I was driving on Rt 417 last night with my wife. As we cruised up the road I was happy to see the State had installed several automatic toll collectors above the road. People like me who have pre-paid tolls and the sensor in our car can keep right on cruising, knowng that the toll will automatically be debited from our account. We got to our destination and I charged my dinner on my credit card. (I get sky miles with that baby) Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I had to put gas in the car before we left, and I put that on the debit card. I haven’t talked to a gas station attendant in about 14 years now, as I was one of the first at my bank to get the debit card. Anyway, getting back to the story, three purchases last night and you can track our exact whereabouts, and exactly what time we were in each location. Am I worried that the government knows exactly where I am at any given moment? No. In fact, we went to Super Target this afternoon to get some household stuff and some groceries. I put it on the debit card. The government knows exactly where we were at 2:49p.m. with that purchase. So.

So, what’s the beef about a National ID card?

A proposal to stop potential terrorists from getting a U.S. driver’s license may turn the licenses into a national ID card or help the government track gun purchases, opponents fear.

These opponents say the measure, passed by a 261-161 vote last month and supported by the White House, even could make it possible for the government to monitor people’s movements in the country through a chip in a license.

If you’re going to worry about something so impossible to manage, worry about the government monitoring everyone who has a national id card.

Several years ago a co-worker told me, on the sly of course, with a promise of secrecy, that our department chief was recording every conversation that took place each day on all the phones in the department. I immediately did the math and here’s what it looked like. 178 people in the department, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, with each person spending an average of about 3 hours on the phone each day. (178 x 3 x 5) That’s 2,670 hours of phone conversations each week that could potentially be monitored. I laughed. Though we did have recorders on the phones in the brokerage division, they were only played when there was a dispute with a client about order placement and price. (read: rarely)

Now, consider the national id card and the potential to track my every movement. Oh, wait, they already have that capability. The government, if they were watching me, could know after about five minutes worth of work where I was last night, today, and with about 99% accuracy could probably tell which Publix I’m going to use next week and the time of day I’m most likely to go grocery shopping. Scared yet? Right. Me either. I don’t mean to sound paranoid, but how do they know its’ coming to a theatre near me?!

Speaking of theatres, I’m not watching the academy awards tonight. I’ve seen enough liberal whining for one year and I need a break.

Have a stellar day.

Said Uncle Jack @ 5:06 pm Comments (17) | Permalink   

Egypt’s President, Hosni Mubarak, is a worried man. After 24 years of despotism, he’s just announced his country will be holding a real election. In a sense, of course, this is nothing new. Egyptians have been voting every six years since Mubarak took power in 1981 — The difference this time is that there will be other names on the ballot paper beside his own.

Here’s the BBC, still trying to make the old swine sound relevant:

The surprise announcement followed US and domestic pressure for reform in the Arab world’s most populous nation.
Mr Mubarak said the move was aimed at bringing the law ‘in line with this stage of our nation’s history’.

Well, although al-Beeb feign surprise, anyone listening to E.U. Foreign Policy Scumbag Javier Solana’s truly breathtaking anti-American rant last week wouldn’t be quite so shocked by this news. Solana, we must remember, has been sucking up to Arab dictators for decades, so when he offers an opinion on their state of mind, he likely knows what he’s talking about:

But Solana said it was too early for Washington to predict the future for Iraq.

‘Think about it. What kind of regime will emerge? It is too early to say. You don’t know what is going to happen in Iraq,’ adding that he was basing his assessment on his discussions with leaders in the region.

‘I can tell you, if you go to Jordan and talk to the king of Jordan, he is in panic.’ Egypt’s president, Hosni Mubarak, too, Solana said, ‘is in panic.’

This is interesting, not least because it puts a whole, new spin on Mubarak’s announcement. For ‘in line with this stage of our nation’s history’ read: ‘Oh crap. I am so screwed.’

And, yes, it’s really, *really* good to watch a creature like Mubarak squirm.

For decades now across the Middle East, men like him have been playing everyone. They take power, and to hang on to it, commit innumerable crimes against their own people. Rob them, rape them, torture them, kill them — You name it, scum like Mubarak are guilty of doing it … Which creates a problem in that they also need to come up with a way of diverting the attention of their poor, huddled masses away from the reason they’re, well, poor and huddled in the first place.

The solution for these sociopaths has always been to point the finger at Israel and the West. Of course, they don’t do the pointing themselves — as Saddam and the Taliban found out, that isn’t so good for business. Much easier to push a little cash into the hands of some religious crazies and let them disseminate the message of hate on your behalf.

As plans go, this has a brutal, brilliant simplicity to it. The dictators keep power, do as they please, and if any rage or violence should arise from their behaviour, the Israelis and the U.S. are the ones who suffer for it.

There are, of course, a couple of problems arising from this system of government:

First, some madman might actually believe, or half-believe, the lies you keep spinning. When that happens, you get Bin Ladens, Hezbollahs, and the tens of thousands of other Islamonazi head-hackers currently polluting the world with violence. If they weren’t so damned evil, they’d cut tragic figures; men who’ve dedicated their lives to fighting for a tyrant’s propaganda. Even more pathetic, this ‘noble cause’ they’re serving isn’t even taken seriously by the very people who created it — the Mubaraks of this world view their terrorist spawnings as a kind of toxic by-product of the process that keeps them in power, nothing more.

… Which brings us to the second, major flaw in Middle Eastern politics. You see, most dictators have the decency to actually believe the propaganda they put out. Hitler really hated Jews. Stalin really hated capitalism. This old-fashioned, sincere-style tyranny at least meant the tyrants walked in lock-step with the people they oppressed.

In the Middle East, they don’t even have the moral integrity to do that. Instead, having created monsters like Bin Laden, the likes of House Saud and Mubarak wash their hands of them in order court the U.S. for petro-dollars and humanitarian aid.

The problem, which would be poetic if it hadn’t cost so many innocent lives, is that if you don’t keep your monsters on a tight enough leash, they might well run completely out of your control.

On the morning of September 11th, 2001, this was just what happened.

That day was the tipping-point in the fortunes of Mubarak and his ilk. Up until then, Islamonazis had been nothing more than a local annoyance — not damaging enough to cause serious problems in the world at large, and certainly not so damaging as to offset the value anti-Americanism was to maintaining the power of Middle Eastern dictators.

But on 9/11 these crazies did the unthinkable by committing an atrocity serious enough to be described as an act of war. And they did it on the watch of perhaps the most conservative President in U.S. history. Not. Smart.

So fast-forward four years. Courtesy of George Bush, the people of the Middle East have just been treated to their first representative democracy. No matter, not anymore, that the elections in Iraq took place after an invasion. The point is that, finally, a part of the region has moved forward, and in defiance of the threats Zarqawi, who went from sounding threatening to sounding like a loser virtually overnight. The spell of tyranny, it is to be hoped, has been broken.

And not just in Iraq. Over in Egypt, which is easily the region’s most populous country, Mubarak (depending on who you believe) is either making ’surprise announcements’ or is ‘in a panic’. Either way, he’s just made the only mistake a tyrant can never afford.

You see, while democratically-elected leaders are allowed the odd u-turn on policy, the whole point of being a dictator is that you never have to admit you were wrong. This is Lesson Number One in despot-school, and something even Saddam understood. That was why he had his little, trained minion stand up in front of the world’s media and announce there were no infidels at Baghdad airport. By that point, everyone apart from Robert Fisk was sniggering.

Only, Saddam did, at least, stay in character to the very end. Like a Victorian-era ship’s captain snapping to a salute as the waters rose around his ears, he played the role of ‘invincible’ tyrant to the very end.

Over in Tehran, they’re doing the same thing, ranting about U.S. weakness and rivers of infidel blood. It’s the same story in Syria, where, in defiance of George Bush’s inaugural speech, they’ve got crazies self-detonating in all directions.

Mubarak, though, has lost his nerve, and is the first to buckle. If Solana’s right, King Abdullah of Jordan will be next.

Whatever. Fight or flee, it won’t save any of them. Right on cue, the dominoes are starting to fall.

Said RottyPup @ 4:56 am Comments (9) | Permalink   

It’s not easy being a BBC reporter. Newsnight’s David Lomax, for instance, has been charged with the task of reporting on the state of post-liberation television in Iraq. Whereas most of us would see this as a pretty straightforward task — just watch some Iraqi television, then tell people what it was you saw — not so if you work for the BBC.

You see, in approaching this topic, Lomax has entered an ideological minefield. On the one hand, he mustn’t make it sound as though Iraqis are happy with their freedom, but on the other he can’t realistically argue things were better under Saddam Hussein. Then there’s the enormous push he wants to give to the soft-left notion of Muslims as Noble Savages, but how to do this when they’d rather watch soap operas than stand in the street chanting ‘Death to Israel’.

Undaunted, Lomax gets down to work by considering the irony that Saddam himself, who banned ownership of satellite dishes, now isn’t permitted a TV set in his cell:

The great dictator can’t savour, for instance, Modern Day Pashas, a soap opera that goes out on the Al-Sharqiya channel for an hour every afternoon in Baghdad. It’s a satire with heavy pantomime overtones in which corruption is pilloried with exuberant knockabout.
Or perhaps Saddam might have preferred to watch the astrologer taking calls from Iraqis who are seeking advice about important decisions or events in their lives. ‘No, I’m afraid that the planets will not help. You must work hard for your examination.’

Comedy? Astrology? Oh *dear*, this can’t be good for them, can it? No matter that this sounds suspiciously like the kind of programming pumped out by the BBC’s own entertainment division in the U.K. — Surely what the Middle East needs more of are exhortations to the Global Jihad? Or, how about some dour cleric preaching for hours on the importance of the proper veiling and beating of wives?

Instead, the Iraqi people seem happier with their own, unique, version of a home makeover show:

The channel interviews families who have suffered during the war and lost their houses. It chooses one case, pays for the rebuilding of the home and makes a series about it. In a country where there are so many dangers and difficulties there is an understandable appetite for any kind of escapism.

Well, of course, it simply *must* be the difficulties and dangers Iraqis face. Not the press freedom. Or the absence of a mad dictator telling them what to watch. No. Because what sort of people would voluntarily tune in to an episode of ‘How Bombed Is Your House?’

It’s also a cheap way of filling airtime.

They noticed that, too, did they? Lomax had better watch out — In a couple of years, they’ll be giving his own network a run for its money …

… That, of course, is assuming the only kind of religious conservatives BBC reporters actually warm to don’t get their way:

From Ayatollah Sistani’s sophisticated new web site it is evident that there are conservative religious elements which might be alarmed.
The non-stop waves of pop videos and men and women being portrayed together don’t easily co-exist with Iraqis who want to ban chess and are worried about temptation.

Should we be alarmed? Well, no, not really. Because there’s an important difference between Ayatollah Sistani and other Middle Eastern theocrats: If he decides to deprive the Iraqi people of their beloved soap operas, makeovers, and, well, fun of any kind, he has to answer for it at the next election.

(Cross-posted at Rottweiler Puppy)

Said RottyPup @ 4:52 am Comments (2) | Permalink   

For the average adult under retirement age Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution has been the one politically correct explanation of the existence of humankind.

Regardless of what your theological beliefs are, the federal government has decided that your tax dollars will pay for all children in the public school system to learn that the universe was created by the Big Bang among other twisted facts and theories. With there being no alternate source of the universe approved by the Department of Education this will be the one science lesson that all of our “students of the state” will receive.

The alleged reasoning is that the students need to grasp that the earth and solar system were created without imposing on the rights of students of no faith to be free from religion. The students of Christian and Jewish Faiths however, are not afforded this same protection. The Judea and Christian teachings not only speak of God as the sole Creator but, they also reference the age of the earth which is highly contradictory to the modern science teaching of 4.6 billion years.

Dr. John Morris, leading creationist researcher and president of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) accurately describes the Big Bang Theory as such:

“According to the mainstream Big Bang idea, our universe abruptly sprang into existence some 15 billion years ago, sending matter careening through space. After millions of years it had cooled enough to coalesce into billions of rotating proto galactic-discs, and much later into stars. Over the billions of years, some stars underwent super nova, spewing material back into space, which later coalesced into second generation stars, some of which likewise exploded, leading to third generation stars like our sun. The planets are comprised of left-over star dust which didn’t fall into the sun.”

Despite that an astounding 82% of Americans believe that the universe was created by God you will not find a hint of this (even in theory) in any of your kids’ science books. Surprisingly enough students are not taught that natural rights are guaranteed by an explosion in the sky.

It is the right and the duty of the parents to conduct their child’s spiritual training how they see fit. It is NOT the right of the federal government to defy these teachings with a mere theory that cannot be proved and holds no benefit by learning it or not.

By comparing the number you see that 18% of Americans believe that God had no place in creation while 100% of public schools teach it. This can only leave one to believe that the public schools are failing us by acting on their own accord with disregard to any sort of American Tradition. The topic of creation is not even open for debate.

The left couldn’t care less if the kids are confused between teachings of faith and the teachings of the state because the students are their voter pool of the future, and if the schools can slowly take away from the credibility of creation then morality will soon follow. This leaves nothing left to believe in except “what’s on your platform for me”.

The theory of evolution must be deemed as a religion itself. Webster defines faith as “a belief in that which cannot be proven” and the theory of evolution cannot be proven. On the other hand Dr. Morris developed a very extensive mathematical improbability of evolution. This formula is based on the evolutionist’s own theory of random mutation and their own timeline for the creation of the earth.

“All this means that the chance that any kind of a 200-component integrated functioning organism could be developed by mutation and natural selection just once, anywhere in the world, in all the assumed expanse of geologic time, is less than one chance out of a billion trillion. What possible conclusion, therefore, can we derive from such considerations as this except that evolution by mutation and natural selection is mathematically and logically indefensible! “

The Department of Education is letting us down. They have developed products for society that can tell you what Roe vs. Wade is and what Everson v. Board of Education is but cannot tell you the first three words of the Preamble. A must read for anyone interested in this topic is David Barton’s article “The Separation of Church and State.” Mr. Barton goes into great detail on how our forefathers held the protection of the Christian Church as a top priority during the infancy of Democracy.

In matters of religion, I have considered that its free exercise is placed by the Constitution independent of the powers of the general [federal] government. Thomas Jefferson Second Inaugural Address, 1805

It is true that we have the freedom to practice any religion that we want (even though that was not Jefferson’s intent), but the idealist Judges are constantly taking away rights from the 82% and giving them to 18%. what is the agenda?

If the norm has to be teaching lies and blind ideology it would be better if they taught nothing at all on the matter. A school in Atlanta Georgia seemed to have a fair approach to balancing the original meaning of church and state and the new meaning. The school officials placed stickers in science textbooks that merely stated:

“This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.”

You know the rest, the stickers were deemed unconstitutional.

It is and should be an individual decision of whether to believe the theory of evolution or not but it should by no means be forced upon the states and private citizens as a must learn. How can a nation be taxed and then represented with something that we never did and never will want? This land is still your land!

Said Morg173 @ 9:31 pm Comments (53) | Permalink   

I begin with this quote from Donald B. Rinsley, M.D. from Borderline and Other Self Disorders (published by Jason Aronson, 1982):

“My view of wider sociocultural determinants is largely in agreement with that of Christopher Lasch (1977, 1978) who has related the decline of the nuclear family and the so-called culture of narcissism to the increased frequency of personality disorders. Dysfunctional childrearing, the failure of the public schools to impart basic literacy skills, and the bloated welfare bureaucracy have spawned a widespread psychology of entitlement with its notions of success without effort and income without productivity. The unfortunate children of perplexed, disarticulated, and dysfunctional families, now graduated from undisciplined schools with ‘open’ curricula, and social promotions, are the next generation’s borderline and narcissistic personalities. Thus, the combined failures of the family and the school as vehicles for the child’s progressive socialization leave these young people unprepared for the responsibilities and expectations of the wider culture to which they belong.
“…To paraphrase the late Philip Wylie, we have indeed spawned a generation of narcissists who now flood our public and private therapeutic facilities….”

With that said, in this the final chapter of our investigation into NAPPS(NArcissitic Peter Pan Paranoid Schizophrenia) we will attempt, through example, to understand the connections that link the syndromes involved. And how these connections build the single package-NAPPS.

First we must understand >> Read more

Said Glen @ 7:20 am Comments (14) | Permalink   

The laws are already there to protect Terri. We don’t live in a society where Euthanasia is legal. So I have to ask the question: Why hasn’t something been done on at least one of these counts? From Sweet Liberty with a few of my own comments thrown in:

Fla. Stat. § 415. 102(1)(2002). Michael Schiavo’s isolation of Terri and refusal to provide adequate physician attention, rehabilitative services, dental care and other medical services constitutes abuse under the Adult Protective Services Act as well as the guardianship statutes.

Terri is on a single gastric feeding tube. She is on the feeding tube because Michael ordered it. She used to eat soft foods from a spoon until Michael put a stop to it. Terri is under guard right now to prevent anyone from giving her food orally or stimulating her in any way. I have never heard of this before, but it appears as though actions are being taken to keep her in an illegal state of disability. Michael Schiavo refuses to allow a swallow test. Dr. William Hammesfahr determined back in 2000 that Terri can swallow. In the spring of 2000, three physicians, including Dr. Jay Carpenter, who is a former Chief of Medicine at Morton Plant Hospital, filed affidavits after observing Ms. Schiavo. All three physicians stated that it is visually apparent that Ms Schiavo is able to swallow and, in fact, does swallow her own saliva. ENT: The patient can clearly swallow, and is able to swallow approximately 2 liters of water per day (the daily amount of saliva generated). Water is one of the most difficult things for people to swallow. It is unlikely that she currently needs the feeding tube. She should be evaluated by an Ear Nose and Throat specialist, and have a new swallowing exam.

Michael Schiavo defrauded the courts by promising to care for Terri for the rest of his life and then used the jury awarded $700 thousand specifically designated for Terri’s rehabilitation for his own personal gain and to end Terri’s life. This also violates Fl Statute. 825.103 “Exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult” which prohibits the misuse of a disabled person’s funds by the guardian.

Further, Section (2)(a) states that If the funds, assets, or property involved in the exploitation of the elderly person or disabled adult is valued at $100,000 or more, the offender commits a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, s. 775.084.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. Sections 12101 provides that necessary and appropriate rehabilitation services and physical/motor skill therapy may not be denied a substantially disabled patient in the United States of America.

Cf 28 CFR, Ch 1, Subpart B, Sect 35.130 States “Nothing in the Act or this part authorizes the representative or guardian of an individual with a disability to decline food, water, medical treatment, or medical services for that individual.”

Failure to Discharge His Duties under FS § 744.474 (2) requires that the guardian protect the rights of the ward, provide for her health and safety, properly manage her financial resources and help her regain her abilities to the maximum extent possible.

The initial move to Hospice was done in violation of the annual plan and without court permission in violation of FS § 744.3215(4)].

Terri has the right to receive visitors and communicate with others. FS § 744.3215

Terri has the right to receive “palliative care” which is the comprehensive management of the physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and existential needs of the patient. FS. § 765.102.

In 1990, Michael took Terri to San Francisco for experimental medical treatment, without the necessary prior approval of the Court. FS. § 744.3215(4).

The guardian is required by law to prepare and present an annual plan. FS § 744.3675.Repeatedly, the annual plans have been filed late or not at all

In his annual reports, Schiavo has failed to prepare and present any plan for the provision of medical, mental health, and rehabilitative services in the coming year as required by FS §744.3675 (1)(b)(3)

The Adult Protective Services Act (Chapter 415 of the Florida Statutes) affords protection to disabled persons from abuse, neglect and exploitation

Fla. Stat. § 415. 102(1)(2002). Schiavo’s isolation of Terri and refusal to provide adequate physician attention, rehabilitative services, dental care and other medical services constitutes abuse under the Adult Protective Services Act as well as the guardianship statutes.

Schiavo’s decision to hold Terri at Hospice after it was clear that she was not “terminal” within Medicare guidelines was an improper use of the ward’s assets. In order to receive federal payment for hospice care, the facility must obtain a certification from the attending physician within two calendar days of initial admission that the patient’s “prognosis is for a life expectancy of 6 months or less if the terminal illness runs its normal course.” 42 C.F.R. § 418.22 (2001) Terri has been in Hospice 5 years, since April of 2000.

The Florida courts, DCF and Adult Protective Services have failed to do their job of protecting Terri’s rights under the existing Florida statutes. When people say that “case law” is on the side of Michael Schiavo, considering my limited knowledge of the law, I just have to wonder–what kind of “cases” ignored all the laws that protect the handicapped? Governor Jeb Bush has always had the executive power to remove Michael Schiavo as Terri’s legal guardian and to require a full investigation through every possible legal avenue, yet he hasn’t done it.

So what the hell is going on here?

Cross Posted to Cao’s Blog

NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.

Said Cao @ 5:34 am Comments (16) | Permalink   

I am surprised that this vote came and went and almost no mention was made in the blogshpere. How can that be true? Of all groups the blogshere, although not directly affected, stands next inline for this type of regulation.

As a recap, H.R. 310, The Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 amends the Communications Act of 1934. This is a substantial change to the 1934 Communications Act.

Who can be fined:
It redefines who can actually be fined as “any Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license, permit, or certificate is either a broadcast station licensee or permitted or an applicant for a broadcast license, permit, or certificate”

How much can they be fined:
This resolution also increases the penalties from $32,000 per incident to $500,000 per incident maximum for each violation.

What/Who else can be fined:
This also allows for penalties for non-licensees, provisions for license disqualification, revocation, or renewal consideration for violations of indecency prohibitions.

I am unfortunately not surprised by the outcome of this vote. The House passed this resolution with bipartisan support by a count of: 389 Ayes, 38 Nays, 6 Present/Not Voting.

I find this vote disappointing in three areas:

Censorship
I find this quite disappointing. Unfortunately, this bill leads us more toward censorship. Media outlets, TV and Radio, who are fined $500,000 are going to be very cautious in their programming . “Saving Private Ryan” was kept off of dozens of ABC stations. Those stations did this in fear, that they would be fined for airing programming containing profanity and graphic violence, even though ABC had aired the uncut movie in previous years. A tremendous movie, possibly one of the best of a generation, not seen by potentially millions, this fear resulted in censorship.

I regret things like the Janet Jackson incident, but I think we may be creating a greater problem. Again, that we do not want our children exposed to obscenity, but this bill may be taking things too far. Further, I have more confidence in families and parents to be the protectors of their children, not the U.S. Government.

Freedoms
Additionally, there are many people in Congress, who talk about freedom. Unfortunately, based on the voting results, they really do not believe that the American people should have the freedom to make the choices themselves about what programs they see on television or on the radio. Parents censoring what their children watch and listen to on the radio, is a core part of being a good parent. Censorship by the government is entirely different, it means a small handful of individuals get to decide what the country is permitted to see, hear or think. First it is Janet Jackson and Howard Stern, what will be next?

There are a lot of people in Congress, Democrats and Republicans inclusive, who speak of the intrusive role of government regulations. H.R. 310 does exactly that. It puts regulatory agencies in the position to tell radio and TV stations what they can air. I strongly disagree with that.

Mr. Adam D. Thierer, the director of telecommunications studies at the Cato Institute, says “Those of us who are parents understand that raising a child in today’s modern media marketplace is a daunting task at times, but that should not serve as an excuse for inviting Uncle Sam in to play the role of surrogate parent for us and the rest of the public without children. Even if lawmakers have the best interest of children in mind, I take great offense at the notion that government officials must do this job for me.”

Why is this not the position of every conservative in Congress? This Bill seems very hypocritical by both parties.

Indecency Guidelines
This Bill would impose much higher fines on broadcasters for so-called indecent material. But this legislation does not provide any change to the vague standard of indecency that can be arbitrarily applied by the FCC. This will force every media outlet to choose based on this criteria not on content. At some point this infringes on free expression and Americans’ First Amendment rights.

Closing
Again, why was this not acknowledged across the blogsphere? And, why was there not an uproar over this, am I the only one who seems to care?

Cross posted on BlueGlowWorm and The WideAwakes

Footnote:
ABCNews
GovTrack
>> Read more

Said Dean Reese @ 1:36 pm Comments (8) | Permalink   

When I first asked my neighbor Marvin Moonbat to give his take of what’s happening on the left side of the great divide that is American politics by posting on my site Rightwing Nuthouse, he was a little skeptical. After all, when you’re brought up to believe that conservatives have horns, tails, and drip blood from the corners of their mouths, it must be kind of difficult to not to think you’ll get your hand bitten off if you get too close. Or catch something really, really nasty.

Anyway, for a little background on Marvin, you can go here for a short bio and some history of our rather contentious relationship. An example can be found in the letter I sent inviting him to blog on my site:

My name is Superhawk and I live across the street from you. In case you’re wondering who I am, I’m the guy whose car used to have that bumper sticker “Bush in’04″ until you so kindly removed it. I didn’t mind losing the bumper sticker but did you have to take the ENTIRE BUMPER?

I’d also like to apologize for standing in front of your house on the day after the election and laughing for 6 hours. That was cruel, juvenile, and uncalled for. Two hours would have been plenty…

You get the picture.

So when I suggested we share his thoughts with Wide Awakes readers, Marvin was a little cautious. He wanted to know if the site was some kind of super secret right wing death squad run by Karl Rove to whack unruly liberals. I told him only in the most literal sense…I think. I don’t know what happens when Cao, Beth, and Raven get together. Although this is not beyond the realm of imagining (Holy Librarian, Batman! Geek Girls with Guns!)

Anyway, here for your reading pleasure is Marvin’s most recent rant.

WHO SLEPT WITH GANNON? (By Marvin Moonbat)

One of my major responsibilities as a member of the Reality Based Community (RBC) is to speculate on repugnut wrongdoing and then announce my findings before any evidence is found.

While this may sound a little odd, I would direct your attention to the debate over global warming. Or the obvious White House involvement in the 9/11 conspiracy. We in the RBC never let subjective things like “facts” get in the way of our search for truth. First of all, if we did that we wouldn’t have much of a case, would we? But more to the point, it’s important how you feel about an issue. This is what separates us from you unfeeling, uncaring wingnuts. Emotions play a vitally necessary role in uncovering the truth.

For instance, I can feel the truth surrounding the Jimmy Jeff scandal. I don’t have any evidence about some of these things yet, but know them to be true because I believe them to be. Sort of like “wishful thinking” except its better because being a member of the RBC, I’m endowed with an insight and intelligence far beyond what any wingnut would consider to be “average.” It sort of places me in a special, self-selected “aristocracy of the mind.”

Pretty cool, huh?
>> Read more

Said Rick Moran @ 1:03 pm Comments (3) | Permalink   

Over the past few years and certainly since 9/11, Europe has been steadily reverting to its sad history of racism. Yes I am speaking about the same Europe whose members of the left wish the United States to emulate. If that is their idea of a tolerant and open society, I say no thanks I will pass. But let’s first define racism so that we are all on the same page, there are many varying definitions but I happen to think the one below fit this discussion quite nicely.

Racism is prejudice or discrimination based on the belief that race is the primary factor determining human traits and abilities. Racism includes the belief that genetic or inherited differences produce the inherent superiority or inferiority of one race over another. In the name of protecting their race from “contamination,” some racists justify the domination and destruction of races they consider to be either superior or inferior. Institutional racism is racial prejudice supported by institutional power and authority used to the advantage of one race over others. Source

Let’s examine the recent history of several European countries. France is first up and while they have hated Americans since the end of World War II, in this study we don’t count. France passed a law last September barring hijab and all other religious insignia in state schools and now it has spread to the French Health Ministry. The directive provides for concealment of any religious symbol in hospitals to protect the secular nature of the staff. Hospitals are expected to be religious neutral so not to offend anyone. Now coupled with the ongoing attacks against Synagogues ( here, here, here and here.) that has spread across Europe, including France, a recent study that 69% of French citizens want a ban on all religious symbols in all state-run institutions, 66% want a ban in hospitals, and 53% want a ban in universities it is no surprise that the French led Europe in this new wave of racism. The French have become a soulless nation that fears even the nuns of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Please don’t mistake my defense of Muslims in this case for a blind eye to the rise of Islamofascists. Quite the contrary, it is policies like these in France, which has a large Muslim population, that help to create the terrorists of tomorrow. The EU’s report on French racism can be found here and it incredibly places the cause of the rise in anti-Semitism squarely on the shoulders of Israel, friends you have to read it to believe it. The French don’t even reserve their brand of racism for only Muslims or Jews; they are sooo very tolerant of gays and Asians. The first example is here in French and then translated here to English. The example of Asian intolerance can be found here.

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Said the_mad_tech @ 3:58 am Comments (21) | Permalink   

The labor movement is gaining support from the very liberal media. Here’s an article, from MRC, where Katie Couric espouses the virtues of socialist/communist views of labor.

On Monday’s Today, Katie Couric conducted a softball interview promoting a Ted Kennedy-sponsored bill to require every employer in America with 15 or more employees to offer a mandatory seven sick days each year. She asked: “So obviously the legislation may be helpful, but the whole mentality of the workplace needs to change as well, right?” Her liberal guest, Linda Meric of the lobbying group 9 to 5, agreed: “The United States is way far behind in terms of the amount of time off that employees get to care for family members, to care for their own health and for other reasons.” Couric had no question on the potential cost to employers or any other political or economic objections to the proposal. This wasn’t the first time Today promoted European-style regulatory controls on the workplace.

For some reason, liberal believe businesses should be controlled by the government; this is communism, pure and simple. If not complete control, then at the very least, control of the workforce and employee policies. Liberals believe the government should legislate time-off, numbers of hours worked, sick-time, wages and conditions of employment.

If I am wrong, I will surely apologize. However, I believe I am right.

Liberals want government to legislate wages through minimum wage and are now pushing for an arbitrary “living wage.” Liberals want government to legislate time-off through the FMLA and are now pushing for mandatory sick-time. Liberals want the government to legislate conditions of employment through the ADA, OSHA, and other agencies and programs.

When did our government decide it would be best to become an active partner in every business in this country? What happened to our free market economy, capitalism, and competition?

Now Liberals and unions are pushing for labor rights equal to human rights. How far are we from having government intervene in business decisions such as business closings and mass employee lay-offs? How soon will the government mandate those businesses stay open and those employees stay employed? How far away are we from government controlling or overseeing all aspects of a business? Will we then admit we have become a COMMUNIST COUNTRY?

What happened to a business having the right to succeed or fail on its own merits, management style, and philosophy? When did we lose all respect in the American worker to make the right choices, be responsible for their own actions, and be held accountable for those choices and actions? When did we lose our belief that ANYONE can succeed in this country on their own through hard work and dedication?

We are no longer fostering entrepreneurship; we are fostering a society and culture of government entitlements or entitlepreneurship or new ways in which to gain government entitlements. We are fostering a government fail-safe plan even though there is no risk to the individual.

When did we start to believe that COMMUNISM will succeed in America? When did Liberals and the Democratic Party become the new American Socialist/Communist Party?

Cross Posted at Uncivil Rights

Said cracker @ 6:05 pm Comments (13) | Permalink   

    Yetserday the court system drama regarding Terri Schiavo continued with the welcomed event of Judge Greer displaying some old-fashioned common sense and issuing an emergency stay until Friday until he can further review the vase amount of materials before him. Although we may never know if the blogswarm for Terri and the depth of conviction we bloggers are  consistently and persistently blogging about somehow made it to a computer screen in Judge Greer’s office or Jeb’s office,  I know in my heart and truly believe it most certainly appears to be helping to turn the tide in Terri’s favor and countless people must now know this group of voices screaming for accountability and justice on behalf of Terri are not going to go away until her family has the guardianship it should most definitely have had years and years ago.
    Also, finally (for me at least who is now more closely following this travesty and attempt to murder a disabled woman) issues I, as a MFT, have wondererd about and  lost a great deal of sleep over also seem to be coming to the forefront. As a mandated reporter of child,elder, and dependent abuse in California if there is even a suspicion, I most certainly would have reported Michael if I had heard the things I have read in my office. I have often sadly seen too many cases, in fact more than I can count, in which investigations are not conducted or investigators confuse facts from one case with another. For this reason I also highly question the reports of doctors who have just reviewed Terri’s case and not spent extensive time with her, her caregivers, and her family.
     Strangely enough there is some doubt and questions about the videos of Terri . When I display shock at such ridiculousness, the conversation has lead eventually to the questions of whether I would want to be kept alive as a "houseplant". I personally think Terri is anything but a  houseplant but as for myself, please allow me to clarify the pertinent issuses:

• Am I (or in this attempted homocide of Terri) in pain?
  • In this case no one disagrees Terri is an otherwise healthy woman and is not suffering other than at the hands of  her  interesting husband, his fact distorting lying lawyer George -I wrote a book and probably want to be in the movies-Felos, and the courts who are supposed to represent all of our interests.
• Did I leave (or in this attempted homocide of Terri) any written directive or mention my wishes to my own family?
  • In this case Terri did NOT leave ANY written directive and this whole travesty and the right to murder her is being based on some off the cuff remarks she supposedly made to her husband and his family BUT NOT HER OWN CATHOLIC FAMILY.
• Does my life have any meaning? Does anyone care if I live or die?

  <>

  In this case Terri’s life does most definitely has tremendous meaning to her mother, her father, her sister, her brother, friends, and all of those who are blogging on her behalf . Terri’s life and the  joy she gives and receives is more than that of any household plant in my home.

<>

    Although this post somehow seems incomplete…I am off now to live my life today and am grateful Terri is able to live her highly inspiring life another day.

Crossposted at Crystal Clear
Sorry I forgot yesterday afternoon was my time! Knew you would find this important enough to squeeze in this morning.

Said Crystal Clear @ 9:57 am Comments (22) | Permalink   

I have a short post today, to ask a question. It seems to be a simple question, and it is not meant as a rhetorical question — I honestly would like to know the answer, if it can be known.

Florida statues, Title XLVI, Chapter 828 states that cruelty shall be defined as

every act, omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering is caused, except when done in the interest of medical science, permitted, or allowed to continue when there is reasonable remedy or relief;

It also says, in Chapter 828.12 that

A person who intentionally commits an act to any animal which results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering, or causes the same to be done, is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

How is it a felony to do this to an animal, but when done to a person (Terri Schiavo), it is permitted?

Said Ogre @ 6:15 am Comments (18) | Permalink   

Every day I drive through my neighborhood several times, and nearly every time I feel a small sense of pride. Mainly I am proud that my works have been able to provide my wife and kids a decent community to live in. Also, in part, I am proud of the investment that I have made for the future of my family.

Low and behold the city is intersted in us. To me, I thought that was a good thing, since I planned on sitting on my property for 5 years or so.
You see, when I purchased our modest home that sits three blocks from the city’s Town Center; I knew that there was potential for a healthy return on my investment when I decided to sell it. Business is booming around here. The Town Center has had luxury condos go up around its three ponds within the past 18 months. There are a dozen restaurants within less than a mile, several dozen doctor offices, and one 10 story office building has gone up recently with another under construction.

Life is good in the house of Morg. But then I heard of something that made things not quite so peachy… Power of Eminent Domain. Eminent Domain is defined as the right of the state to take private property for public use. In theory, if a town is struggling like my hometown in North Carolina, then it may not be a bad idea to buy out some private property in ideal locations to build new businesses or highways, in turn creating more jobs for the community.

But as the recent case a small Fort Trumbull community has sparked my attention to the matter, I have quickly learned that this is a case of abuse of power, but this time it’s by the city government. The Fifth Amendment allows the cities to take private property for “public use” and the private owners are well compensated so it sounds fair in theory right? Well what happens when your land is recouped for another private contractor? I guess their private endeavors are more important than yours.

You see it is not so much that the city is looking to clean up this neighborhood from crime and poverty as much as it is looking for city revenues. These elected officials are looking at the bigger picture, right now they are accepting property taxes on 15 $150,000 homes (estimated), what if they could build 30 condos on this waterfront and sell them for $200,000 dollars each? I bet some very influential people would look rather favorably on the city council then also. Besides, in this day and age the working class doesn’t live on water…right? The city has already acquired 90 acres and 100 out of 115 homes for their development initiative, how much is enough?

Rightfully so, the main holdout families know that whatever the city offers them is peanuts compared to what their property will bring the city over the next few years. So some of them want a fair shake for their inconvenience while some like Mr. Matt Dery, have had the property in their family since the turn of the century…the 20th century that is. What is the price of blood, sweat, and tears of his family that immigrated from Italy in 1890 to find the Land of Opportunity? Mr. Dery let his frustrations be known to the AP on Monday “”It’s a case of the rich eating the poor,” Noteworthy is that Mr. Dery’s main concern is what is going to replace his families property if he accepts, the city however, has not disclosed what will replace the only American Heritage that he has ever known. Another upsetting part of this saga is that you would expect the city to be sympathetic to some if not all of these families right? How’s this for sympathy “They just would not be compatible with all the other uses,” said Edward O’Connell, New London Development Corp.

This land is your land!

Said Morg173 @ 10:57 am Comments (4) | Permalink   

Isabel Blincow of the Samaritans in Sheffield, is a puzzled woman. Last year alone, her branch of the charity helped dissuade 22,000 people from committing suicide. Was this a good thing to do? Certainly. Was it useful? To society, we mean? Well, yes. You’d think that was a given, right?

Well, so did Isabel, who applied for a £300,000 National Lottery grant in order to refurbish the building Samaritans use in her city. Unfortunately for her, the jerks given the job of adjudicating her request didn’t agree:

A branch of the Samaritans has had its application for a £300,000 lottery grant rejected because, it was told, it does not do enough for the disadvantaged, asylum seekers and ethnic minorities.

Um … OK. Would someone like to explain to me how the Samaritans might ‘do enough’ for the minority groups on the National Lottery’s list? Background checks into would-be suicides, perhaps? Call-screening to weed out any suspiciously British or able-bodied sounding depressives?

But wait, because this just gets better and better:

At the same time, the Big Lottery Fund is to give £360,000 of public money to a project offering advice to prostitutes.

… And can anyone shed some light on this situation?

Gerard Oppenheim, the Big Lottery Fund’s director of planning, said: ‘The Samaritans’ application passed very well. The reason it was not successful was one of sheer competition for funds.’

Competition between the hookers and the selfless charity-workers? And Oppenheim gives the money to the hookers? Right. Well. At least it’s nice to know the Big Lottery Fund practice the equal-opportunities message they preach: there are many employers who balk at the thought of promoting drooling morons to positions of responsibility.

(Cross-Posted at Rottweiler Puppy)

Said RottyPup @ 12:37 am Comments (1) | Permalink   

Much to the chagrin of the Euro-left, U.S. President George Bush is in Europe this week.

A good deal is being made of the visit, which is described as being for the purposes of ‘healing divisions’. Well, to a point, I suppose this is true. Useless and cowardly though most of them are, European governments are still at the head of free-market democracies, so there’s really no reason Bush wouldn’t wish to smooth over a few ruffled feathers. It costs him nothing in terms of political capital, and being a decent man, he probably sees no harm in showing a little benevolence. When you’re on the winning side, that’s the kind of thing you can afford to do.

Though whether Europeans actually take this point is anyone’s guess. Let’s start by listening to George Bush tell it (the whole speech is here, pdf):

A status quo of tyranny and hopelessness in the Middle East - the false stability of dictatorship and stagnation - can only lead to deeper resentment in a troubled region, and further tragedy in free nations.
The future of our nations, and the future of the Middle East, are linked - and our peace depends on their hope and development and freedom.

… And now a translation into E.U.-speak by the BBC’s Paul Reynolds:

This is now his world view and it is one he argues with great confidence.
Whether Europeans respond with great enthusiasm remains to be seen.
The traditional EU approach to changing the world is less declaratory. It prefers to work by example and argument.

This is just laughable. To listen to Reynolds tell it, you would think the European and American approaches (or, to be more precise, the Do Nothing and Do Something approaches) had equal merit.

Let’s hit Reynolds with a Cluebat, shall we? They don’t.

In the 1930’s, Europe deployed its examples and arguments against fascism. It was devoured until U.S. and British action drove totalitarianism back as far as Berlin.

From 1945-1989, Europe (or the parts of Europe that Britain and the U.S. liberated) again used example and argument against communism. This got nowhere until Reagan actually fought the cold war. He won.

Now, freedom is coming to the Middle East, again because a conservative U.S. President has decided that action is better than talk when it comes to unseating tyrants.

There’s a pattern emerging here, but if Bush and Blair can see this, it’s harder to work out whether the E.U.’s great and good are on message at all.

Still, there they are, smiling and applauding, and doubtless thinking of brand new ‘examples and arguments’ with which to dither and appease their way through the 21st century. George Bush, meanwhile, continues to push the lot of them to one side of history.

(Cross-Posted at Rottweiler Puppy)

Said RottyPup @ 12:31 am Comments (6) | Permalink