Islam's latest target

I've written in the past about Geert Wilders being one of the few politicians in Europe in actual possession of courage, particularly in regards to standing up to the threat of Islam. I now know of another politician also in possession of that same courage. Sadly, like Mr. Wilders, this politician is also on trial for speaking out against Islam. KGS at Tundra Tabloids has this post linked below about Finnish politician Jussi Halla-Aho:

Tundra Tabloids.......: Jussi Halla-Aho Being Tried For Postulating What Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini Freely Espoused.......

Countless bloggers, a number of columnists & pundits and a few politicians have spoken time and time again of the fact that the threat of Islam to take over the whole of Europe is very much there, and yet most, if not all, of the governments of Europe bend over backwards trying ever so hard to accommodate. And how do they accommodate? Simple; they throw the coal mine canaries like Geert Wilders, Jussi Halla-Aho and others under the bus.

Add to this the fact the United Nations is bending over backwards 180 degrees with their so-called Human Rights Council adopting a resolution prohibiting the "defamation" of Islam, it really is looking more like a David versus Goliath situation than ever before.

Fortunately, we can all take heart for one reason: David beat Goliath. We can beat this Goliath, too; we just need to keep fighting the good fight, just like Geert Wilders and Jussi Halla-Aho.

Ohhhhh Brother No. 11: Sudsrunners!

There was a time when in the South, there lived rumrunners and moonshiners who would deliver their illegal goods, evading the law when necessary and becoming like Robin Hood in the process. Well, it turns out those rumrunners and moonshiners have some young cousins coming of age in the Pacific Northwest, only they're not delivering illegal alcohol; it's illegal detergent. Yep. Meet the Sudsrunners!

For some time now, the state of Washington has tried to be more eco-friendly in regards to dishwashing, so somebody had the bright idea of writing up a bill banning the use of dishwater detergents made with phosphates, which passed and was signed into law, and will have become a statewide ban by July of next year. Sounds like a great idea.

Funny thing about the eco-friendly detergents, though; they don't seem to work as well as the phosphate-included detergents. Apparently, it has to do with the phosphates breaking down the grease and removing the stains on dirty dishes; something the eco-friendly detergents can't do.

And because residents of Spokane County, where the ban is currently in place, can't get the good detergents in their own county, they now have to resort to becoming (you guessed it) . . . sudsrunners! Since the county borders Idaho, where thankfully the eco-friendly geniuses haven't had their way (yet), residents simply drive there, purchase the suds, and come back home.

Now, suppressing the laughter inside me, I have to say this should serve as a good example of why we should think real hard and look at the facts before ever considering to support a ban like this. What is more important, saving Mother Nature from the evils of mankind or clean dishes? Well, while you're deciding, I'll close by saying Ohhhhh Brother! (Sounds of hysterical, hyena-sounding laughter)

Grassroots news minute (Mar. 27th)

Firsts & Favorites: A Movie Meme

I've come across a few of these memes in the past, and I still don't understand them, and since I have no idea how they get started in the first place, I figured on starting one for a change. There isn't much to this meme: the first half deals with the first movies you saw starring a certain individual (male and female) and the other half deals with favorite films either directed by certain individuals or specifically from certain genres. All you have to do is answer to the best of your abilities and if you have no answer to any question, just say Don't have a clue. The one condition I place is that the films you select have to be those you have seen in its entirety.

Anybody who reads this blog and is interested can consider themselves tagged by me. You can post a comment here featuring your list or post on your own blog (if you do the latter, let me know). Well, that's it, so here we go:

What was the first film you remember seeing that starred
1. John Wayne? The Searchers
2. Jimmy Stewart? It's A Wonderful Life
3. Burt Lancaster? Gunfight At The O.K. Corral
4. Charlton Heston? The Ten Commandments
5. Mel Gibson? The Patriot
6. Ingrid Bergman? From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
7. Ava Gardner? Knights Of The Round Table
8. Maureen O'Hara? The Parent Trap
9. Sophia Loren? El Cid
10. Penelope Cruz? Gothika
What is your favorite film directed by
11. Woody Allen? Scoop
12. John Ford? Sergeant Rutledge
13. Frank Capra? Mr. Deeds Goes To Town
14. Orson Welles? Touch Of Evil
15. John Huston? The Maltese Falcon
16. What is your favorite comedy featuring your favorite comedian(s)? Way Out West
17. What is your favorite non-biblical epic? Spartacus
18. What is your favorite Western starring Clint Eastwood? High Plains Drifter
19. What is your favorite war film released in the 1960s? Where Eagles Dare
20. What is your favorite foreign film not directed by Akira Kurosawa? Life Is Beautiful

Target: Sarah Palin (Again)

I suppose after the presidential election last year, the troubles Governor Sarah Palin would face wouldn't be so serious. How wrong I've been.

It looks like the poor woman can't rest due to individuals and groups being on the warpath against her, and it is mostly despicable. First, it is discovered that an effort is being made to drive the Palin family right into the poor house with frivolous and false ethics charges. Then, another known individual joined the ranks of Sarah Palin's attackers. Now, because of a comment she made at a Lincoln Day dinner for the GOP in Alaska, former staffers of the McCain/Palin campaign are anonymously criticizing her.

As far as the Lincoln Day criticizing goes, what she said may have been accurate; I don't know, but I give Governor Palin the benefit of the doubt. To the latest general attacker of Sarah Palin, keep on attacking and you will shown for being the fool and liar you are (in fact, you already have been revealed). And as for the frivolous ethics charges, I wish there was a way to prosecute these filers, especially now with the motivations behind these filings having been revealed.

Anyway, if Governor Palin is reading this, keep moving forward, stay the course and keep fighting the good fight.

Bringing the message home

Thanks to Freedom Bloggers, I found this superb post from fellow Blogspotter Casey Brown Myers.

The Conservative Cloakroom: The criminal's view on gun control

The post features a great satire video that brings home just how a criminal feels about gun control. To me, the thought that the passing of gun control legislation would stop crime has always been one of the most absurd notions I've ever heard.

What are the odds you'll hear a criminal say after hearing of a gun control bill being signed into law, Oh s--t, those b------s have just passed a f-----g gun control law! Now how am I going to be able to make my living? How can I continue to make my living without a f-----g gun? I wouldn't bet money on it.

The ADL & School Vouchers

While on something unrelated, I came across something on the website of the Anti-Defamation League, something that greatly surprised me. The ADL is well known for combating anti-Semitism, extremism and bigotry (as it says on their site), but their involvement in the battle over school vouchers compelled me to respond to their writings on the subject.

Being someone who supports the usage of school vouchers as it gives kids who need a good education a better chance to get one, but more importantly, gives parents more say in their children's education, I find the ADL's argument on the matter of school vouchers absurd and flawed.

For starters, they imply that among the private schools in America, there are those dedicated to religious indoctrination. What do they mean by that? In the second paragraph, they state the voucher programs subvert the separation of church of state and could undermine the public school system, which leads me to ask, How?

The next paragraph then claims this:

they (voucher programs) would force citizens — Christians, Jews, Muslims and atheists — to pay for the religious indoctrination of school children at schools with narrow parochial agendas. In many areas, 80 percent of vouchers would be used in schools whose central mission is religious training. In most such schools, religion permeates the classroom, the lunchroom, even the football practice field. Channeling public money to these institutions flies in the face of the constitutional mandate of separation of church and state.

I was under the impression that voucher programs pay the money to the parents, not the schools. It's up to the parents to decide which school gets the voucher funds, whether it be a religious or non-religious school. And how does this fly in the face of separation of church and state when the state doesn't dictate what the church, directly or indirectly, does with the money? The money simply goes to pay for the education costs for the students. And as far as the idea of religion permeating the classroom, the lunchroom and the football practice field, what if the parents want that for their kids? What if they want a religious environment for their kids when it comes to their schooling?

The article goes on to mention about the school voucher program in Cleveland and what some of its requirements are. I have no objections to them, and neither does the ADL, it seems, but as the article continues, I find more beef. The ADL thinks the voucher programs would be the same as saying "that we are giving up on the public education system". It's more like we're saying we're giving up on the bad schools, the ones who send kids out unprepared for the real world, who don't seem to know much other than 2+2=4.

Then there's this line:

Under a system of vouchers, it may be difficult to prevent schools run by extremist groups like the Nation of Islam or the Ku Klux Klan from receiving public funds to subsidize their racist and anti-Semitic agendas.

Aside from having equated private schools with bona fide hate groups like the KKK and the Nation Of Islam, the idea that preventing schools run by these groups from getting public money is difficult is something I find silly as well as flimsy. A simple inclusion in a piece of legislation supporting the implementation of school vouchers could leave out those schools run by the Nation Of Islam and the KKK. Unenforceable? I don't believe so.

The next paragraph claims that under the programs, parents of poor children won't get enough money to send their kids to private schools because the tuition is too high. Maybe so, but it's better than nothing, wouldn't you think? In any case, there's also homeschooling, in case parents can't afford private schools even with school vouchers. Won't work in some places, maybe so, but what does the ADL offer?

The next paragraph also shows more of the absurdity of their argument:

In many cases, voucher programs will offer students the choice between attending their current public school or attending a school run by the local church. Not all students benefit from a religious school atmosphere — even when the religion being taught is their own. For these students, voucher programs offer only one option: to remain in a public school that is likely to deteriorate even further.

So because there are students who might not benefit from a religious environment in school, that is reason enough to exclude students who might benefit from that same environment? I find that intolerable. The next paragraph then claims that voucher programs would take money away from public schools, who will be left with what they call the poorest of the poor students. What about the public schools which are doing a bad job educating the kids? Is more money going to solve the problem? I don't buy it.

The ADL also brings in conclusions from the American Federation of Teachers, saying the voucher programs might not be that effective. Since the American Federation of Teachers is a teachers' union well known for not supporting school vouchers, why should I take stock in their conclusions? In the end, the ADL claims school vouchers undermine public education and separation of church and state. In the end, I find their arguments flawed, absurd, silly and at times, wrong.

There is no universal solution to the problems with the education system, but school vouchers are a viable option which should remain on the table. This whole argument boils down to the question, Who should decide what kind of education the kids should have, the parents or the state? School vouchers offer parents the chance of getting that ideal education for their children. It doesn't violate the separation of church and state by any means, and it can serve as a motivation for public schools to get their act together. The Anti-Defamation League doesn't understand this, unfortunately; quite frankly, they're out of their league.

Grassroots news minute (Mar. 20th)

I better not hear any complaints about my being late when it comes to posting the latest videos of the NRA-ILA's Grassroots Minute this time.

The thieves are known

It wasn't a difficult feat for these Washington thieves; they had enough support on their own to achieve their nefarious goals. Yesterday, a bill introduced by a leading member of these thieves, New York's Charles Rangel, was passed by a margin of 328-93. The passed bill, if it becomes law, will tax 90 percent of the AIG bonuses. Leading thief Rangel had something to say about the remaining 10 percent: "We figured that the local and state governments would take care of the other 10 percent." What do you expect from a thief like Rangel, especially a thief with his kind of past tax problems?

With similar legislation in the Senate (and enough support to pass it) plus the absolute willingness of our current President, Barack Obama, to sign the legislation, the thieves will have their way.

Thanks to Michelle Malkin, who also has this column about the bonuses, a list of the members who voted is available, so you can see who the 243 Democrats and 85 Republicans are that participated in committing this crime, those who are members of this large gang of thieves and those who were willing accomplices. I know who you all are.

Getting into DeKalb County OR Morgan vs. the high water

First of all, this is very much a true story that happened one week ago today, and lastly, in order to avoid any confusion, DeKalb County is the second county down from the northeast corner of Indiana, with Allen County directly below it. Now for the story:

Last week here in northeast Indiana, we saw considerable rainfall to such an extent that some parts of DeKalb and Allen counties in particular were flooded. Many of the roads in the area saw patches of high water which made large portions of those roads unusable.

To me, the high water was a mere inconvenience and nothing more. As it were last Thursday, when I drove down to Fort Wayne, the high water was the last thing on my mind. I had taken I-69 on the way down to Fort Wayne, but didn't think anything of it when I decided to take the backroads up to DeKalb County and home.

When I entered DeKalb County, I was on County Rd. 11A going north, expecting to be home within 20-30 minutes, that is until I saw a pair of signs on a corner which read ROAD CLOSED and HIGH WATER. Going a little further, I saw the patch of high water, as well as another compact car try to cross it without success (fortunately, the other car was able to back up and turn around).

No big deal, I thought, I figured I'd have to take a detour or two to get back home, so I took another county road going north by northeast, and a couple of turns later, I found myself driving parallel to the those going on I-69. Still no big deal, I thought, although I was starting to have doubts (would you at this point?).

I came to County Road 60 going east and west, and I decided to go east, thinking that would get me on the right track quick enough, until I saw another pair of signs, which read (do you need three guesses here?) ROAD CLOSED and HIGH WATER. Seeing far enough ahead of me that the water was quite high, I just simply turned onto C.R. 60 going west; no big deal, right? Within a minute, however, it became a big deal as I saw not one, not two, but three sizable patches of high water streaming over the road! I didn't need another pair of signs (there weren't this time; can you believe it?) to realize the inevitable: the high water was trying to keep me out of DeKalb County!

With no other available detours left, I had to go back the way I had come and back into Allen County and Fort Wayne, resolved now to go back home via I-69. Along the way, I stopped to get extra gas and a drink while I was at it. (after what I had been through, extra gas was a courtesy to pay and a drink was just what the doctor ordered as far as I was concerned!) Well, as I'm sure you can deduce, I finally made it back home; the high water being no match for my superior intelligence.

On a final note, the high water receded after just a couple of dry days, so right now we can drive on all the roads without having to worry about seeing any signs that might read ROAD CLOSED and HIGH WATER. For now, at least.

If only it was October

The headline of the blog post caught my attention: Z Power!- Cubs 12, Dodgers 3. I still remember last October when for reasons that continue to baffle me, the Cubs fell apart in the division series against the Dodgers. If only those three games had ended the way yesterday's preseason game did.

The big surprise of the story was Carlos Zambrano, not at the mound, but at bat. A three-run homer and a double RBI; for a pitcher to accomplish that, whether it be spring training, regular season, postseason or the World Series, is quite amazing.

Being a devoted (not yet diehard) fan of the Cubs for over a decade now, I have nothing but the highest hopes for this team. Go Cubs Go! World Series or bust!

Another Haditha injustice corrected

Maj. Pain at Blackfive has this latest bit of good news involving Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Chessani, the highest ranking Marine wrongly charged over the so-called incident in Haditha, Iraq. Unlawful command influence were the grounds for upholding the dismissal of charges earlier today.

As Maj. Pain also writes, however, the upholding can be appealed, so unfortunately, Lt. Col. Chessani isn't out of the woods yet, and as for S. Sgt. Frank Wuterich, his case is apparently still pending.

Personally, I'm glad to hear of the upholding of the dismissal of charges, and I hope that ends it for Lt. Col. Chessani and his problems concerning Haditha. None of the Haditha Marines deserved this kind of scapegoating treatment at the hands of the military and the Pentagon. Here's hoping that never happens again.

Only Irish on this day

This is about as Irish as I got on St. Patrick's Day:

It says on the hat On St. Patrick's Day I'm Irish..., a distinction I only claim one day a year. Next year, I'll try to get a hold of some Guinness, and watch some Irish-related movies (Michael Collins, The Quiet Man, etc.). Hope everybody had a good St. Patrick's Day. Erin go braugh.

Nothing but thieves

There are times when Democrats in Washington are nothing more than a den of thieves. As much as I'm sure they liken themselves as being like Robin Hood, they are in fact no different than Blackbeard. You want an example of this? The story over the AIG bonuses.

Over $160 million in bonuses are to be given to employees of AIG, as was stipulated in a binding contract (and was previously supported by Democrats in Congress), but because of the current economic problems (started by Democrats in Congress), there is this seemingly universal outrage over the "unfairness" of the bonuses. The solution? Democrats in Congress are going to try and tax the beneficiaries out of as much of the bonuses as possible.

They supported ensuring the payment of these bonuses, among the other economic "solutions" they were supporting, and now they're donning the Robin Hood costumes, so to speak, to rob the AIG beneficiaries to "give" to the "poor". I'd be saying Ohhhhh Brother! right now, if I weren't so angered by this right now.

What angers me most about this is a quote from New York Senator Charles Schumer: "If you don't return it on your own, we will do it for you". It doesn't matter whether or not it's unfair or unreasonable, those bonuses are obligated to go to the recipients in question, without Democrats in the House and Senate working to write up bills that will take most or all of the bonuses in taxes. To try and take it away in specifically designed taxes is not only egregious and outrageous, but also unconstitutional (in other words, illegal).

So, I repeat, right now I'm seeing a den of thieves amongst Democrats in Washington. Harry Reid, Charles Schumer, Jon Tester, Max Baucus, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Tim Ryan, Steve Israel and others who will support these efforts, you're all thieves and little else. If it were up to me, I'd prosecute you all for attempted theft.

Now isn't that interesting, chapter 19

You Are STOP

When you're confronted with a problem, you drop everything else you're doing at the time. You need to take a moment and collect yourself before you proceed. Once you've taken a quick break, you're ready to tackle almost anything that's come your way. But if you're not given time to figure things out, then the likely result is chaos.

What Street Sign Are You?

I've taken quite a few of these quizzes in the past (thanks largely to Wyatt Earp at Support Your Local Gunfighter), but I came across this quiz and decided to mention it here. Interesting quiz (they all are, but this one particularly is).

P.S. My favorite of these remains this one. Enjoy!

The "New Challenge" Of Global Warming

The blogger known as cbullitt sent me an e-mail, asking me to check out and spread the word about his latest post on his blog Soylent Green. The issue is over the expected airing on the Discovery Channel this week of a program hosted by NBC's Tom Brokaw about the "challenge" of global warming.

Here's an excerpt from cbullitt's blog post (Warning: obscene words).

I think you know the drill. Tell these cocksuckers to stick with Mythbusters and Cash Cab because they don’t know shit about solar physics, thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, paleometeorology and every other discipline required to make a rational assessment of the planet’s relative health. And tell them they’re going to hell for having the hubris to think they do–why not.

It's a good idea, and I'll be sure to send a message to the people at Discovery about this tripe they're trying to sell after I finish this post here. If you want to send a message, too, go to Soylent Green, click on the appropriate link and fire away. Also, if possible, spread the word if you can.

Grassroots news minute (Mar. 13th)

I said I would post as soon as possible, so here it is for your viewing.

Grassroots news minute (Mar. 6th)

Here's last week's Grassroots Minute from the NRA-ILA:



This week's Grassroots Minute, I'll post as soon as I get it.

Ohhhhh Brother No. 10: Calling the kettle black again

Sometimes, it astonishes me when people say or do ironic things without, it seems, any regard for their own actions or words. Raymond Ibrahim, writing at Jihad Watch, has this story about our government criticizing the British government for their intention to talk to the terrorist group Hezbollah.

It leads me to this question: Is it a good idea for the U.S. government to criticize another government about speaking to terrorist groups when representatives of the former have stated wishes of speaking to say, the country which finances the said terrorist group the latter intends to speak to? Or say, the government which harbored another terrorist group, the very one targeted by the former for committing acts of terrorism and murder on the soil of the nation the former represents?

As I said already, it astonishes me to hear about my nation's government criticizing the British government over their intention to speak to Hezbollah, when current members of my nation's government have stated wishes of speaking to Iran and so-called "moderate" factions of the Taliban. Our leaders must think we Americans in general are so stupid to not recognize that they are like a pot which has just called a kettle black. Ohhhhh Brother!

Obama as FDR: Mission To Tehran

The current President of the United States, Barack Obama, has been equated with that of JFK, FDR and Lincoln by those supporters of his, especially those who need bibs. To some degree, that's quite true, as this story will prove.

The brilliant and concise Ben Shapiro (yes, he is brilliant; he's less than a year younger than I am, and he's graduated from UCLA and Harvard Law School) has this latest column via Creators Syndicate about Hollywood's latest "mission", this time to Iran.

Citing this along with other examples of involvement by Hollywood in President Obama's policymaking, Mr. Shapiro makes the argument for how the President is following in the footsteps of FDR in regards to foreign policy, and using the ever willing Hollywood crowd to carry out his policies.

And as far as Iran goes, Mr. Shapiro notes how FDR did the same thing when dealing with the Soviet Union during WWII, using Hollywood as his tool. So, yes, Barack Obama can be equated to FDR at least. Only it's not a good thing.

Stay tuned, folks, there'll be more to come, I'm sure.

Now isn't that interesting, chapter 18

A few days ago, Michelle Malkin posted a video showing that apparently pots don't like being called black, so to speak. They'll call kettles black, but they don't like it the other way around. (Warning: language in the video.)



It's always interesting to see Democrats in Washington getting called out on their acts of corruption, and always try to get out of the spotlight when it happens. Always. Interesting.

Ohhhhh Brother No. 9: Obama's "thoughtful" gift

There is so much President Barack Obama has done since becoming President in January, it would take a separate post just to point out many of his mistakes. This one will focus on a rather recent moment that can only be described by this response: Ohhhhh Brother!

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife paid an official state visit to the White House, the first since President Obama's term began, and it was in regards to the gifts exchanged between the two leaders which caused the latest uproar against the President.

Among the gifts the Prime Minister gave the President included a first edition of a biography of Sir Winston Churchill and a pen holder made from the wood of a ship that was the sister ship of the HMS Resolute (important background material here to read before continuing).

What the President gave in return: 25 classic films on DVD. Considering the importance of Prime Minister Brown's gifts, President Obama's gifts seem a tad less thoughtful (especially when you consider the DVDs are Region 1 DVDs, which can only be played in North America and not in England, where the DVDs are Region 2).

Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with Gordon Brown on the issues (I usually disagree with Prime Minister Brown myself), the lack of thought and consideration toward the leader of one of our closest allies (and frankly, our sister country) is quite crass. Saying the President was too tired to give "a proper welcome" is no excuse.

And on a final note (aside from mentioning how some Americans, including yours truly, have reacted to this episode), Ohhhhh Brother!

The Death Of Common Sense

Julie at Jigsaw's Thoughts has this all too telling piece of satire she heard on the radio. She doesn't know who the author is, but there's this bit of the article in question:

If you still remember him pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Since I do remember common sense, I figured I wouldn't join the majority myself. If you remember common sense, too, pass this on yourself.

Grassroots news minute (Feb. 27th)

In what is again another example of my lagging in bringing the latest news from the NRA-ILA, here is the Grassroots minute for Feb. 27th 2 days late. Also, here is the Feb. 20th edition (another example of extreme lagging).