The People's Cube poses the following questions:
They trekked thousands of miles in searing heat...
They crossed the border risking life and limb...
They get paid peanuts...
They do jobs others refuse to do...
Some people back in their own country treat them with little respect...
They live crammed together in substandard conditions...
They rarely see their families...
They have to learn a foreign language and culture...
They recognize only one flag...
WHO ARE THEY?
Watch the video.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
We Fight An Ancient Battle
I don't think I have ever encountered as well written a treatise on why Bush is losing his base as this one in the American Thinker by J.Peter Mulhern. I believe that G. W. Bush is a good man, a Christian man who loves God and Country. But he just doesn't get it. Mr.Mulhern explains why President Bush doesn't get it.
Americans aren't frustrated with Iraq because they subscribe to the MSM's blathering about us losing the war.
They are frustrated because President Bush has failed to establish any clear link between what is happening in Iraq and our strategic goals in the absurdly misnamed Global War on Terror. (Try to imagine Franklin Roosevelt proclaiming a Global War on Naval Aviation after Pearl Harbor.)
So true. We are fighting a battle that is but a continuance of a seventh century war. A struggle between a religion of devils and the Christian faith.
Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
The day Islamic terrorism finally came home we needed a leader to tell us that we were at war and to lay out a clear strategy for victory. The President’s job was to identify our enemies and inspire us to defeat them and eliminate their threat to our homeland.
President Bush never managed to do that job because conventional wisdom made him incapable of understanding what happened on September 11. He has never grasped the ugly truth that we are fighting a religious war with roots in the Dark Ages. That war is entirely outside his conventional frame of reference. He doesn’t have the vocabulary for defining and defending it.
Remember how the President fawned all over the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in April 2002? He welcomes with open arms the leader of a country that actively supports and maintains a vurulent strain of rabid, fundamentalist, anti-American Islam, Whabbism. And President Bush calls Islam the "Religion of Peace."
The scum that turned passenger jets into cruise missiles and screamed about Allah as they crashed into their targets weren’t poor or oppressed. They weren’t protesting against neo-colonial exploitation of Middle Eastern oil wealth or globalization or anything else the conventional mind might understand.
They were self-consciously opening a new offensive in the 1370 year old war between Islam and the unbelievers, those in the dar al harb (house of war). They didn’t do this out of desperation. They did it because they believed, with considerable justification, that the West is no longer Christian enough or tough enough to resist Islamic competition.
It was because of staunch resistance to the muslim hordes over the centuries that all of Europe didn't fall under the Crescent. And until the Christian nations of Europe finally routed the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Vienna in 1683, the muslims never stopped pressing for victory.
Instead of bold clear statements about whom we needed to fight and why, we got mush. Islam, we were repeatedly told, is a religion of peace. Instead of seeking authority to deal with the problem that erupted on September 11, President Bush initially asked only for authority to deal with one small manifestation of that problem in Afghanistan. He talked about using military force to bring terrorists “to justice” as if justice had anything to do with our struggle to survive.
There is more to this article. Read it all.
Americans aren't frustrated with Iraq because they subscribe to the MSM's blathering about us losing the war.
They are frustrated because President Bush has failed to establish any clear link between what is happening in Iraq and our strategic goals in the absurdly misnamed Global War on Terror. (Try to imagine Franklin Roosevelt proclaiming a Global War on Naval Aviation after Pearl Harbor.)
So true. We are fighting a battle that is but a continuance of a seventh century war. A struggle between a religion of devils and the Christian faith.
Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
The day Islamic terrorism finally came home we needed a leader to tell us that we were at war and to lay out a clear strategy for victory. The President’s job was to identify our enemies and inspire us to defeat them and eliminate their threat to our homeland.
President Bush never managed to do that job because conventional wisdom made him incapable of understanding what happened on September 11. He has never grasped the ugly truth that we are fighting a religious war with roots in the Dark Ages. That war is entirely outside his conventional frame of reference. He doesn’t have the vocabulary for defining and defending it.
Remember how the President fawned all over the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in April 2002? He welcomes with open arms the leader of a country that actively supports and maintains a vurulent strain of rabid, fundamentalist, anti-American Islam, Whabbism. And President Bush calls Islam the "Religion of Peace."
The scum that turned passenger jets into cruise missiles and screamed about Allah as they crashed into their targets weren’t poor or oppressed. They weren’t protesting against neo-colonial exploitation of Middle Eastern oil wealth or globalization or anything else the conventional mind might understand.
They were self-consciously opening a new offensive in the 1370 year old war between Islam and the unbelievers, those in the dar al harb (house of war). They didn’t do this out of desperation. They did it because they believed, with considerable justification, that the West is no longer Christian enough or tough enough to resist Islamic competition.
It was because of staunch resistance to the muslim hordes over the centuries that all of Europe didn't fall under the Crescent. And until the Christian nations of Europe finally routed the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Vienna in 1683, the muslims never stopped pressing for victory.
Instead of bold clear statements about whom we needed to fight and why, we got mush. Islam, we were repeatedly told, is a religion of peace. Instead of seeking authority to deal with the problem that erupted on September 11, President Bush initially asked only for authority to deal with one small manifestation of that problem in Afghanistan. He talked about using military force to bring terrorists “to justice” as if justice had anything to do with our struggle to survive.
There is more to this article. Read it all.
After The Black Helicopters...
From an article at Townhall.com:
A remarkable thing happened at the United Nations yesterday. We, the United States, told the world “no”. The messenger was Robert Joseph, the Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Speaking before the dozens of nations that have gathered for the review conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Joseph told the world in no uncertain terms where the United States stood.
“The U.S. Constitution guarantees the rights of our citizens to keep and bear arms, and there will be no infringement of those rights,” he proclaimed to the dignitaries and functionaries. “The United States will not agree to any provisions restricting civilian possession, use or legal trade of firearms inconsistent with our laws and practices.”
Hurray for our guys!
The United Nations is anything but inconsistent on this issue. The tinpot dictators that hold sway over the General Assembly want to use this gun control issue to maintain their regimes. Other nations have gone this route and banned firearms. They have experienced over the top increases in violent, bloody mayhem. The British Isles did it and Scotland was recently dubbed by a recent UN study as the most violent country on the face of the planet. As I reported in an earlier post, the Brits had to redesign their entire national crime reporting system to hide the fact that their murder rate went through the roof. In one year alone (1999 to 2000) the official street-crime rates in London were more than double the official rate from the year before.
During the past century a number of countries outlawed firearms: Soviet Union (1929), Germany (1938), China (1935), Guatemala (1964), Uganda (1970) and Cambodia (1956). The following estimates of the ensuing carnage were compiled by various studies:
Russia 20,000,000 (1929 to 1945)
Germany 20,000,000 (1938 to 1945 )
China 42,500,000 (1941 to 1975)
Guatemala 200,000 (1960 to 1996)
Uganda 300,000 (1972 to 1979)
Cambodia 1,650,000 (1975 to 1978)
The total is over 84 million people, civilians, murdered by their own governments after they were forcibly disarmed.
Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Or become fertilizer.
A remarkable thing happened at the United Nations yesterday. We, the United States, told the world “no”. The messenger was Robert Joseph, the Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Speaking before the dozens of nations that have gathered for the review conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Joseph told the world in no uncertain terms where the United States stood.
“The U.S. Constitution guarantees the rights of our citizens to keep and bear arms, and there will be no infringement of those rights,” he proclaimed to the dignitaries and functionaries. “The United States will not agree to any provisions restricting civilian possession, use or legal trade of firearms inconsistent with our laws and practices.”
Hurray for our guys!
The United Nations is anything but inconsistent on this issue. The tinpot dictators that hold sway over the General Assembly want to use this gun control issue to maintain their regimes. Other nations have gone this route and banned firearms. They have experienced over the top increases in violent, bloody mayhem. The British Isles did it and Scotland was recently dubbed by a recent UN study as the most violent country on the face of the planet. As I reported in an earlier post, the Brits had to redesign their entire national crime reporting system to hide the fact that their murder rate went through the roof. In one year alone (1999 to 2000) the official street-crime rates in London were more than double the official rate from the year before.
During the past century a number of countries outlawed firearms: Soviet Union (1929), Germany (1938), China (1935), Guatemala (1964), Uganda (1970) and Cambodia (1956). The following estimates of the ensuing carnage were compiled by various studies:
Russia 20,000,000 (1929 to 1945)
Germany 20,000,000 (1938 to 1945 )
China 42,500,000 (1941 to 1975)
Guatemala 200,000 (1960 to 1996)
Uganda 300,000 (1972 to 1979)
Cambodia 1,650,000 (1975 to 1978)
The total is over 84 million people, civilians, murdered by their own governments after they were forcibly disarmed.
Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Or become fertilizer.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Are These People Screwed Up Or What?
Usually whenever you read about someone digging a tunnel it is because they are trying to escape some desperate situation or to make transportation easier between isolated locations like islands or getting through a major obstruction like a mountain.
In the first instance I am reminded of one of my all time favorite movies, 1963's "The Great Escape" starring Steve McQueen and a host of other stars where WWII American and British prisoners tunnel out of a German POW camp in a bid for freedom. The movie was based on the true story of the largest Allied escape attempt of the war. Of the 76 POWs who broke out of Stalag Luft III, only three made it all the way to freedom. This movie captures the spirit of those men.
In the second instance, I think of the four tunnels that connect parts of lower Manhattan to New York and New Jersey. There is the Chunnel (Channel Tunnel) connecting England and France. These tunnels promote the creation of wealth through tourism and commerce and allow disparate populations to travel in safety to their work sites.
And then there is the third reason why people build tunnels. To circumvent fortifications raised by people who have had enough of homicidal lunatics.
The Religion of Peace (right!) has once again managed to out do itself when it comes to stark raving excess. It has often been said of thieves and scoundrels that if they worked half as hard in honest endeavors as they do in plotting larceny and murder they would all be wealthy men. The same is true for the sons of Islam.
The tunnels the Palestinians create are used for one thing, to spread death and terror. These tunnels have been used to smuggle arms and explosives into Israel for years. The latest one was used to execute a terror plot that killed two Israeli soldiers and kidnap a third. Like diseased rats scurrying through a sewer pipe, these wicked men spread a plague of fear and hatred.
Israel has re-entered Gaza in an attempt to rescue the kidnapped soldier. I pray for the safe return of that young man and death for those who work so hard for such awful purposes.
In the first instance I am reminded of one of my all time favorite movies, 1963's "The Great Escape" starring Steve McQueen and a host of other stars where WWII American and British prisoners tunnel out of a German POW camp in a bid for freedom. The movie was based on the true story of the largest Allied escape attempt of the war. Of the 76 POWs who broke out of Stalag Luft III, only three made it all the way to freedom. This movie captures the spirit of those men.
In the second instance, I think of the four tunnels that connect parts of lower Manhattan to New York and New Jersey. There is the Chunnel (Channel Tunnel) connecting England and France. These tunnels promote the creation of wealth through tourism and commerce and allow disparate populations to travel in safety to their work sites.
And then there is the third reason why people build tunnels. To circumvent fortifications raised by people who have had enough of homicidal lunatics.
The Religion of Peace (right!) has once again managed to out do itself when it comes to stark raving excess. It has often been said of thieves and scoundrels that if they worked half as hard in honest endeavors as they do in plotting larceny and murder they would all be wealthy men. The same is true for the sons of Islam.
The tunnels the Palestinians create are used for one thing, to spread death and terror. These tunnels have been used to smuggle arms and explosives into Israel for years. The latest one was used to execute a terror plot that killed two Israeli soldiers and kidnap a third. Like diseased rats scurrying through a sewer pipe, these wicked men spread a plague of fear and hatred.
Israel has re-entered Gaza in an attempt to rescue the kidnapped soldier. I pray for the safe return of that young man and death for those who work so hard for such awful purposes.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Is The NY Times Burning?
And if it isn't, why not?
After exposing the covert intelligence gathering operations of our government, the NY Times goes on to publish a secret, classified projection of troop force reductions in Iraq. This is beyond the pale. The Times is actively supporting terrorist efforts to defeat us. The Times can no longer be viewed as an American media organ.
We must lobby to have the Times register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Send these materials to the Times and demand that they fill them out.
Registration Form
Supplemental Statement
Short Form
The Short-Form Registration Statement is pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended.
Also, call the Foreign Agent Registration Unit at the DOJ.
Department of Justice
Registration Unit
1400 New York Avenue, N.W.
1st Floor - Public Office Suite 100
Washington, D.C. 20005
Contact Information:
Public Office Number: (202)514-1145
Fax Number: (202)514-2836
Acting Chief: Heather H. Hunt
Let the Times know this ...
NO MORE!
After exposing the covert intelligence gathering operations of our government, the NY Times goes on to publish a secret, classified projection of troop force reductions in Iraq. This is beyond the pale. The Times is actively supporting terrorist efforts to defeat us. The Times can no longer be viewed as an American media organ.
We must lobby to have the Times register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Send these materials to the Times and demand that they fill them out.
Registration Form
Supplemental Statement
Short Form
The Short-Form Registration Statement is pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended.
Also, call the Foreign Agent Registration Unit at the DOJ.
Department of Justice
Registration Unit
1400 New York Avenue, N.W.
1st Floor - Public Office Suite 100
Washington, D.C. 20005
Contact Information:
Public Office Number: (202)514-1145
Fax Number: (202)514-2836
Acting Chief: Heather H. Hunt
Let the Times know this ...
NO MORE!
Sunday, June 25, 2006
It's Still Treason By Any Definition
Patriotism is more than acknowledging our veterans and expressing appreciation for their sacrifices. It is more than waving the flag, though it does embody all these acts. It is an attitude that makes us want to do these things. Patriotism – Love Of Country - is also a means of self-defense. It is an awareness of national identity, a sense that you belong to a unique set of communities that exist no where else. It is love for fellow countrymen, love of the ideals and the culture that establishes us as a nation apart from every other.
And it must be taught as any other defensive skill and practiced diligently; first, in the home and then in our schools and communities. It must be reflected in the body politic from the weekly community news letter to the major media outlets and entertainment releases. It is here that the attack has been so fulsome and persistent.
Clueless people like the Dixie Chicks’ Maines, Barbara Streisand, Jane Fonda and so many others may indeed one day be forced to defend themselves out of a sense of self-preservation when backed against a wall, but then it is too late. They will never respond when the sound of guns is far off in the distance. And that is the time when a patriot will shrug off his day to day responsibilities, kiss his wife and kids good bye, shoulder his rifle and match off to where danger is most prevalent, where gunfire is the loudest and the screams of dying men fill the air. During WWII and previous conflicts our armies were filled with men and women who faced the challenge and they were supported by a nation who reflected the same sense of sacrifice.
Perhaps no longer. While our armies are still filled with such people, our nation no longer appears to be. Perhaps I am wrong, I pray that I am wrong. Our schools reek of multiculturalism and love of God and Country has all but disappeared. Illegals control our borders and now seem to be controlling our foreign policy.
The likes of Maines, et al are not even fair weather patriots who show up for parades on sunny, pleasant days. They are traitors who drag the spirit of this nation down. They are defeatists, willing antagonists in the propaganda war that targets the destruction of the will of the American people to resist evil. Such words and deeds would have received severe punishment, perhaps even a lynching, not that long ago. And they would have richly deserved such a fate.
The diaries of Vietnamese generals have revealed that they were soundly defeated, utterly routed during the Tet Offensive of 1968, so much so that it took them three years to rebuild their forces. The words of these leaders indicate that they were on the ropes, disheartened and ready to sue for peace. Yet traitors such as Walter Cronkite reversed the fortunes of that battle and made Americans believe that it was our forces who had been defeated. We defeated ourselves aided by traitors such as Cronkite and Fonda.
Cronkite and his ilk should be brought to the Vietnam Veterans’ Monument and hanged. Let their rotting, twisting carcasses remind the nation that words do mean something and that there is a cost that brave men have borne for the lies of the leftists.
Let these traitors receive the same measure.
And it must be taught as any other defensive skill and practiced diligently; first, in the home and then in our schools and communities. It must be reflected in the body politic from the weekly community news letter to the major media outlets and entertainment releases. It is here that the attack has been so fulsome and persistent.
Clueless people like the Dixie Chicks’ Maines, Barbara Streisand, Jane Fonda and so many others may indeed one day be forced to defend themselves out of a sense of self-preservation when backed against a wall, but then it is too late. They will never respond when the sound of guns is far off in the distance. And that is the time when a patriot will shrug off his day to day responsibilities, kiss his wife and kids good bye, shoulder his rifle and match off to where danger is most prevalent, where gunfire is the loudest and the screams of dying men fill the air. During WWII and previous conflicts our armies were filled with men and women who faced the challenge and they were supported by a nation who reflected the same sense of sacrifice.
Perhaps no longer. While our armies are still filled with such people, our nation no longer appears to be. Perhaps I am wrong, I pray that I am wrong. Our schools reek of multiculturalism and love of God and Country has all but disappeared. Illegals control our borders and now seem to be controlling our foreign policy.
The likes of Maines, et al are not even fair weather patriots who show up for parades on sunny, pleasant days. They are traitors who drag the spirit of this nation down. They are defeatists, willing antagonists in the propaganda war that targets the destruction of the will of the American people to resist evil. Such words and deeds would have received severe punishment, perhaps even a lynching, not that long ago. And they would have richly deserved such a fate.
The diaries of Vietnamese generals have revealed that they were soundly defeated, utterly routed during the Tet Offensive of 1968, so much so that it took them three years to rebuild their forces. The words of these leaders indicate that they were on the ropes, disheartened and ready to sue for peace. Yet traitors such as Walter Cronkite reversed the fortunes of that battle and made Americans believe that it was our forces who had been defeated. We defeated ourselves aided by traitors such as Cronkite and Fonda.
Cronkite and his ilk should be brought to the Vietnam Veterans’ Monument and hanged. Let their rotting, twisting carcasses remind the nation that words do mean something and that there is a cost that brave men have borne for the lies of the leftists.
Let these traitors receive the same measure.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Sold His Soul For A Big Mac
This from Fox News:
Saddam Ends Hunger Strike After Skipping One Meal
"Saddam Hussein ended a hunger strike after missing just one meal, a U.S. official said Friday.
The former Iraqi leader announced the hunger strike through his lawyer Wednesday in protest over the killing of one of his lawyers by gunmen. He has resumed eating after skipping one meal," Lt. Kevin Curry told FOXNews.
After skipping lunch, he was driven nearly mad by deprivation after he missed his Scooter Pie snacktime. Saddam "Mother Of All Twinkies" Hussein collapsed with hunger and was administered an emergency goat cheese IV. After reviving, he demanded a creme filled Djinn Dog and a YooHoo.
Khamis al-Obedi, who represented Saddam and his half brother Barzan Ibrahim, was shot to death Wednesday after being abducted from his Baghdad home by men in police uniforms. His was the third killing of a member of the former Iraqi leader's defense team since the trial began some eight months ago.
Isn't Ramsey Clarke on this team? You just can't trust terrorists to do the job right.
Other members of the ex-president regime who joined the hunger strike have also resumed eating, Curry said.
Seems like they are all cut from the same cloth. Table cloth that is.
Saddam Ends Hunger Strike After Skipping One Meal
"Saddam Hussein ended a hunger strike after missing just one meal, a U.S. official said Friday.
The former Iraqi leader announced the hunger strike through his lawyer Wednesday in protest over the killing of one of his lawyers by gunmen. He has resumed eating after skipping one meal," Lt. Kevin Curry told FOXNews.
After skipping lunch, he was driven nearly mad by deprivation after he missed his Scooter Pie snacktime. Saddam "Mother Of All Twinkies" Hussein collapsed with hunger and was administered an emergency goat cheese IV. After reviving, he demanded a creme filled Djinn Dog and a YooHoo.
Khamis al-Obedi, who represented Saddam and his half brother Barzan Ibrahim, was shot to death Wednesday after being abducted from his Baghdad home by men in police uniforms. His was the third killing of a member of the former Iraqi leader's defense team since the trial began some eight months ago.
Isn't Ramsey Clarke on this team? You just can't trust terrorists to do the job right.
Other members of the ex-president regime who joined the hunger strike have also resumed eating, Curry said.
Seems like they are all cut from the same cloth. Table cloth that is.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Westchester County
I'm away for most of the week in Westchester County doing an assessment of a local police department. My team consists of a retired NYPD Detective Sergeant and a Troy PD Captain. So far everthing is going very well, this is a very professional agency and it shows. We'll be done tomorrow and from here I'll drop down to Long Island to visit my mother.
This close to NYC, many of the departments hire former NYPD cops who get an economic "kick" when they leave the relatively poor paying positions of NYPD and begin working for the smaller, more financially robust communities outside NYC. One cop said he made $25k more as soon as he made the move. It is embarassing how many NYPD cops are eligible for food stamps.
But this is a very expensive county to live in. Gas is nearly 50 cents more a gallon here. The area is very old and very beautiful with large ponds, watersheds, rivers and narrow, winding roads that weave through heavily wooded tracts. Expect to pay between $500K to $750K for a "fixer upper." This means that the cops can't afford to live in the county where they work. They all live in other counties like Duchess, Putnam and Orange. It's crazy.
This close to NYC, many of the departments hire former NYPD cops who get an economic "kick" when they leave the relatively poor paying positions of NYPD and begin working for the smaller, more financially robust communities outside NYC. One cop said he made $25k more as soon as he made the move. It is embarassing how many NYPD cops are eligible for food stamps.
But this is a very expensive county to live in. Gas is nearly 50 cents more a gallon here. The area is very old and very beautiful with large ponds, watersheds, rivers and narrow, winding roads that weave through heavily wooded tracts. Expect to pay between $500K to $750K for a "fixer upper." This means that the cops can't afford to live in the county where they work. They all live in other counties like Duchess, Putnam and Orange. It's crazy.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Wow
This is from a thread over at Emperor Misha's. It is a story about a baby who survived an abortion. You must read this. It is unbelieveable.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Rubber Band Gun
This is the rubber band gun I made for my grandson. Kinda nice, no? It is made entirely from wood. I'll give it to him on his birthday this Sunday.The rubber band is stretched from the front sight blade through the groove cut in the A2 style handle and is slipped over the sleeve located just above and to the rear of the trigger guard.
It is fired by using your thumb to slid the rubber band off the sleeve. Or you can just hold it against the lower assembly with your thumb and then release it. This is my first attempt and I am already thinking of some design enhancements.
The purists out there will scoff at the front sight, but hey... it's for a six year old. It needs to be rather robust.
I like It When...
I like it when I can help someone understand biblical principals. On June 8th, Jim freeman left a comment (on the April tag post of all things! I couldn't figure out just what in the world he was responding to from the haloscan comment site). I sometimes grow weary reading comments about Scripture from people who obviously don't understand it and yet try to score imaginary points on things outside their ken.
"The first crime was eating the forbidden fruit. How could anybody have killed anybody else later if they hadn't eaten of the forbidden fruit that was forbidden on them to have eaten. That means no eating of the fruit and they ate of it so that was a crime which just led to more killings. So to straighten you out because you ain't straight enough, get your shit together and learn how to read.
Jim Freeman 06.08.06 - 12:20 pm"
Offenses against God are sins.
Offenses against society are crimes.
Not all crimes are sins and not all sins are crimes.
There was no society at the time of the First Sin, therefore there could have been no crime.
By the time that Cain slew Abel, there was organized religion (they were to bring sacrifices before God) and we can infer that there probably were other people... a society of sorts. A small tribal society peradventure, but nonetheless a society.
Murder, rape, robbery, assault and theft are both a sin and a crime.
For Mr. Freeman's sake I'll make this even simpler.
If Congress passes a law making it a felony to read the Bible, bible reading is now a crime, but it is not a sin.
Homosexuality is a sin, but it is not a crime.
I read just fine thank you.
"The first crime was eating the forbidden fruit. How could anybody have killed anybody else later if they hadn't eaten of the forbidden fruit that was forbidden on them to have eaten. That means no eating of the fruit and they ate of it so that was a crime which just led to more killings. So to straighten you out because you ain't straight enough, get your shit together and learn how to read.
Jim Freeman 06.08.06 - 12:20 pm"
Offenses against God are sins.
Offenses against society are crimes.
Not all crimes are sins and not all sins are crimes.
There was no society at the time of the First Sin, therefore there could have been no crime.
By the time that Cain slew Abel, there was organized religion (they were to bring sacrifices before God) and we can infer that there probably were other people... a society of sorts. A small tribal society peradventure, but nonetheless a society.
Murder, rape, robbery, assault and theft are both a sin and a crime.
For Mr. Freeman's sake I'll make this even simpler.
If Congress passes a law making it a felony to read the Bible, bible reading is now a crime, but it is not a sin.
Homosexuality is a sin, but it is not a crime.
I read just fine thank you.
It’s Time To Take A Stand
I spoke with a Deputy US Marshal about some enforcement issues last week and he had an interesting observation passed down to him by an older Deputy some years ago who had spent a great deal of time in Washington. He stated that, while the democrats do not campaign on a law and order platform, the government's purse strings open up during a democratic administration for federal law enforcement agencies. Conversely, while the republicans frequently campaign on law enforcement issues, they do not provide the funding to back up their promises. I believe that this is more of a fiscal issue than a social or political one but nonetheless it does provide some insight as to how the parties operate once in office.
Beginning in the Reagan administration (1987) I started administering state and federal funding. I still do. I witnessed the changes during the Clinton administration as federal dollars moved into various so called law enforcement programs but were actually earmarked for non-governmental units, not-for-profits and the like. And the discouraging part was that almost 90% of all funds dedicated to law enforcement under the Clinton administration stayed at the federal level.
Bush 43 also has made changes but this is due to the mess he made out of the Homeland Security fiasco. It will take a generation to straighten it out.
Why? Because the cops that are now all one agency more or less were indoctrinated by a system that had over 120 separate aw enforcement agencies. Each of these agencies had their own "sponsors" and"clientele" to whom they were beholden. The problem isn't the grunts who do the actual work, it's the bureaucracy that directs and supervises them. These bureaucrats aren't going anywhere soon. A complete turnover will be needed so that the new supervisors and directors who have never been influenced by the old system will now run the show. And that will take twenty years.
From what I can see, not a single bureaucrat lost his job because of the 9/11 outrage. The FBI officials who prevented the examination of the laptop belonging to terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui were actually given a prestigious award the very next year!
And this is the problem with government. It is too big to handle. It is an incredibly vast, almost invisible network of faceless man and woman. You interact with them via telephone, email and postal mail, but hardly ever face to face. And their job functions are mostly defined by administrative fiat rather than legislation. Some hardly speak English but they still make decisions affecting your life. And they do it for the most part with almost complete impunity. There are so many of them (some are here but much more are at this pdf file - look at page 13 of 311).
In March of 2002 there were over 21 million public employees in the United States (16.3 million full time), 2.7 million of them federal employees (2.4 million full time). Compare that to national employment figures for 2002 of 127.5 million people. That's 16.5% of all jobs in the country that are completely supported by tax payers! And that incompetent windbag, Al Gore, supposedly "reinvented" government by laying off 500,000 soldiers but did nothing to make the government more responsive, more accountable.
One of my favorite books is The Parliment of Whores, in which the author P.J. O'Rouke said, “Democrats are the party of government activism, the party that says government can make you richer, smarter, taller and get the chickweed out of your lawn. Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work, and then they get elected and prove it.”
According to P.J. the only branch of the government that actually does what it is supposed to do most of the time is the US military. And that's what Gore cut!
IT'S TIME TO TAKE A STAND
Thus sprake Six Meat Buffet and I kinda like what else he has to say. I'm so disgusted with government but am leery of a Ross Perot type diversion. At least let the pubbies know that they cannot win an election without their base. They should have lerned that with Bush 41 and Dole. Sometimes I wonder if what Bush 43 does is pay back for the 1992 election.
Beginning in the Reagan administration (1987) I started administering state and federal funding. I still do. I witnessed the changes during the Clinton administration as federal dollars moved into various so called law enforcement programs but were actually earmarked for non-governmental units, not-for-profits and the like. And the discouraging part was that almost 90% of all funds dedicated to law enforcement under the Clinton administration stayed at the federal level.
Bush 43 also has made changes but this is due to the mess he made out of the Homeland Security fiasco. It will take a generation to straighten it out.
Why? Because the cops that are now all one agency more or less were indoctrinated by a system that had over 120 separate aw enforcement agencies. Each of these agencies had their own "sponsors" and"clientele" to whom they were beholden. The problem isn't the grunts who do the actual work, it's the bureaucracy that directs and supervises them. These bureaucrats aren't going anywhere soon. A complete turnover will be needed so that the new supervisors and directors who have never been influenced by the old system will now run the show. And that will take twenty years.
From what I can see, not a single bureaucrat lost his job because of the 9/11 outrage. The FBI officials who prevented the examination of the laptop belonging to terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui were actually given a prestigious award the very next year!
And this is the problem with government. It is too big to handle. It is an incredibly vast, almost invisible network of faceless man and woman. You interact with them via telephone, email and postal mail, but hardly ever face to face. And their job functions are mostly defined by administrative fiat rather than legislation. Some hardly speak English but they still make decisions affecting your life. And they do it for the most part with almost complete impunity. There are so many of them (some are here but much more are at this pdf file - look at page 13 of 311).
In March of 2002 there were over 21 million public employees in the United States (16.3 million full time), 2.7 million of them federal employees (2.4 million full time). Compare that to national employment figures for 2002 of 127.5 million people. That's 16.5% of all jobs in the country that are completely supported by tax payers! And that incompetent windbag, Al Gore, supposedly "reinvented" government by laying off 500,000 soldiers but did nothing to make the government more responsive, more accountable.
One of my favorite books is The Parliment of Whores, in which the author P.J. O'Rouke said, “Democrats are the party of government activism, the party that says government can make you richer, smarter, taller and get the chickweed out of your lawn. Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work, and then they get elected and prove it.”
According to P.J. the only branch of the government that actually does what it is supposed to do most of the time is the US military. And that's what Gore cut!
IT'S TIME TO TAKE A STAND
Thus sprake Six Meat Buffet and I kinda like what else he has to say. I'm so disgusted with government but am leery of a Ross Perot type diversion. At least let the pubbies know that they cannot win an election without their base. They should have lerned that with Bush 41 and Dole. Sometimes I wonder if what Bush 43 does is pay back for the 1992 election.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
I've Been Busy
I am almost done with several woodworking projects. In one project I helped my son in law with a canoe/kayak trailer that he is building for our pastor (an avid outdoors man who loves to paddle off into the wilderness). The trailor base was made from a old pop up camper. My son in law is a very accomplished fabricator and constructed it in a modular design so it can be put away for storage. It was painted last night. The trailer will hold up to five canoes and we needed a large box to store the oars for each craft. We finished the box this evening but it is so heavy, the two of us had to struggle a bit to pick it up. We constructed it from 5/4 inch pressure treated decking and made the mending plates and angle irons from steel plate. This Sunday is our church's Pastor Appreciation Day and we'll give the trailer to him then.
My other project is making a wooden replica of an AR-15 as a rubber band gun for my grandson. The glue is drying now and tomorrow I'll put on the front sight. My grandson's birthday is Friday, he will be six. I used my own rifle as a template and downsized it for a six year old with a shorter butt stock, pistol grip and receiver. It will use a 6" rubber band and it will be deadly.
My other project is making a wooden replica of an AR-15 as a rubber band gun for my grandson. The glue is drying now and tomorrow I'll put on the front sight. My grandson's birthday is Friday, he will be six. I used my own rifle as a template and downsized it for a six year old with a shorter butt stock, pistol grip and receiver. It will use a 6" rubber band and it will be deadly.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Fair Enough
I've commented before about the ridiculous, no criminal condition of our borders. This is nothing new and it has been deteriorating for decades. Even President Reagan missed the boat back in 1986 when he granted amnesty to 3 million illegal aliens and refused to enforce new stricter border control laws.
Since then there have six, yes! six more amnesties passed by Congress in 1994, 1997 and again in 1997, one in 1998, 2000 and again in 2000.
And our President says that isn't enough.! We need more! Now Congressman, John Linder (R-Georgia) has introduced legislation that would force Mexico to put up or shut up. Linder wants to make our immigartion laws the same as Mexico's!
From Ms. Understated;
"...some law-makers here in the United States are still so incensed at the idiotic policies that some of our politically correct law-makers seem to be adhered to with superglue, that they’ll give you everything you want so we’ll look benevolent.
However, that is hopefully about to change."
Mexico has very restrictive immigrations laws, much more so than those of the U.S. For an overview of these laws, refer here.
For Misha's take on this new wrinkle, go here.
Since then there have six, yes! six more amnesties passed by Congress in 1994, 1997 and again in 1997, one in 1998, 2000 and again in 2000.
And our President says that isn't enough.! We need more! Now Congressman, John Linder (R-Georgia) has introduced legislation that would force Mexico to put up or shut up. Linder wants to make our immigartion laws the same as Mexico's!
From Ms. Understated;
"...some law-makers here in the United States are still so incensed at the idiotic policies that some of our politically correct law-makers seem to be adhered to with superglue, that they’ll give you everything you want so we’ll look benevolent.
However, that is hopefully about to change."
Mexico has very restrictive immigrations laws, much more so than those of the U.S. For an overview of these laws, refer here.
For Misha's take on this new wrinkle, go here.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Ciao Zarqawi
This rubble lined crater is all that is left of the house where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was hiding with his accomplices. Dogged American intelligence gathering and military prowess produced this end to a loathsome enemy.
There is no substitution for the finality of death. He is capable of no further evil.
Saddam should have met the same fate in his spider hole... courtesy of the business end of a M16. The circus trial that is unfolding will hopefully end soon with Saddam joining al-Zarqawi in a dirt bath.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
We Need More Idiots
My wife was on her way to work yesterday when she passed a car; from the rear passenger window a man in perhaps his early forties had stuck his head out to enjoy the breeze. The man was obviously mentally handicapped. He had a grin a mile wide on his face. The simple pleasure of a 40 mph wind delighted him as he turned his face to catch all aspects of the wind on different parts of his head. My wife was moved by this experience as she stated that it was so good to see someone enjoying themselves in a car while every other driver was trying to cut someone off or beat the light. His was the only smile she saw.
I reflected on what she said and how my existence has been so stressed out lately that I find myself in the same position that I was in just prior to retiring from the PD. I would drag myself into work dreading each day. I allowed the grind and pressure to wear me out and render me joyless, humorless and a little deader each day. And it was starting again.
And I thought of this man, who uncharitably we would call an idiot, who perhaps never had a care in the world because he just was not "smart"enough to worry, who would never produce anything of value, who must rely on resources that must be supplied by someone else for he is unable to provide for himself. In other words, this man would amount to no more than a drain on everyone he came into contact with.
But God in His wisdom had put this man in this position to remind me of something. For all my struggles, this man will be no better off, and no worse off, upon his death than I. His life will be less racked with doubt and worry. He will not realize that everything he had accomplished would be dust in a generation or two. And he would not care. A "half wit" that lacks the sense to cross the street by himself is just as precious to God as the CEO of a major corporation, perhaps more so since he is utterly dependent on others for his care. And this is the rub.
We need to learn from the "disadvantaged" that life has no guarantees. We are all a traffic accident, a heart attack or a stroke away from the same condition. In one way or another we are all dependent upon the kindness of others no matter how hard we try to deny it. And kindness is a spark of divinity, a foretaste of heaven that is becoming scarce. Kindness is evidence that there indeed is a God. But for the kindness and compassion of God there would be no Savior.
Today our society is aborting children who suffer from these conditions as soon as they can be identified. The man in the car would be killed in the womb simply because it would be inconvenient to care for him. Because it would be too costly to provide the level of care he would require. Because he is not worthy to be a beloved son or daughter. Because he just doesn't fit our notion of a useful citizen.
It has been said that a society will be judged by how it treats its weakest, most vulnerable members. This "Teri Schiavo" type of accounting is straight from hell. And America will be held accountable for it.
I reflected on what she said and how my existence has been so stressed out lately that I find myself in the same position that I was in just prior to retiring from the PD. I would drag myself into work dreading each day. I allowed the grind and pressure to wear me out and render me joyless, humorless and a little deader each day. And it was starting again.
And I thought of this man, who uncharitably we would call an idiot, who perhaps never had a care in the world because he just was not "smart"enough to worry, who would never produce anything of value, who must rely on resources that must be supplied by someone else for he is unable to provide for himself. In other words, this man would amount to no more than a drain on everyone he came into contact with.
But God in His wisdom had put this man in this position to remind me of something. For all my struggles, this man will be no better off, and no worse off, upon his death than I. His life will be less racked with doubt and worry. He will not realize that everything he had accomplished would be dust in a generation or two. And he would not care. A "half wit" that lacks the sense to cross the street by himself is just as precious to God as the CEO of a major corporation, perhaps more so since he is utterly dependent on others for his care. And this is the rub.
We need to learn from the "disadvantaged" that life has no guarantees. We are all a traffic accident, a heart attack or a stroke away from the same condition. In one way or another we are all dependent upon the kindness of others no matter how hard we try to deny it. And kindness is a spark of divinity, a foretaste of heaven that is becoming scarce. Kindness is evidence that there indeed is a God. But for the kindness and compassion of God there would be no Savior.
Today our society is aborting children who suffer from these conditions as soon as they can be identified. The man in the car would be killed in the womb simply because it would be inconvenient to care for him. Because it would be too costly to provide the level of care he would require. Because he is not worthy to be a beloved son or daughter. Because he just doesn't fit our notion of a useful citizen.
It has been said that a society will be judged by how it treats its weakest, most vulnerable members. This "Teri Schiavo" type of accounting is straight from hell. And America will be held accountable for it.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Call It Treason
USA Today carries a story that relates how our fighting men are affected by stories of alleged atrocities. The incredible pressures of urban combat are bad enough. The enemy is roundly defeated every time he openly confronts our armed forces, so he hides behind the veneer of American abhorence of civilian casualties. It may be that this veneer is getting thinner and thinner.
"RAMADI, Iraq - Allegations that Marines killed civilians in the western Iraqi town of Hadithah last year could undo efforts to win the cooperation of locals in the volatile Anbar province, some Marines say.
"All it does is make our jobs harder out here," said Capt. Andrew Del Gaudio, commander of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. "Every Iraqi will assume Marines will act like that. It's a perception that in this part of the world is hard to overcome."
The allegations also highlight the rapid life-and-death decisions that soldiers and Marines make in the shadowy world of guerrilla warfare."
I cringed when I read this story. The self control exhibited by our soldiers while under fire is nothing short of miraculous.
"Hadithah is a village along the Euphrates River valley in Anbar province, one of the most dangerous regions in Iraq. The U.S. military announced Tuesday that it will send about 1,500 troops from its Kuwait-based reserve force to temporarily bolster forces in the province, which stretches from west of Baghdad to the Syrian border. It's a heavily Sunni area where outsiders are viewed suspiciously.
Fighting an elusive enemy while trying to persuade citizens to cooperate with Iraq's new government has proven difficult for U.S. forces in the region."
As difficult as it is for our troops to carry on with their mission, it is far easier for the traitorous scum in the MSM to ignore the courage of our people, to ignore all the good works being accomplished in Iraq, to ignore the countless Iraqis who truly appreciate the sacrifice our young men and women are making.
"Del Gaudio said he made a tough call after a roadside bomb killed four of his men in April. While securing the scene, he was shot at by a machine gun in a follow-up attack. When he aimed his weapon to return fire, he saw that the gunmen had a line of children standing in front of them and two men filming with video cameras. He held fire until the children moved out of the way but was shot in his hand, which was only inches from his face.
"Restraint almost cost me my life," he said."
I wish they had orders to shoot the men with the video cameras. They are providing comfort and support to the enemy. Kill them. Soon enough these cowards will learn that holding a camera will not spare their lives when it is used to "document" set up atrocities. Give them some incentive (staying alive) to videotape openings of schools and water purifying facilities instead.
"Cpl. Michael Compton, 22, of Kilo Company, said he was confronted with a tough choice when a colleague, Lance Cpl. Richard Caseltine, 20, was shot and injured.
A bullet went through Caseltine's helmet, tracing the inner lining, then exited out the back of the helmet. Shrapnel from the bullet casing was lodged in the back of Caseltine's neck. Compton had to remove Caseltine from the scene so he could receive medical care and be evacuated.
"My first reaction was to shoot everyone," Caseltine said. "I was scared, pissed off , every emotion was running high." He said it took about 10 seconds for him to settle down and return his focus on the gunbattle and getting to safety."
Ten seconds? I would be frothing at the mouth for a week. You're a much better man than I am Corporal.
"Marine Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee recently traveled to Marine bases in Iraq to underscore rules of combat. "We do not employ force just for the sake of employing force," Hagee said in a statement.
Goetz said he emphasizes professionalism with his men. "The decisions that they make are split-second," he said. "Sometimes restraint may make them hesitate.""
And hesitation can kill you in combat.
The Hadithah incident occurred six months ago. But the traitors in the MSM waited until the Memorial Day weekend to once again stigmatize our troops. In last Saturday's Post Standard we were treated to front page, above the fold headlines about a six month old story. Then the next day the paper switches tracks and publishes a soft piece on our soldiers.
What are the effects of this kind of partisan reporting? At what cost does the media pursue it's bash Bush at any cost policy? What effect does this constant, harping media assault have on our troops?
I wonder if this is the result of the feminization of the military initiated by the Clintons. I do not, repeat, do not impugn the professionalism and bravery of our armed forces. God forbid! But I do question the over cautious Rules of Engagement that appear to place our people at unnecessary risk. These considerations never would have arisen in wars fought by past generations.
"RAMADI, Iraq - Allegations that Marines killed civilians in the western Iraqi town of Hadithah last year could undo efforts to win the cooperation of locals in the volatile Anbar province, some Marines say.
"All it does is make our jobs harder out here," said Capt. Andrew Del Gaudio, commander of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. "Every Iraqi will assume Marines will act like that. It's a perception that in this part of the world is hard to overcome."
The allegations also highlight the rapid life-and-death decisions that soldiers and Marines make in the shadowy world of guerrilla warfare."
I cringed when I read this story. The self control exhibited by our soldiers while under fire is nothing short of miraculous.
"Hadithah is a village along the Euphrates River valley in Anbar province, one of the most dangerous regions in Iraq. The U.S. military announced Tuesday that it will send about 1,500 troops from its Kuwait-based reserve force to temporarily bolster forces in the province, which stretches from west of Baghdad to the Syrian border. It's a heavily Sunni area where outsiders are viewed suspiciously.
Fighting an elusive enemy while trying to persuade citizens to cooperate with Iraq's new government has proven difficult for U.S. forces in the region."
As difficult as it is for our troops to carry on with their mission, it is far easier for the traitorous scum in the MSM to ignore the courage of our people, to ignore all the good works being accomplished in Iraq, to ignore the countless Iraqis who truly appreciate the sacrifice our young men and women are making.
"Del Gaudio said he made a tough call after a roadside bomb killed four of his men in April. While securing the scene, he was shot at by a machine gun in a follow-up attack. When he aimed his weapon to return fire, he saw that the gunmen had a line of children standing in front of them and two men filming with video cameras. He held fire until the children moved out of the way but was shot in his hand, which was only inches from his face.
"Restraint almost cost me my life," he said."
I wish they had orders to shoot the men with the video cameras. They are providing comfort and support to the enemy. Kill them. Soon enough these cowards will learn that holding a camera will not spare their lives when it is used to "document" set up atrocities. Give them some incentive (staying alive) to videotape openings of schools and water purifying facilities instead.
"Cpl. Michael Compton, 22, of Kilo Company, said he was confronted with a tough choice when a colleague, Lance Cpl. Richard Caseltine, 20, was shot and injured.
A bullet went through Caseltine's helmet, tracing the inner lining, then exited out the back of the helmet. Shrapnel from the bullet casing was lodged in the back of Caseltine's neck. Compton had to remove Caseltine from the scene so he could receive medical care and be evacuated.
"My first reaction was to shoot everyone," Caseltine said. "I was scared, pissed off , every emotion was running high." He said it took about 10 seconds for him to settle down and return his focus on the gunbattle and getting to safety."
Ten seconds? I would be frothing at the mouth for a week. You're a much better man than I am Corporal.
"Marine Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee recently traveled to Marine bases in Iraq to underscore rules of combat. "We do not employ force just for the sake of employing force," Hagee said in a statement.
Goetz said he emphasizes professionalism with his men. "The decisions that they make are split-second," he said. "Sometimes restraint may make them hesitate.""
And hesitation can kill you in combat.
The Hadithah incident occurred six months ago. But the traitors in the MSM waited until the Memorial Day weekend to once again stigmatize our troops. In last Saturday's Post Standard we were treated to front page, above the fold headlines about a six month old story. Then the next day the paper switches tracks and publishes a soft piece on our soldiers.
What are the effects of this kind of partisan reporting? At what cost does the media pursue it's bash Bush at any cost policy? What effect does this constant, harping media assault have on our troops?
I wonder if this is the result of the feminization of the military initiated by the Clintons. I do not, repeat, do not impugn the professionalism and bravery of our armed forces. God forbid! But I do question the over cautious Rules of Engagement that appear to place our people at unnecessary risk. These considerations never would have arisen in wars fought by past generations.
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