Thursday

If laws only worked...

Columbine Shooters Broke 19 Laws

There are already plenty of laws to stop tragedies like the Columbine High School shooting, assuming of course that laws are the answer.

Professor J.D. Crouch of Southern Methodist University and a law enforcement officer in Missouri, observed that the two young murderers who killed 12 students and a teacher in Littleton, Colo., violated at least 19 laws.
Crouch listed them as follows:

1. Possession of a "destructive device (i.e., bomb). (Multiple counts.) Each violation is punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

2. Manufacturing a "destructive device" (i.e., bomb). (Multiple counts.) Each violation is punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

3. Use of an explosive or incendiary device in the commission of a felony. A class 2 felony.

4. Setting a device designed to cause an explosion upon being triggered. Violation of Colorado law.

5. Use of a firearm or "destructive device" (i.e., bomb) to commit a murder that is prosecutable in a federal court. Punishable by death or up to life in prison.

6. Possession of a firearm or "destructive device" (i.e., bomb) in furtherance of a crime of violence that is prosecutable in a federal court. Penalty is 10 years if a firearm; 30 years if a "destructive device" (i.e., bomb).

7. Brandishing a firearm or "destructive device" (i.e., bomb) in furtherance of a crime of violence that may be prosecuted in a federal court. Penalty is 15 years if a firearm; 30 years if a "destructive device" (bomb, etc.).

8. Discharging a firearm or "destructive device" (i.e., bomb) in furtherance of a crime of violence that may be prosecuted in a federal court. Penalty is 20 years if a firearm; 30 years if a "destructive device" (bomb, etc.).

9. Conspiracy to commit a crime of violence prosecutable in federal court. Penalty is 20 years if the weapon is a firearm; life imprisonment if the weapon is a bomb.

10. Possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle. A violation is punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

11. Manufacturing a "sawed-off" shotgun or "sawed-off" rifle. Each violation is punishable by 10 years in prison or $10,000 fine.

12. Possession of a handgun or hand-gun ammunition by a person under age 18. A violation is punishable by one year in prison.

13. Providing a handgun or handgun ammunition to a person under age 18. Penalty of one year unless the provider knew the gun would be used in a crime of violence, in which case the penalty is 10 years.

14. Age restrictions on purchasing firearms. Licensed dealers may sell rifles and shotguns only to persons age 18 or over, and handguns to persons age 21 or over.

15. Possession of a firearm on school property. Five-year penalty. Colorado also prohibits a gun on school property.

16. Discharge of a firearm on school property with a reckless disregard for another's safety. Five-year penalty.

17. Possession, interstate transportation, sale, etc., of a stolen firearm. A violation is punishable by 10 years.

18. Intentionally aiming a firearm at another person. Violation of Colorado law.

19. Displaying a firearm in a public place in a manner calculated to alarm, or discharging a firearm in a public place except on a lawful target practice or hunting place. Violation of Colorado law.

Perhaps, says the professor, "Instead of adding another list, we should try something novel: enforcing the laws we already have."

This should worry you - I know it worries me!

U.S. Army To Buy $6 Million Of Riot Equipment

By Steve Watson

The U.S. Army is to invest $6 million in riot equipment, a fact that has furthered fears that troops will be used inside the U.S. in order to quell any civil unrest resulting from the ongoing economic crisis.

The U.S. Army Contracting Agency, based at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, has a post on the Federal Business Opportunities website, requesting the equipment and has received several notices of interest from potential vendors.

The request titled “84–RIOT EQUIPMENT” outlines the need for hard polyethylene Shin and Chest Guards, shock absorbing Forearm Protectors, Interior leg brace supports as well as knee and ankle protectors.

The ACA asks that the equipment be able to “safely withstand a substantial blow… from non-ballistic weapons or flying debris”.

The Solicitation also states:

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 453998 with a small business size standard of $6M. This requirement is a [ Small Business ] set-aside and only qualified offerors may submit bids.


Interested vendors include Irish Brigade inc., manufacturers of hunting and safety gear with facilities located in the heart of Kansas City , Missouri. Federal and Military resource company MCLEARVISION, LLC is another interested party, as is Kentucky based U. S. CAVALRY STORE, INC.

In our article yesterday we highlighted the fact that Urban warfare training drills are taking place across the country as top analysts as well as officials predict a potential “summer of rage” across Europe and America as civil unrest from the economic fallout builds.

Are such drills really for the purpose of preparing troops for foreign combat zones? Undoubtedly - but other factors indicate that the drills may very well also be aimed at preparing troops for dealing with mass civil unrest as the economic crisis worsens.

There’s no question that U.S. authorities have been closely observing riots that have toppled governments in Iceland and Latvia and also threatened to do so in several other European countries. The fact that they have contingency plans in place to deal with such scenarios should they unfold in America cannot be disputed.

Indeed, before a media exposé forced them into a denial, Northcom revealed that one of the duties of at least 20,000 active duty troops that are being placed inside the United States would be dealing with “civil unrest and crowd control”.

The U.S. Army War College in November released a white paper called Known Unknowns: Unconventional ‘Strategic Shocks’ in Defense Strategy Development. The report warned that the military must be prepared for a “violent, strategic dislocation inside the United States,” which could be provoked by “unforeseen economic collapse,” “purposeful domestic resistance,” “pervasive public health emergencies” or “loss of functioning political and legal order.” The “widespread civil violence,” the document said, “would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security.”

Customer Service...Winston style

I followed my dear friend Bob Winston into Walmart one night. He was an alcoholic (God rest his soul) and this night, like every other, he was drunk as a skunk!

I forget the purpose of our visit. I forget the department we were in. (Yes, I was drinking too) But what I will never forget if I live to be a thousand, was Bob's approach to poor customer service. We had searched fruitlessly for whatever it was that two drunks needed that evening in Walmart. Then we searched equally in vain for assistance.

With no warning whatsoever, Bob stopped, threw back his head, and yelled at the top of his lungs:

HELP!!!

Considering that Bob was a Marine Corporal, that meant that every single person in that entire building heard it.

We got help pretty darn fast, let me tell you!

Wednesday

A voice from my past - and my response

Every now and then we all come across someone in our lives that is in a position to inflict misery on us. It’s usually a person with some degree of legitimate authority that uses that leverage to make life a living hell.

I had a person in my life like that once: it was a Lieutenant I worked for in the Marines who, for whatever reason, decided that I would be his special target of angst and revilement. Oh to be sure, I saw him make others miserable as well, but I was his preferred target.

When I transferred into his shop in the Fall of 1984, I was coming from a place where I had excelled and earned the respect of my fellows. Both the people that worked for me, and the people I worked for, had treated me like a good Marine and with the professionalism generally accorded a sergeant whose worth is clearly recognized. So to suddenly be under the cognizance of someone who decided that I was not worthy of even common courtesy was a bitter pill to swallow.

To make matters worse, I had been sent to this place to replace a person who was highly competent in a field in which I had not the slightest familiarity. The Corps in its infinite wisdom made the call, and I had but to follow orders.

Now this Lieutenant I’m talking about was a man who had worked his way up to Gunnery Sergeant (I believe) before being commissioned as an officer. For those who don’t have the benefit of a military background let me make clear that the gulf that exists between officer and enlisted is extremely wide; and no service makes more distinction based on that gulf than do the Marines. Generally when an enlisted man (on the rare occasion) becomes an officer, the result is someone with an affinity for the enlisted ranks which leads to a higher overall quality of leadership. They tend to remember what it was like to be an enlisted man.

Lt. Mac was the antithesis of this generality! For all intents and purposes, as far as he was concerned, enlisted men and women were now the scum of the earth, and their only purpose in life was to “step and fetch” as officers saw fit. Like dealing with The Borg, resistance was futile. To have even spoken an utterance of disagreement was to risk demotion, imprisonment, or dishonorable discharge. One simply had to “take it”.

My time under this man, though relatively short (about nine months), was without a doubt THE most terrible time in my service. To say that he caused me stress and anxiety would be the understatement of the century! During my tenure in that place, my marriage, my sleeping habits, my stomach, my blood pressure, and even my sex life was all in a state of total disarray thanks to him. I offer as incontrovertible evidence the fact that, even though I was within only a few months of an honorable discharge after seven years of service, I seriously contemplated going UA (AWOL).

Here is a man about whom I can honestly say I would not piss on him to put him out …if he were on fire!

Time has passed and life has gone on. Rarely do I contemplate those dark days now, and thankfully so. There are a couple of songs that when I hear them on the radio will cause me to hearken back to that wretched time in my life.

With the exception of those months working for Lt Mac, I remember my Marine service with great fondness and pride. In recent years the internet has made it possible to track down old friends and service buddies to an extent never before possible. Toward that end I keep a detailed profile on a particular database for that very purpose. On the page relating to my time under Mac’s command I have a simple comment posted to the effect that “my worst moment was the day I met the Lieutenant”.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I got an email from him after 24 years asking “What was it about meeting me was your worst moment?”

Now dear reader, consider the opportunity this presents to yours truly. Here is the chance of a lifetime to tell the former bane of one’s existence exactly what feelings and memories they inspire. You may be certain that I positively shook with anticipation at the prospect of a long overdue balancing of the books – if only via email. God is indeed good in that there is a season for everything!

Here in its entirety is my response to the Lieutenant From Hell:

Actually …meeting you was the worst moment in my entire seven years as a Marine. You treated me like crap from the moment I checked aboard that command. I went from a place where I was respected and treated like an NCO, to a place where I was treated like a recruit. The time you ran along beside me and screamed at me like I was one of your recruits comes to mind very clearly; done in the plain sight of a bunch of lower ranking Marines. Brilliant bit of leadership there!

I loved (and still love) the Marine Corps with all my heart. But under your auspices I seriously considered going UA for the only time in my service. I loathed your authoritarian manner and the haughty hateful way you looked down on all us enlisted pukes; even though I believe you once wore Gunny stripes yourself. Never did I meet any former enlisted man who so completely forgot what it was like to BE enlisted.

You probably don’t remember the particulars…having abused so many for so long. But I remember them well! The travel clerk I was replacing had been to school for that field. I had not. If he had been transferred to Kansas City to replace me, instead of the other way around, I’m sure he would have done poorly too. But that was of no matter to you, at least as far as I could tell. Having the lips of sycophantic pukes (like your admin NCOIC) firmly placed on your ass was of much more importance to you.

I see from your profile that you work in corrections. That is not a surprise to me at all. There is surely a place where you can fully indulge your dictatorial and sadistic tendencies.

In my seven years as a Marine I met men of high caliber of EVERY rank; men who had the leadership capacity to inspire courage and intrepidity regardless of the adversity. I also met men who couldn’t have led a starving dog to a meat wagon. In my opinion you will forever number among the latter.

Tuesday

FOX dis's the Prez....

Fox sticking with schedule instead of Obama

Mon Apr 27, 4:19 pm ET

NEW YORK – The Fox network is sticking with its regular schedule over President Barack Obama this week.

The network is turning down the president's request to show his prime-time news conference on Wednesday. The news conference marks Obama's 100th day in office. Instead of the president, Fox viewers will see an episode of the Tim Roth drama "Lie to Me."

It's the first time a broadcast network has refused Obama's request. This will be the third prime-time news conference in Obama's presidency. ABC, CBS and NBC are airing it.

================================

GR4U - Oh man! I bet the Obamatons are freaking out! Good for FOX. But watch out...the Fairness Doctrine is coming and you can guarantee that the Imperial Federal Regime will not forget this little snub.

Monday

Worldwide air traffic pattarns

It's no wonder we fear microbes so much!

I pinched this from The Hermit

From Freedom to Facism

The Trailer....



Part One...

Saturday

An excerpt from Hologram of Liberty by Boston T. Party

Civic belief #1

Congress has few specific powers; all else was left to the States and to the people. Ample checks and balances protect the Republic from an oppressive federal government.


Civic belief #2

The federal government has become so powerful only because despotic officials have overstepped their strict constitutional bounds.


IF # 1 IS TRUE, THEN HOW DID # 2 HAPPEN?


“The Constitution has either authorized such a government as we have, or has been powerless to prevent it.”

Lysander Spooner – No Treason (1870)

Friday

In an effort to educate those who are willing to learn...

RULES FOR GUNFIGHTING

1. Forget about knives, bats and fists. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns. Bring four times the ammunition you think you could ever need.

2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammunition is cheap - life is expensive. If you shoot inside, buckshot is your friend. A new wall is cheap - funerals are expensive

3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.

4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough or using cover correctly.

5. Move away from your attacker and go to cover. Distance is your friend. (Bulletproof cover and diagonal or lateral movement are preferred.)

6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a semi or full-automatic long gun and a friend with a long gun.

7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.

8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running. Yell "Fire!" Why "Fire"? Cops will come with the Fire Department, sirens often scare off the bad guys, or at least cause then to lose concentration and will.... and who is going to summon help if you yell "Intruder," "Glock" or "Winchester?"

9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.

10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

11. Stretch the rules. Always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.

12. Have a plan.

13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work. "No battle plan ever survives 10 seconds past first contact with an enemy."

14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible, but remember, sheetrock walls and the like stop nothing but your pulse when bullets tear through them.

15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.

16. Don't drop your guard.

17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees. Practice reloading one-handed and off-hand shooting. That's how you live if hit in your "good" side.

18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. Smiles, frowns and other facial expressions don't (In God we trust. Everyone else keep your hands where I can see them.)

19. Decide NOW to always be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.

20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.

21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet if necessary, because they may want to kill you.

22. Be courteous to everyone, overly friendly to no one.

23. Your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.

24. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with anything smaller than "4".

25. Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. "All skill is in vain when an Angel blows the powder from the flintlock of your musket." At a practice session, throw you gun into the mud, then make sure it still works. You can clean it later.

26. Practice shooting in the dark, with someone shouting at you, when out of breath, etc.

27. Regardless of whether justified of not, you will feel sad about killing another human being. It is better to be sad than to be room temperature.

28. The only thing you EVER say afterwards is, "He said he was going to kill me. I believed him. I'm sorry, Officer, but I'm very upset now. I can't say anything more. Please speak with my attorney."

RULES FOR UNARMED COMBAT

1. Never be unarmed.

Thursday

This pretty much says it all....


Stalin would be proud!

The nonsense that passes for news reporting from the lapdog press never ceases to amaze me! In order for this poll to yield this kind of result, the pollsters HAD to have carefully screened those people polled for adherence to the party's approved world-view. The "mainstream" press has abandoned ANY precept of objectivity in its determination to support the collectivist regime in Washington! As I said in the header above, Stalin would be proud of what the propaganda apparatus has achieved.

Look at THIS crap:

AP Poll: Americans high on Obama, direction of US

By RON FOURNIER and TREVOR TOMPSON, Associated Press Writers Ron Fournier And Trevor Tompson, Associated Press Writers – 43 mins ago

WASHINGTON – For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days of his presidency to lift the public's mood and inspire hopes for a brighter future.

Intensely worried about their personal finances and medical expenses, Americans nonetheless appear realistic about the time Obama might need to turn things around, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. It shows most Americans consider their new president to be a strong, ethical and empathetic leader who is working to change Washington.

Nobody knows how long the honeymoon will last, but Obama has clearly transformed the yes-we-can spirit of his candidacy into a tool of governance. His ability to inspire confidence — Obama's second book is titled "The Audacity of Hope" — has thus far buffered the president against the harsh political realities of two wars, a global economic meltdown and countless domestic challenges.

"He presents a very positive outlook," said Cheryl Wetherington, 35, an independent voter who runs a chocolate shop in Gardner, Kan. "He's very well-spoken and very vocal about what direction should be taken."

Pssst...Hey Cheryl...so was Hitler!

Fodder for the Gulag

Here's an excellent verbal essay by Libertarian William Grigg. It contains the most insightful deconstruction of political correctness that I've ever heard. Take 10 minutes and educate yourself.

Wednesday

No accountability for congressmen - THAT's the problem here!

Court Says Marine Can’t Sue Murtha

WASHINGTON - A U.S. appeals court ruled Tuesday that a Marine cannot sue a U.S. lawmaker for defamation after the congressman accused his squad of war crimes and murdering Iraqi women and children.

Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich claimed Rep. John Murtha damaged his reputation by saying the squad he was leading killed women and children "in cold blood" in Haditha, Iraq, on Nov. 19, 2005. Wuterich is charged with nine counts of voluntary manslaughter and other allegations for the attack.

Murtha and the Justice Department argued the congressman has immunity from the lawsuit because he was acting in his official role as a lawmaker when he made the comments to reporters. A three-judge panel on U.S. Court of Appeals agreed.

Military prosecutors have said two dozen Iraqis, including women and children, were killed in Haditha after one Marine died and two others were wounded by a roadside bomb.

At a news conference in May 2006, Murtha predicted that a Pentagon war crimes investigation will show the Marines killed dozens of innocent Iraqi civilians in Haditha. He did not mention Wuterich or any other Marines by name.

Murtha, who is opposed to the Iraq war, has said he made the comments to draw attention to the pressure put on troops in Iraq and efforts to cover up the incident. Murtha is a decorated Vietnam veteran and retired Marine Reserves colonel who was re-elected in November to an 18th full two-year term.

Wuterich filed the lawsuit in 2006, saying Murtha had inaccurate information about the fight. He is the only person still facing charges in the Haditha deaths.

========================================

GR4U - Well so much for everyone being equal under the law! John Murtha is a disgrace, but apparently his constituents don't think so. He is definitely someone whose face I would spit in were the opportunity to ever present itself.


Tuesday

News organizations have become nothing but purveyors of propaganda

I’ve touched on it a time or two here previously, but the spin regarding guns from America, and their role in the Mexican situation continues unabated from Washington.

The lie that Mexican drug cartels get 90% of their guns from America is being repeated with the same fervency as that of a child locked in a dark bedroom at bedtime. You generally expect lies from politicians, so when Obama uses a thoroughly debunked statistic it should be no surprise. But it is very disturbing that the media who so loved playing watchdog to the Bush regime, has now become nothing but a lapdog to the current administration.

Check out this very comprehensive expose’ done by one of the members of the Buckeye Firearms Association. ABC will stop at nothing to demonize law abiding gunowners, and they’ll do whatever it takes to lend a hand with the disarming of America.

Wake up America. Your freedom is swirling down the drain. WAKE UP!!!

Monday

Just good pals...


That's your president having an informal handshake with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. Just a few months ago he called Obama an ignoramus.

I have to agree with that actually!

Sunday

I'm not sure this is still true




There are just too damn many sheeple addicted to the Nanny State! As long as they "gets dey check" from the Gubmint, they're happy!

President of the World




The globe is hearing a deeply pessimistic view of what America was and is.
by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Online

Given Obama’s performance on his recent trip, three developments were quite astounding.

First, despite this fresh climate of atonement, there was a complete absence of a single apology from any other foreign leader — odd for the new shared spirit of multi-polarity and reciprocity.

Not a word came from Britain about colonialism. Nothing from Germany on the Holocaust, or its trade with Iran. Not a peep from France about Algeria or Vietnam.

Turkey was mum on the Armenian killings and its own tough anti-Kurdish policies. Russia said nothing about the 30 million murdered by Stalin — or its present assassinations abroad, much less its leveling of Grozny or its destruction of Afghanistan. Nothing came from China about the 70 million who perished under Mao or its present role in subsidizing North Korean nukes — or its violation of global copyright laws. We won’t hear anything in the “New Asian Hemisphere” about Muslim Uighurs or Tibet.

Second, there was no other example of “He did it!” about supposedly inept predecessors. Mr. Medvedev said nothing about Putin’s brutish rule. Sarkozy and Merkel did not trash the shady Chirac or Gazprom’s bought lobbyist Schroeder, and their role in harming the Atlantic alliance. Gordon Brown was quiet about Tony Blair and Iraq. China did not mention a reset button. The new Berlusconi did not trash the old Berlusconi.

Third, we saw no concrete evidence of any help — or hope and change — from any foreign leader. Zilch. There were expectations of American concessions, but nothing new or helpful from anyone else.

Instead I think a number of astute foreign leaders — rivals, enemies, and friends alike — have already drawn the following conclusions.

I. An Obama visit

A vast entourage will descend on your capital in campaign mode. Most of your functionaries will wish to get a photo-op with the rock-star president. The American president at some point will request a “town-hall meeting,” press conference, or open-air handshake session with the crowd. All this is largely for domestic consumption back home, and is designed to offer an antidote for the concessions or apologies that follow. It is quite successful in generating temporary goodwill toward the new Obama administration.

II. “I’m sorry.”

Obama will apologize for almost anything one can imagine. First comes the generic lamentation about Bush, the need for a reset button, and America’s characteristic “arrogance.” Then there are the “we are at fault” lines on spec, tailor-made mea culpas for the country in question.

If you are Turkish and Islamic, you get a threefer: the morally equivalent reference to the American treatment of the Indians, the pledge that we are not at war with Islam (forget that no president ever said we were), and the reminder that we are not a Christian nation.

In Europe, you receive apologies for Bush, Iraq, and the financial meltdown. Each leader gets a unique version of Obama’s somewhat narcissistic “Them, not me” — either a strain of something like “Bush did it” or “Every American except me is arrogant.” We can console ourselves only that Obama has not contextualized or apologized to the Somali pirates — yet.

III. “You’re Right!”

Differences that your country has with the United States will be resolved in your favor. Foreign leaders already sense that Obama’s success hinges on his “hope and change” ecstasy back home — which cannot for long sustain stories of difficult diplomacy and public manifestations of international trouble and acrimony, of anything really that suggests he is not mesmerizing the world in the manner he did the American electorate.

Europe? Take your pick. No more combat troops to Afghanistan; an international financial “czar”; no additional financial deficit stimuli; no Guantanamo prisoners on European shores; American acknowledgment of culpability for the financial crisis; no mention of Europe’s own reckless lending, protectionism, or pre-September 2008 declining GDP. But goodwill aplenty.

China? It gets praise when it ridicules the dollar, but offers no help on North Korea. Nothing new about trade violations. Hope is expressed that they will still buy our growing debt.

Russia? Let us count the ways. No more missile defense for Eastern Europe; no mention of Russia’s human-rights violations or its policy of serial assassination abroad; de facto abandonment of advocacy for former Soviet republics’ autonomy; Russia’s energy blackmail is Russia’s business; no help with de-nuclearizing Iran.

Turkey? Yes, Europe must let you in the EU. The new Danish NATO supreme commander must apologize for defending free speech — and, as relish, hire some of your generals; continued American assurance that we are not a Christian nation.

The Islamic World is not to be inconvenienced by any mention of radical Islam, or 9/11, or of the endemic pathologies that nourished al-Qaedism in the first place — such as gender apartheid, religious intolerance, autocracy, statism, and tribalism. Instead there is plenty of Bush-bashing, courting of Iran and Syria, caricatures of the “war on terror,” and talk of Iraq as a “mistake.”

IV. “Them”

Then comes the “separation.” Obama makes it clear to any host or foreign leader that both he and his vision of America are strangely exempt from America’s past, from Bush, and from our innately arrogant nature. That is accomplished in a number of adroit ways. There is evocation of his once-taboo middle name “Hussein” to win affection in the Middle East, but also to suggest a more Third Worldish resonance such as “I am one of you too who has grievances against ‘them.’ ”

He is beginning to mention the novelty of his racial heritage a lot, usually in the context that we are now in a new world of Obama, and that his very presence is a rejection of the old and illiberal America.

That the veteran Colin Powell and Russian-speaking Condoleezza Rice ran American foreign policy the last eight years, in a way unthinkable in Europe, is never voiced. Suggesting that China would have an Uighur foreign minister, that Saudi Arabia would have a Christian foreign minister, that France would have an Algerian foreign minister, that Germany would have a Turkish foreign minister, or that Russia would have a Chechen foreign minister is as absurd as suggesting that a Powell or Rice was never a big deal.

So what Obama leaves out about America is telling. He touches on slavery, lack of voting rights for blacks in the South (although he conflates this issue and implies to foreigners that African Americans could not vote in the North as well), our past treatment of Native Americans, and the dropping of the bomb against Japan.

These transgressions are rarely put in any historical context, much less referenced as sins of mankind shared by all of his hosts (the pedigree of murder, exploitation, and rapine of his foreign interlocutors is quite stunning). We don’t hear many references to the American Revolution, or the great tradition of American ingenuity embodied by Bell, Edison, or the Wright brothers.

We hear nothing about our Gettysburg, or our entry into World War I. Iwo Jima and the Bulge are never alluded to. Drawing the line in Korea and forcing the end of the Soviet monstrosity are taboo subjects. That we pledged the life of New York for Berlin in the Cold War is unknown. Liberating Afghanistan and Iraq from the diabolical Taliban and Saddam Hussein is left unsaid. The Civil Rights movement, the Great Society, affirmative action, and present billion-dollar foreign-aid programs apparently never existed. Millions of Africans have been saved by George Bush’s efforts at extending life-saving medicines to AIDS patients — but again, this is never referenced.

V. What’s Next?

At present the world is watching, probing, and digesting the Obama presidency. But it has already concluded that Obama is nourished by applause and will work to maintain it — not merely for personal gratification, but because he realizes that loud public endorsement is essential to his perpetual candidacy, given its absence of experience and sagacity.

Those abroad are also reassured that the American media, so heavily invested in hope and change, will do almost anything to transmogrify American embarrassments into Obama successes. Meanwhile, the contours of the new world order are clear. Iraq’s democrats are snubbed; Iran’s cutthroats are courted. A Saudi royal receives a bow; the British queen, a presumptuous squeeze — while her prime minister receives unplayable DVDs.

Pakistan released Dr. Khan and wants us to idle our Predators. Iran is adding to its centrifuges. North Korea will ready ever-more missiles. Syria lectures on the putative peace it is begged to participate in. The former Soviet republics will fall back into line, closing American supply bases or bracing for the next Putin push. Israel gets a Charles Freeman nomination; Gaza a billion U.S. dollars in aid.

The odious governments of Cuba, Libya, and Syria quite logically have now expressed warmth of some sort for Obama and expect similar treatment in return. Russia fears little challenge to the reestablishment of its 19th-century influence. Pirates in Somalia, though slightly fewer in number today, likely have little to fear going forward.

Europe had better prepare for its own defense. So should Japan. They may get more expressions of outrage when crises loom, more calls for U.N. action, but not much more than that. Expect a world of more nukes, not fewer — in direct proportion to Obama’s calls for their entire elimination.

In short, we have a return of Jimmy Carter’s postnational idealism, but this time with the charismatic face of a Ronald Reagan. For 40 years we have had well-meaning moral equivalence, utopian pacifism, and multiculturalism taught in our schools, and we are now learning that all that was not just therapy, but has insidiously become our national gospel. The world is hearing a deeply pessimistic view of what America was and is — now offered in mellifluous cadences by a messianic president who not so long ago in more unguarded moments called for more oppression studies and reparations.

President Obama will get his much-needed praise and adulation abroad, and Americans will finally be somewhat admired for a while. And thereafter, there will be real hell to pay — either abject U.S. appeasement as the world heats up, or some sort of frantic eleventh-hour hyper-response to restore stability and lost deterrence.

Just watch.

Update: After this essays was written and published, President Sarkozy stated his impressions of Obama as a world leader: “Obama has a subtle mind, very clever and very charismatic,” the French President said, “But he was elected two months ago and had never run a ministry. There are a certain number of things on which he has no position. And he is not always up to standard on decision-making and efficiency.”

Which one is Nancy Pelosi?

American film stars have no monopoly on hypocrisy

Jackie Chan's China comments prompt backlash

By MIN LEE – 5 hours ago

HONG KONG (AP) — Action movie star Jackie Chan questioned the need for freedom for Chinese people during a speech Saturday, prompting outrage from lawmakers in Taiwan and Hong Kong, who accused him of insulting his own race.

The 55-year-old star of "Rush Hour" said at a business forum in the southern Chinese island province Hainan on Saturday that a free society may not be beneficial for authoritarian mainland China.

"I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not," Chan said at the Boao Forum. "If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now. It's very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic."

Chan added, "I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want."

Chan's comments drew applause from his audience of mainly business leaders in Hainan on Saturday, but prompted fierce criticism from lawmakers in Taiwan and his hometown Hong Kong on Sunday.

Taiwan, which split with mainland China amid civil war in 1949, is a democratically self-ruled island.

Former British colony Hong Kong enjoys Western-style civil liberties and some democratic elections under Chinese rule. Half of its 60-member legislature is elected, with the other half picked by special interest groups. But Hong Kong's leader is chosen by a panel stacked with Beijing loyalists.

"He's insulted the Chinese people. Chinese people aren't pets," pro-democracy Hong Kong legislator Leung Kwok-hung told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "Chinese society needs a democratic system to protect human rights and rule of law."

"His comments are racist. People around the world are running their own countries. Why can't Chinese do the same?" another Hong Kong lawmaker, Albert Ho, told the AP.

"He himself has enjoyed freedom and democracy and has reaped the economic benefits of capitalism. But he has yet to grasp the true meaning of freedom and democracy," Taiwanese legislator Huang Wei-che said.

While Chan's comments were reported by the Hong Kong and Taiwanese news outlets, they were ignored by the mainland Chinese press.

Ho noted that Chan was a fierce critic of the Chinese military's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in June 1989, which killing at least hundreds, adding that he has apparently reversed his position to please the Chinese government.

But Chan has never been a consistent campaigner for democracy and has always been welcomed by the Chinese government. He performed at the opening and closing ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics last year and took part in the Olympic torch relay.

Now HERE is the most telling part:

The veteran action star, however, chose not to release his latest film in China.

The violent gangster thriller "Shinjuku Incident," in which Chan plays an illegal Chinese immigrant who becomes a hit man for Japanese gangsters, likely would have raised red flags among Chinese censors sensitive about negative portrayals of Chinese.

Friday

"Repeat a lie one thousand times and it becomes truth"

...at least that's what Joseph Geobbels was supposed to have said.

I guess Obama must be a fan of Goebbels.



Now here's the truth:

It's about damn time!

Ya know…I’m sorry I didn’t participate in a Tea Party somewhere. I still think the whole exercise was pointless as far as getting the Gubmint to take notice in any positive way. The Gubmint certainly took notice, but probably more along the lines of Janet Napolitano’s admission that all right-wingers are extremists and should be closely monitored (or worse).

No…I’m expressing regret at not attending a Tea Party for the simple reason that they obviously pissed off liberals everywhere! They are frothing at the mouth (as liberals are won’t to do anyway) at the idea that the grassroots of America is shaking off their stupor and bestirring themselves. And pissing off liberals and leftists appeals to the very fiber of my being!

I watched Geraldo Rivera last night in Hannity’s show. That fool (Geraldo) was beside himself with fury. I don’t know if a video of that segment is available anywhere but it was fun to watch. I also hear that Nancy Pelosi has stated flatly that the whole phenomenon was bought and paid for by rich republicans. Now the faithful Obamabots will probably buy that crap. But level headed thinking folks sure won’t! American’s are getting royally pissed at the Imperial Federal Gubmint’s looting practices.

All I can say is “It’s about damn time they began to wake up!”

Censoring Jesus

White House Requests Removal of Religious Symbol
By Courteney Lario Apr 16 2009

Due to a request from the White House Staff, the university covered up the “IHS”— a symbol of the name of Jesus Christ — on the stage of Gaston Hall during President Obama’s speech on Tuesday.

“Georgetown University was pleased to host President Obama to deliver a major address on the economy in Gaston Hall earlier this week,” university spokesperson Julie Bataille said in an e-mail. “In coordinating the logistical arrangements for the event, Georgetown honored the White House staff’s request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind the Gaston Hall stage in order to accommodate a backdrop of American flags, consistent with other policy speeches.”

The “IHS” symbol, which is located directly behind the podium from which Obama spoke, was covered with a piece of wood that was painted black.
Fr. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., executive director of campus ministry, and Fr. Christopher Steck, S.J., an associate professor in the theology department, could not be reached for comment.

==========================================

GR4U - Hey way to go there Georgetown! I bet Christ is pleased with you. Nothing beats compromising your principals eh? The University, founded by the Jesuits - the Society of Jesus - was "pleased" to accommodate the White House by muzzling their own Savior. Wow! Amazing. Or should I say sickening?

If it was the University of GunRights4US, the Black House would have been politely told to go pound sand up their ass in response to such a request.

Thursday

Go Navy!

Monday

Once upon a time... in Jamaica

On August 1st of 1979, the day I was promoted to Lance Corporal, I immediately began the process of volunteering for embassy guard duty. It was indeed a process that lasted through many reams of paperwork, multiple physicals, strenuous training, interviews, mental evaluations and other sundry and assorted hurdles thrown before me by “the green machine”.




During that time frame leading up to reporting for Marine Security Guard (MSG) School, the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran was overrun by “students”. And its personnel were subjected to untold fear and indignity of the worst sort. Naturally my fellow Marines made sure I knew I was now bound for “hostage duty”, and there was arguably ample reason for the label. After all…it was the close of the Carter years. America was weak, as is usually the case when it’s led by dems. My personal courage, as well as that of my fellow Jarheads, would be entirely subjected to the whims of some milquetoast diplomat. If the Ambassador said surrender without a fight, that’s what we were bound by duty to do. Not a pleasing thought at all to a 19 year-old Marine. Much better to die in battle against hordes of screaming [insert your preferred enemy of America here] covered in glory!

But I’m glad I prevailed. I was selected to go to the school, where attrition is probably in excess of 40%. Even with the black cloud of the Iranian Crisis hovering on the horizon, I was of mixed feelings to get orders to Kingston Jamaica at the school’s completion. I ranked very high in the class and Jamaica had been one of my choices. But when those choices were solicited, it was made abundantly clear that few would get any of their selected duty stations. So I was really not expecting any of my choices to come my way.

My first thought oddly enough was “What do I know about Jamaica?” Nothing…not a damn thing! It’s an island; that’s it. There endeth my knowledge of the place.

When one thinks of Jamaica, one thinks of sunny sandy beaches, palm trees, and rum punch. It’s just a big tourist gig and there’s not much of a country beyond the beach and it’s happenings. Right?

Wrong.

The Jamaica the great majority of people are familiar with, does fit the image I painted above. But by comparison, that part of the island is “soft” as the Jamaicans would say. The real Jamaica is its music scene, its politics, the drug trade, the corruption of the government, the stark extremes of wealth and poverty, the unbelievable beauty of the inland countryside, a horrendous crime problem, and above all…the killings.

Kingston the capital, situated on the Liguanea Plain of the south coast, is far removed from the beaches and its legions of tourists. It has a couple of truly world class distinctions; one, it is the largest English speaking city outside of the US in the western hemisphere. And two, it alternates between being the murder capital of the world, and being the runner up. It shares that sordid score with Bogota Columbia.




When my little snowflake-white ass stepped off an Air Jamaica flight at Norman Manley international Airport one afternoon in mid-April 1980, Jamaica was busy tearing itself apart as it approached a national election with highly polarized candidates representing on the one hand, Harvard educated capitalism, and on the other hand a pro-Castro, Pro-Cuban, dyed in the wool socialist: Michael Manley.



In the first six months of 1980, I remember the JBC news saying that there had been over 600 politically related killings in the city of Kingston alone. I also remember camera crews in the rear of the Kingston Public Hospital showing borrowed refrigerator trucks of the sort used for hauling produce and perishables, now stacked with bodies such that a wall of bare feet faced the viewer from the floor to the ceiling of the trailers.

There were policemen leading Jamaican Army troops on foot patrols through the roughest areas, and shootouts between the authorities and the “gunmen” were nightly fare on Jamaica’s then only TV station. Road blocks and checkpoints were common everywhere you went. And on nights when things went even farther (like virtually EVERY night did in the last 30 days before the election) the streets also were festooned with hundreds of “private” roadblocks, usually consisting of burning tires and manned by armed men of various affiliations, whether political or otherwise.

Late one night on the way back from a bar, we were driving through a fairly affluent area when a policeman walked to the middle of the road as we approached. He signaled well in advance for us to stop. I seem to recall some brief discussion of whether we should rely on our diplomatic plates and barrel on through. But in the end, and thankfully so, we decided to halt and see what’s up. As we stopped and were quizzed by the constable, it was noted that immediately to our right, from whence the cop had stepped out, was a stone wall that had been used to mount a heavy machine gun of the belt-fed variety. The diplomatic plates are pretty cool. They get you off of pretty much everything, but I’m reasonably sure they won’t shield you from bullets. And when some people are provided with a big hammer, nearly everything takes on the shape of a nail!

It was generally accepted that much of the violence was actually being egged on by the opposing political factions. The government in control, and the opposition who wanted to be, were each arming street toughs to fight the other. And throughout all the turmoil that was politically motivated, there was also the rampant crime and disorder that preceded the election, and survived long after the election was done.

Our house was shot at on more than one instance, as was the Ambassador’s residence. His car was fired upon on at least a couple of occasions as well. We the Marines, were disarmed whenever we weren’t on the Embassy grounds proper. But we cultivated the assumption among the Jamaicans that indeed we WERE armed. It kept them somewhat respectful of us. That was a period in my life where I really detested the PC bullshit that required us to be sans weaponry.


At night, we would sit on the upstairs patio and drink beer while listening to the gunfire from, literally, all directions! And we frequently heard automatic weapons fire as well. It wasn’t uncommon to see helicopters with spotlights hover …and sometimes fire…over some hotspot in the city.

The newspapers every morning were awash in stories of pure carnage and gratuitous killing on a scale far surpassing anything one could equate with little Jamaica! I have seen front page photos of headless corpses with the headlines indicating it was friends who argued over politics! I have seen numerous instances of obvious innocents murdered simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And in Jamaica, that wrong place can be even your home. They LIVE in neighborhoods according to their political party! And it’s very dangerous to live in the wrong neighborhood come election time in Jamaica.

One horrible tale sticks in my mind over all the others; no mean feat I assure you after all I saw there ultimately. There was an entire family, deemed by the community they resided in, to be in the wrong place. Their zinc wall house, and zinc door, was kicked in by thugs supporting the dominant political party of the area. All sixteen members of the extended family; women, kids, old people…were slaughtered with machine guns…right in their own home. And if that wasn’t enough, the gravediggers who came to bury these poor people, were chased away from the cemetery by the people of the neighborhood who didn’t want the family buried among their folks. Wrong party! And this happened twice as I recall, until the police were dispatched to see that the victims were interred successfully.



Now after acquainting you with a part of Jamaica you’d never known existed had I not revealed it to you, let me explain the point I have belabored to reach: Since 1974 Jamaica has had in place some of the toughest gun laws in the world. They are simply banned for 99% of the population; officially anyway. The very rich can pay a police chief to authorize issuance of a revolver and a box of rounds. But for the great majority of Jamaicans guns are officially out of reach. The penalty for unauthorized possession of any firearm is an automatic life sentence…no appeal…no parole. You get picked up today, and by next week you’re starting your sentence. You see they expedite gun crime cases, cause they have so many. They’ve had to set up a special court that only handles gun crime; called appropriately enough “Gun Court”.

It’s been thiry-five years since these laws were put in place. I recently saw some crime statistics from Kingston and they showed that city’s population of just over 800,000 had about 1,400 murders last year; most of them…by gunfire.

The law can be made no tougher, unless you execute the lawbreaker. Yet it hasn’t worked. Thirty-five years, and it hasn’t worked! The police have guns. The rich and politicians have guns, or armed bodyguards. The Jamaican Army has guns. The criminals have guns. The political thugs have guns.

The ONLY group in Jamaica that has no guns: The law-abiding citizenry!

Ships Owners a bunch of Vaginas!

This pansy puff-piece was obviously written by a programmed anti-gun drone in the finest tradition of the liberal media! It was difficult to read without being overcome with nausea.


Owners debate arming ships against Somali pirates

By KATHARINE HOURELD, Associated Press Writer Katharine Houreld, Associated Press Writer Thu Apr 9, 4:18 pm ET

NAIROBI, Kenya – Crews have held pirates off with Molotov cocktails, crates of rubbish and oil drums. They've electrified handrails, sprayed attackers with high-pressure fire hoses and simply kicked the pirates' rickety ladders overboard.

But owners of ships plying the pirate-infested waters off Somalia's coast have balked at having firearms onboard, despite an increasing number of attacks where bullets pierced hulls or rocket propelled grenades whooshed overhead.

The reason is twofold: Owners fear pirates would be more likely to continue shooting once on board if they confronted weapons, and the company might be held liable for deaths or injuries inflicted by someone on the vessel. [How likely are they to continue shooting if they're SHOT DEAD! Liable to who? The Pirates? Look how far the ambulance-chasing lawyers have chased away common sense!]

"There's basically resistance to the idea of armed guards because of the risk of escalation ... possible harm to the crew," said Neil Roberts, a senior technical executive at Lloyd's Market Association, which provides support to underwriters with Lloyd's, the largest maritime insurance marketplace in the world. "Most ship owners don't encourage it."

The taking of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama by pirates Wednesday has again highlighted the issue of protecting vessels traveling the waters off the Horn of Africa. The American crew was able to wrest control of the vessel from the pirates without weapons, but the captain was taken hostage as the hijackers escaped, leading to a standoff with the U.S. Navy. [Much better to have them ALL taken hostage right?]

While the American government supports putting armed guards on ships as one of many preventative strategies, the British have been more reticent, expressing fears over possible court cases and the lack of clear, standard rules of engagement. [No surprise here. The Brits have completely succumbed to PC horsesh*t these days.]

The International Maritime Organization suggests using unarmed security consultants to train crews and advise captains on evasive maneuvers or vulnerable areas of the ship, but it discourages the use of armed guards. Not only is the legality of engaging possible pirates unclear, [Excuse me? The legality of engaging pirates is "unclear"? How could an educated person write that with a straight face?], the group said, some ships carry explosive cargos like chemicals or gas which a stray bullet could turn into a fireball.

In a case last November, a pirated Thai vessel being used as a mother ship was sunk by the Indian navy after it came under fire. Of the fifteen sailors being held hostage onboard, only one survived. [Wouldn't it have been better for them to have had guns and maybe have averted the entire hostage situation?]

Graeme Gibbon Brooks, founder of Dryad Maritime Intelligence Ltd., said his company did not provide armed guards although they were often asked by clients for advice on a firm to hire.
He noted that one of the biggest problems with carrying weapons is that ships may often be outgunned. Pirates tend to use long-range assault rifles capable of firing up to 600 rounds a minute, he said, whereas sailors or guards carrying weapons must satisfy the laws of both the ship's flag carrier and the nations where the vessel will dock. Many countries will only allow shotguns — traditionally used for bird control — with a much shorter range than the pirates' weapons. [What "many countries" don't know won't hurt 'em. Keep the long-range rifles locked up while in port so that they don't come to the attention of the pussy-assed authorities in the pussy-assed country where you're docked.]

"Essentially in that situation you're getting into a sword fight armed with a dagger," Brooks said.
Ship owners have shown little appetite for more serious weaponry. Last October, the American firm XE — then known as Blackwater — offered a ship fitted with helicopters and armed guards for escorting vessels past the lawless Somalia coast. But spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said the company, had had no takers so far. Blackwater, which provided private security in Iraq, is under investigation for its role in the fatal shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians in 2007.

Nonlethal weaponry, like long-range acoustic devices, which blast a powerful wave of sound at attackers, also have their drawbacks. The devices came under scrutiny last year when three security contractors were forced to jump overboard after pirates overran the ship despite the devices. The two Brits and one Irishmen were fished from the sea by a naval helicopter while pirates made off with the vessel.

[If I was a sailor taken hostage by pirates because my ship was prevented from carrying guns, If I survived the experience I would definitely sue the ship's owner for preventing me from defending myself.]

Statistics were not available on the number of attacks in which firearms have been used in the taking of ships off the coast of Somalia, but observers said the pirate were becoming more violent. [Dead pirates are pretty non-violent I hear.]

A Nairobi-based diplomat, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press, used yesterday's gunfire aimed at the Maersk Alabama as an example.

"The captain was under fire as he was making his mayday calls," he said. "Pirates regularly machine-gun the bridge of ships or fire a (rocket propelled grenade) at it to encourage the captain to stop. ... This has become more common since mid-last year." [Bullets can fly in both directions!]

Security consultant Crispian Cuss at London-based Olive Group said his company prefers using non-lethal evasive maneuvers to elude pirates. But, he said, having armed guards onboard — which his company provides — can be a useful deterrent since pirates were more likely to seek easier prey if they were fired on.

Once pirates are onboard, however, there is usually little crews can do to resist, despite the dramatic standoff between American sailors onboard the Maersk Alabama and their Somali attackers. ["Oh you just can't beat those terrible pirates!" Nevermind that the crew of the Maersk Alabama just proved what bullshit THAT is!] Having the crew lock themselves in a safe area — usually a room with a steel door that opens from the inside and has access to water, electricity and provisions — has only a limited impact, said Cuss.

"It's not desperately recommendable because then you lose the ability to control the vessel," Cuss said. "If someone has a gun and he's onboard your boat, just do what he tells you." [That's the same pussy-assed nonsense they tell us every day, and look at the number of examples of robbers killing the store-owner WHO COOPERATED WITH THEM!!!!]

Sunday

Handy Links for the Shooter

Need a target? Bet you'll find one here that you'll like.

How about some cartridge specs for the person who reloads?

If you lost your owner's manual, then look here and you can probably get a replacement.

And if things keep going the way they're going now, you're going to need this site VERY soon!

Saturday

It's been over thirty years ...

...since I took this oath:

I, [GunRights4US], do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

It sure made a change in me! One that's never gone away.

HAPPY EASTER Y'ALL!



This is a perfect microcosm of my view towards the rabbit's role in Easter. Easter's about a risen Christ... not about some damn bunny!

Have a nice lunch there Hound Dog! Good boy!

Bad news about Michael Savage - he's anti-2A

Michael Savage thinks I have no business owning an assault rifle! I never knew this. Although I'm not a particular fan of Michael Savage, I have listened to him on a number of occasions, and found myself agreeing with what I heard. But I guess I've never heard him discuss his views on guns, because he's lost my respect entirely with this.

I'll let David Codrea tell you all about it here. (Btw...Mr Codrea's War on Guns blog is something YOU should read on a regular basis. And as we Marines would say: "That's a NO - SHITTER")

*** MAJOR PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENT HERE: ***

As you might imagine, guns are a MAJOR issue for me. But I'm not a fanatic about guns, so much as I am a fanatic about RIGHTS. As far as I am concerned, the gun rights issue is THE "canary in the coal mine". If the corrupt rotten pols can overturn, infringe, or in any way negate my right to be armed as guaranteed in the Constitution, then they can do the same to the other rights I've been guaranteed; hence my reason for so jealously defending by gun rights!

BREAKING NEWS: Obama Update on the Pirate crisis

Here's an excerpt from President Obama's speech this morning:

Obviously, this incident has raised many concerns among Americans. There have been calls for justice and even violence against the misguided perpetrators. But such an emotional reaction has led to the disparagement of entire groups with which we are unfamiliar. We have seen this throughout history.

For too long, America has been too dismissive of the proud culture and invaluable contributions of the Pirate Community. Whether it is their pioneering work with prosthetics, husbandry of tropical birds or fanciful fashion sense, America owes a deep debt to Pirates.

The past eight years have shown a failure to appreciate the historic role of these noble seafarers. Instead of celebrating their entrepreneurial spirit and seeking to partner with them to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.


Go here to read the entire speech....


American President bows to Saudi King

That’s real nice. Why didn’t you kiss his ass while you were down there Barry? Of course the White House spin-doctors are denying it, but here’s a film clip so you can see for yourself. The bow comes at 55 seconds in, and unless you just like the sound of Arabic prattle I suggest you turn down the sound.


This demonstrates two things about the Obama administration very clearly. One...the willingness to kiss the asses of those who hate us, and two…the willingness of our administration to lie right in the face of evidence to the contrary.


You be the judge…


Friday

A tale of two Pirate Problems

First a history lesson: The year is 1815 and the US, far from being a world power, is suffering the indignity of muslim pirates from Africa seizing her merchant ships and holding the crews hostage. When they first pulled this stunt starting in 1801, the young nation sent Marines to kick muslim asses all around Tripoli.




When the Allah-worshipers became emboldened again during the War of 1812, it became necessary to perform a repeat smackdown and the Americans fought a little action called the Second Barbary War.

The end result: Pirates destroyed, and the seas were free to travel once again.

Now…roll the clock forward to 2009. The US is THE world's superpower (although for how long it's unclear) and Muslim pirates from Africa are holding a US Ship’s Captain hostage. His High Imperial Majesty, the Lord Obama is “regularly receiving updates” on the situation!

WSJ article says US electric power grid has been compromised

By SIOBHAN GORMAN


Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies

Robert Moran monitors an electric grid in Dallas. Such infrastructure grids across the country are vulnerable to cyberattacks.

WASHINGTON -- Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.

The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven't sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war.

"The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid," said a senior intelligence official. "So have the Russians."

The espionage appeared pervasive across the U.S. and doesn't target a particular company or region, said a former Department of Homeland Security official. "There are intrusions, and they are growing," the former official said, referring to electrical systems. "There were a lot last year."

Many of the intrusions were detected not by the companies in charge of the infrastructure but by U.S. intelligence agencies, officials said. Intelligence officials worry about cyber attackers taking control of electrical facilities, a nuclear power plant or financial networks via the Internet.

Authorities investigating the intrusions have found software tools left behind that could be used to destroy infrastructure components, the senior intelligence official said. He added, "If we go to war with them, they will try to turn them on."

Officials said water, sewage and other infrastructure systems also were at risk.

"Over the past several years, we have seen cyberattacks against critical infrastructures abroad, and many of our own infrastructures are as vulnerable as their foreign counterparts," Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair recently told lawmakers. "A number of nations, including Russia and China, can disrupt elements of the U.S. information infrastructure."

Read the rest of the article here.

Thursday

The End of Fair Elections?

As Published in The American Thinker
By Tom Hoffman
April 09, 2009

Anyone who believes Hugo Chavez's presidency is the result of a free and fair election should stop reading and go protest against global warming. For the rest of us, it may come as a surprise to some; we may have witnessed the last free and fair election in this country. How long ago that election was does not matter now; there will not be another one.
Remember when "B1 Bob" Dornan lost his House seat to a woman named Sanchez? The election was stolen by Hermandad Nacional Mexicana a group that made a concerted effort to register illegal aliens. Since then, the art of rigging the vote has been refined and perfected by the likes of ACORN and other community activist organizations.

The modus operandi is clear. First, there must be a team of lawyers to challenge any efforts to determine voter eligibility. What we end up with here in California is "motor voter" registration. This means DMV workers urge anyone getting a driver's license to go ahead and register to vote. Lawyers and Democratic state legislators have made it illegal to require documentation regarding immigration status; it's the honor system. If an illegal feels uncomfortable lying to a bureaucrat at the DMV, he or she can apply by mail and receive an absentee ballot. This way they need not even have to show up at the polling place; just mail it in.

It's just too easy to cheat. Of course, at the polling place there is no need to prove who you claim to be; honor system again. Sign in and vote with no questions asked. The lawyers and legislators paved the way for the "undocumented worker" to vote like a native born citizen by doing away with need to document anything, let alone citizenship. All that is necessary is a mailing address; and, no kidding, the same culprits are busy doing away with that so the "homeless" can now register.

Registering as many fraudulent votes as possible and making it as difficult as possible to disqualify voters is only front end of the strategy. Once an election has been made close enough to allow for disputes and recounts, whole new machinery has been put in place. Here is where the big money comes into play. The secretaries of state, whose duty it is to oversee the election process, must be beholden to the community activists. Large campaign donations to the secretary of state candidates assure the community organizers a voice in all "recounts". Their squads of well-trained lawyers will likely get sympathetic rulings in their efforts to disqualify eligible voters and qualify the ineligible.

Is it any wonder that, as the rules get watered down again and again, the number of "get out the vote" organizations has multiplied? There has always been some fraud in our electoral system: but until recently, the scale has not been sufficient to succeed in stealing a national election. We've passed that line. Once passed, the line can never be redrawn.



ACORN is but one instance of a well financed nationwide effort to institute voter fraud. It is the financing of the likes of George Soros and the organizing skills of the likes of Bill Ayers that assures us of rigged elections from now on. Take the recent U.S. Senate election in Minnesota. The community activists registered thousands of new voters. Given that ACORN has already admitted to voter fraud (by mistake of course), it is certain a fair number of these were fraudulent. It is also certain that nearly all were Democrat votes. The Republican still managed to win by a few hundred votes on the initial count. The margin was too close to rule out a recount; mission accomplished for ACORN and their ilk. In come the lawyers to disqualify Republicans. With the full sympathy of the secretary of state, the radicals manage to turn the tide in favor of the Democrat; game, set, match.

With a proven game plan and large numbers of "community activist" organizations spread out across the country, all that is necessary to rig state and national elections from now on is a large and reliable source of funding. That has already been assured in the "Stimulus" bill. George Soros will now be helped by the U.S. Taxpayer; helped big time. Community activist organizations will find themselves flush with taxpayer cash. They are the grass roots agencies in charge of "neighborhood stabilization." I suppose we could get Jimmy Carter to certify the fairness of the 2010 elections.

Wednesday

The instability of the US dollar is plain to see

Communities print their own currency to keep cash flowing
A small but growing number of cash-strapped communities are printing their own money.

Borrowing from a Depression-era idea, they are aiming to help consumers make ends meet and support struggling local businesses.

The systems generally work like this: Businesses and individuals form a network to print currency. Shoppers buy it at a discount — say, 95 cents for $1 value — and spend the full value at stores that accept the currency.

Workers with dwindling wages are paying for groceries, yoga classes and fuel with Detroit Cheers, Ithaca Hours in New York, Plenty in North Carolina or BerkShares in Massachusetts.

Ed Collom, a University of Southern Maine sociologist who has studied local currencies, says they encourage people to buy locally. Merchants, hurting because customers have cut back on spending, benefit as consumers spend the local cash.

"We wanted to make new options available," says Jackie Smith of South Bend, Ind., who is working to launch a local currency. "It reinforces the message that having more control of the economy in local hands can help you cushion yourself from the blows of the marketplace."

About a dozen communities have local currencies, says Susan Witt, founder of BerkShares in the Berkshires region of western Massachusetts. She expects more to do it.

Under the BerkShares system, a buyer goes to one of 12 banks and pays $95 for $100 worth of BerkShares, which can be spent in 370 local businesses. Since its start in 2006, the system, the largest of its kind in the country, has circulated $2.3 million worth of BerkShares. In Detroit, three business owners are printing $4,500 worth of Detroit Cheers, which they are handing out to customers to spend in one of 12 shops.

During the Depression, local governments, businesses and individuals issued currency, known as scrip, to keep commerce flowing when bank closings led to a cash shortage.

By law, local money may not resemble federal bills or be promoted as legal tender of the United States, says Claudia Dickens of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

"We print the real thing," she says.

The IRS gets its share. When someone pays for goods or services with local money, the income to the business is taxable, says Tom Ochsenschlager of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. "It's not a way to avoid income taxes, or we'd all be paying in Detroit dollars," he says.

Pittsboro, N.C., is reviving the Plenty, a defunct local currency created in 2002. It is being printed in denominations of $1, $5, $20 and $50. A local bank will exchange $9 for $10 worth of Plenty.

"We're a wiped-out small town in America," says Lyle Estill, president of Piedmont Biofuels, which accepts the Plenty. "This will strengthen the local economy. ... The nice thing about the Plenty is that it can't leave here."