1
This editorial cartoon provoked my first laugh of the day...one major category of humor is exemplified by this exchange. That is, something that may be good or bad, but that can be identified with, as valid or true, by the listener/reader. Thanks for providing the laugh... even as it presents a disquieting reality.
(ie, FOX News and PBS/NPR audiences keep watching/reading only those programs/articles which reinforce their own world-views and genuine dialog between the right and the left is discouraged by today's entertainment-driven media which promotes only controversy, not common ground.)
Posted by: Bob Cobb at October 17, 2007 05:57 AM (h1vJ/)
Posted by: Ogre at October 17, 2007 10:48 AM (wkwq7)
3
Thought you might enjoy this humor break from all our serious talk :-)
Ahmed and Hamid are both beggars at one of London's tube stations.
Ahmed drives a Mercedes, lives in a mortgage free house and has a lot of money to spend.
Hamid only brings in hardly 2 - 3 pounds a day.
Finally one day Hamid asks Ahmed how does he manage to bring home a bag full of £10 bills every day.
Ahmed says, "Come on man! Look at your sign: "I have no work, a wife and six kids to support."
Britons who see that do not feel excited about giving you money!!! And you will still have no job and a large family to support. You must make it worth their while!
Ahmad boasts, now look at my sign: "I only need
another £10 to move back to Pakistan"
Posted by: Amlan Chaterjee at October 25, 2007 09:42 PM (8Tq4X)
LawSuit Lottery Entrant: VA Tech
More greedy, selfish, miserable bums are out for free cash. This time it's the victims of the VA Tech shooting spree. And they want your money. Yes, YOU reading this. They've now filed an intent to file a lawsuit. No, they haven't filed it yet, but they're either going to get a "settlement" or they will file it.
Once again, this is about nothing but piles of free cash. That's it, absolutely nothing more. Anything else you read about these lawsuits is just lies. There's NOTHING to be gained by the people filing these lawsuits other than piles of cash -- preferably (to them) large piles.
Oh, they might claim they want to "punish those responsible." Yes, they know the evil person who did this is dead. And they might even believe that they can "punish" the government. But that's total crap, too.
You see, in a lawsuit against a person, you can punish them financially. Against a corporation, that only works a little bit, because the corporation just raises their prices to offset the loss. However, against government, it has absolutely ZERO effect. You see, members of government DO NOT CARE how much money they pay out! If they have to pay out $1 million in lawsuits, they'll just get another million from the taxpayers! They're NOT CAPABLE OF BEING FINANCIALLY PUNISHED.
But hey, these miserable, selfish, greedy people are so shallow and self-centered that if you give them enough money, they'll just forget about their loved ones who were shot that day. They'll just claim it's "punishment" so people won't call them greedy bastards.
1
at least one of the dead students was a CCW holder that was legally prevented from defending himself while on campus... i really hope his family sues the hell out of everyone involved
Posted by: chris at October 18, 2007 06:54 PM (qz/By)
2
That would at least be a more reasonable lawsuit -- but still won't bother government because you cannot financially punish government, ever.
Posted by: Ogre at October 19, 2007 11:09 AM (oifEm)
1898 Riot Wounds
Apparently some people are still suffering "injuries" from 1898. So walking will heal those open sores, somehow. And as usual, the reporters about historical facts simply choose to ignore facts.
The 1898 riots in Wilmington were not about race. Instead, the riots were a political action. Most reports today about those riots forget to publish the truth -- that it was Democrats who moved in and killed Republicans because the Republicans were in control of government. Democrats said that they were putting down the "black devil" Republicans in attacking, killing, and driving them out of their homes and businesses. Democrats, with deadly force, overthrew a Republican government because the Democrats hate competition.
The color of people's skin was a secondary trait in this battle. And yes, the news reports continue to omit that the Republicans were black and the Democrats were white. So it continues today, with blacks typically identifying with Democrats -- the ones who attacked and killed blacks for disagreeing with them.
But hey, November 10th people will walk, and all will be forgiven. I wonder if blacks will be allowed by Democrats to be Republican again after the walk -- or if they'll continue to be told to vote Democrat or be killed again.
1
This story is akin to your recent post on the noose.
Why does it seem that everything is immediately about race? I don't get it. There hasn't been slavery in this country for 142 years. But somehow, there are still wounds. Anybody alive in 1898 would now be at least 109 years old!! It would be like me saying I have wounds from the Roman Coliseum where my Christian ancestors were killed for sport.
It is like what is happening at Western Illinois University, where a history club put up a poster that said "Don't get hung up in your studies" and showed a picture of a Gallows with noose. The Black Student Association took offense, and has made a mountain out of nothing. As soon as the history club was told someone found the poster offensive, they took them all down. But still, the BSA suggested that the History Major be changed to include mandatory a black history course (and what is the difference between black history and American history). What are kids being indoctrinated with when they still feel the "wounds" of something that happened 150 years ago.
Sorry to rant for so long. Just felt I needed to air out my frustration.
p.s. Just for the record, it was the Republican Party that was running the government when slavery was abolished.
Posted by: Petey at October 16, 2007 03:49 PM (tmnSV)
2
It's about race because people want to be victims. People want stuff for free, and victims get free stuff. It's about race because a certain segment of society financially profits from claiming that slavery is just around the corner.
I once attended a "black political caucus" meeting. It was utterly unreal. It sounded like slavery had ended just yesterday and if anyone in the room dared to vote Republican, slavery would be re-instituted the next day. And yes, those speaking got piles of cash for speaking and saying those things.
It's truly sad that Martin Luther King's legacy has been so perverted.
Posted by: Ogre at October 16, 2007 03:54 PM (oifEm)
3
The Black History course will likely turn out to be a Marxist Indoctrination Class.
Every one I have ever attended was so.
Posted by: Thunder Pig at October 17, 2007 10:07 AM (QOyVJ)
4
Well, those who teach black history typically need to have government force their ideas on other people -- because no one would accept them any other way.
Posted by: Ogre at October 17, 2007 10:51 AM (wkwq7)
I am SO sick of the whining. Hey, residents of New Orleans that are still complaining about government -- get up off your rear ends and try working like the rest of us.
Posted by: Ogre at October 16, 2007 09:55 AM (wkwq7)
3
I was watching the news the other night and they had a special on about that town this summer that was taken out by the tornado.
Guess what, not one person they interviewed bitched about not getting free stuff.
They actually said things like, we are moving on, we are rebuilding, we are helping our neighbors build.
Shocking, I know.
Posted by: Quality Weenie at October 16, 2007 10:00 PM (BksWB)
4
Can we film that and buy TVs and DVDs and send them all the New Orleans?
Posted by: Ogre at October 17, 2007 02:02 AM (wkwq7)
5
One N.O. upper-middle-class owner of a few single family residence rentals who was wiped out after her insurance corporation failed to rebuild the houses she had faithfully paid premiums on for many years said, "Take a good look at my face. This could be YOU after the next hurricane."
She wasn't complaining about FEMA freebies, she was complaining about private companies not honoring their insurance policies.
Posted by: Ann Coulter at October 17, 2007 05:41 AM (h1vJ/)
6
Well, that's ONE person compared to the tens of thousands who are still waiting for government help -- and demanding government help.
Posted by: Ogre at October 17, 2007 10:47 AM (wkwq7)
7
Insurance kompanies have ruined health care in this country and you want to pick on the government?
For example, you may believe those first-time home buyers whose mortgage payments are being increased tremendously don't need our collective help. Just a simple "don't increase existing mortgage payments for a year" law wouldn't cost a penny yet it might prevent half of the expected foreclosures.
You probably think "THEY" are being punished, but if you think about the effects of massive foreclosures across our nation you'll realize that we're all in the same boat (even those of us who haven't had a late payment ever in our lives).
Note: Your "truth filter" requires a "k" instead of a "c" sometimes :-)
Posted by: Ann Coulter at October 17, 2007 08:45 PM (CrO2/)
8
Wrong. Insurance c-ompanies are HEAVILY regulated -- in other words, they charge what they charge BECAUSE GOVERNMENT TELLS THEM TO DO SO. Anyone who tells you otherwise is simply lying. Government sets the coverage and the rates, NOT the companies!
Wrong about increasing payments -- you may think it won't cost a penny, but what about the company who loaned the money who has expenses that increase? When they can't meet expenses, they go bankrupt, and then *I* have to pay for the bad loans.
I'm not against helping people -- I'm against GOVERNMENT forcing others to help people -- that's just wrong, no matter what.
Thanks for the note on the filter, I'll check that out.
Posted by: Ogre at October 17, 2007 11:59 PM (wkwq7)
9
"you may believe those first-time home buyers whose mortgage payments are being increased tremendously don't need our collective help. Just a simple "don't increase existing mortgage payments for a year" law wouldn't cost a penny yet it might prevent half of the expected foreclosures."
Hey "Ann"
They were the dumbasses that bought more of a house then they could afford, they should get zero help. Maybe they will learn next time to buy what they can afford.
They were the ones that had the contracts in front of them, they were the ones that did not read said contract. They were not forced to get into said contract, nor forced to sign the contract. They were adult enough to lie to get bigger houses and payments, they should be adult enough to pony up to the bar and face the consequences.
Posted by: Quality Weenie at October 18, 2007 12:40 AM (BksWB)
Posted by: Ogre at October 18, 2007 01:31 AM (wkwq7)
11
Re: the filter --- _you_ can write insurance c_om and America -- just us posters can't.
Posted by: Ann Coulter at October 18, 2007 08:19 PM (VZyOx)
12
Well, it's certainly true in health insurance that our wholly-owned subsidiary (Congress & the White House) make sure that government cannot compete in the marketplace -- like get volume discounts like WalMart does. Private insurance c-ompanies are the biggest rip-off and the biggest reason why I can get a doctor appointment in Denmark for $60 and $40 in Japan, but the same treatment in the U.S. costs $200 or $300. And, BTW, I made a telephone call for an appointment without any long delay, so please don't fall for that "socialized medicine" crap about long lines for service. Check out the current issue of AARP Bulletin to see how budget cuts have destroyed the good service we used to get from SSA.
Before you make up some abstract esoteric claim about banks going bankrupt check out the current Wall Street earnings report. Bank of America reported today $5 billion in PROFIT, down from $8 billion last year. I think those poor CEO's can sacrifice their bonuses for another year :-)
If government doesn't help then who will? You?
Hey, I read those junk mail ads from mortgage companies -- big bold print that advertises 1.5% interest rates with very affordable monthly payments. Then you read the tiny 4-point font at the bottom that says 1.5% for one-month only; interest rates adjust MONTHLY; capped at 9.5% -- gee, 9.5% in 4-point footnote with giant 16-point blue-colored font advertising 1.5% rate.
Please don't try to tell me the government made the mortgage companies do that.
Yes, first time home buyers make mistakes -- and to miss an 8% point difference is a very stupid mistake. But doesn't an 8% difference seem even a little bit unfair to you?
Regardless, think about the value of your 401(K) pension and the value of your home and keep in mind that while your net worth falls, all we needed was for the government (or banks themselves) to reign in some of their excesses until the situation improves.
Posted by: Ann Coulter at October 18, 2007 08:41 PM (VZyOx)
13
All I really need is for government to get the hell out of my way and let me be free. That's all I ask. And that's as "fair" as you can get. And YES, people should be absolutely free to make stupid mistakes -- and take risks -- and suffer the consequences of that risk.
No, GOVERNMENT is the source of the vast, vast majority of problems in America, not "evil corporations."
And YES, if government doesn't help *I* will. But right now I have to give nearly half of everything I earn to government to mismanage, so I don't have much cash to spare. If you don't believe it will work, check out America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. People do VASTLY better without government interference, every single time.
Posted by: Ogre at October 19, 2007 11:26 AM (oifEm)
14
Yes, working people pay 43% fed tax (28% income + 15% SSA payroll taxes) while the non-working (ie, "rich") Americans pay only 15% tax on Capital Gains. And that's not even counting sales taxes -- a far greater percentage of poor and working people's earned income goes to sales taxes than rich CEO's huge stock options ("capital gains").
I hope you'll agree that this situation has been created by corporate lawyers, not grass-roots public demand. Lobbyists are paid by rich CEO's not average working people, so please don't blame the government.
I still don't think you're getting my point though. You say "suffer the consequences of that risk" and I'm telling you that GOOD PEOPLE are already being hurt if the GREEDY mortgage companies are allowed to foreclose on first-time home buyers who can afford 6% interest, but not the 9% interest they weren't expecting.
At least please let me know whether you realize how YOU will be affected by the oncoming 2 million home foreclosures coming in the next quarter -- after there already is an 18-month backlog of homes for sale on the market.
And please let me know if you think 9% rate in a 6% market (a 150% overcharge) isn't just a tiny little bit unfair? (eg, super-super greedy by the sleazy mortgage companies who interrupt your dinnertime with annoying telemarketing calls)
Side note: America was still an agricultural nation back in late 1800's and early 1900's -- the world has changed upside down and sideways since then ... things are very different now ... you have heard the term "globalization" haven't you? That word was unthinkable before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the rise of Windows (PC's with modems & email), followed by the World-Wide Web (1994) and a popular user-friendly browser (called Netscape (1995) running on top of the Internet (TCP/IP)... Netscape (Firefox) makes our conversation in your BLOG possible. People in the 1880's & early 1900's couldn't even dream of the world we live in today.
PS-- Who invented the Internet? AARP, a special project for the GOVERNMENT. If it werent'f for government support, we'd still be networking computers over proprietay networks like IBM's SNA and DEC's DE_C_NET or Microslop's NETBUI.
You seem to take government contributions for granted, just because you don't have to pay $60/month royalty fee to some company for the use of the "open protocols" TCP/IP.
Maybe you would feel better if you wrote a check for $60/month to Salvation Army and pretend that's your payment for your use of the Internet.
Posted by: Ann Coulter at October 20, 2007 06:42 AM (VZyOx)
15
Oops .. the Internet was invented by university professors (inexpensively) under grants from DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), sill a GOVERNMENT-sponsored program.
Since you obviously enjoy paying private corporations $45-60/month for your Internet connection, I think it would only be fair if you donated $45-60/month to New Orleans Salvation Army, since your Internet service wouldn't be possible at all without a selfless group of dedicated university researchers collaborating on a project "bigger than themselves" (which wasn't some bogus political war in Vietnam or Iraq).
Posted by: Ann Coulter at October 20, 2007 06:59 AM (VZyOx)
16
I'm sorry that we will continue to strongly disagree. You see, I trust people. I believe in people. You, based on your statements, believe people are stupid and incapable of doing, well, anything, without government forcing them to. That's sad, but that is the position of the Democrat Party today.
I think any agreement between two people to exchange goods and labor is fair if they agree (without government forcing them to). I think the internet would exist even if government hadn't spent a dime on it. How much did the government spend making Windows?
I believe we would be much more technologically advanced if government were 1/100th of it's size. More people would be better off, there would be more "middle class" and more "rich" people. Paying money to the government will always have worse results than NOT paying them.
Posted by: Ogre at October 20, 2007 01:08 PM (wkwq7)
17
Would you really want to live in a world where everybody watches only FOX news, everybody belongs to the Republican party, and all the Christians wear Ku Klux Klan hoods?
2 points: I wouldn't want to live in a 100% leftist world and just because SOME Christians joined the Ku Klux Klan doesn't de-legitimize ALL Christians.
That's why 2nd Timothy Chapter 4 Verse 7 is my favorite scripture -- even if SOME Christians have become as extreme as SOME Muslims are, I have kept the faith in the Love that Jesus Christ wants our world to have.
Sorry, you are just wrong about the Internet. IBM, DEC, Honeywell, H-P, and every other company promoted their own, proprietary networking system. Essentially a "tower of babel" to communicate with other vendor's computers. Microslop is the most CLOSED proprietary system in the world, and they use their monopoly power to destroy competitive products -- thus diminishing user's choices for better products.
I agree about government being far too big.
Let's bring back Eisenhower and start reducing the size of government by tearing down the military-industrial complex that wastes almost as much money as the INTEREST our federal government pays every year for the money it has BORROWED to pay for military excesses even the Pentagon hasn't requested.
Posted by: Ann Coulter at October 22, 2007 02:06 AM (604CD)
18
Obviously we're not going to agree. I suggest that I trust people to do things based on freedom, and you suggest they will all be Klan members. That's just sad.
You can give one example where companies compete. GOOD! That's great! Okay, how about hard drives? Somehow they managed to come up with quite a standard there without government.
You want to reduce government, there's just one choice for President in 2008: Ron Paul.
Posted by: Ogre at October 22, 2007 03:02 AM (wkwq7)
19
I said Klan members are not an excuse to lump all Christians into one lump sum and say they are ALL bad (as you claim ALL Muslims are bad, without exception).
How much have you contributed to help rebuild the homes that were destroyed by the fires in Southern California? Or Katrina? Zero. I thought so,
I think you trust the people to do nothing except look out for their own selfish interests (and count their blessings that an "act of God" doesn't take away their life savings).
If you saw Russell Crowe's movie "A Brilliant Mind" you would know that the Nobel-prize-winning mathematician he played made a breakthrough discovery in game theory in 1953.
In simple terms, "If we all four (guys) go after the very prettiest girl, then there will be one winner and three losers. But, if instead, we collaborate our efforts, we each can get a date with one of the four attractive girls, and thus have four winners."
It is an important foundation for modern economic theory. The disk drive companies also were led by IEEE Computer Society (a NON-PROFIT professional organization) who recognize the value of standards (ie, regulations or "rules" or "laws").
Sometimes good things happen without government intervention, but I think your answer to the Southern California/Katrina question is most revealing.
Posted by: John Daley at October 23, 2007 08:58 PM (eAUyf)
20
You have already decided my answer, so I guess there's no point in providing the real answer, is there?
Posted by: Ogre at October 23, 2007 10:00 PM (aF6z7)
21
You wrote:
"And YES, if government doesn't help *I* will."
What have you done to help the people in New Orleans/San Diego who need help?
Posted by: John Daley at October 25, 2007 07:21 AM (eAUyf)
22
I'm not sure why you answer a question, then ask me to answer it. You have already decided, magically, my thoughts and actions, based on your mind-reading abilities. I see no need to correct you because you have already decided the answer. If I were to tell you an answer that contradicted with your pre-determined answer, I'm quite sure you'd claim I was lying. Instead of trying to upset your delicate sensibilities with the truth, I'll just let you continue life in the world of your own creation in your own mind.
Posted by: Ogre at October 25, 2007 11:27 AM (oifEm)
23
Why are you so embarrassed about answering this simple question? I wouldn't even know you if we passed each other on the street. And it looks like this discussion is essentially a private one between you and me; it's not like I'm trying to use your soap-box to corner you and make some big splash in the Blog-O-Sphere :-)
I'm just trying to point out the flaw in your assumption that people in need will magically get the help they need without some organized (government or non-profit NGO) way of helping them get back on their feet.
Right-wingers used to whine about "lazy, non-working welfare moms". Now they are blaming victims of natural disasters for trying to mooch off of others.
What will you do if your insurance c_ompany cancels your home owner's policy? Sell your house? Who will buy it if they can't insure it?
You dump all the blame on the powerless at the bottom of the economic totem pole, while the powerful who run insurance c_ompanies get a free pass from you. Why is that?
Posted by: Amlan Chaterjee at October 26, 2007 08:57 AM (x3vvv)
24
Sorry about the insurance c-ompanies spam thing, I can't figure out how to get that out of there.
As for freedom, I just happen to like it. I don't put blame on anyone for things they don't do. I simply like freedom. I like people to be free to help others. Today's government HATES allowing people to be free to help others. I think that's wrong. And with insurance c-ompanies, the primary reason they do ANYTHING they do is because government forces them to. And again, that's just plain wrong.
Posted by: Ogre at October 26, 2007 11:34 AM (oifEm)
25
It may be a ".com" filter. I'm not sure why anyone would try to advertise in your political blog, it would seem to backfire if someone tried to take commercial advantage of a discussion blog like yours.
How about 'dem tax-averse, Libertarian, selfish, "less government, more for __MEE___" Orange County voters who got caught with their pants down -- only two Vietnam-era helicopters to fight the fire -- even AFTER a similar fire disaster happened in 2003, those freedom-loving tax-averse citizens voted down a local tax to buy new fire-fighting equipment... so they ended up MOOCHING off of San Franciso and Arizona fire-fighters after their fires got out of control.
NOW those rugged individualist Libertarians want govermint help.
Hope they enjoyed their tax-savings :-)
BTW, 2/3 of Americans say they received no benefit from Dubya's tax cuts.
(At least you were able to fix the "ica" filter. Thanks!)
Posted by: John Daley at October 27, 2007 07:30 AM (4hwtR)
26
Well, it's not a ".com" filter -- just when i type "insurance c_om".
Don't worry about it. As a computer programmer I know how hard it is sometimes to fight the syntax to get a computer to do what you want it to :-)
Posted by: John Daley at October 27, 2007 07:34 AM (4hwtR)
27
It's automated spam, they don't care where the links end up. There's lots of them that advertise for insurance c-ompanies (go figure).
Posted by: Ogre at October 27, 2007 12:26 PM (2WD8n)
28
Wow! I would report them to Homeland Security, They are about the only govermint agency with funds to pay staff to do stuff anymore. And spam is the #1 threat to Internet bandwidth.
Still, what do you think about those tax-averse libertarian San Diegan's who voted down a tax increase to pay for modern helicopter/ariel attacks on the small forest fire that was getting out of control. Their Fire Chief did the honorable thing and resigned after the votes were counted. If people aren't willing to pay for their own protection, then it's futile to try -- he didn't delude himself into thinking he can protect them or, worse, collect a handsome Fire Chief compensation package for his family, while pretending to help them.
The really sad thing about that is, if San Diego had bought more modern equipment, possibly they might have contained the fire and prevented damage to neighboring counties who DID pay for more modern fire-fighting equipment.
Worse, they ended up MOOCHING off other fire departments to pay for the fire protection they have been neglecting for over thirty years now.
When I hear "less government, more for __MEEE__" I always think of free-loaders like the San Diego voters who voted to tax their neighbors for the necessary equipment to fight their fires.
Posted by: John Daley at October 27, 2007 10:09 PM (uetv9)
Mom: Hate Speech
The drive against freedom continues. Now if I use the word "Mom" in the wrong place and the wrong time, I might be jailed. I really think that Lex Luthor had the right idea. Someone needs to mine the San Andreas fault and get California away from a country that wants freedom -- because they despite it there.
If you have children in California, you are doing them a disservice. If you want to raise them with your morals and values, you will not be allowed to. Yes, I realize there are many who have insane morals and values in CA, but most of them don't procreate. I strongly suggest if you care about your children and want them to see freedom, that you move to New Hampshire. That seriously looks like the ONLY hope for freedom left on this planet.
A family is meant to be two parents of different sexes. No, it really doesn't matter what you think. That's a family, even if you don't like it. Men and women are different (again, if you don't like it). They were created with different purposes, values, and abilities. Study after study shows that children ARE better when raised by two parents: a MOTHER and a FATHER. ANYTHING else is just plain wrong.
Now I realize that there are single-parents that are raising children. And sometimes it's because something happened that was out of that parent's control. That's a completely different situation -- but it's still NOT a good situation.
Now California wants to completely and totally disrupt any semblance of order remaining in society. That's fine, if they'd keep it to themselves. Unfortunately, they won't. I'm sure the middle school boys are happy -- because now they are allowed to use either the boys' locker room or the girls' locker room. Gee, I wonder if there will be any increase in sexual activity?
Once again, this is about making some people "more equal" or more protected than other people. This is a very clear government action that shows that certain people and activities are preferred by government -- and in this case, it's the abnormal that government is supporting at the expense of the family.
Do you realize that a science textbook that says that people are born male or female is now banned in CA? Let's see the anti-religious science people get upset about CA refusing to allow facts in textbooks this time. Oh, right, this advances the liberal agenda, so it's perfectly okay to destroy science if it's in the worship of liberalism.
Ironically, this law also supposedly increases punishments (and definitions) for harassment. Gee, do you think that by allowing boys into the girls locker room that there might be more harassment?
The law also removes any state funding for any religious organization that might help people -- unless the religion is anything but Christian. The state will continue giving money to their approved religions, but not to other religions. Sure, go ahead, try and convince me this law has even one speck that's Constitutional (I know we don't use that document any more, but in theory we do).
What a puss-filled cesspool the state of California really has become.
Posted by: Ogre at
04:07 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 540 words, total size 3 kb.
A Muslim Doctor?
From this site (the first question):
When the patient saw my name, he refused to be examined by a Muslim doctor. I couldnÂ’t reach his primary physician, and the other physician on call was also Muslim. A physician assistant offered to complete the evaluation, but as the patient was in no immediate danger, I did not allow this. Instead I discharged the patient without a full evaluation. Was I right?
Imagine that. Someone actually refused treatment by a Muslim doctor. And it seems like the NY Times and the doctor are quite offended. Since the doctor is a Muslim, I wonder what he burned to release his "offendedness."
Actually, this is happening a lot more today -- except in reverse. More and more Muslims around the world (especially in England) are demanding they are served by Muslims and Muslims alone. And no one seems to condemn nor care about that when Muslims do it, but if a non-Muslim refuses treatment by a Muslim, suddenly it's "religious bigotry."
But wait -- shouldn't we have freedom of association? Shouldn't we actually be free to be examined by a person who shares our morals and values? What if, during the examination, the Muslim doctor decided that you were an "infidel" and needed to convert to Islam or die? What if you accidentally said "Mohammed" in the wrong way and the Muslim doctor decided he needed to punish you for saying that and he cut your head off? These are not irrational thoughts to those who are radical Muslims. My question is: how do you determine which are the radicals and which are not?
If you can't tell which ones are the radicals and the non-radicals don't speak up, your only safe choice is to assume that any Muslim you're talking to IS a radical. And therefore, it's certainly logical to not want to want a medical exam from a Muslim who may or may not be a radical who will kill you for his religion if you say or do the wrong thing (in their eyes).
1
> My question is: how do you determine
> which are the radikals and which are not?
That's easy! Radikals are the baby-killers who terminate unwanted Hispanic pregnancies so that we have a majority Catholic Latino population in the USA.
Sensible medikal professionals throw human embryos in the garbage can so they cannot be used by evil medikal researchers to find cures for liver cancer and other horrible diseases that God judges bad people deserve.
Posted by: Muhammad Ali at October 16, 2007 08:18 AM (VZyOx)
2
I'm sure that made sense in your head before you typed it.
Posted by: Ogre at October 16, 2007 09:55 AM (wkwq7)
3
A better question would be, what if I was there seeking treatment for an injury sustained while butchering my pig - thus, covered in pig blood and bodily fluids, and having sustained a serious emergent injury, would he treat me?
Seriously though, it could happen!
Posted by: oddybobo at October 16, 2007 07:20 PM (mZfwW)
4
Now you're thinking, Oddy. Can I borrow your pig so I can give this a try?
Posted by: Ogre at October 16, 2007 08:04 PM (oifEm)
Posted by: Ogre at October 16, 2007 08:04 PM (oifEm)
6
> > I'm sure that made sense in
> > your head before you typed it.
I was poking fun at religious beliefs (like abortion and embryonic stem cell research) where one group of believers want to write laws which disrespect the religious beliefs of others of different religious faiths.
Like our Constitution prevents Congress from passing any laws which restrict the religious freedom of our citizens.
So maybe we need an Executive Order to do that.
Posted by: Muhammad Ali at October 17, 2007 05:27 AM (h1vJ/)
7
Wow. You think life is a religious belief? So if my religion holds that I'm allowed to murder anyone with the letter "M" in their name, then Congress shouldn't pass a law that would stop me because it's my religion. You scare me.
Posted by: Ogre at October 17, 2007 10:46 AM (wkwq7)
8
Well _YOU_ brought up the subject of "Good and Evil" and mocked a Muslim/Jewish belief that seems silly to Christians and Bhudists.
I never said anything about murder (which is still one of the TEN COMMANDMENTS, isn't it?).
PS-- the joke about an Executive Order is poking fun at the many unconstitutional E.O.'s Bush has issued.
Posted by: Muhammad Ali at October 17, 2007 08:31 PM (CrO2/)
9
Sorry, but there is a difference between religions. Islam is NOT a good religion -- they're evil. When your religion tells you to kill people for uttering a "wrong" word, that's plain evil. If you can't see that, then you simply have no basis in reality. Feel free to move to Iran and drop us a line.
Posted by: Ogre at October 18, 2007 12:05 AM (wkwq7)
10
I never said Islam is a good or bad religion, I just said it (and Judaism) has a belief about pork that Christians and Buhdists may think is silly.
I challenge you to show me a quote in the Koran which tells people to kill other people. I suspect that you are repeating what is broadcast in the media; I doubt that you have much theological understanding of religion in general, but Islam in particular.
Check this out: Russian President Putin offered a new idea to resolve the nuclear situation--to the Iranians. Please note: Putin offered his idea to the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who actually controls the Iranian nuclear program, rather than to court jester Mahmoud Ahmadinejad...although Bush continued to rant about Ahmadinejad in his press conference.
Putting esoteric religious debates aside, I think Putin is far more effective dealing with Iran than Bush has shown.
And check this out: the Iraqis are turning to China and Iran to construct electric power plants. This is particularly significant because Amerika's inability to provide electricity in Iraq has been, for average Iraqis, the most infuriating daily evidence of our ineptitude.
(Sorry, your "truth filter" requires me to use a "k" sometimes instead of a "c".)
Posted by: Muhammad Ali at October 18, 2007 08:12 PM (VZyOx)
11
"Kill disbelievers wherever you find them."
That's pretty darn clear to me.
And of COURSE Putin is effective dealing with Iran -- he's their friend!
Posted by: Ogre at October 19, 2007 11:22 AM (oifEm)
12
Well done!
But a chapter & verse reference would help me determine the context of that quote (it could have come from a BlackwaterUSA Pep talk :-)
Something like 2nd Timothy, Chapter 4, verse 6-7:
http://christianisrael.com/douay/B55C004.htm
I can show you many non-violent, economically successful Muslims who don't believe the quote you sent me. And that's just my personal aquaintences; a formal study would prove you wrong many times over (if you claim to apply that to all Muslims, as the Christian Germans did to all Jews during 1930's-1940's Germany -- that is just wrong, and I hope you know it).
BTW, Iran was a "coalition partner" in the "war on terror" against the Taliban in Afganistan, until Bush chose to take political advantage out of American hatred for the SAUDI ARABIANS who carried out 9-11. George Bush has a unique ability to divide Americans while uniting our enemies.
Don't you ever get the feeling they are playing chess while we are playing checkers??
And you seem noticeably quiet about Iraqis turning to China and Iran for electricity power help because the Bush administration has done absolutely ZERO to help the Iraqi PEOPLE.
Posted by: Muhhammad Ali at October 20, 2007 07:30 AM (VZyOx)
13
Exceptions are not the rule. Those who follow the religion of Islam use to appease their god. I'm sorry that you cannot see what is right in front of your face. That's factual information, proven over and over again. Those who do not follow those instructions are simply not Muslim. Don't believe me? As the Imamns in the various mosques -- but don't expect them to tell the truth, because their religion also REQUIRES them to lie to advance their religion.
Islam is evil.
Posted by: Ogre at October 20, 2007 01:03 PM (wkwq7)
14
Please tell me what is the difference between your hatred of Muslims and Christian Nazi's hatred of Jews.
Posted by: John Daley at October 23, 2007 09:52 PM (eAUyf)
Posted by: Ogre at October 23, 2007 10:00 PM (aF6z7)
16
Look, it's one thing to have "skin-head" hatred for a certain race/religion/ethic group, but it's quite another to show your hatred without even acknowledging it.
I sincerely believe that if the U.S. started sending six million Muslims into gas chambers to be murdered you would have no problem with that at all.
Right?
Posted by: John Daley at October 25, 2007 07:17 AM (eAUyf)
Posted by: Ogre at October 25, 2007 11:28 AM (oifEm)
18
It says so in the Bible and the Koran :-)
And it's OK with you if the U.S. starts burning 6 million (or more) Muslims in crematoriums, right?
Posted by: John Daley at October 25, 2007 08:58 PM (8Tq4X)
19
I wonder how much shock there would be to your system if you ever visited planet earth.
Posted by: Ogre at October 25, 2007 09:20 PM (2WD8n)
20
I'm just trying to guage where you would draw the line in your hatred of Muslims ... would you be OK with the U.S. killing every Muslim they could round up, or would you draw the line at something less extreme, like maybe shipping them all back to Pakistan or where ever they came from?
Posted by: Amlan Chaterjee at October 26, 2007 08:36 AM (x3vvv)
21
No, you're applying your personal perceptions to my thoughts. They're wrong, but you don't care because you've already made up your mind what my thoughts are. There's clearly no point in my trying to change your mind, because you have already decided everything that I have thought or will think.
Posted by: Ogre at October 26, 2007 11:30 AM (oifEm)
22
Just to clarify for a moment, you believe the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim, right?
And you are SO different than the Christian Nazis.
Posted by: John Daley at October 27, 2007 07:14 AM (4hwtR)
23
So when, exactly, did you say you stopped beating your wife?
Posted by: Ogre at October 27, 2007 12:25 PM (2WD8n)
24
Like I said, I'm just trying to find out where your hatred for Muslims stops.
Is it just this blog, or do you shout obscenities to Arabs you meet on the street, too? I doubt you would do that to a strong, healthy young man, unless he was hand-cuffed.
Or do you throw dirty looks at them when they walk down the street? Maybe women or children.
You have shown no concern for the safety of those being held in Guantanamo, even the ones that U.S. Federal Courts have declared deserve the right of habeus corpus.
Oops, that's a term in our Constitution which you may be unfamiliar with.
Posted by: John Daley at October 27, 2007 10:20 PM (uetv9)
25
Oh, so you DO actively beat women wherever you find them. Strange that you haven't been arrested.
Posted by: Ogre at October 28, 2007 07:28 PM (2WD8n)
26
I don't think you have the balls to confront a Muslim eyeball-to-eyeball without a Ku-Klux_Klan mask hiding your hateful face.
Posted by: John Daley at November 07, 2007 09:40 AM (y2s/z)
Bob Orr: For People?
Republican candidate for North Carolina governor Bob Orr wants to end corporate welfare. I'll pause a bit to let that sink in.
As you might imagine, according to the press, he's a long shot. What a surprise. But he is taking a radical position: that the government of North Carolina should not give away cash to businesses that they prefer and not give cash to businesses they don't like.
I'm not sure how people can honestly stand up and defend corporate welfare. It is, literally, government favoring one business instead of another. It's deciding which businesses will be successful. And yes, it's inherently corrupt, because after the legislators take cash from working people and give it to businesses, the business can "thank" the legislator by giving them campaign donations. So, quite literally, this is legislators lining their own pockets by using force to take earnings from people.
In a free society, that would be called "theft" and those who are taking the money would be punished. In America today, that's called "politics." Oh, how I yearn for freedom.
1
But the sweet thing about privatization is that private companies can collect data about citizens that government is prevented by law from doing.
And mercenaries are not hindered by the Universal Code for Military Justice of the "quaint" Geneva Conventions of war :-)
Posted by: J. Edgar Hoover at October 16, 2007 08:03 AM (VZyOx)
2
Once again, I'm sure that there was a point to your comment, I just don't know what it is.
Posted by: Ogre at October 16, 2007 09:56 AM (wkwq7)
Freedom? Laws? Treason?
Are you free? If you live in America, do you truly believe that you are free?
What's treason? Seriously, can you think of something that meets the criteria for treason? I'm not talking about simplistic things, but REAL treason. What would someone have to do, in your mind, to be tried for treason. Keep in mind, the punishment for treason is death.
I'm not talking about impeachment or the like. I'm talking about REAL treason. How about the guy who threw a hand grenade in the tent of soldiers while he was a solider. Is that treason? What about spies who give away military secrets, whether employed by the CIA or the New York Times? Is that treason?
Oran's Law Dictionary says it is
"...[a]...citizen's actions to help a foreign government overthrow, make war against, or seriously injure the [parent nation]."
Does it have to be a foreign government? Dictionary.com says:
1. the offense of acting to overthrow one's government or to harm or kill its sovereign.
2. a violation of allegiance to one's sovereign or to one's state.
3. the betrayal of a trust or confidence; breach of faith; treachery.
I suspect that in today's society that treason is simply not possible. Seriously. The last person convicted of treason in the United States was way back in 1952 -- a seriously different era. Treason is still against the law:
Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
But note that is says "against" the United States. In other words, it would be utterly and completely impossible for any government official to be guilty of treason, wouldn't it? If the US Government were to suddenly declare martial law, anyone who disobeyed martial law would be guilty of treason -- members of the government would not.
So again I ask, can you think of anything that actually could rise to the level of treason where a person today would be tried and killed for it today? I cannot.
1
the only think i could think of would be an organized militia, or a rogue group of US military members attempting an armed overthrow of the US government... that would be practically impossible without the support of at least 5000 troops along with aircraft and armor so i couldnt see it happening
on a different note, its been a while my man, you should come sign up on the forums ive been frequenting, youd like the people there
http://www.carolinashootersforum.com/
Posted by: chris at October 13, 2007 04:25 AM (qz/By)
2
I wonder if even that would do it. Not the 5,000 troops, the armed overthrow...
Posted by: Ogre at October 14, 2007 06:34 PM (wkwq7)
3
im sure that some clinton appointed federal judge would overturn a conviction on the grounds that the actions were an expression of free speech
Posted by: chris at October 15, 2007 05:32 AM (qz/By)
Government Wants MORE
But of course. How many elected government officials have you ever heard say that they actually have enough money? Have you EVER, in fact, heard an elected official say, "Gee, we've got too much money. We need to give some back." This is the basic problem with government today.
In a country founded on freedom and liberty, the purposes of government are very limited. As outlined in the various Constitutions, they have a limited and specific purpose. However, under today's government system (which has absolutely nothing to do with the Constitutions set up years ago), the primary purpose of government is to spend money. Seriously.
Look at how the politicians run government. Watch what they do. They're proud of "bringing home money" to the district. The more money they "bring home" and spend, the "more efficient" they are. The vast, vast majority of elected officials today view more spending, on ANYTHING, as good.
This government official says
the revenue from that new sales tax is essential to funding our obligations and the significant capital projects to which the county is committed.
That's absolutely and completely untrue. A factually correct statement would read: "We want to spend lots of money, so the only way we can continue spending lots of money on crap that we're not supposed to be doing is to raise the sales tax." Today's North Carolina government simply cannot stop spending under any circumstances. So elected officials actually believe statements like "we NEED to increase taxes" -- even when it's simply not true.
Oh, how I yearn for freedom...and honesty.
But if you look for truthfulness
You might just as well be blind
It always seems to be so hard to give
Honesty is such a lonely word
Everyone is so untrue
Honesty is hardly ever heard
Posted by: Ogre at
12:35 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 305 words, total size 2 kb.
Last Car
Recently a routine police patrol parked outside a bar in Lincoln, RI. After last call at the Lodge, the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so apparently intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing. After what seemed an eternity in which he tried his keys on five different vehicles, the man managed to find his car and fall into it. He sat there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off.
Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off - it was a fine, dry summer night- flicked the blinkers on and off a couple of times, honked the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little and then remained still for a few more minutes as some more of the other patrons' vehicles left.
At last, when his was the only car left in the parking lot, he pulled out and drove slowly down the road headed toward 146. The police officer, having waited patiently all this time, now started up his patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and administered a breathalyzer test.
To his amazement, the breathalyzer indicated no evidence that the man had consumed any alcohol at all! Dumbfounded, the officer said, I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the police station. This breathalyzer equipment must be broken." "I doubt it," said the truly proud driver. "Tonight I'm the designated decoy."
The video above is from ADF, and is practically a commericial for them, but I don't see anything wrong with that at all. I urge you to go join and donate!
By the way, Kender inspired this post. He wanted to write the blogburst, but his rant inspired me and I wanted to add more. So, I'm gonna use Kender's quotes throughout.
It seems a German citizen claimed that the CIA abducted him, drugged him and sent him to a prison in a third world country where he was tortured and finally released on a hilltop in another country in a case of mistaken identity.
What I want to know is WHY a group that calls itself the AMERICAN Civil Liberties Union is so concerned with the civil liberties of a German citizen. The last time I checked our civil liberties did not apply to the citizens of other countries, and the ACLU is not the arbiter of international law.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Human Rights Network today urged the U.N. Human Rights Committee to hold the U.S. government accountable for flagrant and repeated violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
"Locally, nationally and globally, the United States has repeatedly failed in its responsibility to uphold basic human rights," said Ann Beeson, Associate Legal Director of the ACLU. "We are appealing to the international arbiters to hold the U.S. accountable to basic human rights standards."
As sickening as this is; it is only one step in the ACLU's agenda to undermine America's sovereignty and freedom that so many soldiers have sacrificed and died to preserve. The ACLU are obviously frustrated by their inability to advance their radical agenda more quickly under the U.S. Constitution, and are now determined not only to convince the American judiciary to look to international law, but also to use it as a means to their ends. They hold it as a higher authority than our own Constitution and are more than willing to sacrifice our sovereignty in their pursuit to radically force change on America to fit their own radical views.
The sad thing is that they don't have to try very hard to convince our judiciary. While they lost ground in the case above, they win enough to make it scary. Last year, former ACLU lawyer, and current Supreme Court Justice, Ruth "Snoozer" Ginsburg gave a speech that argued explicitly for the relevance of foreign law and court decisions to interpretation of the American Constitution. She isn't the only Justice that buys into this philosophy. FIVE Justices believe that international law should bear weight in interpreting our constitution.
The ACLU sponsored a conference at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, October 9-11, 2003, to promote the use of international law in U.S. courts. The conference was titled "Human Rights at Home: International Law in U.S. Courts." Publicit for the event stated, "The emphasis throughout the conference will be on using international law and human rights norms to advance justice in U.S. courts or on behalf of U.S. clients." Some of the alleged human rights "injustices" cited were in the areas of "environmental justice," "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights," and "children's rights."
ACLU publicity included comments from ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero and conference organizer Ann Beeson. Romero said, "Our goal is no less than to forge a new era of social justice where the principles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights are recognized and enforced in the United States."
Beeson added, "From the grassroots level all the way to the Supreme Court, international human rights law is beginning to emerge as a tool for the victims of discrimination here at home."
The ACLU's rhetoric and efforts to use international law to rewrite, undermine, and bypass the Constitution has already gone beyond academic debate into the realm of actual use. As stated earlier, there are plenty of judges that have already adopted the philosophy and the ACLU are already participating in court cases where the judge uses international law in their decisions. It isn't only at the federal level, but has penetrated even into the state level.
All through the confirmation process of Justice Alito, the ACLU and leftards were screaming that Alito was a racist bigot that would undermine judicial precedent. However, this judicial philosophy has more potential to undermine judicial precedent than any current philosophy being espoused, and it has already proven to do so. The purpose of the judicial branch is to interpret the law and determine if laws are constitutional. There are several major flaws in the use of international law in our courts. Not only does it undermine the very authority of the Constitution deeming it impotent of any power, but it also gives the judicial branch a power that was never intended to be granted to it; the power to write law. Followers of this philosophy view the Constitution merely as a persuasive authority, equated with foreign law, to be relied upon if they are in line with her predetermined beliefs. It doesn't really matter if their beliefs are inconsistent with the Constitution itself, they can simply find a foreign law that is.
New rights, such as gay rights, or abortion should not be stretched from our Constitution that never granted them. If new rights like these are to be given, then the people should have some say in that. There is a process set in place by the founders to do just this. They should be granted through law or a constitutional amendment. They should not be granted via judicial fiat.
Besides the issues within our own judicial system and its decay, the ACLU is also turning to international sources to undermine our nation's sovereignty and national security.
For instance, the ACLU filed a formal complaint with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention against the United States, stating that the United States violated international law when it detained 765 Arab Americans and Muslims for security reasons after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on our nation. Eventually, 478 were deported. ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said, "With today's action, we are sending a strong message of solidarity to advocates in other countries who have decried the impact of U.S. policies on the human rights of their citizens. We are filing this complaint before the United Nations to ensure that U.S. policies and practices reflect not just domestic constitutional standards, but accepted international human rights principles regarding liberty and its deprivations." Source
Romero, of course, makes the United States sound like some rogue nation with no regard for human rights, not the beacon of liberty that so many have come to escaping from tyranny and the bonds of oppression.
"Inciting homophobic hatred will become illegal, the justice secretary, Jack Straw, announced last night, following a campaign by gay rights groups. The introduction of an offence of rallying hatred against gays and lesbians follows similar measures to tackle religious hate crime, which were passed earlier this year after lengthy rows over freedom of speech.
"It is a measure of how far we have come as a society in the last 10 years that we are now appalled by hatred and invective directed at people on the basis of their sexuality. It is time for the law to recognise this," said Mr Straw, introducing the second reading of the criminal justice and immigration bill.
If you can't imagine the ACLU helping make the same thing happen here, you need to wake up. All of this should concern you. You may think that it doesn't directly affect you in your everyday life, but it will eventually. The ACLU's embrace of international law seeks to hypocritically do the opposite of what the ACLU claim to protect, and the Constitution forbids; prohibit the free exercise of religion.
In spring 2003, a group from the United Nations Human Rights Commission, of which former ACLU officials Paul Hoffman and John Shattuck are a part, met and discussed a resolution to add "sexual orientation" to the UNHRC's discrimination list. Homosexual activists at the meeting called for a "showdown with religion," clearly intending to use international law to silence religious speech that does not affirm homosexual behavior. Source
After the first amenendment, the next thing you can kiss goodbye with international law is the second amendment.
It is a direct threat to our very freedom of speech, and religious exercise. In some countries, laws are being pushed, and in some cases, enacted that essentially criminalize forms of religious speech and activity that does not affirm homosexual behavior.
The ACLU, the NYT and other groups and organizations that fight against our government on the GWOT are basically attacking freedom and the safety and security of this nation, putting Americans in harms way in their misguided attacks on our governments attempt to track and deal with terrorists.
What I want to know is this;
When the islamists get control and impose sharia law, will the ACLU have the balls to stand up and say "no way achmed", or do you think it more likely that they will realize that speaking against the caliphate is a death sentence?
I am betting they will shut up and become good little dhimmis.
If we are going to turn the interpretation of our laws to international jurisprudence, and decisions of foreign courts, judges, and legislatures, the question begs...why did we fight a war of independence? If the ACLU are successful in their agenda for international law, the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution will eventually become irrelevant documents. More and more of America's freedoms, and our very sovereignty will be sacrificed for international law. Our freedoms will vanish. The ACLU's vision of freedom that includes the public sale of child pornography, the silencing of churchs and ministries, and unlimited abortion and euthanasia will replace them.
1
The ACLU was founded by Roger Nash Baldwin, a communist. Anyone can do a search of his writings and read his essays. He does not hide how he feels. His lifetime goal was to use America's freedoms against it. Mr. Baldwin is the lifetime hero to President Carter who also wants to use America's freedoms to destroy it. While running for public office, Carter had to hide some of his feelings, but since leaving office he had become more open, read his latest books.
Posted by: burt at October 18, 2007 06:49 AM (Aot0m)
2
Absolutely correct. The ACLU depises freedom in every form.
Posted by: Ogre at October 18, 2007 11:28 AM (oifEm)
The NooseAre you offended? Are you insulted? Should I be jailed, right now, for a long period of time because I posted this picture? Perhaps I should be fined and you should get the money because I posted this picture. Maybe you need to file a lawsuit against me and get a restraining order and piles of cash from me because I posted this picture. Welcome to America today.
In New York, they appear to think I should be jailed. What a total load of irresponsible crap. Let's analyze, shall we?
The New York City Police Department hate crimes task force tried to determine...
They have a "hate crimes" task force. That's just unreal. Instead of focusing on useful things, like illegal immigrant violence, they're more concerned with thought crimes.
An NYPD spokesman told FOXNews.com that the matter was being treated as a hate crime
Of course it is. You see, if your skin happens to be the right color, you get more protection, more rights, and more free stuff from this government. I'd prefer a government that was color-blind and treated everyone equally, no matter what color their skin happens to be. But those who are getting more protection and rights simply will not have that. They WILL be treated different because the color of their skin. It used to be we called people who did that racists.
A police official told The Associated Press that investigators were looking at whether a fellow faculty member at Teachers College with whom Constantine had a dispute or an unhappy student might have been responsible.
Well gee, do you think so? Who else would be in the halls of the wonderful fantasy land that is Columbia University. It's not like there's illegal aliens or terrorist heads of state wandering the halls there...
Meanwhile, Columbia University students and faculty held a rally protesting the incident
Well, you've got to have a rally. I mean, you've got to gather people in groups to oppose anyone who disagrees with them, right? And if they didn't have that rally, suddenly blacks would be enslaved and we'd have to fight that whole "Civil War" thing again -- because no one would ever oppose slavery unless they had a rally, right?
Many said they weren't shocked that such a racially-motivated gesture happened at the Ivy League school.
The prestigious university, according to rally attendees, struggles with racial tension and prejudice in spite of its status as an elite institution with top-notch academics and a commitment to diversity.
Well that's pretty clear, since all these people who attended the rally only did so because they view people primarily by the color of their skin (and what terrorist organizations they might associate with). But hey, they SAY they're committed to diversity, so that should be good enough, right?
Demonstrators with signs declaring "Intolerance Is Intolerable" and "Not on Our Campus" protested Wednesday afternoon outside Teachers College, and Constantine spoke publicly to condemn the "heinous and highly upsetting incident" of which she apparently was the victim.
Well good thing! After all, they were photographed and appeared in the news. So I'm sure whoever did this watched them. And their message got out -- you see now, after they held up signs, no one is intolerant any more. Well, except for them, of course.
"Hanging the noose on my office door reeks of cowardice and fear on many levels."
Oh, so you're feeling good about yourself because you managed to call other people names. It appears you're saying that the person who did this was a coward and was scared of you. So what's the point? Do you like belittling people, Madonna Constantine? Is that how you teach your students to deal with conflict? Can't you tolerate another person's viewpoint?
"It's definitely painful," the doctoral student at the rally said of the incident. "I'm from the South, where there are blatant forms of racism. Hidden forms are always worse."
Okay, what part was the painful part? Did you tear a fingernail on the doorjamb when you removed the noose from the door? Or did you stub your toe when you were running from the door to the phone to call the press and call for a rally? And you're complaining about hidden racism being worse, but I'm not sure how you can call this hidden -- the damn national news is printing this. I'm not sure how it could be more out in the open!
She said she often feels isolated as a black woman on campus, and many of her fellow students frequently turn their backs on her instead of speaking to her.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Someone turned their back on her! Oh, POOR BABY! You should be compensated. We should throw money at you until you feel better. We should arrest and throw in jail anyone who DARES to turn their back on you because you're so damn important. Maybe they turned their backs on you because you're a mean person and they didn't want to talk to you. What a horrible, self-centered person.
"It's horrifying obviously," said Cris Beam, who teaches creative writing. "We're in a culture right now of escalating racism, in an increasingly conservative (environment). We all live in this country, so it seeps in."
Hey look, another person suffering from BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome)! Did you see that blatant connection between conservative and racist? He honestly believes that if you support a smaller government, then you're a racist. There's a reason people find it so easy to make fun of those in the academic world -- because they have no clue what planet they live on! Apparently Mr. Beam didn't notice that Democrats (who are NOT conservative) have been ruling the country and control Congress. And it's incredibly intolerant and bigoted to claim that anyone who is conservative is a racist. But then again, this is New York City, so I'd expect no less.
"Really obnoxious and blatant racism should be exposed in order to bring to light the larger systemic problems," said Brian Kelly, 20, who is studying politics at Pace.
Future Democrat politician there. Apparently the noose didn't expose anything. And the rally did. You see, Brian also thinks everyone is racist. Well, everyone except for him, of course. Oh, and people with dark-colored skin (even when they are).
"This is an assault on African Americans and therefore it is an assault on every one of us," university President Lee C. Bollinger said in a statement.
Oh, so it's an "assault" on me, too? And I guess it's an assault on even the poor person who put the noose up there, too. And still with the "African Americans." Why can't you just be an American? Why do you hate people who have a different color skin than you do, Mr. Bollinger?
What a total load. Is there anyone left today that isn't a "victim?" I feel sorry for these people. Apparently their lives have so little meaning that they have to look for things like this to give them meaning. Someone who had some self-worth would have just tossed the darn thing aside and gone on with their life. I would submit that none of these people have ever seen a person hanging in a noose, much less even know someone who was hung in the south for being black.
Perhaps people should grow up. Why not focus on doing something productive instead of complaining all day. I'm sure I'll be branded as "insensitive" and "racist" myself for even saying all this -- but it's the truth. Hey Miss Constantine, get over it and get a life.
Posted by: Wuptdo at October 11, 2007 03:41 PM (axYNA)
3
The reason why this should be a crime is that the noose is tantamount to a death threat. What would you think if someone hung a noose over your door? How comfortable would you be? It's not hard to imagine the thoughts running in the back of many people's minds: "Is there a chance someone actually wants to kill me?"
Have you experienced being a black person in the United States? Minorities, especially dark-skinned blacks, simply get treated differently, almost always worse. If the government wants to try to balance things somewhat, I don't have a big problem with that.
4
I'm sure that link is hate speech, Wuptdo!
And LEP, it's a death threat? So, when is the last time someone, anyone, was lynched in New York City? Ever. How about the last time someone even TRIED to lynch someone with a noose in NYC? That's just not true. It's only a death threat for those who are spending all their time looking to be offended at something.
Worse, the so-called victim ISN'T in fear! She's mad! She's calling people names! She's NOT scared one bit.
It's all about favoring and protecting some people more than others, simply based on the color of their skin. It IS government-supported racism, whether anyone wants to admit it or not.
Posted by: Ogre at October 14, 2007 06:52 PM (wkwq7)
5
Your right ogre, I doubt anybody has been lynched in NYC in maybe 75 years if that. I find it hard to believe though that it doesnt register with you that as little as 50 years ago in this country black people were hung with NOOSES for simply looking at white girls. It also occurs to me that there would be no issue if somebody hadnt hung a noose, which is at the very least an ominous warning and at worst a death threat. Also what "viewpoint" would you have her tolerate? that lychning is acceptable?
Posted by: brian at October 15, 2007 03:37 AM (bIyz2)
6
It's 75 years ago. To claim that a single noose today, in NYC, is a "death threat" is just total B.S. It's simply not true. That would be like me claiming that an arrowhead found in my yard is a "death threat" because Indians who used them in the past shot my ancestors with them.
Posted by: Ogre at October 15, 2007 03:58 AM (wkwq7)
7
if it is not a death threat, than what is it? To me, if I am a black american and i see a noose hanging over my office, I'm gonna be pretty angry and afraid. Somebody is saying "im going to hang you." How do you think she should have reacted?
Posted by: brian at October 15, 2007 04:34 AM (bIyz2)
8
If that's your thoughts, you're completely irrational, and I should not be held responsible for that. No sane person can see a noose in NYC and honestly believe that someone is going to hang them. If someone thinks that, especially in academic, they should have their mental state evaluated, because they're living in a world that's completely disconnected from reality.
What should she have done? Ignored it and gone on with her work.
Posted by: Ogre at October 15, 2007 12:16 PM (oifEm)
People Like Socialism
I like freedom. I really do. And I believe in freedom. But not everyone else does. There are many people who would rather give up freedom in exchange for, well different things: perceived safety, free housing, charity, and other things. So when people use the freedom they have to vote to reduce freedom, what's to be done?
Recent election results in North Carolina suggest people simply do not want freedom -- because they're voting against it.
Cary Mayor Ernie McAlister, who supports property rights and freedom was recently beat by Harold Weinbrecht, someone who believes he, personally, should determine what, when, and where you should build things on property that you claim to own. And he won with 58% of the vote. That's pretty strong support for serious socialism in Cary.
Wake County voters, by huge margins, strongly supporting government using guns and threats of force to take things that people earn from them to buy land to build nothing on. By 2:1 margins, people actually voted to take land away from people by force and do nothing with it (and prevent anyone else from doing anything with it, either). That's more massive socialism at work.
Recent statewide polls also show that people simply do not support freedom. People were asked whether individual property owners should be able to build things on their land, or if government should come in and dictate where, when, and how people should be permitted to build things in the name of transportation. 68% of the people said that they didn't trust people and instead that only government is capable of determining all use of property.
Next month Charlotte voters will decide whether to raise taxes to give government more cash to waste on transportation and heavy handed regulation of property rights. The supporters of the tax increase are using threats and intimidation to get their tax increase in place and to increase socialism.
So what's a person to do who actually wants freedom? Isn't our country founded on freedom? Doesn't the Constitution, the foundation of law in the land, ensure that we are permitted freedom? But when a majority of people honestly do not want freedom, what options are left for the minority of us who actually want freedom?
Update: Reader Wuptdo, from Cary, suggests the Cary race was more about politicians who were in the pocket of developers than it was about property rights. That's bad because it appears that property rights STILL go out the window, but it's good because perhaps the rights are going away as a side effect, not an intentional destruction.
Don't Send Flight 93 To Mecca
Stop the Memorial Blogburst: Why only 38 Memorial Groves?
One prominently advertised feature of the Flight 93 Memorial is the “40 Memorial Groves,” one for each of the murdered heroes:
Why then does the actual design only contain 38?
The Memorial Groves are built into the crescent of what was originally called the Crescent of Embrace. The crescent forms part of the symbolic heavens in architect Paul Murdoch's crescent and star shaped design. Infidels cannot be memorialized in the Islamic heavens, so the 38 Memorial groves have to be a memorial to someone else. Who?
It is a simple geometric fact that a line across the most obtruding tips of the crescent of Memorial Groves points approximately to the White House:
A line across the Memorial Groves has the same slope (129° clockwise from north) as a line between the crash site and area of Washington DC that contains the Pentagon, the White House and the Capitol.
Notice also that the 38 groves can be seen as a set of 19 nested crescents. Take two groves away from the arc of 38 and a line across the tips of the remaining 36 will also point to the White House. Ditto for 34 groves, 32, etcetera, down to 2. One nested crescent for each of the nineteen 9/11 terrorists, each pointing to Washington, the specific target of the Flight 93 and Flight 77 terrorists and the symbolic target of all nineteen 9/11 terrorists.
Architect Paul Murdoch proves that he intends the 38 groves to be seen as a set of 19 nested crescents by surrounding the Tower of Voices with its own set of 19 nested crescents:
The Tower array contains nineteen nested crescents of various lengths, some as short as two trees, the same as with the Memorial Groves. Using arcs as short as two trees long is MurdochÂ’s trick for hiding the number of nested crescents in the Tower array. It isnÂ’t until one finds the 19 nested crescents in the Memorial Groves, where the shortest crescent is made up of only 2 groves, that one knows to count the pairs of trees as crescents.
The Tower array also contains four single trees, giving special recognition to the four Flight 93 hijackers.
If anyone wants to think that this is coincidence, that is fine. (If not for all the other Islamic and terrorist memorializing features in the design, it might even be reasonable.) But even if it is coincidence, the American people still need to know that the planned Flight 93 memorial does in fact contain two sets of 19 nested crescents, and decide for themselves whether it is okay that the memorial contain elements like this that can be interpreted as honoring the 9/11 terrorists.
Fuller explanation of the Murdoch's 19-nested-crescents theme here.
International Carnival of Pozitivities
Welcome back! And welcome to Edition 2.4 of the International Carnival of Pozitivities! "The What," I hear you ask? Well this carnival is
to provide an international forum for interaction among those of us who are living with HIV/AIDS and for their caregivers, family and/or friends or those who are involved in the fight to end this Worldwide pandemic.
In addition, this
is not intended to provide a forum for debate over the current model of HIV as a cause of AIDS. If you wish to pursue this topic, please find another forum of like-minded bloggers.
Instead, this is about those who are living with this disease, no matter why they have it. No, Ogre doesn't have this disease, but he does know someone who does.
I've known Ron via the "blogosphere" for, geez, I guess it's a few years now. We are pretty far apart on many political issues -- but we can talk to one another about them, without attacking one another and calling each other names (even is he is wrong most of the time
). I've never met Ron in person. He lives more than a couple hours from me, but perhaps one day we'll get a chance to meet in person. In the meantime, we've conversed various times via email about different topics.
Last year Ron started this carnival. He's really done a good job, trying to open up dialog and talk about actually living with this disease. He's kept the carnival up and going once a month for over a year. That's pretty good for a carnival. As you can imagine, many of those who host the carnival are already close to someone, or are someone who has this disease. For this month's carnival, Ron asked me if I'd be willing to host it, to try and spread this far and wide. I agreed.
Again, this isn't about why someone has the disease or how they got it. This is about people who are having to live every day, trying to understand what's going on and why their bodies are reacting the way they are. That's what this carnival is about. So thank you, Ron, for asking me to host. I'm honored to do so. Without further ado, I give you this month's carnival:
First up is Ron himself with an introduction to this week's carnival. Go check that out before you read the rest of this, really. It will help you put a lot in perspective.
As I was reading through all these entires, I decided to put them in random groups because I'm a logical person and must label everything
First, there's a glossary of terms related to AIDS, in case you want to know what some of those terms and things mean.
Here's a category I named "detection and prevention:"
Joe sends along news about an early detection system that's being tried in various clinics in NYC. So if you're not sure, but think you might have HIV, this would be a good post to check out, especially if you're in or near NYC.
From The Nata Village (in Africa), they want to know why women are tested for HIV, but men are not, even when it is highly likely that the men have and are spreading the disease. WHO, are you listening? Perhaps you should be...
Slimconomy talks about HIV and "branding." No, not the branding you do to horses and cattle, but the branding you do to products -- hence the term "brand-name" -- which makes me wonder when they have "awareness" days for various things if there's people who actually haven't heard of HIV. Slimconomy sends up a double-dip this month, also sending along HIV and the Bubonic plague. Hey, they could be related, right? Follow the money. Always follow the money.
Masimba Biriwasha sends along a comparison between the spread of TB and HIV in Africa -- and the fact that certain portions of this quick-spreading epidemic are just being ignored by various agencies. Anyone have WHO on speed dial?
Next, there's the poems category:
Poem #1 comes from Marc. He's posted a poem about "Identity." Who are you, anyway? And the poem even manages to work in a truly classic line, "I am not a number!" Thanks for posting it and sending it along, Marc!
Poem #2 is from Marc Olmsted. The poem is called "Curtain Up" and it's about life and hope. According to the author, it's an old poem that was written long ago. Well thanks for digging it out and sharing it!
Here's the video category:
Comprehensive Sex Ed vs Abstinence Only. Well, if the posts are going to go into the political arena, shouldn't the host? I won't -- other than to say that I disagree with portions of this video and question it's factual honesty.
BlueHorse made a video for his English class outlining the AIDS crisis in Zimbabwe. Does it matter to you? Does this crisis affect you?
Stephen Mead sends in Weightless. It contains some disturbing pictures and images as well about victims of this ravaging disease.
There were a few posts about addictions (mostly recovery):
Item #1 is from Warrior Scout (he's the one who encouraged Marc from Poem #1 to send in his posting). He's got a mostly serious post about trauma and his suggestions for dealing with trauma -- including that brought on by HIV.
Item #2 is titled, "How to Quit Alcohol." For those who are in that category, the author says, "It's Easy." Don't believe me? Go read how easy it is.
Royce Harden writes about Personal power -- while joining together with other similar people. Once again, you'll have to read that one to make the connection between those two ideas.
Then there's the open commentary category:
Item #1 (possibly NSFW image) is by The Dreamer. He's writing on a rather morbid topic -- death. And he's pointing out that it's coming, whether anyone wants to admit it or not. But the writing has a happy and hopeful ending, so go check it out! Nicely done, Dreamer.
Jack Hampster & Company send along a very short note -- ending with some wonderful advice.
Joe Wright, MD, provides an insiders view into the world of medicine and money. He's only been a doctor a short time, so he's not completely entrenched in the system. He's still asking, "Why are we doing that" instead of simply accepting "that's how it's done here." But it sounds like he's being absorbed into the world of "Big Medicine..."
Dragonette provides us with violently happy. It's a post in which she wonders, out loud, about what is going on. I think she's trying, violently, to come to grips with her diagnosis. I cannot imagine how hard that must be.
Then there's the post about anger -- and it's innocence? To make sense of the connection between those two states, you're going to have to go read that nicely done article.
Aurora Rayne sends along an update to "what was going on in the wonderful virus filled wonderland that is my blood." Gah (Strong Language Warning).
Zoriah has a news report about the current condition of AIDS in Asia. We hear a lot about AIDS in America, and AIDS in Africa, but AIDS in Asia doesn't get much coverage, does it? Oh, this is a photojournalist, so the pictures may be rather disturbing to you.
Anirudha Alam gives us something. The title is "En-gendering AIDS Prevention Gateway to Sustainable Development." Sorry, I don't get that one. I just don't understand. He's from Bangladesh, so perhaps they just have very different issues going on there right now that I can't comprehend. Thanks for sending it along, anyway, Anirudha.
Finally, the Life Group in LA needs translators. Imagine how bad it must be to have this horrible disease and not be able to communicate with anyone about it.
Thank you again, Ron, for inviting me to host this. And thank you one and and all, each who contributed an entry to this carnival. I cannot imagine what it is like to live with this disease. And thank you good readers, each and every one, for reading this far and hopefully exploring at least one of those links. If you did read this, I implore each one of you to follow at least one link and leave a comment on that post to let the people know you've been there and read what they had to say.
Any misspellings or broken links are my own fault, not the carnival participant's. Please do comment and let me know about them so I can fix them if you see any.
1
Ogre, thanks for hosting this...I often wondered if there was such a thing for this cause, this issue. It's extremely important to educate people about this awful disease; how to cope with its effects and, how to stay positive through it all. Attitude affects outcome with so many illnesses.
I will link to this. And, a great carnival with lots of links -many of which I have saved for reading later!
Kudos to you too, for being able to reach across the aisle, put aside political differences for the greater good of ALL.
Posted by: Raven at October 10, 2007 03:29 PM (xBVt0)
2
Thank you for your kind words, Raven. One of the reasons Ron and I discussed this was to get exposure of these issues to people who perhaps don't see them too often.
Posted by: Ogre at October 10, 2007 03:32 PM (oifEm)
Posted by: Raven at October 10, 2007 04:37 PM (xBVt0)
4
Great edition, Ogre!
How have you been? We need to re-start TTHT again soon. I will be in touch about that....
Posted by: coturnix at October 10, 2007 04:59 PM (Fu387)
5
Bravo, Bravo, Bravissimo! Well Done Ogre. I lost a beloved brother-in-law to AIDS some 12 years ago and I still miss him. This treatment for HIV and AIDS has come a long way in the last few years and carnivals like help others understand what those who are living with HIV and AIDS are going through... Again, well done my friend!
Posted by: GM Roper at October 10, 2007 05:10 PM (S60yG)
6
Good to read from you coturnix! I'd be more than happy to help out with getting the TTHT going again!
And thank you, GM, for your kind words.
Posted by: Ogre at October 10, 2007 05:25 PM (oifEm)
7
Very well done. Thanks for hosting the Carnival.
Posted by: Steve Schalchlin at October 10, 2007 06:00 PM (F0hh6)
8
i echo the gratitude for hosting the carnival. i always manage to find some compelling reading and some great ideas here.
:p
Posted by: warrior scout at October 10, 2007 06:07 PM (9myfc)
Posted by: Angel at October 10, 2007 06:12 PM (C6UZm)
10
You all are too kind! Thank you for reading and commenting.
Posted by: Ogre at October 10, 2007 07:26 PM (oifEm)
11
Well Ogre you're a hero to me, for posting this.
For all the reasons I said above my friend.
This is a very comprehensive post too- with ALL these links I will have plenty of reading material (which I'm starting now..lol)
Posted by: Raven at October 10, 2007 08:56 PM (MeD5Y)
12
Hey Ogre!
Many, many thanks again for hosting this edition of the ICP. I am very grateful to you and your readers for taking the time to learn more about HIV/AIDS from those of us living with the illness and our friends/families and allies.
Excellent job!
Peace to you and all of your readers.
Ron
Posted by: Ron Hudson at October 10, 2007 09:02 PM (XNG84)
13
Thank you again, Raven.
And Ron, it didn't turn out too bad, did it? This has definitely spread the word far and wide, to even more people who have not commented here, but have spoken to me in email. If the goal was to get more exposure, I'd say we reached that goal!
Posted by: Ogre at October 11, 2007 02:21 AM (wkwq7)
Be Vewy Quiet...
Many things in progress. Muse taking nap. See you soon.
Update, Wednesday, Oct 10th, AM: Things progressing. New blog stuff not here yet, but hopefully real soon. I know most people read this in an RSS feed, but I like making the blog design look nice, so I will.
Regular blogging to resume shortly.
Posted by: vw bug at October 08, 2007 06:59 PM (FPOeI)
5
Uh huh...yea sure. Go all quiet on us NOW with little to NO explanation. Typical Ogre behavior. Just typical.
Sheesh.
Posted by: Raven at October 08, 2007 11:57 PM (gJAXA)
6
At least I'm still commenting and haven't been kidnapped by federal agents for being disruptive...yet...
Posted by: Ogre at October 09, 2007 12:37 PM (oifEm)
7
Still in suspense here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: William Teach at October 10, 2007 12:23 AM (NaHh8)
8
I know what Ogre's up to, but he threatened to lock me in a small room with him and no ventalation AT ALL if I told ... just couldn't take the chance - I gotta have good air!... sorry guys!
Posted by: GM Roper at October 10, 2007 03:03 AM (S60yG)
9
Geez, the pressure! Now I feel like I've got to do something spectacular... well, I'm trying, but I think it's not coming just yet... well, the posting will, just not the spectacular part!
Posted by: Ogre at October 10, 2007 01:58 PM (oifEm)
1
On October 9th, at least in Wake County, the dead will rise (to vote).
Posted by: Wuptdo at October 06, 2007 04:24 PM (axYNA)
2
It's North Carolina -- ANYONE can vote. Literally. You don't even have to be citizens of the US to vote here.
Posted by: Ogre at October 07, 2007 05:43 PM (wkwq7)
3
I tried to show my voter registration card when I lived in New Mexico, and you'd thought he was Dracula, and I had just pulled out a crucifix!
Now you know why I moved to Texas. Photo ID is required here. You don't even get a driver's license without a background check. Did I mention I carry a 38 revolver, too? ;-) You need to move to Texas, my friend.
Posted by: DagneyT at October 07, 2007 09:17 PM (AAEEI)
4
I had the same happen the first time I voted in NC. They actively refused to look at the voter card. Here, you still need absolutely nothing to vote. Heck, you don't even have to pre-register! Seriously, bin Laden could should up to vote and he'd be allowed to vote.
Posted by: Ogre at October 07, 2007 09:30 PM (wkwq7)
National "Fly" List
Anyone who knows the history of oppressive governments HAD to see this coming. Anyone who watches the out of control, unrestrained, and irresponsible federal government of America had to know this is where we were going.
The TSA is proposing changing the current "no-fly" list into a "fly" list. In other words, if you want to fly on a commercial flight in America, even a domestic flight, you will have to soon ask permission. You see, that pesky "no fly" list isn't working. So, in order to save you, they're going to only let "approved" people fly.
Does this sound a teensy bit like communist Russia in it's heyday? But hey, you didn't need to have freedom to travel, did you? And after all, you're not doing anything wrong, so why does this bother you? Now shut up and get back to work making money for government to spend.
1
I'm so glad I got my private pilot's license. No "fly lists." No metal detectors. No cavity searches. No shoe removal. And no grouchy flight attendants! It takes a little longer to get where you're going and costs a little more, but it is soooo worth it.
Posted by: Echo Zoe at October 06, 2007 02:02 PM (nIDjA)
2
I'm amazed they let you do that without even more anal exams than everyone else. Maybe next week that will happen...
Posted by: Ogre at October 07, 2007 05:10 PM (wkwq7)
3
Well, at least they are making students prove they are here legally now. I had to show my passport to my instructor before I could solo. (He wasn't in a rush to see it, it's kind of obvious I don't fit the profile of a hijacker.)
Posted by: Echo Zoe at October 12, 2007 01:25 AM (nIDjA)
4
Well, you're not a middle eastern male between the ages of 18 and 25, so you clearly DO fit the standard terrorist profile.
Posted by: Ogre at October 12, 2007 02:27 PM (oifEm)