Saturday, August 21, 2010

Remember that famous 'First they came for the communists' piece?

Turns out the story is a lot more involved than I'd known.
So it's completely unsurprising that the Ground Zero Mosque defenders have trotted out the "First they came for the Communists" nursery rhyme. Keith Olbermann did it, while suggesting that resisting the Ground Zero Mosque puts us on a path to the Holocaust. Olbermann went on to claim that Muslims in the US were at greater risk of terrorism than non-Muslims (which would be news to the actual recent targets of terrorism, who included soldiers in Fort Hood, airline passengers and anyone walking through Times Square.) And of course Olbermann hung it all on that infamous nursery rhyme and Martin Niemoller.

There are a number of problems with that. First Niemoller is not the author of the nursery rhyme, it's loosely based on some of his statements. Secondly, Niemoller went from being a Nazi sympathizer, to being a Communist sympathizer. That incidentally is the same message implicit in the poem itself. A man who supported Hitler and then supported Communist tyrants, including Ho Chi Minh is a spectacularly bad choice as a moral guide.
...
Meanwhile in the USSR, the Communists had come for the Trade Unionists and the Jews. Niemoller had nothing to say on this subject. Neither do the people who quote the nursery rhyme, because it upsets their narrative. It forces them to deal with the fact that the Communists were perpetrators, rather than victims. What upsets the applecart even more, is the fact that the USSR had actually helped the Nazis destroy German Communists, because it viewed the rise of Hitler as strategically helpful to them.

It was also the Communists who were in the forefront of the anti-war movement in Western countries, after the Hitler-Stalin had been signed. It was they who insisted on no intervention. Niemoller himself became complicit in that same sort of activity when he enlisted in Soviet backed "peace" groups that opposed "American militarism"
.

In today's edition of Leftists and Commies and Traitors,

Oh My! we start off with the current administration:
Via Death By 1000 Paper Cuts -

Attending the conference, two Obama Czars, Border Czar Alan Bersin, Commissioner U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Drug Czar R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Question: Do you feel we are adequately securing our border?

Obama Drug Czar R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy:

“That’s a difficult question to ask. I’ve spent a lot of time now flying, driving, being on the border then talking to a lot of people on the border. It’s incredibly difficult when you don’t have a clear definition of what secure the border means.
(Here's a hint, dumbass: it means illegal aliens are stopped from crossing, or caught and thrown back out; easy, isn't it?)
Another tidbit we learned: Bord
er Czar Alan Bersin telling the conference attendees:

Our people are the key, bi-nationally as well as each of our countries. The challenges to leave behind, the old ways of seeing the border, to stop thinking in the past. Stop thinking that the Federal government is going to come and pay for all the projects. Rather, it is devise business solutions that provide the private capacity to make these things work. Whether it is crossing the border in a safe, secure facilitated entry but to do it with private initiative rather than waiting for government handouts. What the government has to do is be responsive to a community that takes its future into its own hands. Yes, we on the regulatory side will respond appropriately but you’ve got to do this and not look to the government to do it.

So expecting the feds to do one of the Constitutionally mandated acts, protect the borders, is 'government handouts'?


Ah yes, that mild-mannered, moderate cleric who wants to build the Hamasque:
Steve Emerson has unearthed 13 hours of audio tape of Imam Rauf. Emerson and his team of investigators has spent the past four weeks going through the newly found material. Rauf is a “radical extremist cleric who cloaks himself in sheep’s clothing.”

Among the shocking revelations Emerson’s team will reveal next week — they found Rauf:

Defending wahhabism – a puritanical version of Islam that governs Saudi Arabia

Calling for the elimination of Israel by claiming a one-nation state, meaning no more Jewish State.

Defending Bin Laden’s violence
Yep. Moderate, and caring and compassionate. Except toward unbelievers and those disgusting JOOOOOS.
Ah, here's a bit more at Cold Fury


On the open traitors side, we have Code Pink: fundraisers for terrorists, enemy of the US and the kind of miserable little shits who say things like
Yet Jodie Evans and her Code Pink degenerates taunted me and made light of my son’s sacrifice telling me, “Your son deserved to die in Iraq if he was stupid enough to go over there.”
They also hang out with communist dictators and terrorism supporters(which latter group may contain some Democrats). And, for that matter please read the part in the Powerline post about Jerry Brown, running for Governor of CA:
You might call him Governor Moonbeam, but I prefer Governor Double Dip, and there's nothing harmlessly moonbeamy and charmingly hippie dippie about his doing business with Jode Evans, co-founder of the obnoxious anti-American group Code Pink and someone with a well-documented history of supporting terrorists and those countries that would do America harm. [Ed.: Code Pink raised $600,000 to fund anti-American terrorism in Iraq.]


I'm going to have to add Hypocritical Jackasses to the header to cover Prince Charles:
Now His Royal Highness has launched the Start Campaign, 20 small steps whereby the common folk can save the planet from global warming. Among the 20 are saving old paint tins and "snubbing the tub," eschewing baths for 5-minute showers (though Daddy takes baths, and a spokesman will not say whether Prince Charles does as well). We are told that "the Prince's Jaguar, Audi and Range Rover cars run on biodiesel made from used cooking oil, while his 40-year-old Aston Martin uses bioethanol made entirely from wine." Wine into fuel--almost a biblical touch, Sir! But surely raising grapes, turning them to wine, and distilling them into fuel consumes way more labor and energy than just pumping hydrocarbons from the North Sea? Well, well, if your intentions are pure .


Democrats wanting to use more of other people's money to bail out the Teamsters.


To Scottish and English Governments: Screw you, you miserable socialist bastards:
The Lockerbie bomber refused chemotherapy in a Scottish prison in an attempt to make his condition deteriorate and force his release, it was claimed yesterday. Abdelbaset Al Megrahi was believed to be terminally ill with prostate cancer when he was sent home to Libya on compassionate grounds exactly a year ago. But since his release Megrahi has responded well to a similar treatment – which is available on the NHS – and there claims that he could live another seven years.

Dr Andrew Fraser, the Scottish doctor responsible for assessing Megrahi’s health a year ago, had assured the Government that the bomber was resistant to treatment – assumed to mean that body was not responding. But in fact Megrahi chose to refuse the treatment, ITV have claimed. It is understood that Megrahi discussed the treatment with Scottish doctors but said he would only undergo it with support of his family, who were in Libya
.


And that's about all I can take right now.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Doesn't really matter what gun for croc,l

as the Brit police won't let you have it anyway.
ENGLISH Channel beaches were shut today after a "huge crocodile" was spotted in the sea.

The creature — with razor sharp teeth — was seen swimming around sailing boats in the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, north-east France, yesterday.

A spokesman for the local town council revealed: "We decided to close all beaches nearby and ban swimming just in case."

He added: "All local zoos and amphibian centres are being investigated to see if any of their crocodiles are missing. We can take no chances."
Now if they could just direct it to Parliament...

Once again TSA, with help in this case from Philadelphia PD,

demonstrate why so many people A: Don't trust them and B: Don't fly because of it.

And take note of this:
Two Philadelphia police officers joined at least four TSA officers who had gathered around her. After conferring with the TSA screeners, one of the Philadelphia officers told her he was there because her checks were numbered sequentially, which she says they were not.
followed later by this:
Lt. Frank Vanore, a Philadelphia police spokesman, said that TSA personnel had called his officers, who found the checks to be "almost sequential." They were "just checking to make sure there was nothing fraudulent," he said. "They were wondering what the story was. The officer got it cleared up."
Uh, Lt. Dumbass, either they are or are not sequential; and if they're not, saying they were as an excuse for this bullshit was a flat lie.

Apparently there was no actual crime in or around the airport, so these cops decided to find something to do. And assist TSA in doing shit they're not supposed to do:
The new TSA directive reads: "Screening may not be conducted to detect evidence of crimes unrelated to transportation security." If evidence of a crime is discovered, then TSA agents are instructed to contact the appropriate law enforcement agency.
A: Her having some checks is not related to airport security(theater);
B: Having some checks is 'evidence' of a crime? Etc.


More on Obama banning the import of a bunch of Garands and Carbines

over at Volokh

So the director of Al-Arabiya says there shouldn't be a mosque

by Ground Zero.
"I can't imagine that Muslims [actually] want a mosque at this particular location, because it will become an arena for the promoters of hatred, and a monument to those who committed the crime. Moreover, there are no practicing Muslims in the area who need a place to worship, because it is a commercial district. Is there anyone who is [really] eager [to build] this mosque?...
There's some various roundabout, and I think he ignores or wants to overlook the muslims who DO want to build RIGHT THERE; but he does cover two big points: those who dislike islam will have this to point to, and the terrorism supporters will consider it a victory monument. Kind of makes you think the clowns in charge WANT to cause trouble, doesn't it?

I take great exception with the last bit in this article:
"What the citizens of the U.S. fail to understand is that the battle against the 9/11 terrorists is not their battle. It is a Muslim battle – one whose flames are still raging in more than 20 Muslim countries...
Guy, when muslim terrorists attack us- many times- and kill our people, it damn well IS our battle; when many muslims make it plain they want to take over our country and make sharia the governing law, it IS our battle; claiming otherwise is bullcrap.

Translation from Wales copspeak:

"We don't like you having the guns you DO have, peasant; shut up or we'll find a way to take some of those away! And don't bother us with facts about what you 'need', WE decide what you need to be allowed to own."

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Now this is just freakin' beautiful



Recommended by the daughter, who finds all kinds of neat stuff

Back when I was blacksmithing, I came up with

"Come see my forgings."

No word on if it's a face-eating monkey

but then it's a long ways from Tam.
Sgt. Kevin Boscher said the department received more than one report of a loose baboon near Patterson and Moulet on Thursday morning.

Florissant officers are in the area and the St. Louis Zoo officials are assisting.

A woman named Samantha Windsor took a picture of the baboon with her cell phone. The primate’s face is dark blue and black.

Have you ever seen the fangs on those buggers?

Oh yeah, this would be just GREAT

except for all the opportunities for corruption, for error, for having your life screwed around...

Just me, or does it seem like every time lately there's some "This will make it easier to control things" idea that Harvard is right in the middle of it?

The Fairfax County fire investigators and the Washington County SO

would seem to be among those agencies who have actual crime so under control that they have time and money to waste; so, in these times, their budgets ought to be reviewed and cut.

When you- and the prosecutors, let's not forget their budgets- do crap like this instead of a "Don't do that anymore" to the bar and a ticket for causing a disturbance for the other... you apparently don't have enough real work to do.

And lets get off the bullshit of calling anything that makes noise a 'destructive device', while we're at it.

Insty has a post on high-speed rail

and would it be economical? If you mean "Can pay its own costs", only if the effing feds don't touch it. Then, maybe.

I checked on taking a train home instead of flying from El Paso. There is indeed a train that runs. Every few days. It costs as much as a plane ticket, and takes 36 hours to make the trip. And Amtrak is subsidized by how much of our money annually?

Screw you, Biden, I don't care if you adore it. Cut Amtrak loose and tell it "Make your costs, or sink." It'll either streamline things or go under. And if it goes under, I don't doubt someone will buy at least parts of it and open a line, as there is a market for the service.

I have this tiny flashlight

that uses tiny button-cell batteries. Which are dead. So, just to see, I checked Amazon.

I now have a card of ten on the way for-counting shipping- $2.60.

Oh, those sneaky JOOOOOOS!

They can manage ANYTHING!
...Dr. ‘Abd al-Mu‘ti Bayumi, a member of the Islamic Research Academy [of Al Azhar] told Al Masry Al Youm that he rejects the building of any mosque in this area [Ground Zero], because the “devious mentality” desires to connect these events [of 9/11] with Islam, though he maintains that Islam is innocent of this accusation. Instead, it is a “Zionist conspiracy,” which many are making use of to harm the religion.
I wonder if the imam pushing the Hamasque knows he's secretly working for the JOOOOOS?

Remember Pelosi's "They should be investigated" statement?

“Well, I spent the afternoon wrapping my mind around Pelosi’s remark about looking into the finances of those who oppose the mosque saying “I want to join with others.” I’d like to know who the others are?(I'd wondered about that myself) Are any of them not institutionalized? And, then I’m trying to decide if her statement was out of malice or pure lunacy. Being the generous spirit that I am, I am going with lunacy… But the idea that those who (oppose) the mosque are some kind of conspiracy or the funding ought to be looked at is absurd. Look, I oppose the mosque and nobody’s offered me a penny. What am I chopped liver?“
She's kind of half-did and half-didn't walk it back, but still insists those nasty people against the mosque need to be investigated; she's now added that the mosque funding should be investigated too.

And personally, I think it was malice.

Maryland demonstrates- again- why I wouldn't live there

and why 'may issue' carry permit laws suck.
That night made Woollard a crime victim for the first time in his life and also one of a select few Maryland residents to receive a license to carry a concealed handgun. But to Woollard's surprise, Maryland State Police denied his request last year to renew the permit, saying they thought the danger to his life had passed.

The agency said it was "because I hadn't been attacked" again, Woollard said in an interview. "They said, 'If you have any problems, you let us know.' "

Well, isn't that comforting? Especially considering
Then they waited for more than an hour for police to find their way, on icy back roads, to the home, about 25 miles south of the Pennsylvania border.
According to the police it was just shy of two effing hours. Yeah, it was a holiday and there was bad weather; it still took nearly two hours for them to get there on a call involving a home-invasion burglary and someone being held at gunpoint. So 'if you have problems, let us know' doesn't exactly fill you with confidence, does it?

Woollard, 62, of the Hampstead area, contends that the right to bear a firearm for self-defense is so paramount that a state agency should not be able to arbitrarily deny it.

"It's up to me. Do you have to show a reason to have a driver's license?" Woollard said. Under current law, the only people likely to carry guns are criminals who do not follow the law anyway, Woollard said. "And the police, as good as they are, show up after the fact."

Exactly.

And, of course the Brady Friends To Ban Guns have weighed in:
CeaseFire Maryland, a nonprofit group that advocates for gun control, brushed off the challenge.

"Good luck to him," spokesman Casey Anderson said. "I would have a hard time imagining that the Supreme Court is going to say you have a constitutional right to hide a firearm on your person."

As I recall you people said virtual and actual bans on gun ownership were 'reasonable', so I imagine you think the police being able to say "We'll decide if you're allowed a permit" is reasonable; the rest of us don't think so.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Among the reasons I call it NYEffin'C

Greek Orthodox leaders trying to rebuild the only church destroyed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks expressed shock this week after learning, via Fox News, that government officials had killed a deal to relocate the church.
You've got two things here: first is that while these clowns are falling all over themselves to push for the Hamasque(to borrow a phrase I heard somewhere) to be built, they do this to these people. The other is that the arrogant, cowardly little bastards couldn't even be bothered- or were scared to- tell these people; the church had to find it out from a news crew.

Hey, Nanny Bloomberg: you suck even worse than I thought, and that's really not easy.

If you need some rubber gloves for use around solvents,

more than a year ago I picked up a pair of stripping gloves at Ace Hardware; they're intended for use with chemicals for stripping furniture, and unlike regular rubber/latex/whatever gloves, they do not soften, bag-up or dissolve when used with mineral spirits and such.

If I were going to be doing a lot of rust bluing, I'd get another pair(maybe two) and have one for wearing while degreasing/carding/wiping on solution, and one for when I'm oiling the pieces. They don't fit as tight and have as much feel as the lighter stuff, but they last a LOT better.

Speaking of the Blago trial,

look what Ace came up with:
FOX Chicago News reported that speculation is centering on juror Jo Ann Chiakulas of Willowbrook, after a second-hand acquaintance said that she has been saying for weeks that she would find Blagojevich not guilty.

Chiakulas is a retired director from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
That's the start; go look at all the OTHER connections they've come up with.