The Infidel Sage

I am now blogging exclusively at Constitution Club

2007-09-27T00:47:00.000-05:00

I am now blogging exclusively at Constitution Club

For the last five years I have been part of a group blog titled Constitution Club as well as blogging here at the Infidel Sage Blog. Due to time constraints and the need to spend more time with my family, I have been blogging exclusively at Constitution Club. We have switched over to wordpress.com and I hope you will take the time to follow the link and check out our old blog at our new home. I will be leaving the archives up here and may return to the Infidel Sage when the cold winter weather returns to Colorado. There is nothing like cold, dark nights to drive me to the keyboard for extended periods of time.

Constitution Club

The Infidel Babe of the Day

2007-05-09T15:35:00.000-05:00

In honor of the Sorkozy victory...

No exaggeration here...

2007-05-09T15:32:00.000-05:00

“In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died — an entire town destroyed,” - Sen. Obama said in a speech to 500 people in Richmond, VA.

Actual death toll: 12

I understand, it’s easy to get carried away when you are attempting to manufacture the ’scandal of the week’ and score political points at the expense of the president.

Blackwater Down

2007-05-09T15:18:00.000-05:00

Private Troops: The SA? Freikorps? Or back up for the 'good guys'?

The Left is in a tizzy over the use of private security companies in New Orleans following the destruction of Hurrican Katrina. And it has less to do with the fact they have been used on US soil than the fact that they exist at all. I have absolutely no problems using such companies overseas (I wish we could just hand over the entirecountry of Iraq to such a company), but as a free ‘non-serf’ citizen I am always on guard against strong arm tactics by government on any level that may endanger the rights of the citizenry. But all I see here is a bunch of well armed men protecting refugees and property from predators, looters, and armed street gangs in a disaster situation. Hardly worthy of hand-wringing and chest beating by the opposition.

The OH MY GOD squad at Pandagon.net is shrieking fascism and totalitarianism, rape and thuggery, but that’s probably to be expected from those who wouldn’t know a merc from a security consultant.

If the Blackwater types are becoming the American equivalent of the French Foreign Legion fighting ‘unpopular wars’ for national interest, then they have my blessing. The wars that the US will be fighting around the globe need to be fought utilizing special forces, overwhelming air power, proxy armies, native militias, warlords, tribal clans, good intelligence, massive power, and, if need be, private US ‘armies’ of ex-military types willing to risk it all for a good paycheck. Anything to avoid bogging the military down as we have succeeded in doing in Iraq, reduce US military casualties, and ensure victory against Islamo fascists and this countries enemies throughout the world.

In an hourlong conversation I had with four Blackwater men, they
characterized their work in New Orleans as “securing neighborhoods” and
“confronting criminals.” They all carried automatic assault weapons and had guns
strapped to their legs. Their flak jackets were covered with pouches for extra
ammunition….

…”This vigilantism demonstrates the utter breakdown of the
government,” says Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional
Rights. “These private security forces have behaved brutally, with impunity, in
Iraq. To have them now on the streets of New Orleans is frightening and possibly
illegal.”…

…Montgomery told me they came under fire from “black
gangbangers” on an overpass near the poor Ninth Ward neighborhood. “At the time,
I was on the phone with my business partner,” he recalls. “I dropped the phone
and returned fire.”

Montgomery says he and his men were armed with AR-15s and
Glocks and that they unleashed a barrage of bullets in the general direction of
the alleged shooters on the overpass. “After that, all I heard was moaning and
screaming, and the shooting stopped. That was it. Enough said.”

Sarkozy Sets a New Course for Relations With U.S.

2007-05-09T14:56:00.000-05:00

Come, dear Americans, let us be friends once again....

For years I have listened to the endless mantra about how Bush had caused us to lose our allies throughout the world. There was hand-wringing, wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Left that our dear and beloved allies (read the French and Germans) did not approve of our Middle East policy and the tough line that the US had taken against Islamic terrorism the world over. This was a staple talking point parroted by both those in the blogosphere and the inhabitants of the political world. It was endlessly trotted out as proof positive that our foreign policy was a failure because the French and the Germans were now ‘anti-American’.

The recent elections in both Germany and France have now left those nations with elected officials that might not be necessarily branded as ‘pro-American’ but certainly cannot branded as ‘anti-American’ like their predecessors. Sarkozy especially has shown himself to be both ‘anti-socialist’ and intolerant of the Islamists who have managed to launch what has become a campaign of civil insurrection against French authorities.

So will the hand-wringing now stop? Will the tired carping about how we have to change so the French will once again ‘be our friends’ come to an end? We can only hope.

An interesting side note to all this is that even as the Germans and the French are beginning to reject socialism and their appeasement of Islamists while becoming more pro-US, the Democratic party in the US is moving decidedly in the other direction. What strange times we live in.

“Certainly, Mr. Sarkozy has promised never to behave in the “arrogant” way he
said that the current French government did in making threats against the United
States in the prelude to the Iraq war. ‘You must have loathed us then,’ he said
in a speech in Washington last September.”

Publius Pundit has a good rundown and some pics on the Sarkozy victory, including what I take to be his specialty, happy French babes.

Tolerance and tyranny

I want to issue a call to everyone in the world who believes in the values of tolerance, freedom, democracy, humanism, to all those who are persecuted by tyranny, by dictatorships. I want to tell all of the children throughout the world, all of the ill-treated women throughout the world - I want to tell them that it will be France’s pride and its duty to be at their side.
France will be at the side of the Libyan nurses [Bulgarian nurses imprisoned in Libya], imprisoned for eight years. France will not abandon Ingrid Betancourt [held by Farc rebels in Colombia]. France will not abandon the women condemned to wear the burqa. France will not abandon the women who do not have freedom. France will be on the side of the oppressed of the world. This is France’s message, it is France’s identity, it is France’s history. - From Sarkozy’s victory speech

“More Than Enough Evidence”

2007-05-09T14:51:00.000-05:00

What George Tenet really says about Saddam's Iraq and al Qaeda.

For what it’s worth, Conclub has always strove to unearth the truth behind the headlines and hype. This is well worth the read.

And for my own take on the connections between Saddam’s Iraq and Al Qaeda visit An Alliance of Evil: Saddam and bin Laden.

Zarqawi, AI, chemical weapons projects, high-level contacts, Egyptian al Qaeda
members plotting from Baghdad: it adds up to a very alarming picture.
And
after reading all of Tenet’s chapter on Iraq and al Qaeda, it seems clear that
neoconservatives weren’t the only ones connecting the dots between these two
enemies of the United States.

The Infidel Babe of the Day

2007-04-30T23:23:00.000-05:00

Taliban uses child to behead 'spy'

2007-04-25T14:51:00.000-05:00

The video then shows the boy holding the head aloft by the hair while spectators chant "Allahu akbar", which translates to "God is great".

Why we must win. The Religion of Peace isn't really known for its mercy.

ACLU Sues Over License Plates

2007-04-25T14:37:00.000-05:00

What a surprise. Perhaps they would be happier if they did charge the fee and donated it to a church? These people really have nothing better than to play the Grinch in American society.

Another Lie from the Left

2007-04-25T14:22:00.000-05:00

I tend to not endorse vandalism of any sort, but this sign is now more accurate than it was before. Is the radical Left and those pushing the legitimization of homosexuality really this dishonet? Shame on them.

Matthew Chapter 8
5
When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him,
6
saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
7
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
8
The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.
9
For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
10
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
11
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven,
12
but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
13
And Jesus said to the centurion, "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And at that very hour (his) servant was healed.

A pair of quotes from Oriana Fallaci

2007-04-25T14:06:00.000-05:00

Author Fallaci’s final volume, The Force of Reason, recites a litany of radical Islam’s recent crimes—beheadings, explosions, murders, mutilations, anti-Semitic and anti-Christian screeds—and reinforces her critique with the sharpest weapon of all: sarcasm.

“Always clever, the Muslims. Always at the top. Always ingenious. In philosophy, in mathematics, in gastronomy, in literature, in architecture, in medicine, in music, in law, in hydraulics, in cooking. Always stupid, we Westerners. Always inadequate, always inferior. Therefore obliged to thank some son of Allah who preceded us.”

And another:

“If you are a Westerner, and you say your civilization is superior, the most developed that this planet has ever seen, you go to the stake. But if you are a son of Allah or one of their collaborationists and you say that Islam has always been a superior civilization, a ray of light . . . nobody touches you. Nobody sues you. Nobody condemns you.”

These were taken from the excellent column Warrior Princess by Stefan Kanfer

The Left attempt to define Political Correctness

2007-04-25T14:02:00.000-05:00

Kai Chang from the blog Zuky wrote a piece titled The Greatest Cliché: The Unexamined Propaganda of “Political Correctness” which sought to ‘reclaim’ the phrase Political Correctness and to wave a finger at all those who have dared to strike back at the PC advocates. It has been hailed as the “definitive analysis of Political Correctness” by a variety of Left wing bloggers while at the same time completely sidestepping its true nature. Kai manages to both deny and misguide when it comes to this issue. His obvious hesitancy in dealing with the PC movement is both striking and revealing.

The phrase “politically correct” can be used in two distinct ways: either with its original literal meaning, or with the mocking sarcasm that’s common these days. I’ll get to the former in a moment, but I’ll begin with the latter. As it’s commonly used, “PC” is a deliberately imprecise expression (just try finding or writing a terse, precise definition) because its objective isn’t to communicate a substantive idea, but simply to sneer and snivel about the linguistic and cultural burdens of treating all people with the respect and sensitivity with which they wish to be treated. Thus, the Herculean effort required to call me “Asian American” rather than “chink” is seen as a concession to “the PC police”, an unsettling infringement on the free-wheeling conversation of, I suppose, “non-chinks”. Having to refer to black folks as “African Americans” rather than various historically-prevalent epithets surely strikes some red-blooded blue-balled white-men as a form of cultural oppression. Having to refer to “women” rather than “bitches” lays a violent buzzkill on the bar-room banter of men preoccupied with beating on their chests and off other body parts.

Ah yes, the Left waxes indignant about being painted with the Politically Correct brush.

There is, of course, no mention of the thousands of examples of official persecution carried out due to Political Correctness. No listing of the campus speech codes, the corporate hypersensitivity, the frightened political figures and the cowed populace at large that cannot be denied. Yet not a day goes by where the news does not report yet another poor individual who has run afoul of the PC crowd.

What the Left fails to admit is that the ideologies that pursue PC policies are clearly advocating the silencing and censoring of the thoughts and actions of others. The little totalitarian reservations we refer to as college campuses reek of speech codes and censorship as the fascists of the Left seek to mold us into their Orwellian servants in preparation for the coming utopia.

They are all about free speech and tolerance and diversity and sensitivity and multiculturalism until one dares to openly admit to being pro-life, or a born-again Christian, or a believer in traditional morality, or that marriage should be between a man and a woman, or that Israel has the right to exist, or supporting gun ownership, or that maybe we should not allow in millions of illegal aliens every year. Once such an admission is made, suddenly all that great liberal love and tenderness is thrown out the window and all that is left is the naked viciousness and unmerciful intolerance of Political Correctness.

Freedom of speech to enforcers of the PC doctrine means hand-wringing over polar bear populations, condemning the detention of terrorists at Guantanamo, sounding the cry of climate change, tossing and turning at night over Abu Ghraib photos and bemoaning the oppression of all others by white males in modern society. Its logical conclusion is the broad brushing of nearly all of Western Civilization with the smears of patriarchy, misogyny and unforgivable perpetual oppression. Any other thoughts or speech that might challenge the official line is simply unacceptable in their eyes.

In practice, despite the protestations of Kai and his ilk, Political Correctness is unapologetic Orwellian Newspeak - an attempt to change the way people think by forcibly changing the way they speak. New speak, new think. But instead of just being used to perhaps benignly bring a bit of civility to the English language, it has become the bludgeon to silence the critics of the rainbow of ‘isms’ that exist on the Left and a powerful weapon to ensure the ideological conformity demanded by the disciples of the great secular religion of “Multiculturalism, Diversity and Tolerance”.

In practice it is stifling to debate, a purposeful minefield that makes any discussion of society, culture, morality or current events a frightening experience that, for many, is better left undone. And, unfortunately, its breeding grounds are the college campuses that once espoused the idea of intellectual freedom and debate, but have increasingly become mere mental boot camps to create the ‘progressives’ of tomorrow.

Christianity teaches and promotes the Golden Rule concepts of respect, decency, humility, love, acceptance, and civility, but in stark contrast to the PC ideologies it also teaches the concept of right and wrong, good and evil, morality and immorality. Political Correctness is the weapon used by the secularists as they attempt to impose their own version of a moral code on the populace with any hint of God removed. It cloaks itself in the intellectual concepts of tolerance, understanding, cultural sensitivity, human rights, and dignity, while suspending all judgments concerning morality. To our secular humanist/progressive friends there is no right and wrong, only ‘different’. ‘Compassion’ trumps common sense, and the right to not be offended has become the greatest human right of all.

I’ve seen it, I’ve experienced it, and I spent my college years fighting and exposing it. It’s not about calling Asian Americans ‘Chinks’ or women ‘bitches’ (red herring arguments at best), but about having the right to debate the issues of the day with full intellectual honesty. When debate is stifled and speech curtailed because of everyone being petrified of being labeled “insensitive” (or far worse) due to an innocent comment that may have offended someone, then we have lost a valuable part of what made us a great nation and successful civilization. Those who would perform a collective intellectual lobotomy, and their perpetually outraged cadres shouting bumper sticker slogans, are the enemy and we’ve labeled their speech codes ‘Political Correctness’.

Kai complains that the term Political Correctness has become the subject of ‘sneers’. It deserves every mockery and word of derision it has ever received. It is indeed true that the whiff of fascism can be detected in the air. It does not arise from the Right, but is the practiced ideology of the ‘New Left’ and their disciples. In our modern society, authoritarianism from the Right is disconcerting. When it comes from the Left, it is downright frightening. Political Correctness has no real root in America’s founding principles, law or jurisprudence. Instead, it is the intellectual equivalent of state sponsored mob rule. We have many rights in the United States. The right to not be offended is not one of them.

Perhaps novelist Dorris Lessing stated it best.

“Political Correctness is the natural continuum from the party line. What we are seeing once again is a self-appointed group of vigilantes imposing their views on others. It is a heritage of communism, but they don’t seem to see this.”

The Big White Lie

2007-04-25T13:47:00.000-05:00

The theme today is the lunacy of the Left. Here is a good piece by Andrew Klavan. Being a conservative means you don't have to walk around bent over under the terrible burden of guilt for being white, or a Christian, or an American, or a member of Western Civilization, or that you own two cars and have electricity in your home, or that you use more than one square of toilet paper when you go to the restroom....

'The thing I like best about being a conservative is that I don’t have to lie. I don’t have to pretend that men and women are the same. I don’t have to declare that failed or oppressive cultures are as good as mine. I don’t have to say that everyone’s special or that the rich cause poverty or that all religions are a path to God.... I don’t have to pretend that Islam means peace."

Suburb's Hispanics feeling unwelcome after election

2007-04-22T19:59:00.000-05:00

Oh please, if they are here legally they have nothing to fear and nothing to fret about. If they are here illegally they should feel uncomfortable. And in an effort to help ease their plight, I humbly suggest that they return 'home' as soon as possible. It's about time that Americans stand up for their culture, their language, their country and their honor and move swiftly and decisively to 'solve' the illegal immigration crisis that is poisoning the land.

What should we do? Whatever it takes.

How much should we spend? As much as it takes.

Some Latinos said they were afraid of being deported. Others wondered about
being treated fairly in Carpentersville, a suburban community where they found
jobs, bought homes and sent their kids to school.These concerns -- always
lingering in the back of their minds -- have been heightened for many Hispanics,
who say they feel threatened following the election of three village trustees
who campaigned to crack down on illegal immigration in a suburb that is 40
percent Latino.

The Infidel Babes of the Day

2007-04-22T19:18:00.000-05:00

How To Blog Like A Moonbat, Module One.

2007-04-21T21:22:00.000-05:00

You too can write like a loony conspiracy theorist!

A good post by THB over at The Hairy Beast Blog, and, unfortunately, it is all too true.

The Saga of Cho and the Virginia Tech Shooting

2007-04-21T02:10:00.000-05:00

Advocating that law abiding citizens have the right to protect themselves from massacre, rape, assault and robbery is hardly being partisan, in fact, it is because conservatives care about their fellow citizens that we hate to see the failed, hand-wringing policies of the Left provide ‘criminal safe’ zones where such people can act with impunity.

Recently the Virginia legislature had the opportunity to pass a bill to prohibit public universities from making “rules or regulations limiting or abridging the ability of a student who possesses a valid concealed handgun permit … from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun.”

Rather ironically Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. “I’m sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly’s actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.”

Well, Mr. Virginia Tech spokesman, how safe do you think they felt today? Those of us with concealed carry permits, and those who advocate such policies, shake our head at such tragedies and wish to empower individuals to defend themselves. These types of events are not necessarily entirely preventable, but the extent of such tragedies can, and should be, prevented. Forcing people into the role of defenseless victim is repugnant and does not work or prevent crimes of any sort.

The safest place you will ever be is within the proximity of a concealed handgun permit holder. In an incident like this, the police are good for body counts, press conferences and stringing yellow tape.

Virginia law § 18.2-308 D. Any person twenty-one years of age or older may apply in writing to the clerk of the circuit court of the county or city in which he resides for a five-year permit to carry a concealed handgun. Notwithstanding §15.1-29.15, a county or city may enact an ordinance which requires any applicant for a concealed handgun permit to submit to fingerprinting for the purpose of obtaining the applicant’s state or national criminal history record. The application shall be made under oath before a notary or other person qualified to take oaths and shall be made only on a form prescribed by the Department of State Police, in consultation with the Supreme Court, requiring only that information necessary to determine eligibility for the permit.

Although Virginia law § 18.2-308 D does allow for concealed weapon permits for persons 21 or older, the Campus Regulations of Virginia Tech circumvents and usurps this right. Students right to self protection end at the campus gate.

A 45 second clip of gunfire from the shooting is now available on YouTube.

Those who advocate the complete disarming of American society so that crazy foreign students can’t shoot up campuses and will, somehow, be forced to instead utilize baseball bats are sadly misled. Utopian ideals, and unworkable solutions, will not solve or prevent such incidents at schools, churches and malls. Frankly, it is incredible that in a post 9-11 world that the citizenry of this nation are forced to be helpless and vulnerable by both the law and institutional ‘policies’ by people who cannot provide even the most elementary security to those it has disarmed. Virginia Tech has some 30,000 plus students and apparently no viable security measures at all. Yet one armed, law abiding citizen could have relatively easily halted this tragedy as it began.
The only school shootings that have ever been stopped were by armed citizens/teachers who had relatively quick access to a firearm (in several instances they had one stashed in a vehicle in the parking lot) and were able to take the necessary measures to save lives.

Yet this is what the all knowing nanny state has deemed to be unacceptable. One has to wonder why. Why would you disarm law abiding citizens in an attempt to stop criminals who neither respect the law nor abide by it? Logic and common should dictate our solutions and guide our hands, not misguided policies dictated solely by ideological nuances instead of the simple facts.

I (along with several thousand others) am a concealed handgun permit holder in the state of Colorado. I can (and often do) carry a firearm in McDonalds, Wal-Mart, the mall and most everywhere else the average citizen goes. A small bubble of public safety if you will, not just for me and my family, but for those fellow citizens that cross my path throughout the day. Yet I, or any other law abiding citizen, cannot carry on school campuses (though, oddly enough, it can be in the trunk if I am picking up my children from school).

I had initially applied for my concealed handgun permit a month or so before 9-11. The fee was $100 payable to the county and a $35 CBI background fee. As soon as 9-11 occurred the local sheriff waved the $100 county fee and proceeded to hand out concealed carry permits as expeditiously as possible. Mine is permit number 1768 and within just a couple months the sheriff issued about 5,000 more. In the five years since then, not a single one of permit holders has been involved in any firearm related infraction or crime. Those who argue against concealed carry permit laws or forbid them in certain areas are, at best, incredibly ignorant, and at worst purposelessly exposing their fellow countrymen to violent crime, assaults and even death for the sake of ideology and feel good policies. Shame on them and those who are taking this opportunity to pimp their gun control politics on the rest of us.

College campuses are the model of what the Left seek to turn the rest of the nation into. Bastions of political correctness, ideological conformity, white guilt, speech codes, thought police and public mockery of morals, values and Christianity. And all apparently at the mercy of the crazed, evil and dangerous among us.
One last thing, ever wonder why there seems to be so many school shootings, and yet so few attacks on police stations? The answer is very clear. Crazed gunmen and terrorists prey on the defenseless, not on the armed and protected.

There were several heroes yesterday that should be remembered for their bravery and heroism. Slain Israeli Professor Saved Others in Va. Tech Massacre

A couple other views:
State quashed bill allowing handguns on campuses
“The one thing that this tragic event does illustrate is that there is not a single gun law, rule or regulation that will stop someone with this kind of evil intent from going about their business and taking life at will, if they are committed to doing that,” Gilbert (bill sponsor) said….In the spring of 2005, a Virginia Tech student who had a concealed handgun permit was disciplined for bringing a handgun to class, the Roanoke paper reported. Second Amendment groups questioned the university’s authority, but the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police argued against guns on campus.

From Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership: Proven solutions to ending school shootings (hint, follow the Israeli model)
After this a controversial debate erupted in Israel in regards to guns, self defense etc. We heard of course the same dumb arguments by some good people, you always hear on these occasions like ” We do not live in the Wild West here!” Or: “Guns don’t solve problems!” or similar silly things….Teachers and kindergarten nurses now started to carry guns, schools were protected by parents (and often grandpas) guarding them in voluntary shifts. No school group went on a hike or trip without armed guards…. When the message got around to the PLO groups and a couple infiltration attempts failed, the attacks against schools ceased. Too much of a risk here: Terrorists and other evildoers don’t like risks.

Hot Air is an excellent resource for breaking news on this tragedy. The Smoking Gun has the play written by the killer, which was disturbing enough to get him recommended for counseling.

From Powerlineblog.com:

The Virginia Tech murderer has been identified as Cho Seung-Hui. The AOL Newsbloggers site has a note from a former classmate of the alleged murderer:
When I first heard about the multiple shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday, my first thought was about my friends, and my second thought was “I bet it was Seung Cho.” ***Before Cho got to class that day, we students were talking to each other with serious worry about whether he could be a school shooter. I was even thinking of scenarios of what I would do in case he did come in with a gun…

Cho sent photos and rambling letter to NBC.
This is an exhausting link that is the most complete and comprehensive I have seen. Definitely worth the visit. Cho was a very disturbed and evil person. The pics and video are downright chilling. See also Only One Option. And here is another possible source for the Ishmael Ax (earlier reports seem to have had the name misspelled, this is how it appeared on the package sent to NBC). The axe is apparently both literal and symbolic, and references are made about the character’s having moved from the east to the west, creating change through the destruction (using the axe), and the like.

A killer speaks.

The extensive material sent to NBC News this week by Cho Seung-Hui includes an angry diatribe against the rich and numerous unspecified enemies. Among the statements:
• You have vandalized my heart, raped my soul and torched my conscience. You thought it was one pathetic boy’s life you were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people.
• Do you know what it feels to be spit on your face and to have trash shoved down your throat? Do you know what it feels like to dig your own grave?Do you know what it feels like to have throat slashed from ear to ear? Do you know what it feels like to be torched alive?Do you know what it feels like to be humiliated and be impaled upon on a cross? And left to bleed to death for your amusement? You have never felt a single ounce of pain your whole life. Did you want to inject as much misery in our lives as you can just because you can?
• You had everything you wanted. Your Mercedes wasn’t enough, you brats. Your golden necklaces weren’t enough, you snobs. Your trust fund wasn’t enough. Your vodka and Cognac weren’t enough. All your debaucheries weren’t enough. Those weren’t enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs. You had everything.

Source: NBC News

Fact: Despite the declaration of ‘gun free’ zones, nearly 30 percent of all school shootings ever attempted have been thwarted by a law abiding citizen with a firearm. The Mainstream Media is extremely reluctant to report such stories as it goes against their agenda that ‘all guns are bad’. There were two instances last month alone in Memphis, Tennessee where concealed carry permit holders successfully stopped ‘puclic shootings’ in progress. Yet did you hear that on the evening news? The story of the Pearl, Mississippi principal who stopped a shooting is also a good example of bravery and courage when confronting a psychotic killer on a rampage.
Every political faction is scrambling to blame the other, but I do hope that we remember to respect those who died so senselessly. No amount of explanation or analysis will ever take away the pain of the families, and no law or policy may have necessarily made a difference in this, or any other case. All we can do is strive to empower people so that they can be protected and exercise their right to self defense, while at the same time doing all that we can as a society to locate and prevent the ‘walking time bombs’ among us from going off.

And here is interesting take, and well worth the read.

Was Cho taught to hate?
Still, I wonder — was Cho taught to hate? Whatever he learned in his classes — did it enable him to rage at his host country, to hate the students he envied so murderously? Was he subtly encouraged to aggrandize himself by destroying others? Was his pathology enabled by the PC university? Or to ask the question differently — was Cho ever taught to respect others, to admire the good things about his host country, and to discipline himself to build a positive life?
And that answer is readily available on the websites of Cho’s English Department at Virginia Tech. This is a wonder world of PC weirdness. English studies at VT are a post-modern Disney World in which nihilism, moral and sexual boundary breaking, and fantasies of Marxist revolutionary violence are celebrated. They show up in a lot of faculty writing.

And be sure to look at was put up on the Virginia Tech Department of English website.

Meanwhile, over at the DailyKos.
Seung-Hui Cho. I Mourn Your Life and Loss

In conclusion:

‘‘Laws that forbid the carrying of arms… disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes… Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.’’
— Jefferson’s “Commonplace Book,” 1774-1776, quoting from On Crimes and Punishment, by criminologist Cesare Beccaria, 1764

‘‘The right of self-defense is the first law of nature; in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest possible limits. … and [when] the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any color or pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction.’’
— St. George Tucker, Judge of the Virginia Supreme Court 1803

Bedtime stories

2007-04-21T02:02:00.000-05:00

I am usually the one who puts our daughters to bed, and in doing so I am often commanded to “tell me a story”. My seven year old especially enjoys stories and isn’t a bad storyteller herself. Last night I told a three part story about Olton the Brave, a person who managed in a series of adventures to trick and slay a dragon at the young age of eleven, was rewarded with the dragon’s treasure and the hand of the king’s daughter in marriage (Belinda the Beautiful) and grew into a fine and handsome prince (and later king).

As an adult he was called upon to once again outwit a deadly creature and slayed a giant spider that had taken refuge in the old dragon lair. Later as an old man he went forth to challenge a giant that was terrorizing the land and after some additional trickery was able to subdue the giant and instead of killing him banished him to live in the old dragon lair. The giant gave the old king a birthright ring as a sign of his promise to never again terrorize the kingdom. This ring joined the severed dragon’s head as well as the head of the giant spider which were already displayed on the wall in the palace by Olton. After he died, he was fondly remembered by his people as a wise champion of his people who had protected them from three grave threats to their well being.

I thought these series of short stories held a great wealth of attributes. It taught that mere strength and brute force alone doesn’t always triumph. That intelligence and wit is important as well. That mercy has its place. That championing the weak and protecting the innocent has merit. Self-Sacrifice, courage, bravery, wisdom, responsibility, character and gallantry were all included in an interesting and spur of the moment yarn.

My wife, on the other hand, chided me with a scowl and told me to quit telling the kids stories with scary imagery and gratuitous violence. Especially right before bedtime.

Signs of Intelligence?

2007-04-21T01:51:00.000-05:00

I am increasingly attracted to the idea of Fred Thompson as a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination.
Common sense seems to just ooze from the man at times. And it's not overly politically correct. How refreshing.

One of the things that's got to be going through a lot of peoples' minds now is how one man with two handguns, that he had to reload time and time again, could go from classroom to classroom on the Virginia Tech campus without being stopped. Much of the answer can be found in policies put in place by the university itself.

Virginia, like 39 other states, allows citizens with training and legal permits to carry concealed weapons. That means that Virginians regularly sit in movie theaters and eat in restaurants among armed citizens. They walk, joke and rub shoulders everyday with people who responsibly carry firearms -- and are far safer than they would be in San Francisco, Oakland, Detroit, Chicago, New York City, or Washington, D.C., where such permits are difficult or impossible to obtain.

The statistics are clear. Communities that recognize and grant Second Amendment rights to responsible adults have a significantly lower incidence of violent crime than those that do not. More to the point, incarcerated criminals tell criminologists that they consider local gun laws when they decide what sort of crime they will commit, and where they will do so.

Still, there are a lot of people who are just offended by the notion that people can carry guns around. They view everybody, or at least many of us, as potential murderers prevented only by the lack of a convenient weapon. Virginia Tech administrators overrode Virginia state law and threatened to expel or fire anybody who brings a weapon onto campus.

In recent years, however, armed Americans -- not on-duty police officers -- have successfully prevented a number of attempted mass murders. Evidence from Israel, where many teachers have weapons and have stopped serious terror attacks, has been documented. Supporting, though contrary, evidence from Great Britain, where strict gun controls have led to violent crime rates far higher than ours, is also common knowledge.

So Virginians asked their legislators to change the university's "concealed carry" policy to exempt people 21 years of age or older who have passed background checks and taken training classes. The university, however, lobbied against that bill, and a top administrator subsequently praised the legislature for blocking the measure.

The logic behind this attitude baffles me, but I suspect it has to do with a basic difference in worldviews. Some people think that power should exist only at the top, and everybody else should rely on "the authorities" for protection.

Despite such attitudes, average Americans have always made up the front line against crime. Through programs like Neighborhood Watch and Amber Alert, we are stopping and catching criminals daily. Normal people tackled "shoe bomber" Richard Reid as he was trying to blow up an airliner. It was a truck driver who found the D.C. snipers. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that civilians use firearms to prevent at least a half million crimes annually.

When people capable of performing acts of heroism are discouraged or denied the opportunity, our society is all the poorer. And from the selfless examples of the passengers on Flight 93 on 9/11 to Virginia Tech professor Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor who sacrificed himself to save his students earlier this week, we know what extraordinary acts of heroism ordinary citizens are capable of.

Many other universities have been swayed by an anti-gun, anti-self defense ideology. I respect their right to hold those views, but I challenge their decision to deny Americans the right to protect themselves on their campuses -- and then proudly advertise that fact to any and all.

Whenever I've seen one of those "Gun-free Zone" signs, especially outside of a school filled with our youngest and most vulnerable citizens, I've always wondered exactly who these signs are directed at. Obviously, they don't mean much to the sort of man who murdered 32 people just a few days ago. - Fred Thompson

Lieberman and Reid

2007-04-21T01:30:00.000-05:00

"This week witnessed horrific terrorist attacks by Islamist extremists in Iraq, killing hundreds of innocent civilians and leading Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to declare that the war is 'lost.'
With all due respect, I strongly disagree. Senator Reid's statement is not based on military facts on the ground in Iraq and does not advance our cause there.
Al Qaeda's strategy for victory in Iraq is clear. They are trying to murder as many innocent civilians as possible in an effort to reignite sectarian fighting and drive us to retreat from Iraq.
The question now before us is whether we respond to these terrorist attacks by running away as Al Qaeda hopes - abandoning the future of Iraq, the Middle East, and ultimately our own security to the very same people responsible for this week's atrocities - or whether we stand united to fight them.
This is exactly the wrong time to conclude that we have lost the war in Iraq, or that our new strategy has failed. Instead, we should provide General Petraeus and his troops with the time and the resources to succeed. We should not surrender in the face of barbarism." - Senator Joe Lieberman

The Response:

"In an effort to shift attention from this Administration's failed polities – and I say that in the plural – the President and his allies have repeatedly questioned whether I and my fellow Democrats support our troops," the majority leader told fellow senators. "No one wants us to succeed in Iraq more than the Democrats. We've proven that time and time again since this war started more than four years ago. We take a back seat to no one in supporting our troops, and we will never abandon our troops in a time of war." -Senator Harry Reid.

What great lines. And if Harry Reid thinks I'm buying his, he's sadly mistaken.

School Tells Kids to Hide Pro-‘Gay’ Propaganda From Parents

2007-03-14T02:02:00.000-05:00

In a shocking and brazen act of governmental abuse of parental rights, Deerfield High School (DHS) in Deerfield, Illinois, has required fourteen-year-old freshmen to attend a “Straight Gay Alliance Network” (GSA) panel discussion led by “gay” and “lesbian” upperclassmen during a “freshman advisory” class which secretively featured inappropriate discussions of a sexual nature in promotion of high-risk homosexual behaviors.
Not only has DHS required that its young and impressionable freshmen be exposed to radical homosexual propaganda, the school has further required that students sign a “confidentiality agreement” promising not to tell anyone – including their own parents – about the discussion.

And yet I am reassured over and over again that there is no homosexual 'agenda' being advocated in the public schools. Hmmm......

Colo. Couple Find Faceless Dollar Coin

2007-03-14T01:04:00.000-05:00

This should help get the new presidential dollar series off to a great start. Makes me feel like swinging by the old bank tomorrow. I live just a few miles from this 'find'.

Nepal's 'Buddha Boy' does second vanishing act

2007-03-10T23:22:00.000-06:00

My guess is either a tiger ate him, or he got really bored and headed over to the closest McD's. Either way, the reincarnated Buddha he is not....

A Nepalese teenager hailed as a reincarnation of the Buddha has vanished for a second time in southern Nepal, a member of his support committee said Saturday.
Ram Bahadur Bomjam, 17, who shot to fame in 2005 when his supporters said he had begun a meditation session that would go on uninterrupted for years, went missing on Thursday night, the committee member said.

Three Predictable Problems at the Commission on the Status of Women

2007-03-10T00:18:00.000-06:00

I have often been asked why I am a committed advocate of the conservative ideology. The answer is that it is the last refuge for common sense, decency, a semblance of morality, respect for tradition, and understanding of the role history has to play in the current events.

When you don't have that, you end up with things like this. This is an excellent article on what the globalists would like to impose upon the rest of us. When they are so wrong, then I must be right.

Man Burns Genitals in 'Jackass' Stunt

2007-03-09T00:26:00.000-06:00

And I guess this is why they always have to say "don't try this at home". How drunk do you have to be to try something like this?

Anderson pulled down his pants and let Peterson spray him with lighter fluid. When the fire didn't catch, Peterson sprayed more lighter fluid on Anderson, splashing some on his clothing. He tried again to light the fire, catching Anderson's genitals, hands and clothes.

Blues Traveler Frontman John Popper Arrested After Cops Find Weapons Cache, Drugs in His SUV

2007-03-09T00:14:00.000-06:00

Nice arsenal. But if you actually have a car full of weapons, and a bit of pot, I would strongly suggest you keep it under 100 m.p.h. Just a thought.

"Popper indicated to troopers that he had installed these items in his vehicle because (in the event of a natural disaster) he didn't want to be left behind," the Patrol said in a news release. He also told officers he collected weapons, the Patrol said.

Takoma Park's Green Young Artists

2007-03-08T23:40:00.000-06:00

The next generations 'brownshirts' will be cloaked in green. What a brainwashed little nut.

Sasha Schneer, 6, is an environmentalist. At a Takoma Park event on Saturday, he painted a poster that said "No Cars." Above the phrase, he painted a purple car with a slash through it. "I'm trying to convince people to stop using the products that are polluting," he said.

Like what?

"Cars, lawnmowers, factories," he shot back.

Al Gore would be proud.

The best response I have seen to this was from Lucianne.com:

Reply 6 - Posted by: raphaela, 3/8/2007 4:55:42 PM
Great, give him a push-mower and let him mow the lawn. Make him walk a couple of miles to and from school each day. Serve him warm drinks and turn off the a/c in the summer. Let him live like a 3rd worlder for a few years and then go back and talk 'politics' with the squirt. I'm certain that his parents (who no doubt drive a minivan) are oh-so-proud of the little socialist in the making.

Elite Iranian general defects with Hezbollah’s arms secrets

2007-03-08T23:13:00.000-06:00

For those on the Left who are forever confused and not sure who to 'root' for when it comes to the War on Terror.

This is a good thing.

Just thought I'd clear that up.

Response to Michael D. D'Auria 9-11 tribute

2007-03-07T23:42:00.000-06:00

Last September I participated in the 2996: tribute to the victims of 9-11. It was the largest blogger collaboration to date. My tribute was to Michael D. D'Auria, a firefighter who died in the collapse of the twin towers.

Today I received a rather e-mail from his mother which I don't believe she would mind me sharing with my readers. It read:

DEAR DAVID,

IT WAS 2 AM THIS MORNING AND MY DAUGHTER CHRISTINA CAME ACROSS YOUR SITE WITH MICHAEL'S STORY. I AM MICHAEL'S MOTHER NANCY. IT'S BEEN ALMOST SIX YEARS SINCE MY SON WAS TAKEN FROM US AND I STILL NEED REASSURANCE THAT PEOPLE WILL NOT FORGET ABOUT MICHAEL AND ALL THOSE INNOCENT PEOPLE WHO DIED THAT DAY.

I MUST SAY THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME THAT THEY WON'T FORGET. MY WAY OF MAKING SURE IS TO VOLUNTEER DOWN AT GROUND ZERO ALONG WITH THE SEPTEMBER 11 FAMILIES ASSOCIATION AND THE TRIBUTE CENTER GIVING TOURS. I MYSELF HAVE FOUND HOW VERY REWARDING IT IS. I REALIZE A BIT MORE EACH TIME I DO A TOUR HOW TOURISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD WANT TO KNOW AND HOW THEY APPRECIATE HEARING FROM THE FAMILIES THEMSELVES.

I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING WHICH MY DAUGHTER AND I THINK VERY IRONIC. SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE 9/11 MICHAEL'S FRIENDS HAD DECIDED TO OPEN A RESTAURANT. THE RESTAURANT WAS TO OPEN IN MID SEPTEMBER 2001. SINCE MICHAEL WAS HELPING THEM HE WAS ASKED TO CHOOSE A NAME. THE RESTAURANT WAS TO BE CALLED "SAGE".

I HAVE ATTACHED AN ARTICLE WRITTEN IN OUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER IN JULY OF 2002 I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO READ.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HONORING MY SON BY TELLING HIS STORY.

NANCY CIMEI

Thank you Nancy, and may God continue to bless (and heal) you and your family.

Jurors convict Libby on four of five charges

2007-03-06T22:26:00.000-06:00

Some good reaction to the decision from fellow blogger 'E' over at Constitutionclub.

Despite a sizable lack of evidence that normally would prevent such a conviction, this jury poured over very small amounts of testimony and evidence for literally hours and hours. They thought that they were really embroiled in some enormous case with huge ramifications. One can almost picture certain members of this elite D.C. jury, white board pens in hand, drawing arrows and quotes and time lines from Libby to Russert.
"The results are actually sad," Fitzgerald said. "It's sad that we had a situation where a high-level official person who worked in the office of the vice president obstructed justice and lied under oath. We wish that it had not happened, but it did."

No Patrick, what is sad is that you couldn't find evidence for your original investigation so you manufactured bogus charges based on what people may or may not remember about conversations they off-handedly had over the phone. Never forget that not one person has been convicted of illegally identifying Plame as a covert CIA operative. Its all about putting defendants in rooms with bright lights and firing questions at them. If they don't satisfactorily answer them, you can always get a conviction. What a sham!

One juror who spoke to reporters outside court said the jury had 34 poster-size pages filled with information they distilled from the trial testimony. They discerned that Libby was told about Plame at least nine times, and they did not buy the argument that he had forgotten all about it.

I stand corrected. They didn't use white boards. These jokers needed 34 poster pages for just a few conversations. Good thing we had them to save Western Civilization!

I'm waiting for the left to declare the Libby case a mockery and a complete miscarriage of justice. And those who agree with the outcome must also demand that Bill Clinton be put in jail as well.
I suspect I will be waiting for some time.

A couple other quick facts from 'E':

On his trip to Niger, Wilson found no evidence that contradicted the famous "16 words" in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union Address, contrary to his New York Times op-ed claim.
Plame, his wife, who worked for the CIA, did recommend him for the Niger trip, contrary to Wilson's denials.
Plame was not a covert agent under the definition of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, contrary to Wilson's insinuations, which many of his backers, including in the press, presented as fact.
No one from the White House "leaked" Plame's identity as a CIA functionary to Robert Novak, who received the information from Richard Armitage at the State Department.

Well done and well said.

The Greatest Cliché: The Unexamined Propaganda of "Political Correctness"

2007-03-06T00:23:00.000-06:00

Ah yes, the Left waxes indignant about being painted with the Politically Correct brush.

What they fail to admit is that the ideologies that pursue 'PC' policies are merely advocating the silencing and censoring of the thoughts and actions of others. The little totalitarian reservations we refer to as college campuses reek of speech codes and censorship as the fascists of the Left seek to mold us into their Orwellian servants in preparation for the coming utopia. They are all about free speech and tolerance and diversity and sensitivity and multiculturalism until one dares to openly admit to being pro-life, or a believer in traditional morality, or that a family should consist of a man and a woman and any offspring they may have, or to being a born again Christian, or that Israel has the right to exist, or that private gun ownership is commendable, or that maybe we should not allow in millions of illegal aliens every year..... Suddenly all that great liberal love and tenderness is thrown out the window and all that is left is the naked viciousness and intolerance of Political Correctness.

I've seen it, I've experienced it, and I spent my college years fighting and exposing it. It's not about calling Asian Americans 'Chinks' or women 'bitches' (red herring arguments at best), but about having the right to debate the issues of the day with full intellectual honesty. When debate is stifled and speech curtailed because everyone is petrified of causing 'perpetual outrage' due to an innocent comment or label that wasn't quite phrased right or may have 'offended' someone, then we have lost a valuable part of what made us a great nation. Those who would perform a collective intellectual lobotomy, and their goose stepping cadres shouting bumper sticker slogans, are the enemy and we've labeled their speech codes 'Political Correctness'.

It deserves every mockery and word of derision it has ever received. It is indeed true that the whiff of fascism can be detected in the air. It does not arise from the Right, but is the secret ideology of the Left.

Giuliani Estranged From His Children

2007-03-05T23:26:00.000-06:00

Some Say Personal Problems May Hurt Prospects

Rudi has a lifelong pattern of being a bad husband to several wives which is bound to raise a few eyebrows around the primaries and have a bad effect on his children as well. Will the average American really care about this? I am beginning to doubt it.

"I have problems with my father," Andrew told ABC. "But it doesn't mean he won't make a great President."

Christian belief a 'hate crime' under plan

2007-03-04T23:55:00.000-06:00

Backup proposal would mandate jail time for dissing a 'gay'

If fascism ever makes its appearance on the American scene, it will not have arisen from the rumblings on the Right, but from the various isms that infest the Left. Always be wary of anything that seeks to silence the pulpit, for your free speech and freedom to share your religious views will not be far behind.

"Truth is not allowed as evidence in hate crimes trials. … A homosexual can claim emotional damage from hearing Scripture that describes his lifestyle as an abomination. He can press charges against the pastor or broadcaster who merely reads the Bible in public. The 'hater' can be fined thousands of dollars and even imprisoned!" Marcavage said...As WND has reported, such laws already have been used around the world, where in Canada pastors are fearful of reading biblical injunctions against homosexuality, and in Australia where two pastors were convicted of "vilifying" Islam...Peter LaBarbera, of Americans for Truth, noted that in Canada and France both, legislators have been fined for publicly criticizing homosexuality. Three years ago, a Swedish hate crimes law was used to put Pastor Ake Green, who preached that homosexuality is a sin, in jail for a month.
"And recently, a British couple told how they were denied the chance to adopt because it was determined that their Christian faith might 'prejudice' them against a homosexual child put in their care," LaBarbera added.

Imagine There’s No Al Gore.

2007-03-04T23:43:00.000-06:00

My fellow blogger THB had this nice little nugget of wit and wisdom about Al Gore, John Lennon, and the future. Be sure to read the whole thing.

Excerpt:

...Woo-HOO, hoo-hoo-hoo! Imagine a future in which our descendants won’t become ecological pot roasts, in which the poor computer-generated polar bears of Al Gore fame might not have to perch like seagulls on the roofs of our drowned coastal cities. Imagine a future where European politicians will no longer have to waste time bickering over quaint fantasies like how many degrees they think they can allow the world temperature to rise and get back to the urgent business of surrendering to the swiftly rising tide of global Jihad. A future where festering malarial hellholes in Africa will get their DDT and maybe even some electricity from cheap coal-fired generating plants instead of such inadequate “Green” alternatives as solar power and windmills - the equivalent of giant hamster wheels. Once freed from the debilitating effects of constant disease perhaps they will be healthy enough to return to their favorite continental pastime: unending ethnic, religious and tribal slaughter. Some might even have the strength to (as Sam Kinnison once said) move out of their sandy desert wastelands and over to some place where actual food grows. Blighted eastern European villages will be allowed to open their mines and put people to work making actual money, with which they may buy such luxuries as toothbrushes, roofs for their homes and indoor toilets. They might even see their life expectancy soar to an all time high of forty five years and will no longer be the butt of Borat jokes. What a Brave New World indeed!....

How Gore's massive energy consumption saves the world

2007-03-04T12:01:00.000-06:00

Sarcasm at its best. More thoughts on the high priest of Climate Change.

Two hundred twenty-one thousand kilowatt-hours? What's he doing in there? Clamping Tipper to the electrodes and zapping her across the rec room every night? No, no, don't worry. Al's massive energy consumption is due entirely to his concern about the way we're depleting the Earth's resources. When I say "we," I don't mean Al, of course. I mean you -- yes, you, Earl Schlub, in the basement apartment at 29 Elm St. You're irresponsibly depleting the Earth's resources by using that electric washer when you could be down by the river with the native women beating your loin cloth dry on the rock while singing traditional village work chants all morning long. But up at the Gore mansion -- the Nashville Electric Service's own personal gold mine, the shining Cathedral of St. Al, Tennessee's very own Palace of Versal -- the Reverend Al is being far more environmentally responsible. As his spokesperson attempted to argue, his high energy usage derives from his brave calls for low energy usage. He's burning up all that electricity by sending out faxes every couple of minutes urging you to use less electricity....

....So Al can buy his carbon offsets from himself. Better yet, he can buy them with the money he gets from his long-time relationship with Occidental Petroleum. See how easy it is to be carbon-neutral? All you have do is own a gazillion stocks in Big Oil, start an eco-stockbroking firm to make eco-friendly investments, use a small portion of your oil company's profits to buy some tax-deductible carbon offsets from your own investment firm, and you too can save the planet while making money and leaving a carbon footprint roughly the size of Godzilla's at the start of the movie when they're all standing around in the little toe wondering what the strange depression in the landscape is.

Bill Maher Sorry the Assassination Attack on Cheney Failed

2007-03-03T21:47:00.000-06:00

At least he didn't call him a faggot. That would have been wrong.

Ann Coulter and Bill Maher: I can't think of two people who deserve each other more.

Maher: What about the people who got onto the Huffington Post – and these weren’t even the bloggers, these were just the comments section – who said they, they expressed regret that the attack on Dick Cheney failed.
Joe Scarborough: Right
Maher: Now…
John Ridley: More than regret.
Maher: Well, what did they say?
Ridley: They said “We wish he would die.” I mean, it was (?) hate language.
Barney Frank: They said the bomb was wasted. (laughter and applause)
Maher: That’s a funny joke. But, seriously, if this isn’t China, shouldn’t you be able to say that? Why did Arianna Huffington, my girlfriend, I love her, but why did she take that off right away?
After some discussion about why Huffington should or shouldn’t have taken these comments down, the following occurred:
Ridley: It’s one thing to say you hate Dick Cheney, which applies to his politics. It’s another thing to say, “I’m sorry he didn’t die in an explosion." And I think, you know…
Maher: But you should be able to say it. And by the way...
Frank: Excuse me, Bill, but can I ask you a question? Do you decide what the topics are for this show?
Maher: Yeah, I decide the topics, they don’t go there.
Frank: But you exercise control over the show the way that she does over her blog.
Maher: But I have zero doubt that if Dick Cheney was not in power, people wouldn’t be dying needlessly tomorrow. (applause)
Scarborough: If someone on this panel said that they wished that Dick Cheney had been blown up, and you didn’t say…
Frank: I think he did.
Scarborough: Okay. Did you say…
Maher: No, no. I quoted that.
Frank: You don’t believe that?
Maher: I’m just saying if he did die, other people, more people would live. That’s a fact.

Million rounds of ammo found in burning Norco home

2007-03-03T00:12:00.001-06:00

Sounds like a survivalist type guy here; harmless, but prepared for the worse. I've met plenty of similar types from time to time. Usually playing 'let's get ready in case the world ends' but law abiding citizens nonetheless.

Let's just say my little arsenal is a wee bit smaller than this, but what I really need is a tunnel. I need a tunnel.

Coulter: I Would Talk About Edwards But “You Have To Go Into Rehab If You Use The Word ‘Faggot’”

2007-03-02T23:56:00.000-06:00

Wow.

So Coulter is off the reservation yet again and the Left's response is to label her a transsexual and call for her to be burned alive. Sounds about even to me. A couple of children pushing each other off the monkey bars. I disagree with such slurs, I prefer to just leave juvenile behavior to the malcontents inhabiting the pinko section of the political spectrum.

Little Miss Apocalypse

2007-03-01T23:29:00.000-06:00

David Suzuki's willing use of children to promote his 'ecophobic' terror of the end of the world is reprehensible

Mr. Suzuki's favourite candidate so far is little Gillian. She delivers the message that if she were living on Sussex Drive, she would make some big changes "so that we don't destroy the planet with fossil fuels and carbon dioxide." She castigates SUVs, wants to stop the tar sands, and tells the camera that "Kyoto is not enough." This Littlest Pigovian wants to "institute a carbon tax right away."
Gillian is very obviously reading from a cue card. Only the final words of her message might possibly be her own: "If I were Prime Minister," she laughs, as if wanting to shake off all this forced earnestness, "I'd have blue hair.".... As for her hopes for the earth's future, she says: "A planet with no poisons, and," she concludes, with a slight hesitation--as if she really is smart enough to know that she's not sure what she's talking about -- "carbon dioxide."

The video that accompanies this little brainwashing scheme can be viewed here. Of course, at this age, my oldest daughter could walk around chanting 'NO MORE GUN CONTROL' with quite some gusto when prompted, much to my delight and my wife's chagrin. But I never exploited her to try to make a political point, and certainly didn't make her star in creepy Orwellian propaganda films .

L'Eggo My Lego (Teaching Socialism With Legos)

2007-03-01T22:51:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe (maybe not) this is happening in our country. Sad to see. Uncle Joe Stalin would be so proud.

According to the article, the students had been building an elaborate "Legotown," but it was accidentally demolished. The teachers decided its destruction was an opportunity to explore "the inequities of private ownership." According to the teachers, "Our intention was to promote a contrasting set of values: collectivity, collaboration, resource-sharing, and full democratic participation."
The children were allegedly incorporating into Legotown "their assumptions about ownership and the social power it conveys." These assumptions "mirrored those of a class-based, capitalist society -- a society that we teachers believe to be unjust and oppressive."
They claimed as their role shaping the children's "social and political understandings of ownership and economic equity ... from a perspective of social justice."

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who's the greenest of them all?

2007-02-28T23:19:00.000-06:00

A few good points for us to ponder... and, by the way, how big is your carbon footprint? Mine's about a nine.

The 1567 decision by the Catholic Church took the money out of the sin equation. It is a shame that the much younger Church of the Earth has yet to have this "Reformation" but then again it is a church much younger than Islam and we're still waiting on that Reformation.
Besides, new churches need funding and there is so much money to be made in this new and improved eco-scam.

It starts at the top. No more "eco-tourism" for the rich. No more private jets to the Super Bowl. No more jet- setting across the country for high-priced speaking engagements. Either this is a crisis that will destroy all of mankind if it isn't fixed now or it's just another way for the world aristocracy to purge themselves of a false sense of noblesse oblige. If it's the former, then the private jet-set are spoiled beyond belief for acting in such an ecologically injurious manner — if it isn't then they're peddlers of snake oil and fear.

Then again are these modern day anti-carbon crusaders not merely some secular avenging angels jetting far above us to the Eco-Armageddon, their flaming swords and hooting mouths uttering the chilling screams of Gaia-Uber-Alles? Are they not, as they will remind you ad infinitum, the New Saints for our New Age, oh so holy but yet oh so secular?

Sexy pix don't doom 'American Idol' vixen

2007-02-28T16:30:00.000-06:00

Some viewers outraged by semi-nude frolicking in World War II memorial

Worldnetdaily wades into the latest American Idol scandal.

A contestant on "American Idol will not be disqualified despite the emergence of racy photos, including one of her reportedly frolicking in a World War II memorial.

Lawsuit Raises Questions About Putdown ("That's So Gay")

2007-02-28T15:57:00.000-06:00

When a few classmates razzed Rebeka Rice about her Mormon upbringing with questions such as, "Do you have 10 moms?" she shot back: "That's so gay."
Those three words landed the high school freshman in the principal's office and resulted in a lawsuit that raises this question: When do playground insults used every day all over America cross the line into hate speech that must be stamped out?
After Rice got a warning and a notation in her file, her parents sued, claiming officials at Santa Rosa's Maria Carillo High violated their daughter's First Amendment rights when they disciplined her for uttering a phrase "which enjoys widespread currency in youth culture," according to court documents.

The little fascists strike again. Political Correctness and all the other ideological 'isms' associated with it are extremely dangerous, especially when they hide underneath the skirt of 'Tolerance' and 'Awareness'.

Making fun of the Mormon: Good-natured ribbing.
Daring to make fun of Homosexuality: Hate crime.

Dare I say this entire incident is really gay? How about 'really diverse'?

Of course 'gay' used to mean happy....

"That's so gay."
gay –adjective 1.having or showing a merry, lively mood: gay spirits; gay music. 2.bright or showy: gay colors; gay ornaments.

Al Gore’s Draft Commutation

2007-02-28T14:24:00.000-06:00

Apparently, not everyone is all that impressed by Al Gore, An Inconvenient Vice-President.

Al Gore liberals celebrated this week after the former vice-president received the Academy Award for Worst Science Fiction Film of 2006, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Gore supporters took the opportunity to again warn we great unwashed that the world will end on Friday, September 25, 2018, unless we all sell our cars and replace them with bicycles and we disconnect electricity from our homes and business and instead burn for fuel organically-grown peat...

Antonella Barba: The Infidel Babe of the Day

2007-02-28T12:56:00.000-06:00

You demanded it, so here she is.

Democrats urge Republican chairman to repudiate students' illegal immigration prank

2007-02-28T12:31:00.000-06:00

I wrote David Laska of the NY College Republicans (I'm a former College Republican myself) and congratulated him for effectively getting their point across on this issue and for handling himself brilliantly in an interview that I was fortunate enough to catch.

I received this response:

Thanks for the support. I know I speak for all of us when I say that it's greatly appreciated. It's nice to know that the nation is truly behind us, regardless of the situation on our campus.
Be well,
David

For background on this story visit Brand new game at NYU: 'Find the Illegal Immigrant'.

Cheney Unhurt in Suicide Attack: Democrats Disappointed

2007-02-28T11:54:00.000-06:00

More accurately, that should read 'progressives' I guess. Maybe not.

It’s really sad when the only praise you can bestow upon liberals is that they weren't as mean-spirited, vile and vulgar as some other liberals. It’s like praising Britney for not being quite as slutty as Paris…

The very first of the 437 vile and nasty posts on the Cheney story that were yanked yesterday by Huffingtonpost.com.

One just has to ask. Which side are they on?

Michelle Malkin has a good take on the story as well. Assassination chic, Cheney edition.

Charles Johnson from LittleGreenFootballs: "This kind of sick, twisted thinking is everywhere in the “progressive” blogosphere...And it’s even sicker than it appears at first glance, because many of these freaks want to see Cheney dead so that he can’t become president if someone assassinates President Bush."

More on this story at Rightometer: The Left's Hatred of Cheney Has No Limits.

Rewriting HerStory: Huffpo Expunges, Edits 100s of Comments at the Cheney Hate Festival

2007-02-28T01:57:00.000-06:00

I regularly cruise a large variety of Leftist and Liberal sites including Huffington Post. The hate fest described is certainly nothing new, but may have been exceptionally morbid and vicious this time around. What a bunch of sad, bitter, and angry people. Article has links showing the now expunged comments.

Over the last few hours, the more than 400 comments appended to the Huffington Post’s news item on the attack in Afghanistan on a base being visited by Vice-President Dick Cheney have been expunged from the site. At first the comments were closed, then gradually shrunken and for a short time completely expunged from The Huffington Post as the heat on the Cheney hate fest built up over the day.

Sceptre from Roman emperor exhibited

2007-02-28T00:38:00.000-06:00

An interesting find. The blue orb represents the earth and the grip of the sceptre was made of Orichalcum, a legendary gold-coloured brass alloy which parts of the sunken city of Atlantis were said to be forged from.

While emperors were often pictured on coins and in paintings holding a sceptre, no example of the real thing had been found up until last year. "We have never seen them for real before, there have been no similar findings," said Angelo Bottini, the head of Rome's archaeology department.

'Idol' Hopeful Antonella Barba's Pal Says X-Rated Pics Are Fake

2007-02-27T23:34:00.000-06:00

Racy photos have made semifinalist one of the most searched people online.

Which probably explains my amazing surge in traffic as of late.... Ah yes, what would our lives be like without the celebrity scandal of the week? In just the last few weeks we've seen Lindsay Lohan texting friends from rehab about how much she missed McDonalds and sex, Anna Nicole Smith dying and the ensuing legal battles over custody of the body, followed by Britney Spears doing a 'Curly' impression by shaving her hair off and now the saga of Antonella Barba's degree of sluttiness. The American people love their celebrity bad girls. The 'conspiracy nuts' are speculating that Antonella released most of the racy photos herself (many are from her now deleted Webshots account) in order to create an 'Internet stir' (has worked) to help propel her to the top spot, and the lucrative contracts that would follow. If true, it was not a bad plan for someone who can't really sing. Except for the fake porn photos that have turned out to not be of her but millions of people think is actually of her. An unexpected and unforeseen development I'm sure.

The anonymously posted shots helped Barba become one of the most searched people on the Internet over the past week, but her best friend, unsuccessful "Idol" aspirant Amanda Coluccio of Holmdel, New Jersey, said Monday that the most outrageous ones are fakes. Coluccio told Newark, New Jersey's Star-Ledger that the less graphic photos are of Barba, but that her friend is not the person depicted in the X-rated shots.
"The really bad ones aren't her. I've studied them," Coluccio told the paper. "It's not her nose. She's never had [acrylic nail] tips [like the woman in the photo] in her life. She's the least slutty person I know".

And in a completely unrelated story Millions In U.S. Infected With HPV.

Caucasophobia — the Accepted Racism

2007-02-26T23:33:00.000-06:00

The Fjordman Reports are always thoughtful, interesting, and informative.

I heard the Dutch-Somali critic of Islam Ayaan Hirsi Ali be told that if she had been white, she would be called a “racist.” Which essentially means that if you’re white, you’re not allowed under any circumstances to stand up for your own culture, far less criticize non-whites. It doesn’t matter whether what you’re saying is actually correct. Whites have thus effectively been disfranchised in matters related to immigration or the preservation of their own countries.We cannot defend the West against Muslim immigration unless we defeat Political Correctness. And we cannot defeat Political Correctness until we have utterly demolished the ideas that all whites are racists if they defend their culture or desire self-determination, or that non-whites are only victims of racism.

Giant grouper lands former storm center chief in hot water

2007-02-26T23:06:00.000-06:00

Congrats to Max Mayfield on the fine catch and shame on his critics for giving him a hard time. It's not like it's mounted and hanging above his fireplace, is it? So much for 'catch and release'.

"Mayfield caught a 200-pound Goliath grouper while fishing with friends in the Gulf of Mexico a few days after his retirement Jan. 1. The boat captain and crew slid the grouper into the boat through a door in the back, unhooked it, snapped a few celebratory photos and slid it back into the water. It swam away.
Such photographs are common fare in fishing magazines, but since Goliath is protected species bringing one into the boat is illegal, even if just for a few minutes. Doing so can damage a protective slime the covers the fish."

A History of the English Speaking Peoples since 1900

2007-02-26T23:00:00.000-06:00

An excellent interview with Andrew Roberts, author of the new book A History of the English Speaking Peoples since 1900. Well worth the read.

Roberts: The four great assaults on the English-speaking peoples since 1900 have been undertaken by various mutations of Fascism. The proto-Fascism of the Prussian militarists, the Axis powers' Fascism, the Red Fascism of the Soviets, and presently the Totalitarian Islamic Terrorist Fascism are all motivated by loathing of the English-speaking peoples' traditions of democratic pluralism...

'Grave mistake' may have cost young zookeeper her life

2007-02-26T20:35:00.000-06:00

Ya think?

What's really sad about this incident is the number of people who are aghast that the poor little 140 pound kitty cat had to be killed. Never mind a person tragically lost her life, but let us not forget to deeply mourn the real victim, the jaguar.... Geez.

Al Gore’s Personal Energy Use Is His Own “Inconvenient Truth”

2007-02-26T20:29:00.000-06:00

Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy....

I guess conserving is only for 'the little people', not for the high priest of climate change.

Antonella Barba: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?

2007-02-25T23:28:00.000-06:00

Here we go again. Girls, if there is even the slightest chance of you being in a beauty pageant, marrying anyone famous, or being on TV, don't spend your teenage years letting people taking risque pictures of yourself. Anabella certainly had an insatiable appetite for posing for photographs, and her friends for posting them on the Internet. There are now forty something 'questionable' pics floating about and seemingly more popping up by the minute. But we must face up to the important question. Will all this publicity help her quest to become the next American Idol? (She needs it, she can't sing) Perhaps a bit of free publicity that the others can't hope to duplicate may be all she needs to sail straight on through. We'll have to wait and see.

Helicopter pilot gets highest military honor for action in Vietnam battle

2007-02-25T16:25:00.000-06:00

An amazing man and a true hero. I thank him for his service and sacrifice.

"If the air bridge failed, the embattled men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry would certainly die in much the same way George Armstrong Custer's cavalrymen died at the Little Bighorn — cut off; surrounded by numerically superior forces, overrun and butchered to the last man," Moore, the infantry commander, wrote.
Crandall volunteered to continue the airlifts and Freeman — his wingman for hundreds of flights in Vietnam — joined him. Together, they began flying into the clearing, dropping off supplies to Moore's men while filling up their Hueys with the wounded.Crandall switched helicopters three times because of the fire he was taking. He and Freeman flew through the day and into the night, landing 22 times and taking out at least 70 wounded soldiers.

Surrendering our Sovereignty

2007-02-25T11:14:00.000-06:00

It occurred to me at this conference, after examining the literature provided to me and hearing the various experts on the panels, that a process has been well underway to merge not only the legal but economic, political, and social systems of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. I wondered how this was all set in motion and what justification there was legally, legislatively or constitutionally, for it to proceed.

Shhhh... The Surge is Working

2007-02-24T23:54:00.000-06:00

Today's 'wise man speaketh' commentary is by Patrick Ruffini via Townhall.com.
Be sure to read the whole thing...

...But something interesting is happening on the way to the "new direction." Early indications are that the troop surge into Baghdad is working. It hasn't been reported on widely, but murders in Baghdad are down 70%, attacks are down 80%, Mahdi Army chief Moqtada al-Sadr has reportedly made off for Iran, and many Baghdadis who had fled the violence now feel it's safe enough to return. The strategy that Congress is busy denouncing is proving to be our best hope for victory.

It's too early to claim victory just yet; the operation is just two weeks old. But U.S. troops have been able to accomplish all of this with just one more brigade in-country, with four more on the way by May. These encouraging early returns show the potential for success when we apply concentrated military force to the security problem. When the Army and Marine Corps are on offense, carrying out combat operations and clearing out insurgent strongholds, we win. When we lay back, carrying out routine patrols and playing Baghdad beat cop, we lose....

US 'Iran attack plans' revealed

2007-02-24T23:36:00.000-06:00

This should be no surprise. The Israelis have elaborate plans for a major strike if, and when, the Iranians are on the brink of acquiring a functional nuclear weapon. The true trigger may be when the Israelis tell us they are going in. The US, in an effort to prevent a major Arab/Israeli conflict, will just say 'don't worry about it, we'll take care of it' and then unleash hell on the Persians.

Two triggers

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says the trigger for such an attack reportedly includes any confirmation that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon - which it denies.
The Natanz plant is buried under concrete, metal and earth
Alternatively, our correspondent adds, a high-casualty attack on US forces in neighbouring Iraq could also trigger a bombing campaign if it were traced directly back to Tehran.
Long range B2 stealth bombers would drop so-called "bunker-busting" bombs in an effort to penetrate the Natanz site, which is buried some 25m (27 yards) underground.

THE RISING SEA DRAGON IN ASIA - 2007 UPDATE

2007-02-24T23:02:00.000-06:00

The Chinese plan for regional domination and the ability to militarily challenge the U.S. continues unabated. Funded by your 'Wal-Mart, Buy China' dollars. Do you have the discipline to boycott China?

Cybersleuth Mom (She infiltrates terrorist networks)

2007-02-24T22:50:00.000-06:00

Making the World a Little Safer

Meanwhile, the Democrats eagerly await the outcome of the 'Scooter' Libby trial.....

The One Man Counter-Protest

2007-02-24T17:26:00.000-06:00

I like this type of political statement. It's an incredibly effective way to defang and embarrass the appeasers among us.

The Infidel Babe of the Day

2007-02-24T17:20:00.000-06:00

Deviant website seeks to indocrinate children

2007-02-24T14:47:00.000-06:00

Now that our society has officially lowered us all to the level of rutting rabbits, the Coalition for Positive Sexuality is specifically targeting and encouraging promiscuous sex, abortion and homosexuality. The Younger the Better should be their slogan. Funded by the homosexual lobby (and perhaps finally putting the myth that there is no homosexual agenda to rest) CPS is agressively pushing its agenda of More sex/No guilt/No consequences to young and impressionable children at public schools nationwide. Perhaps the juncture of the gay movement and the Feminista movement. Anything to undermine traditional morals and the traditional family structure that is their greatest enemy.

Since CPS was founded by radical homosexual groups ACT-UP and Queer Nation, there is no shortage of homosexual propaganda. The site instructs teens: “If you think you might be queer, relax! Everyone has questions about their sexuality at some time or another, and exploring your sexual feelings is important and exciting. If you think you are queer, try to find a
lesbian/bisexual/gay/transgender community center near you,where you can meet other queers your age.”

The CPS website also promotes abortion with links to pro-abortion groups such as NARAL and attempts to down-play the gravity of making such a decision. They describe the baby-killing operation as follows: “Abortion is a simple medical procedure which ends a pregnancy. Throughout history, around the world, and in many religions, women have used abortion as part of our healthcare.”

Margaret Thatcher, Britain's 'Iron Lady', turns bronze

2007-02-23T23:49:00.000-06:00

A bronze statue of Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister known as the "Iron Lady," was unveiled Wednesday in her presence. Thatcher is the first living ex-Prime Minister to be honoured in such a way by the Commons.

A joyful Thatcher told onlookers: "I might have preferred iron -- but bronze will do. It won't rust."

Abortion is a moral good

2007-02-23T16:04:00.000-06:00

Another moving piece from former Edwards blogger, (I was forced to resign) Amanda Marcotte. I've been vacationing over in anti-penis land for a good part of the week and now realize that I am only 'not woman'. It's amazing what one learns by trolling the blogosphere. I posted the following little comment in response to her post just for fun. Marcotte's two favorite words in the world are Patriarchy and misogyny. They are in nearly every post on her site. Plus, I think, she thinks she sound 'smart' if she uses a few big words over and over and over.

Surely those who believe in the sanctity of human life or see abortion as a human rights issue (all humans have the inherent right to life) have the right to challenge the morality of abortion. And those who praise infanticide as liberation and termination of pregnancy as mere elimination of 'parasitic' cells can (and should) be challenged on their viewpoints.

Of course, I must admit to the resident Feministas that I am Right Wing blogger and columnist, (not to mention male) so I must be just a blind victim to a sexist Patriarchal culture tinted with levels of misogyny that brainwashes me to only see women as pleasure objects and chattel to be shackled in the drudgery and monotony inherent with traditional male/female stereotypical marriage roles.

What do you think?

VP Cheney: A Man with a Spine

2007-02-23T15:18:00.000-06:00

From the AP wire.

During Friday’s interview in Sydney with ABC News, Cheney said, “I’m not sure what part of it is that
Nancy disagreed with. She accused me of questioning her patriotism. I didn’t question her patriotism. I questioned her judgment.”

“You also have to be accountable for the results. What are the consequences of that? What happens if we withdraw from Iraq ?,” he said. “And the point I made and I’ll make it again is that al-Qaida functions on the basis that they think they can break our will. That’s their fundamental underlying strategy, that if they can kill enough Americans or cause enough havoc, create enough chaos in Iraq, then we’ll quit and go home. And my statement was that if we adopt the Pelosi policy, that then we will validate the strategy of al-Qaida. I said it and I meant it.”Asked if he was willing to take back his criticism of Pelosi, Cheney replied, “I’m not backing down.”

Illegal Aliens Waging 'Silent War' on US

2007-02-23T14:27:00.000-06:00

Gilchrist said he used the terms "killed in action" and "wounded" intentionally "because essentially, we have a war going on here that's not a declared war, that's not a conventional war, but it is costing us 9,000 lives a year."
That amounted to "about 15 times the rate of KIAs [soldiers killed in action] in Iraq," he said.

Where's the outrage?

QUICK! Get this kid some prozac!

2007-02-23T14:14:00.000-06:00

It appears that THB (The Hairy Beast) is less than impressed by the latest androgynous Greenpeace ad and its fascist overtones.

Upon watching this video advertisement from Greenpeace the first words that sprang to The Beast’s mind were “Wicked creepy”. Why waste ten bucks at the local cineplex to watch the origins of Hannibal Lechter when you can see it here for free?...What shall we call this new environmental youth-thug army this kid hints is coming? The Greenshirts?

Rats gone wild! Video shows rats running through NYC restaurant

2007-02-23T14:08:00.000-06:00

I thought their 'chicken' lost some of its quality after the Colonel died....

The Salt Lake Shooter and Sudden Jihad Syndrome

2007-02-21T23:02:00.000-06:00

As I so often do, I took a few of my posts and put together a column. This should be hitting a large variety of sites from now on through the weekend:

If you only read the news as reported by the Main Stream Media, you would never know that we had just recently experienced another Jihad style attack by a Muslim on American soil.

On Monday, Feb. 12th, one time Bosnian refugee Sulejmen Talovic (age 18) walked into the Trolley Valley shopping mall in Salt Lake City and in a six minute rampage killed five people and severely wounded several more. The dead were identified as Jeffrey Walker, 52, Vanessa Quinn, 29, Kirsten Hinkley, 15, Teresa Ellis, 29, and Brad Frantz, 24.

My initial (blogged) reaction was:

“Any guesses as to whether he's a Muslim or not? I may be going out on a limb here, but I sense another follower of Allah and the Religion of Peace.... And might I add that this is a great example of how having a large section of the population allowed to conceal carry is a good idea.”

Sure enough it turns out Sulejmen Talovic was indeed a Muslim and that little nugget of information has fueled a firestorm of speculation among bloggers and unleashed accusations of ‘cover up’ directed towards the Main Stream Media and law enforcement investigators. The media showed an interesting and obvious reluctance to initially disclose, let alone discuss, eighteen year old Talovic’s religious persuasion.

A nearby wedding videographer was able to videotape the initial police response and capture audio of some of the shootings as well as the shouts of the shooter before police gunned him down. The chilling tape can be viewed at: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8dbc5_4507 .

On the video, the Islamic battle cry of "Allah-hu Akbar" (God is great) is heard two times at 1:38-1:40 as the officer identifies himself. There appears to be a third one at 1:47.

So it appears that a Bosnian Muslim shooting his way through a mall killing Americans and shouting Allah-hu Akbar in the post 9-11 era is apparently not newsworthy. Am I missing something here?
According to the Associated Press, FBI agent Patrick Kiernan has reassured us that the bureau has no reason to believe Talovic "was motivated by religious extremism" or intended "an act of terrorism."

Thank goodness. I know I feel better.

Instead, investigators insist “Mr. Talovic's motive remains a mystery.”

We can only assume that the politically correct, multiculturalist dogma has struck again. The shouts of Allah-hu Akbar do kind of give it away, but the mainstream media has pretty much balked at saying the “M” word. When it comes to this attack, the news is something to be spun, not necessarily reported. They also went out of their way to assure us (incorrectly) that the latest Islamic martyr did not attend any mosques in the area.

This was quickly refuted:
“Although he quit school at 16, Sulejman Talovic often attended Friday prayers at the Al-Noor mosque on 700 East in Salt Lake City" - Salih Omerovic (a relative). The mosque is two blocks from the mall where the shooting took place.

Charles Johnson over at LittleGreenFootballs.com put it this way after coming under fire by Utah's Deseret News for daring to mention the fact that the killer happened to be a Muslim.
”And we’re supposed to believe, apparently, that there is absolutely no connection between Islam and terrorism, and anybody who suspects one is either a racist or an ultraconservative.”

Bloggers have adopted the term 'Sudden Jihad Syndrome' (coined by Daniel Pipes) to describe this type of incident where otherwise normal appearing Muslims abruptly become violent. Leaderless resistance and lone wolf martyrdom operations are both preached and praised by the global jihadists.
There have been several such incidents in the last few years.

FrontpageMag.com published a column entitled Salt Lake Jihad? :

”In October 2006, a pro-jihad internet site published a “Guide for Individual Jihad,” explaining to jihadists “how to fight alone.” It recommended, among other things, assassination with guns and running people over. Is it possible that Sulejmen Talovic and some of these others were waging this jihad of one?”

An editorial entitled Sudden Jihad Syndrome at Investors Business Daily lists eight other recent examples of young Muslim men launching individual attacks in the United States.

The shooters family is extremely shocked by their son’s act of terror and suspect the possible encouragement and involvement of others.
From KLS.com:

“The father of Trolley Square shooter Sulejmen Talovic apologizes over and over for the ordeal. Suljo Talovic says no one who knew his son saw this coming and he believes someone pushed him to do it.
Suljo Talovic doesn't know where his son got the guns or how he learned how to use them.
Suljo Talovic, Father of Shooter: "Somebody got (the guns)…and maybe (they were) training him and tell(ing) him (to), ‘go shoot somebody.'"
Question: So you think that somebody influenced him maybe to do this?
Suljo Talovic: "Yeah. I think somebody."
Talovic says the tragedy is taking a toll on his family.
Repeatedly, in a lengthy interview with KSL Newsradio, Talovic expressed the sentiment that someone trained and pushed his son to kill. He apologizes for the ordeal, saying it makes him feel horrible, like killing himself.”

The fact the father suspects someone recruited and trained his son is significant. We need answers as to who supplied the guns and the ammunition and who instructed him in their use. We can only hope that law enforcement has cast aside the chains of political correctness and is vigorously investigating and interrogating all those who interacted, and attended mosque, with young Talovic.

Once again it has been left to the blogosphere and Internet outlets to lead the investigation and uncover the motives of this latest terrorist attack on the Homeland.

Power, Faith, and Fantasy in the Middle East

2007-02-21T10:13:00.000-06:00

A couple of interviews this morning. This is one with historian Michael Oren on the tangled web of US involvement from the age of Jefferson to today.

“You cannot withdraw from Iraq and be confident that the enemy is not going to follow you. Because the enemy is going to follow you. America can’t detach from the Middle East because the Middle East is not going to detach from America. And America’s going to have to learn to fight this fight to win in a much more prudent and effective way. And there are ways America can fight it more effectively.” — Michael Oren

The Infidel Revolution

2007-02-21T10:08:00.000-06:00

An interview with Bill Warner, the director of the Center for the Study of Political Islam (CSPI).

Mainstream political bloggers freaking suck.

2007-02-20T23:45:00.000-06:00

Perhaps one of the most whiny and pathetic blog posts of all time. Her blog was 'instalaunched' by Instapundit.com and she seems to not be able to handle or comprehend it. In her opinion, apparently, you actually have to be a single mother, non-white, or dirt poor to bring something constructive to the blogosphere and society in general. I guess this makes my new friend 'Camstar' the dolt of the week.

Update: She quit already. She's searching for diversity, poor soul, and just can't find it anywhere.

The English-speaking century

2007-02-20T23:42:00.000-06:00

In the past one hundred years, four successive political movements—Prussian militarism, German Nazism, Japanese imperialism, and international Communism— mounted military campaigns to conquer Europe, Asia, and the world. Had any of them prevailed, it would have been a profound loss for civilization as we know it. Yet over the course of these bids for power, a coalition headed first by Britain and then by the United States emerged not just to oppose but to destroy them utterly......

A (relatively) long read, but well worth the time.

Iraq's Maliki orders security forces to crush foes

2007-02-20T23:15:00.000-06:00

It's about time. I think the Iraqi's are waking up to the fact that in all probability the Americans will be leaving, or at least reducing support and troop levels, in the relatively near future. And they are scared and know that if they don't step up they are going to be in one heck of a mess. I hope they take this seriously and step up to the plate.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki told his security forces on Tuesday to show no mercy towards insurgents in a security crackdown in Baghdad....Iraqiya state television showed Maliki, a Shi'ite Islamist leader, talking to an Iraqi soldier near an armoured vehicle in central Baghdad. The soldier pointed to an area from where he said insurgents had been firing at security forces.
"Don't just fire back, crush the place where the fire came from," Maliki replied. "Don't treat them with leniency. This is an armoured vehicle here, use it."

"Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women." - Conan

Pakistani Minster Shot Dead For Not Wearing Veil

2007-02-20T19:35:00.000-06:00

Sweetness and Light brings us this breaking story. You talk about strict enforcement of dress codes......

A Parallel Muslim Universe

2007-02-20T18:34:00.000-06:00

The West has always (correctly) put great emphasis on assimilation and integration into the community by immigrant groups. We are not seeing that here.

Disturbing as this trend may be, it cannot be pinned exclusively on Muslim groups. Under the guise of religious tolerance, German society stood blithely by as some parts of its Muslim communities began turning into parallel societies. For years, the country's courts have been excusing Muslim girls from coed swimming lessons and class outings - citing the most absurd reasons for their rulings.

New footage of JFK in Dallas released

2007-02-20T18:12:00.000-06:00

A still image from previously unreleased footage shows the late President John F. Kennedy (L) and the late Jacqueline Kennedy (R) riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas, moments before he was gunned down on November 22, 1963 in this image released on February 19, 2007. (The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza/Handout/Reuters)

The Infidel Babe of the Day

2007-02-20T16:17:00.000-06:00

This is dedicated to all our radical female feminist friends who spend their whole lives paranoid that they are being oppressed.

Jack Murtha: The Britney Spears of Congress

2007-02-20T15:50:00.000-06:00

A good point and one that brings the last few posts all together. You also need to see the picture that goes with this story.

Jack Murtha is the Britney Spears of Congress. And his anti-war stance is the avenue to his pathological need to be noticed. And he isn’t alone.

Enter the world of the young feminists

2007-02-20T13:27:00.000-06:00

As I was investigating and researching the John Edwards blogger 'scandal' I did venture over into the land of spiteful and bitter young feminists where wannabe Edwards blogger Amanda Marcotte dwells. From there, a little web surfing led me to several other blogs by self professed 'liberated' and 'feminist' women. What an interesting excursion. Unfortunately, the little pink-booted feministas are all fixated on the same things: men suck, marriage equals slavery and drudgery, unborn babies are mere parasitic cells, Christianity is evil, anybody with a penis is trying to oppress them, and whether blowjobs are oppressive and degrading. I kid you not. Throw in a few neo-intellectual posts about all pervasive patriarchy and misogyny and that's about all they have to offer.

DFV from ConstitutionClub had this little treat to add to the discussion:

"That feminist blogger from the Edwards campaign is quite the narcissist. She thinks that conservative bloggers sit around dreaming up ways to get rid of low-level, no-name, talentless bloggers who work for second-tier presidential campaigns more than a year out from an election.

Sorry, sweet tits. You're just not good enough to claim the role of martyr.

So why did John Edwards buckle to the "right wing smear machine" and fire the blogger? Could be comments she made like this:

Q: What if Mary had taken Plan B after the Lord filled her with his hot, white, sticky Holy Spirit?
A: You'd have to justify your misogyny with another ancient mythology.

When pressed on this, she claimed that this was absolutely "not meant to mock anyone's faith."
I can't imagine why Edwards fired her. He must be a misogynist too. "

Edwards: "Perhaps the Greatest Short-Term Threat to World Peace Is the Possibility That Israel Would Bomb Iran's Nuclear Facilities"

2007-02-20T12:45:00.000-06:00

The definitive proof that John Edwards is completely unqualified to be President of the United States.

Hillary Spot reader Michael points out this little gem in Peter Bart's column on John Edwards' comments in Hollywood:

There are other emerging fissures, as well. The aggressively photogenic John Edwards was cruising along, detailing his litany of liberal causes last week until, during question time, he invoked the "I" word — Israel. Perhaps the greatest short-term threat to world peace, Edwards remarked, was the possibility that Israel would bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. As a chill descended on the gathering, the Edwards event was brought to a polite close.

Really? Israel is the biggest threat? Not Ahmedinijad? Not al-Qaeda? Not a coup attempt in Pakistan? Not a complete breakdown in Iraq drawing in the Saudis, Turks, and Iranians?

Or, you know, perhaps not.

Poor John Murtha

2007-02-19T23:58:00.000-06:00

"....this guy is long past the day when he had anything but the foggiest awareness of what the heck is going on in the world."- Brit Hume, Fox News Sunday, February 18, 2007

Arab states trained Al-Qaeda men to fight in Somalia

2007-02-19T00:51:00.000-06:00

Hundreds of Islamist fighters were flown, with Eritrean assistance, from Somalia to Syria and Libya for military training. Others were taken to Lebanon to fight with Hezbollah, the report to the UN security council has revealed.
UN investigators also detailed military aid given to the Islamists by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Arab states friendly to the West. Iran also supplied 125 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, 80 of which arrived by sea in dhows and the rest by air.
A clandestine operation to smuggle the fighters out of Somalia began in July last year.

The Infidel Babe of the Day

2007-02-19T00:43:00.000-06:00

The Bald Britney Spears

2007-02-18T15:26:00.000-06:00

"She was on a mission," he said. "She had made up her mind that she was shaving her head before she came in."
According to Tognozzi, Spears said she was tired of her hair extensions and wanted to make like
Sinead O'Connor. Then she asked Tognozzi if she could do the deed herself.
"She grabbed the shears and just started shaving her head," Tognozzi said. Asked if anyone tried to intervene, he responded, "No, she wasn't there with any friends. Just a couple of bodyguards who didn't try to stop her."

It's kind of odd to watch people just fall apart. It's like watching Anna Nicole Smith all over again. A personal train wreck that everyone just sits back and watches happen.

For more pics and videos of Britney shaving her head click here.

At least 28 bombs explode in Thailand

2007-02-18T15:19:00.000-06:00

The Religion of Peace strikes again...

and again and again. It was a busy day for terrorist thugs around the world.

Support Swells for Agents Who Shot Drug Smuggler

2007-02-18T15:06:00.000-06:00

These men should have been praised, maybe given a medal or two, and then sent back out to do their duty. Maybe if we actually gunned down a few more drug smugglers they'd be a bit more leery about bringing their poison into our country. Of course, if we actually had a secure and fortified border, we'd have far fewer of these type of incidents. And the fact that these agents are not being protected from the riff raff that are gunning for them in prison is absolutely unforgiveable and inexcusable.

"We think this thing has been mishandled from the start," Gage said. "We're meeting . . . with the head of the Bureau of Prisons. I'm going to raise some hell there to find out why these guys are in that particular institution."

Hillary Clinton: 'Hugo Chavez in a pantsuit'

2007-02-18T14:44:00.000-06:00

Excerpt:

Longtime Internet users will recognize the phrase “All your base are belong to us.” It’s a comically stupid but popular English translation from a late ’80s Japanese video game. In a nutshell, it is a declaration of dominance – everything of yours is now mine.

That sentiment has emerged in Washington – from Hillary Clinton. The presidential candidate used it when she made her feelings about private property known at the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting.

Clinton must have been shocked that the free market works so well that some Americans actually profit from dealings other than Whitewater. So she decided this sort of thing must end.

Wanted: A Pill to Cure Liberalism

2007-02-18T11:05:00.000-06:00

I believe Liberalism is as much a religion as it is a mental illness, but this is an entertaining article nonetheless.

"Swirski points out that liberals, in almost every instance, react like children, for whom the most cherished value in life is to be “liked” by their peers. As children see things, “to be liked…is not to engage in conflict, not to fight, not to judge. After all, if you fight with anyone, including Islamic terrorists, they won’t like you. And if you judge them as savages, murderers, enemies of democracy, they will fight you. So don’t judge them and they won’t fight you…” Does that sound familiar? It is pure Democrat Party orthodoxy.
Swirsky provides us with a simple litmus test. She says, “…the next time you’re watching or listening to a liberal, observe the symptoms…Note the anger, the pessimism, the negativity, the name-calling, the bursts of rage, the gratuitous insults, the desire to present an image of ‘goodness,’ the transparent attempt to be liked, the willingness to change an opinion if the old one isn’t polling well, and the eagerness to placate our enemies…”

Cox & Forkum Editorial Cartoons

2007-02-18T02:09:00.000-06:00

Today I added Cox & Forkum editorial cartoons (and blog) to my blogroll. They have been providing free cartoons to bloggers for some time and are doing their part in the ideological struggles facing our nation and our world.

‘We will conquer your country with the bellies of our women…’

2007-02-18T01:43:00.000-06:00

An Australian gives his opinion on the Religion of Peace:

Hijabs, burkhas, niqabs, jilbabs, a sharp raise in crime, fear and intimidation, rape-epidemics and riots on our streets and beaches are only the beginning: Houari Boumédienne, Algeria’s undisputed ruler until his death in 1978, said it clearly in a 1974 UN speech:

“One day, millions of men will leave the Southern Hemisphere to go to the Northern Hemisphere. And they will not go there as friends.
Because they will go there to conquer it. And they will conquer it with their sons. The wombs of our women will give us victory.”

Amanda Marcotte, (Anti-Christian) Martyr To The Cause

2007-02-18T01:09:00.000-06:00

An excellent post by the blog Sweetness & Light concerning one of the Edward's bloggers who resigned because of "the right-wing noise machine". If whiny young feminists irritate you, then don't click on the article. She just doesn't get the fact that she was 'targeted' not because she's young or female, but because she's a Left wing nutjob with extremist and bigoted views. Can someone please e-mail her and explain that in simple to understand language?

Father of Shooter Believes Someone Told His Son to Kill People

2007-02-17T23:20:00.000-06:00

Just a troubled teen or a jihadist tool?

The story of the Salt Lake Shooter continues to develop and becomes a bit more interesting with every revelation. Earlier I posted that I believed that this attack was at its core a 'jihadist' action (despite the protestations of the MSM). I believe time will prove me right. After the initial denials that Sulejman Talovic was an active Muslim, it has come out that he regularly attended a mosque just a block from the mall where the shootings occurred.

The father of Trolley Square shooter Sulejmen Talovic apologizes over and over for the ordeal. Suljo Talovic says no one who knew his son saw this coming, and he believes someone pushed him to do it.
Suljo Talovic doesn't know where his son got the guns or how he learned how to use them.
Suljo Talovic, Father of Shooter: "Somebody got (the guns)…and maybe (they were) training him and tell(ing) him (to), ‘go shoot somebody.'"
Question: So you think that somebody influenced him maybe to do this?
Suljo Talovic: "Yeah. I think somebody."
Talovic says the tragedy is taking a toll on his family.
Repeatedly, in a lengthy interview with KSL Newsradio, Talovic expressed the sentiment that someone trained and pushed his son to kill. He apologizes for the ordeal, saying it makes him feel horrible, like killing himself.

Political Correctness is the Incubator of Islamism

2007-02-17T22:53:00.000-06:00

Today's 'wise man speaketh' column is by Amil Imani over at Islam Watch: Speaking the Truth about Islam.

...* We, in the United States, further need to embark on a comprehensive legal, educational, and social campaign to eradicate the deadly plague of Islam. By effective action, we even save those peaceful Muslims from their own affliction. I am not hatemongering. I would love to see all Muslims become ex-Muslims and full-fledged members of a diverse tolerant democratic society. It is a statement of fact about what Islam is. Islam is a highly communicable pandemic violent disease that demands urgent and serious containment.
Europe is already badly infected with Islamism. It is the coal-miners’ canary. It is telling us that the next stop is America. We must act and act now. We must not sacrifice our cherished way of life and the lives of our children at the altar of political correctness: the incubator of Islamofascism.

The Infidel Babe of the Day

2007-02-16T23:01:00.000-06:00

Internet Buzzing Over Mystery Weapon Found in Iraq

2007-02-16T18:11:00.000-06:00

I think its a Pelosi6000...

The Call of Retreat Comes With Applause

2007-02-16T17:52:00.000-06:00

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca., gavels the 246-182 vote approving a nonbinding measure, a symbolic rejection of President Bush's plan to deploy more troops to Iraq, Friday, Feb. 16, 2007, in Washington. AP Photo/vis CSPAN)

Democrats applauded the announcement of the vote tally. C-SPAN cut the sound right after Speaker Pelosi announced the totals. However, Democrat members were clearly visible in the front row, applauding the House of Representatives taking the initial step toward engineering the defeat of the United States in Iraq.

Disgusting.