Thursday, November 01, 2007

Fight the Power! Oh wait, that's ME.

Radio host rallies blacks for Friday boycott

"By some estimates, the U.S. economy could lose millions of dollars if the more than 40 million African-Americans keep their wallets in their purses and pockets Friday"

The downright hilarious part of this whole thing, which seems to have completely escaped the notice of the event's organizers, is that what this whole boycott idea actually highlights is the economic success of blacks! If ol' Mr. Ballentine is convinced that black consumers not spending money will have such a negative impact on the economy, isn't he in effect completely invalidating the whole premise behind the boycott? Blacks are so financially successful and influential that we need to use them in a boycott to highlight how, uh... you know, poor and uh, oppressed they are.

President Eisenhower defended the Little Rock Nine, President Kennedy protected the Freedom Riders and President Johnson stood up for voting rights, "but this federal government has done nothing for the Jena 6 or to stem the rising tide of hate that includes a proliferation of nooses and swastikas," Sharpton said.

Nevermind the fact that these are isolated incidents among millions of black Americans, elevated to the level of an "issue" by a media that thrives on controversy, not on reporting the truth.

"The history of our country is about what I'm calling for," Ballentine said. "If the federal government is not doing what it's supposed to do, we protest."

And what exactly is the government failing to do? Blacks have had the right to vote since 1870, further solidified by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Anti-discrimination laws make it illegal to deny housing, employment, bank loans, public services etc. on the basis of race. Yet people like His Holiness Al Sharpton of the Immaculate Victimhood would have us believe that at any moment there will be fire hoses in Birmingham again.

There's a black Supreme Court justice and a black candidate for President for heaven's sake!

What if he's right? What if there is some sort of backlash against the black culture? Might it actually be a backlash against the perpetuation of an angry rap culture that sows every bit as much division between the races as "hate crimes?" Rap stars who glorify shooting cops, who legitmize drug use, who blame everyone but themselves for problems within black communities? Why does the "racism!" crowd bemoan racial and cultural stereotypes against black people as violent, drug-using gang-bangers...and then support a multi-billion dollar music industry which portays this exact thing as mainstream black "culchah?"

Tell me, did the term "Baby Daddy" come out of the white or black culture? A "baby daddy" is a guy with whom I have no other association than the fact that he's the genetic father of my child. Is the rampant failure of the nuclear family in today's black community somehow the fault of white people? Or the government? Why not place the responsibility firmly where it lies?

Instead of blaming the US government for "failing" to combat discrimination, why doesn't the black community look within itself to identify some potentially much more damaging problems? Why do victimhood perpetuaters like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson get so much more press time than Bill Cosby and Morgan Freeman? Why are those who attempt to suggest that blacks look within for root causes of some of their social and economic woes so often labeled as either "Uncle Toms" (if they're black) or racists (if they aren't)?

"Ballentine, who goes by the radio handle "the people's attorney," said he also is dismayed by issues like shoddy imports from China, the outsourcing of jobs overseas, the housing market's flood of foreclosures and President Bush's request for $196 billion in war spending and his veto of a children's health insurance bill.

The latter two issues are particularly disappointing, Ballentine said, because they send a message that the U.S. doesn't care about its next generation."

That's right, let's roll it all up in one giant chalupa of the failures of a white president to properly provide for black people, children, the working class, poor financial decisions, and poorly written socialist legislation to redistribute the wealth of America...

Which, according to the first few paragraphs, is coming more and more from members of the black community! I would think that if you knew that so much of your hard earned money was going to pay for other people's poor lifestyle choices, you'd be a little less likely to give the likes of Al Sharpton the time of day.

But then, I'm white, upper middle class and privileged. What do I know?

Fred Phelps 'Hates Fags' but his son

was a delegate for Al Gore(D)
So... the MainStreamMedia misreports Fred Phelps protested a "Gay Marine"s funeral when in fact Fred Phelps and his nutters of the Westboro clan are unlawfully protesting tolerance of Gay lifestyles in general by intruding upon military funerals.

Sweetness & Light notes the odd details in those stories about the multi-million dollar judgement against the moonbats in civil court:

This AP story, like every report you will see about the Westboro “Baptist Church,” parrots the claims that they are Baptists and moreover fundamentalists (or evangelicals).

Indeed, a search of Google News reveals that they are called “fundamentalist” or “evangelical” in 884 of the articles posted in the last few days — which is to say practically all of the articles on the subject from the mainstream media...

...

But as anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with this miserable operation is well aware, the Westboro Baptist Church is not a Baptist church, evangelical or otherwise.

Odd how the MSMs keep leaving out that party affiliation.

Cross Posted at DANEgerus

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

FTX

Field Training Exercise. That's where I'll be all weekend, starting tomorrow at 0600. But fear not! Dane and Steve B have arrived to save the day!

Guys, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you.

I'm going to be neck deep in mud, muck, and insects that want to bite me, sting me or drain some bodily fluid from me. Ah, the joys of Puerto Rico. What makes it worse is that there's some sort of competition going on at the training base involving teenagers from all over the Caribbean. So we cannot use any part of the proper base.

Ranges? Nope. Land Nav area? Nope. DEFAC? Nope. Medic station? Nope, it's shut down for this weekend. Water point? NOPE! We have to go off base to find a place to fill our water trailers.

We get to stay and train on one tiny little training area right after the main gate. Which happens to be a wetland area. And it's been raining like crazy.

What makes this worse is the fact that this whole deal was cooked up two weeks ago by my Battalion CO, in an attempt to try to impress the higher command. In the meantime, due to the fact that this is all on short notice we have no medical support, and three water trailers when we should have five. The Battalion did not even have a training plan until my company gave them one. Hey there Battalion Commander, what are all the other companies in the battalion going to do for training? What, you don't know? You have no clue? You don't even have a training plan three days before we're all supposed to report to do this FTX? An FTX you're demanding we all participate in?

Folks, when a company has to give their higher headquarters the Battalion's training plan, this is a bad thing. I'm not talking about us giving the battalion our company training plan, I'm talking about giving the battalion their plan detailing what the battalion is going to do! COMPANIES SHOULD NOT BE TELLING THEIR BATTALIONS WHAT THE HELL TO DO DURING AN FTX!

At this point I'd go on a screaming fit of the heebie-jeebies, but it wouldn't do much good. THIS IS NOT THE US ARMY DOWN HERE. If I had my druthers, I would force everyone down here to remove the US flag off of their uniform, because calling this gaggle-fuck operation the US Army in an insult to every other US Soldier around the world. Call it the Puerto Rican Army, call it Pancho Villa's Army, call it the Policia del Keystone, I don't care. But for the love of God, do not under any circumstances ever allude to the possibility that this clusterfuck has anything to do with my beloved Army of the United States of America.

Anyways, I'll be out dealing with this disaster for the next four days. Dane and Steve B can hold down the fort. I'll see you all on Monday, if I don't strangle some stupid son-of-a-bitch and get sent to jail.

Huh?

Hollywood writers are going on strike? How is that going to change what's coming out of Hollywood at all?

Seriously, what Hollywood really needs is to scrap every single writer there and hire all new staff. There's a reason I haven't gone to see many movies in the past few years. In fact, I can tell you the two movies I went to see in the theaters since I've been in Puerto Rico - Kingdom of Heaven back in 2005, and Harry Potter 5 this year.

All the rest haven't interested me at all. Because most of them suck. Or they're just copies of other movies. Even Will Smith's new movie that's coming out is a repeat of a Charlton Heston film "The Omega Man". Yeah, it's a new actor, and blah blah blah, but it's just copied from another film!

I don't give two hoots about Hollywood. I say let them all go on strike. I won't miss 'em.

Cross Burning is OK when the targets are Christians

Van Helsing:

When members of the editorial board of a major newspaper can't decide whether to endorse or condemn burning down cathedrals, it's past time to give up on the mainstream media.

Note that it's not what the "Christianists" have done... it's speculation as to how the self-proclaimed "victims" feel.

You are now not a criminal for what you think... but for what someone else decided they think you think.

Cross Posted at DANEgerus

Hillary gets La Raza endorsement at UFO debate

Sweetness & Light has two real headlines... these are not ScrappleFace:


Edwards Stresses His Honesty And Integrity


Oh, my sides.


‘UFO’ Kucinich Questions Bush’s Mental Health


“The center has shifted in our politics. I’m really at the center. And all the other candidates are to the right of me.”

Kucinich... the center of his own universe... at least until the UFO's give him another anal probe.

Patriot Post has some seasonal quotes:

THE DEMO-GOGUES

I vant to take your bucks, ah, ah, ah: “We’re going to make it clear there are no invisible people [for tax purposes] in America.” —Hillary Clinton (D-Transylvania), editorial comment inserted for clarity

“I think if we want to fund the things that I think are important to share in prosperity, then people who have done well in this country, including me, have more of a responsibility to give back... There are no free meals.” —Man of the People John Edwards

Now that’s it’s your idea: “I don’t want to just put my finger out to the wind and see what the polls say. I want to bring the country together to solve a problem... If we have failed to have a real, honest conversation about Social Security, it will not get fixed.” —Obama on Social Security **Funny—when George Bush wanted to fix Social Security, Democrats were screaming that it didn’t need fixing.

On qualifications: “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a president who will actually say the words ‘global warming?”’ —Hillary Clinton

Different week, same tune: “The President would rather spend another $200 billion in Iraq and leave our children to pick up the tab than make fiscally sound investments in veterans’ healthcare, cancer research and healthcare for ten million children.” —House Speaker “San Fran Nanny” Pelosi

This week’s “Demo Busters” Award: “If you think American politics have gotten nastier, crueler and more symbolic over the last 20 years, blame Ted Kennedy. This month marks the 20th anniversary of the borking of Judge Robert Bork, Ronald Reagan’s failed Supreme Court nominee. And it was Ted Kennedy’s bilious bugle blast that brought the man down... In Ted Kennedy’s America, it’s blow for blow and eye for eye now, and everyone is blind to how we got here.” —Jonah Goldberg

I've been blogging for years but when I surfed by the corner at NRO I have to admit I was too stunned for a while to even post. What kind of world do we live in that (D)emocrats watch these duplicitous condescending fools and call it a Presidential debate?


The UFO debate


Hillary overcame her opponents despite that final incoherent babbling because she was confronting timid male Democrats who have been conditioned to lose to "strong women" (a term of art meaning left-wing obsessives.) But she has advertised a vast vulnerability to Republicans. They may even notice. --John O'Sullivan

...

It was interesting that Dennis Kucinich tried to make his sighting of a UFO seem less strange by reminding us that Jimmy Carter has also spotted one. It didn’t work. Kucinich called for the impeachment of President Bush three times (!) and no one seemed to notice. -- Kate O'Beirne

...

I never realized the full extent of his creepiness. Exactly how are the "mercenaries" of Blackwater in Iraq—i.e., private contractors protecting people at the request of the U.S. government — not risking their lives? Exactly how is the hired gun called John Edwards less of a mercenary than they except that he risks only other people's money? I must say it's very entertaining to watch a snake-oil salesman in full snake mode. -- John O'Sullivan

...

"We're going to have to conserve" says the multi-millionaire trial lawyer with a 26,000 square foot house. -- Amy Holmes

...

Why on Earth does Obama go out of his way to mention his experience in the Illinois state legislature. -- Rich Lowry

...

Barack on Social Security: "And make sure the wealthy pay more than their fair share." Yikes. He's against fairness. He better drop that talking point. -- Amy Holmes

...

Obama did the impossible tonight: He failed to stand out on a stage full of boring white guys. -- Jim Geraghty

...

Tonight might be remembered as the night the dream died for Barack Obama. -- Jim Geraghty

...

Bill Richardson is a lame man, vainly aspiring to the vice-presidency, trying to defend Hillary Clinton when she doesn't need it. His presentation style is terrible. He still looks like an unmade bed, shiny of hair and jowly of skin. He looks like he gained a chin since the last debate. -- Jim Geraghty

...

...Hillary Clinton proves to be a radical in refusing to criticize Spitzer on drivers licenses. The lady's radical slip is showing. -- Kathryn Jean Lopez

...

Hillary's bold offer to pay more in taxes would have been more impressive if she hadn't spent almost all her entire post-college life living off the public teat. Of course, so far, no Democrat has hit her on that, because, well . . . -- John O'Sullivan

...

She is clearly skittish about immigration and her attempt to have it both ways on drivers’ licenses for illegal aliens failed... -- Kate O'Beirne

...

"Senator Clinton's troubling answer on providing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants was emblematic of someone who is both dismissive of efforts to enforce our nation's immigration laws and entirely unwilling to offer a straight answer to a very direct question.” -- Team Romney

...

Is there any reason why the GOP as a whole should not now come down firmly on the side of a genuine immigration reform that would reduce immigration, legal and illegal, emphasize skills and English language proficiency more than at present, and force employers to obey the law. -- John O'Sullivan

...

Chris Dodd seemed like the last sane man on an insane stage when he suggested that giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants might not be a good idea. It reveals the radicalism not just of Hillary, but of the Democrats as a whole, that only one man among eight candidates felt taking that stand was worth any political heat from the amnesty crowd. -- Jim Geraghty

...

Maybe Hillary should have brought her fake laugh tonight. -- Rich Lowry

...

The only flaw in Hillary's performance is that there's something ringing in her voice... not quite angry, but almost shouting. Maybe one decibel louder than the questioner or the other candidates. I think she's trying to seem fired-up, and there's something... it's ALMOST LIKE SHE'S SPEAKING IN ALL CAPS. -- Jim Geraghty

...

"Obama looks and sounds like he needs a Red Bull. Hillary looks and sounds like she had two." -- Mrs CampaignSpot

...

Shrill, charmless, and brittle — her biggest liabilities which she had, until now, kept mostly under wraps. Tonight should demonstrate to her future Republican rival (yes, I believe she'll get the nom) that Hillary's fundamentally unlikeable core is very near the surface. Scratch a little and it comes roaring out. As the wise man says, "The best defense is a good offense." Push her buttons, get under skin, peel back the facade. Any more mixed metaphors I can throw out? Nails on a blackboard! -- Amy Holmes

Hillary(D) endorsed drivers' licenses for illegal aliens but waffled to avoid being honest about that which demonstrates she is counting on her La Raza demographic for votes.

In Northern Virginia, right now, they are running commercials claiming "immigrants" shouldn't be "intimidated" at the polls and "don't need to bring ID" to vote. Clearly this is a straw-man smear as there is no group intimidating "immigrants" as well as an invitation to illegal aliens to illegally vote. Can you believe the only thing standing between a nullification of your legal vote as a citizen is an illegal alien, who by definition already has fraudulent ID, willing to sign a statement, he can't read, that he has a right to vote?


(D)emocrats want Illegals to provide the votes Americans Won't!



Eric Scheie Roundup on UFO debate


CHARLES HURT D.C. Bureau Chief


FOES COULDN'T KO HILLARY -- SO SHE SOCKED HERSELF


She tied herself up in knots - in a way her opponents couldn't - with her non-answer about whether she favors giving driver's license to illegal aliens.

She must be the only New Yorker without an opinion on the plan (other than her colleague, Sen. Chuck Schumer).

Her evasiveness on the most talked-about issue in the state reminded everyone of the worst of husband Bill and what could be in store if another Clinton makes it to the White House.

John Hawkins has


Video


Here's Hillary's "all over the place" answer on driver's licenses for illegal aliens...

Hot Air also has


Video: Hillary Clinton flip flops around Eliot Spitzer’s licenses-for-illegals plan


Let’s call this Exhibit A in the case against Hillary Clinton for president. In the following clip we see her radicalism, her shrillness, her inability to finesse a tough question, and her condescension to her opponents. Tim Russert asks if she still thinks that NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan to provide drivers licenses for the state’s illegal aliens “makes a lot of sense.”

...

...blames Bush and comes off sounding like a thin-skinned harpy.

...

Incredibly, only Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson and Barack Obama raised their hands when Russert asks whether illegal aliens should not be able to get drivers licenses. And Obama and Richardson were pretty noodlewristed about raising their hands. The vast majority of the New York voters oppose it, and even 55% of Democrats across the country oppose extending benefits to illegal aliens, but the majority of Democrat candidates for president are fine with it.

...

And Hillary Clinton is leading the way.

...

...Americans really ought to ask ourselves: Do we want four and possibly eight years of that voice on TV every single night, braying from the bully pulpit and weighing in on the issues of the day?

...at Ace of Spades


Jack M.


“the most important two minutes of the debate.”

...

Hillary, perhaps feeling a little overconfident, pandered on the issue of granting illegal immigrants driver's licenses. She essentially endorsed Spitzer's plan in New York. (Which is strange, as Spitzer has pretty much pissed off everybody...the illegals don't like "different" licenses, and the general public doesn't like the illegals getting anything at all.)

And, to add fuel to the fire, she bemoaned the lack of the passage of "comprehensive immigration reform" a.k.a. Amnesty.

Suitably Flip


Hillary Swings, Misses, Runs Bases Obliviously, Waving Cap To Embarrassed Fans


Russert went on to press her about whether she does or does not support the plan to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, something she’s explicitly supported in recent days in New Hampshire. Ever resolute, she went on to firmly declare that she both does and does not support such a plan, and furthermore, that she both did and did not ever say such a thing in New Hampshire.

Politico


Obama, Edwards attack; Clinton bombs debate


When Hillary Clinton has a bad night, she really has a bad night.

...

It was not just that her answer about whether illegal immigrants should be issued driver's licenses was at best incomprehensible and at worst misleading.


It was that for two hours she dodged and weaved, parsed and stonewalled.


And when it was over, both the Barack Obama and John Edwards campaigns signaled that in the weeks ahead they intend to hammer home a simple message: Hillary Clinton does not say what she means or mean what she says.

Cross Posted at DANEgerus

It's only cheating if you get caught, right?

I find it deeply curious that after no less than two wide-open fundraising scandals, the Democrats' political machine trundles on unimpeded, kind of like a steamroller over a slow pedestrian. "What bump?!"

First we have:

Hsu raised big money for Clinton supporters

And then:

As Campaigns Chafe at Limits, Donors Might Be in Diapers

Now I would think that short of adding dead people to your voting rolls, laundering campaign contributions through underage donor fronts would be considered one of the most serious forms of political legerdemain. Apparently not.

To my knowledge, there hasn't been so much as a press release or news conference to address these accusations of fraud. Merely a few milquetoast mutterings as the Ms. grudgingly returns so many thousands of dollars, with a vacuous declaration that she new nothing about it, NOTH-INGGGG. Er, whatever you say, Sgt Shultz.

I can't help but look at this and remember HillaryCare, which will REQUIRE everyone to have health insurance, paid for out of the government larder, or the $5,000 education "fund" for children, again paid for out of public/government money. This is, in effect, stealing from Peter to pay Paul. Anytime you see "government" money, remember that it should say, "YOUR money."

This seems to reflect an almost instictive disregard for the rule of both law and common decency by the Democrats when it comes to funding their agendas. It doesn't seem to matter where the money comes from, as long as it keeps coming! I can only imagine what will happen if Clinton 2.0 gets into office, and suddenly has alllllll that money at her fingertips, along with the Executive Order pen warmed up and ready.

A potentially deadly combination for this country. IMHO.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Women in combat?

Not my first choice. Here's the deal, folks. When women have to perform the same Army Physical Fitness Test as the men, then we'll talk. But so long as a woman can pass with 19 push-ups while I have to do 40, then we simply need to admit that women as a rule are not as strong as men. They cannot perform the very physical tasks up to the same standards as men.

And combat is a very physical activity.

It has nothing to do with courage, with valor, with "heart", or anything of that nature. It's the fact that you're walking around in 40-70 pounds of equipment and weapons to begin with, and then are forced to sprint, duck for cover, and fire you're weapon with accuracy. It's hard. Any mall ninjas that are reading this and going "Aw whatever, I could do that", well, give it a try. Load fifty pounds into a backpack. Go on a quick two-mile walk. Then sprint 100 yards, dive behind an object and try to fire three rounds into a three-inch circle at 150 yards.

Most women would not be able to keep up with me on the march. It's a simple statement of fact. So either I have to slow down, which slows down the mission, or I have to go ahead and leave them behind, which means if I get ambushed I don't have the help I need.

I'm sorry, but women should not be in combat. Period, end of story.

By the Way

For those who didn't notice, let me introduce the DANE, who's blog I read every chance I get. He agreed to cross post over here every now and then.

Dane buddy, you have no idea how glad I am to see you.

Damn, I'm tired

Thursday through Sunday I'm going to be away, without internet access. So don't expect anything from me this weekend.

I am in the depths of suckitude.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Syria built nuke plant as Saddam fell?

I've repeatedly pointed out that Saddam's scientists, the heart and soul of his WMD programs, took refuge in Syria and Iran with Russian aid. As it turns out, right about the time the Syrians began construction of that recently bombed nuclear weapons center. Allahpundit posts

Curiouser and curiouser: Syrian reactor bombed by Israel was built in 2003

Sounds like, with the shell of the reactor already long in place, they were finally ready to take “the next step,” forced perhaps by the fact that North Korea had made a deal with the west to denuclearize and needed to unload some of its infrastructure.

Which results in the predictable response from the enabler of Nuclear proliferation, Egyptian Mohamed ElBaradei, via LGF:

IAEA Chief Springs Into Action, Condemns Israel

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, who has never succeeded in stopping a single country from developing nuclear weapons, is condemning Israel for the airstrike on Syria’s nuclear facility: IAEA chief lashes out over Israeli raid in Syria.

Because the UN is the “eyes and ears of the international community.” We’re not supposed to notice that those eyes are willfully blind, and those ears willfully deaf.

Iranians died alongside those Syrians and North Korean surplus.

Although... Londonistan is clearly guilty of aiding in it's own destruction as ToryDiary details:

You couldn't make it up

"The Foreign Office has cleared dozens of Iranians to enter British universities to study advanced nuclear physics and other subjects with the potential to be applied to weapons of mass destruction. In the past nine months about 60 Iranians have been admitted to study postgraduate courses deemed “proliferation-sensitive” by the security services. The disciplines range from nuclear physics to some areas of electrical and chemical engineering and microbiology." -- Sunday Times

Cross Posted at DANEgerus