comics, I'm not sure what he's talking about because I'm not much of a comic fan any more and don't think I've ever referred to reading one on Twitter. Incredibly he missed the many links to newspapers there. Well, I say incredibly but given his own output it's perhaps not too surprising. He went on to spew the following bile on Twitter-
Joe Wilson you are a good example why there should be a white christian Rebublican holocost
JOE WILSON...........You are like the 5th person to screw up from S. Carolina in the past year. We may have to blow that state up.
luciferiscoming and his name is JOE WILSON
President Obama is our president. I believe in him and our country and Joe Wilson SPIT on our flag tonight
(To another Twitter user who agreed with Wilson) are you nuts, you c*nt, please go kill yourself
JOE WILSON is alive and well and Kennedy is dead. Shame.
JOE WILSON......if a demacrat yelled out durring a BUSH speech he would have been arested. (Note - not exactly true.)
Joe Wilson thank you since I have ranted about what a piece of crap you are I have gained 30 followers
Joe Wilson eat my nuts
Joe Wilson should resin (Note- I believe he means that Wilson should resign, not turn into resin)
Joe Wilson needs to be punished
(To a Joe Wilson supporter) are you nuts? F**k Joe Wilson and you. That was our president he heckled not Carrot Top
I had Obamas speech on DVR and just watched it. Brilliant. That man is going to change the world. Screw Joe Wilson and other whackjobs
As a comic I hate Hecklers! JOE WILSON is the top piece of sh*t heckler in the world. You f**ktard. (This delicate blossom should never watch Prime Minister's Question Time)
Hey to all the pussys that were following me until I spoke my mind about Oboma and Joe Wilson go f**k yourselves and dont follow me anymore
Go Oboma. Fuck those peice of sh*t republicans who sat there and heckled you and acted like children
Joe Wilson resign now you f**ktard
Joe Wilson if you were a dem durring a Bush speech, you would have been escorted out. How dare you (See above)
F**k you Joe Wilson you piece of sh*t, who the f**k do you think you are yelling at our president.
There needs to be a white christian republican holocost
All the white christian rebublicansneed to all move to Alabama and start thier own country, then left bomb the shit out of those dumb fucks
White christian republicans annoy the sh*t out of me.
I am so sick of dumb f**ks who can not read bashing our president. Show us proof of any thing he has done wrong.
(To another Wilson supporter) Fred let me guess....you love Joe Wilson....you are a white, republican christian. Your level of education and respect are low.
All of the spellings are his originals. Ironic, isn't it, that he slanders someone else's level of education when he can't even spell Democrat? And calling for respect when he's insulted others and called for a holocaust of Christian Republicans? Wow.
No doubt Dante's off to name-call all the liberals and Democrats who attacked Bush, calling him a liar, a murderer and even Hitler over the past eight years...
Subtle But Important Changes
Mary Katherine Ham notes an important change in the language Obama is using to sell his health care reforms. He's gone from this-
If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor under the reform proposals that we've put forward. If you like your private health insurance plan, you can keep it.
To this-
First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.
In short, Obamacare won't force you to lose your current health insurance or doctor, but when the government mandates exactly what each policy will be required to cover (and remember, if you don't have a government approved plan you will be forced to pay a punitive tax) and so on, the chances are that you will lose your current plan and/or doctor. The government might not require it- but then again, why should they when the end result is the same? Also, if you aren't paying particularly close attention to the debate you might just be fooled into thinking that what Obama's saying is that even after Obamacare you'll be able to keep your current insurance and doctor.
If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor under the reform proposals that we've put forward. If you like your private health insurance plan, you can keep it.
To this-
First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.
In short, Obamacare won't force you to lose your current health insurance or doctor, but when the government mandates exactly what each policy will be required to cover (and remember, if you don't have a government approved plan you will be forced to pay a punitive tax) and so on, the chances are that you will lose your current plan and/or doctor. The government might not require it- but then again, why should they when the end result is the same? Also, if you aren't paying particularly close attention to the debate you might just be fooled into thinking that what Obama's saying is that even after Obamacare you'll be able to keep your current insurance and doctor.
Monday, August 17, 2009
So...Embrace The Minimum
The new King Cannibal single So...Embrace The Minimum is out today. Just downloaded my copy from Amazon. It's DJ Magazine's Dubstep single of the month.
The title track has, IMHO, a bit of a house vibe to it- in parts it brings to mind Slam from their Headstates days. For Cannibal this is a pretty light, smooth tune with a very rich sound to it. It also makes me want to hop in the car and go cruise along the motorway at 2:00 am. No one does dark and scary quite like King Cannibal but So... coming on the heels of Virgo proves that there are more strings to his bow than just that.
Check out King Cannibal's MySpace page to have a listen to his tunes.
The title track has, IMHO, a bit of a house vibe to it- in parts it brings to mind Slam from their Headstates days. For Cannibal this is a pretty light, smooth tune with a very rich sound to it. It also makes me want to hop in the car and go cruise along the motorway at 2:00 am. No one does dark and scary quite like King Cannibal but So... coming on the heels of Virgo proves that there are more strings to his bow than just that.
Check out King Cannibal's MySpace page to have a listen to his tunes.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Secondary Emergency
Two student nurses were threatened with rape by male intruders. They called police but it took four hours for them to respond, by which point the men had long since fled. The men told them,
'We are going to remember your faces and names, and next time, we are going to rape you'.
The police claimed that because the young women were behind a locked door, their case was prioritised as a "secondary emergency".
Their excuse? They were dealing with "a high volume of calls" at the time.
It turns out that the police force were struggling to cope with a mammoth 40 incidents at the time.
What's not said is how many of those "incidents" were violent crimes in progress - how many officers were working that evening- how many of those incidents were police responding to were actually the aftermath of a crime- what incidents were prioritised ahead of thugs threatening to rape young women in their own flat- that is, what exactly is a primary emergency- and how many of those 40 incidents were actually classified as primary emergencies?
Funny the questions professional journalists fail to ask.
'We are going to remember your faces and names, and next time, we are going to rape you'.
Their excuse? They were dealing with "a high volume of calls" at the time.
It turns out that the police force were struggling to cope with a mammoth 40 incidents at the time.
What's not said is how many of those "incidents" were violent crimes in progress - how many officers were working that evening- how many of those incidents were police responding to were actually the aftermath of a crime- what incidents were prioritised ahead of thugs threatening to rape young women in their own flat- that is, what exactly is a primary emergency- and how many of those 40 incidents were actually classified as primary emergencies?
Funny the questions professional journalists fail to ask.
King Cannibal Strikes Again
First music I've bought in absolutely ages- King Cannibal's Virgo and Call Me Mr Cold Blooded.
On the Virgo single the title track is, by Cannibal's standards pretty light and, dare I say it, bouncy. Murder Us, the B-side, is darker and more menacing by contrast. I actually like the lighter tone of Virgo, not what I was expecting but it works well.
Call Me Mr Cold Blooded (and brilliant B-side A Hundred Eyes Closed) is in a similar vein to the classic Arigami Style- like a horror movie for your ears. I don't know what specific genre of drum and bass you'd file this stuff under but the best way I can think of describing it is as the electronic equivalent of really dark heavy metal, Ministry or Nine Inch Nails gone jungle.
Looking forward to the coming release- S0...Embrace The Minimum out on August 16th.
Check out King Cannibal's MySpace page to have a listen to his tunes.
One last thing- someone should really hire this guy to score the soundtrack to a really scary horror movie, and make it twice as frightening.
On the Virgo single the title track is, by Cannibal's standards pretty light and, dare I say it, bouncy. Murder Us, the B-side, is darker and more menacing by contrast. I actually like the lighter tone of Virgo, not what I was expecting but it works well.
Call Me Mr Cold Blooded (and brilliant B-side A Hundred Eyes Closed) is in a similar vein to the classic Arigami Style- like a horror movie for your ears. I don't know what specific genre of drum and bass you'd file this stuff under but the best way I can think of describing it is as the electronic equivalent of really dark heavy metal, Ministry or Nine Inch Nails gone jungle.
Looking forward to the coming release- S0...Embrace The Minimum out on August 16th.
Check out King Cannibal's MySpace page to have a listen to his tunes.
One last thing- someone should really hire this guy to score the soundtrack to a really scary horror movie, and make it twice as frightening.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Quote of the Day
For Obama, success is not the delivery of watertight nuclear security for America; it is a feel-good news conference and photo opportunity that will create huge approval ratings on liberal campuses where the delusions of 1968 and the anti-Vietnam war movement still linger on in these isolated Jurassic Parks.
Read the whole thing.
Read the whole thing.
Great But Failed Handguns
Hell in a Handbasket as a very good post up on some innovative firearms designs that ultimately failed to succeed. Go check it out here.
As I read a few thoughts occurred to me.
The LeMat- make it a break action like a Webley so that the revolver cylinder and shotgun can both be loaded at the same time. It would obviously require some ingenious work to re-fashion the design so that the shotgun barrel was firmly locked in place while the cylinder continued to revolve around it but I'm sure some engineering whizz could figure that out. These days I'm sure some would want to see the shotgun chambered for a .410 shotshell but personally I'd opt for a 20 gauge or 16 gauge.
The HDH Machinegun - this is a neat idea and a weapon that I'll admit I'd never heard of before. Seems to me that the time for another double barrelled revolver has come- it evidently needs a small cartridge so why not go for a rimmed version of the P90's 5.7mm or HK's 4.6mm?
As I read a few thoughts occurred to me.
The LeMat- make it a break action like a Webley so that the revolver cylinder and shotgun can both be loaded at the same time. It would obviously require some ingenious work to re-fashion the design so that the shotgun barrel was firmly locked in place while the cylinder continued to revolve around it but I'm sure some engineering whizz could figure that out. These days I'm sure some would want to see the shotgun chambered for a .410 shotshell but personally I'd opt for a 20 gauge or 16 gauge.
The HDH Machinegun - this is a neat idea and a weapon that I'll admit I'd never heard of before. Seems to me that the time for another double barrelled revolver has come- it evidently needs a small cartridge so why not go for a rimmed version of the P90's 5.7mm or HK's 4.6mm?
Monday, June 15, 2009
More Twitter
I've been using Twitter to post lately- simply because it's faster than blogger. You can view my page here. You don't need to be signed up to the service to see the items or click the links. And you can also see my Twitter posts further down this page below the links.
A few examples-
Actress Lynn Collins has been picked to play Dejah Thoris in the upcoming John Carter of Mars movie. Sorry, but she is no Dejah. The guy who played Gambit in the Wolverine movie is to be John Carter. I'm underwhelmed by that choice but I'll reserve further judgement until I actually see that film. I doubt very much it will convince me he's right for the part though.
An "expert" has designed a revolutionary new knife which *gasp* cannot be used to commit crimes! How does it manage this? Well, it has a blunt tip. The pointless design (couldn't resist) evidently doesn't take into account that knives are known to not only stab people but also to slash them. No doubt the next version will take this into account and come fully featured with a blunt edge too.
The US is to send financial aid- to be used to combat global warming- to...wait for it...China. Let me see if I have this right- US borrows money from China, US gives money to China because they are "a developing nation", US then repays loan to China plus interest.
A few examples-
Actress Lynn Collins has been picked to play Dejah Thoris in the upcoming John Carter of Mars movie. Sorry, but she is no Dejah. The guy who played Gambit in the Wolverine movie is to be John Carter. I'm underwhelmed by that choice but I'll reserve further judgement until I actually see that film. I doubt very much it will convince me he's right for the part though.
An "expert" has designed a revolutionary new knife which *gasp* cannot be used to commit crimes! How does it manage this? Well, it has a blunt tip. The pointless design (couldn't resist) evidently doesn't take into account that knives are known to not only stab people but also to slash them. No doubt the next version will take this into account and come fully featured with a blunt edge too.
The US is to send financial aid- to be used to combat global warming- to...wait for it...China. Let me see if I have this right- US borrows money from China, US gives money to China because they are "a developing nation", US then repays loan to China plus interest.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Museum Shooting
There appears to have been a mini-blog storm about Debbie Schlussel's column which argues that the climate of tolerance for Islamic anti-Semitism essentially motivated the Holocaust Museum shooter to carry out his crime. I think she has a definite case to make about the shocking rise of anti-Semitism and its link to the politically correct climate around not offending Muslims, but it's a stretch to go from there to "he committed the shooting solely because of it". Perhaps he did feel more comfortable in his hate but there were other factors at play too.
Having said that, the links between white supremiscists and Muslims have been summarily dismissed or ridiculed by Schlussel's critics. She does bring up Hitler's links to the Grand Mufti and also to the Muslim SS Divisions in response. More pertinent to the argument I think would be this more recent news from 2005-
A couple of hours up the road from where some September 11 hijackers learned to fly, the new head of Aryan Nation is praising them -- and trying to create an unholy alliance between his white supremacist group and al Qaeda.
Having said that, the links between white supremiscists and Muslims have been summarily dismissed or ridiculed by Schlussel's critics. She does bring up Hitler's links to the Grand Mufti and also to the Muslim SS Divisions in response. More pertinent to the argument I think would be this more recent news from 2005-
A couple of hours up the road from where some September 11 hijackers learned to fly, the new head of Aryan Nation is praising them -- and trying to create an unholy alliance between his white supremacist group and al Qaeda.
"You say they're terrorists, I say they're freedom fighters. And I want to instill the same jihadic feeling in our peoples' heart, in the Aryan race, that they have for their father, who they call Allah."
That's right - the head of the Aryan Nation wants to join forces with Al Qaeda, reasoning that they two disparate groups have common enemies- the American government and Jews. There's also this report from 2003-
"Western-made terrorists motivated by Marxist, anarchist and neo-Nazi ideology are forming alliances with jihadists and are planning copycat-style attacks and others utilizing funding from Islamists, according to intelligence sources."
Schlussel may have overstated her argument but there is no denying increased anti-Semitism nor is there the "common cause" that white supremiscists feel they have with jihadists.
Trying out Twitter to see what all the fuss is. Certainly less time consuming to highlight a story than do a blog post. I may use it to point out items of interest which wouldn't normally make it into the blog, but we'll have to see how it holds my interest.
Any readers use it? Let me know.
Here's the link.
Any readers use it? Let me know.
Here's the link.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Shi No Numa
Well, downloaded Map Pack 2 for Call of Duty: World at War. Haven't even looked at the new multiplayer maps but I have been playing the new Nazi Zombies game, Shi No Numa (Swamp of Death) for a good part of the afternoon.
It's fantastic- with the new additions to the game and the Imperial Japanese zombies it feels unlike the other two Nazi Zombies games. Treyarch have really outdone themselves with this one. The map is big and sprawling with lots of doors and windows for the zombies to come shambling or running through. I had thought that the randomly generated Perks machines would be frustrating but it works well- especially since you don't have to first go turn on the power to get them working. Also the Box, source of all the good guns, seems to be more rationally programmed- no more getting a useless bolt action rifle on level 12. Fingers crossed they don't change this come the next upgrade- the game is hard enough as it is.
The Hellhound levels are brilliant- I like that they occur randomly and each begins with the whole level filling up with fog, before the Hellhounds spawn and begin attacking. It's a wonderfully spooky touch. Easy to imagine the jungle temperatures plummeting as the air turns to mist. Really, Treyarch- make a whole game of this stuff.
Thus far, the best I've managed is level 15 solo. If you have the pair of MGs, the Browning and the MG-42, stick with the latter when confronted with Hellhounds- the higher rate of fire seems to put them down much easier.
If you have any strategy tips, feel free to leave them in the comments!
One last thing- seems I was right about the Wunderwaffe- not a night-scoped MP-44 but a nifty Nazi electric rifle. I'm not quite sure what to make of the new weapon just yet as I only got to handle it a couple of times. Not quite as effective as the Ray Gun (which appears to still be in the Box) but it's still pretty destructive. If you haven't used it yet, wait until you get a group of zombies coming at you before firing.
Oh, and just one other last thing! The Flogger? It's awesome.
It's fantastic- with the new additions to the game and the Imperial Japanese zombies it feels unlike the other two Nazi Zombies games. Treyarch have really outdone themselves with this one. The map is big and sprawling with lots of doors and windows for the zombies to come shambling or running through. I had thought that the randomly generated Perks machines would be frustrating but it works well- especially since you don't have to first go turn on the power to get them working. Also the Box, source of all the good guns, seems to be more rationally programmed- no more getting a useless bolt action rifle on level 12. Fingers crossed they don't change this come the next upgrade- the game is hard enough as it is.
The Hellhound levels are brilliant- I like that they occur randomly and each begins with the whole level filling up with fog, before the Hellhounds spawn and begin attacking. It's a wonderfully spooky touch. Easy to imagine the jungle temperatures plummeting as the air turns to mist. Really, Treyarch- make a whole game of this stuff.
Thus far, the best I've managed is level 15 solo. If you have the pair of MGs, the Browning and the MG-42, stick with the latter when confronted with Hellhounds- the higher rate of fire seems to put them down much easier.
If you have any strategy tips, feel free to leave them in the comments!
One last thing- seems I was right about the Wunderwaffe- not a night-scoped MP-44 but a nifty Nazi electric rifle. I'm not quite sure what to make of the new weapon just yet as I only got to handle it a couple of times. Not quite as effective as the Ray Gun (which appears to still be in the Box) but it's still pretty destructive. If you haven't used it yet, wait until you get a group of zombies coming at you before firing.
Oh, and just one other last thing! The Flogger? It's awesome.
Friend and Mentor
While Obama panders to the "Muslim world", shakes his finger at the US for having the temerity to worry about a genocidal thug obtaining nuclear weapons, he makes demands of Israel unheard of from any previous American administration- to cease even the natural growth of settlements.
Now, apart from his weekly dinner-and-chats with former PLO spokesman Rashid al-Khalidi and his attending a dinner with Edward Said, his anti-Israel foreign policy team during the campaign, was there any clue as to his apparent animus to Israel? You know, apart from attending a church that printed Hamas propaganda in its newsletter.
Maybe this new comment from Obama's "crazy uncle" Rev Wright will shed some light on matters.
Now, apart from his weekly dinner-and-chats with former PLO spokesman Rashid al-Khalidi and his attending a dinner with Edward Said, his anti-Israel foreign policy team during the campaign, was there any clue as to his apparent animus to Israel? You know, apart from attending a church that printed Hamas propaganda in its newsletter.
Maybe this new comment from Obama's "crazy uncle" Rev Wright will shed some light on matters.
Asked if he had spoken to the President, Wright said: “Them Jews aren’t going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that he’ll talk to me in five years when he’s a lame duck, or in eight years when he’s out of office…
Wright also said Obama should have sent a U.S. delegation to the World Conference on Racism held recently in Geneva, Switzerland, but that the president did not do so for fear of offending Jews and Israel.
What was the phrase I was looking for? Oh yeah, now I remember- told you so.A Dangerous Decision
This is not going to end well.
If Tenet is right, it’s a good thing KSM was captured before Barack Obama became president. For, the Obama Justice Department has quietly ordered FBI agents to read Miranda rights to high value detainees captured and held at U.S. detention facilities in Afghanistan, according a senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. “The administration has decided to change the focus to law enforcement. Here’s the problem. You have foreign fighters who are targeting US troops today – foreign fighters who go to another country to kill Americans. We capture them…and they’re reading them their rights – Mirandizing these foreign fighters,” says Representative Mike Rogers, who recently met with military, intelligence and law enforcement officials on a fact-finding trip to Afghanistan.
So foreign terrorists captured on the battlefield are essentially being given the same rights as US civilians arrested by police back home. How on Earth are they going to square, "you have the right to remain silent," with obtaining actionable intelligence on terrorist plots and/or networks?
Can't have it both ways. This might salve the consciences of liberals in Washington but it will do nothing to protect American servicemen overseas or citizens back home. In short, this disastrous decision is going to get people killed.
If Tenet is right, it’s a good thing KSM was captured before Barack Obama became president. For, the Obama Justice Department has quietly ordered FBI agents to read Miranda rights to high value detainees captured and held at U.S. detention facilities in Afghanistan, according a senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. “The administration has decided to change the focus to law enforcement. Here’s the problem. You have foreign fighters who are targeting US troops today – foreign fighters who go to another country to kill Americans. We capture them…and they’re reading them their rights – Mirandizing these foreign fighters,” says Representative Mike Rogers, who recently met with military, intelligence and law enforcement officials on a fact-finding trip to Afghanistan.
So foreign terrorists captured on the battlefield are essentially being given the same rights as US civilians arrested by police back home. How on Earth are they going to square, "you have the right to remain silent," with obtaining actionable intelligence on terrorist plots and/or networks?
Can't have it both ways. This might salve the consciences of liberals in Washington but it will do nothing to protect American servicemen overseas or citizens back home. In short, this disastrous decision is going to get people killed.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
TARP Jeopardy
Mary Katherine Ham reports on just how effective the oversight of TARP really is. From Professor Warren, head of the TARP oversight committee-
There's no discussion of the overall policy. Instead, there are specific programs that are announced, and from that, it's necessary to reason backwards to figure out what the goal must have been. It's like a "Jeopardy!" game. If this is the answer, what was the question? It's frustrating because without a clearly articulated goal and identified metrics to determine whether the goal is being accomplished, it's almost impossible to tell if a program is successful.
And then this-
Your tax dollars at work, folks.
There's no discussion of the overall policy. Instead, there are specific programs that are announced, and from that, it's necessary to reason backwards to figure out what the goal must have been. It's like a "Jeopardy!" game. If this is the answer, what was the question? It's frustrating because without a clearly articulated goal and identified metrics to determine whether the goal is being accomplished, it's almost impossible to tell if a program is successful.
And then this-
Q: Do you have a clear sense of what the overall TARP plan at this point is supposed to do? Are you capable of summarizing what it's supposed to be doing?
A: No. And neither is Treasury. Treasury has given us multiple contradictory explanations for what it's trying to accomplish.Your tax dollars at work, folks.
Osprey To The Rescue
Another lucky escape for a British soldier- this time due to his Osprey body armour.
Shot in the back by a Taliban sniper, Lance Sergeant Daniel Collins must have thought his luck had finally run out.
Flattened by the force of the bullet, and in excruciating pain, he begged his platoon leader not to tell him how bad is injury was.But when L/Sgt Grant Lewis went to his comrade's aid he was amazed to find that the bullet had been slowed down by the body armour and had only just penetrated his skin.
Unbelievably, he could even see the bullet and managed to dig it out with his bare hands.
Luckily for him the bullet clipped the very bottom edge of the ceramic plate in his armour- a fraction of an inch lower and he might very well have not lived to tell the tale.Penny Pinching
Gordon Brown, currently presiding over Labour's complete destruction, is facing more criticism- this time stemming from his time at Treasury.
Things were so bad due to the cap that there were only eight helicopters available for the forces- at a time when many of the roads were considered too dangerous for traffic.
In the event, the Paras and other soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade found themselves besieged in camps across northern Helmand, fighting almost constantly for days or weeks at a time and critically short of helicopters to bring in ammunition and food.
Sadly, this has been all too typical for the armed forces under Labour- being asked to do more and more for less and less.
Brigadier Ed Butler, the highly-respected officer who led UK forces into Helmand Province in the summer of 2006, told MPs how a 'Treasury-imposed cap' left him with just 3,350 personnel to confront the Taliban.
Things were so bad due to the cap that there were only eight helicopters available for the forces- at a time when many of the roads were considered too dangerous for traffic.
In the event, the Paras and other soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade found themselves besieged in camps across northern Helmand, fighting almost constantly for days or weeks at a time and critically short of helicopters to bring in ammunition and food.
Sadly, this has been all too typical for the armed forces under Labour- being asked to do more and more for less and less.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Mandatory Health Insurance
The first draft of the Democrat health care plan is out.
First of all, you will be required- compelled- to have health insurance. Second, you won't be able to buy just whatever health insurance you want, but one approved by the government. So, even if you're young and healthy and don't want to buy health insurance just yet you'll have to- or else be hit by a punitive tax.
Employers will be forced to offer health insurance- and pay a percentage of the premium or face a punitive tax. In short, one this bill becomes law, wages are going to drop or staff are going to be fired.
Next, the government will decide what benefits your insurance covers. Here comes rationing of services when the costs begin to spiral.
Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, people up to 500% of the poverty line (even children aged up to 26!) will be given subsidies by the government to help pay for their mandatory health insurance. In other words, the rest of America will be paying for it. Those living in cities will receive bigger subsidies than those in rural areas. Gotta keep the Dem base happy, right?
No where in the plan does it say where all the money to pay for this comes from.
Wasn't America supposed to be the land of the free?
First of all, you will be required- compelled- to have health insurance. Second, you won't be able to buy just whatever health insurance you want, but one approved by the government. So, even if you're young and healthy and don't want to buy health insurance just yet you'll have to- or else be hit by a punitive tax.
Employers will be forced to offer health insurance- and pay a percentage of the premium or face a punitive tax. In short, one this bill becomes law, wages are going to drop or staff are going to be fired.
Next, the government will decide what benefits your insurance covers. Here comes rationing of services when the costs begin to spiral.
Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, people up to 500% of the poverty line (even children aged up to 26!) will be given subsidies by the government to help pay for their mandatory health insurance. In other words, the rest of America will be paying for it. Those living in cities will receive bigger subsidies than those in rural areas. Gotta keep the Dem base happy, right?
No where in the plan does it say where all the money to pay for this comes from.
Wasn't America supposed to be the land of the free?
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Terminal Decline
Mark Steyn's latest is a sobering read-
Like General Motors, America is “too big to fail.” So it won’t, not immediately. It will linger on in a twilight existence sclerotic and ineffectual, declining unto a kind of societal dementia, unable to keep pace with what’s happening and with an ever more tenuous grip on its own past, but able on occasion to throw out impressive words albeit strung together without much meaning: empower, peace, justice, prosperity — just to take one windy gust from the president’s Cairo speech.
I personally believe that Obama's policies, his out-of-control spending and dramatic transformation of the relationship between government and business and government and the people, are killing America. Each household in the nation currently represents $546,688 of Federal debt- and that debt is only going to increase as Obama institutes further "change"- cap and trade and healh care reform to name but two.
Not only has he bankrupted the nation with a stimulus which has worsened the effects of an economic downturn it was supposed to repair, but when American businesses consider the number one threat to their practices the American government, you have to realise that it's all gone horribly wrong.
I hope I'm wrong but I think that Steyn has it right- America is in a terminal decline.
Like General Motors, America is “too big to fail.” So it won’t, not immediately. It will linger on in a twilight existence sclerotic and ineffectual, declining unto a kind of societal dementia, unable to keep pace with what’s happening and with an ever more tenuous grip on its own past, but able on occasion to throw out impressive words albeit strung together without much meaning: empower, peace, justice, prosperity — just to take one windy gust from the president’s Cairo speech.
I personally believe that Obama's policies, his out-of-control spending and dramatic transformation of the relationship between government and business and government and the people, are killing America. Each household in the nation currently represents $546,688 of Federal debt- and that debt is only going to increase as Obama institutes further "change"- cap and trade and healh care reform to name but two.
Not only has he bankrupted the nation with a stimulus which has worsened the effects of an economic downturn it was supposed to repair, but when American businesses consider the number one threat to their practices the American government, you have to realise that it's all gone horribly wrong.
I hope I'm wrong but I think that Steyn has it right- America is in a terminal decline.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Reid Strikes Again
Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse-
Passing immigration reform is “going to happen this session,” Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), referring to the 11th Congress. “But I want it this year if at all possible.”
Passing immigration reform is “going to happen this session,” Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), referring to the 11th Congress. “But I want it this year if at all possible.”
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Like A Drunken Sailor
Obama has plunged the US into debt for generations to come.
And in just one month, CBO estimates had to be revised to show that we will be forced to borrow $9.3 trillion over the next ten years, which is $2.3 trillion more than Obama predicted just a month ago!
• The result, according to the CBO, would be a national debt that threatens the full faith and credit of the American monetary system with a national debt in excess of 82% of the entire economy by 2019.
But it seems he isn't done spending your money just yet. In addition to his health care plan, Obama also plans to spread the wealth around the Muslim world-
On education, we will expand exchange programs, and increase scholarships, like the one that brought my father to America, while encouraging more Americans to study in Muslim communities. And we will match promising Muslim students with internships in America; invest in on-line learning for teachers and children around the world; and create a new online network, so a teenager in Kansas can communicate instantly with a teenager in Cairo.
He can't afford to continue the Washington DC school voucher program but he can do this for foreign students?
And that's not all-
On science and technology, we will launch a new fund to support technological development in Muslim-majority countries, and to help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create jobs. We will open centers of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and appoint new Science Envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, and grow new crops. And today I am announcing a new global effort with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio. And we will also expand partnerships with Muslim communities to promote child and maternal health.
Obama is so generous with your money. Any guesses as to how much these programs are going to cost?
And in just one month, CBO estimates had to be revised to show that we will be forced to borrow $9.3 trillion over the next ten years, which is $2.3 trillion more than Obama predicted just a month ago!
• The result, according to the CBO, would be a national debt that threatens the full faith and credit of the American monetary system with a national debt in excess of 82% of the entire economy by 2019.
But it seems he isn't done spending your money just yet. In addition to his health care plan, Obama also plans to spread the wealth around the Muslim world-
On education, we will expand exchange programs, and increase scholarships, like the one that brought my father to America, while encouraging more Americans to study in Muslim communities. And we will match promising Muslim students with internships in America; invest in on-line learning for teachers and children around the world; and create a new online network, so a teenager in Kansas can communicate instantly with a teenager in Cairo.
He can't afford to continue the Washington DC school voucher program but he can do this for foreign students?
And that's not all-
On science and technology, we will launch a new fund to support technological development in Muslim-majority countries, and to help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create jobs. We will open centers of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and appoint new Science Envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, and grow new crops. And today I am announcing a new global effort with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio. And we will also expand partnerships with Muslim communities to promote child and maternal health.
Obama is so generous with your money. Any guesses as to how much these programs are going to cost?
Just Words
Obama in his speech to the Muslim world-
But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.
Everywhere- except the USA where, apparently, opponents of the government are labelled right wing extremists, where there is no transparency, where the government threatens private business with ruin if they do not hand over their legally held property to unions, where the rule of law is subsumed to feelings of empathy, and where massive, ever increasing government regulation limits your rights to live as you choose.
But, hey, you other folks should really try it out.
But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.
Everywhere- except the USA where, apparently, opponents of the government are labelled right wing extremists, where there is no transparency, where the government threatens private business with ruin if they do not hand over their legally held property to unions, where the rule of law is subsumed to feelings of empathy, and where massive, ever increasing government regulation limits your rights to live as you choose.
But, hey, you other folks should really try it out.
The Cairo Speech
Both Ed Morrissey and Yid With Lid have written up their impressions of Obama's speech. Having read Ed's first, I was somewhat surprised to find Obama not pandering as much as I thought he would. Perhaps he realises that CAIR's inflated figures of American Muslims are just that- no match for Jewish voters come election time.
Yid With Lid also makes a strong argument against Obama and given what we know of Obama, his associations, etc it's hard to disagree with him.
One part of the speech which he highlighted caught my attention- Obama's summary of the Isra, the midnight journey Mohammed claimed to have made. Obama references the story as an example of his utopian vision of the two-state solution. Jews, Christians and Muslims living together in harmony.
Too many tears have flowed. Too much blood has been shed. All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer.
There are a few things that Obama either seems to be unaware of or is deliberately obfuscating.
First of all, in the Islamic tradition, Moses and Jesus are not Jewish and Christian figures at all but Muslim ones- as such his story does not represent the three faiths coming together but rather is another example of Islamic domination- taking Moses and Jesus as their own and, especially in the case of Jesus, denying his divinity. In Islam, Jesus was only a prophet, not the son of God. Mohammed wasn't sitting to pray with a Jew and Christ, he was praying with two other Muslim prophets.
This is something that Obama's target audience will be aware of. If Obama doesn't understand what he's talking about then he should perhaps refrain from citing Islamic stories in speeches to the Islamic world.
The second problem with citing the Isra is that this tale is the source of much of the ongoing conflict over Jerusalem. In the tale, Mohammed mounted a flying horse and rose to "the farthest mosque", a location since claimed to have been the Temple Mount. It is this particular fact which causes so much trouble between Israel and its Muslim opponents. For Obama to specifically cite this story in the speech, it seems to me, he seems to be implicitly offering his validation of Muslim claims to Jerusalem.
Yid With Lid also makes a strong argument against Obama and given what we know of Obama, his associations, etc it's hard to disagree with him.
One part of the speech which he highlighted caught my attention- Obama's summary of the Isra, the midnight journey Mohammed claimed to have made. Obama references the story as an example of his utopian vision of the two-state solution. Jews, Christians and Muslims living together in harmony.
Too many tears have flowed. Too much blood has been shed. All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer.
There are a few things that Obama either seems to be unaware of or is deliberately obfuscating.
First of all, in the Islamic tradition, Moses and Jesus are not Jewish and Christian figures at all but Muslim ones- as such his story does not represent the three faiths coming together but rather is another example of Islamic domination- taking Moses and Jesus as their own and, especially in the case of Jesus, denying his divinity. In Islam, Jesus was only a prophet, not the son of God. Mohammed wasn't sitting to pray with a Jew and Christ, he was praying with two other Muslim prophets.
This is something that Obama's target audience will be aware of. If Obama doesn't understand what he's talking about then he should perhaps refrain from citing Islamic stories in speeches to the Islamic world.
The second problem with citing the Isra is that this tale is the source of much of the ongoing conflict over Jerusalem. In the tale, Mohammed mounted a flying horse and rose to "the farthest mosque", a location since claimed to have been the Temple Mount. It is this particular fact which causes so much trouble between Israel and its Muslim opponents. For Obama to specifically cite this story in the speech, it seems to me, he seems to be implicitly offering his validation of Muslim claims to Jerusalem.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Not Holding My Breath
I think the Obama team owes a big public apology to everyone they tried to smear as racist for having the temerity to not only question his upbringing (his Muslim father, step-father, his Muslim school registration in Indonesia and also his own account of reciting the Koran in class for example) but also to even reference his middle name.
During a conference call in preparation for President Obama's trip to Cairo, Egypt, where he will address the Muslim world, deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Denis McDonough said "the President himself experienced Islam on three continents before he was able to -- or before he's been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world -- you know, growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father -- obviously Muslim Americans (are) a key part of Illinois and Chicago."
The candidate was even offended when referred to by his initials "BHO," because he considered the use of his middle name, "Hussein," an attempt to frighten voters.
We're waiting.
During a conference call in preparation for President Obama's trip to Cairo, Egypt, where he will address the Muslim world, deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Denis McDonough said "the President himself experienced Islam on three continents before he was able to -- or before he's been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world -- you know, growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father -- obviously Muslim Americans (are) a key part of Illinois and Chicago."
The candidate was even offended when referred to by his initials "BHO," because he considered the use of his middle name, "Hussein," an attempt to frighten voters.
We're waiting.
The Context Lie
One of the most stunning things about the Sotomayor controversy is the apparent ease with which her defenders have lied on her behalf. Not only where her words not taken out of context but if you read the rest of what she was saying it actually sounds much worse.
But the majority of Americans won't know that. Take Feinstein for example,
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor told Sen. Dianne Feinstein Tuesday her controversial Latina remarks were a "poor choice of words," the California Democrat said.
Embarrassed by a racist statement? Why, just claim it was taken out of context and rely on the media not to report that the opposite is true.
Democrats must really love the "watch-dog" media.
But the majority of Americans won't know that. Take Feinstein for example,
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor told Sen. Dianne Feinstein Tuesday her controversial Latina remarks were a "poor choice of words," the California Democrat said.
“She said, 'Obviously it was a poor choice of words if you read on and read the rest of my speech you wouldn’t be concerned with it but it was a poor choice of words,'" Feinstein told reporters.
And this is a lie that has been repeated time and again by Democrats- with no corrections from the MSM.Embarrassed by a racist statement? Why, just claim it was taken out of context and rely on the media not to report that the opposite is true.
Democrats must really love the "watch-dog" media.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Noob
Good grief.
It is not every 31-year-old who, in a first government job, finds himself dismantling General Motors and rewriting the rules of American capitalism.
But that, in short, is the job description for Brian Deese, a not-quite graduate of Yale Law School who had never set foot in an automotive assembly plant until he took on his nearly unseen role in remaking the American automotive industry.
No knowledge of the car business- or any business for that matter. But Barack's given him the job anyway.
How long before GM needs another bailout?
New Race Discovered
It's incredible really- in politically correct Britain there are new races being discovered all the time.
A man brought his German-born neighbour close to tears by twice calling her a schweinhund, a court heard yesterday.
Both the Englishman and his German-born neighbour are white by the way...but get this-
This defendant was well aware of her German heritage. He did not say what he said in English. He said it in German. Mrs Hurst was quite shocked. Schweinhund is an insult in German.'
A man brought his German-born neighbour close to tears by twice calling her a schweinhund, a court heard yesterday.
Both the Englishman and his German-born neighbour are white by the way...but get this-
This defendant was well aware of her German heritage. He did not say what he said in English. He said it in German. Mrs Hurst was quite shocked. Schweinhund is an insult in German.'
Robinson denies a charge of racially-aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress on January 24 last year.
Ah, the famed "German" race found at last!Saturday, May 30, 2009
Sotomayor Not Fit For Jury Duty
Andy McCarthy explains why Obama's Supreme Court nominee is not fit to serve on a jury, let alone the highest court in the USA.
In every trial — every single trial — judges solemnly instruct American citizens who are compelled to perform jury duty that they will have a sworn obligation to decide cases objectively — without fear or favor. If a person is unwilling or unable to do that, if the person believes he or she has a bias or prejudice, especially one based on a belief that people are inferior or superior due to such factors as race, ethnicity, or sex, the person is not qualified to be a juror.
I recommend reading the rest.
Now, what are the odds of a Republican bringing this up with the media, let alone during the confirmation hearings?
In every trial — every single trial — judges solemnly instruct American citizens who are compelled to perform jury duty that they will have a sworn obligation to decide cases objectively — without fear or favor. If a person is unwilling or unable to do that, if the person believes he or she has a bias or prejudice, especially one based on a belief that people are inferior or superior due to such factors as race, ethnicity, or sex, the person is not qualified to be a juror.
I recommend reading the rest.
Now, what are the odds of a Republican bringing this up with the media, let alone during the confirmation hearings?
Friday, May 29, 2009
Cost Cutting Treatments
Another example of health care in Britain being dictated by costs rather than medical opinion.
Thousands of patients could undergo unnecessary spinal operations because of new NHS guidelines on treatments for lower back pain, warn experts.
NICE, the group which spent £4.5 million on PR and only £3.4 million on actually assessing new medicines (their actual role), has told doctors not to recommend therapies which have little evidence to support them- MRI scans, X-rays, ultrasound and steroid injections. So if there is some underlying problem with your back, you may not discover what it is because doctors are being told not to send you for expensive scans. A relative of mine, for example, suffered from some terrible back pain and it was only after some months of agony that doctors discovered a tumour in her back. Under these new guidelines, a diagnosis like that may not be made until it's too late.
Costs which will be eaten up by NICE's approved replacement treatments- which include "acupuncture, manual therapy such as physiotherapy, or exercise."
Thousands of patients could undergo unnecessary spinal operations because of new NHS guidelines on treatments for lower back pain, warn experts.
NICE, the group which spent £4.5 million on PR and only £3.4 million on actually assessing new medicines (their actual role), has told doctors not to recommend therapies which have little evidence to support them- MRI scans, X-rays, ultrasound and steroid injections. So if there is some underlying problem with your back, you may not discover what it is because doctors are being told not to send you for expensive scans. A relative of mine, for example, suffered from some terrible back pain and it was only after some months of agony that doctors discovered a tumour in her back. Under these new guidelines, a diagnosis like that may not be made until it's too late.
Now, many patients who fail to respond to initial treatment could miss out this intermediate stage and proceed straight to risky spinal fusion operations.
NICE estimates the NHS will make annual savings of £33million on back injections and £11million on MRI scans.Costs which will be eaten up by NICE's approved replacement treatments- which include "acupuncture, manual therapy such as physiotherapy, or exercise."
NICE estimates the NHS will make annual savings of £33million on back injections and £11million on MRI scans.
However, it will spend £24million extra on acupuncture and £16million extra on manual therapy, making the cost-cutting aspect negligible.
A £4 million saving- but at what cost to the patient told to go for acupuncture rather than an MRI to discover the root cause of their pain?
Dr Ron Cooper, past chairman of the group and a consultant pain specialist in Northern Ireland, said: ‘I have never known so many pain medicine specialists to be so furious. More patients will end up having more expensive surgery, which is unnecessary, risky and has worse results.
‘NICE made it difficult for us to submit evidence to a committee on which there was not one experienced pain physician.
‘The guidelines will make us the laughing stock of Europe, Australia and the U.S. where pain specialists will continue to have full access to a wide range of treatments.’
In short, in an effort to control costs, intermediate treatments (including important investigative tools) are being denied to patients and some people who may not need it will be told to have surgery.Freedom of Speech
Looks like it's time to trot out this quote again-
"Being a lover of freedom, when the [Nazi] revolution came, I looked to the universities to defend it [freedom], knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but no, the universities were immediately silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers, whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks...Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing truth.
Here's yet another example of how much universities value freedom-
A student who wants to form a gun-rights group at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) has been threatened with disciplinary action for her efforts. Student Christine Brashier has turned to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help after reporting that administrators banned her informational pamphlets, ordered her to destroy all copies of them, and told her that further "academic misconduct" would not be tolerated.
And now they do it all on their own, without any government coercion.
That's progress for you.
"Being a lover of freedom, when the [Nazi] revolution came, I looked to the universities to defend it [freedom], knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but no, the universities were immediately silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers, whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks...Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing truth.
Here's yet another example of how much universities value freedom-
A student who wants to form a gun-rights group at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) has been threatened with disciplinary action for her efforts. Student Christine Brashier has turned to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help after reporting that administrators banned her informational pamphlets, ordered her to destroy all copies of them, and told her that further "academic misconduct" would not be tolerated.
And now they do it all on their own, without any government coercion.
That's progress for you.
SCHIP
Tax-payer funded health insurance in America- if you're the child of an illegal alien. From the lips of Obama himself.
If the GOP had any sense this would be running in campaign ads come the mid-terms.
If the GOP had any sense this would be running in campaign ads come the mid-terms.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Another Tour
A novel approach to rehabilitating prisoners in France-
Close to 200 prisoners will cycle around France next month, watched by scores of guards on bicycles, in the first penal version of the Tour de France, authorities said Monday.
Close to 200 prisoners will cycle around France next month, watched by scores of guards on bicycles, in the first penal version of the Tour de France, authorities said Monday.
The 196 prisoners will cycle in a pack and breakaway sprints will not be allowed. They will be accompanied by 124 guards and prison sports instructors. There will be no ranking, the idea being to foster values like teamwork and effort.
They will complete 1,400 miles before finishing in Paris. Unlike the regular Tour, this will not be a race as the prisoners have to ride in a pack.
We're only a couple of steps away from turning this into a sci-fi movie- upgrade the bicycles to motorcycles, arm the prisoners and make it an elimination race. Death Race could have some serious competition.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Reagan Honoured In London
A statue honouring Ronald Reagan is to be erected in London- breaking a rule which states that statues should not be put up of people who have not been dead for at least 10 years.
Westminster City Council granted planning permission for the 10ft bronze sculpture to be erected outside the U.S. Embassy in Grosvenor Square.
In discarding the rule, the council stated-
'Regardless of politics, nobody can dispute that President Reagan was a true ally of this country.'
In addition, to recognise his part in ending the Cold War, a piece of the Berlin Wall will be installed in front of the statue. Amazingly, the US Embassy in London is less than impressed.
However occupants at the U.S. Embassy have given the statue a frosty reception.
An embassy spokesman told The Times newspaper: 'This is not something that we have requested or actively tried to get brought about.
When asked if the embassy would take the statue with it when it leaves Grosvenor Square for its new head-quarters in Nine Elms, the spokesperson said: 'It’s not our statue.'
I'll bet he'd be saying something else if it were a statue of Obama. Instead he comes off sounding like some petulant child.
Westminster City Council granted planning permission for the 10ft bronze sculpture to be erected outside the U.S. Embassy in Grosvenor Square.
In discarding the rule, the council stated-
'Regardless of politics, nobody can dispute that President Reagan was a true ally of this country.'
In addition, to recognise his part in ending the Cold War, a piece of the Berlin Wall will be installed in front of the statue. Amazingly, the US Embassy in London is less than impressed.
However occupants at the U.S. Embassy have given the statue a frosty reception.
An embassy spokesman told The Times newspaper: 'This is not something that we have requested or actively tried to get brought about.
When asked if the embassy would take the statue with it when it leaves Grosvenor Square for its new head-quarters in Nine Elms, the spokesperson said: 'It’s not our statue.'
I'll bet he'd be saying something else if it were a statue of Obama. Instead he comes off sounding like some petulant child.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Verruckt
For those of you who have never played Nazi Zombies, here's a trailer for the last map pack game Verruckt.
New Nazi Zombies
Well, I'm only just starting to get into Verruckt- when the map came out I thought it was crazy hard and didn't play too much. Besides that my online play has dwindled to nothing. Anyway, it's only in the past week that I've dedicated some time to Verruckt and managed to get up into the teen-levels.
It's still crazy hard and I hate that there's no good place to stand where the zombies can't come charging at you from three different directions at once.
Anyway, now that I've gotten that off my chest, here's the news on the next map pack- out some time in June.
The map is called Shi No Numa which is Japanese for Zombie Swamp. Why the change from German nomenclature I don't know- perhaps this one should be called Imperial Japanese Zombies? There will be Perk machines, new achievements/trophies, flaming Hell Hounds and a mysterious weapon called the Wunderwaffe DG-2. There's a great deal of speculation on the gaming boards that this is a Vampir- an StG-44 with night vision device mounted- but I'm not convinced. Why give an existing weapon a new and made-up designation? I'm hoping it's something more along the lines of the Ray Gun.
Not long to the release date now and I can't wait. Nazi Zombies is, without a doubt, an utterly awesome game.
It's still crazy hard and I hate that there's no good place to stand where the zombies can't come charging at you from three different directions at once.
Anyway, now that I've gotten that off my chest, here's the news on the next map pack- out some time in June.
The map is called Shi No Numa which is Japanese for Zombie Swamp. Why the change from German nomenclature I don't know- perhaps this one should be called Imperial Japanese Zombies? There will be Perk machines, new achievements/trophies, flaming Hell Hounds and a mysterious weapon called the Wunderwaffe DG-2. There's a great deal of speculation on the gaming boards that this is a Vampir- an StG-44 with night vision device mounted- but I'm not convinced. Why give an existing weapon a new and made-up designation? I'm hoping it's something more along the lines of the Ray Gun.
Not long to the release date now and I can't wait. Nazi Zombies is, without a doubt, an utterly awesome game.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
NIH Strikes Again
Here we go again. Not content with wasting US tax dollars studying drunken gay sex in Argentina and advising Chinese prostitutes on how to drink responsibly on the job, the NIH is also researching the reasons behind drug-using Thai prostitutes having high HIV rates.
The federal government is spending $178,000 to better understand why drug-abusing prostitutes in Thailand are at greater risk for HIV infection, an endeavor taxpayer watchdogs are calling a huge waste of American taxpayers' money.
Something of an understatement.
The NIH funds many studies that focus on HIV risk and prevention in hopes that it can lay the vital groundwork for developing treatment and intervention plans to thwart the deadly AIDS virus.
Now, why would female and transgender prostitutes who also abuse drugs have higher than normal rates of HIV? Hmm, that's a real puzzler. It's also difficult to think of some way of reducing the rates in a group of people who regularly engage in risky sex and risky drug use? Oh, if only there was some clue to solving this enigma.
The NIH spends $29 billion each year to help fund thousands of health studies, including many overseas initiatives.
Oh, and they're also studying suicide patterns in young men and women...in China. Apparently the NIH doesn't seem to realise that they are a US institution funded by US citizens. I think too- I think this is right, correct me if I'm wrong- that Argentina, Thailand and even China have their own governments which can, if they so desire, spend their own money on these particular research programs.
Your tax dollars at work, folks. And, as they say on FARK, still no cure for cancer.
The federal government is spending $178,000 to better understand why drug-abusing prostitutes in Thailand are at greater risk for HIV infection, an endeavor taxpayer watchdogs are calling a huge waste of American taxpayers' money.
Something of an understatement.
The NIH funds many studies that focus on HIV risk and prevention in hopes that it can lay the vital groundwork for developing treatment and intervention plans to thwart the deadly AIDS virus.
Now, why would female and transgender prostitutes who also abuse drugs have higher than normal rates of HIV? Hmm, that's a real puzzler. It's also difficult to think of some way of reducing the rates in a group of people who regularly engage in risky sex and risky drug use? Oh, if only there was some clue to solving this enigma.
The NIH spends $29 billion each year to help fund thousands of health studies, including many overseas initiatives.
Oh, and they're also studying suicide patterns in young men and women...in China. Apparently the NIH doesn't seem to realise that they are a US institution funded by US citizens. I think too- I think this is right, correct me if I'm wrong- that Argentina, Thailand and even China have their own governments which can, if they so desire, spend their own money on these particular research programs.
Your tax dollars at work, folks. And, as they say on FARK, still no cure for cancer.
GRE
Here's another recommendation for David Codrea's Gun Rights Examiner. This time he tackles the subject not only of America's two-tier legal system, whereby individuals in certain professions are offered remarkably lenient treatment compared to the public at large, but also of the myth that LEOs are the only ones possessed of the skills necessary to bear arms.
Go check it out (and check the archives for any you may have missed) and then help spread the word!
Go check it out (and check the archives for any you may have missed) and then help spread the word!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
No Fly No Buy
David Codrea's latest GRE is on Carolyn McCarthy and her plan (HR 2401) to deny American citizens their Constitutionally guaranteed rights without being charged with any crime or facing any kind of trial.
To increase public safety and reduce the threat to domestic security by including persons who may be prevented from boarding an aircraft in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and for other purposes.
In other words, if your name appears on the No Fly list you will be denied the right to keep and bear arms. As David points out, the list is far from perfect: Teddy Kennedy himself was affected by this when his name appeared on the list-
While he worked to clear himself, Kennedy kept having to wait in terminals at Reagan National, Boston's Logan International and at least one other airport, his staff said. All of the flights were on US Airways. When the senator checked in at the counter, airline employees told him they could not issue him a boarding pass because he appeared on the list. Kennedy was delayed until a supervisor could be summoned to identify him and give approval for him to board the plane.
Even though he's a famous US Senator, it still took him three weeks to have his name (which had been used as an alias by a terrorist apparently) removed from the list. What do you suppose it would take- in time and effort- to have your name taken off the list and have your seized firearms returned to you? Under such circumstances I would say that three months would be an overly optimistic evaluation.
One last thing, McCarthy does know she's a member of Congress in America doesn't she?
To increase public safety and reduce the threat to domestic security by including persons who may be prevented from boarding an aircraft in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and for other purposes.
In other words, if your name appears on the No Fly list you will be denied the right to keep and bear arms. As David points out, the list is far from perfect: Teddy Kennedy himself was affected by this when his name appeared on the list-
While he worked to clear himself, Kennedy kept having to wait in terminals at Reagan National, Boston's Logan International and at least one other airport, his staff said. All of the flights were on US Airways. When the senator checked in at the counter, airline employees told him they could not issue him a boarding pass because he appeared on the list. Kennedy was delayed until a supervisor could be summoned to identify him and give approval for him to board the plane.
Even though he's a famous US Senator, it still took him three weeks to have his name (which had been used as an alias by a terrorist apparently) removed from the list. What do you suppose it would take- in time and effort- to have your name taken off the list and have your seized firearms returned to you? Under such circumstances I would say that three months would be an overly optimistic evaluation.
One last thing, McCarthy does know she's a member of Congress in America doesn't she?
No, Mr President
From Hot Air comes this video featuring John Piper on the subject of abortion. It's quite a powerful presentation in my opinion- as AP says, it very effectively combines speech and animation- and I recommend watching (it's only three and a half minutes long).
Snark
As anyone with half a brain knows, Tam is the undisputed Queen of Snark.
On Nancy Pelosi avoiding the media this weekend-
That's because the foot in your mouth doesn't get any tastier no matter how much you wiggle the toes.
On Ruger offering an AR rifle, complete with 30-round magazines-
Did you hear? Ruger's gone carbon-neutral. Yup, they've wrapped ol' Bill “No Honest Man Needs A Handgun Smaller Than A Canned Ham” Ruger Sr.'s corpse in copper wire and lined the coffin with magnets, and now the whole plant is off the grid.
On the McCain-Obama match-up-
A rudderless GOP tendered up the lamest candidate imaginable, with the looks of Amonhotep III, a completely demagnetized policy needle, and all the public speaking skills of Marcel Marceau, and even with the most charismatic presidential candidate to make it to the finals since 1984, you still only got 52% of the vote.
On the SPAS-12-
An innovative Italian fowling piece that could malfunction in both semiauto and slide-action modes. As an added bonus, on the early versions the safety wasn't. Plus it had ergonomics apparently designed for people with hands that could palm basketballs and two elbows per arm.
On an article about a gun "buy back" -
The tone of the article is so supine, so docilely toothless, that it leaves one in slack-jawed amazement that someone so obviously ovine could operate a keyboard with their little cloven hooves.
And that's just a quick sampling from what's on the front page at the moment. Her crown remains firmly unassailable from all and sundry.
All of which leads me to this, a comment by Mark Hemingway over at NRO, which struck me as being particularly Tam-esque,
You can read the transcript here, but as to be expected, you could probably give yourself a pre-frontal lobotomy with a screwdriver that's accidentally been dropped in the toilet and come off more coherent than Joe Biden.
If you head on over there and check out what Biden did come out with, you'd be forgiven for thinking for a few moments that you'd clicked on a link to The Onion and not NRO.
If you ever hear someone talk muddle-headed, rambling, nonsensical drivel I think it's now safe to say that they're "pulling a Biden".
On Nancy Pelosi avoiding the media this weekend-
That's because the foot in your mouth doesn't get any tastier no matter how much you wiggle the toes.
On Ruger offering an AR rifle, complete with 30-round magazines-
Did you hear? Ruger's gone carbon-neutral. Yup, they've wrapped ol' Bill “No Honest Man Needs A Handgun Smaller Than A Canned Ham” Ruger Sr.'s corpse in copper wire and lined the coffin with magnets, and now the whole plant is off the grid.
On the McCain-Obama match-up-
A rudderless GOP tendered up the lamest candidate imaginable, with the looks of Amonhotep III, a completely demagnetized policy needle, and all the public speaking skills of Marcel Marceau, and even with the most charismatic presidential candidate to make it to the finals since 1984, you still only got 52% of the vote.
On the SPAS-12-
An innovative Italian fowling piece that could malfunction in both semiauto and slide-action modes. As an added bonus, on the early versions the safety wasn't. Plus it had ergonomics apparently designed for people with hands that could palm basketballs and two elbows per arm.
On an article about a gun "buy back" -
The tone of the article is so supine, so docilely toothless, that it leaves one in slack-jawed amazement that someone so obviously ovine could operate a keyboard with their little cloven hooves.
And that's just a quick sampling from what's on the front page at the moment. Her crown remains firmly unassailable from all and sundry.
All of which leads me to this, a comment by Mark Hemingway over at NRO, which struck me as being particularly Tam-esque,
You can read the transcript here, but as to be expected, you could probably give yourself a pre-frontal lobotomy with a screwdriver that's accidentally been dropped in the toilet and come off more coherent than Joe Biden.
If you head on over there and check out what Biden did come out with, you'd be forgiven for thinking for a few moments that you'd clicked on a link to The Onion and not NRO.
If you ever hear someone talk muddle-headed, rambling, nonsensical drivel I think it's now safe to say that they're "pulling a Biden".
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Fuel Standards
Obama again-
President Barack Obama's proposed new fuel and emission standards for cars and trucks will save billions of barrels of oil but are expected to cost consumers an extra $1,300 per vehicle by the time the plan is complete in 2016.
President Barack Obama's proposed new fuel and emission standards for cars and trucks will save billions of barrels of oil but are expected to cost consumers an extra $1,300 per vehicle by the time the plan is complete in 2016.
Obama on Tuesday planned to announce the first-ever national emissions limits for vehicles, as well as require a 35.5 miles per gallon fuel efficiency standard.
Boy, is that rich - coming as it does from a guy who drives around in an 8 mpg behemoth and who flies globally in a massive jet accompanied by a huge staff and security detail. Saving the environment is for you chumps, not the President.
Canadian Law Enforcement
Wow. Just...wow.
Anyone who has ridden an escalator and bothered to pay attention has seen – and likely ignored – little signs suggesting riders hold the grimy handrail.
Bela Kosoian, a 38-year-old mother of two, says when she didn't hold the handrail Wednesday she was cuffed, dragged into a small holding cell and fined.
Travelling down the escalator, she was looking for her fare in her bag when a police officer told her to hold the rail. When she told him she didn't have three hands he demanded to see her ID so that he could write her a ticket. That's when she argued with him.
The officers handcuffed her and threw her into a small holding cell. The officers searched her bag and gave her a $100 ticket for failing to hold the banister and another $320 ticket for obstruction.
Anyone who has ridden an escalator and bothered to pay attention has seen – and likely ignored – little signs suggesting riders hold the grimy handrail.
Bela Kosoian, a 38-year-old mother of two, says when she didn't hold the handrail Wednesday she was cuffed, dragged into a small holding cell and fined.
Travelling down the escalator, she was looking for her fare in her bag when a police officer told her to hold the rail. When she told him she didn't have three hands he demanded to see her ID so that he could write her a ticket. That's when she argued with him.
The officers handcuffed her and threw her into a small holding cell. The officers searched her bag and gave her a $100 ticket for failing to hold the banister and another $320 ticket for obstruction.
The handcuffs bruised Ms. Kosoian's wrists and an officer's boot scraped skin off the top of her foot.
I guess Canada has solved all of the really serious crime for police to concentrate on matters like this.
And note too that her original "crime" is considered to warrant a lesser fine than her refusal to kowtow to the cop's authority.
Warped Priorities
Not so long ago, social workers wanted to steal a baby from a pregnant woman when it was born- because she had been treated for an eating disorder and self-harming as a teenager and they had decided that she posed a risk to her unborn child. They said it was all for the good of the child. She eventually had to flee the United Kingdom in order to avoid this draconian decision- one since over-ruled I might add.
But social services don't seem to always be so concerned about "the good of the children".
Why did they put this family's children at such risk?
Yesterday, social services admitted they had withheld the information because they considered the paedophile to be 'the one in need of protection'.
Sure, a paedophile needs protection- so let's put him in a home with young children and not tell their parents.
The boy had sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl, had exposed himself and touched a young boy sexually at a care hostel and had faced allegations five years earlier of 'sexually inappropriate behaviour' with a young boy.
And yet he was not locked away where he posed no further risk to children. The staff who made the decision to withhold information from the foster family face losing their jobs, but their boss won't-
Three members of the council's 'leaving care' team now face dismissal and could be struck off the social workers register following-further investigation into their decisions
After apologising to the devastated family, director of social services Philip Evans refused to resign, insisting he should stay on to bring in improvements.
But of course.
But social services don't seem to always be so concerned about "the good of the children".
Social workers put the rights of a teenage sex offender over those of the foster family whose children he went on to abuse, a report has found.
The married couple who welcomed the 19-year-old into their home were not told of his sexual interest in minors.
They only discovered the truth after he raped their two-year-old son and molested their nine-year-old daughter.Why did they put this family's children at such risk?
Yesterday, social services admitted they had withheld the information because they considered the paedophile to be 'the one in need of protection'.
Sure, a paedophile needs protection- so let's put him in a home with young children and not tell their parents.
The boy had sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl, had exposed himself and touched a young boy sexually at a care hostel and had faced allegations five years earlier of 'sexually inappropriate behaviour' with a young boy.
And yet he was not locked away where he posed no further risk to children. The staff who made the decision to withhold information from the foster family face losing their jobs, but their boss won't-
Three members of the council's 'leaving care' team now face dismissal and could be struck off the social workers register following-further investigation into their decisions
After apologising to the devastated family, director of social services Philip Evans refused to resign, insisting he should stay on to bring in improvements.
But of course.
Surveillance State
A £500 million investment and nothing to show for it.
The millions of CCTV cameras on Britain's streets have done virtually nothing to cut crime, Home Office research has revealed.
Cameras in town centres, housing estates and on public transport 'did not have a significant effect', a report concluded.
It found that the only offence that was heavily reduced by their presence was theft from vehicles in car parks.
But will we see them being removed from our streets before further money is wasted? Don't hold your breath.
Police Failure
So much for the sex offenders registry and police monitoring.
A paedophile who was being monitored by police and was already on the sex offenders register, went on to abuse a four-year-old girl.
He had been convicted of sexual assault and gross indecency with underage girls- but instead of locking him up where he posed no further threat to the most vulnerable segment of society, the authorities let him walk free- and their system failed dramatically.
In other words, they failed to perform their duty- but because this particular police force's whole system was lacking, nothing is being done. As the police complaints body states,
'This little girl has suffered a traumatic experience and I hope that the family take some comfort that lessons have been learned from this to try and stop something similar going wrong in the future.'
Basically, we messed up and allowed your four year old to be abused by an already convicted paedophile but we hope it won't happen again. Oh, and no one will face any kind of sanctions for the fact that our whole system was a failure. Not the specific officers in question or their superiors.
And as for the two police officers who the commission found to have failed, what of them?
'Gwent Police has fully accepted the IPCC investigation findings and conclusions. I have also agreed with the force that while two police constables would receive management advice, no other individual officer should face misconduct action because of the organisational failings.'
Management advice is the "punishment" for two police officers failing in their duty to adequately monitor a convicted child abuser who went on to assault a four year old.
And I see that no senior officers will be held accountable for the so-called "organisational failings" of Gwent police. Apparently, no one is responsible for that.
And one other thing- this man was originally convicted in 1998 and then again, for this crime, in 2007. So what did the judge have to say about it all-
It's not only the police who are to blame- it's the courts that allowed this man out of prison after his first conviction and who have again issued a too lenient sentence- after three years are up he will again be eligible for parole.
A paedophile who was being monitored by police and was already on the sex offenders register, went on to abuse a four-year-old girl.
He had been convicted of sexual assault and gross indecency with underage girls- but instead of locking him up where he posed no further threat to the most vulnerable segment of society, the authorities let him walk free- and their system failed dramatically.
The police watchdog upheld a complaint, adding that the force failed to take appropriate action, 'endangering the welfare of the children living there'.
They also found 'organisational failings within the force's management of sexual offenders'.
But despite the fact that a four year old girl was assaulted because of those failings, no officers will be held accountable and punished.
In other words, they failed to perform their duty- but because this particular police force's whole system was lacking, nothing is being done. As the police complaints body states,
'This little girl has suffered a traumatic experience and I hope that the family take some comfort that lessons have been learned from this to try and stop something similar going wrong in the future.'
Basically, we messed up and allowed your four year old to be abused by an already convicted paedophile but we hope it won't happen again. Oh, and no one will face any kind of sanctions for the fact that our whole system was a failure. Not the specific officers in question or their superiors.
And as for the two police officers who the commission found to have failed, what of them?
'Gwent Police has fully accepted the IPCC investigation findings and conclusions. I have also agreed with the force that while two police constables would receive management advice, no other individual officer should face misconduct action because of the organisational failings.'
Management advice is the "punishment" for two police officers failing in their duty to adequately monitor a convicted child abuser who went on to assault a four year old.
And I see that no senior officers will be held accountable for the so-called "organisational failings" of Gwent police. Apparently, no one is responsible for that.
And one other thing- this man was originally convicted in 1998 and then again, for this crime, in 2007. So what did the judge have to say about it all-
'There is a high risk you will continue to seek out and sexually assault young female children.
'In my judgement, there is a clear risk you will physically injure those children and given your selection in this case of a very young child, there is a substantial risk of causing serious physical risk to young children.'
And the judge's sentence?
An indeterminate sentence with a minimum tariff of three years.
It's not only the police who are to blame- it's the courts that allowed this man out of prison after his first conviction and who have again issued a too lenient sentence- after three years are up he will again be eligible for parole.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Casting Decisions
Breaking news from Hollywood- a new biopic is being made of Martin Luther King and the hot favourite to play the part is none other than....Jet Li.
Preposterous? Absolutely- and completely untrue. But it does seem that some in Hollywood are considering making a similarly bizarre casting choice.
Jamie Foxx, the African-American actor, singer and comedian, has been named as a potential contender for the role of Frank Sinatra in Martin Scorcese's biopic of the entertainer.
Sure, I just just see cinema audiences queuing up to see this one. While they're at it, why not cast Harrison Ford as Barack Obama and Will Smith as John McCain in a film about the last campaign?
So long as we're being "colour blind".
Preposterous? Absolutely- and completely untrue. But it does seem that some in Hollywood are considering making a similarly bizarre casting choice.
Jamie Foxx, the African-American actor, singer and comedian, has been named as a potential contender for the role of Frank Sinatra in Martin Scorcese's biopic of the entertainer.
Sure, I just just see cinema audiences queuing up to see this one. While they're at it, why not cast Harrison Ford as Barack Obama and Will Smith as John McCain in a film about the last campaign?
So long as we're being "colour blind".
The Road Trailer
I haven't yet read the book this is based on but the post-apocalyptic setting alone is enough to put this high on my list of "want to see" films. I'm torn between wanting to read the source material and avoiding all knowledge of the story/plot so that I can go into the cinema without any preconceptions.
Anyway, this looks good-
Anyway, this looks good-
Friday, May 15, 2009
UK Policing Targets
Crime in North Wales-
Compared to the same period last year violent crime in North Wales has increased by 18 per cent, burglaries have risen by nearly 8 per cent and robberies have rocketed by an amazing 115 per cent.
So, what's a police force to do?
Compared to the same period last year violent crime in North Wales has increased by 18 per cent, burglaries have risen by nearly 8 per cent and robberies have rocketed by an amazing 115 per cent.
So, what's a police force to do?
Police have been ordered to go on litter patrol in a bid to boost the number of people nicked for minor offences.
Officers will be forced to ditch their uniforms and go out undercover in plain clothes in an attempt to hit performance targets.
However cops are furious over the move - because they don't even have the powers to issue on-the-spot-fines.
Instead, they will have to radio a PCSO - a lower ranking officer - to attend the scene to slap the offender with a £50 to £80 penalty.
Brilliant- instead of tackling real crime, police are being forced to meet pointless targets instead.
Is it any wonder the country's in the state it is?
Slandering Their Opposition
Opposed to gay couples adopting children? Well, Britain's state-funded adoption agency thinks you're "a retarded homophobe".
Isn't political correctness wonderful?
And get this-
The British Association for Adoption and Fostering sets rules and organises training for social workers across the country.
Gay couples- fine. Mixed race families- verboten.
And the whole concept of gay adoption didn't fulfil its intended purpose-
Until Tony Blair's 2002 Adoption Act, children could be adopted only by married couples or single people.
Isn't political correctness wonderful?
And get this-
The British Association for Adoption and Fostering sets rules and organises training for social workers across the country.
The organisation strongly supports the legal requirement that the perceived interests of children are paramount and the wishes of would-be parents are of minor importance.
It insists that children go to homes only of adoptive parents of the same race.Gay couples- fine. Mixed race families- verboten.
And the whole concept of gay adoption didn't fulfil its intended purpose-
Until Tony Blair's 2002 Adoption Act, children could be adopted only by married couples or single people.
Mr Blair argued that the reform would increase the proportion of the 60,000 children in state care who win new families through adoption.
But the numbers have actually fallen. Since 2004, adoptions from care have dropped from 3,800 a year to 3,200.
And because of social workers' opposition to mixed-race families-
Black children are missing out because there is a shortage of black couples wishing to adopt, yet social workers oppose sending them to non-black families.
But, hey, these rules are for the good of the children.Citizen's Arrest
Another "only in the UK" moment.
A man who tried to carry out a citizen's arrest on youths who he said were attempting to break into allotment sheds was himself arrested by police.
Phil Hennessey, 44, was arrested in Medway on suspicion of assault and carrying a weapon, and bailed until July. He spent a night in custody.
Hat tip to Smallest Minority. And, yeah, you really should read that Überpost™©®!
A man who tried to carry out a citizen's arrest on youths who he said were attempting to break into allotment sheds was himself arrested by police.
Phil Hennessey, 44, was arrested in Medway on suspicion of assault and carrying a weapon, and bailed until July. He spent a night in custody.
Hat tip to Smallest Minority. And, yeah, you really should read that Überpost™©®!
Live Free Or Die
Mark Steyn-
After the President unveiled his budget, I heard Americans complain, oh, it's another Jimmy Carter, or LBJ's Great Society, or the new New Deal. You should be so lucky. Those nickel-and-dime comparisons barely begin to encompass the wholesale Europeanization that's underway. The 44th president's multi-trillion-dollar budget, the first of many, adds more to the national debt than all the previous 43 presidents combined, from George Washington to George Dubya. The President wants Europeanized health care, Europeanized daycare, Europeanized education, and, as the Europeans have discovered, even with Europeanized tax rates you can't make that math add up. In Sweden, state spending accounts for 54% of GDP. In America, it was 34%—ten years ago. Today, it's about 40%. In four years' time, that number will be trending very Swede-like.
There's much more- I recommend it all.
After the President unveiled his budget, I heard Americans complain, oh, it's another Jimmy Carter, or LBJ's Great Society, or the new New Deal. You should be so lucky. Those nickel-and-dime comparisons barely begin to encompass the wholesale Europeanization that's underway. The 44th president's multi-trillion-dollar budget, the first of many, adds more to the national debt than all the previous 43 presidents combined, from George Washington to George Dubya. The President wants Europeanized health care, Europeanized daycare, Europeanized education, and, as the Europeans have discovered, even with Europeanized tax rates you can't make that math add up. In Sweden, state spending accounts for 54% of GDP. In America, it was 34%—ten years ago. Today, it's about 40%. In four years' time, that number will be trending very Swede-like.
There's much more- I recommend it all.
Zombie Stimulus
Looks like the stimulus is being used to pay off long time Democrat voters-
Antoniette Santopadre of Valley Stream was expecting a $250 stimulus check. But when her son finally opened it, they saw that the check was made out to her father, Romolo Romonini, who died in Italy 34 years ago. He'd been a U.S. citizen when he left for Italy in 1933, but only returned to the United States for a seven-month visit in 1969.
A careless error? Not really-
The Santopadres are not alone. The Social Security Administration, which sent out 52 million checks, says that some of those checks mistakenly went to dead people because the agency had no record of their death. That amounts to between 8,000 and 10,000 checks for millions of dollars.
An estimation evidently- the figure could conceivably be larger. So, the cheques were sent out to people in the system who hadn't yet been flagged as deceased?
The strange thing is, some of the checks were made out to people -- like Romonini -- who were never even part of the Social Security system.
So where did the names and addresses come from? Voter registration forms?
Antoniette Santopadre of Valley Stream was expecting a $250 stimulus check. But when her son finally opened it, they saw that the check was made out to her father, Romolo Romonini, who died in Italy 34 years ago. He'd been a U.S. citizen when he left for Italy in 1933, but only returned to the United States for a seven-month visit in 1969.
A careless error? Not really-
The Santopadres are not alone. The Social Security Administration, which sent out 52 million checks, says that some of those checks mistakenly went to dead people because the agency had no record of their death. That amounts to between 8,000 and 10,000 checks for millions of dollars.
An estimation evidently- the figure could conceivably be larger. So, the cheques were sent out to people in the system who hadn't yet been flagged as deceased?
The strange thing is, some of the checks were made out to people -- like Romonini -- who were never even part of the Social Security system.
So where did the names and addresses come from? Voter registration forms?
Explorer Program
The New York Times posted a story about The Explorers program where the young people were receiving law enforcement-style training.
The Explorers program, a coeducational affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America that began 60 years ago, is training thousands of young people in skills used to confront terrorism, illegal immigration and escalating border violence — an intense ratcheting up of one of the group’s longtime missions to prepare youths for more traditional jobs as police officers and firefighters.
All well and good. But this caught my attention-
Ten minutes into arrant mayhem in this town near the Mexican border, and the gunman, a disgruntled Iraq war veteran, has already taken out two people, one slumped in his desk, the other covered in blood on the floor.
The responding officers — eight teenage boys and girls, the youngest 14 — face tripwire, a thin cloud of poisonous gas and loud shots — BAM! BAM! — fired from behind a flimsy wall. They move quickly, pellet guns drawn and masks affixed.
So, in these days of Islamic terrorism, illegal aliens and drug-fuelled border violence- they even mention responding to campus shootings- the scenario they're training on involves a "disgruntled Iraq war veteran"?
The Explorers program, a coeducational affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America that began 60 years ago, is training thousands of young people in skills used to confront terrorism, illegal immigration and escalating border violence — an intense ratcheting up of one of the group’s longtime missions to prepare youths for more traditional jobs as police officers and firefighters.
All well and good. But this caught my attention-
Ten minutes into arrant mayhem in this town near the Mexican border, and the gunman, a disgruntled Iraq war veteran, has already taken out two people, one slumped in his desk, the other covered in blood on the floor.
The responding officers — eight teenage boys and girls, the youngest 14 — face tripwire, a thin cloud of poisonous gas and loud shots — BAM! BAM! — fired from behind a flimsy wall. They move quickly, pellet guns drawn and masks affixed.
So, in these days of Islamic terrorism, illegal aliens and drug-fuelled border violence- they even mention responding to campus shootings- the scenario they're training on involves a "disgruntled Iraq war veteran"?
Gun Rights Examiner
David Codrea's latest Gun Rights Examiner is a must read-
Information I have received from reliable sources says the Zeta criminal organization is stepping up its ruthlessness on our side of the border. Mules who if detected would previously abandon contraband they were smuggling, must now, under threat of death for failure, protect the drug shipments they are carrying rather than abandon them. To do this, they have been ordered to carry weapons.
Expect more violence, more deaths...and more calls from Democrats demanding that Mexican drug runners being armed requires the disarmament of US citizens.
While you're there make sure to also read about the lies being peddled by American politicians and their lackeys in the media about US guns in Mexico.
Information I have received from reliable sources says the Zeta criminal organization is stepping up its ruthlessness on our side of the border. Mules who if detected would previously abandon contraband they were smuggling, must now, under threat of death for failure, protect the drug shipments they are carrying rather than abandon them. To do this, they have been ordered to carry weapons.
Expect more violence, more deaths...and more calls from Democrats demanding that Mexican drug runners being armed requires the disarmament of US citizens.
While you're there make sure to also read about the lies being peddled by American politicians and their lackeys in the media about US guns in Mexico.
Afghanistan Fashion
A great photo from the Daily Mail of troops in Afghanistan defending themselves from an attack. Roused from sleep, one soldier only had time to grab his weapon, vest and helmet- so he ended up fighting in flip-flops and pink "I love New York" boxer shorts.
The young man in question, Zachary Boyd, joined up because of the 9/11 attacks.
The young man in question, Zachary Boyd, joined up because of the 9/11 attacks.
SEIU's Big Investment
In an earlier post I mentioned that SEIU had spent $18 million dollars getting Obama elected- which would go a long way to explaining his favouring them so much in policy decisions. Well, it seems that figure grossly underestimated the real cost.
“We spent a fortune to elect Barack Obama — $60.7 million to be exact — and we’re proud of it,” boasted Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, to the Las Vegas Sun this week.
Michelle Malkin has much more on the links between SEIU and Obama's administration. It's well worth reading. What caught my attention was this-
SEIU’s enforcers have set aside another $10 million to un-elect any of its political beneficiaries who abandon their pledges to do the union’s legislative bidding. The campaign money was raised by slapping an extra $6 per-member fee on top of regular dues payments – and funneled straight to the union’s political action committee.
And, of course, there had to be a blatant case of "do as we say, not as we do".
Meanwhile, after spending a fortune to put Barack Obama in office, the union laid off a third of its D.C. field staff (in violation of its own employment protections, according to the workers) due to…budget troubles.
“We spent a fortune to elect Barack Obama — $60.7 million to be exact — and we’re proud of it,” boasted Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, to the Las Vegas Sun this week.
Michelle Malkin has much more on the links between SEIU and Obama's administration. It's well worth reading. What caught my attention was this-
SEIU’s enforcers have set aside another $10 million to un-elect any of its political beneficiaries who abandon their pledges to do the union’s legislative bidding. The campaign money was raised by slapping an extra $6 per-member fee on top of regular dues payments – and funneled straight to the union’s political action committee.
And, of course, there had to be a blatant case of "do as we say, not as we do".
Meanwhile, after spending a fortune to put Barack Obama in office, the union laid off a third of its D.C. field staff (in violation of its own employment protections, according to the workers) due to…budget troubles.
Immigrant Flood
Oddly enough, I'm not at all surprised that the government just made stuff up when considering policy.
MINISTERS have admitted they messed up by letting hordes of eastern Europeans into Britain.
They said the country’s public services are struggling to cope with the influx of immigrants.
But why? Surely, you might ask, they would have made plans, worked out how much these public services could cope and then made allowances in the number of immigrants permitted in? Well, if someone with half a brain had been in any position of responsibility this would have happened. Instead we had Labour in power so they simply threw the borders open and hoped for the best.
Immigration Minister Phil Woolas last night admitted: “We got it wrong.” Ministers believed just 5,000 eastern Europeans would come here every year when the EU opened its borders to the “A8 nations” in 2004.
But 120,000 have flooded in every 12 months.
Labour's response seems to amount to saying, "oops".
MINISTERS have admitted they messed up by letting hordes of eastern Europeans into Britain.
They said the country’s public services are struggling to cope with the influx of immigrants.
But why? Surely, you might ask, they would have made plans, worked out how much these public services could cope and then made allowances in the number of immigrants permitted in? Well, if someone with half a brain had been in any position of responsibility this would have happened. Instead we had Labour in power so they simply threw the borders open and hoped for the best.
Immigration Minister Phil Woolas last night admitted: “We got it wrong.” Ministers believed just 5,000 eastern Europeans would come here every year when the EU opened its borders to the “A8 nations” in 2004.
But 120,000 have flooded in every 12 months.
Labour's response seems to amount to saying, "oops".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)