Sep
30
2005
Context, context, context and thought: America has too little of each going on. The usual suspects are working at this moment to phrase and distribute the talking points which will be used to tar and feather Bill Bennett over ideas he did not endorse. They, the usual weavers of spin, will attempt to portray Bennett as (hold onto your seat this is a rough word), a racist.
Their evidence will be:
1) He is white.
2) He is (another rough word ahead), a Conservative.
3) He said words which the lying left can manipulate in order to convince the semi-attentive and just plain dumb among us that he advocates aborting all black babies.
4) He is white.
5) He is Conservative, even (harsh word warning), a Republican.
6) Repeat ad infinitum
Proper response: We’ve seen this template before, the lefties are not fooling anyone who has a brain and is paying attention.
Update: I just heard a replay of Bennett making the statement at the heart of the controversy. Out of context. And in that frame it does sound bad, it will take more than a little extra effort for the mind-numb to grasp what he is saying before they are overwhelmed by an emotional reflex. The crux of his intention will be lost on many who will wish to jump to another discussion: debating whether Blacks create more crime than do others. That question deserves debate. And wherever crime comes from, the causes should be addressed. As Bennett states though, there are solutions to which this moral society is not willing to go. That was the crux of his thesis, explaining to the caller that there some things we Americans will not do to achieve a desired result.
It is not uncommon for new questions to arise out of answers to old questions. And that is the case here. No sane person will argue with his premise of a limited response to an identified problem. As, no responsible person will ignore an examination of whether his connection between crime and Blacks is accurate. But, remember, the second question is a whole new area of study, separate from the original question and point made.
Update II: Capt. Ed has it right when he says, “now this is racism”.
Sep
30
2005
Resurrecting Iowa
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Resurrecting Iowa
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You’ll have to read the article to understand why I seem to have ripped off a link format from one of those “out-of-state Tennessee internet fat cats who control their every move with promises of backroom sweetheart ‘Instalanche’ deals”. And, of course you will also note that in order to avoid any charges of plagarism or copyright infringement I spelled the link script backwards.
Sep
28
2005
Found at Captain’s Quarters is news that Bull Connor, (not to be confused with Carroll O’Connor) was a Democratic National Committeeman from Alabama. So, when the NY Congressman graveled out the words which erroneously compared President Bush to the Birmingham racist “O’Connor” (sic), he was saying that GWB is just like a southern Democrat. Well, Bush may spend like LBJ, but he has never done anything which would lead a sane person to equate him with a segragationist fire-hose wielding racist Democrat. Step right up folks and meet Charlie Rangel a real live race-baiter.
Capt. Ed,
“Even more egregiously, the DNC claims it speaks for African-Americans as a group in supporting Rangel’s contentions. I suspect that African-Americans who remember what people like Connor actually did to them and their families understand the difference between George Bush and Bull Connor. They may not agree with the President’s policies, but they don’t see Bush directing firehoses and siccing dogs on them when they congregate for demonstrations. They won’t recall seeing black men and women as key aides to Bull Connor’s regime in 1963, either. In other words, most African-Americans will see this statement and its support by Howard Dean for what it is: a baseless personal attack that not only makes the Democrats look like kooks, but demeans and diminishes the real terror that Bull Connor and people like him caused during the struggle for civil rights.”
And I call to your attention the comment on that post by one Gaius Livius, which begins,
The donkey party has always been the party of racism against blacks:
and contains these words,
Put another way, if I really, really hated blacks and wanted to find ways to keep them down in perpetuity, I’d do just what the donks have done to them for the past 40 years:
Sep
27
2005
Another Tasteless Jab
Filed Under Entertainment and Sports | 2 Comments
Another Tasteless Jab
Filed Under Entertainment and Sports | 2 Comments
Some people can’t see things for what they are, they have to invent a problem. It is a design, it spells nothing!
Wonder how the jerk liked his ice cream? Maybe it will go down better for him with the new packaging.
A non-politically correct response to some illiterate ignoramous cry baby.
Sep
27
2005
Retired FEMA Director Michael Brown has been testifying before Congress, offering up a solid defense of his record in FEMA, and of his actions during the hurricane Katrina event. It is being reported that he calls his biggest mistake his failure to recognize, on Saturday before the storm hit, that the local governments were “dysfunctional”, and incapable of directing an evacuation. Which is pretty much my analysis of the events when viewed in real time, and an opinion (dysfunctional) confirmed by the lame reactions of the local officials in the hurricane’s aftermath.
I’m pulling for the guy, and it would not surprise me that when all of the facts are known, we would find ourselves well served to invite Mr. Brown to resume his former command. Politics are behind the abuse to which this man was subjected, and these kind of thoughtless, ignorant of the facts, destructive, politics are the diseases which infect these times. The politics of personal destruction, left wing media style.
And we know the motivation behind the MSM’s hatchet job on Brown, they think if they discredit one of President Bush’s nominees they are that much closer to impeaching GWB. So they ignore the total incompeptence of the Mayor, the Govenor. And, they spread every distasteful rumor they hear during the crisis, without regard to whether they are true, just so they can ratchet up the pressure on Bush. And, then when things settle down and it comes to light that the numbers of dead, and the amount of violence, were exagerated they may report the discrepancy but they refuse to back down the logic trail and reassess the events without the false assumptions in place.
I’ve seen the template used too many times, they take fictional events and create a scenario which is supposedly bad news for GWB. Then, when we shake them awake and tell them those were only dreams, they continue to use the imagined events/consequences to push for the changes they desire, while throwing blame at Bush for something that never happened. And, while they remain, to borrow General Honore’s phrase, “stuck on stupid”, we have to hear how dumb they are. Irritating.
Now, to be sure, Michael Brown is not perfect. And we can do the “monday morning quarterback” critique, as we should, but that doesn’t mean we have to automatically tear the man down if he proves to be mortal. I am sure he is. As are the Mayor and Govenor. But, the reason I will keep pounding on them for the way they handled Katrina is that they were 1)incompetent, and 2)whiners who sought to blame someone else for their inadequacies. I can understand the first, I can not tolerate the second. The first means you are human, the second means you are a bad person and willing to hurt another in order to avoid the responsibility for your own actions (or, inactions). It means one is yellow.
I want to hear the rest of the story, there are lessons for many in the way Katrina was handled. For now I’m still drinking the Brown Kool-Aid. But don’t spray me with that yellow Kool-Aid and tell me it is raining, I’ve heard too much of that fiction for this lifetime.
Sep
26
2005
A cunning display of stunts!
Filed Under Internet and Blogging | 3 Comments
A cunning display of stunts!
Filed Under Internet and Blogging | 3 Comments
What is the difference between a Chinese Gymnastic team and Cindy Sheehan and her fellow anti-war protesters?
In the words of Matt Drudge, one is a cunning display of stunts!
(image modified slightly to fit)
Sep
26
2005
It seems that Global Meteorologic expert Barbara Streisand (What, you thought she was just a singer and a mediocre actress?) has some dire warnings about the effect Global Warming is having on global weather patterns.
Ms. Streisand, who earned her PhD Masters Bachelors Associates Degree Certification… something (TBA – I’m still sifting the Internet for that information) in Meteorology from Harvard Yale Princeton Stanford Berkeley San Francisco Community College University of Phoenix Online The National School of Meteorology well somewhere (I’m still looking for that information too, but I was sure that last one was it!), is warning the world…
We are in a global warming emergency state and these storms are going to become more frequent, more intense, there could be more droughts, dust bowls, you know it’s amazing to hear these facts…
This is quite shocking stuff, specially coming from such a well known and highly regarded expert in the field of Global Meteorology. George Bush should quit ignoring the advice of such highly educated and experienced experts!
And in a related story, the nation’s leading authority on Foreign Affairs and Military Strategy also has some advice for the President. I would suggest that unless the President listens to this sage advice from one of the worlds leading Foreign Policy experts, then he’s likely to lose the 2008 Presidential election to this man.
Sep
23
2005
Vote Now! To Declare No IFC At Ground Zero
Filed Under History | 2 Comments
Vote Now! To Declare No IFC At Ground Zero
Filed Under History | 2 Comments
The following came in an e-mail update from Take Back The Memorial.
“Newsday is conducting an online poll regarding the IFC. Vote Now! And Make Your Voice Heard!
To vote GO HERE.
The current results will show after you vote, so far, reason and dignity are winning big time. If the people have a say, the IFC will not be present at that site.
Sep
21
2005
James Taranto said it yesterday (see the heading To the Bitter End–II), and I said something very similar months ago. The reason I point this out is articulated very well by Mr. Taranto:
Given Bush’s efforts to reach out to black voters, he could do worse than to choose Janice Rogers Brown. If the Republicans are really lucky, the Democrats will be unable to restrain their prejudices, as Reid was when he made bigoted statements about Justice Clarence Thomas last year.
Most Black Americans, like most White, Brown, Yellow and Red Americans, are what I like to call “regular folks.” By that I mean that they are not caught up in politics and political machinations the way most of us bloggers are: they pay attention to politics when it directly and obviously affects their lives, and every other year when there is a big enough election – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Reading and/or hearing the comments of Senators Reid, Durbin, Kennedy, and Biden (et al) has often made me wish that I was totally ignorant of how much power and influence they hold. At least that way I could just dismiss them as idiots and move on with my life. But seeing as how I cannot un-ring the bell of my political understanding (such as it is), the only thing I can hope for are instances that can bring a portion of that understanding to those “regular folk.”
This is basically what I was hoping for back in May – that were they to actually listen carefully and see the liberals and Democrats for who they really are, Black Americans would be appalled and insulted. By nominating Janice Rogers Brown, the President would be wielding a double-edged Vorpal sword (+5 vs former Clan members) against his political foes that may just do that: She’s a conservative, a strict constructionist, a woman, black, and a Californian (Blue State). Against her, and with the help of the new media (aka the Pajamahadeen), Blacks in America may finally see the subtle and corrosive racism of the liberal elite Democrats rear it’s ugly head… and see that head finally get severed from the American body politic.
Sep
21
2005
George Bush: All powerful evil genius!
Filed Under Science | Comments Off
George Bush: All powerful evil genius!
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President George Bush refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, and as a result of his arrogant kowtowing to big oil corporations – according to the liberals and Democrats – Global Warming caused hurricane Katrina (and now Rita) and brought devastation to millions in New Orleans and the gulf coast. Now we have evidence that not only are his evil plans to destroy the earth and everything on it going as he wished, he has now spread the devastating effects of Global Warming throughout the solar system.
The climate on Mars is showing a warming trend and recent images have shown the first evidence of seismic activity on Earth’s neighbor planet, scientists said on Tuesday.
The images, documenting changes from 1999 to 2005, suggest the climate on Mars is presently warmer, and perhaps getting warmer still…
His evil genius knows no bounds!
Hat tip to The Code Monkey!
Sep
20
2005
Wiesenthal Dead- He Never Forgot
Filed Under War and Terrorism | 1 Comment
Wiesenthal Dead- He Never Forgot
Filed Under War and Terrorism | 1 Comment
I humbly offer a few thoughts on the passing of this most important man, with apologies that I can not begin to explain his relevance, and with the hope that I do him some manner of justice.
Simon Wiesenthal, noted Nazi hunter has passed.
Mr. Wiesenthal survived five concentration camps, and dedicated the remainder of his life to finding the criminals that escaped prosecution after World War II ended.
The horror of the holocaust took place so many years ago that I feel certain that many today think of it only as history, an ugly blip on the historical radar with no relevance to this time. But, then some at the time knew it would be unfathomable to those who were not there.
In the final paragraph of his memoirs, he quotes what an SS corporal told him in 1944: “You would tell the truth [about the death camps] to the people in America. That’s right. And you know what would happen, Wiesenthal? They wouldn’t believe you. They’d say you were mad. Might even put you into an asylum. How can anyone believe this terrible business – unless he has lived through it?”
And Wiesenthal noted how time had eroded the understanding of those events not so many years ago.
“We are living in a time of the trivialization of the word ‘Holocaust,’” he told AP in 1999. “What happened to the Jews cannot be compared with all the other crimes. Every Jew had a death sentence without a date.”
This was before Senator Dhurbin made his famous remarks, making a false connection between this war and that time, a not so trivial mistatement. There is a connection between now and then, the case is put forth clearly in this article from the Jerusalem Post which Chris presented earlier. Today’s Islamofacists owe a great deal of their philosophical origin to the Nazis. But, even these madmen have not approached the level of crimes committed by the Nazis; though they aspire to achieve the same result. And we must fight them back with the same resolution that guided Mr. Wiesenthal for so many years. His work remains unfinished, some of those Nazi criminals live on, some will have to meet justice in the afterlife. But, those not caught in this world remain as a pollution on the human spirit, and their disease spreads even without their further involvement. Until the racism and religious prejudice which fueled the Nazis is extinguished none of us are safe. Protecting the Jewish people is the bellwether of humanity today, if you are not with them, you are against all of mankind. I believe that to be true, if only because they are historically the most oppressed of all peoples. It starts there, if they are not allowed dignity and freedom, then no other group is safe. Each victory against racism and prejudice bolsters our strength to battle against the next example. That is the temporal war we fight, freedom and dignity for the least of us, in order to gain the same for all.
Mr. Wiesenthal believed there is also a cosmic reason to fight the good fight.
Wiesenthal is often asked to explain his motives for becoming a Nazi hunter. According to Clyde Farnsworth in the New York Times Magazine (February 2, 1964), Wiesenthal once spent the Sabbath at the home of a former Mauthausen inmate, now a well-to-do jewelry manufacturer. After dinner his host said, “Simon, if you had gone back to building houses, you’d be a millionaire. Why didn’t you?” “You’re a religious man,” replied Wiesenthal. “You believe in God and life after death. I also believe. When we come to the other world and meet the millions of Jews who died in the camps and they ask us, ‘What have you done?’, there will be many answers. You will say, ‘I became a jeweler’, Another will say, I have smuggled coffee and American cigarettes’, Another will say, ‘I built houses’, But I will say, ‘I didn’t forget you.’”
And he didn’t, and his work made certain that we did not either. Though there are others who worked for the same cause, Mr. Wiesenthal’s is the face we put to the effort. He was the most famous, and perhaps the most diligent, and enduring of the Nazi hunters. But, he was not alone. Kudos to all who took part. His visage and reputation for results remind us of the evil that took place, and of the determination to not let it go unanswered. He will be missed. But, not forgotten.
The horror of that time can not fit into the meanings of mere words, that the human spirit is greater than that horror is a blessing. Just living on afterwards is a victory. Fighting back, well for some, it was a necessary part of that life. Wiesenthal was the front man, the one putting himself in the hot seat, he lived the remainder of his life in memory of those lost, but to the benefit of us all.
We can’t all forego making a living in order to dedicate our lives to finishing the work of bringing murderers to justice, (someone must still produce), he did. So, in the highest terms, we honor Wiesenthal that he did such work.
However, one thing we can do, we can all remember. Never forget.
Never forget!
Sep
20
2005
Nagin You Are Never Right
Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments
Nagin You Are Never Right
Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments
I am not yet expecting him to wonder aloud, “you mean we don’t get French benefits?”, but the sometimes Mayor of New Orleans, Nagin, is certainly reminding me of that character in the shipping ad who never gets anything right.
At least, after his latest error, inviting his part-time constitutents to return to New Orleans before the city is decontaminated and secured from future flooding, he has been convinced to rethink his wrong position; and is now telling those who did not return to stay away, and those who did, to prepare to leave by Wednesday. He remains defiant, insulting even, of those who saved the people he abandoned. And, he is clearly not ready to take the lead in the recovery effort. This man, who failed to execute the planned evacuation before Katrina arrived, stifled the efforts of the rescuers who followed, lambasted those same rescuers for not doing what he would not permit, and now unilaterally invites the citizens to return to further danger, is out of control.
The Federal government is doing all it can, and has the resources to finish the job; Nagin should stand down until the job is done.
Perhaps a vacation would relieve some stress and allow him to gain perspective. He may find it enjoyable to visit a famous landmark, a trip to view the “Tower of Pizza” seems appropriate.
Sep
16
2005
We the People of the United States…
Filed Under Liberty and Democracy | Comments Off
We the People of the United States…
Filed Under Liberty and Democracy | Comments Off
Tomorrow is Constitution Day, the 218th anniversary of that document’s signing by our nation’s Founders. In honor of this day, do yourself and the country a favor and read (or reread) that noble document. Once you have, read this section of the transcripts of the Roberts hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and this piece by Mark Alexander in which he states:
While the words “conservative” and “liberal” are ubiquitously used to describe Republicans and Democrats respectively, these words properly should describe whether one advocates for the conservation of our Constitution, as originally intended, or its liberal interpretation by judicial activists. Does one want to conserve Constitutional limits on the central government, or liberate those limits?
In the section of the hearings I pointed out, future Chief Justice nominee John Roberts answers a question from Senator Dick Turbin that I think all Americans should have cheered, but which – based on the truths Mr. Alexander correctly illustrates – probably enraged diehard liberals:
DURBIN: Well, if I might say, Judge, if you’ve made one point many times over during the course of the last three days, it’s that as a judge you will be loyal and faithful to the process of law, to the rule of law.
I think that is without question from what you’ve said. I accept that on its face.
But the questions which we continue to ask you really try to go beyond that. Because I said at the outset that I thought one of the real measures as to whether or not you should be on the Supreme Court goes back to a point Senator Simon had made: Would you restrict freedom in America or would you expand it? When you are defending gays and lesbians who are being restricted in their rights by the Colorado amendment, you are trying, from my point of view, to expand freedom in America. That, to me, is a positive thing. That’s my personal philosophy and point of view.
But then when you say, If the state would have walked in the door first to restrict freedoms, I would have taken them as a client too, I wonder, where are you?
Beyond loyalty to the process of law, how do you view this law when it comes to expanding our personal freedom? Is it important enough for you to say in some instances, I will not use my skills as a lawyer because I don’t believe that that is a cause that is consistent with my values and belief ?
That’s what I’ve been asking.
ROBERTS: I had someone ask me in this process — I don’t remember who it was, but somebody asked me, you know, Are you going to be on the side of the little guy?
And you obviously want to give an immediate answer, but, as you reflect on it, if the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy’s going to win in court before me. But if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well, then the big guy’s going to win, because my obligation is to the Constitution. That’s the oath.
The oath that a judge takes is not that, I’ll look out for particular interests, I’ll be on the side of particular interests. The oath is to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States. And that’s what I would do.
If you will read all that I have asked, and sit a bit and ponder the weight and meaning of the words therein, I believe you can have no other reaction but to agree with us here at The Black Republican and the words of Mark Anderson:
The future of the Republic is riding on these confirmations.
Sep
16
2005
American racism
Filed Under Race and Prejudice | Comments Off
American racism
Filed Under Race and Prejudice | Comments Off
Do we need to judge these people according to an effects test or an intent test under the Civil Rights Act?
Sep
15
2005
Protecting The Environment Cost Lives, Again
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
Protecting The Environment Cost Lives, Again
Filed Under Politics | Comments Off
You may have heard that flood gates protecting New Orleans were not built due to pressure from environmentalists who contended that such structures would damage the ecosystem. And, in protecting the environment from supposed danger, the eco-dudes got people killed. Inadvertant, you may argue, but they are dead none the less. And the gates are said to have been the answer.
“If we had built the barriers, New Orleans would not be flooded,” said Joseph Towers, the retired chief counsel for the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans district.
I remind you that the environmentalists also played a role in the Columbia space shuttle disaster. The restrictions on the use of freon caused an engineering nightmare for those applying the foam. And, since the time the foam was applied without the freon component, the freon was discontinued in 1997, the rate of foam caused damage has increased markedly.
“Following the change, the November 1997 mission had 308 ceramic tiles damaged. The usual number was 40. Since that time NASA has tried to improve the method of applying foam but it has not been easy. Indeed, Lockheed’s Charles Martin said at Tulane University that compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s rules on the space shuttle project was “much more difficult than anticipated.”
Rather than making the shuttle as safe as possible we made it as politically correct as possible. That cost 7 astronauts their lives– not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars.”
And we can also blame political correctness for deaths in New Orleans. Now given that the local authorities were not up to their responsibilities with regard to removing the citizenry of the city with sure catastrophe approaching, it may be asking too much to believe they would have ordered the effective use of the flood gates either; but it would have been nice to have had the option open to them.
Since the gates were never built we can’t blame Nagin for not using them, at least he has that going for him. Instead, the environiacs have deaths on their conscience. Not that they care about humans, a lower order of life in their estimation.