and here's two things. Insty points to this roundup, and Stingray had a link to this on China's economic problems. Including
Recent figures do not bode well for China’s current economic forecast. Unemployment has risen dramatically over the last few months, with an estimated 20 million of China’s 130 million migrant workers unable to find work. Textile factories are closing by the thousands leaving large swaths of China’s textile workers unemployed. The World Bank on Wednesday lowered its economic growth forecast for China this year to 6.5 percent, down from 7.5 percent at the end of last November, after huge falls in exports and shrinking private sector investment.
As a large country with an unusually high degree of openness to the world economy, China depends on other countries, notably the United States, for its domestic prosperity and stability. Thus China is highly vulnerable to shocks from the international economy. The latest figures show foreign trade accounts for 75% of China’s GDP - an astounding figure when put in perspective.
I'm not an economist, but for a nation that size to depend on foreign trade for that much of GDP... that's not good.
Also,
Consequently, since 1989, the term “social stability” became a fixture of CCP rhetoric. Stripped down to essence however, this is merely a euphemism to convince the Chinese public that Communist Party rule is essential for maintaining order and prosperity, and without it, a country as large as China could descend into civil war and chaos. In their speeches, the leaders make no secret of their anxieties and social unrest, frequently using the catchphrase ”维护社会安全“ or “maintaining social order” as the overarching principle of Chinese development.
"Maintaining social order"; translation, "The Party is your best friend and leader, remember it or else."
To be sure, it is easy to see why CCP leaders are obsessed with preserving social order. There are signs all around them of burgeoning social unrest that Beijing is acutely aware of. Official statistics indicate that there were 58,000 “incidences of social unrest” in 2003, 74,000 in 2004, and 87,000 in 2005. Scanning the horizon from Zhongnanhai, the government epicenter in Beijing, CCP leaders see nothing but the spector of inchoate social unrest threatening the legitimacy Communist Party rule.
Remember that ancient Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times"?
Friday, July 10, 2009
This story about Gen. Chesty Puller is apocryphal,
but I like it.
During one battle a ROK ( Republic of Korea ) commander, whose unit was fighting along with the Marines, called legendary Marine General Chesty Puller, to report a major Chinese attack in his sector.
"How many Chinese are attacking you?" asked Puller.
"Many, many Chinese!" replied the excited Korean officer.
General Puller asked for another count and got the same answer, "Many, many, many Chinese!"
"X*#dammit!" swore Puller, "Put my Marine liaison officer on the radio."
In a minute, an American voice came over the air:
"Yes sir?"
"Lieutenant," growled Chesty, "exactly how many Chinese you got up there?"
"General, we got a whole shit load of Chinese up here!"
"Thank God!" exclaimed Puller, "At least there's someone up there who knows how to count.
During one battle a ROK ( Republic of Korea ) commander, whose unit was fighting along with the Marines, called legendary Marine General Chesty Puller, to report a major Chinese attack in his sector.
"How many Chinese are attacking you?" asked Puller.
"Many, many Chinese!" replied the excited Korean officer.
General Puller asked for another count and got the same answer, "Many, many, many Chinese!"
"X*#dammit!" swore Puller, "Put my Marine liaison officer on the radio."
In a minute, an American voice came over the air:
"Yes sir?"
"Lieutenant," growled Chesty, "exactly how many Chinese you got up there?"
"General, we got a whole shit load of Chinese up here!"
"Thank God!" exclaimed Puller, "At least there's someone up there who knows how to count.
I'm sorry to say I didn't hear of the death of Shifty Powers
until today, when a friend sent me an e-mail; I'm going to put the text here:
"We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services.
I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.
Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.
I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat.
Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.
Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped.
At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.
I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.
I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.
I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.
He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.
Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.
There was no parade.
No big event in Staples Center.
No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.
No weeping fans on television.
And that's not right.
Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.
Rest in peace, Shifty.
"A nation without heroes is nothing."
Roberto Clemente"
Added: Go here for something to bring tears to your eyes: A rifle for Shifty
"We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services.
I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.
Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.
I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat.
Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.
Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped.
At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.
I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.
I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.
I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.
He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.
Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.
There was no parade.
No big event in Staples Center.
No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.
No weeping fans on television.
And that's not right.
Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.
Rest in peace, Shifty.
Publish Post
"A nation without heroes is nothing."
Roberto Clemente"
Added: Go here for something to bring tears to your eyes: A rifle for Shifty
Range day, a day late
Hit the range yesterday morning before it got hot. Pocket Hammerless, the Webley MkIV, the carry .45 and the Combat Masterpiece.
The more I shoot that Colt, the more I like it. The trigger's great, it points wonderfully, and it seems to eat anything I feed it with no problems. My one real gripe is that it's a good thing it points so well, because those 'sights' might as well not be there; that tiny front blade and tiny rear sight & notch... Fact is, it was made as a defense sidearm that'd fit in a pocket or purse and not snag when you drew it, and it fits that wonderfully. If someone decided to start making them, though, I'd recommend two changes:
More defined, easy-to-see sights and
Thumb safety a bit more like the 1911, more for your thumb to hit and a positive on-off.
It's have to be someone making them new; if we heard someone was modifying an original this way there'd be screams of agony.
The Webley, if you've never fired one, has a nice front post and a WIDE, deep rear notch for sights; it was intended as a combat/defensive firearm and makes no bones to be anything else. Which doesn't change that with bullets that fit the bore and some care aiming it's quite accurate. That Lyman 200-grain roundnose bullet works very well in it, and actually hits at point of aim. Next time I've managed to collect a bunch of 1-gallon bottles I'm going to shoot some with it and see what that bullet does; I've heard that it tends to go unstable almost immediately after impact, tumbling and giving a much better wounding effect. Be nice to find out. I'll also note it's got a very nice trigger; double-action is a bit heavy, single-action light and clean.
The carry .45 did what it usually does, went bang-bang with no problems, which is why it's the carry piece. I shoot some with the Crimson Trace grips turned on, some with them off; As Tam pointed out once, in bright light, or in cold weather when you're wearing gloves, that laser may not be visible, so you'd better be able to use the sights.
The Smith, I also like more as I shoot it. Marvelous sights, smooth action, light single-action trigger, it even makes me look like a good shot. And it shoots well with every brand of ammo I've fired in it, a very nice thing with the current "Find what you can/when you can" ammo situation.
One thing I noticed, there were a lot of women shooting. All in groups of two or three, and all having a ball burning through a LOT of ammo. Good thing to see.
The more I shoot that Colt, the more I like it. The trigger's great, it points wonderfully, and it seems to eat anything I feed it with no problems. My one real gripe is that it's a good thing it points so well, because those 'sights' might as well not be there; that tiny front blade and tiny rear sight & notch... Fact is, it was made as a defense sidearm that'd fit in a pocket or purse and not snag when you drew it, and it fits that wonderfully. If someone decided to start making them, though, I'd recommend two changes:
More defined, easy-to-see sights and
Thumb safety a bit more like the 1911, more for your thumb to hit and a positive on-off.
It's have to be someone making them new; if we heard someone was modifying an original this way there'd be screams of agony.
The Webley, if you've never fired one, has a nice front post and a WIDE, deep rear notch for sights; it was intended as a combat/defensive firearm and makes no bones to be anything else. Which doesn't change that with bullets that fit the bore and some care aiming it's quite accurate. That Lyman 200-grain roundnose bullet works very well in it, and actually hits at point of aim. Next time I've managed to collect a bunch of 1-gallon bottles I'm going to shoot some with it and see what that bullet does; I've heard that it tends to go unstable almost immediately after impact, tumbling and giving a much better wounding effect. Be nice to find out. I'll also note it's got a very nice trigger; double-action is a bit heavy, single-action light and clean.
The carry .45 did what it usually does, went bang-bang with no problems, which is why it's the carry piece. I shoot some with the Crimson Trace grips turned on, some with them off; As Tam pointed out once, in bright light, or in cold weather when you're wearing gloves, that laser may not be visible, so you'd better be able to use the sights.
The Smith, I also like more as I shoot it. Marvelous sights, smooth action, light single-action trigger, it even makes me look like a good shot. And it shoots well with every brand of ammo I've fired in it, a very nice thing with the current "Find what you can/when you can" ammo situation.
One thing I noticed, there were a lot of women shooting. All in groups of two or three, and all having a ball burning through a LOT of ammo. Good thing to see.
It seems those bills by Alcee Hastings(Impeached Dirtbag-Evil Party)
is getting some of the attention it deserves:
What's wrong with this picture? The federal government spends billions on homeland security, but apparently can't stop foreigners from illegally crossing the border or overstaying their visas. The Obama administration wants to bring violent terrorists captured overseas to the mainland and close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Yet in the latest bizarre twist, legislation quietly making its way through Congress would give the White House power to categorize political opponents as hate groups and even send Americans to detention centers on abandoned military bases.
...
Another Hastings bill (HR 645) authorizes $360 million in 2009 and 2010 to set up "not fewer than six national emergency centers on military installations" capable of housing "a large number of individuals affected by an emergency or major disaster." But Section 2 (b) 4 allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to use the camps "to meet other appropriate needs" - none of which are specified. This is the kind of blank check that Congress should never, ever sign.
Hell, no, they shouldn't. But with clowns like Hastings and Pelosi there, you know some of them are drooling at the idea.
What's wrong with this picture? The federal government spends billions on homeland security, but apparently can't stop foreigners from illegally crossing the border or overstaying their visas. The Obama administration wants to bring violent terrorists captured overseas to the mainland and close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Yet in the latest bizarre twist, legislation quietly making its way through Congress would give the White House power to categorize political opponents as hate groups and even send Americans to detention centers on abandoned military bases.
...
Another Hastings bill (HR 645) authorizes $360 million in 2009 and 2010 to set up "not fewer than six national emergency centers on military installations" capable of housing "a large number of individuals affected by an emergency or major disaster." But Section 2 (b) 4 allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to use the camps "to meet other appropriate needs" - none of which are specified. This is the kind of blank check that Congress should never, ever sign.
Hell, no, they shouldn't. But with clowns like Hastings and Pelosi there, you know some of them are drooling at the idea.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
And yet more Transparency!! and Ethical Behavior!!!
Carol Browner, former Clinton administration EPA head and current Obama White House climate czar, instructed auto industry execs “to put nothing in writing, ever” regarding secret negotiations she orchestrated regarding a deal to increase federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-WI, is demanding a congressional investigation of Browner’s conduct in the CAFE talks, saying in a letter to Rep. Henry Waxman, D-CA, that Browner “intended to leave little or no documentation of the deliberations that lead to stringent new CAFE standards.”
Federal law requires officials to preserve documents concerning significant policy decisions, so instructing participants in a policy negotation concerning a major federal policy change could be viewed as a criminal act.
Hopey!Changey!!Transparency!!!
Among the reasons the globular warmering weenies should not be trusted
is their insistence that 'The Science Is Settled', which they try to prove by keeping scientists who disagree from speaking.
Dr Mitchell Taylor has been researching the status and management of polar bears in Canada and around the Arctic Circle for 30 years, as both an academic and a government employee. More than once since 2006 he has made headlines by insisting that polar bear numbers, far from decreasing, are much higher than they were 30 years ago. Of the 19 different bear populations, almost all are increasing or at optimum levels, only two have for local reasons modestly declined.
Dr Taylor agrees that the Arctic has been warming over the last 30 years. But he ascribes this not to rising levels of CO2 – as is dictated by the computer models of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and believed by his PBSG colleagues – but to currents bringing warm water into the Arctic from the Pacific and the effect of winds blowing in from the Bering Sea.
...
Dr Taylor had obtained funding to attend this week's meeting of the PBSG, but this was voted down by its members because of his views on global warming. The chairman, Dr Andy Derocher, a former university pupil of Dr Taylor's, frankly explained in an email (which I was not sent by Dr Taylor) that his rejection had nothing to do with his undoubted expertise on polar bears: "it was the position you've taken on global warming that brought opposition".
Dr Taylor was told that his views running "counter to human-induced climate change are extremely unhelpful". His signing of the Manhattan Declaration – a statement by 500 scientists that the causes of climate change are not CO2 but natural, such as changes in the radiation of the sun and ocean currents – was "inconsistent with the position taken by the PBSG".
This is what 'science by concensus' gets you: "You may be an expert, but you don't agree with what we want to push so we'll shut you up if we can."
So, as the great Copenhagen bandwagon rolls on, stand by this week for reports along the lines of "scientists say polar bears are threatened with extinction by vanishing Arctic ice". But also check out Anthony Watt's Watts Up With That website for the latest news of what is actually happening in the Arctic. The average temperature at midsummer is still below zero, the latest date that this has happened in 50 years of record-keeping. After last year's recovery from its September 2007 low, this year's ice melt is likely to be substantially less than for some time. The bears are doing fine.
Thanks to Sondra for the info
Dr Mitchell Taylor has been researching the status and management of polar bears in Canada and around the Arctic Circle for 30 years, as both an academic and a government employee. More than once since 2006 he has made headlines by insisting that polar bear numbers, far from decreasing, are much higher than they were 30 years ago. Of the 19 different bear populations, almost all are increasing or at optimum levels, only two have for local reasons modestly declined.
Dr Taylor agrees that the Arctic has been warming over the last 30 years. But he ascribes this not to rising levels of CO2 – as is dictated by the computer models of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and believed by his PBSG colleagues – but to currents bringing warm water into the Arctic from the Pacific and the effect of winds blowing in from the Bering Sea.
...
Dr Taylor had obtained funding to attend this week's meeting of the PBSG, but this was voted down by its members because of his views on global warming. The chairman, Dr Andy Derocher, a former university pupil of Dr Taylor's, frankly explained in an email (which I was not sent by Dr Taylor) that his rejection had nothing to do with his undoubted expertise on polar bears: "it was the position you've taken on global warming that brought opposition".
Dr Taylor was told that his views running "counter to human-induced climate change are extremely unhelpful". His signing of the Manhattan Declaration – a statement by 500 scientists that the causes of climate change are not CO2 but natural, such as changes in the radiation of the sun and ocean currents – was "inconsistent with the position taken by the PBSG".
This is what 'science by concensus' gets you: "You may be an expert, but you don't agree with what we want to push so we'll shut you up if we can."
So, as the great Copenhagen bandwagon rolls on, stand by this week for reports along the lines of "scientists say polar bears are threatened with extinction by vanishing Arctic ice". But also check out Anthony Watt's Watts Up With That website for the latest news of what is actually happening in the Arctic. The average temperature at midsummer is still below zero, the latest date that this has happened in 50 years of record-keeping. After last year's recovery from its September 2007 low, this year's ice melt is likely to be substantially less than for some time. The bears are doing fine.
Thanks to Sondra for the info
Next time someone insists crime isn't that bad in Britain,
you're just 'cherry-picking' data, point them here:
Crime statistics at one of Britain's most beleaguered police forces are being manipulated by detectives, who are under pressure to record burglaries and robberies as lesser offences to meet targets for cutting some of the most feared crimes.
Serving officers in the Nottinghamshire police force have revealed to The Telegraph the techniques they use to help manipulate the headline crime figures, enabling Steve Green, the Chief Constable, to claim that he is winning the battle to combat burglary and robbery.
And, in the case of crimes involving firearms,
A former head of CID with Nottinghamshire police has also claimed that incidents of gun crime have deliberately not been logged by the force, effectively halving its number of recorded shootings.
Retired Det Supt Peter Coles said last night: "I know for a fact there have been incidents of gun crime which have not been recorded. People have turned up at hospital with a gunshot wound and told the police to go away because more often than not there is a disinclination among villains to pursue the matter. Despite the fact that there has obviously been a shooting, the crime has not been recorded by the force."
A: "...and told the police to go away" and they DID?
B: So they didn't have to report the incident. Just effing wonderful.
The Telegraph has learnt that two officers from the force's robbery squad have complained to their superiors about pressure to break down robberies to their constituent parts of theft and assault in official figures, crimes which are less emotive than robbery and attract less adverse publicity.
An officer serving on the force said: "We have been breaking down the link between the theft and any violence and trying to pretend they are not connected because we have been trying to get the robbery figures down. In one case an Australian tourist had a guy barge into him outside a nightclub and take his phone and wallet off him. It was put down as theft from a person when any threat of violence should make it a robbery."
Guess how far the complaint got?
A force audit was carried out into the detectives' complaint but senior officers decided that there was no case to answer.
Surprise!
In a separate development, crimes which would formerly have been recorded as attempted burglaries, and therefore been included in overall statistics for burglary, are now being logged as criminal damage.
Where an effort has been made by a criminal to force an entry, such as by jemmying a door or window, it is being marked down only for the damage caused to the property. The figures for criminal damage are also far less likely to attract adverse publicity than those for burglary, a crime which inspires a high level of fear in the general public.
Mr Coles said: "The offence of attempted burglary is virtually non-existent in the figures now. If someone contacts the police in Nottinghamshire now to say that a burglar has tried to get into their home, with a window broken but nothing stolen, that will go down in the Nottinghamshire figures as criminal damage."
Which means
Last month Mr Green boasted that figures for burglary, robbery and violent crime had all fallen across the area covered by his force.
"In the past 12 months burglary has fallen by 24 per cent, robbery by 25 per cent and car crime by 18 per cent," he said.
"Violent crime has risen by only 0.5 per cent and our level of violent crime compares favourably to those forces with whom we are compared." He made the comment at a hastily convened press conference after his interview with this newspaper last month, in which he admitted that his force was in "crisis" and "reeling" because of the number of murders being committed.
So this is what you do instead of something...
Following the interview the Government ordered the Inspectorate of Constabularies to carry out an urgent inquiry into Mr Green's force. A senior outside officer has now been brought in as a "strategic adviser" to monitor its performance. It is not the first time the Nottinghamshire force has been accused of manipulating its crime figures.
In 1997, a damning report by Bedfordshire police declared Nottinghamshire's crime recording policy "was designed to have the effect of artificially reducing recorded crime to a more politically acceptable level".
That verdict followed an act of whistle blowing by Mr Coles, who left the force in 1996 but is still in close contact with senior serving officers. Mr Coles complained that alternative crime recording practices were being used by his bosses effectively to manipulate the figures and paint a rosier picture of the problems faced by his force. He said: "Despite the investigation by Bedfordshire, it is still going on in more subtle ways."
At least one detective sergeant in the force's robbery squad is suspended and under investigation over allegations that he "cooked" his clear-up figures.
I don't have the link handy, but a year or so ago there was a big stink when it was found, among other things, if someone died beyond a certain time(a few days or a week, I think) after an attack, they labeled it as something other than murder so as to keep the numbers down. Looks like it's still going on over there.
Pointed to by 3 Boxes of BS
Crime statistics at one of Britain's most beleaguered police forces are being manipulated by detectives, who are under pressure to record burglaries and robberies as lesser offences to meet targets for cutting some of the most feared crimes.
Serving officers in the Nottinghamshire police force have revealed to The Telegraph the techniques they use to help manipulate the headline crime figures, enabling Steve Green, the Chief Constable, to claim that he is winning the battle to combat burglary and robbery.
And, in the case of crimes involving firearms,
A former head of CID with Nottinghamshire police has also claimed that incidents of gun crime have deliberately not been logged by the force, effectively halving its number of recorded shootings.
Retired Det Supt Peter Coles said last night: "I know for a fact there have been incidents of gun crime which have not been recorded. People have turned up at hospital with a gunshot wound and told the police to go away because more often than not there is a disinclination among villains to pursue the matter. Despite the fact that there has obviously been a shooting, the crime has not been recorded by the force."
A: "...and told the police to go away" and they DID?
B: So they didn't have to report the incident. Just effing wonderful.
The Telegraph has learnt that two officers from the force's robbery squad have complained to their superiors about pressure to break down robberies to their constituent parts of theft and assault in official figures, crimes which are less emotive than robbery and attract less adverse publicity.
An officer serving on the force said: "We have been breaking down the link between the theft and any violence and trying to pretend they are not connected because we have been trying to get the robbery figures down. In one case an Australian tourist had a guy barge into him outside a nightclub and take his phone and wallet off him. It was put down as theft from a person when any threat of violence should make it a robbery."
Guess how far the complaint got?
A force audit was carried out into the detectives' complaint but senior officers decided that there was no case to answer.
Surprise!
In a separate development, crimes which would formerly have been recorded as attempted burglaries, and therefore been included in overall statistics for burglary, are now being logged as criminal damage.
Where an effort has been made by a criminal to force an entry, such as by jemmying a door or window, it is being marked down only for the damage caused to the property. The figures for criminal damage are also far less likely to attract adverse publicity than those for burglary, a crime which inspires a high level of fear in the general public.
Mr Coles said: "The offence of attempted burglary is virtually non-existent in the figures now. If someone contacts the police in Nottinghamshire now to say that a burglar has tried to get into their home, with a window broken but nothing stolen, that will go down in the Nottinghamshire figures as criminal damage."
Which means
Last month Mr Green boasted that figures for burglary, robbery and violent crime had all fallen across the area covered by his force.
"In the past 12 months burglary has fallen by 24 per cent, robbery by 25 per cent and car crime by 18 per cent," he said.
"Violent crime has risen by only 0.5 per cent and our level of violent crime compares favourably to those forces with whom we are compared." He made the comment at a hastily convened press conference after his interview with this newspaper last month, in which he admitted that his force was in "crisis" and "reeling" because of the number of murders being committed.
So this is what you do instead of something...
Following the interview the Government ordered the Inspectorate of Constabularies to carry out an urgent inquiry into Mr Green's force. A senior outside officer has now been brought in as a "strategic adviser" to monitor its performance. It is not the first time the Nottinghamshire force has been accused of manipulating its crime figures.
In 1997, a damning report by Bedfordshire police declared Nottinghamshire's crime recording policy "was designed to have the effect of artificially reducing recorded crime to a more politically acceptable level".
That verdict followed an act of whistle blowing by Mr Coles, who left the force in 1996 but is still in close contact with senior serving officers. Mr Coles complained that alternative crime recording practices were being used by his bosses effectively to manipulate the figures and paint a rosier picture of the problems faced by his force. He said: "Despite the investigation by Bedfordshire, it is still going on in more subtle ways."
At least one detective sergeant in the force's robbery squad is suspended and under investigation over allegations that he "cooked" his clear-up figures.
I don't have the link handy, but a year or so ago there was a big stink when it was found, among other things, if someone died beyond a certain time(a few days or a week, I think) after an attack, they labeled it as something other than murder so as to keep the numbers down. Looks like it's still going on over there.
Pointed to by 3 Boxes of BS
More "I'm a gun owner BUT-" bullcrap
over here. And, surpise!, it turns out
Now, coinciding with the above highlighted phrase, I did a little research on our alleged gun owner. Turns out he is a strong Obama supporter with donations totaling over $2,000 for the last election.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Now, coinciding with the above highlighted phrase, I did a little research on our alleged gun owner. Turns out he is a strong Obama supporter with donations totaling over $2,000 for the last election.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
It seems that loudly pointing out the Mexican Gun Lie
has had an effect:
The "90%" claim has, in fact, been so thoroughly discredited that even those who tried to make political hay of it have been forced to back away from it. Here's Brady Campaign president Paul Helmke:
So, what about those "20,000 trafficked guns"--isn't that rather damning? Well, certainly it's nothing to be happy about. Oh--did I mention that that number represents 5 years worth of seized guns? Let's think about some context here. How many illegal immigrants have come across the border in the last 5 years? How many tons of illegal drugs? If your answer, in both cases, was "a heck of a lot more than 20,000," give yourself a cigar.
And, for that matter, let's keep pointing out the effectiveness of all the laws the Brady Gun Ban Group love:
The same report cited by Helmke and Sugarmann states that 4,000 of those trafficked guns came from California--#1 Brady Campaign ranked California, where nearly every "anti-trafficking" measure the Brady Campaign can think of (one gun per month, no "gun show loophole," waiting periods, registration of gun owners, state licensing for dealers, etc.--not to mention the strictest faux "assault weapon" ban in the nation and a ban on .50 caliber rifles) is already in place. California in fact, is apparently the second largest source state of guns trafficked into Mexico (Texas is first). Proximity to the border would seem to play a much larger role than the restrictiveness of gun laws.
I'm going to post that quote from The Weapon again:
I acquired a black-market weapon.(Sales are all registered, but for a small premium of 50%, one may buy a new pistol not far from the spaceport. They come in by the shipload, as they do anywhere the local rulers utter magic incantations to keep them out. Never let your religious beliefs get in the way of the law of supply and demand.)
The "90%" claim has, in fact, been so thoroughly discredited that even those who tried to make political hay of it have been forced to back away from it. Here's Brady Campaign president Paul Helmke:
Rather than argue about percentages, let's focus on the fact that 20,000 trafficked guns from America have ended up at Mexican crime scenes.
We'll talk about that "20,000" figure in a minute--first, though, let's look at Helmke's casual willingness to not "argue about percentages."
He certainly seemed interested in arguing about them back in April:
...As the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reports, 90 percent of firearms recovered at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to gun sellers right here in the United States.
So, what about those "20,000 trafficked guns"--isn't that rather damning? Well, certainly it's nothing to be happy about. Oh--did I mention that that number represents 5 years worth of seized guns? Let's think about some context here. How many illegal immigrants have come across the border in the last 5 years? How many tons of illegal drugs? If your answer, in both cases, was "a heck of a lot more than 20,000," give yourself a cigar.
And, for that matter, let's keep pointing out the effectiveness of all the laws the Brady Gun Ban Group love:
The same report cited by Helmke and Sugarmann states that 4,000 of those trafficked guns came from California--#1 Brady Campaign ranked California, where nearly every "anti-trafficking" measure the Brady Campaign can think of (one gun per month, no "gun show loophole," waiting periods, registration of gun owners, state licensing for dealers, etc.--not to mention the strictest faux "assault weapon" ban in the nation and a ban on .50 caliber rifles) is already in place. California in fact, is apparently the second largest source state of guns trafficked into Mexico (Texas is first). Proximity to the border would seem to play a much larger role than the restrictiveness of gun laws.
I'm going to post that quote from The Weapon again:
I acquired a black-market weapon.(Sales are all registered, but for a small premium of 50%, one may buy a new pistol not far from the spaceport. They come in by the shipload, as they do anywhere the local rulers utter magic incantations to keep them out. Never let your religious beliefs get in the way of the law of supply and demand.)
Madam Thomas, here's further answer to your question:
yes, a lot of your precious media ARE willing puppets.
Reporters from roughly 30 television networks, newspapers, magazines, and web sites celebrated the Fourth of July with Barack Obama at the White House last weekend. Why didn't you know that? Because they were sworn to secrecy.
There is a cosmic irony at work here: The party was "closed press." (Ha!) It was covered, under onerous restrictions, by a pool reporter—the Baltimore Sun's Paul West. West was ushered in by White House staffers for a mere 40 minutes, so he could record the president's remarks. He was kept in a pen so that he wouldn't run amok and interview someone. He shouted questions at Obama as he worked the rope line, which the president ignored. Then he was taken away. West wrote up his blindered account of the party and then e-mailed it to the White House press corps, many of whom were actually at the party, outside of the pen, hanging out with all the other guests. And then, because they had temporarily signed away the right to do their jobs in exchange for facetime with staffers, a few cold Stoudt's American Pale Ales, and some corn on the cob, their news organizations picked up that pool report and used it to tell their readers what happened at the party. This is how the press covers the White House.
...
What doesn't make sense, at all, is why a group of reporters who have recently begun clinging to the notion that they are independent of Washington's clubby morass of back-scratching self-congratulation would agree to attend an off-the-record party at the White House while one of their own is walled off in a pen like some forlorn scapegoat, doing the job they're supposed to be doing.
Because they want it both ways: they want to suck up to The One, but still claim to be 'independent reporters of news'.
And that, Helen, is why you are considered to be puppets. Because you are.
Reporters from roughly 30 television networks, newspapers, magazines, and web sites celebrated the Fourth of July with Barack Obama at the White House last weekend. Why didn't you know that? Because they were sworn to secrecy.
We reported yesterday that Politico's Mike Allen was spotted milling about as a guest at the White House's "backyard bash" by the pool reporter, who was allowed into the event for 40 minutes and kept in a pen before being ushered out. When Allen quoted from the pool report in his Playbook column the next day, he deleted a reference to his own name and didn't bother to tell his readers that he was actually at the party.
Well, he wasn't alone. Gawker has learned that the White House gave tickets to virtually every major news organization that covers the president—the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, ABC News, NBC News, CNN, CBS News, and so on, about 30 in all. The reporters were invited to attend on the following condition:
Gee, so I wonder why the administration thinks they can dictate questions and coverage from these people..."You are being invited to attend this event as a guest. Blogging, Twittering or otherwise reporting on this event is not permitted. If you feel that you cannot agree to abide by these ground rules, please don't claim a ticket."
There is a cosmic irony at work here: The party was "closed press." (Ha!) It was covered, under onerous restrictions, by a pool reporter—the Baltimore Sun's Paul West. West was ushered in by White House staffers for a mere 40 minutes, so he could record the president's remarks. He was kept in a pen so that he wouldn't run amok and interview someone. He shouted questions at Obama as he worked the rope line, which the president ignored. Then he was taken away. West wrote up his blindered account of the party and then e-mailed it to the White House press corps, many of whom were actually at the party, outside of the pen, hanging out with all the other guests. And then, because they had temporarily signed away the right to do their jobs in exchange for facetime with staffers, a few cold Stoudt's American Pale Ales, and some corn on the cob, their news organizations picked up that pool report and used it to tell their readers what happened at the party. This is how the press covers the White House.
...
What doesn't make sense, at all, is why a group of reporters who have recently begun clinging to the notion that they are independent of Washington's clubby morass of back-scratching self-congratulation would agree to attend an off-the-record party at the White House while one of their own is walled off in a pen like some forlorn scapegoat, doing the job they're supposed to be doing.
Because they want it both ways: they want to suck up to The One, but still claim to be 'independent reporters of news'.
And that, Helen, is why you are considered to be puppets. Because you are.
More on Hope! Change!! Transparency!!! and the most
ethical administration EVAH!!!!
A top official of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the government agency that oversees AmeriCorps, has refused to answer questions from congressional investigators about the White House's role in events surrounding the abrupt firing of inspector general Gerald Walpin.
Frank Trinity, general counsel for the Corporation, met with a bipartisan group of congressional investigators on Monday. When the investigators asked Trinity for details of the role the White House played in the firing, Trinity refused to answer, according to two aides with knowledge of the situation.
"He said that's a prerogative of the White House, so he didn't feel at liberty to disclose anything regarding White House communications," says one aide.
Investigators asked Trinity whether he was claiming executive privilege, something that could only be authorized by the president. Trinity answered again that it was a White House "prerogative." When the investigators pointed out that, in the words of one aide, "there is no legal basis whatsoever" for such a claim, Trinity still declined to answer.
"I don't want to answer, and that's my excuse!"
According to the knowledgeable sources, Trinity refused to say what contacts the Corporation had with the White House prior to the firing, or after the firing. He refused to say who at the Corporation had spoken to whom at the White House. He refused to say whether Corporation officials had discussed the specific reasons for the firing with the White House.
The last topic is particularly important to investigators, who believe the Obama administration may be constructing an after-the-fact rationale for canning Walpin.
Anyone else get the feeling that some people are really worried about what might come out?
And hey, he is a socialist, so show trials would be a natural for him...
...So irrespective of the outcome of a trial, the defendant will remain in prison, and that will mean that many of those trials are going to have no effect whatsoever on the lives of the defendants in question. And that means that the Obama Administration’s guarantee of a fair trial or due process for these defendants is utterly meaningless.
...
Whatever else is true, even talking about imprisoning people based on accusations of which they have been exonerated is a truly grotesque perversion of everything that our justice system and Constitution are supposed to guarantee. That’s one of those propositions that ought to be too self-evident to need stating.
So, after all his promises to close Gitmo(except no plan, no money, etc.) and various 'release these people' promises, we have more "You can't take everything the President said too literally." About what we expected.
A top official of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the government agency that oversees AmeriCorps, has refused to answer questions from congressional investigators about the White House's role in events surrounding the abrupt firing of inspector general Gerald Walpin.
Frank Trinity, general counsel for the Corporation, met with a bipartisan group of congressional investigators on Monday. When the investigators asked Trinity for details of the role the White House played in the firing, Trinity refused to answer, according to two aides with knowledge of the situation.
"He said that's a prerogative of the White House, so he didn't feel at liberty to disclose anything regarding White House communications," says one aide.
Investigators asked Trinity whether he was claiming executive privilege, something that could only be authorized by the president. Trinity answered again that it was a White House "prerogative." When the investigators pointed out that, in the words of one aide, "there is no legal basis whatsoever" for such a claim, Trinity still declined to answer.
"I don't want to answer, and that's my excuse!"
According to the knowledgeable sources, Trinity refused to say what contacts the Corporation had with the White House prior to the firing, or after the firing. He refused to say who at the Corporation had spoken to whom at the White House. He refused to say whether Corporation officials had discussed the specific reasons for the firing with the White House.
The last topic is particularly important to investigators, who believe the Obama administration may be constructing an after-the-fact rationale for canning Walpin.
Anyone else get the feeling that some people are really worried about what might come out?
And hey, he is a socialist, so show trials would be a natural for him...
...So irrespective of the outcome of a trial, the defendant will remain in prison, and that will mean that many of those trials are going to have no effect whatsoever on the lives of the defendants in question. And that means that the Obama Administration’s guarantee of a fair trial or due process for these defendants is utterly meaningless.
...
Whatever else is true, even talking about imprisoning people based on accusations of which they have been exonerated is a truly grotesque perversion of everything that our justice system and Constitution are supposed to guarantee. That’s one of those propositions that ought to be too self-evident to need stating.
So, after all his promises to close Gitmo(except no plan, no money, etc.) and various 'release these people' promises, we have more "You can't take everything the President said too literally." About what we expected.
As Confederate Yankee says, considering they think kitchen knives are too
dangerous to have a point, this was inevitable:
THREE proud centuries of tradition have come to an end with the revelation that Britain is no longer capable of making rifles to arm its own troops.
Instead, experts believe, all European armies will one day be using the same type of weapons.
The news, branded a national disgrace by one critic, comes after a warning that Britain is in danger of overspending on defence.
I highlight that last because there are constant stories in the British press about troops in Afghanistan not having helicopters and other equipment they need(even basic kit in some cases) and yet they're talking about overspending?
The last attempt to produce a British rifle was the SA80 but the weapon was widely criticised for its poor quality until its manufacture was taken over by Germany’s Heckler and Koch.
I don't remember the specifics, but the SA80 was, as I recall, one of those 'designed by a committee by people who wouldn't actually have to use it' things. It had LOTS of problems and instead of actually fixing them they tried to bluster around them and finally basically rebuilt the whole thing. And it still had problems.
Some military historians also regretted the loss of tradition. Paul Cornish, curator at the Imperial War Museum, said: “It’s extremely sad, since Britain has had a proud tradition of developing and manufacturing small arms.
Yes, it did; and the British government destroyed it, right along with destroying the gun culture that had been part of Britain for so long.
Last night, the Ministry of Defence said: “We don’t make our own assault rifle because there isn’t a British company that still manufactures them. In any case, we are happy with what we are using.”
Because, I suspect, the Brit government made it so damned difficult and expensive to even try to make ANY firearms and destroyed the civilian market; when the only customer you'll be allowed to have is the government, and they'll screw you around on everything, why try?
Sad day, indeed. In more ways than one.
THREE proud centuries of tradition have come to an end with the revelation that Britain is no longer capable of making rifles to arm its own troops.
Instead, experts believe, all European armies will one day be using the same type of weapons.
The news, branded a national disgrace by one critic, comes after a warning that Britain is in danger of overspending on defence.
I highlight that last because there are constant stories in the British press about troops in Afghanistan not having helicopters and other equipment they need(even basic kit in some cases) and yet they're talking about overspending?
The last attempt to produce a British rifle was the SA80 but the weapon was widely criticised for its poor quality until its manufacture was taken over by Germany’s Heckler and Koch.
I don't remember the specifics, but the SA80 was, as I recall, one of those 'designed by a committee by people who wouldn't actually have to use it' things. It had LOTS of problems and instead of actually fixing them they tried to bluster around them and finally basically rebuilt the whole thing. And it still had problems.
Some military historians also regretted the loss of tradition. Paul Cornish, curator at the Imperial War Museum, said: “It’s extremely sad, since Britain has had a proud tradition of developing and manufacturing small arms.
Yes, it did; and the British government destroyed it, right along with destroying the gun culture that had been part of Britain for so long.
Last night, the Ministry of Defence said: “We don’t make our own assault rifle because there isn’t a British company that still manufactures them. In any case, we are happy with what we are using.”
Because, I suspect, the Brit government made it so damned difficult and expensive to even try to make ANY firearms and destroyed the civilian market; when the only customer you'll be allowed to have is the government, and they'll screw you around on everything, why try?
Sad day, indeed. In more ways than one.
I'm going to have to write one more thing about Michael Jackson
because this idiocy just has to be pointed out:
FEMALE CALLER (31:50): He (Michael Jackson) is truly the soundtrack of my life. I also have a theory about Sarah Palin as well and I'm going to put it out there on radio, hopefully someone can investigate.
But, I think maybe she did something to Michael Jackson. Maybe there's a scandal there. Maybe she's stepping down because something's about to come out. I don't know, but I'm gonna just put it out there on your show so we'll see.
SHARPTON: All right, thank you for your call, Ashley. That's interesting. I'll put it out, we'll see. I don't know.
"That's interesting." ?? "I DON'T KNOW." ???? I'll repeat two things:
A: A lot of Jackson's fans are as batshit crazy as he was, and
B: Al Sharpton is a RWPP and a whore.
If he had an honest bone in his body he'd at LEAST have said "Come on, that's rediculous", but no, he's got to at least give lip service to this stupidity.
That is all. Thanks to Ace for pointing to this.
FEMALE CALLER (31:50): He (Michael Jackson) is truly the soundtrack of my life. I also have a theory about Sarah Palin as well and I'm going to put it out there on radio, hopefully someone can investigate.
But, I think maybe she did something to Michael Jackson. Maybe there's a scandal there. Maybe she's stepping down because something's about to come out. I don't know, but I'm gonna just put it out there on your show so we'll see.
SHARPTON: All right, thank you for your call, Ashley. That's interesting. I'll put it out, we'll see. I don't know.
"That's interesting." ?? "I DON'T KNOW." ???? I'll repeat two things:
A: A lot of Jackson's fans are as batshit crazy as he was, and
B: Al Sharpton is a RWPP and a whore.
If he had an honest bone in his body he'd at LEAST have said "Come on, that's rediculous", but no, he's got to at least give lip service to this stupidity.
That is all. Thanks to Ace for pointing to this.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
As further proof of people stupid enough to do ANYTHING
as long as it's fashionable,
Specifically: One beach-oriented Barcelona nightclub, the Baja Beach Club, is using the implants to free customers of the burdens of having to carry their purses or wallets. Makes sense: When you're spending the day in a bikini and flip-flops, where do you keep your ID? Instead, the bouncer just scans your arm with an RFID reader, and you're in. And since you can't carry a credit card or cash either, the implants do double duty: You can pay for drinks with a quick scan of the chip. Chipped patrons also gain access to VIP areas of the club.
To borrow a way of putting it,
No. Way. In. Hell.
Specifically: One beach-oriented Barcelona nightclub, the Baja Beach Club, is using the implants to free customers of the burdens of having to carry their purses or wallets. Makes sense: When you're spending the day in a bikini and flip-flops, where do you keep your ID? Instead, the bouncer just scans your arm with an RFID reader, and you're in. And since you can't carry a credit card or cash either, the implants do double duty: You can pay for drinks with a quick scan of the chip. Chipped patrons also gain access to VIP areas of the club.
To borrow a way of putting it,
No. Way. In. Hell.
I know I rag on Canada for their health system, but let's not forget
they're also the 'free speech for some' capital of North America:
Our lesson for Dominion Day comes from Jennifer Lynch, QC (Queen Censor):
'The OPP reviewed the case with Crown counsel. As a result of that review, it was determined that insufficient grounds existed to support willful promotion of hatred charges,' said Detective-Sergeant Brent Young.
What could possibly account for the otherwise proscriptive Canadian state's apparently boundless tolerance of Mr Hossain? It couldn't be his name, could it?
Len Rudner may be 'perplexed' at how such obviously hateful utterances failed to pass muster with the cops. Me? Not so much. It’s clear that had Hossain’s last name been, say, Keegstra or Ahenakew--or even Boisson--the full weight of the law would have been brought down to bear on him. But since he was neither white, nor a Nazi, nor a Christian, but is an Islamic Jew-hater, authorities decided to drop it lest they incur the acrimony of local Muslims, with whom they are endeavouring so hard to 'build bridges.'
If ourIdiotAttorney General has his way on his idiot 'hate crimes' law, look for this kind of crap to happen here.
Our lesson for Dominion Day comes from Jennifer Lynch, QC (Queen Censor):
Words and ideas have power. That power, while overwhelmingly positive, can also be used to undermine democracy and freedom... Hateful words have the power to harm. They can isolate and marginalize our fellow citizens, not because of what people have said or done, but solely because of their personal characteristics, such as ethnicity, religion, race or sexual orientation.
Hateful words can harm. So if you write a piece for Maclean's quoting hateful words like "mosquito" and "sheep" you'll be investigated by three different "human rights" commissions. If you publish some anodyne cartoons in The Western Standard with accompanying hateful captions about "freedom of speech", Shirlene McGovern will haul you in for interrogation. If you're a stand-up comedian and you put down two drunk lesbian hecklers using hateful words like "drunk" and "lesbian", you'll be put on trial by the Government of British Columbia. If you write a hateful letter to a small local newspaper in Alberta objecting to "the homosexual agenda", you'll be given a lifetime speech ban.
But, if you're Salman Hossain and you want to expound on the benefits of killing Canadian troops and shooting Jews, party on:
'I hope the German brothers were gonna blow up US-German bases in their country. We should do that here in Canada as well. Kill as many western soldiers as well so that they think twice before entering foreign countries on behalf of their Jew masters,' he wrote...
In addition, he singles out Jews, writing: 'When do I get to shoot a few Jews down for attempting to blow up dozens of mosques in America right after 9-11 - why f---ing target the Americans when the Jews are better?'
And that's no problem; why?'The OPP reviewed the case with Crown counsel. As a result of that review, it was determined that insufficient grounds existed to support willful promotion of hatred charges,' said Detective-Sergeant Brent Young.
What could possibly account for the otherwise proscriptive Canadian state's apparently boundless tolerance of Mr Hossain? It couldn't be his name, could it?
Len Rudner may be 'perplexed' at how such obviously hateful utterances failed to pass muster with the cops. Me? Not so much. It’s clear that had Hossain’s last name been, say, Keegstra or Ahenakew--or even Boisson--the full weight of the law would have been brought down to bear on him. But since he was neither white, nor a Nazi, nor a Christian, but is an Islamic Jew-hater, authorities decided to drop it lest they incur the acrimony of local Muslims, with whom they are endeavouring so hard to 'build bridges.'
If our
The one thing I'll post about the Jackson death/funeral
Yes, he was talented; he also went total batshit crazy, and some of the kids who were allowed to be involved with him probably have permanent damage. And the adulation of so many people is a sign they don't actually have anything in their lives to believe in.
The idiocy of our media concentrating on this is another sign that they aren't to be trusted; troops are fighting and dying in A'stan, but damn little chance of their names being mentioned, after all, they have a CELEBRITY! to concentrate on.
And last, I'll borrow this from FFOF:
And then just shoot that thing right into the Sun.
The idiocy of our media concentrating on this is another sign that they aren't to be trusted; troops are fighting and dying in A'stan, but damn little chance of their names being mentioned, after all, they have a CELEBRITY! to concentrate on.
And last, I'll borrow this from FFOF:
If LA wants to clean itself up, they should wait for all 30,000 people to show up [at Michael Jackson's memorial service] and then just lock the doors. It’s not gonna be the team behind the Large Hadron Collider.
It’s gonna be Billy Bush and Mary Hart and Joe Jackson and 800 lawyers and an army of delusional retards who the only thing they had to take time off from was clogging up 911 with calls about “that bitch is crazy, you needa arrest her ass.”
They should lock the doors, and then it turns out [the fans had] actually climbed aboard a rocket.And then just shoot that thing right into the Sun.
Fausta has some new stuff on Honduras
Costa Rican President Óscar Arias will mediate talks beginning Thursday to resolve Honduras’s political crisis, in an effort spurred by the U.S. to stave off confrontations between deposed President Manuel Zelaya and the provisional government that ousted him.
The U.S. also strengthened its support Tuesday for Mr. Zelaya, who was forced into exile by the Honduran army on June 28. President Barack Obama called for his restoration and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with him in Washington.
Yep, we've got Jimmy Carter II; never meets a tyrant he doesn't like.
Further down,
Valenzuela acknowledged “probably … significant influence” from Chavez on Zelaya, but said the Honduran military should not have deposed and exiled Zelaya without judicial process. Supporters of the coup in Honduras say it was a lawful removal.
To borrow a phrase, well DUH! on Chavez being involved(also, take a look here). And you'll notice all these clowns keep saying crap about 'judicial process' but ignoring the fact that it WAS by judicial process that this traitor to Honduras was removed from office. She's also got this picture:
Honduras is an example to the world. We don’t have oil or dollars, but we have balls. Unlike our President.
Interestingly, she also notes this:
“The US appears to abandon Manuel Zelaya. Clinton said she talked directly with Micheletti, and stated he accepted that Arias will assume that role in the conflict”; the article also says that for the first time she abstained from mentioning that the US insists on Zelaya’s reinstatement. This article, as you can see, directly contradicts the WSJ article above.
So maybe all the attention to the tyrant wannabe's actions and associations and people asking "Why the hell are you trying to force this jerk back on those people?" is having an effect. We'll see.
The U.S. also strengthened its support Tuesday for Mr. Zelaya, who was forced into exile by the Honduran army on June 28. President Barack Obama called for his restoration and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with him in Washington.
Yep, we've got Jimmy Carter II; never meets a tyrant he doesn't like.
Further down,
Valenzuela acknowledged “probably … significant influence” from Chavez on Zelaya, but said the Honduran military should not have deposed and exiled Zelaya without judicial process. Supporters of the coup in Honduras say it was a lawful removal.
To borrow a phrase, well DUH! on Chavez being involved(also, take a look here). And you'll notice all these clowns keep saying crap about 'judicial process' but ignoring the fact that it WAS by judicial process that this traitor to Honduras was removed from office. She's also got this picture:
Honduras is an example to the world. We don’t have oil or dollars, but we have balls. Unlike our President.Interestingly, she also notes this:
“The US appears to abandon Manuel Zelaya. Clinton said she talked directly with Micheletti, and stated he accepted that Arias will assume that role in the conflict”; the article also says that for the first time she abstained from mentioning that the US insists on Zelaya’s reinstatement. This article, as you can see, directly contradicts the WSJ article above.
So maybe all the attention to the tyrant wannabe's actions and associations and people asking "Why the hell are you trying to force this jerk back on those people?" is having an effect. We'll see.
One of my objections to the 'apology' for slavery was once you start,
where do you stop?
It's not a pretty history.But, two California legislators say, it's time to admit it and apologize for how Chinese immigrants were treated during and after the Gold Rush.
So California has a budget deficit of over $25 billion and is issuing IOU's and we have some booger eatin' moh-rons demanding that California apologize to the Chinese immigrants for mistreating them over 150 years ago. I have three questions (and they're the same questions I ask about slavery).
Denny has questions pretty much the same as mine, though I didn't ask #3.
If you have a card with Bank of America,
or are thinking of getting one, you ought to go here and hit the links.
Yesterday my wife and son were supposed to be coming home.
At 7: 30am, my phone rings. My wife is freaking out. She reserved a ticket locally on a puddlejumper from the regional airport close to her mom's house, to the major airport where she'd begin her journey home. After 3 weeks of happily using her debit card from Bank of America, the card was being declined. No ticket.
I calm her down, and call Bank of America. No, the person says, there is no problem on our end.
I call my wife. She talks to the clerk at the reservation desk. Card is swiped again a few times. Nothing. It comes up "Not Authorized."
I go online. There's plenty of money- about $600 left in her account. Cheers to my wife for staying within our travel budget! The ticket is only about $150 US for she and our son.
Again, I calm her down, and call Bank of America. No, the person says, there is no problem on our end.
"Well" says I, "There's something wrong here." I call Bank of America a THIRD time. This person says that there was a 'block' placed on her account, and promptly transfers me to the wrong department.
I call back. This is my fourth call now. I get a security person. I explain that time is tight, that there's something going on. The woman explains that the access is being blocked for 'suspicious activity' on the card. Suspicious activity? A plane ticket? The third local flight purchased in as many weeks? No. Sorry. BS. For three weeks and two dozen transactions, there have been no problems. Now, when it matters, my wife is left to hang.
Now, I had called Bank of America a week before my family flew to Brazil. I explained what was happening, and the nice girl on the phone had assured me that there would be no problems.
I'm getting nowhere with the woman on the other end of the phone this time. Can I list some recent transactions? No, I can't. I'm not in Brazil, and my wife is at an airport that has a pay phone, by which I mean, you bribe someone to use their phone. She can't call.
That's from Part 1. And it gets worse.
Yesterday my wife and son were supposed to be coming home.
At 7: 30am, my phone rings. My wife is freaking out. She reserved a ticket locally on a puddlejumper from the regional airport close to her mom's house, to the major airport where she'd begin her journey home. After 3 weeks of happily using her debit card from Bank of America, the card was being declined. No ticket.
I calm her down, and call Bank of America. No, the person says, there is no problem on our end.
I call my wife. She talks to the clerk at the reservation desk. Card is swiped again a few times. Nothing. It comes up "Not Authorized."
I go online. There's plenty of money- about $600 left in her account. Cheers to my wife for staying within our travel budget! The ticket is only about $150 US for she and our son.
Again, I calm her down, and call Bank of America. No, the person says, there is no problem on our end.
"Well" says I, "There's something wrong here." I call Bank of America a THIRD time. This person says that there was a 'block' placed on her account, and promptly transfers me to the wrong department.
I call back. This is my fourth call now. I get a security person. I explain that time is tight, that there's something going on. The woman explains that the access is being blocked for 'suspicious activity' on the card. Suspicious activity? A plane ticket? The third local flight purchased in as many weeks? No. Sorry. BS. For three weeks and two dozen transactions, there have been no problems. Now, when it matters, my wife is left to hang.
Now, I had called Bank of America a week before my family flew to Brazil. I explained what was happening, and the nice girl on the phone had assured me that there would be no problems.
I'm getting nowhere with the woman on the other end of the phone this time. Can I list some recent transactions? No, I can't. I'm not in Brazil, and my wife is at an airport that has a pay phone, by which I mean, you bribe someone to use their phone. She can't call.
That's from Part 1. And it gets worse.
It's official: Obama is either a effing moron,
or actually trying to destroy this nation.
The G-8 leaders also agreed to a goal of having industrialized nations reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. It would be part of a worldwide goal of a 50 percent cut in such gases from all nations, rich and poor.
Eighty Fucking Percent. Does this socialist loon not realize what that would mean, or is he looking forward to the destruction of our economy and standard of living?
And, you find, 'developing nations'- including the PRC and India- are exempt. These idiots 'hope' that they'll decide to commit suicide along with us, but those nations, while hoping we really are stupid enough to do this so they can take over the markets, are saying "Hell, no" in very diplomatic ways. Except for India a few days ago saying flatly that "We will not agree to this" because
A: they're not stupid or suicidal and
B: nobody can make them.
So they'll keep industrializing in any way they can because they want to grow and they've got people who want clean water coming out of pipes and power and don't give a damn about the idiocies of the fools in the G8.
Without killing off most of our population(which a bunch of the enviroweenies would like)AND destroying our industrial base I don't think there's any damned way to meet such a goal; and President B. Hussein Cartman Obama HAS to have some advisor somewhere telling him this; but they either don't believe it, don't care("It's a CRISIS, and we must exploit it!") or actually look forward to doing this to us.
Oh, I'm sure this bastard will be one of the 'elites' who have all the modern conveniences while everyone else is hoping to get back to the industrial level of the Civil War era(while freezing in the dark); after all, he and the other progressives have to keep shearing their flock, don't they?
Absolutely effing unbelievable that so many educated people are both buying this climate change bullcrap(assuming a lot of them actually do) and are willing to destroy their societies in the name of it. But they do(at least some of them), and they are.
We need rope. Lots of rope.
The G-8 leaders also agreed to a goal of having industrialized nations reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. It would be part of a worldwide goal of a 50 percent cut in such gases from all nations, rich and poor.
Eighty Fucking Percent. Does this socialist loon not realize what that would mean, or is he looking forward to the destruction of our economy and standard of living?
And, you find, 'developing nations'- including the PRC and India- are exempt. These idiots 'hope' that they'll decide to commit suicide along with us, but those nations, while hoping we really are stupid enough to do this so they can take over the markets, are saying "Hell, no" in very diplomatic ways. Except for India a few days ago saying flatly that "We will not agree to this" because
A: they're not stupid or suicidal and
B: nobody can make them.
So they'll keep industrializing in any way they can because they want to grow and they've got people who want clean water coming out of pipes and power and don't give a damn about the idiocies of the fools in the G8.
Without killing off most of our population(which a bunch of the enviroweenies would like)AND destroying our industrial base I don't think there's any damned way to meet such a goal; and President B. Hussein Cartman Obama HAS to have some advisor somewhere telling him this; but they either don't believe it, don't care("It's a CRISIS, and we must exploit it!") or actually look forward to doing this to us.
Oh, I'm sure this bastard will be one of the 'elites' who have all the modern conveniences while everyone else is hoping to get back to the industrial level of the Civil War era(while freezing in the dark); after all, he and the other progressives have to keep shearing their flock, don't they?
Absolutely effing unbelievable that so many educated people are both buying this climate change bullcrap(assuming a lot of them actually do) and are willing to destroy their societies in the name of it. But they do(at least some of them), and they are.
We need rope. Lots of rope.
And it rolls in further, a tide of hypocrisy and
dumbass rising.
Obama in Moscow:
Obama in Moscow:
Along the way, you gave us a pretty good deal on Alaska. Thank you.
D’OH!!!
The man is a Laff Riot!!!
That’s the way to “hit the Reset button”, Mr. President. Remind the Russians of perhaps the stupidest thing they ever did.
Just wonderful.
"Dissent is patriotic! Unless you get in OUR way with it!"
“It appears that the Republican Party leadership in the Congress has made a decision that they want to deny President Obama success, which means, in my mind, they are rooting against the country, as well,” the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman told WAMU radio host Diane Rehm on Tuesday morning, promoting his new book, “The Waxman Report.”
Well,
By Waxman’s own standard then, those who attempted to deny President Bush success were rooting against the country. Looks like both he and his mean-spirited colleague from Massachusetts, the unhappy Barney Frank, spent a lot of time these past eight years rooting against the country.
Who will hold them to account?
Well, it appears the 'wise latina' lawyer may have some tax finagling(an Obama appointee squirrelling on taxes? Really?) in her past. Plus this:
Here is the defense, as laid out by an expert that the White House apparently retained after my posting appeared: The authority for prohibiting the misleading firm name was merely "advisory."
That defense is -- as defenses go when you are awaiting confirmation to the highest court in the land -- just awful. I mean not just a little bit bad, but truly wretched to the point of embarrassing.
Well, a bit more on the illegal firing of an IG. One paragraph in a piece you ought to read:
"It was the disagreements between the IG and the senior management at the agency that provoked the board to remove Walpin," the investigator said. "The senior people at the agency chafed under Walpin's oversight. ... They communicated this to the board, which rubber-stamped senior management. [The board] took it to the White House, which rubber-stamped the board."
Let's see, Alec Baldwin(Arrogant Jackass-Evil Party if there was any doubt) wants to run for office. Yes the same man who said this:
Of the Republicans driving Bill Clinton’s impeachment, he told Conan O’Brien’s Late Show: “If we were in another country… we would stone them to death and we would go to their homes and kill their wives and their children. We would kill their families, for what they’re doing to this country.”
No, we don't live in that country, Baldwin, you effing fool; and we're not going to let you turn this into one of those countries.
A little more on Hope! and Change!! and Crisis is Opportunity!!!
Speaking in Oxford at the Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment , sponsored by The Times, Mr Gore said: “Winston Churchill aroused this nation in heroic fashion to save civilisation in World War II.” He added: “We have everything we need except political will but political will is a renewable resource.” Mr Gore admitted that it was difficult to persuade the public that the threat from climate change was as urgent as the threat during World War 2.
Well, maybe that's because it's NOT, oh Goreacle, and lots of people know it. They also know about your hypocritical use of energy and that the science is NOT 'settled'. So screw you, you energy-hogging little jerk.
On the mess in California(whose legislature hope the feds will rape your income to save them),
So pervasive is the union influence that big labor doesn’t even try to defend its deleterious effects on California’s finances. Just before the special election, a member of the Los Angeles Times editorial board asked Service Employees International Union chief Andy Stern to respond to charges that unions are the 21st-century equivalent of the railroads that were once all-powerful in California. Stern verbally shrugged: “I think democracy is an ugly thing at times.”
That ugliness has made the California budget, like those in most of the other 49 states, less efficient and more bloated. Government spending, unlike spending in the private economy, is a zero-sum game—especially on the state level, since governors can’t print money. Every dollar spent gilding a pension is a dollar not spent funding an orphanage. Naturally, the same elite outlets that were busy blaming voters after the election spent even more time detailing the horrors of the “annihilating cuts,” as the Los Angeles Times called them in a news article, that were coming down the pike. (In early June, the paper invited readers to be shocked that a high school with 3,200 students would have to make do with just three guidance counselors.) Bloated pension costs and the increasingly inefficient provision of state services received a fraction of the coverage.
The federal government is now run by a president and Congress more responsive to union concerns than any in at least two decades. The same bloat currently bogging down statehouses and city halls is being duplicated in boomtown Washington, D.C. President Barack Obama even brought Andy Stern in to help warn Schwarzenegger that federal stimulus money would not be disbursed to California unless the governor rescinded some proposed state job cuts. Though that threat was later withdrawn, Schwarzenegger at press time was pushing for a measly work force reduction of 2 percent.
Because he, and the boobs in the legislature, owe their souls to the unions and will do just about anything rather than piss them off; even if it means screwing the state into the ground. And besides, they've got definitions to worry about, dammit!
"The governor is not against condiments. The governor's not against fruits of any kind," said spokesman Aaron McLear. "But he believes we ought to be focused on solving our budget crisis first and foremost."
Assembly bill 606 creates a commission to serve the marketing interests of the blueberry industry. Another bill defines "honey" to mean the natural food product resulting from the harvest of nectar by honey bees, and a third bill adopts regulations establishing definitions and standards for 100-percent pomegranate juice.
"Look, we're pro-condiment, we're pro-fruit, but the focus needs to be on the budget crisis," McLear said.
Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Fresno) called Governor Schwarzenegger's criticism "childish" and said he is fed up.
YOU'RE fed up, jackass?
And the past history of that wonderful Democrat who stored cash in his freezer:
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A federal jury has seen video of a former Louisiana congressman accepting a suitcase filled with $100,000 in cash outside a northern Virginia hotel.
The videos played Tuesday are a key piece of evidence in the bribery trial of William Jefferson, a Democrat who represented parts of New Orleans. He's accused of accepting more than $400,000 in bribes to broker business deals in Africa.
The FBI recorded the pickup from four different angles, all of which were shown to the jury.
And one of the after-effects of the posturing on Gitmo:
A former Guantanamo Bay inmate is leading the fight against U.S. Marines in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, a senior U.S. defense official confirmed to FOX News on Tuesday.
Mullah Zakir, also known as Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul, surrendered in Mazar-e-Sharif in Northern Afghanistan in 2001, and was transferred to Gitmo in 2006. He was released in late 2007 to Afghan custody.
Now as the United States is pushing ahead with the massive Operation Khanjar in the southern province of Afghanistan, Zakir is coordinating the Taliban fighters. Some 4,000 U.S. Marines and hundreds of Afghan forces have faced some resistance as they sweep across the province, reclaiming control of districts where Zakir and his comrades were running a shadow government.
That's about all the fun I can take for now; if I had the time, I'd hit the range.
Back to the subject of totalitarians and control freaks,
we have the example of the PRC and the DC Police Chief. PRC first:
This week, rioting left scores dead in Urumqi, the capital of China's troubled Xinjiang region. The latest official death toll is 156, but that number undoubtedly understates the count of those killed. The disturbances are accurately portrayed as ethnic conflict--Turkic Uighurs against the dominant Hans--but they also say much about the general stability of the modern Chinese state.
That state says the Uighurs are "Chinese," but that's not true in any meaningful sense of the term. The Uighurs are, in fact, from different racial stock than the Han; they speak a different language, and they practice a religion few others in China follow. Of the 55 officially recognized minority groups in China, they stand out the most.
The Uighurs are a conquered people. In the 1940s, they had their own state, the East Turkestan Republic, for about half a decade. Mao Zedong, however, forcibly incorporated the short-lived nation into the People's Republic by sending the People's Liberation Army into Xinjiang.
Which seems to be the way Chavez would like to 'help the people of Honduras', but unless we and/or the OAS really screw things up, he knows he can't pull it off. In any case, it's easy to lose track of the fact that there are disturbances like this fairly often in China; it's liable to get far more 'interesting' there in the future.
Now to the DC police chief:
Area drivers looking to outwit police speed traps and traffic cameras are using an iPhone application and other global positioning system devices that pinpoint the location of the cameras.
That has irked D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier, who promised her officers would pick up their game to counteract the devices, which can also help drivers dodge sobriety checkpoints.
"I think that's the whole point of this program," she told The Examiner. "It's designed to circumvent law enforcement -- law enforcement that is designed specifically to save lives."
...
The new technology streams to i-Phones and global positioning system devices, sounding off an alarm as drivers approach speed or red-light cameras.
Lanier said the technology is a "cowardly tactic" and "people who overly rely on those and break the law anyway are going to get caught" in one way or another.
'Cowardly'? To keep track of where you put these cameras and traps and pass it on? Bullcrap, Chief.
The greater D.C. area has 290 red-light and speed cameras -- comprising nearly 10 percent of all traffic cameras in the U.S., according to estimates by a camera-tracking database called the POI Factory.
"In a statement, a local group denounced the "Cowardice of putting cameras out to spy on people instead of having officers out acting like police." " How about that?
How's this: if you're really worried about slowing people down, this does it when they get word they're approaching the traps and cameras, so it works! Of course, it doesn't bring in ticket revenue, which is probably what the cameras are actually for. And it doesn't let you have a chart of tickets given to wave around and prove you're out doing something.
This week, rioting left scores dead in Urumqi, the capital of China's troubled Xinjiang region. The latest official death toll is 156, but that number undoubtedly understates the count of those killed. The disturbances are accurately portrayed as ethnic conflict--Turkic Uighurs against the dominant Hans--but they also say much about the general stability of the modern Chinese state.
That state says the Uighurs are "Chinese," but that's not true in any meaningful sense of the term. The Uighurs are, in fact, from different racial stock than the Han; they speak a different language, and they practice a religion few others in China follow. Of the 55 officially recognized minority groups in China, they stand out the most.
The Uighurs are a conquered people. In the 1940s, they had their own state, the East Turkestan Republic, for about half a decade. Mao Zedong, however, forcibly incorporated the short-lived nation into the People's Republic by sending the People's Liberation Army into Xinjiang.
Which seems to be the way Chavez would like to 'help the people of Honduras', but unless we and/or the OAS really screw things up, he knows he can't pull it off. In any case, it's easy to lose track of the fact that there are disturbances like this fairly often in China; it's liable to get far more 'interesting' there in the future.
Now to the DC police chief:
Area drivers looking to outwit police speed traps and traffic cameras are using an iPhone application and other global positioning system devices that pinpoint the location of the cameras.
That has irked D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier, who promised her officers would pick up their game to counteract the devices, which can also help drivers dodge sobriety checkpoints.
"I think that's the whole point of this program," she told The Examiner. "It's designed to circumvent law enforcement -- law enforcement that is designed specifically to save lives."
...
The new technology streams to i-Phones and global positioning system devices, sounding off an alarm as drivers approach speed or red-light cameras.
Lanier said the technology is a "cowardly tactic" and "people who overly rely on those and break the law anyway are going to get caught" in one way or another.
'Cowardly'? To keep track of where you put these cameras and traps and pass it on? Bullcrap, Chief.
The greater D.C. area has 290 red-light and speed cameras -- comprising nearly 10 percent of all traffic cameras in the U.S., according to estimates by a camera-tracking database called the POI Factory.
"In a statement, a local group denounced the "Cowardice of putting cameras out to spy on people instead of having officers out acting like police." " How about that?
How's this: if you're really worried about slowing people down, this does it when they get word they're approaching the traps and cameras, so it works! Of course, it doesn't bring in ticket revenue, which is probably what the cameras are actually for. And it doesn't let you have a chart of tickets given to wave around and prove you're out doing something.
I decided to eat lunch before shopping, and found some more stuff
Like Larry Correa dealing with more unfan mail:
"I wrote you one of those hate mails, chum.
I’m not your chum.
At the time you were selling cheap, bargain basement chicom AK’s to your fan boys to pose with in the mirror in their underwear –
I sold guns that ranged from cheap to extremely expensive. The single most common gun I sold were Stag rifles that were usually in the $800-$900 range. Most of the cheap AKs were purchased by people who were on a tight budget.
As for posing in the underwear, I had a strict policy to never ever ask about stuff like that. And guys, now that I’m not in the gun business, I still don’t want to know.
and you tried to tell them that junk was not only as good as an HK, but better!
And what HK civilian-friendly non-scalper-priced rifle should I have sold them instead?
Oh wait, there isn’t one. Moron."
It's wonderful, check it out.
When the conversation at the ladies' luncheon suddenly swung from cats and grandchildren to the ammo shortage, I finally verified I was not imagining things.
We're living in strange times. Perilous times. Definitely uncertain times.
There's minimum of obligatory pro personal-disarmament-law and anti semi-auto statement, otherwise interesting.
Dammit, I hate it when she posts something like this and I'm about to go for groceries and such.
Awwww, Ward Churchill isn't getting his job back. OR his dollar. Ain't that awful? Among other things from the judge,
If I granted reinstatement I believe there is a substantial likelihood that there would be future disputes about the propriety of Professor Churchill’s academic conduct, as well as the Department of Ethnic Studies’ ability to evaluate the probity and veracity of his scholarship. Those disputes would necessarily raise the question of whether the University has retaliated against Professor Churchill, especially given Professor Churchill’s counsel’s post-verdict statements, such as, “Anything that is deemed retaliatory is another lawsuit. If they look at him cross-eyed, they could very well end up back in court.”
...
I rely upon Professor Churchill’s statements demonstrating his hostility to the University. His statements illustrate that reinstatement, as a practical matter, is not likely to create productive and amicable working relationships.
And, a truly nice bit,(bold mine)
The evidence was credible that Professor Churchill will not only be the most visible member of the Department of Ethnic Studies if reinstated, but that reinstatement will create the perception in the broader academic community that the Department of Ethnic Studies tolerates research misconduct. The evidence was also credible that this perception will make it more difficult for the Department of Ethnic Studies to attract and retain new faculty members. In addition, this negative perception has great potential to hinder students graduating from the Department of Ethnic Studies in their efforts to obtain placement in graduate programs.
While the university would probably be best off if they got rid of the Department of Ethnic Studies, at the least they can continue to rid it of liars and fools like Churchill; at the least, saying "I went to CU in Ethnic Studies!" shouldn't automatically mark you as sympathetic to fraud and other bad things.
NOW I need to go out. What cheese did that mess from the redhead need?...
"I wrote you one of those hate mails, chum.
I’m not your chum.
At the time you were selling cheap, bargain basement chicom AK’s to your fan boys to pose with in the mirror in their underwear –
I sold guns that ranged from cheap to extremely expensive. The single most common gun I sold were Stag rifles that were usually in the $800-$900 range. Most of the cheap AKs were purchased by people who were on a tight budget.
As for posing in the underwear, I had a strict policy to never ever ask about stuff like that. And guys, now that I’m not in the gun business, I still don’t want to know.
and you tried to tell them that junk was not only as good as an HK, but better!
And what HK civilian-friendly non-scalper-priced rifle should I have sold them instead?
Oh wait, there isn’t one. Moron."
It's wonderful, check it out.
When the conversation at the ladies' luncheon suddenly swung from cats and grandchildren to the ammo shortage, I finally verified I was not imagining things.
We're living in strange times. Perilous times. Definitely uncertain times.
There's minimum of obligatory pro personal-disarmament-law and anti semi-auto statement, otherwise interesting.
Dammit, I hate it when she posts something like this and I'm about to go for groceries and such.
Awwww, Ward Churchill isn't getting his job back. OR his dollar. Ain't that awful? Among other things from the judge,
If I granted reinstatement I believe there is a substantial likelihood that there would be future disputes about the propriety of Professor Churchill’s academic conduct, as well as the Department of Ethnic Studies’ ability to evaluate the probity and veracity of his scholarship. Those disputes would necessarily raise the question of whether the University has retaliated against Professor Churchill, especially given Professor Churchill’s counsel’s post-verdict statements, such as, “Anything that is deemed retaliatory is another lawsuit. If they look at him cross-eyed, they could very well end up back in court.”
...
I rely upon Professor Churchill’s statements demonstrating his hostility to the University. His statements illustrate that reinstatement, as a practical matter, is not likely to create productive and amicable working relationships.
And, a truly nice bit,(bold mine)
The evidence was credible that Professor Churchill will not only be the most visible member of the Department of Ethnic Studies if reinstated, but that reinstatement will create the perception in the broader academic community that the Department of Ethnic Studies tolerates research misconduct. The evidence was also credible that this perception will make it more difficult for the Department of Ethnic Studies to attract and retain new faculty members. In addition, this negative perception has great potential to hinder students graduating from the Department of Ethnic Studies in their efforts to obtain placement in graduate programs.
While the university would probably be best off if they got rid of the Department of Ethnic Studies, at the least they can continue to rid it of liars and fools like Churchill; at the least, saying "I went to CU in Ethnic Studies!" shouldn't automatically mark you as sympathetic to fraud and other bad things.
NOW I need to go out. What cheese did that mess from the redhead need?...
And it just keeps rolling in
Hope! Change!!
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 32% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-seven percent (37%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –5.
The number who strongly disapprove inched up another point to the highest level measured to date and the overall Approval Index is at the lowest level yet for Obama
And Fearless Leader forgot where he met the Mrs.? Well, I might not want to talk about meeting her at a law firm where I was working with a terrorist, either.
While it would have created some other problems, Hoy may be right; maybe they should have just shot the bastard.
Fausta has some of the current on Honduras, including confirmation that the bullet that killed the protester was not of a caliber used by the military. Also, Fearless Leader's 'explanation' of why he's supporting a dictator-wannabe instead of the government of Honduras. Also this from Ace.
As Uncle says, that there is some stupid.
I've got groceries and screws to chase down, so that's it for now
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 32% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-seven percent (37%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –5.
The number who strongly disapprove inched up another point to the highest level measured to date and the overall Approval Index is at the lowest level yet for Obama
And Fearless Leader forgot where he met the Mrs.? Well, I might not want to talk about meeting her at a law firm where I was working with a terrorist, either.
While it would have created some other problems, Hoy may be right; maybe they should have just shot the bastard.
Fausta has some of the current on Honduras, including confirmation that the bullet that killed the protester was not of a caliber used by the military. Also, Fearless Leader's 'explanation' of why he's supporting a dictator-wannabe instead of the government of Honduras. Also this from Ace.
As Uncle says, that there is some stupid.
I've got groceries and screws to chase down, so that's it for now
Some on the current situation in Iran
here; check this out:
"Ali Khamenei, told his cluster of top advisers two days ago that it was time to totally shut down the protests, and he ordered that any and all demonstrators, regardless of their status, be arrested (although there is no longer room for new prisoners in Tehran’s jails; they are now using sports arenas as holding areas). He further ordered that all satellite dishes be taken down (good luck with that one; there are probably millions of them in Tehran alone). He ordered that the crackdown be done at night, to avoid all those annoying videos"
So, I wonder where he's planning to store everyone? Gee, wouldn't thugs on the roofs make nice targets?(just sayin'...) And while he doesn't give a crap about people who dare protest being beaten and crippled and killed, those annoying videos of it are causing him problems in the world; ain't that just turrible?
"Ali Khamenei, told his cluster of top advisers two days ago that it was time to totally shut down the protests, and he ordered that any and all demonstrators, regardless of their status, be arrested (although there is no longer room for new prisoners in Tehran’s jails; they are now using sports arenas as holding areas). He further ordered that all satellite dishes be taken down (good luck with that one; there are probably millions of them in Tehran alone). He ordered that the crackdown be done at night, to avoid all those annoying videos"
So, I wonder where he's planning to store everyone? Gee, wouldn't thugs on the roofs make nice targets?(just sayin'...) And while he doesn't give a crap about people who dare protest being beaten and crippled and killed, those annoying videos of it are causing him problems in the world; ain't that just turrible?
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Two things tonight, medical and dumbassery
On the latter, as Og says, stupid SHOULD hurt; the lesson sticks that way, if you'll have the brains and humility to accept it.
Amid screams and what survivors called a "terrifying scene," two cables holding up the suspension bridge at Hidden Lake Park in Merrillville failed at 10 p.m., sending the bridge and 50 to 120 children and adults crashing into a creek about 10 feet below.
The 80-foot span was designed to hold 40 people, but "at least twice as many" were on it when it collapsed, said Ross Township Trustee John Rooda, who runs the park.
To quote from Mythbusters, "Well, there's your problem right there!"
Hall, who was treated at a hospital for a sprained ankle, said she saw some people "jumping up and down on the bridge, laughing" before the collapse.
"Hey, the bridge is moving, ain't this cool?" Splash.
There is the question of why the cops, one at each end, let so many people on; that'll need to be answered. Which still leaves idiots on a packed bridge jumping up & down...
The medical is Kevin's most recent post on the wonders of socialized medicine,
I was going to respond to this comment by reactive target Markadelphia a couple of days ago, but I discovered I didn't need to. John Stossell, one of the few in the legacy media who doesn't qualify as a "gerbilist" already has:
There's a difference between having the government insist on denying care, and the family making that decision. That difference is who's paying.
Read it all. And if you need to check out the leftist defense of this garbage, click on the comment by the reactive target in the first line(and the others to find out about 'reactive target' and the 'gerbalist'). Oh, and I'd suggest you hit this link that a gentleman left in the comments, and consider our numbers changing to those of (fG)Britain or Canada. Like
60: Average cancer survival rate (all types) for patients in the United States. Canada’s survival rate is significantly lower at 55%, while Europe’s is a dismal 48%.
81: Average percentage of those who survive a diagnosis of prostate cancer in the United States versus 43% in Britain under their National Health Service.
90: Number of days, on average, each Canadian patient must wait for an MRI under the Canadian government-run health care system.
Several years back I had an idea, and being on this here internet thingy I sent a question to a number of politicians: "If you simply want to make health care more affordable, make all health expenses deductible: not the current 'calculate 'X' percent of your income and what's above that' mess but ALL of it. People could adjust their withholding to take account of known/planned costs, and if have some above that they'd get it back when they file."
Not one of the bastards would even answer me. Because, I think, because for most of them it's not actually about making health care more affordable: it's about control of health care AND control of your money.
I've got a friend who insists that the examples of socialized-medicine horrors I send him are due to me cherry-picking bad stuff; he won't believe that all you have to do is scan British and Canadian news sites to find this stuff. And insists "At least I'll have free health care!" And gets upset when I say "It won't be free; you may not be writing a check to the doctor, but you'll be paying out the ass in taxes for that 'free' care."
And, before I forget(ok, dammit, so this makes 'three', if you're going to be picky), since Sweden is often mentioned as a wonderplace of socialized care,
Take healthcare. Swedes do not enjoy free public care: it costs to see a GP. That is, if you manage to see one. Queues are long and scandals rack the system. Psychiatric care, the source of many such scandals, has a near-medieval penchant for authoritarianism with few European equivalents. People are locked up for months for not taking medicine, given no therapy, and spat out of the system into despair and destitution. The mentally ill die in wards and in outpatient isolation. And they do not even have charities to turn to because state-run healthcare is supposed to work: this is Sweden, after all.
Those who do enjoy Sweden's second-rate public services are lucky. Undocumented migrants, who lack a "personal number", are barred from day-to-day healthcare. Foreigners do not fit easily into a social system built on the postwar notion of the folkhem, or people's home, whose rightful inhabitants are the native Swedes. Despite the xenophobic right's lack of electoral success, Sweden is divided between those inside the system and those outside it – including the asylum seekers now deported en masse to Iraq. But migrants should be happy to be here. This is Sweden, after all.
and
Even being in the system is less rewarding than it was. Unemployment benefits are falling behind those of other countries, and access to social security involves Big Brother-style controls most Europeans would abhor. The state's iron grip remains even as the care that used to go with it has gone. Swedes might lack Britain's profusion of CCTVs, but their lives are scrutinised by an armada of bureaucrats. A new law lets authorities tap all phone and internet traffic crossing the borders. Norwegian lawyers have sued over privacy infringement, leaving the prime minister perplexed – because in Sweden, the state is there to help us.
Two notes: first, the 'xenophobic right' in Sweden is doing hateful things like pointing out that not only do a lot of muslim immigrants not integrate into society, they're forcing society to change to accomodate them, and the wussy leftists in government are letting it happen because actually dealing with the problem is 'racist' and 'bigoted'. Second, while the left here screams bloody murder at tapping phone calls to numbers known to be used by terrorists; think they'd prefer the scheme of socialist Sweden?
Hell, one more note, that "because in Sweden, the state is there to help us." Even when you can't see a doctor, even when your daughter has to cover herself to avoid being raped, even when they're tapping your calls and net use, it's ok because 'the State is there to help us'. Disgusting attitude. And it's shared by the 'progressives' here.
Amid screams and what survivors called a "terrifying scene," two cables holding up the suspension bridge at Hidden Lake Park in Merrillville failed at 10 p.m., sending the bridge and 50 to 120 children and adults crashing into a creek about 10 feet below.
The 80-foot span was designed to hold 40 people, but "at least twice as many" were on it when it collapsed, said Ross Township Trustee John Rooda, who runs the park.
To quote from Mythbusters, "Well, there's your problem right there!"
Hall, who was treated at a hospital for a sprained ankle, said she saw some people "jumping up and down on the bridge, laughing" before the collapse.
"Hey, the bridge is moving, ain't this cool?" Splash.
There is the question of why the cops, one at each end, let so many people on; that'll need to be answered. Which still leaves idiots on a packed bridge jumping up & down...
The medical is Kevin's most recent post on the wonders of socialized medicine,
I was going to respond to this comment by reactive target Markadelphia a couple of days ago, but I discovered I didn't need to. John Stossell, one of the few in the legacy media who doesn't qualify as a "gerbilist" already has:
"Better" Health Care?Wow. That sounds . . . sterile. Then there was the recent case of a British patient in hospital for an abscess on her neck who took it upon herself to clean the ward she was in because it was filthy.
by John StossellPresident Obama says government will make health care cheaper and better. But there's no free lunch.
In England, health care is "free" -- as long as you don't mind waiting. People wait so long for dentist appointments that some pull their own teeth. At any one time, half a million people are waiting to get into a British hospital. A British paper reports that one hospital tried to save money by not changing bedsheets. Instead of washing sheets, the staff was encouraged to just turn them over.
Like the New Zealand hospital for all intents and purposes told a Samoan family that they should let their deformed newborn daughter die, and denied her care. The government went so far as to deny her a visa to travel to where she could get care. That child eventually did get to the U.S. for treatment, and has now returned home, still alive.Obama insists he is not "trying to bring about government-run healthcare".
"But government management does the same thing," says Sally Pipes of the Pacific Research Institute. "To reduce costs they'll have to ration -- deny -- care."
There's a difference between having the government insist on denying care, and the family making that decision. That difference is who's paying.
Read it all. And if you need to check out the leftist defense of this garbage, click on the comment by the reactive target in the first line(and the others to find out about 'reactive target' and the 'gerbalist'). Oh, and I'd suggest you hit this link that a gentleman left in the comments, and consider our numbers changing to those of (fG)Britain or Canada. Like
60: Average cancer survival rate (all types) for patients in the United States. Canada’s survival rate is significantly lower at 55%, while Europe’s is a dismal 48%.
81: Average percentage of those who survive a diagnosis of prostate cancer in the United States versus 43% in Britain under their National Health Service.
90: Number of days, on average, each Canadian patient must wait for an MRI under the Canadian government-run health care system.
Several years back I had an idea, and being on this here internet thingy I sent a question to a number of politicians: "If you simply want to make health care more affordable, make all health expenses deductible: not the current 'calculate 'X' percent of your income and what's above that' mess but ALL of it. People could adjust their withholding to take account of known/planned costs, and if have some above that they'd get it back when they file."
Not one of the bastards would even answer me. Because, I think, because for most of them it's not actually about making health care more affordable: it's about control of health care AND control of your money.
I've got a friend who insists that the examples of socialized-medicine horrors I send him are due to me cherry-picking bad stuff; he won't believe that all you have to do is scan British and Canadian news sites to find this stuff. And insists "At least I'll have free health care!" And gets upset when I say "It won't be free; you may not be writing a check to the doctor, but you'll be paying out the ass in taxes for that 'free' care."
And, before I forget(ok, dammit, so this makes 'three', if you're going to be picky), since Sweden is often mentioned as a wonderplace of socialized care,
Take healthcare. Swedes do not enjoy free public care: it costs to see a GP. That is, if you manage to see one. Queues are long and scandals rack the system. Psychiatric care, the source of many such scandals, has a near-medieval penchant for authoritarianism with few European equivalents. People are locked up for months for not taking medicine, given no therapy, and spat out of the system into despair and destitution. The mentally ill die in wards and in outpatient isolation. And they do not even have charities to turn to because state-run healthcare is supposed to work: this is Sweden, after all.
Those who do enjoy Sweden's second-rate public services are lucky. Undocumented migrants, who lack a "personal number", are barred from day-to-day healthcare. Foreigners do not fit easily into a social system built on the postwar notion of the folkhem, or people's home, whose rightful inhabitants are the native Swedes. Despite the xenophobic right's lack of electoral success, Sweden is divided between those inside the system and those outside it – including the asylum seekers now deported en masse to Iraq. But migrants should be happy to be here. This is Sweden, after all.
and
Even being in the system is less rewarding than it was. Unemployment benefits are falling behind those of other countries, and access to social security involves Big Brother-style controls most Europeans would abhor. The state's iron grip remains even as the care that used to go with it has gone. Swedes might lack Britain's profusion of CCTVs, but their lives are scrutinised by an armada of bureaucrats. A new law lets authorities tap all phone and internet traffic crossing the borders. Norwegian lawyers have sued over privacy infringement, leaving the prime minister perplexed – because in Sweden, the state is there to help us.
Two notes: first, the 'xenophobic right' in Sweden is doing hateful things like pointing out that not only do a lot of muslim immigrants not integrate into society, they're forcing society to change to accomodate them, and the wussy leftists in government are letting it happen because actually dealing with the problem is 'racist' and 'bigoted'. Second, while the left here screams bloody murder at tapping phone calls to numbers known to be used by terrorists; think they'd prefer the scheme of socialist Sweden?
Hell, one more note, that "because in Sweden, the state is there to help us." Even when you can't see a doctor, even when your daughter has to cover herself to avoid being raped, even when they're tapping your calls and net use, it's ok because 'the State is there to help us'. Disgusting attitude. And it's shared by the 'progressives' here.
Dealing with the Evil Party
Even worse was the glaze of horror on the phizzes of the assembled heroes of the Mainstream Media. Andrea Mitchell — yes, the very same Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, Washington, whose employer saw no conflict of interest at all when she married then Fed pooh-bah Alan Greenspan — stood there gaping like a frog while the rest of the assembled Finemans and Matthewses and Olbermanns scurried around like roaches when the light gets turned on: What the hell just hit us? For one horrible moment, it looked as if the carefully crafted plans of David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel, George Soros, and the Second Chief Directorate, first department, of the old KGB were about to gang agley.
Not only were we offended at the sheer effrontery of McCain’s pick: How dare the Republicans proffer this déclassée piece of Wasilla trailer trash whose only claim to fame was that she didn’t exercise her right to choose? Where were her degrees from Smith or Barnard, her internships at PETA, the Brookings Institution, or the Young Pioneers? We were also outraged that the Stupid Party had just nominated a completely unqualified candidate nobody had ever heard of, a first-term governor of Alaska whose previous experience consisted of a small-town mayoralty. As opposed to our guy, Barry Soetoro of Mombasa, Djakarta, and Honolulu, a first-term senator nobody had ever heard of, whose previous experience had been as a state senator (D., Daley Machine) in Illinois. After eight long, illegitimate, lawless years of &*^%BUSH$#@! tyranny, how dare you contest this election?
Go take a look.
Not only were we offended at the sheer effrontery of McCain’s pick: How dare the Republicans proffer this déclassée piece of Wasilla trailer trash whose only claim to fame was that she didn’t exercise her right to choose? Where were her degrees from Smith or Barnard, her internships at PETA, the Brookings Institution, or the Young Pioneers? We were also outraged that the Stupid Party had just nominated a completely unqualified candidate nobody had ever heard of, a first-term governor of Alaska whose previous experience consisted of a small-town mayoralty. As opposed to our guy, Barry Soetoro of Mombasa, Djakarta, and Honolulu, a first-term senator nobody had ever heard of, whose previous experience had been as a state senator (D., Daley Machine) in Illinois. After eight long, illegitimate, lawless years of &*^%BUSH$#@! tyranny, how dare you contest this election?
Go take a look.
Ok, here's one to watch
Rep. Alcee Hastings(Disbarred Shyster-Evil Party) has introduced a bill that contains a couple of troublesome parts. It's called the Prohibition on recruitment, enlistment or retention of persons associalted or affiliated with groups associated with hate-related violence against groups or persons or the United States Government(any bill or amendment with a title that long ought to be scrapped for that alone). The two parts that caught my eye were first, under Definition of hate group,
(C)Groups or organizations that espouse an intention or expectation of armed revolutionary activity against the United States Government, or the violent overthrow of the United States Government.
and
(G)Other groups or organizations that are determined by the Attorney General to be of a violent, extremist nature.
Maybe I'm being excessively cautious here, but a group that speaks of the 'expectation of' could be said to include ANY group that says something like "The way things are going, it wouldn't surprise us" or "we expect there to be a revolution in the next few years." For that matter, giving the AG an open field like that to determine that is a bit worrisome.
Under Evidence of association or affiliation with hate group, it includes
(B)Individuals known to have attended meetings, rallies, conferences, or other activities sponsored by a hate group.
Again, maybe I'm being unnecessarily cautious here, but combine the definitions with (B), and some kid who, in a dumbass or curious stage, attended a meeting of some group and decided 'No thank you', or who once joined and got a tattoo and later decided "This is bullcrap" and left could find himself barred from enlisting. There's an exception for troops who are found to have 'renounced' their previous association with a group, but nothing there for someone who wants to enlist.
And there's always the worry of this giving the AG, whoever it may be at the time, another way to decide that 'X' is a hate group and make it an actual legal statement of his office.
Flatly, I just don't trust these people.
Hastings has also introduced a bill, H.R.645; this from Right Wing News also:
Rep. Alcee Hastings also introduced what many say is another disturbing piece of legislation. That new bill calls for the Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to build at least six facilities that can be designated as "emergency centers. Hastings' rationale for such facilities is to gather and "house" civilians on what are basically detention centers guarded by armed soldiers or paramilitary troops.
The House bill (HR 645) — National Emergency Centers Establishment Act — is not even on the radar of members of the elite media. According to critics of the plan, if passed the government will create camps or centers that by their nature restrict the activities of US citizens herded into them.
Looking at the link, here's the first section:
This Act may be cited as the ‘National Emergency Centers Establishment Act’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY CENTERS.
(a) In General- In accordance with the requirements of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish not fewer than 6 national emergency centers on military installations.
(b) Purpose of National Emergency Centers- The purpose of a national emergency center shall be to use existing infrastructure--
(1) to provide temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster;
(2) to provide centralized locations for the purposes of training and ensuring the coordination of Federal, State, and local first responders;
(3) to provide centralized locations to improve the coordination of preparedness, response, and recovery efforts of government, private, and not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations; and
(4) to meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
I'm guessing it's the 'other appropriate needs, as determined by' that's most bothering people. Although the idea of the government using God knows how many millions(maybe billions) of dollars to set up refugee camps and training areas doesn't exactly thrill me. There's no place to train first responders already? We need more official government offices for 'coordination'?
Odd couple of bills; what do you think?
(C)Groups or organizations that espouse an intention or expectation of armed revolutionary activity against the United States Government, or the violent overthrow of the United States Government.
and
(G)Other groups or organizations that are determined by the Attorney General to be of a violent, extremist nature.
Maybe I'm being excessively cautious here, but a group that speaks of the 'expectation of' could be said to include ANY group that says something like "The way things are going, it wouldn't surprise us" or "we expect there to be a revolution in the next few years." For that matter, giving the AG an open field like that to determine that is a bit worrisome.
Under Evidence of association or affiliation with hate group, it includes
(B)Individuals known to have attended meetings, rallies, conferences, or other activities sponsored by a hate group.
Again, maybe I'm being unnecessarily cautious here, but combine the definitions with (B), and some kid who, in a dumbass or curious stage, attended a meeting of some group and decided 'No thank you', or who once joined and got a tattoo and later decided "This is bullcrap" and left could find himself barred from enlisting. There's an exception for troops who are found to have 'renounced' their previous association with a group, but nothing there for someone who wants to enlist.
And there's always the worry of this giving the AG, whoever it may be at the time, another way to decide that 'X' is a hate group and make it an actual legal statement of his office.
Flatly, I just don't trust these people.
Hastings has also introduced a bill, H.R.645; this from Right Wing News also:
Rep. Alcee Hastings also introduced what many say is another disturbing piece of legislation. That new bill calls for the Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to build at least six facilities that can be designated as "emergency centers. Hastings' rationale for such facilities is to gather and "house" civilians on what are basically detention centers guarded by armed soldiers or paramilitary troops.
The House bill (HR 645) — National Emergency Centers Establishment Act — is not even on the radar of members of the elite media. According to critics of the plan, if passed the government will create camps or centers that by their nature restrict the activities of US citizens herded into them.
Looking at the link, here's the first section:
This Act may be cited as the ‘National Emergency Centers Establishment Act’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY CENTERS.
(a) In General- In accordance with the requirements of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish not fewer than 6 national emergency centers on military installations.
(b) Purpose of National Emergency Centers- The purpose of a national emergency center shall be to use existing infrastructure--
(1) to provide temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster;
(2) to provide centralized locations for the purposes of training and ensuring the coordination of Federal, State, and local first responders;
(3) to provide centralized locations to improve the coordination of preparedness, response, and recovery efforts of government, private, and not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations; and
(4) to meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
I'm guessing it's the 'other appropriate needs, as determined by' that's most bothering people. Although the idea of the government using God knows how many millions(maybe billions) of dollars to set up refugee camps and training areas doesn't exactly thrill me. There's no place to train first responders already? We need more official government offices for 'coordination'?
Odd couple of bills; what do you think?
I wonder if anyone else could keep one of those issue subguns
handy for home defense? Without getting arrested?
Which leads me to the third fear, that there is a revolution coming, yes, a revolution on the scale of the original American Revolution. You can hear this topic discussed on many of the talk radio shows by even the big name hosts. The possibility of an armed revolution against the U.S. government being discussed, albeit very gingerly and fleetingly and as something to be avoided, which it is. I never heard this mentioned in the 90s. One of my quietest, low profile officer friends brought it up the other day.
He said that at some point in the near future, he felt there is going to be an armed revolt if things keep going the way they are. Something has got to give. I was shocked. Yes, I had heard this from some of my more radical
cop friends in the past, but to hear it from a guy like this was unprecedented. Now, these guys are not saying this will happen to foment revolution, preach sedition or to even participate. They just want to be ready if it happens, to at least defend their families, because number four on the fear list is general societal chaos.
Cops fear for their parents, wives, children or grandchildren more now than ever before. Most cops are encouraging their spouses and loved ones to get concealed carry permits. Not only that, but some of these same cops are buying gun mounts for their personal cars so they can carry an AR in the family ride at the ready all the time. They are also strapping on heavier forms of off-duty hardware. I have other friends that are issued ARs or subguns for tactical team use, who always have their gear with them and are planning on just commandeering these weapons for personal use in defending hearth and home.
Read it. Found thanks to Uncle.
Which leads me to the third fear, that there is a revolution coming, yes, a revolution on the scale of the original American Revolution. You can hear this topic discussed on many of the talk radio shows by even the big name hosts. The possibility of an armed revolution against the U.S. government being discussed, albeit very gingerly and fleetingly and as something to be avoided, which it is. I never heard this mentioned in the 90s. One of my quietest, low profile officer friends brought it up the other day.
He said that at some point in the near future, he felt there is going to be an armed revolt if things keep going the way they are. Something has got to give. I was shocked. Yes, I had heard this from some of my more radical
cop friends in the past, but to hear it from a guy like this was unprecedented. Now, these guys are not saying this will happen to foment revolution, preach sedition or to even participate. They just want to be ready if it happens, to at least defend their families, because number four on the fear list is general societal chaos.
Cops fear for their parents, wives, children or grandchildren more now than ever before. Most cops are encouraging their spouses and loved ones to get concealed carry permits. Not only that, but some of these same cops are buying gun mounts for their personal cars so they can carry an AR in the family ride at the ready all the time. They are also strapping on heavier forms of off-duty hardware. I have other friends that are issued ARs or subguns for tactical team use, who always have their gear with them and are planning on just commandeering these weapons for personal use in defending hearth and home.
Read it. Found thanks to Uncle.
William Wallace would friggin' cry if he saw Scotland
today:
A second phase of a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of airguns has been launched by the Scottish Government.
A second phase of a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of airguns has been launched by the Scottish Government.
The campaign, which uses adverts, internet viral marketing, posters and leaflets, is resuming for the summer.
Police suggested this is when airgun incidents are most likely to occur.
Figures revealed the first phase of the campaign saw over 130,000 plays of the internet viral and almost 15,000 visits to the campaign web site.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "Air guns are not toys, but weapons that can kill and maim. There have been tragedies that have caused pain and injury to children and animals. That's why we believe that action must be taken.
Etc., etc., ad holy crap. Couple of years ago someone found a .22 Short cartridge in a street and the whole city crapped bricks; now Scotland is doing this along with their 'knife amnesty' bullcrap.
Barring a miracle, Britain is so screwed.
Quote of the day
The Obama Administration has got this economic thing which is “If it’s workin’, tax the hell out of it. If it’s not workin’, bail it out. And if it’s barely scraping by, drop Barney Frank on it until it screams for help.”
PJ O’Rourke
Found at RNS
And the plot thickens in Honduras
Or, considering the actions of the morons in DC, 'sickens' might be the word. First off, ref the shooting yesterday at the airport, there was one dead. And Hunter has this:
This is just a rough translation, as I am hurrying to make it available in English:
The Minister of Defense Adolfo Lionel Sevilla said this afternoon that the bullet that killed a young man at the demonstration Sunday in the Toncontín airport did not come from a military weapon.
According to the experts, the bullet that took the life of a young 19 year old, was not from a military caliber. The report reveals that the direction the young man died does not coincide with the trajectory of the direction of the bullet from the armed forces.
There's a lot more. Including this in the previous post:
As reported yesterday from the perspective of the participants in the demonstration against the new government and for the return of Manuel Zelaya, it was said that the military initiated the conflict with the demonstrators. Recently I interviewed a high ranking Honduran military officer in Tegucigalpa, and he tells a different story than what is being officially reported.
The officer claims that protesters had wire cutters (I did see protesters with wire cutters) and began cutting the chain link fence and ripping it down. The crowd convened onto the fence, ready to rush onto the tarmac at the airport. Shots were fired from the military, however as of right now it is uncertain whether the casualties were the result of a military issued weapon.
As the rally came to a close, the police arrested 20 Nicaraguans from the crowd, who were armed with .357 pistols. Right now they are being detained and questioned as to their entry into the country and actions at the rally. Besides the Nicaraguans that were arrested yesterday, the officer claimed that there were foreigners from Cuba and Venezuela as well. He was unable or unwilling to provide more details on the other nationals.
Well, well, an awful lot of foreigners showing up at these protests. I'm willing to believe it; with Chavez threatening to invade, Nicaragua making noises and Cuba doing its usual 'spread socialism no matter how many die', why wouldn't I?
Here's some of the most recent at Fausta's blog we find this quote:
The fact that the military carried out the Honduran Supreme Court’s orders in removing a would-be dictator, after he flouted the court’s rulings, does not make it a “military coup.” When court orders are defied by powerful government officials, troops are sometimes called out to enforce them, as happened in the U.S. in 1957 when federal troops forced Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus to stop blocking the court-ordered integration of Little Rock’s public schools. Indeed, Article 272 of the Honduran Constitution gives the military the power to remove a president even without a court order, if he seeks to violate the term limits prescribed in the Honduran Constitution. Even a legal commentator, Litho, at the leading liberal blog Daily Kos, which is run by a leftist Latin American immigrant, admits that the military’s action was “legal” in a “technical sense” under the Honduran Constitution.
Ok, when you have weenies at Kos having to admit the actions of the military were legal, that even if there hadn't been an order from the court(which there was, let us remember) it would have been legal for them to remove Zelaya from office for what he did. And yet Obama and Clinton are still running around yelling 'Coup!' and trying to force this clown back on Honduras.
Also at Fausta:
6:50PM
Mexico would offer asylum to Zelaya were he to request it, according to Foreign Relations Subsecretary Lourdes Aranda Bezaury.
Asylum? Interesting word to use here.
This is just a rough translation, as I am hurrying to make it available in English:
The Minister of Defense Adolfo Lionel Sevilla said this afternoon that the bullet that killed a young man at the demonstration Sunday in the Toncontín airport did not come from a military weapon.
According to the experts, the bullet that took the life of a young 19 year old, was not from a military caliber. The report reveals that the direction the young man died does not coincide with the trajectory of the direction of the bullet from the armed forces.
There's a lot more. Including this in the previous post:
As reported yesterday from the perspective of the participants in the demonstration against the new government and for the return of Manuel Zelaya, it was said that the military initiated the conflict with the demonstrators. Recently I interviewed a high ranking Honduran military officer in Tegucigalpa, and he tells a different story than what is being officially reported.
The officer claims that protesters had wire cutters (I did see protesters with wire cutters) and began cutting the chain link fence and ripping it down. The crowd convened onto the fence, ready to rush onto the tarmac at the airport. Shots were fired from the military, however as of right now it is uncertain whether the casualties were the result of a military issued weapon.
As the rally came to a close, the police arrested 20 Nicaraguans from the crowd, who were armed with .357 pistols. Right now they are being detained and questioned as to their entry into the country and actions at the rally. Besides the Nicaraguans that were arrested yesterday, the officer claimed that there were foreigners from Cuba and Venezuela as well. He was unable or unwilling to provide more details on the other nationals.
Well, well, an awful lot of foreigners showing up at these protests. I'm willing to believe it; with Chavez threatening to invade, Nicaragua making noises and Cuba doing its usual 'spread socialism no matter how many die', why wouldn't I?
Here's some of the most recent at Fausta's blog we find this quote:
The fact that the military carried out the Honduran Supreme Court’s orders in removing a would-be dictator, after he flouted the court’s rulings, does not make it a “military coup.” When court orders are defied by powerful government officials, troops are sometimes called out to enforce them, as happened in the U.S. in 1957 when federal troops forced Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus to stop blocking the court-ordered integration of Little Rock’s public schools. Indeed, Article 272 of the Honduran Constitution gives the military the power to remove a president even without a court order, if he seeks to violate the term limits prescribed in the Honduran Constitution. Even a legal commentator, Litho, at the leading liberal blog Daily Kos, which is run by a leftist Latin American immigrant, admits that the military’s action was “legal” in a “technical sense” under the Honduran Constitution.
Ok, when you have weenies at Kos having to admit the actions of the military were legal, that even if there hadn't been an order from the court(which there was, let us remember) it would have been legal for them to remove Zelaya from office for what he did. And yet Obama and Clinton are still running around yelling 'Coup!' and trying to force this clown back on Honduras.
Also at Fausta:
6:50PM
Mexico would offer asylum to Zelaya were he to request it, according to Foreign Relations Subsecretary Lourdes Aranda Bezaury.
Asylum? Interesting word to use here.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Damn, something intelligent from NPR
Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus
I decided that years ago, having seen people in good shape, healthy who were either 'overweight' or 'obese' according to this scale. I worked the formula, and according to it I should weigh around 150-155; at which weight I'd look emaciated. In the best shape I've ever been in, working out 3-4 times a week, I weighed more than that.
Oh, as to the formula,
1. The person who dreamed up the BMI said explicitly that it could not and should not be used to indicate the level of fatness in an individual.
I decided that years ago, having seen people in good shape, healthy who were either 'overweight' or 'obese' according to this scale. I worked the formula, and according to it I should weigh around 150-155; at which weight I'd look emaciated. In the best shape I've ever been in, working out 3-4 times a week, I weighed more than that.
Oh, as to the formula,
1. The person who dreamed up the BMI said explicitly that it could not and should not be used to indicate the level of fatness in an individual.
The BMI was introduced in the early 19th century by a Belgian named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet. He was a mathematician, not a physician. He produced the formula to give a quick and easy way to measure the degree of obesity of the general population to assist the government in allocating resources. In other words, it is a 200-year-old hack.
2. It is scientifically nonsensical.
There is no physiological reason to square a person's height (Quetelet had to square the height to get a formula that matched the overall data. If you can't fix the data, rig the formula!). Moreover, it ignores waist size, which is a clear indicator of obesity level.
3. It is physiologically wrong.
It makes no allowance for the relative proportions of bone, muscle and fat in the body. But bone is denser than muscle and twice as dense as fat, so a person with strong bones, good muscle tone and low fat will have a high BMI. Thus, athletes and fit, health-conscious movie stars who work out a lot tend to find themselves classified as overweight or even obese.
And there's seven more reasons to go!
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