You can fill in the blank.
Courtesy of Captain Ed, we learn that ol' Hairpiece Trent, Hero of Railroads to Nowhere, has a very bad attitude about disclosure of political contributions.
In the next few weeks leading up to Election Day, money will pour into candidates' coffers and voters will be able to see which lobby groups are trying hardest to buy their lawmakers' favor.
Except if the candidates happen to be running for Senate. ...
As it is, almost all senators and Senate candidates deliver their reports on paper (even though those reports are written on computers). The paper filings are laboriously scanned and then key-punched into an electronic system, a procedure that often takes six weeks to finish and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.
After the reports are submitted to the Secretary of the Senate (often well past published deadlines), they are placed onto the Federal Election Commission's Web site in a page-by-page format. The listings are not searchable, which makes it almost impossible for anyone to glean useful information Source: WaPost
(This happens to be almost identical to the DiamondJim Doyle reporting method, by the way...his gang of slimebuckets uses Word instead of Excel, making it almost impossible to find out who's getting the next several million in State contracts....)
The Senate has obviously approved tough disclosure rules for House and presidential campaigns, and rightly so. However, the upper chamber has never addressed openness in its own dealings with contributors, and apparently has no plans to do so now.
A bipartisan group approached Trent Lott in July, sending a letter requesting that his Committee on Rules and Administration address this hypocrisy, signed by the seven Republicans and four Democrats and spearheaded by Lott's Mississippi colleague Thad Cochran and Russ Feingold.
The eleven elicited no better response than did Birnbaum, who got stiffed by a Lott staffer when trying to get a comment for his article.
Isn't it about time that Trent Lott gets sent back to a cheerleading squad?
Monday, September 18, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Is the MSM the Cause of the Muslim Anti-B-16 Riots?
One of the advantages of blogging is that one reads news from different sources. For this blogger, that includes Zenit (the daily Vatican digest) as well as a number of specifically Roman Catholic blogs. (See the sidebar...)
Thus, my understanding of Benedict XVI's address at Regensburg is markedly different from the one spread about by the MSM--principally AP and Reuters.
The address was not terribly long, and the "Muslim" portion was only a few grafs within it. In general terms, the address was not about the Muslim faith. Rather, it was about the severance of faith and reason which became definitive through the work of Descartes.
The Pope had traced the faith/reason question from the time of the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) through Scholasticism, making a short excursion into the Muslim question, and then through modern times.
It's really a brilliantly concise history of philosophy and theology.
By the way, the Pope slapped up the current Western division between faith and reason, and mentioned that one of the concerns of the Muslims with the West was precisely this bifurcation--which the Muslims regard as un-natural, as do thinking Catholics, as well as some 'fundamentalist' sects:
We will succeed in doing so only if reason and faith come together in a new way, if we overcome the self-imposed limitation of reason to the empirically verifiable, and if we once more disclose its vast horizons. In this sense theology rightly belongs in the university and within the wide-ranging dialogue of sciences, not merely as a historical discipline and one of the human sciences, but precisely as theology, as inquiry into the rationality of faith.
But that's not what the AP and Reuters reported, is it?
From "Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex":
True to its nature, the western press has, in the last couple of days, stupidly and dangerously mischaracterized the Holy Father. They have, with a crudeness that surpasses credulity, tried to portray Benedict’s brilliant, recent lecture at Regensburg, to a group of scientists, as an attack on Islam. Clearly, the speech surpasses the intellectual ken of the typical journalist. It is one of the clearest, pithiest, most forceful expositions of the path that led to the separation of faith and reason in the West that I have ever read. For those who have not read it, here it is.
What was the AFP/Yahoo headline?
Pope enjoys private time after slamming Islam
Really?
From the article following the headline above, we get the following:
His address late Tuesday to academics at Regensburg University, in which he fleetingly criticised the Islamic concept of "Jihad" or holy war, hit the only political note of his six-day visit, during which his addresses have been almost entirely spiritual.
"Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul," said the pope, during a complex treatise on reason and faith.
At least the term "fleetingly" was correct. All the rest is utterly vapid and not even CLOSE to accurate.
Even my initial precis of the "Muslim/Christian differences" which DID focus on that portion of the speech gave a better sense of the context than does the above.
The NYTimes' story of today characterizes the speech accurately:
The speech was largely a scholarly address criticizing the West for submitting itself too much to reason, for walling belief in God out of science and philosophy.
...but the lead graf in the story is not quite accurate:
Pope Benedict XVI sought Sunday to extinguish days of anger and protest among Muslims by issuing an extraordinary personal apology for having caused offense with a speech last week that cited a reference to Islam as “evil and inhuman.”
Big difference.
It's clear that there is a reason for blogs. Keep reading them.
Thus, my understanding of Benedict XVI's address at Regensburg is markedly different from the one spread about by the MSM--principally AP and Reuters.
The address was not terribly long, and the "Muslim" portion was only a few grafs within it. In general terms, the address was not about the Muslim faith. Rather, it was about the severance of faith and reason which became definitive through the work of Descartes.
The Pope had traced the faith/reason question from the time of the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) through Scholasticism, making a short excursion into the Muslim question, and then through modern times.
It's really a brilliantly concise history of philosophy and theology.
By the way, the Pope slapped up the current Western division between faith and reason, and mentioned that one of the concerns of the Muslims with the West was precisely this bifurcation--which the Muslims regard as un-natural, as do thinking Catholics, as well as some 'fundamentalist' sects:
We will succeed in doing so only if reason and faith come together in a new way, if we overcome the self-imposed limitation of reason to the empirically verifiable, and if we once more disclose its vast horizons. In this sense theology rightly belongs in the university and within the wide-ranging dialogue of sciences, not merely as a historical discipline and one of the human sciences, but precisely as theology, as inquiry into the rationality of faith.
But that's not what the AP and Reuters reported, is it?
From "Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex":
True to its nature, the western press has, in the last couple of days, stupidly and dangerously mischaracterized the Holy Father. They have, with a crudeness that surpasses credulity, tried to portray Benedict’s brilliant, recent lecture at Regensburg, to a group of scientists, as an attack on Islam. Clearly, the speech surpasses the intellectual ken of the typical journalist. It is one of the clearest, pithiest, most forceful expositions of the path that led to the separation of faith and reason in the West that I have ever read. For those who have not read it, here it is.
What was the AFP/Yahoo headline?
Pope enjoys private time after slamming Islam
Really?
From the article following the headline above, we get the following:
His address late Tuesday to academics at Regensburg University, in which he fleetingly criticised the Islamic concept of "Jihad" or holy war, hit the only political note of his six-day visit, during which his addresses have been almost entirely spiritual.
"Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul," said the pope, during a complex treatise on reason and faith.
At least the term "fleetingly" was correct. All the rest is utterly vapid and not even CLOSE to accurate.
Even my initial precis of the "Muslim/Christian differences" which DID focus on that portion of the speech gave a better sense of the context than does the above.
The NYTimes' story of today characterizes the speech accurately:
The speech was largely a scholarly address criticizing the West for submitting itself too much to reason, for walling belief in God out of science and philosophy.
...but the lead graf in the story is not quite accurate:
Pope Benedict XVI sought Sunday to extinguish days of anger and protest among Muslims by issuing an extraordinary personal apology for having caused offense with a speech last week that cited a reference to Islam as “evil and inhuman.”
What the Pope ACTUALLY said is in the second graf:
“I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address,” the pope told pilgrims at the summer papal palace of Castel Gandolfo, “which were considered offensive.’’Big difference.
It's clear that there is a reason for blogs. Keep reading them.
Mitchell Bank Chairman Misrepresents Numbers
In an earlier post, we noted that the Chairman of Mitchell Bank stated that 'only 10,000 unskilled Mexicans are legally allowed into the US every year' during his "lecture" to the Peter Favre Forum a few months ago.
That number seemed very small to me--and if it were accurate, I opined that it was certainly worthy of study (for the purpose of increasing it.)
As it turns out, the number was very small--and VERY inaccurate.
Here's a US Immigration Service table (Excel) which gives MUCH larger numbers.
Looks as though the average is about 160,000/year from 1996-2005.
If the Chairman of a Bank has this sort of numbers-problem, perhaps he should use one of the Bank's calculators more frequently.
That number seemed very small to me--and if it were accurate, I opined that it was certainly worthy of study (for the purpose of increasing it.)
As it turns out, the number was very small--and VERY inaccurate.
Here's a US Immigration Service table (Excel) which gives MUCH larger numbers.
Looks as though the average is about 160,000/year from 1996-2005.
If the Chairman of a Bank has this sort of numbers-problem, perhaps he should use one of the Bank's calculators more frequently.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Earthbound Farms--Irony and E. Coli
The outfit which recalled all its spinach is Earthbound Farms, a 20-something company which has quite a reputation as an "organic foods" producer.
Here's a little blurb about their 26,000 acre operation:
This means that each year 8,400,000 pounds of synthetic fertilizer and 267,000 pounds of toxic and persistent pesticides are not introduced into our environment, your neighborhood, or our food.
From the AP report:
Earthbound Farm, the country's largest grower of organic produce, is facing unwelcome scrutiny after federal officials linked a nationwide E. coli outbreak to its bagged spinach
The company, also known by its legal name Natural Selection Foods LLC, recalled and stopped shipping all its spinach products after E. coli outbreaks killed one person and sickened more than 100 others in 19 states.
Well, whatever it is, at least it's not a "persistent pesticide."
Here's a little blurb about their 26,000 acre operation:
This means that each year 8,400,000 pounds of synthetic fertilizer and 267,000 pounds of toxic and persistent pesticides are not introduced into our environment, your neighborhood, or our food.
From the AP report:
Earthbound Farm, the country's largest grower of organic produce, is facing unwelcome scrutiny after federal officials linked a nationwide E. coli outbreak to its bagged spinach
The company, also known by its legal name Natural Selection Foods LLC, recalled and stopped shipping all its spinach products after E. coli outbreaks killed one person and sickened more than 100 others in 19 states.
Well, whatever it is, at least it's not a "persistent pesticide."
Muslims Asking for Real Trouble. GWB, Phone Home
The "religion of peace" is scoring big-time points here:
A HARDLINE cleric linked to Somalia’s powerful Islamist movement has called for Muslims to “hunt down” and kill Pope Benedict XVI for his controversial comments about Islam.
Sheikh Abubukar Hassan Malin urged Muslims to find the pontiff and punish him for insulting the Prophet Mohammed and Allah in a speech that he said was as offensive as author Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses.
“We urge you Muslims wherever you are to hunt down the Pope for his barbaric statements as you have pursued Salman Rushdie, the enemy of Allah who offended our religion,” he said in Friday evening prayers.
“Whoever offends our Prophet Mohammed should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim,” Malin, a prominent cleric in the Somali capital, told worshippers at a mosque in southern Mogadishu.
“We call on all Islamic Communities across the world to take revenge on the baseless critic called the pope,” he said.
And here:
Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority, Grand Mufti Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik, said in remarks published Saturday that the pope’s comments on Islam were “all lies.”
“These are all lies. The prophet (Muhammad), peace be upon him, came as a mercy to the world,” the daily al-Riyadh newspaper quoted al-Sheik as saying.
He said the pontiff’s remarks showed reconciliation between religions was impossible.
“Everybody should know by now that all claims about religions’ reconciliation have just been proven to be lies in reality,” al-Sheik said. “How can they think of reconciliation while insulting Islam and the prophet?”
Hope you mullahs remember a couple of names: Jan Sobieski and Lepanto. Except this time you may not get as far as Vienna, nor the Aegean.
Meantime, the silence from Foggy Bottom and the White House has been deafening.
A HARDLINE cleric linked to Somalia’s powerful Islamist movement has called for Muslims to “hunt down” and kill Pope Benedict XVI for his controversial comments about Islam.
Sheikh Abubukar Hassan Malin urged Muslims to find the pontiff and punish him for insulting the Prophet Mohammed and Allah in a speech that he said was as offensive as author Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses.
“We urge you Muslims wherever you are to hunt down the Pope for his barbaric statements as you have pursued Salman Rushdie, the enemy of Allah who offended our religion,” he said in Friday evening prayers.
“Whoever offends our Prophet Mohammed should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim,” Malin, a prominent cleric in the Somali capital, told worshippers at a mosque in southern Mogadishu.
“We call on all Islamic Communities across the world to take revenge on the baseless critic called the pope,” he said.
And here:
Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority, Grand Mufti Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik, said in remarks published Saturday that the pope’s comments on Islam were “all lies.”
“These are all lies. The prophet (Muhammad), peace be upon him, came as a mercy to the world,” the daily al-Riyadh newspaper quoted al-Sheik as saying.
He said the pontiff’s remarks showed reconciliation between religions was impossible.
“Everybody should know by now that all claims about religions’ reconciliation have just been proven to be lies in reality,” al-Sheik said. “How can they think of reconciliation while insulting Islam and the prophet?”
Hope you mullahs remember a couple of names: Jan Sobieski and Lepanto. Except this time you may not get as far as Vienna, nor the Aegean.
Meantime, the silence from Foggy Bottom and the White House has been deafening.
What's the Second Amendment REALLY There For?
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a debate!
From Where I Sit and P-Mac sorta-kinda-like Open Knowledge of Gun Ownership.
The NRA, Sensenbrenner, and I stand opposed, at least in some regards.
Much of the discussion is about utilization of registration data. P-Mac:
What this is really is an argument about is how gun-trace data can be used. Sensenbrenner backs a bill that generally limits federal gun-tracking data to law-enforcement use, strictly defined, while his critics say the data should be more widely available. Personally, I find merit on both sides, though I lean toward letting the federal data be more accessible rather than more restricted
Elliot/From Where:
I think we should do a much better job of tracking guns in this country. Just like I think we should be able to tell exactly who’s voting, I think we should be able to tell exactly who is responsible for any particular gun.
Currently, under Federal law, people who purchase handguns and long-guns (rifles) have to register their purchase with the dealer. (There's a myth that "gun shows" are a "loophole" to this requirement. The myth is perpetrated successfully on the wilfully ignorant...)
At any rate, the registration data is supposed to remain confidential--and removed from Federal records--after a period of time.
There have been problems. Rogue cops, rogue Mayors, and various do-gooder-crusaders have been able to get their hands on the data and have blatantly mis-used the stuff for various nefarious purposes. BATF agents have also been overly exuberant in "enforcement" of regulations. On the other hand, there have been successes (see Chisholm's story on McIlheran's blog entry.)
But the debate misses a larger point.
The Second Amendment was not written exclusively for deer-hunters, nor exclusively for those who wish to be armed as a matter of self-defense against criminals.
It was written for better reasons: the defense of the Country and the defense of the States against the Country (if necessary.) Recall that the Bill of Rights was added at the demand of various States and is largely concerned with "What the Feds Cannot Do." This list of "cannots" was facilitated at the point of a gun (as it were) by inclusion of the 2nd Amendment.
Finally, by implication, the 2nd was written to allow the citizens self-protection against not ONLY a rogue Federal Government, but also against rogue State Government(s.) In other words, the 2nd empowers responsible citizens with arms.
I am not among those who think that there is an imminent threat from the Feds, nor from the State, to establish some sort of Fascism.
But then, neither were the Jews of Germany and Poland in the 1920's. Nor were scores of settlers and natives in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe in the 1960's. Nor citizens of Cambodia just before Pol Pot.
Acton's words about power and Absolute power are worth remembering in this debate, as is the REAL purpose of the 2nd.
From Where I Sit and P-Mac sorta-kinda-like Open Knowledge of Gun Ownership.
The NRA, Sensenbrenner, and I stand opposed, at least in some regards.
Much of the discussion is about utilization of registration data. P-Mac:
What this is really is an argument about is how gun-trace data can be used. Sensenbrenner backs a bill that generally limits federal gun-tracking data to law-enforcement use, strictly defined, while his critics say the data should be more widely available. Personally, I find merit on both sides, though I lean toward letting the federal data be more accessible rather than more restricted
Elliot/From Where:
I think we should do a much better job of tracking guns in this country. Just like I think we should be able to tell exactly who’s voting, I think we should be able to tell exactly who is responsible for any particular gun.
Currently, under Federal law, people who purchase handguns and long-guns (rifles) have to register their purchase with the dealer. (There's a myth that "gun shows" are a "loophole" to this requirement. The myth is perpetrated successfully on the wilfully ignorant...)
At any rate, the registration data is supposed to remain confidential--and removed from Federal records--after a period of time.
There have been problems. Rogue cops, rogue Mayors, and various do-gooder-crusaders have been able to get their hands on the data and have blatantly mis-used the stuff for various nefarious purposes. BATF agents have also been overly exuberant in "enforcement" of regulations. On the other hand, there have been successes (see Chisholm's story on McIlheran's blog entry.)
But the debate misses a larger point.
The Second Amendment was not written exclusively for deer-hunters, nor exclusively for those who wish to be armed as a matter of self-defense against criminals.
It was written for better reasons: the defense of the Country and the defense of the States against the Country (if necessary.) Recall that the Bill of Rights was added at the demand of various States and is largely concerned with "What the Feds Cannot Do." This list of "cannots" was facilitated at the point of a gun (as it were) by inclusion of the 2nd Amendment.
Finally, by implication, the 2nd was written to allow the citizens self-protection against not ONLY a rogue Federal Government, but also against rogue State Government(s.) In other words, the 2nd empowers responsible citizens with arms.
I am not among those who think that there is an imminent threat from the Feds, nor from the State, to establish some sort of Fascism.
But then, neither were the Jews of Germany and Poland in the 1920's. Nor were scores of settlers and natives in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe in the 1960's. Nor citizens of Cambodia just before Pol Pot.
Acton's words about power and Absolute power are worth remembering in this debate, as is the REAL purpose of the 2nd.
My CHILDREN Weren't Treated This Well
P-Mac catches a good one:
“The politically correct regulations are unbelievable,” he writes in the New York Post. “Detainees are entitled to a full eight hours sleep and can't be woken up for interrogations. They enjoy three meals and five prayers per day, without interruption. They are entitled to a minimum of two hours of outdoor recreation per day.
My children were subject to interrogations at ANY TIME, for ANY REASON, and "outdoor recreation" was eliminated from their schedules, often--for various reasons. But they DID pray--for relief from interrogations, or that Dad/Mom wouldn't catch them, or figure out who was guilty...
“Interrogations are limited to four hours, usually running two -- and (of course) are interrupted for prayers. One interrogator actually bakes cookies for detainees, while another serves them Subway or McDonald's sandwiches. Both are available on base. (Filet o' Fish is an al Qaeda favorite.)
We fed the children. Once in a while, McDonald's or subway. Mom baked cookies for them (usually I ate them before the kids ever saw them...heh.) But they were also forced to clear the table, clean the utensils, load/unload the dishwasher--and occasionally actually had to eat REAL food--nutritious stuff, you know.
“Interrogations are not video or audio taped, perhaps to preserve detainee privacy.
We didn't tape the interrogations, either. That way the nosy child-welfare folks only had "he said/she said" evidence. Worked for us!!
“The politically correct regulations are unbelievable,” he writes in the New York Post. “Detainees are entitled to a full eight hours sleep and can't be woken up for interrogations. They enjoy three meals and five prayers per day, without interruption. They are entitled to a minimum of two hours of outdoor recreation per day.
My children were subject to interrogations at ANY TIME, for ANY REASON, and "outdoor recreation" was eliminated from their schedules, often--for various reasons. But they DID pray--for relief from interrogations, or that Dad/Mom wouldn't catch them, or figure out who was guilty...
“Interrogations are limited to four hours, usually running two -- and (of course) are interrupted for prayers. One interrogator actually bakes cookies for detainees, while another serves them Subway or McDonald's sandwiches. Both are available on base. (Filet o' Fish is an al Qaeda favorite.)
We fed the children. Once in a while, McDonald's or subway. Mom baked cookies for them (usually I ate them before the kids ever saw them...heh.) But they were also forced to clear the table, clean the utensils, load/unload the dishwasher--and occasionally actually had to eat REAL food--nutritious stuff, you know.
“Interrogations are not video or audio taped, perhaps to preserve detainee privacy.
We didn't tape the interrogations, either. That way the nosy child-welfare folks only had "he said/she said" evidence. Worked for us!!
Pakistan: Collapsing?
He's a scumbag, but he had been helpful in the WOT.
But Musharrat is beginning to lose control to the AlQuaeda gang. That will have repercussions; remember that Pakistan has nukes.
On Friday, the Telegraph published a distressing story that my intelligence sources have confirmed. Pakistan's descent into chaos (see my coverage of the government's surrender of the Waziristan region) is apparently continuing apace, with the latest incident being the release of 2,500 foreign fighters linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda who were "detained by Pakistan after fleeing the battleground in Afghanistan." My intelligence sources indicate that this is a "done deal," as the prisoners were released early Friday morning.
...My intelligence sources indicate that this latest incident further demonstrates the weakness of Musharraf's government. Several of the released prisoners were reportedly linked to past assassination plots against Musharraf, so letting them go free is unlikely to buy the Pakistani president the security that he apparently desires. He is "running scared" according to my sources, and is putting very little thought into the various concessions that he's making to militant factions.
Another little item on GWB's worry-bead collection.
But Musharrat is beginning to lose control to the AlQuaeda gang. That will have repercussions; remember that Pakistan has nukes.
On Friday, the Telegraph published a distressing story that my intelligence sources have confirmed. Pakistan's descent into chaos (see my coverage of the government's surrender of the Waziristan region) is apparently continuing apace, with the latest incident being the release of 2,500 foreign fighters linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda who were "detained by Pakistan after fleeing the battleground in Afghanistan." My intelligence sources indicate that this is a "done deal," as the prisoners were released early Friday morning.
...My intelligence sources indicate that this latest incident further demonstrates the weakness of Musharraf's government. Several of the released prisoners were reportedly linked to past assassination plots against Musharraf, so letting them go free is unlikely to buy the Pakistani president the security that he apparently desires. He is "running scared" according to my sources, and is putting very little thought into the various concessions that he's making to militant factions.
Another little item on GWB's worry-bead collection.
Jordahl's BRILLIANT Perception
This lady is dead-nuts-on.
In her discussion of the "See/Hear/Speak No Evil" attack on Jim Sensenbrenner, she observes:
...what really concerns the liberal establishment is not whether Jim Sensenbrenner's comments will hurt tourism. The sound they're afraid of is more levers being pulled for conservative, tough on crime candidates like Sheriff David Clarke
...or JB Van Hollen.
But I suspect that this is merely the tip of the iceberg.
Nationally, the 'generic' Republican has been rapidly gaining ground on the 'generic' Democrat in Republican districts and States which have open or contestable seats in Congress. (Gallup) It's a 40-point turnaround, and while these are (R) districts, and while this is attributed largely to "War on Terror" coat-tails of GWBush, I don't think that it is the only reason--and Jordahl (as well as Fraley) see a "law-and-order" trend, as well.
Obviously, they both read my post below before making their observations.
In her discussion of the "See/Hear/Speak No Evil" attack on Jim Sensenbrenner, she observes:
...what really concerns the liberal establishment is not whether Jim Sensenbrenner's comments will hurt tourism. The sound they're afraid of is more levers being pulled for conservative, tough on crime candidates like Sheriff David Clarke
...or JB Van Hollen.
But I suspect that this is merely the tip of the iceberg.
Nationally, the 'generic' Republican has been rapidly gaining ground on the 'generic' Democrat in Republican districts and States which have open or contestable seats in Congress. (Gallup) It's a 40-point turnaround, and while these are (R) districts, and while this is attributed largely to "War on Terror" coat-tails of GWBush, I don't think that it is the only reason--and Jordahl (as well as Fraley) see a "law-and-order" trend, as well.
Obviously, they both read my post below before making their observations.
Damn Good Shooting
We think that this officer is a REALLY cool cop with out-friggin-standing! shooting capabilities.
A 56-year-old man was shot by a Milwaukee police officer inside a home about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, after, police said, the man pointed a gun at the officer.
The man was hit twice in the arm and taken to Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Wauwatosa. He was expected to survive.
Good shooting. The principle here is simple: a good cop should disable the threat--exactly what happened here. "Deadly force" should not have to result in death.
A 56-year-old man was shot by a Milwaukee police officer inside a home about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, after, police said, the man pointed a gun at the officer.
The man was hit twice in the arm and taken to Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Wauwatosa. He was expected to survive.
Good shooting. The principle here is simple: a good cop should disable the threat--exactly what happened here. "Deadly force" should not have to result in death.
Tom Barrett: Here IS a Crisis
Milk Carton Tommy, you have a crisis:
By age 10, Leon had been referred to Milwaukee County Children's court four times, once for trying to sexually assault a 6-year-old relative. Now 15, he has been placed on probation five times, received mental health, mentoring and counseling services, and has been placed in multiple residential treatment centers and treatment foster homes, records show.
Four of the six juveniles charged [in the gang-rape crime], records show, had prior contact with the juvenile justice system in addition to some personal drug involvement, or a parent involved with drugs.
The Leftist establishment in this country (and particularly in Wisconsin) has been very effective in "understanding the pain" and "rehabilitating." Hell, the Democrat nominee for Attorney-General thinks that our jails are wasting space on druggies; that they should be on the streets, instead. They "just need a chance" to turn around.
Yah.
Tommy-boy's crisis was handed to him by several generations of Lefties who eviscerated the family, who legitimized sex before/outside of marriage, who have enshrined "make nice" as the only courtroom alternative for prosecutors and judges--who, in their determination to justify their Creed that a 'sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll' society is harmless (we call that "self-justification") have created a societal CRISIS.
The irony is that MilkCarton Tommy is a card-carrying member of that Left.
He just can't possibly admit it.
By age 10, Leon had been referred to Milwaukee County Children's court four times, once for trying to sexually assault a 6-year-old relative. Now 15, he has been placed on probation five times, received mental health, mentoring and counseling services, and has been placed in multiple residential treatment centers and treatment foster homes, records show.
Four of the six juveniles charged [in the gang-rape crime], records show, had prior contact with the juvenile justice system in addition to some personal drug involvement, or a parent involved with drugs.
The Leftist establishment in this country (and particularly in Wisconsin) has been very effective in "understanding the pain" and "rehabilitating." Hell, the Democrat nominee for Attorney-General thinks that our jails are wasting space on druggies; that they should be on the streets, instead. They "just need a chance" to turn around.
Yah.
Tommy-boy's crisis was handed to him by several generations of Lefties who eviscerated the family, who legitimized sex before/outside of marriage, who have enshrined "make nice" as the only courtroom alternative for prosecutors and judges--who, in their determination to justify their Creed that a 'sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll' society is harmless (we call that "self-justification") have created a societal CRISIS.
The irony is that MilkCarton Tommy is a card-carrying member of that Left.
He just can't possibly admit it.
Cedarburg
What a mess.
So happens I know a couple of Cedarburg schoolteachers--not well, but well enough. There's a very real and deep divide "in the ranks" of the teachers on this question, as well. One of them is a union activist, and based on my observations, damn near a moonbat-lefty. The other is neither.
The leftist predicted this outcome last year. He was absolutely certain that the teacher would be re-instated. The other guy feared that the re-instatement would occur.
The arbitrator managed to avoid the real question by adopting a "fairness" standard. Since another District employee had NOT been fired for cruising the Web on District machines, the porn-peeper should not be fired, either. But the other web-cruiser was looking for stock quotations, not TeenHotBabesWithBikinis.
Of course, the case should NOT be all about process. It SHOULD BE all about substance, as Nichols points out in today's JSOnline
The libertarian-crowd is neutered on this one. They will defend, to the death, the concept that pornpeepers are just fine to have around, so long as they don't touch.
After all, what's the harm in porn? It's just like prostitution, no? Willing parties, and all that...
Actually, there's a growing body of evidence that suggests there IS a problem, which comes as no surprise to Conservatives. Remember all those pervert priests? Most of them had porn-stashes. Many (not all) heterosex offenders (rapists and slut-chasers) have porn-stashes.
These are statistically-significant coincidences.
I don't make the claim that ALL porn-peepers act out. And I don't make the claim that all pervert-actors (hetero or homo) have porn stashes.
But the Catholic Church regards porn-viewing as a serious (mortal) sin, (given the usual conditions,) and I would guess that the WELS folks are of similar mind.
At some point, maybe not far down the track, this debate will get the serious attention it deserves.
So happens I know a couple of Cedarburg schoolteachers--not well, but well enough. There's a very real and deep divide "in the ranks" of the teachers on this question, as well. One of them is a union activist, and based on my observations, damn near a moonbat-lefty. The other is neither.
The leftist predicted this outcome last year. He was absolutely certain that the teacher would be re-instated. The other guy feared that the re-instatement would occur.
The arbitrator managed to avoid the real question by adopting a "fairness" standard. Since another District employee had NOT been fired for cruising the Web on District machines, the porn-peeper should not be fired, either. But the other web-cruiser was looking for stock quotations, not TeenHotBabesWithBikinis.
Of course, the case should NOT be all about process. It SHOULD BE all about substance, as Nichols points out in today's JSOnline
The libertarian-crowd is neutered on this one. They will defend, to the death, the concept that pornpeepers are just fine to have around, so long as they don't touch.
After all, what's the harm in porn? It's just like prostitution, no? Willing parties, and all that...
Actually, there's a growing body of evidence that suggests there IS a problem, which comes as no surprise to Conservatives. Remember all those pervert priests? Most of them had porn-stashes. Many (not all) heterosex offenders (rapists and slut-chasers) have porn-stashes.
These are statistically-significant coincidences.
I don't make the claim that ALL porn-peepers act out. And I don't make the claim that all pervert-actors (hetero or homo) have porn stashes.
But the Catholic Church regards porn-viewing as a serious (mortal) sin, (given the usual conditions,) and I would guess that the WELS folks are of similar mind.
At some point, maybe not far down the track, this debate will get the serious attention it deserves.
Second Grandchild!!
Yup. Spent a little time out of town last night to check out the newest addition to the family.
Oldest daughter delivered a very healthy son. Mom, Dad, and grandparents are fine.
More target-shooting lessons on the docket in about 6 or 7 years, eh?
Oldest daughter delivered a very healthy son. Mom, Dad, and grandparents are fine.
More target-shooting lessons on the docket in about 6 or 7 years, eh?
Free Speech Emerges!
Heh.
By the reporting, it seems that Doyle handled this as best he could (that's my positive comment about Diamond Jim for the year.)
A group of unidentified protesters disrupted a news conference Friday by Gov. Jim Doyle, drowning out some of his comments on an E. coli outbreak and on Zoo Interchange reconstruction.
The protesters, less than a dozen in number, carried homemade signs and at least one megaphone. They arrived at the Watertown Plank Road park-and-ride lot in Wauwatosa before the start of the news conference.
Doyle tried to wait them out, then started and stopped his comments a few times before deciding to ignore the protesters and press on.
The Green campaign stated that they had nothing to do with it.
Doyle's Slimer-in-Chief, however, uses tried-and-true New York campaign tactics:
Doyle campaign spokesman Anson Kaye said he did not buy the Green campaign's denial.
"A handful of goons show up at an event, regurgitating an ad Congressman Green just put up this morning," Kaye said. "It's pretty clear where they came from . . . "
Based on the reporting in the story, I suspect that the Green campaign is telling the truth. In fact, I have my own ideas about the genesis of this group.
By the reporting, it seems that Doyle handled this as best he could (that's my positive comment about Diamond Jim for the year.)
A group of unidentified protesters disrupted a news conference Friday by Gov. Jim Doyle, drowning out some of his comments on an E. coli outbreak and on Zoo Interchange reconstruction.
The protesters, less than a dozen in number, carried homemade signs and at least one megaphone. They arrived at the Watertown Plank Road park-and-ride lot in Wauwatosa before the start of the news conference.
Doyle tried to wait them out, then started and stopped his comments a few times before deciding to ignore the protesters and press on.
The Green campaign stated that they had nothing to do with it.
Doyle's Slimer-in-Chief, however, uses tried-and-true New York campaign tactics:
Doyle campaign spokesman Anson Kaye said he did not buy the Green campaign's denial.
"A handful of goons show up at an event, regurgitating an ad Congressman Green just put up this morning," Kaye said. "It's pretty clear where they came from . . . "
Based on the reporting in the story, I suspect that the Green campaign is telling the truth. In fact, I have my own ideas about the genesis of this group.
Green's REAL Challenge
Let's assume that Mark Green wins the race and becomes Governor of the State of Wisconsin early next year. (Let's also HOPE and WORK for that...)
He will have a problem:
The Legislature and Doyle both use bookkeeping that says the state will have a tiny surplus when the current budget cycle ends in mid-2007. But Green and others, including the non-profit Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, said more traditional accounting methods conclude that the imbalance between future spending and tax collections is more than $1 billion.
Basically, state spending in fiscal 2008 - the first budget the next governor must prepare - is $400 million out of balance, assuming state government continues to pay two-thirds of public school costs, continues to pay for rising Medicaid caseloads and gives state workers a 1.5% annual pay raise
The difficulty here is simple. There are plenty of (R) Leggies who like to spend Other People's Money. Not on WEAC, of course. They prefer highways and buildings, and maybe nursing homes.
But, as Rep. Lassee has tirelessly pointed out, IT'S THE SPENDING, STUPID!!!
Green will have to exercise a very firm hand to control the Pubbie spending-lobby. We can expect a great deal of internecine bloodshed should Green actually make the attempt.
He'll need support.
He will have a problem:
The Legislature and Doyle both use bookkeeping that says the state will have a tiny surplus when the current budget cycle ends in mid-2007. But Green and others, including the non-profit Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, said more traditional accounting methods conclude that the imbalance between future spending and tax collections is more than $1 billion.
Basically, state spending in fiscal 2008 - the first budget the next governor must prepare - is $400 million out of balance, assuming state government continues to pay two-thirds of public school costs, continues to pay for rising Medicaid caseloads and gives state workers a 1.5% annual pay raise
The difficulty here is simple. There are plenty of (R) Leggies who like to spend Other People's Money. Not on WEAC, of course. They prefer highways and buildings, and maybe nursing homes.
But, as Rep. Lassee has tirelessly pointed out, IT'S THE SPENDING, STUPID!!!
Green will have to exercise a very firm hand to control the Pubbie spending-lobby. We can expect a great deal of internecine bloodshed should Green actually make the attempt.
He'll need support.
China Is Our Friend, Part 45875
Yah. "The Workers' Paradise" alright.
Verité, the social compliance company, says workers were not properly paid for overtime work in 68 percent of the factories it audited last year, a figure virtually unchanged from previous years. Employees worked beyond the legal limit in two-thirds of the factories it audited. The company has performed about 400 audits in China since 2002
...Despite the spreading use of social compliance audits, department stores or the owners of major Western brands are sometimes unaware - or are willfully ignorant - of the scale of the abuses, said Daniella Gould, the top manager in East Asia for Impactt, a company that audits factories and offers training to Chinese managers
Actually, PRChina may well BE a "workers' paradise,"--but no PRC officials really care:
On the books, Chinese labor laws are strict. The workweek is 40 hours, after which generous overtime must be paid, ranging from 150 percent to 200 percent of base salary, until a total of 66 hours, the effective legal weekly limit. Workers are entitled to at least one day off a week. No one younger than 16 is allowed to work in a factory
The 'social audit' people who spoke for the record were very careful to point the finger of blame at the low-level "local" Commies who "are interested in economic development." Other reports from PRC indicate that ChiCom higher-ups (Politburo members and their families) are often investors in factories. In other words, the local yokels keep their hands off for a damn good reason: screwing up the Politburo's personal get-rich schemes can cost you your life, or at least your position and comfy home.
In the article, Apple is ID'd as a "good guy."
Let's hope that Apple is not the only one.
Verité, the social compliance company, says workers were not properly paid for overtime work in 68 percent of the factories it audited last year, a figure virtually unchanged from previous years. Employees worked beyond the legal limit in two-thirds of the factories it audited. The company has performed about 400 audits in China since 2002
...Despite the spreading use of social compliance audits, department stores or the owners of major Western brands are sometimes unaware - or are willfully ignorant - of the scale of the abuses, said Daniella Gould, the top manager in East Asia for Impactt, a company that audits factories and offers training to Chinese managers
Actually, PRChina may well BE a "workers' paradise,"--but no PRC officials really care:
On the books, Chinese labor laws are strict. The workweek is 40 hours, after which generous overtime must be paid, ranging from 150 percent to 200 percent of base salary, until a total of 66 hours, the effective legal weekly limit. Workers are entitled to at least one day off a week. No one younger than 16 is allowed to work in a factory
The 'social audit' people who spoke for the record were very careful to point the finger of blame at the low-level "local" Commies who "are interested in economic development." Other reports from PRC indicate that ChiCom higher-ups (Politburo members and their families) are often investors in factories. In other words, the local yokels keep their hands off for a damn good reason: screwing up the Politburo's personal get-rich schemes can cost you your life, or at least your position and comfy home.
In the article, Apple is ID'd as a "good guy."
Let's hope that Apple is not the only one.
Friday, September 15, 2006
The Muslims, the Gays
Here's Dreher on the Moslem scream over Benedict XVI's remarks:
How on earth are we ever supposed to be able to have a dialogue if the non-Muslim side has to walk on eggshells to avoid offending the wounded sensibilities of Muslim leaders, who seem very eager to take the gross offense at anything critical. ... Still, in my dealings with Muslim leaders in Dallas who have been offended by my critical writing, they rarely if ever have dealt with the substance of what I've written; they've gone apoplectic over the fact that I wrote anything critical at all. As if the only reason anyone could have anything critical to say about Islam is out of malicious or bigoted motive.
Substitute "homosexual agenda" for "Islam" in the highlight above...
How on earth are we ever supposed to be able to have a dialogue if the non-Muslim side has to walk on eggshells to avoid offending the wounded sensibilities of Muslim leaders, who seem very eager to take the gross offense at anything critical. ... Still, in my dealings with Muslim leaders in Dallas who have been offended by my critical writing, they rarely if ever have dealt with the substance of what I've written; they've gone apoplectic over the fact that I wrote anything critical at all. As if the only reason anyone could have anything critical to say about Islam is out of malicious or bigoted motive.
Substitute "homosexual agenda" for "Islam" in the highlight above...
Anent the CUF Advice
So what would Mr. Suprenant suggest when confronted with a greasy half-truth like this:
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has determined that in the United States, Holy Communion is received standing and that the appropriate sign of respect is a bow of the head before the Sacrament. The Diocese of Orange is obliged to observe this norm. (Bp Tod Brown via The Cafeteria Is Closed via Matt Abbott)
Yes, the Diocese is "obliged to observe" the norm. But the Faithful are NOT--as was made clear by a directive from Rome (whose authority on the matter supercedes that of Bp. Brown.) A member of the Faithful may choose to kneel and priests are required to administer Communion (all other things being equal.)
How about this one:
The participation of women as altar servers, cantors, and lectors, is a sign of the basic equality of every baptized member of Christ: we are all called to service in light of our God given gifts. It has also been determined in 1971 by the Bishop's Committee on the Liturgy in consultation with the Vatican, that this is a legitimate liturgical practice
In reality, "altar server" permission was granted by the Vatican MUCH later than 1971. Further, the BCL did not then, nor does it now, have the authority to license these practices.
Finally (this gets tiresome, you know)
It is the purview of the local administrator whether or not the celebrants at Masses should have the assistance of extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist and the placement and furnishings of the sanctuary.
But the "local administrator" (aka Bishop) is also required to faithfully follow the instructions of the Congregation for Rites. That Congregation has clearly stated that "extraordinary" ministers were to be used only if there would be "extraordinary" needs. That is to say that the PRIEST (and his assistant priests) are distributing communion--not sitting on a chair someplace.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has determined that in the United States, Holy Communion is received standing and that the appropriate sign of respect is a bow of the head before the Sacrament. The Diocese of Orange is obliged to observe this norm. (Bp Tod Brown via The Cafeteria Is Closed via Matt Abbott)
Yes, the Diocese is "obliged to observe" the norm. But the Faithful are NOT--as was made clear by a directive from Rome (whose authority on the matter supercedes that of Bp. Brown.) A member of the Faithful may choose to kneel and priests are required to administer Communion (all other things being equal.)
How about this one:
The participation of women as altar servers, cantors, and lectors, is a sign of the basic equality of every baptized member of Christ: we are all called to service in light of our God given gifts. It has also been determined in 1971 by the Bishop's Committee on the Liturgy in consultation with the Vatican, that this is a legitimate liturgical practice
In reality, "altar server" permission was granted by the Vatican MUCH later than 1971. Further, the BCL did not then, nor does it now, have the authority to license these practices.
Finally (this gets tiresome, you know)
It is the purview of the local administrator whether or not the celebrants at Masses should have the assistance of extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist and the placement and furnishings of the sanctuary.
But the "local administrator" (aka Bishop) is also required to faithfully follow the instructions of the Congregation for Rites. That Congregation has clearly stated that "extraordinary" ministers were to be used only if there would be "extraordinary" needs. That is to say that the PRIEST (and his assistant priests) are distributing communion--not sitting on a chair someplace.
Some Questions for CUF's Suprenant
Blosser notes that Leon Suprenant, President of Catholics United for the Faith (CUF) has advice for Catholics who have a hard time swallowing some of the antics of various priests and Bishops. He also notes that Dale Vree of New Oxford Review, has questions about Suprenant's answers.
1) "We can't control the actions of others, but we surely can take it upon ourselves to strive to become saints. At the judgment, we will not be asked about our bishop or pastor, but we will be accountable for what we did with our own talents." (Suprenant)
Pope Felix III said, "Not to oppose error is to approve of it." Again, as Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Yes, depending on our talents, God might ask us if we stood up to a cowardly bishop or a dissident or weak-kneed pastor. Suprenant seems to think that saints are mild and gentle. However, St. Paul rebuked St. Peter to his face. St. Catherine of Siena challenged her pope. St. Thomas Aquinas said, 'When the faith is in imminent peril, prelates ought to be accused by their subjects, even in public.' (Vree)
Since bishops and pastors are our spiritual fathers, we are commanded to honor them as such by the Fourth Commandment.... [and] encourage a healthy, positive loyalty and reverence toward ... our spiritual fathers (Suprenant)
Invoking the Fourth Commandment is quite a stretch! Two-thirds of our bishops did nothing about the priestly sex scandals; they just moved the pederast priests around. (Vree, in a point which hits home in Milwaukee...)
"No," [Vree] says, "silence is not golden; it's yellow."
So Blosser, the professor, sums:
Is that the bottom line, then? Is the betrayal of silence and complicity simply a betrayal of cowardice? Or is it something different? Is it a betrayal rooted in an erroneous conception of the role of the laity vis-a-vis the clergy and their respective obedience owed to the Church and, thus, to God? Or is this no betrayal of silence and complicity at all? Is this exactly what we should be doing and no more -- praying in silence for our clerics, for our Church, for better days, "offering up" the sufferings and abuses and scandals of our present times, waiting for the Lord to act in His time?
Good questions.
Blogging is at least part of the answer. This blog is surveyed, regularly, by two or three ISP's from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. We post bits and pieces of information about Diocesan and parish affairs (as well as info on arcana like musica sacra) regularly.
Some of that stuff is "news" to the Archbishop. And sometimes, he makes the Church's position clear.
1) "We can't control the actions of others, but we surely can take it upon ourselves to strive to become saints. At the judgment, we will not be asked about our bishop or pastor, but we will be accountable for what we did with our own talents." (Suprenant)
Pope Felix III said, "Not to oppose error is to approve of it." Again, as Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Yes, depending on our talents, God might ask us if we stood up to a cowardly bishop or a dissident or weak-kneed pastor. Suprenant seems to think that saints are mild and gentle. However, St. Paul rebuked St. Peter to his face. St. Catherine of Siena challenged her pope. St. Thomas Aquinas said, 'When the faith is in imminent peril, prelates ought to be accused by their subjects, even in public.' (Vree)
Since bishops and pastors are our spiritual fathers, we are commanded to honor them as such by the Fourth Commandment.... [and] encourage a healthy, positive loyalty and reverence toward ... our spiritual fathers (Suprenant)
Invoking the Fourth Commandment is quite a stretch! Two-thirds of our bishops did nothing about the priestly sex scandals; they just moved the pederast priests around. (Vree, in a point which hits home in Milwaukee...)
"No," [Vree] says, "silence is not golden; it's yellow."
So Blosser, the professor, sums:
Is that the bottom line, then? Is the betrayal of silence and complicity simply a betrayal of cowardice? Or is it something different? Is it a betrayal rooted in an erroneous conception of the role of the laity vis-a-vis the clergy and their respective obedience owed to the Church and, thus, to God? Or is this no betrayal of silence and complicity at all? Is this exactly what we should be doing and no more -- praying in silence for our clerics, for our Church, for better days, "offering up" the sufferings and abuses and scandals of our present times, waiting for the Lord to act in His time?
Good questions.
Blogging is at least part of the answer. This blog is surveyed, regularly, by two or three ISP's from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. We post bits and pieces of information about Diocesan and parish affairs (as well as info on arcana like musica sacra) regularly.
Some of that stuff is "news" to the Archbishop. And sometimes, he makes the Church's position clear.
Red China Is Our Friend!! Part 34523
The US State Department under Ms. Rice is unable to comprehend the terms of "MFN/PNTR" agreements--
Either that, or the US State Department and Ms. Rice don't really give a damn:
Another Chinese bishop has been arrested by the Communist authorities. Bishop Martin Wu Qinjing of Zhouzhi in the Shaanxi province was taken into custody. He was ordained a bishop last year, but not approved by the Communist government, which forbade him from exercising his ministry.
The Communist Chinese government requires Christians to worship only in state-controlled associations, including the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which eschews any connections to the Vatican or the Pope. Many Catholics worship in illegal, underground churches, following only bishops appointed by the Pope, although the divisions are not hard and fast. Many priests and laypeople, and even bishops, are members of the patriotic association in public, and of the underground Church, in secret.
All that "human rights" stuff in the treaties--irrelevant. We have the US Department of Commerce and certain members of the Fortune 500 to deal with.
What's more important?
Either that, or the US State Department and Ms. Rice don't really give a damn:
Another Chinese bishop has been arrested by the Communist authorities. Bishop Martin Wu Qinjing of Zhouzhi in the Shaanxi province was taken into custody. He was ordained a bishop last year, but not approved by the Communist government, which forbade him from exercising his ministry.
The Communist Chinese government requires Christians to worship only in state-controlled associations, including the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which eschews any connections to the Vatican or the Pope. Many Catholics worship in illegal, underground churches, following only bishops appointed by the Pope, although the divisions are not hard and fast. Many priests and laypeople, and even bishops, are members of the patriotic association in public, and of the underground Church, in secret.
All that "human rights" stuff in the treaties--irrelevant. We have the US Department of Commerce and certain members of the Fortune 500 to deal with.
What's more important?
Sensenbrenner on Sykes
Charlie caught a good one.
Jim Sensenbrenner stated, flatly, that it is up to the local government to control crime.
Not the Feds.
TommyBoy, the Washington-based Mayor of Milwaukee, wants more money from the Feds to put cops on the street in Milwaukee.
In other words, taxpayers from Sheboygan, Delafield, Antigo, Sioux Falls IA., and Front Royal VA., should be paying for Milwaukee beat coppers.
Yah, that makes sense. State of Wisconsin taxpayers provide lots of money to Milwaukee in direct and indirect aids now. So do Federal taxpayers.
TommyBoy and CrisisNan just want more. More. More.
Tommy--you wanted the job. Now DO IT!!
Jim Sensenbrenner stated, flatly, that it is up to the local government to control crime.
Not the Feds.
TommyBoy, the Washington-based Mayor of Milwaukee, wants more money from the Feds to put cops on the street in Milwaukee.
In other words, taxpayers from Sheboygan, Delafield, Antigo, Sioux Falls IA., and Front Royal VA., should be paying for Milwaukee beat coppers.
Yah, that makes sense. State of Wisconsin taxpayers provide lots of money to Milwaukee in direct and indirect aids now. So do Federal taxpayers.
TommyBoy and CrisisNan just want more. More. More.
Tommy--you wanted the job. Now DO IT!!
What Does HR 5092 Really DO?
Milk-Carton Barrett and the JS editors aside, here are the facts on HR 5092:
H.R. 5092--the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) Modernization and Reform Act of 2006”--will improve BATFE’s process for punishing the few FFLs who violate the law, and will establish guidelines for BATFE investigations. This bill was drafted in large part to address recent, blatant BATFE abuses at Richmond, VA-area gun shows highlighted in hearings before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. This legislation has passed out of committee and will be voted on in the full House during the week of September 18.
Yah. Sounds like "keeping secrets from local police" to me...
H.R. 5092--the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) Modernization and Reform Act of 2006”--will improve BATFE’s process for punishing the few FFLs who violate the law, and will establish guidelines for BATFE investigations. This bill was drafted in large part to address recent, blatant BATFE abuses at Richmond, VA-area gun shows highlighted in hearings before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. This legislation has passed out of committee and will be voted on in the full House during the week of September 18.
Yah. Sounds like "keeping secrets from local police" to me...
Jessica Returns with Good Stuff!
After a couple of days of very light blogging, Jess picks up where she left off--finding that Tammy Baldwin is a twit (!!!), that Doyle lies, and that illegal aliens commit more than a few crimes.
Good stuff.
Good stuff.
P-Mac Sums It With Irony
After quoting an individual who lived in Iraq under Saddam, who stated that yes, indeed, KerrySmoke aside, Saddam aided and assisted AlQuaeda, McIlheran goes on to sum up the position of the WackoLeft:
Which goes to the larger contention of the left, that you can’t link terrorists groups just because they all are filled with Muslim men who talk of jihad and toppling satanic America — no, they’re each to be regarded individually. And they’re active in every country from Morocco to Indonesia — except for Iraq, where they weren’t active at all.
Not letting facts get in the way, the Left screeches approval of the KerrySmoke report.
Which goes to the larger contention of the left, that you can’t link terrorists groups just because they all are filled with Muslim men who talk of jihad and toppling satanic America — no, they’re each to be regarded individually. And they’re active in every country from Morocco to Indonesia — except for Iraq, where they weren’t active at all.
Not letting facts get in the way, the Left screeches approval of the KerrySmoke report.
Mullahs Unhappy about Pope
We reported on Benedict XVI's remarks at Regensburg a few posts down. He quoted a 14th-century thinker:
...recounting a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and an educated Persian on the truths of Christianity and Islam.
"The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the pope said.
"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached,'" he quoted the emperor as saying.
Umnnnnhhh--has anyone asked Steve Centanni about this?
The mullah went on:
In remarks to Turkey's state-owned Anatolia news agency, Bardakoglu said Thursday that he expected an apology from the pope and said it was the Christian church, not Islam, that popularized conversion by the sword.
"The church and the Western public, because they saw Islam as the enemy, went on crusades. They occupied Istanbul, they killed thousands of people. Orthodox Christians and Jews were killed and tortured," he said....
"They (the Christians) saw war against those outside the Christian world as a holy duty," Bardakoglu continued. "That's why the Western clerics always have in the back of their minds a crusade mentality and the idea of holy war," he claimed.
...conveniently forgetting the jihad which preceded (and triggered) the Crusades.
From DhimmiWatch:
From the Who's-Kidding-Whom Department: the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which has sprung Hamas and Al-Qaeda, and Sheikh Qaradawi, who has endorsed jihad-martyrdom suicide bombings, are demanding the Pope apologize for suggesting Islam is violent. And the Hizballah News Agency, aka Reuters, reports it all, of course, with a straight face.
The definitive "religion of peace" people have spoken.
...recounting a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and an educated Persian on the truths of Christianity and Islam.
"The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the pope said.
"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached,'" he quoted the emperor as saying.
Umnnnnhhh--has anyone asked Steve Centanni about this?
The mullah went on:
In remarks to Turkey's state-owned Anatolia news agency, Bardakoglu said Thursday that he expected an apology from the pope and said it was the Christian church, not Islam, that popularized conversion by the sword.
"The church and the Western public, because they saw Islam as the enemy, went on crusades. They occupied Istanbul, they killed thousands of people. Orthodox Christians and Jews were killed and tortured," he said....
"They (the Christians) saw war against those outside the Christian world as a holy duty," Bardakoglu continued. "That's why the Western clerics always have in the back of their minds a crusade mentality and the idea of holy war," he claimed.
...conveniently forgetting the jihad which preceded (and triggered) the Crusades.
From DhimmiWatch:
From the Who's-Kidding-Whom Department: the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which has sprung Hamas and Al-Qaeda, and Sheikh Qaradawi, who has endorsed jihad-martyrdom suicide bombings, are demanding the Pope apologize for suggesting Islam is violent. And the Hizballah News Agency, aka Reuters, reports it all, of course, with a straight face.
The definitive "religion of peace" people have spoken.
E Coli: Where's YOUR Spinach From?
There have been 11 confirmed cases of E. coli in Milwaukee County, but only four have been linked to the national outbreak of E. coli O157:H7
The FDA said that, nationwide, 50 cases of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including eight cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome and the death in Wisconsin.
Other states involved in the outbreak are Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah, the FDA said Thursday evening. Late Thursday, Baker said Washington state had been added to the list of states affected.
There are several unanswered questions.
Where did this spinach come from? Which State or country?
Which producer(s) failed to ensure FDA processing standards, IF they are FDA-inspected?
Just asking.....
The FDA said that, nationwide, 50 cases of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including eight cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome and the death in Wisconsin.
Other states involved in the outbreak are Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah, the FDA said Thursday evening. Late Thursday, Baker said Washington state had been added to the list of states affected.
There are several unanswered questions.
Where did this spinach come from? Which State or country?
Which producer(s) failed to ensure FDA processing standards, IF they are FDA-inspected?
Just asking.....
Casino Jim Announces Nothing but Makes It Sound Good
Continuing his attempt to purchase votes (it works on him, why not the voters?) Diamond Jim Doyle has offered to rebuild the I-894/Hy 45/I-94 interchange beginning in 2012.
Doyle and his transportation chief say the move is driven not by politics but by the economic importance of the state's busiest freeway interchange, the crossroads of I-94, I-894 and U.S. Highway 45.
...Doyle noted that "the Zoo Interchange is a very important part of the overall transportation picture for the whole state" as a traffic link among the Milwaukee, Madison and Fox Valley regions.
Not to worry about funding this:
Doyle denied that his decision was political. He said he vetoed the earlier move because Republicans tried to undo his shift of transportation dollars to school spending.
The money's already been stolen. Now it's just a matter of using Visa to make up the loss, right, Jimbo?
Here's the real fun:
Busalacchi and Doyle said the preliminary engineering work also will be the basis for deciding whether the freeways that feed into the Zoo Interchange should be expanded from six lanes to eight, as the planning commission has recommended. That has been one of the most controversial aspects of freeway reconstruction, particularly within Milwaukee, because of the number of homes, businesses and graves that could be taken.
In other words, the "announcement" is meaningless. Milk-Carton Barrett will fight to the death (assuming he's in town) to keep I-94 at 6 lanes. The infighting alone will delay the project at least a couple of years.
Of course, Milk-Carton thinks that Diamond Jim will keep it to 6 lanes.
Doyle and his transportation chief say the move is driven not by politics but by the economic importance of the state's busiest freeway interchange, the crossroads of I-94, I-894 and U.S. Highway 45.
...Doyle noted that "the Zoo Interchange is a very important part of the overall transportation picture for the whole state" as a traffic link among the Milwaukee, Madison and Fox Valley regions.
Not to worry about funding this:
Doyle denied that his decision was political. He said he vetoed the earlier move because Republicans tried to undo his shift of transportation dollars to school spending.
The money's already been stolen. Now it's just a matter of using Visa to make up the loss, right, Jimbo?
Here's the real fun:
Busalacchi and Doyle said the preliminary engineering work also will be the basis for deciding whether the freeways that feed into the Zoo Interchange should be expanded from six lanes to eight, as the planning commission has recommended. That has been one of the most controversial aspects of freeway reconstruction, particularly within Milwaukee, because of the number of homes, businesses and graves that could be taken.
In other words, the "announcement" is meaningless. Milk-Carton Barrett will fight to the death (assuming he's in town) to keep I-94 at 6 lanes. The infighting alone will delay the project at least a couple of years.
Of course, Milk-Carton thinks that Diamond Jim will keep it to 6 lanes.
So NOW It's Vote Fraud?
Bibbity-Bobot, a loser of the Democratic persuasion, is unhappy:
Bobot added that he wants to demand a full recount in all races because of both the turnout error and other alleged ballot discrepancies he had heard about.
"Until they do that, I have no confidence in these results," said Bobot, who lost to Clarke in the city by a 2,600-vote margin out of 35,134 ballots cast and by about 3,700 votes countywide.
Tom Barrett did not demand that Bibbity show him "just one."
Barrett said later that he understood Bobot's frustration but hoped that Bobot would delay a decision on asking for a recount until after the hand count of ballots was over. He disputed Bobot's claims that the turnout error signaled other shoddy election handling.
"No one has suggested that individual races were affected," Barrett said.
In other words, it is not a "crisis."
Edman falls on her sword:
City Election Commission Executive Director Susan Edman on Thursday accepted full responsibility for the problem and blamed it on an isolated computer error caused by software programmed by her office. She said the hand count of all ballots was necessary - both to confirm how many ballots had actually been cast and to reassure the voting public that her office was responsibly managing the city's elections.
Barrett was asked why more had not been done to safeguard the September primary, given that history. He replied that the Election Commission staff felt it had gained experience with the new software, which was purchased in February, and would be ready for this week's voting.
Yah. That move saved a LOT of money.
Bobot added that he wants to demand a full recount in all races because of both the turnout error and other alleged ballot discrepancies he had heard about.
"Until they do that, I have no confidence in these results," said Bobot, who lost to Clarke in the city by a 2,600-vote margin out of 35,134 ballots cast and by about 3,700 votes countywide.
Tom Barrett did not demand that Bibbity show him "just one."
Barrett said later that he understood Bobot's frustration but hoped that Bobot would delay a decision on asking for a recount until after the hand count of ballots was over. He disputed Bobot's claims that the turnout error signaled other shoddy election handling.
"No one has suggested that individual races were affected," Barrett said.
In other words, it is not a "crisis."
Edman falls on her sword:
City Election Commission Executive Director Susan Edman on Thursday accepted full responsibility for the problem and blamed it on an isolated computer error caused by software programmed by her office. She said the hand count of all ballots was necessary - both to confirm how many ballots had actually been cast and to reassure the voting public that her office was responsibly managing the city's elections.
Barrett was asked why more had not been done to safeguard the September primary, given that history. He replied that the Election Commission staff felt it had gained experience with the new software, which was purchased in February, and would be ready for this week's voting.
Milk Carton had been out of town a lot.
The software firm helped the city in the April election, but the city office did the programming on its own this time around, according to Edman. She said the city went it alone in part to save money. She said she learned Thursday what the city's programming mistake was from calling a programmer at the software company.Yah. That move saved a LOT of money.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Another Wisconsin Diocese With Problems?
Having a blogsite is an educational experience.
A few posts down, we remarked on the situation in Massachusetts because it may preview difficulties in Wisconsin should The Amendment fail.
A very civil and polite fellow commented:
My experience locally has been the same. When my partner and I attended an adoption workshop hosted by a Catholic Church, Lutheran Social Services expressed great excitement to work with us. We didn't even approach the Catholic Charities table, but the staff there made a point of coming up to us to talk about their programming.
Rome recently issued a directive (CDF, if I recall correctly) which absolutely, positively vetoed Catholic participation in homosex-couple adoptions.
We certainly hope that LaCrosse, Madison, Green Bay, Superior, and Milwaukee Diocesan offices took that directive seriously.
A few posts down, we remarked on the situation in Massachusetts because it may preview difficulties in Wisconsin should The Amendment fail.
A very civil and polite fellow commented:
My experience locally has been the same. When my partner and I attended an adoption workshop hosted by a Catholic Church, Lutheran Social Services expressed great excitement to work with us. We didn't even approach the Catholic Charities table, but the staff there made a point of coming up to us to talk about their programming.
Rome recently issued a directive (CDF, if I recall correctly) which absolutely, positively vetoed Catholic participation in homosex-couple adoptions.
We certainly hope that LaCrosse, Madison, Green Bay, Superior, and Milwaukee Diocesan offices took that directive seriously.
GWB's Pick As His Successor
Just found this blog (TomRoeser.com) today, proving that indeed, I may be a blind pig. Ironically, Roeser has family in the Milwaukee area, and I am acquainted with them...
TR reports that GWB likes Mitt Romney. A lot.
TR reports that GWB likes Mitt Romney. A lot.
"The Amendment" Has Implications
Funded extremely well, the anti-amendment crowd in Wisconsin (calling itself "Fair Wisconsin" in an exquisitely ironic self-adulating chirp) mewls and moans that, if passed, The Amendment will interfere with all sorts of "rights" of non-married couples, both homo- and hetero-sexual.
We doubt that, with different reasons for different "rights" The Amendment would preclude. Most of their objections are fantasy--and most of the rest can and will be resolved through legislation.
But since those who want "Gay Marriage" don't concern themselves with facts and prefer the romantic oozing of "feelings," the ads will play on "feelings."
Here are some facts to consider:
CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF BOSTON made the announcement on March 10: It was getting out of the adoption business. "We have encountered a dilemma we cannot resolve. . . . The issue is adoption to same-sex couples."
...Massachusetts law prohibited "orientation discrimination" over a decade ago. Then in November 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ordered gay marriage. The majority ruled that only animus against gay people could explain why anyone would want to treat opposite-sex and same-sex couples differently. That same year, partly in response to growing pressure for gay marriage and adoption both here and in Europe, a Vatican statement made clear that placing children with same-sex couples violates Catholic teaching.
...Cardinal O'Malley asked Governor Mitt Romney for a religious exemption from the ban on orientation discrimination. Governor Romney reluctantly responded that he lacked legal authority to grant one unilaterally, by executive order. So the governor and archbishop turned to the state legislature, requesting a conscience exemption that would allow Catholic Charities to continue to help kids in a manner consistent with Catholic teaching.
To date, not a single other Massachusetts political leader appears willing to consider even the narrowest religious exemption. Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, the Republican candidate for governor in this fall's election, refused to budge: "I believe that any institution that wants to provide services that are regulated by the state has to abide by the laws of the state," Healey told the Boston Globe on March 2, "and our antidiscrimination laws are some of our most important."
...It's worth underscoring that Catholic Charities' problem with the state didn't hinge on its receipt of public money. Ron Madnick, president of the Massachusetts chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, agreed with Garvey's assessment: "Even if Catholic Charities ceased receiving tax support and gave up its role as a state contractor, it still could not refuse to place children with same-sex couples."
Should The Amendment pass, homosexual couples will have the right to adopt, and that right will be Constitutional in Wisconsin.
How long will it take for Roman Catholic adoption agencies to be put out of business? Or Lutheran Social Services? Or any comparable Baptist, Greek Orthodox, or Orthodox Jewish agencies?
We doubt that, with different reasons for different "rights" The Amendment would preclude. Most of their objections are fantasy--and most of the rest can and will be resolved through legislation.
But since those who want "Gay Marriage" don't concern themselves with facts and prefer the romantic oozing of "feelings," the ads will play on "feelings."
Here are some facts to consider:
CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF BOSTON made the announcement on March 10: It was getting out of the adoption business. "We have encountered a dilemma we cannot resolve. . . . The issue is adoption to same-sex couples."
...Massachusetts law prohibited "orientation discrimination" over a decade ago. Then in November 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ordered gay marriage. The majority ruled that only animus against gay people could explain why anyone would want to treat opposite-sex and same-sex couples differently. That same year, partly in response to growing pressure for gay marriage and adoption both here and in Europe, a Vatican statement made clear that placing children with same-sex couples violates Catholic teaching.
...Cardinal O'Malley asked Governor Mitt Romney for a religious exemption from the ban on orientation discrimination. Governor Romney reluctantly responded that he lacked legal authority to grant one unilaterally, by executive order. So the governor and archbishop turned to the state legislature, requesting a conscience exemption that would allow Catholic Charities to continue to help kids in a manner consistent with Catholic teaching.
To date, not a single other Massachusetts political leader appears willing to consider even the narrowest religious exemption. Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, the Republican candidate for governor in this fall's election, refused to budge: "I believe that any institution that wants to provide services that are regulated by the state has to abide by the laws of the state," Healey told the Boston Globe on March 2, "and our antidiscrimination laws are some of our most important."
...It's worth underscoring that Catholic Charities' problem with the state didn't hinge on its receipt of public money. Ron Madnick, president of the Massachusetts chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, agreed with Garvey's assessment: "Even if Catholic Charities ceased receiving tax support and gave up its role as a state contractor, it still could not refuse to place children with same-sex couples."
Should The Amendment pass, homosexual couples will have the right to adopt, and that right will be Constitutional in Wisconsin.
How long will it take for Roman Catholic adoption agencies to be put out of business? Or Lutheran Social Services? Or any comparable Baptist, Greek Orthodox, or Orthodox Jewish agencies?
Natural Law, Rationalism, and Benedict XVI
Believe it or not, the Pope was discussing exactly what we were discussing at the Drinking Right forum the other evening. (See the comments section.) Here's HIS take:
In the Western world it is widely held that only positivistic reason and the forms of philosophy based on it are universally valid. Yet the world’s profoundly religious cultures see this exclusion of the divine from the universality of reason as an attack on their most profound convictions. A reason which is deaf to the divine and which relegates religion into the realm of subcultures is incapable of entering into the dialogue of cultures. At the same time, as I have attempted to show, modern scientific reason with its intrinsically Platonic element bears within itself a question which points beyond itself and beyond the possibilities of its methodology. Modern scientific reason quite simply has to accept the rational structure of matter and the correspondence between our spirit and the prevailing rational structures of nature as a given, on which its methodology has to be based. [This last directly addressing Cantankerous' friend and my interlocutor, who sits at the right hand of a Blogger deity.]
Here's a line familiar to Cantankerous:
...For philosophy and, albeit in a different way, for theology, listening to the great experiences and insights of the religious traditions of humanity, and those of the Christian faith in particular, is a source of knowledge, and to ignore it would be an unacceptable restriction of our listening and responding. Here I am reminded of something Socrates said to Phaedo. In their earlier conversations, many false philosophical opinions had been raised, and so Socrates says: "It would be easily understandable if someone became so annoyed at all these false notions that for the rest of his life he despised and mocked all talk about being - but in this way he would be deprived of the truth of existence and would suffer a great loss".
The West has long been endangered by this aversion to the questions which underlie its rationality, and can only suffer great harm thereby. The courage to engage the whole breadth of reason, and not the denial of its grandeur – this is the programme with which a theology grounded in Biblical faith enters into the debates of our time.
For even more on the topic, see Elizabeth Powers' commentary on the Heather MacDonald/Michael Novak discussion. MacDonald's is a "secular" morality argument similar to what Cantankerous' pal offers, and has been widely disseminated.
Most likely there will be more discussion, now that GWB has brought up the "Third Awakening."
In the Western world it is widely held that only positivistic reason and the forms of philosophy based on it are universally valid. Yet the world’s profoundly religious cultures see this exclusion of the divine from the universality of reason as an attack on their most profound convictions. A reason which is deaf to the divine and which relegates religion into the realm of subcultures is incapable of entering into the dialogue of cultures. At the same time, as I have attempted to show, modern scientific reason with its intrinsically Platonic element bears within itself a question which points beyond itself and beyond the possibilities of its methodology. Modern scientific reason quite simply has to accept the rational structure of matter and the correspondence between our spirit and the prevailing rational structures of nature as a given, on which its methodology has to be based. [This last directly addressing Cantankerous' friend and my interlocutor, who sits at the right hand of a Blogger deity.]
Here's a line familiar to Cantankerous:
...For philosophy and, albeit in a different way, for theology, listening to the great experiences and insights of the religious traditions of humanity, and those of the Christian faith in particular, is a source of knowledge, and to ignore it would be an unacceptable restriction of our listening and responding. Here I am reminded of something Socrates said to Phaedo. In their earlier conversations, many false philosophical opinions had been raised, and so Socrates says: "It would be easily understandable if someone became so annoyed at all these false notions that for the rest of his life he despised and mocked all talk about being - but in this way he would be deprived of the truth of existence and would suffer a great loss".
The West has long been endangered by this aversion to the questions which underlie its rationality, and can only suffer great harm thereby. The courage to engage the whole breadth of reason, and not the denial of its grandeur – this is the programme with which a theology grounded in Biblical faith enters into the debates of our time.
For even more on the topic, see Elizabeth Powers' commentary on the Heather MacDonald/Michael Novak discussion. MacDonald's is a "secular" morality argument similar to what Cantankerous' pal offers, and has been widely disseminated.
Most likely there will be more discussion, now that GWB has brought up the "Third Awakening."
Guns: All You Need to Know and Do
It's on for September 30th!
Want to learn how to handle/shoot a handgun? Rifle? Shotgun?
Bring $14.00 for a day-pass and pay close attention--we'll get you up and shooting.
I'll have a couple of .22LR rifles, a GREAT .17 airgun rifle, and a good old-fashioned 9mm semiauto.
Print the following and bring it along:
THE RULES
1) Treat all guns as if they are loaded ALL the time.
2) Never let the muzzle of a gun point at anything you do not want to destroy or kill.
3) Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are "on target."
4) Be absolutely sure of your target, and what is behind it.
After that, it's easy!
Want to learn how to handle/shoot a handgun? Rifle? Shotgun?
Bring $14.00 for a day-pass and pay close attention--we'll get you up and shooting.
I'll have a couple of .22LR rifles, a GREAT .17 airgun rifle, and a good old-fashioned 9mm semiauto.
Print the following and bring it along:
THE RULES
1) Treat all guns as if they are loaded ALL the time.
2) Never let the muzzle of a gun point at anything you do not want to destroy or kill.
3) Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are "on target."
4) Be absolutely sure of your target, and what is behind it.
After that, it's easy!
Dirty Bomb Alarmism? Maybe. Maybe Not.
While driving to Drinking Right (is that like being driven to drink?) I heard Savage pulling out his hair over some IslamoFascist terrorist named Shukrijumah, who supposedly is very interested in a nuke detonation here in the US.
That merits a little attention.
Now while Savage is a very good alternative to the Milwaukee Afternoon Gasbag (who has already declared Falk the winner in the AG race,) Savage's middle name is "Alarmist." So you take his show with a half-pound of salt.
But now the Blogosphere's beginning to fill up with that name: Shukrijumah.
From Hot Air:
[a reporter], Mir had given [an interview] in which he identified Al Qaeda’s nuclear ambitions and even the operative they’ve entrusted to mastermind the attack — Adnan al-Shukrijumah, who inspired a special national terror APB by the FBI back in 2002.
The Blotter has run not one but two stories about Shukrijumah in the past five days. The only “news” in both stories was that the FBI is looking for him but still hasn’t found him.
Why would they run two stories when there’s no actual news to report?
The Blotter has good sources inside the intelligence community and likes to be ahead of the curve with terrorism scoops. Last month, they ran a piece on alleged UK terror plot mastermind Matiur Rehman the day before arrests were made and the plot was publicly revealed. Clearly they’d been tipped to the impending raids and wanted to get in on the ground floor of the story. The fact that they’re putting Shukrijumah’s name out there when there is, to all appearances, no new information about him makes me think their sources are very concerned about him right now, and Brian Ross and co. either don’t know why or they do know and are sitting on sensitive details while the feds try to break up the plot.
Hmmmm....
Riehl World:
There's been a recent alert in Trinidad / Guyana for an al-Qaeda operative linked to a possible Dirty Bomb attack in the US to coincide with Ramadan, which I believe begins September 24th.
Yesterday, Trinidad law enforcement officials said they were aware that Shukrijumah was in Trinidad and confirmed they were contacted by the FBI for assistance in the matter.
However, they declined to go further into the matter "because of its nature".
ONE OF THE WORLD'S most wanted terrorists, Al Qaeda operative Adnan Gulshair Muhammad el Shukrijumah, may be hiding in Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana and has, in his possession, a T&T passport.
Shukrijumah, 31, is one of the most wanted terrorists by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which said he was "wanted in connection with possible terrorist threats against the United States".
He has several "personal ties" to both Trinidad and Guyana, theFBI said, according to an Los Angeles Times Sunday. US law enforcement described the elusive terrorist as an "ultimate sleeper agent".
...According to Gertz in the Washington Times, he's been spotted in Canada allegedly in search of Dirty Bomb materials.
A key al Qaeda terrorism suspect was in Canada looking for nuclear material for a "dirty bomb," The Washington Times has learned.
Adnan El Shukrijumah is being sought by the FBI and CIA in connection with a plot to detonate a dirty bomb - a conventional explosive laced with radioactive material.
The Savage show was more pessimistic. He wasn't talking about "dirty bombs." He was talking about actual 10 kiloton nukes. There's a VERY big difference.
That merits a little attention.
Now while Savage is a very good alternative to the Milwaukee Afternoon Gasbag (who has already declared Falk the winner in the AG race,) Savage's middle name is "Alarmist." So you take his show with a half-pound of salt.
But now the Blogosphere's beginning to fill up with that name: Shukrijumah.
From Hot Air:
[a reporter], Mir had given [an interview] in which he identified Al Qaeda’s nuclear ambitions and even the operative they’ve entrusted to mastermind the attack — Adnan al-Shukrijumah, who inspired a special national terror APB by the FBI back in 2002.
The Blotter has run not one but two stories about Shukrijumah in the past five days. The only “news” in both stories was that the FBI is looking for him but still hasn’t found him.
Why would they run two stories when there’s no actual news to report?
The Blotter has good sources inside the intelligence community and likes to be ahead of the curve with terrorism scoops. Last month, they ran a piece on alleged UK terror plot mastermind Matiur Rehman the day before arrests were made and the plot was publicly revealed. Clearly they’d been tipped to the impending raids and wanted to get in on the ground floor of the story. The fact that they’re putting Shukrijumah’s name out there when there is, to all appearances, no new information about him makes me think their sources are very concerned about him right now, and Brian Ross and co. either don’t know why or they do know and are sitting on sensitive details while the feds try to break up the plot.
Hmmmm....
Riehl World:
There's been a recent alert in Trinidad / Guyana for an al-Qaeda operative linked to a possible Dirty Bomb attack in the US to coincide with Ramadan, which I believe begins September 24th.
Yesterday, Trinidad law enforcement officials said they were aware that Shukrijumah was in Trinidad and confirmed they were contacted by the FBI for assistance in the matter.
However, they declined to go further into the matter "because of its nature".
ONE OF THE WORLD'S most wanted terrorists, Al Qaeda operative Adnan Gulshair Muhammad el Shukrijumah, may be hiding in Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana and has, in his possession, a T&T passport.
Shukrijumah, 31, is one of the most wanted terrorists by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which said he was "wanted in connection with possible terrorist threats against the United States".
He has several "personal ties" to both Trinidad and Guyana, theFBI said, according to an Los Angeles Times Sunday. US law enforcement described the elusive terrorist as an "ultimate sleeper agent".
...According to Gertz in the Washington Times, he's been spotted in Canada allegedly in search of Dirty Bomb materials.
A key al Qaeda terrorism suspect was in Canada looking for nuclear material for a "dirty bomb," The Washington Times has learned.
Adnan El Shukrijumah is being sought by the FBI and CIA in connection with a plot to detonate a dirty bomb - a conventional explosive laced with radioactive material.
The Savage show was more pessimistic. He wasn't talking about "dirty bombs." He was talking about actual 10 kiloton nukes. There's a VERY big difference.
Barrett In Shootout--a Tale of the Old West
Ol' Tom Barrett pulled up his horse, tied her to the post, and swung down from his saddle, landing in a mud puddle on North Water Street. Barrett, the Leader of the notorious Milk-Carton Gang, had just returned from Washington DC, a favorite haunt.
He'd been mixin' withhis pals out there, lobbyists and Democrats, and by reports, he was blind drunk. Some say was SO blind that he could not see "a crisis" in the City of Milwaukee following a gang-rape, a drive-by shooting of a 13-year-old honor student, and the coldblooded murder of a Special Olympian--all in the space of three days.
From 600 miles away, it was hard for Milk-Carton Tom to see that crisis.
Surveying his fiefdom after getting off his horse, Mayor Tom noticed that Nan hadn't come out to help him get the horse to the stable. She'd been a little disgruntled lately, muttering 'crisis' to herself and the press--Mayor Tom thought she was mourning the loss of that alligator-guy. She could have been saying "crikey." But it was hard to hear her--Mayor Tom hadn't been in town much lately. He'd track her down at Eagan's Long Branch right after work; maybe they could work it out. He knew what he DIDN'T want to hear from her--the word "crisis."
He carefully stepped around the election pamphlet trash near the hitchin-post. Didn't seem to be any overflows of sewage while he was Out East, but there was a lot of election trash around. One here for a MacMac--crazy babe. Another for the Governor--"Dodgy" Jim Doyle. He knew Dodgy. Dodgy cheated at poker. Got away with it, too--so far.
He spit a bit of milk and strode up to his office. Clearing the cobwebs and dust from his desk, Mayor Tom saw that his old enemy "Two-Gun" Sensenbrenner, the leader of the West Suburban Gang, was up to no good. For years, Mayor Tom knew that the West Suburban gang was trouble. Mayor Tom's predecessor, "One-Eye" Maier darn near mowed 'em all down back in the '60's; but Two-Gun had survived and the West Suburban gang had been growing.
Now Two-Gun had stepped over the line. He was helping the NRA. Some of Milk-Carton's friends had experience with the NRA--just last week, "Switch" Bloomberg had been slammed into a courtroom wall by NRA and their New Jersey gun-pals. Cost "Switch" some money, too.
Mayor Tom didn't know anyone who belonged to NRA. Where he grew up, in Whitefish Bay, they didn't approve of people like that. Those NRA types were all in the West Suburban gang. This would be a rough fight.
Mayor Tom called his pals at "No Defense for YOUR Family" out East. He thought about it as the call went through--maybe it was just coincidence that Whitefish Bay was East, too---like Shorewood, where his pal "Doc"Hargarten came from.
Mayor Tom knew what he had to do. He had to make "Two Gun" look like...like "Texas" George and his pal "Hal" Cheney. Pure evil. They were notorious--and they owned guns--just like that NRA gang.
The connection to "No Defense" was bad, but Milk Carton got the main points--Two Gun would make it impossible for Nan to find the bad guys. The damn fool!! Two Gun hung up and called the paper. Thank God the paper was run by East suburb guys and gals.
They printed exactly what Milk Carton told them. Didn't print all that stuff about the Second Amendment, which was fine. Didn't print the part about his pal, Switch, getting his ass kicked out of the Federal Courts. He'd buy 'em a drink at Eagan's Long Branch later.
He also called his high-school buddy, "Silent" Chisholm. Got him to talk to the paper, too. "Silent" knew what he had to do to get anywhere in Milk Carton's town.
(To be Continued...)
He'd been mixin' withhis pals out there, lobbyists and Democrats, and by reports, he was blind drunk. Some say was SO blind that he could not see "a crisis" in the City of Milwaukee following a gang-rape, a drive-by shooting of a 13-year-old honor student, and the coldblooded murder of a Special Olympian--all in the space of three days.
From 600 miles away, it was hard for Milk-Carton Tom to see that crisis.
Surveying his fiefdom after getting off his horse, Mayor Tom noticed that Nan hadn't come out to help him get the horse to the stable. She'd been a little disgruntled lately, muttering 'crisis' to herself and the press--Mayor Tom thought she was mourning the loss of that alligator-guy. She could have been saying "crikey." But it was hard to hear her--Mayor Tom hadn't been in town much lately. He'd track her down at Eagan's Long Branch right after work; maybe they could work it out. He knew what he DIDN'T want to hear from her--the word "crisis."
He carefully stepped around the election pamphlet trash near the hitchin-post. Didn't seem to be any overflows of sewage while he was Out East, but there was a lot of election trash around. One here for a MacMac--crazy babe. Another for the Governor--"Dodgy" Jim Doyle. He knew Dodgy. Dodgy cheated at poker. Got away with it, too--so far.
He spit a bit of milk and strode up to his office. Clearing the cobwebs and dust from his desk, Mayor Tom saw that his old enemy "Two-Gun" Sensenbrenner, the leader of the West Suburban Gang, was up to no good. For years, Mayor Tom knew that the West Suburban gang was trouble. Mayor Tom's predecessor, "One-Eye" Maier darn near mowed 'em all down back in the '60's; but Two-Gun had survived and the West Suburban gang had been growing.
Now Two-Gun had stepped over the line. He was helping the NRA. Some of Milk-Carton's friends had experience with the NRA--just last week, "Switch" Bloomberg had been slammed into a courtroom wall by NRA and their New Jersey gun-pals. Cost "Switch" some money, too.
Mayor Tom didn't know anyone who belonged to NRA. Where he grew up, in Whitefish Bay, they didn't approve of people like that. Those NRA types were all in the West Suburban gang. This would be a rough fight.
Mayor Tom called his pals at "No Defense for YOUR Family" out East. He thought about it as the call went through--maybe it was just coincidence that Whitefish Bay was East, too---like Shorewood, where his pal "Doc"Hargarten came from.
Mayor Tom knew what he had to do. He had to make "Two Gun" look like...like "Texas" George and his pal "Hal" Cheney. Pure evil. They were notorious--and they owned guns--just like that NRA gang.
The connection to "No Defense" was bad, but Milk Carton got the main points--Two Gun would make it impossible for Nan to find the bad guys. The damn fool!! Two Gun hung up and called the paper. Thank God the paper was run by East suburb guys and gals.
They printed exactly what Milk Carton told them. Didn't print all that stuff about the Second Amendment, which was fine. Didn't print the part about his pal, Switch, getting his ass kicked out of the Federal Courts. He'd buy 'em a drink at Eagan's Long Branch later.
He also called his high-school buddy, "Silent" Chisholm. Got him to talk to the paper, too. "Silent" knew what he had to do to get anywhere in Milk Carton's town.
(To be Continued...)
Obey (D-Pig) Knows 3rd-Rate From Mirror
Dave Obey (D-Pig) states John Boehner (R) is "3rd-rate McCarthy."
Boehner should feel complimented--McCarthy has been proven correct. All Boehner has to do is try a bit harder.
As to "3rd rate," Obey knows that very well. He sees it every morning in his mirror.
Boehner should feel complimented--McCarthy has been proven correct. All Boehner has to do is try a bit harder.
As to "3rd rate," Obey knows that very well. He sees it every morning in his mirror.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
ID Theft Makes Your Day
Yah.
A friend of a friend suffered an ID theft.
One of the things he learned is that the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles has had a few problems with its employees selling (SELLING!!!!) your Social Security number to bad guys.
You will recall that WI/DMV began requiring your SSAN a few years back. There was a great deal of unhappiness with that requirement--Sykes, if I recall correctly, was vocal about it.
No matter, by Jiminy--the Feds told the State to get those numbers, and our State bent over.
Now, you TOO, can bend over, after the State's employees knock down a few bucks by misappropriating your SSAN.
What a Country!!
A friend of a friend suffered an ID theft.
One of the things he learned is that the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles has had a few problems with its employees selling (SELLING!!!!) your Social Security number to bad guys.
You will recall that WI/DMV began requiring your SSAN a few years back. There was a great deal of unhappiness with that requirement--Sykes, if I recall correctly, was vocal about it.
No matter, by Jiminy--the Feds told the State to get those numbers, and our State bent over.
Now, you TOO, can bend over, after the State's employees knock down a few bucks by misappropriating your SSAN.
What a Country!!
"Inculturation"--A Thought
From B-16's speech to the Regensburg faculty:
...I must briefly refer to the third stage of dehellenization, which is now in progress. In the light of our experience with cultural pluralism, it is often said nowadays that the synthesis with Hellenism achieved in the early Church was a preliminary inculturation which ought not to be binding on other cultures. The latter are said to have the right to return to the simple message of the New Testament prior to that inculturation, in order to inculturate it anew in their own particular milieux. This thesis is not only false; it is coarse and lacking in precision. The New Testament was written in Greek and bears the imprint of the Greek spirit, which had already come to maturity as the Old Testament developed. True, there are elements in the evolution of the early Church which do not have to be integrated into all cultures. Nonetheless, the fundamental decisions made about the relationship between faith and the use of human reason are part of the faith itself; they are developments consonant with the nature of faith itself.
Seems to me that the Pope has placed significant limits on the theory of "inculturation," by insisting that the synthesis of "Athens and Jerusalem" achieved by St John's Gospel be the underlying principle in both proselytizing AND teaching the Faith.
Wow.
About 15-20 years ago, I had remarked to a publisher-friend that the Church had better control the definition of "inculturation" or some strange things might result--and that comment was limited to the area of musica sacra.
This guy B-16 is so....really....GOOD at making sense, and reducing the complex to the understandable....
...I must briefly refer to the third stage of dehellenization, which is now in progress. In the light of our experience with cultural pluralism, it is often said nowadays that the synthesis with Hellenism achieved in the early Church was a preliminary inculturation which ought not to be binding on other cultures. The latter are said to have the right to return to the simple message of the New Testament prior to that inculturation, in order to inculturate it anew in their own particular milieux. This thesis is not only false; it is coarse and lacking in precision. The New Testament was written in Greek and bears the imprint of the Greek spirit, which had already come to maturity as the Old Testament developed. True, there are elements in the evolution of the early Church which do not have to be integrated into all cultures. Nonetheless, the fundamental decisions made about the relationship between faith and the use of human reason are part of the faith itself; they are developments consonant with the nature of faith itself.
Seems to me that the Pope has placed significant limits on the theory of "inculturation," by insisting that the synthesis of "Athens and Jerusalem" achieved by St John's Gospel be the underlying principle in both proselytizing AND teaching the Faith.
Wow.
About 15-20 years ago, I had remarked to a publisher-friend that the Church had better control the definition of "inculturation" or some strange things might result--and that comment was limited to the area of musica sacra.
This guy B-16 is so....really....GOOD at making sense, and reducing the complex to the understandable....
About That Pipe Organ
Liturgeists just hate it when we post stuff like this:
...Solemn sacred music, with choir, organ, orchestra and the singing of the people, is not an addition of sorts that frames the liturgy and makes it more pleasing, but an important means of active participation in worship.
The organ has always been considered, and rightly so, the king of musical instruments, because it takes up all the sounds of creation and gives resonance to the fullness of human sentiments. By transcending the merely human sphere, as all music of quality does, it evokes the divine. The organ’s great range of timbre, from piano through to a thundering fortissimo, makes it an instrument superior to all others. It is capable of echoing and expressing all the experiences of human life. The manifold possibilities of the organ in some way remind us of the immensity and the magnificence of God.
Psalm 150 speaks of trumpets and flutes, of harps and zithers, cymbals and drums; all these musical instruments are called to contribute to the praise of the triune God. In an organ, the many pipes and voices must form a unity. If here or there something becomes blocked, if one pipe is out of tune, this may at first be perceptible only to a trained ear. But if more pipes are out of tune, dissonance ensues and the result is unbearable. Also, the pipes of this organ are exposed to variations of temperature and subject to wear.
Now, this is an image of our community. Just as in an organ an expert hand must constantly bring disharmony back to consonance, so we in the Church, in the variety of our gifts and charisms, always need to find anew, through our communion in faith, harmony in the praise of God and in fraternal love. The more we allow ourselves, through the liturgy, to be transformed in Christ, the more we will be capable of transforming the world, radiating Christ’s goodness, his mercy and his love for others.
The great composers, each in his own way, ultimately sought to glorify God by their music. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote above the title of many of his musical compositions the letters S.D.G., Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone be glory. Anton Bruckner also prefaced his compositions with the words: Dem lieben Gott gewidmet – dedicated to the good God. May all those who enter this splendid Basilica, experiencing the magnificence of its architecture and its liturgy, enriched by solemn song and the harmony of this new organ, be brought to the joy of faith.
"The glorification of God and the sanctification and edification of the people"--purpose of sacred music, defined by Pius X, re-iterated by Pius XII and now B-16. "Pars integralis" just like it says in SC. "Immensity and magnificence of God"--not exactly a new thought, but a clear phrase.
Gittars, anyone? Pianos? Finger-cymbals?
How's your Haugen-Haas? Your StLouis Bubbas?
...Solemn sacred music, with choir, organ, orchestra and the singing of the people, is not an addition of sorts that frames the liturgy and makes it more pleasing, but an important means of active participation in worship.
The organ has always been considered, and rightly so, the king of musical instruments, because it takes up all the sounds of creation and gives resonance to the fullness of human sentiments. By transcending the merely human sphere, as all music of quality does, it evokes the divine. The organ’s great range of timbre, from piano through to a thundering fortissimo, makes it an instrument superior to all others. It is capable of echoing and expressing all the experiences of human life. The manifold possibilities of the organ in some way remind us of the immensity and the magnificence of God.
Psalm 150 speaks of trumpets and flutes, of harps and zithers, cymbals and drums; all these musical instruments are called to contribute to the praise of the triune God. In an organ, the many pipes and voices must form a unity. If here or there something becomes blocked, if one pipe is out of tune, this may at first be perceptible only to a trained ear. But if more pipes are out of tune, dissonance ensues and the result is unbearable. Also, the pipes of this organ are exposed to variations of temperature and subject to wear.
Now, this is an image of our community. Just as in an organ an expert hand must constantly bring disharmony back to consonance, so we in the Church, in the variety of our gifts and charisms, always need to find anew, through our communion in faith, harmony in the praise of God and in fraternal love. The more we allow ourselves, through the liturgy, to be transformed in Christ, the more we will be capable of transforming the world, radiating Christ’s goodness, his mercy and his love for others.
The great composers, each in his own way, ultimately sought to glorify God by their music. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote above the title of many of his musical compositions the letters S.D.G., Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone be glory. Anton Bruckner also prefaced his compositions with the words: Dem lieben Gott gewidmet – dedicated to the good God. May all those who enter this splendid Basilica, experiencing the magnificence of its architecture and its liturgy, enriched by solemn song and the harmony of this new organ, be brought to the joy of faith.
"The glorification of God and the sanctification and edification of the people"--purpose of sacred music, defined by Pius X, re-iterated by Pius XII and now B-16. "Pars integralis" just like it says in SC. "Immensity and magnificence of God"--not exactly a new thought, but a clear phrase.
Gittars, anyone? Pianos? Finger-cymbals?
How's your Haugen-Haas? Your StLouis Bubbas?
Rodham Family Tree (ALL IN FUN!!)
From Blosser:
Eugene Judy, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that Hillary Clinton's great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, a fellow lacking in character, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows.
On the back of the picture is this inscription:"Remus Rodham; horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889."
Judy e-mailed Hillary Clinton @NY.Gov for comments. Hillary's staff of professional image adjustors cropped Remus's picture, scanned it, enlarged the image, and edited it with image processing software so that all that's seen is a head shot.
The accompanying biographical sketch is as follows:
"Remus Rodham was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."
That whole thing is fictional. But it IS enlightening. Wonder if Xoff could do as well with the spin?
Eugene Judy, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that Hillary Clinton's great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, a fellow lacking in character, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows.
On the back of the picture is this inscription:"Remus Rodham; horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889."
Judy e-mailed Hillary Clinton @NY.Gov for comments. Hillary's staff of professional image adjustors cropped Remus's picture, scanned it, enlarged the image, and edited it with image processing software so that all that's seen is a head shot.
The accompanying biographical sketch is as follows:
"Remus Rodham was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."
That whole thing is fictional. But it IS enlightening. Wonder if Xoff could do as well with the spin?
Drank Right
Yah.
Drank right last night...
(I suppose that could be a country/western hit. Fill in the rest but NOT ON MY BLOG.)
Met an interesting fellow who does not believe in natural law (or inborn conscience)--and a delightful young ladyfriend of his who thinks he's nuts. She's right, but HE sits at the right hand of a Potentate du Bloggerdom. (She also knows her Plato/Phaedrus dialog and can distinguish Kant from previous post-Scholastic philosophers; impressive, as she doesn't look that old. As for the discussion, I erroneously brought up Kant but SHOULD have mentioned the Sohm-Harnack school.)
Talked with a fellow who's a distant relative of the folks who built a subsidiary of the late, lamented Milwaukee Cheese empire. I miss those pickles.
Visited with a favorite--AB, who rivals my annuation. We were the adults at the party, which may or may not be a good sign for the Republic.
Heard rumor that Chris called the Eagle/McMiller Right-Blog-Gun-Date for 9/30th. Trying to confirm.
Renewed acquaintance with beer-guzzling DCS and NeoConTastic who advised that two of their sisters will meet soon in Madistan for purposes of birthing, or some such.
Met the mysterious Confidentials lady who is a knockout. Too bad she's so ....mysterious.
Met Sean and renewed the debate. Ann Coulter rules, Sean. But she is NOT polite and she is NOT Jay Leno. She's actually Jim Sensenbrenner's alter ego.
Missed meeting Jeff Wagner who was being a sober election-results guy.
All the Big-Time Bloggers were attending Real Politician Events. Some were happy.
Missed other folks, as well. Maybe next time.
Drank right last night...
(I suppose that could be a country/western hit. Fill in the rest but NOT ON MY BLOG.)
Met an interesting fellow who does not believe in natural law (or inborn conscience)--and a delightful young ladyfriend of his who thinks he's nuts. She's right, but HE sits at the right hand of a Potentate du Bloggerdom. (She also knows her Plato/Phaedrus dialog and can distinguish Kant from previous post-Scholastic philosophers; impressive, as she doesn't look that old. As for the discussion, I erroneously brought up Kant but SHOULD have mentioned the Sohm-Harnack school.)
Talked with a fellow who's a distant relative of the folks who built a subsidiary of the late, lamented Milwaukee Cheese empire. I miss those pickles.
Visited with a favorite--AB, who rivals my annuation. We were the adults at the party, which may or may not be a good sign for the Republic.
Heard rumor that Chris called the Eagle/McMiller Right-Blog-Gun-Date for 9/30th. Trying to confirm.
Renewed acquaintance with beer-guzzling DCS and NeoConTastic who advised that two of their sisters will meet soon in Madistan for purposes of birthing, or some such.
Met the mysterious Confidentials lady who is a knockout. Too bad she's so ....mysterious.
Met Sean and renewed the debate. Ann Coulter rules, Sean. But she is NOT polite and she is NOT Jay Leno. She's actually Jim Sensenbrenner's alter ego.
Missed meeting Jeff Wagner who was being a sober election-results guy.
All the Big-Time Bloggers were attending Real Politician Events. Some were happy.
Missed other folks, as well. Maybe next time.
"We Must Get Rid of [Lunatic Conservative Christians]"
So intoned a typical Lefty professor at Penn State.
Penn State English prof Mel Seesholtz is not pleased at all that Arnold Schwarzenegger resisted a power play by gay activists by vetoing the euphemistically named "Bias-Free Curriculum Act," which called for indoctrinating California schoolchildren on the merits of homosexuality and transsexuality, starting in kindergarten.
Seesholtz blames the Governator's shockingly responsible behavior on the influence of the Left's most dreaded bogeyman, the Religious Right, i.e., conservative Christians. Here's what he has to say about them:
A very wise woman recently asked me "Who will rid us of the evil lunatics?"
We will. We must. Public education and a civil, civilized society depend upon it
The Professor did not declare how he would "rid us of the evil lunatics."
Let me suggest that he bring a knife...
Heh.
HT: Moonbattery
Penn State English prof Mel Seesholtz is not pleased at all that Arnold Schwarzenegger resisted a power play by gay activists by vetoing the euphemistically named "Bias-Free Curriculum Act," which called for indoctrinating California schoolchildren on the merits of homosexuality and transsexuality, starting in kindergarten.
Seesholtz blames the Governator's shockingly responsible behavior on the influence of the Left's most dreaded bogeyman, the Religious Right, i.e., conservative Christians. Here's what he has to say about them:
A very wise woman recently asked me "Who will rid us of the evil lunatics?"
We will. We must. Public education and a civil, civilized society depend upon it
The Professor did not declare how he would "rid us of the evil lunatics."
Let me suggest that he bring a knife...
Heh.
HT: Moonbattery
Elected Board to Control Non-Elected Tax/Spenders?
As usual, it's at the very bottom of the story:
The new report offers some broader, longer-term suggestions, including a study of having a single elected body govern the various non-elected boards that have taxing authority in Milwaukee County. Examples of such bodies include those overseeing the sewerage district, the convention center, Miller Park and Milwaukee Area Technical College. They are not accountable enough to taxpayers, the report says.
The report was authored by the Greater Milwaukee Committee.
GMC's recommendation of "a study" of taxation without representation is approximately 230 years late--that issue was, ah, discussed by the Colonies and King George in the late 1770's. The King lost.
It is noteworthy that these taxing Boards were emplaced by both Democratic AND Republican elected officials (as well as some "officially non-partisan" types) over the years.
Some ideas just can't be killed easily, eh?
The new report offers some broader, longer-term suggestions, including a study of having a single elected body govern the various non-elected boards that have taxing authority in Milwaukee County. Examples of such bodies include those overseeing the sewerage district, the convention center, Miller Park and Milwaukee Area Technical College. They are not accountable enough to taxpayers, the report says.
The report was authored by the Greater Milwaukee Committee.
GMC's recommendation of "a study" of taxation without representation is approximately 230 years late--that issue was, ah, discussed by the Colonies and King George in the late 1770's. The King lost.
It is noteworthy that these taxing Boards were emplaced by both Democratic AND Republican elected officials (as well as some "officially non-partisan" types) over the years.
Some ideas just can't be killed easily, eh?
Sad End for Bucher
Paul Bucher's hissy reaction:
"We were right on the issues - you know it and I know it," he told supporters. "We just ran short of money. And you know, that's disappointing that elections can be bought. And I wish J.B. well, but, you know, dumping that kind of money in the race in the last two weeks tells me Wisconsin's for sale."
It's possible that Bucher had too much to drink, or had a serious sleep-shortage problem.
Otherwise, that sort of crap is intolerable.
"We were right on the issues - you know it and I know it," he told supporters. "We just ran short of money. And you know, that's disappointing that elections can be bought. And I wish J.B. well, but, you know, dumping that kind of money in the race in the last two weeks tells me Wisconsin's for sale."
It's possible that Bucher had too much to drink, or had a serious sleep-shortage problem.
Otherwise, that sort of crap is intolerable.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Can YOU Do This?
Try landing the ass end of a 2-rotor on top of a shack on top of a small mountain in the middle of Afghanistan so corpsmen can load the wounded.
HT: The Crescat
HT: The Crescat
A Soldier Remembers 9/11
A day late, I know, but well-written...
I was off that day. I was working for a winery and had made tentative plans to go shooting with a friend in the morning and head into NYC to visit Windows on the World that afternoon. (Windows was the restaurant at the top of the WTC and where I received my certification as a sommelier back in 1997.)
My phone was ringing and I didn't want to answer it for fear of being called in to work. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was my wife Dana, (then my fiancee), calling from work.
"Turn on the TV."
The picture came into focus. The second plane hit.
"Turn on the TV", 4 words that mark the end of one chapter in my life and the begning of another. 4 words that mark, in my mind, the end of so many lives before my eyes. As a reservist I also knew it was my job to be at my armory.
On the way up, I heard about the attack on the Pentagon and rumors of so many others. By the end of the day I was back on active duty. 5 years later I still wear the uniform and much has happened since then.
It was a loss of innocence. I associate that loss with the smell of Ground Zero. Something that I still remember as if I just got off of the helicopter that flew us in and out of the area. Fuel, dust, metal, and things I don't want to remember. I lost my innocence that day. I came home that night and punched the floor while I cried.
I'm watching my daughter play with Legos she just got for her birthday. She builds a tower and knocks it over. She giggles with delight. I don't think she understands why Dana and I hug her tight. She'll never see those towers that stood over the skyline of NYC like guardians. She'll never know an airport that isn't tense and security obsessed. She'll never know the world that I knew. Hopefully though, through the efforts of all who want a world where people live in freedom and not fear, she'll know a better one.
I was off that day. I was working for a winery and had made tentative plans to go shooting with a friend in the morning and head into NYC to visit Windows on the World that afternoon. (Windows was the restaurant at the top of the WTC and where I received my certification as a sommelier back in 1997.)
My phone was ringing and I didn't want to answer it for fear of being called in to work. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was my wife Dana, (then my fiancee), calling from work.
"Turn on the TV."
The picture came into focus. The second plane hit.
"Turn on the TV", 4 words that mark the end of one chapter in my life and the begning of another. 4 words that mark, in my mind, the end of so many lives before my eyes. As a reservist I also knew it was my job to be at my armory.
On the way up, I heard about the attack on the Pentagon and rumors of so many others. By the end of the day I was back on active duty. 5 years later I still wear the uniform and much has happened since then.
It was a loss of innocence. I associate that loss with the smell of Ground Zero. Something that I still remember as if I just got off of the helicopter that flew us in and out of the area. Fuel, dust, metal, and things I don't want to remember. I lost my innocence that day. I came home that night and punched the floor while I cried.
I'm watching my daughter play with Legos she just got for her birthday. She builds a tower and knocks it over. She giggles with delight. I don't think she understands why Dana and I hug her tight. She'll never see those towers that stood over the skyline of NYC like guardians. She'll never know an airport that isn't tense and security obsessed. She'll never know the world that I knew. Hopefully though, through the efforts of all who want a world where people live in freedom and not fear, she'll know a better one.
B-16 on Muslim/Christian Theological Difference(s)
Well, there's only one outlined here, but it IS significant:
The Byzantine [Manuel II Paleologus] points out the surah which says, "There is no compulsion in religion" and asks the Persian to justify jihad in light of it. The Persian's [Muslim] response is that God is beyond everything and is not bound by anything:
The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God's nature. The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality. Here Khoury quotes a work of the noted French Islamist R. Arnaldez, who points out that Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God's will, we would even have to practise idolatry.
At this point, B-16 poses the question:
As far as understanding of God and thus the concrete practice of religion is concerned, we find ourselves faced with a dilemma which nowadays challenges us directly. Is the conviction that acting unreasonably contradicts God's nature merely a Greek idea, or is it always and intrinsically true?
Here's his thought:
I believe that here we can see the profound harmony between what is Greek in the best sense of the word and the biblical understanding of faith in God. Modifying the first verse of the Book of Genesis, John began the prologue of his Gospel with the words: "In the beginning was the 'logos'". This is the very word used by the emperor: God acts with “logos.” “Logos” means both reason and word – a reason which is creative and capable of self-communication, precisely as reason. John thus spoke the final word on the biblical concept of God, and in this word all the often toilsome and tortuous threads of biblical faith find their culmination and synthesis. In the beginning was the “logos,” and the “logos” is God, says the Evangelist.
Therefore:
From the very heart of Christian faith and, at the same time, the heart of Greek thought now joined to faith, Manuel II was able to say: Not to act "with 'logos'" is contrary to God’s nature.
...the truly divine God is the God who has revealed himself as “logos” and, as “logos,” has acted and continues to act lovingly on our behalf.
God cannot act against His nature, the nature "Logos," (also identified by John as Christ.)
You may have to read this twice--or more. I certainly did.
HT: Amy
The Byzantine [Manuel II Paleologus] points out the surah which says, "There is no compulsion in religion" and asks the Persian to justify jihad in light of it. The Persian's [Muslim] response is that God is beyond everything and is not bound by anything:
The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God's nature. The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality. Here Khoury quotes a work of the noted French Islamist R. Arnaldez, who points out that Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God's will, we would even have to practise idolatry.
At this point, B-16 poses the question:
As far as understanding of God and thus the concrete practice of religion is concerned, we find ourselves faced with a dilemma which nowadays challenges us directly. Is the conviction that acting unreasonably contradicts God's nature merely a Greek idea, or is it always and intrinsically true?
Here's his thought:
I believe that here we can see the profound harmony between what is Greek in the best sense of the word and the biblical understanding of faith in God. Modifying the first verse of the Book of Genesis, John began the prologue of his Gospel with the words: "In the beginning was the 'logos'". This is the very word used by the emperor: God acts with “logos.” “Logos” means both reason and word – a reason which is creative and capable of self-communication, precisely as reason. John thus spoke the final word on the biblical concept of God, and in this word all the often toilsome and tortuous threads of biblical faith find their culmination and synthesis. In the beginning was the “logos,” and the “logos” is God, says the Evangelist.
Therefore:
From the very heart of Christian faith and, at the same time, the heart of Greek thought now joined to faith, Manuel II was able to say: Not to act "with 'logos'" is contrary to God’s nature.
...the truly divine God is the God who has revealed himself as “logos” and, as “logos,” has acted and continues to act lovingly on our behalf.
God cannot act against His nature, the nature "Logos," (also identified by John as Christ.)
You may have to read this twice--or more. I certainly did.
HT: Amy
Are We REALLY Successful in Countering Domestic Terrorism?
Whatever else you may think of Vox Day, his mind comes up with provocative comments.
First he quotes Rich Lowry:
There has been one constant in the five years since the terror attacks of 9/11 — there has been no follow-up attack in the United States. It is the most blessed non-event in recent American history. Of course, that could change in an awful instant. It is nonetheless the signal accomplishment in the war on terror. While the smoke was still clearing from downtown Manhattan, no one would have said that the fight against terror should be judged on whether the U.S. is popular abroad or able to spread democracy. The standard was avoiding another attack in the U.S., and by that standard, the war on terror is a tentative success.
There are rival explanations for this success....
Then he offers a reality-check:
I note that he leaves out my explanation for this "success"... every time there is a terror attack, whether it is planes mysteriously falling apart over Long Island, Muslims shooting Jews in Seattle or massive explosions at oil refineries, it is loudly announced that what looks rather like a terrorist attack was, in fact, a mirage, an accident, nothing to look at, carry on about your business. Furthermore, it is an insult to the passengers of the Shoe Bomber flight to credit the government for their actions in saving their own lives.
The fact that airplanes have not flown into the Sears Tower, or that Mile High Stadium has not been hit with a dirty-nuke device, is not a sufficient measure of "terrorism attacks."
But that's merely rational thinking, right?
First he quotes Rich Lowry:
There has been one constant in the five years since the terror attacks of 9/11 — there has been no follow-up attack in the United States. It is the most blessed non-event in recent American history. Of course, that could change in an awful instant. It is nonetheless the signal accomplishment in the war on terror. While the smoke was still clearing from downtown Manhattan, no one would have said that the fight against terror should be judged on whether the U.S. is popular abroad or able to spread democracy. The standard was avoiding another attack in the U.S., and by that standard, the war on terror is a tentative success.
There are rival explanations for this success....
Then he offers a reality-check:
I note that he leaves out my explanation for this "success"... every time there is a terror attack, whether it is planes mysteriously falling apart over Long Island, Muslims shooting Jews in Seattle or massive explosions at oil refineries, it is loudly announced that what looks rather like a terrorist attack was, in fact, a mirage, an accident, nothing to look at, carry on about your business. Furthermore, it is an insult to the passengers of the Shoe Bomber flight to credit the government for their actions in saving their own lives.
The fact that airplanes have not flown into the Sears Tower, or that Mile High Stadium has not been hit with a dirty-nuke device, is not a sufficient measure of "terrorism attacks."
But that's merely rational thinking, right?
How to Prevail in the War
Frank Gaffney has a few ideas. Gaffney was (and remains) the principal force behind "Star Wars"--a successful anti-missle defense system and rational alternative to "M A D"--Mutually Assured Destruction--which is the Left's preferred method of nuclear combat.
At any rate, Gaffney's strategic smarts are pretty good. Here are a few of his thoughts on How to Win the War against Islamofascists:
"Devise, staff up, and begin executing a political warfare strategy. Countering the Islamofascist ideology must be its principal focus.
"De-legitimize Islamist extremism in the eyes of Muslims, and especially its potential supporters. We need to show that, although violent Islamism is certainly a problem for us in the West, it is a vastly greater problem for the Muslim community.
"Use our strengths. The good news is that Americans are among the world's experts at political warfare....The talent, creativity, ingenuity, and, yes, ruthlessness of top-flight political campaign strategists of both parties should be mustered for the purpose of fighting our enemies and helping our friends rather than fighting each other.
"Invest in the instruments of political warfare, including public diplomacy. Public diplomacy, intended to influence perceptions, attitudes, and actions abroad, must be viewed as a form of political warfare....An immediate and sweeping ramp-up of our international broadcasting capabilities is needed to provide high-quality programming.
"Reinforce and strengthen our friends. By demonstrating that there are not only consequences for opposing us, but also real and tangible benefits from supporting us, we can maximize the chances of our success. Critical in this regard is the American commitment to the continued survival of one of the most exposed countries of the Free World: Israel."
Imagine unleashing Xoff against the really bad guys, for example. I wouldn't trust him with a gun, but hey--a good old-fashioned Underwood...wow.
At any rate, Gaffney's strategic smarts are pretty good. Here are a few of his thoughts on How to Win the War against Islamofascists:
"Devise, staff up, and begin executing a political warfare strategy. Countering the Islamofascist ideology must be its principal focus.
"De-legitimize Islamist extremism in the eyes of Muslims, and especially its potential supporters. We need to show that, although violent Islamism is certainly a problem for us in the West, it is a vastly greater problem for the Muslim community.
"Use our strengths. The good news is that Americans are among the world's experts at political warfare....The talent, creativity, ingenuity, and, yes, ruthlessness of top-flight political campaign strategists of both parties should be mustered for the purpose of fighting our enemies and helping our friends rather than fighting each other.
"Invest in the instruments of political warfare, including public diplomacy. Public diplomacy, intended to influence perceptions, attitudes, and actions abroad, must be viewed as a form of political warfare....An immediate and sweeping ramp-up of our international broadcasting capabilities is needed to provide high-quality programming.
"Reinforce and strengthen our friends. By demonstrating that there are not only consequences for opposing us, but also real and tangible benefits from supporting us, we can maximize the chances of our success. Critical in this regard is the American commitment to the continued survival of one of the most exposed countries of the Free World: Israel."
Imagine unleashing Xoff against the really bad guys, for example. I wouldn't trust him with a gun, but hey--a good old-fashioned Underwood...wow.
The UTube You DON'T Want to See
Little Green Footballs has a UTube which includes people jumping from the WTC.
Not for the faint of heart.
Not for the faint of heart.
Another Suggestion for Mark Green
..when he's Governor, of course...
Governor Green (like that?): ABOLISH the Wisconsin Corporate Income Tax!!
"Burdens are measured in a numerical example by substituting factor shares and output shares that are reasonable for the U.S. economy. Given those values, domestic labor bears slightly more than 70 percent of the burden of the corporate income tax." (Congressional Budget Office report.)
You want a "competitive Wisconsin?" You want more companies moving here? You want thousands of new jobs for Wisconsin citizens?
Of course, it would be better if GWB got this message and took it national. But there's no reason to dally around waiting for HIM.
Governor Green (like that?): ABOLISH the Wisconsin Corporate Income Tax!!
"Burdens are measured in a numerical example by substituting factor shares and output shares that are reasonable for the U.S. economy. Given those values, domestic labor bears slightly more than 70 percent of the burden of the corporate income tax." (Congressional Budget Office report.)
You want a "competitive Wisconsin?" You want more companies moving here? You want thousands of new jobs for Wisconsin citizens?
Of course, it would be better if GWB got this message and took it national. But there's no reason to dally around waiting for HIM.
Anti-Gun Propaganda Begins...Again
The propaganda blast is beginning, again. Given the nature of propaganda campaigns, you can expect this stuff will be featured in the '08 election:
Experts said these increases buttress reports from the FBI and many mayors and police chiefs that violent crime is beginning to rise after a long decline. Bush administration officials expressed concern but stressed that it was too soon to tell if a new upward trend in violence had begun.
Last year, there were two violent gun crimes for every 1,000 individuals, compared with 1.4 in 2004, according to the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. There were 2.6 robberies for every 1,000 persons, compared with 2.1 the year before.
"This report tells us more the serious events — robbery and gun crimes — increased and the FBI already told us homicides increased," said criminal justice professor James Alan Fox of Northeastern University.
The noise is present here in Milwaukee, too--ironically, the loudest drums are being beaten by the Conservative talkers...
Fortunately, John Lott provides measures which are grounded in reality:
...so that you can see that since the last full year of Clinton's administration, the violent crime rate has fallen by 23 percent (15 percent since 2001). Since so much weight is put on robbery, it has fallen by 19 percent since the end of Clinton (7 percent since 2001, though again I think that it is hard to see any pattern since 2001).
How does one use the violent crime numbers reported to justify the statement that experts believe that "violent crime is beginning to rise after a long decline"?
Violent Crime Rate: 1985 45.2 1990 44.1 1995 46 1998 35.9 1999 32 2000 27.3 2001 24.6 2002 22.7 2003 22.2 2004 21 2005 20.9
Umnnnhhhh...since 1985, "Violent Crime" has dropped from 45.2 to 20.9. THIS is ominous?
One could note that in every year SINCE 1985, more States have allowed Concealed-Carry. Only Illinois and Wisconsin prohibit CCW at this time (although some other States make it difficult.)
Now THERE's a trend-comparison which would be interesting--and fact-based.
Experts said these increases buttress reports from the FBI and many mayors and police chiefs that violent crime is beginning to rise after a long decline. Bush administration officials expressed concern but stressed that it was too soon to tell if a new upward trend in violence had begun.
Last year, there were two violent gun crimes for every 1,000 individuals, compared with 1.4 in 2004, according to the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. There were 2.6 robberies for every 1,000 persons, compared with 2.1 the year before.
"This report tells us more the serious events — robbery and gun crimes — increased and the FBI already told us homicides increased," said criminal justice professor James Alan Fox of Northeastern University.
The noise is present here in Milwaukee, too--ironically, the loudest drums are being beaten by the Conservative talkers...
Fortunately, John Lott provides measures which are grounded in reality:
...so that you can see that since the last full year of Clinton's administration, the violent crime rate has fallen by 23 percent (15 percent since 2001). Since so much weight is put on robbery, it has fallen by 19 percent since the end of Clinton (7 percent since 2001, though again I think that it is hard to see any pattern since 2001).
How does one use the violent crime numbers reported to justify the statement that experts believe that "violent crime is beginning to rise after a long decline"?
Violent Crime Rate: 1985 45.2 1990 44.1 1995 46 1998 35.9 1999 32 2000 27.3 2001 24.6 2002 22.7 2003 22.2 2004 21 2005 20.9
Umnnnhhhh...since 1985, "Violent Crime" has dropped from 45.2 to 20.9. THIS is ominous?
One could note that in every year SINCE 1985, more States have allowed Concealed-Carry. Only Illinois and Wisconsin prohibit CCW at this time (although some other States make it difficult.)
Now THERE's a trend-comparison which would be interesting--and fact-based.
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