Diary of the Mad Pigeon

Video: The China Earthquake

Assuming China will handle earthquake response far better than the Myanmar thugs handled the cyclone:

...where credit is due.

Adam Blickstein over at Democracy Arsenal took note of some new-old developments in Russia. He even had enough of a sense of humor to title the post "Soyuz nerushimy respublik svobodnykh", albeit in English. Seeing ballistic missile launchers roll across Red Square again will be amusing--and this time they're SS-27s. Possibly SS-X-29s, depending on who you ask. Oh, wait, the TOPOL-M is properly referred to as the SS-25 Mod-what the hell ever, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Not that they would ever dream of violating the Moscow Treaty or any of the START agreements by building completely new missiles.

Bloody Hell...

Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World

By JOSH GERSTEIN, Staff Reporter of the Sun | April 21, 2008

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing.

Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.

At a Costco Warehouse in Mountain View, Calif., yesterday, shoppers grew frustrated and occasionally uttered expletives as they searched in vain for the large sacks of rice they usually buy.

“Where’s the rice?” an engineer from Palo Alto, Calif., Yajun Liu, said. “You should be able to buy something like rice. This is ridiculous.”

(snip)

“Due to the limited availability of rice, we are limiting rice purchases based on your prior purchasing history,” a sign above the dwindling supply said.

Shoppers said the limits had been in place for a few days, and that rice supplies had been spotty for a few weeks. A store manager referred questions to officials at Costco headquarters near Seattle, who did not return calls or e-mail messages yesterday.

An employee at the Costco store in Queens said there were no restrictions on rice buying, but limits were being imposed on purchases of oil and flour. Internet postings attributed some of the shortage at the retail level to bakery owners who flocked to warehouse stores when the price of flour from commercial suppliers doubled.

The curbs and shortages are being tracked with concern by survivalists who view the phenomenon as a harbinger of more serious trouble to come.

“It’s sporadic. It’s not every store, but it’s becoming more commonplace...”

Read the rest

MOGS Mode Engaged.

You know, there's days when I have to look around me and wonder. As hokey and corny as this may sound, there's times when I look around this country and find parts of it are difficult to recognize. The historian in me is what usually keeps any alarmism in check, because well, shortages have happened, and likely will continue to happen as long as there's a human race walking the planet Earth. That's not what worries me. What worries me is the nagging feeling that everything I've sworn to protect for my entire adult life now is going to start slipping away all around me (and for any lefty trolls who happen to be reading this, please take any discussions of "Itz all Booooosh's faultz! elsewhere, you're barking up the wrong tree around these parts, you know what, I have a delete button on comments and I make you NO promise about not using it).

I actually tend to think, again as an aspiring historian only, that history is going to vindicate W to a large degree...in about 20-30 years of course, assuming that there's a United States left that cares by then. I look at in the same vein as how it's taken Harry Truman a long time to earn the respect he deserves, and similarly, for Woodrow Wilson and FDR to get a second, more critical look than the bona-fide "byes" they seemed to have earned previously. If only people would get their head screwed on straight about Kennedy too, but I digress).

I mean this is America right? We're not supposed to have food shortages. I found myself talking to some grad students the other day. They kinda of scared me. They seemed to possess the belief that no one was entitled to self-defense (this was a discussion about the Virginia Tech incident - let's save this for another day, it's not my focus here), the idea of "personal responsibility" seemed rather alien.

I told them point blank that I actually thought that people were far, far, far more capable and smart than they gave credit it for. The looks of incredulity I received, just the blank eyes and metrosexual beta-male pouts that ensued was enough to make me smirk and walk off. They're going to Princeton or something.

It's sad to me. Of course "everybody has their opinion" and "you're not always right MOGS," I get that. "Not everyone can be you." Yeah, I've heard that too, and as much I as don't like it, I am not a completely independent self-sufficient mammal myself. No one is. But the idea of just lying there like a sheep, believing that you're not even entitled to raise an arm to protect you own self...

The idea was so alien to them......I felt as if I was talking to H.G. Well's ELOI. And the odd thing is, Wells was one of the far left's patron saints for a long time. He even coined the phrase "liberal fascism" and he didn't mean it in a condescending or negative way.

I tend to call these folks "the first to be eaten" re: chew toys for Morlocks, zombies, Posleen, xenomorphs, Cylons, Terminators, CHUD, or any other such as far as we know fictional grab-apple that happens to look at Planet Earth and see a nice, fat, ripe snack. I also tend to think this is why, to some of us mid-level geeks, why arch nerd-fests such as WH40K appeal so dang much (no I don't have any models or such, but I do enjoy the Dawn of War series of games and have found the novels by Dan Abnett quite entertaining - the man knows his military history and employs it great effect).

Me own sainted mother thinks, that creepiness aside, the idea of CPS sweeping into people's homes and property is completely justified and okay if its all for "the children" and when I have kids someday I'd "understand that." I kinda hope I don't ever come to understand that. I would hope to god I would raise my kids, starting with any help I can give to my godson, to be better than this. I also tend to think that this divide in opinion is why God made both men and women.

Not surprisingly, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc tend to be....interesting around La Casa della MOGSY.

Oops, I let out a secret. Yup, I MOGSY am not-so-secretly an elitist. I do happen to think that some people are better than others. It's based solely on character. It's based solely on actions, not words even. Words are easy. Even typing here is easy. Actions, now those are tough. "Character is what you are in the dark" an obscure movie character once said. Character is destiny has been the mantra of (old school) philosophy, religion, and psychology. Of course, us moderns are far too good and sophisticated for something as bourgeoise and patriarchal as "character" now aren't we?

It's weird being really young and feeling really, really old at the same time. It's not new, my sister has called me "old man" since we were kids and she's only about 3.5 years my junior. One of her best friends, about the same age has always called me "Uncle Chris" as something of a affectionate putdown. My dad swears up and down I act and think older than him. One of my airmen in Korea told me that I had "an old soul." I don't know where it came from. At age 12 we just starting to notice girls (yes once upon a time they didn't teach sex-ed at 8 and it wasn't THAT long ago), but I also noticed the Berlin Wall fell and that was important, and that some Mid-Eastern nut-job named Saddam Hussein invaded some tiny-ass little country that precocious me had never heard of, and that was also important.

Alkaline Trio have a song where they sing "At when you're only 23 it's not attractive to complain about your sore back." :)

I'm not 23.

I'm a (wannabe) historian for God's sake, who doesn't buy into post-modernism and who despises the "Rape of the Masters" that's had to take place in order to even remotely consider that stupid little ..... from Yale an "artist." And, I really don't care about her right to expression. That's fine, she has every to earn the disdain and outrage of most of the country minus the dimwits whose actually life experience counts for so very little that they could even begin to find her horrid act as any form of "art." My only hope for her is that she earns the full measure of "what goes around, comes around some day," and I've wished that sort of thing on very, very few people.

I've said it many times in the past, but I happen to think Marxism is the greatest line of wishful-thinking ever swallowed by any sizable group of people, it's led thus far to nothing except pain, suffering, tyranny, and the very destruction of the people its supposed to prop up. It's right next to the idea that "one set of values is a good as any other." Really. So, how's that panned out?

There's a lot of things I see that I don't like. Some I can do something about, most I can't. What I don't want to see is my own home changed so irrevocably, given over to the soft tyrannies that I think have already marred one generation too many, (though I think, thank God, Gen-X is starting to wake up and realize that it can't continue to sulk, sit in the corner and listen to Nirvana while the world passes it by).

What can I say? In the last couple years I've gone almost to the right side of Attila the Hun, but I for one think that on principal, libertarian or Jeffersonian views about personal responsibility and minding one's own business first are good things. I realize that I would rather have a country that allows me the freedom of choice to be conservative than mandates it. I also want freedom from a country that robs me blind to "bring about 'social justice' instead of allowing me to be a good human being and contribute to the betterment of my fellow citizens of my own free will. I'm for living in a country which practices the basic mindset of "you break it, you buy it."

I'm tired of "causes," I'm frickin' sick and tired of "awareness" - I think I'm plenty damned aware of everything under the sun now, thanks to all the Yellow-ribbon RIPOFFS out there now for every blessed thing under the sun. I'm tired of being asked to accept that feral kids beating each other up and posting it on YouTube is somehow "normal."

I wonder when the Jon Galt scenario starts to take effect? I've heard many a (resourceful, hard-working soul with means) say "screw 'em, if they keep taxing me to death and punishing me for being smart and successful, I'm just gonna quit."

Alarmist? Chicken-little? You know what? Dear God I hope so. I would rather be a complete cynic who's proven utterly wrong than a Candide` walking around with my head in the clouds and have the rug pulled out completely from under me.

It's just getting scary from atop the rampart. It seems like something's brewing over in the Old Quarter, and I just don't like it, and the men are whispering rumors, centurion.

Silence on the Zimbabwe Elections

AFP:  Zimbabwe's opposition slammed the "deafening silence" Tuesday of Africa in the aftermath of the country's elections, warning of blood on the streets unless pressure is brought to bear on Robert Mugabe.

As party lawyers argued at the high court for an immediate announcement of the result of the March 29 presidential poll, the Movement for Democratic Change's number two said its supporters were being provoked into violence as part of a strategy to impose a state of emergency. 
MDC secretary general Tendai Biti said "the deafening silence by our brothers and sisters" in Africa was symptomatic of the continent's failure to react to crises.  Drawing a parallel to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, in which some 800,000 people lost their lives, Biti urged institutions such as the African Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to take a clear stand as he reiterated party claims that pro-government militias were being armed.  CONTINUED 

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Admittedly I'm not much of an Africanist, but I've still been keeping an eye on the Zimbabwe election.

Talk about I country with so much potential trashed so thoroughly by one man.  Once Zimbabwe was the breadbasket of Africa, and now inflation's so high people carry wheelbarrows full of Zimbabwe dollars just to buy a coke (assuming the given store actually has cokes).

I'm curious about the silence myself... perhaps if Mugabe actually makes a overt move to stay in power the African Union can pull a Comoros and shack Mugabe up with Mohamed Bacar!

Except that Mugabe ain't taking calls. 

"The Essential Pigeon" Reading List

UPDATED 21 March 2008

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For my longest die-hard fans and newest mad pigeoneers, I've compiled THE ESSENTIAL PIGEON READING LIST, a topic-organized collection of my favorite posts going back to my launch in May 05. I think these articles best capture my personality, professional creds, and acerbic humor--In my not so humble pigeon opinion.
If you've been reading since the beginning I invite you to revisit my favorite posts; and if your new to the roost, I hope this sample of what I consider my finest work brings you back for more! Regards,

The Mad Pigeon

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>> THE PIGEON'S FAVORITE 5! <<

A Corporation Challenges the Pigeon's Free Speech

The Current Iranian Regime for Sale on eBay

What am I? (Politically, that is...)

18 Things that Ruffle the Pigeon's Feathers

On Freedoms and Back Pain




>> POLITICAL AND MILITARY ANALYSIS <<

Synthetic Democracy: Associations and Social Capital in Virtual Worlds

Leadership: "The Lost Bomb" Revisited

The Threat from Empty al-Qaida Training Camps

The September Deadline: The Pigeon's Response

Combat Technology, Flexibility and Maneuverability

More thoughts on Virginia Tech

U.S. Concerned about Chinese Military Buildup

Advanced Military Gear: Strength of Weakness?

9/11 Versus Star Wars

The Iraq Strategy: The Pigeon's Response

The Domestic Terrorism Duology:  Part II, Part II




>> CONSERVATION <<

The Geopolitics of Conservation

Fire on the Mountain

The Pigeon on Fresh Water Access

The Great CNN Suburban Mountain Lion Incident

A Pigeon and his Lawn




>> LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY <<

The Truth About Service Academies?

Leadership and The Army Noncommissioned Officer Creed

Whining Entitlement Kidployees want Bennies without the Work!

The Boss-zilla from Hell

Some notes on Political Correctness




>> THE ROOSTING ARTS <<

The Pigeon's Perfect Steak

Social Capital and the Garage

Friday at The Mad Pigeon's Roost




>> CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS <<

Air Force Blocks Access to Blogs

The Pigeon on Scientology

The New FISA Bill: Security versus Liberty?

The Pigeon on the ACLU

Down with the Flag Burning Amendment!




>> THE PIGEON GETS PERSONAL <<

The Wizard Pentology:  Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V

Where were YOU on September 11?  A Retrospective

The Pigeon on Losing a Pet




>> FUNNY STUFF (well, at least I think it is...) <<

The Michael Crook Quadrology:  Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV

Dag nabbit, I've been Tagged!

Tech Support 1, Pigeon 0

Five Question Meme Game

Short Notes and Deep Thoughts

Confessions of Digital Piracy

The Pigeon on Wikipedia

An "Enlightened" Response to a Commenter




>> AND, OF COURSE... <<

So... Why "Pigeon?"

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Thank you for reading Diary of the Mad Pigeon!  If you like my twisted view of reality please feel free to add me to your blogroll or daily RSS read.  In addition, feedback, article submissions, and donations of large, unmarked bills are always appreciated!  You can reach me at thebigpigeon-at-yahoo-dot-com

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A Message, and a Farewell (for now)

I’m knee-deep in grad school course work (yes, I am back in school, not saying where or what program, because that information is clearly need to know and very few of you in that category), but I decided to write some commentary on a link Pigeon sent me today.  I should be doing classwork, but this will continue to bother me until I say my piece.  After this posting, you can expect that I won’t be writing much (some of you may be cheering) until after I’ve got some grades under my belt and a vector for school.  With that said, let’s get to it.

I had to think twice about actually posting the link, mostly because I didn’t want to soil this place by electronic association with something so disgusting to me, but I also realize that if I want the readership here to understand my point of view, I had an obligation to show them the source material, and not just dash off an angry “grrrr….here’s where it is, go read it for yourself,” that wouldn’t help my cause at all.

So, go ahead and read this garbage. 

EXCERPT:  In the recent political battle around the Marine recruiting station in Berkeley there has been much confusion around the concept or slogan of “supporting the troops,” but opposing the unjust wars of the Bush regime. Many who oppose the Bush regime wars also say they “support the troops.” Let me say it straight out—I do not support the troops and neither should you. It is objectively impossible to support the troops of the imperialist military forces of the U.S. and at the same time oppose the wars in which they fight.

(THE PIGEON ADDS:  More on the article at Blackfive, where I originally found it).

Here’s how I’ll start:  A wise person once wrote that “in order to have debate, both parties coming to the discussion must have positions that are mutable and negotiable, without this, there is no debate to be had,” and I apologize for not having the source cite, and I can also tell you that the above is not an exact quote, but while I did not internalize the source’s identity, the gist of the words stuck with me.  You read the article posted under that link, and you honestly try to explain to me how the heck there can be any sort of debate with this sort of person, from here out referred to as “it”? (And real quick let me take away another weapon: some intellectual out there will undoubtedly say, Ah hah!  Typical fascist, he is DEHUMANIZING THE ENEMY!!! HERETICUS!)

Oh, you mean like this?  “We need to expose that those in the U.S. military are trained to be part of a “killing machine.” (The Clown, also called “it”)

This post you are reading, supposedly written by a “human” who refers to himself as “MOGS” is not written by a thinking man, but instead by a robot, and not an intelligent, Asimovan robot either, nor a Blade Runner Replicant.  Instead, I’m a Terminator I guess.  Blogging by WOPR (I am crossing over from youth into distinguished adulthood, please deal with it).

Wise men once wrote about winning with “no sword,” :)

The writer does little more than give a laundry list of the same, tired, canned talking points items that the far left (notice I did not use the word “liberal” a much abused and basically meaningless title these days) has relied upon for years, even before the vaunted ‘60s, to describe their positions on America and its roles in the world.  These points do not constitute an argument, they are simply dogma.  They are prima fascia beliefs held dear and inviolate like Roman Catholic Canon Law (and personally, I have found Catholic doctrine to be more negotiable than anything the left has ever come up with), a set of baseline assumptions about the world that are non-negotiable. 

Well, I have dogma too, and that dogma includes my moral, legal, duty-bound, and honor-bound obligation to oppose organizations like “World Can’t Wait” whenever I can, if anything, for their ties to socialist and communist organizations here and abroad and a desire to basically undo and overthrow the Constitution of the United States, which I am forsworn to protect.  That is also dogma.  There is no debate to be had.

I sincerely hope that screeds like the above do little more than preach to the already converted, because it has little, if any, understanding of reality, about America, about the Armed Forces, about the situation in Iraq. (For starts, if you check out www.af.mil, you might learn that US forces rescued American teachers on a HIKING TRIP IN FRIGGIN’ BALAD.  There was 5K “FUN RUN” by Iraqis in "crazy" Ramadi. This is Iraq damn you!)

For God’s sake, Evan Sayet and David Mamet have had “conversions” because they could no longer block out reality, which is so easy to do living in wealth, safety, indeed the unprecedented in world history SPLENDOR, of Hollywood, of New York City, of Southern California and most of the United State, which so few of these people have actually seen, let alone the homes of the “oppressed brown people” they write so much and care so much about, but don’t seem to be bothered to actually move in with or at least even visit.

The clowns at Berkeley and elsewhere have the same sort of cognitive dissonance that we most often heap (more often than not, unfairly) on fundamentalist and evangelical Christians.  We’re constantly warned about the theocracy “waiting right around the corner” and are provided no compelling evidence that it actually exists.  The groups that would support it are ridiculed, by all sides of the political arrangement, by co-religionists, and most importantly, are quite simply, not voted into office to implement their schemes, which unlike the Marxist left, the theocratic right at least is open, up front, and honest, and descriptive of their goals, beliefs, and justification. 

The left has to rely on “lawfare” or “Human Rights Commissions” (I support Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn) on bold face lies and bait-and-switch, because their actually policy goals are simply unpalatable to most people in this country, the left has to hide behind meaningless, sure it sounds good rhetoric and manipulated emotional response, because in the light of day, their support would evaporate inside the time it takes for a heart to beat once, and they know this.  So, before attacking utterly destroying the clown, let me ask you this:  supposedly, there are Christian fundamentalist terrorists out there in equal proportion to the Islamists and environmental nutjobs. 

Where are they? 

You heard me.  Where are they? 

Demonstrate to me, with evidence and sources, how in the current war we are fighting that we can continue to play the charade of “well they’re just as bad, if not worse.”  All bets are in, and I’m calling.  Let’s see the cards.  Theocracy?  What theocracy?  Show me evidence of a damned X-stian Theocracy that can do better than a friggin’ late night televangelist's powerpoint slides on the book of Revelation. 

Show me one; show me one “concentration camp” in America.  Show me one instance of jackbooted Christian thugs arresting anybody; show me one BIT of the scenario that Green Day sang about on “American Idiot.”  The left won’t because the left CAN’T.  They’ll sit there and try to tell you, somehow, that calling a Christmas Tree a “Christmas Tree” is “blah blah imperialist, blah blah racist blah blah fascist.” 

And that’s about the best they can do.

Anyone out there actually read about this little thing called the “Holocaust?”  And the best the left in this country can come up with is Christmas Trees?  Wow.

There are people out there in this country, of the Christian persuasion, who don’t like The Hummingbird’s religion.  For a minute, I don’t presume to speak for anybody but myself, but I highly, highly, highly doubt that she or her worthy husband believe for a second that  “brown shirts” led by John Hagee or Pat Robertson are coming for her.  Or will ever be coming for her. 

Even a relapsing Catholic like me (in other words, I am finding myself drawing back into the orbit of the Church), would fight such a thing TO THE DEATH, as would most of the Churchgoers in this land of ours, I think even the folks who have religious quarrels with Wicca or anything else, if push really came to shove, I mean really, bad Apocalyptic TV movie came to shove, I think “America” wins over “Kristianistan.” It doesn’t take much beyond a single LOOK at what the Taliban created in Afghanistan to want to wish religious theocracy on anyone. Or Iran.  Or even Saudi. Even when the “Pope was king” (the Papal States of Renaissance Italy), even the Borgia popes did not create the horror that the Talib wrought. Heinlein got it all wrong in “Revolt in 2100.”  All wrong.  Trent Reznor got it wrong on NIN’s latest album too.  They’re wrong about who will come to shut down their presses, and websites, who actually cares enough to enact laws, who the real fascists are.

Next:  The Nature of “Opinions” the Right to Free Speech and the Freedom to One’s Own Conscience, and the abduction and abuse of the word “Tolerance”

Let’s talk a little bit about the Nature of Opinions for second.  Let me start with an acknowledgement that this is America, and while I think there have been several instances in the past few years where certain morons could and should have been prosecuted under the laws pertaining to sedition, I have to accept the fact that the public at large views these as “free speech” issues, so be it.

The problem with “free, unrestricted speech” is that it carries with it a connotation to many, the uninformed and the simple-minded, that all speech is equal in value, that all content is created equal, and that all opinions are worth merit.  It’s pretty dang socialist when you think about it.  I would submit to you that not only is this categorically false, there is no moral imperative to assign “equal” value to opinions on the bare fact that they are “opinions” held by (supposedly) free-thinking human beings.  Simply put some opinions outright suck.  The worst are based solely on emotion only, not rational thinking, not based on knowledge, not based on research or experience; they are based simply on “well I know this to be true, and so do you, DUH!”

These are the reasons why, for example, I think the most dangerous type of legal advocacy in the world is advocacy based on rage or grief, stemming from legitimately heartbreaking tragic circumstances, (one pundit once wisely said “beware laws named after somebody”) because while great media copy and horrible made for TV movie fodder (Lifetime, how the heck do women live with themselves for watching that tripe) that always seems to lead to bad law, intrusive, unconstitutional law, despite the good intentions and the right motivations, that few understand the consequences of because it is seen as “for the children” or  in the name of “fairness,” (as if equality of outcomes is also some sort of prima fascia moral good as well). 

I know I am fully and completely stepping on landmines here, but I would say to look at things like gun control, especially silly wishful thinking like “gun free school zones”, which seem to do nothing except attract wackos.  There's the fact that we as a society are uncomfortable enough with some laws as written to continue to debate restrictions on where sex offenders can or can not live, this says that something is at least perceived to not be right with the law's reach, despite the evil of the perps and  the immorality of their actions.  Even extended to DUI laws, which when someone looks at MADD’s possible own lack of truthfulness over the years…there’s legitimate concern for the “law of unintended consequences”, to say NOTHING of the quiet, still not dead debate over “truth” about how much domestic violence really exists, how much is actually perpetrated by men, over custody laws, or for that matter, rape accuser anonymity, which may need some serious re-looking, just ask the Duke Lacrosse Team.

See what I just did?  That’s free speech.  Those are somewhat reasonable, maybe informed though not cited opinions on a couple different issues, none of which I am truly versed in well enough to claim expertise, or eminent domain over MORAL AUTHORITY!  I am NOT a lawyer, nor a JAG, nor in any way more qualified to deal with law beyond the UCMJ requirements my military job requires me to be familiar with.  I would also say, that due to the sensitivity of the issues I just mentioned, it’s pretty gutsy speech, given the political correctness and let’s say that I’m prepared mentally and emotionally for someone to come out and call me heartless or evil, just for daring to question the constitutionality of Megan’s Law! 

Also of note, I am NOT speaking here as a military member, just good old MOGS, so armchair JAGS BACK!  BACK I SAY!  The power of Le May COMPELS YOU!  (Sorry, SAC joke). 

Now, what can happen next?  Someone who does have better, or more compelling examples, can argue against what I just said, because my positions on the above areas ARE MUTABLE.  I will listen and engage them.  I will not call their mothers whores, or somehow imply that they lack humanity.  There can be debate.  Furthermore, I will not, for a minute, pretend that my opinion is inherently worth 1/32^nd that of a judge or a veteran law enforcement officer in this, because I am not arrogant or boneheaded enough to think that my opinion has inherent value because of the mere fact it exists. 

Personally, it wouldn’t bother me if sex offenders were publicly pilloried and beaten within an inch of their life, that’s private citizen MOGSY expressing his private citizen thoughts (and for the record, I am civilian most of the time too, so don’t try to a-hole on the “you’re speaking for the military angle, trolls). This is why we make fun (well, most of us anyway) of the 9-11 “Truthers” Movement, and those who actually deign to give it space in the realm of ideas.  “Tolerating” stupidity does not help maintain the sanctity of free speech, it undermines it.  It makes it look foolish and worthless.

We all acknowledge that “free speech” includes a “right to be wrong,” but some people take this to the extreme (Code Pink’s idiot spokes-thing Xanne Joi or however it’s spelled this week is a great example of this), where they think this means “the right to say whatever I want and have no one question the validity of it or hurt my feelings,” well that’s not reality, that’s fantasy.  That’s amazingly naïve, I would say to an adolescent level.  Some discussion needs to happen over whether the sadist wet dreams of the left (please, please take over America, right wing fascists, so that for once in my pathetic life, I CAN BE COOL!!!)

At least the clown does us all one favor with its diatribe, which if you read it is absolutely NOTHING more than the same “blah blah blah fascist blah blah blah imperialist blah blah blah capitalist oppressors of brown people” line, with no variations, not even an attempt at modern relevancy, that these fools have trotted out every day since…1848 at least.  This clown admits that it does not support the troops.  It acknowledges the farce of claiming to support the troops but not the mission.  Points to Berkeley for honesty, this is perhaps the only true and honest thing you will hear from these clowns.

Let’s talk about the horribly mutilated word “tolerance.” (pah-tooey!) By now, some of you are saying “but MOGS, if you believe in the Constitution, you have to tolerate his opinion, and you shouldn’t judge, anyone, or anything, ever."  This is bunk.  We make judgments everyday.  This is how we choose who to interact with.  Preferences and biases are how we deal with the world.  To claim that anyone anywhere operates without biases or preconceived notions is patently impossible.  Now, what does tolerance really mean?  “Tolerance,” is not a synonym for “Acceptance.” 

“Tolerance” means that the clown can write his tripe without living in fear for his life, or his access to the rights of the Constitution (though the way the clown will tell it, apparently I’m waiting for nightfall to repel down his roof, crash into his bedroom, and spook him off some place to be “rendered”, Chuck Norris style, and also according to the clown, this sort of thing happens all the time, we simply lie about it).  Us inhuman murder machines are the sole reason he has the right to call us inhuman murder machines, really you’re welcome, though I really do wish in my blackest moments that blanket of freedom we extend didn’t protect you from a well deserved punch in the face, and kick in the junk.  The list of countries that would tolerate the clown’s right to be a complete idiot is vanishingly small, especially as we watch Europe commit continental suicide, one honor killing and concession to shariah at a time.  The clown only writes this, because in his tiny little heart of hearts, he knows that nothing bad will happen to him.  You don't see him up and moving to dying Sweden, or North Korea, or China, or anyplace other than the US, where things are supposedly "better." I wonder...

Tolerance merely means that we don’t kill gays for the mere sake that they are gays; no matter how much some may deplore their lifestyle and their political stances (which tend to frighten me more than anything else about them).  They are ultimately free to be gay, and any clown who tries to opine that things have not changed for them, or other minorities at all, in this country, is willfully ignorant.  Now how about this thing called “acceptance.”  Acceptance, or condoning of beliefs that I find to be wrong, morally or otherwise, is something that NO ONE CAN ASK FOR.  No one, no one, has the right to ask me or anyone else to “like” anybody.  No one has the right to attempt to force me to say that “gay marriage is okay.”  That is freedom of conscience.  That doesn't mean that anyone would not be allowed to call me out and argue about my stance, but I can't take any action that violates the Constitution, or its moral basis.  Is this reflexive?  You bet.  Do I think the clown believes this about me?  Not on your life.  Do you find any evidence of this understanding in his crayon scribblings?

Therefore, I submit to you, in no uncertain terms, that the clown is an idiot.  Its friends are idiots, its individual arguments are not even worth refuting line by line, and neither I nor anyone else should deign to give them credence.  I can say this, and I can also that I really do not care about its “right to free speech.”  You have it clown!  And I have the right to ridicule you, and ridicule you, for two can play your game.  We have the right to call you out, and you have the obligation to sit there and listen to us.

Lastly, I would submit to you that the only people, who care about “tolerance” in this world, live in developed nations where we have the time and the resources to care about hurting other people’s feelings. Most other places seem to have more immediate concerns than someone’s hurt feelings.  Ask Kim du Toit.

Now for the fisking.  I have zero respect, aside from its honesty, for the clown's opinion.  I have zero time its views, I obviously have no respect for it as a man, as my continued use of “the clown” and “it” demonstrates.  I “tolerate” the clown’s existence, and its right to constitutionally protected inalienable human rights, and that’s about it.  There is no moral imperative that forces me to consider, even for a moment, that the clown’s beliefs have any value whatsoever, nor is there a law that says I have to be nice to it. For the Berkeley paper to give it a forum isn’t a brave defense of free speech, it's a clown taking advantage of good intentions, and expecting to get to sit back and be congratulated for it.  Sorry to disappoint you, clown. 

Now, let’s get to some real fisking.  How many of you have ever looked at zombietime.com?  I have to say, for all their talk and for every useless after-school special I have ever seen about “stereotyping” and “tolerating differences” and “judging from appearances” Code Pink and its leftist pet, kept men seditionists all seem to fit every stereotype I’ve come to expect to a tee.  I really think the entire reign of politically correct terror that we’ve had to suffer through since the duh-dum-dum: "THE‘60s" is the revenge of all the lonely, unhappy, miserable creeps who got beat up a lot in school, who couldn’t win a fight or stand up for themselves on their own without crying to the teacher, who despise masculinity, or in the Code Pink fem-bot case, are some of the most unhappy, miserable excuses for women I have ever seen.  I honestly question what sort of man finds anything attractive in these creatures.  These men must have problems with their masculinity, otherwise, why would they spend so much time fantasizing about a violent takeover of America where they get to rush in and “save it.”  But only if their co-dependent, emotionally draining boil of a girlfriend allows them to…in fact, the women are usually tougher than the men of this category, who am I kidding?

Their entire fretting about on this stage seems more an excuse to let all of us known that “waaaah life is not fair, I SHOULD BE THE COOL AND POPULAR ONE, and YOU’RE ALL SHEEP!  WHY DON’T PEOPLE LIKE ME???” because their politics are unsophisticated, their arguments unstructured, their rhetoric tired retreads, why does anyone even bother paying attention to them?  Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem were unhappy with their own lives, so rather than even attempt at looking in the mirror, they decided their misery was everyone else’s fault, and so it goes.

You know something, I got picked on a lot too, life sucks, get a helmet, like Denis Leary says.  I think the clown and his ilk can simply not get over the fact that they are not respected, nor trusted, that fewer and fewer people listen to them or takes them seriously (not anyone who matters anyway), and it is simply not fair!  They never seem to stop and think that there’s a reason no one liked them then, and it’s probably the same reason now (could it be that referring to your own nation as a den of thieves, exploiters, and murders, and altogether evil, when pretty much the bulk of the evidence around you that most people consider of value points to the contrary, might serve to marginalize you?) 

We gave the inch, these clowns took over academia, the media, and they clustered into their little colonies where they could console each other over the fact that the big bad “jocks” and the popular kids ran things, and plotted their little passive-aggressive revenge.  Well, they got their chance to prove everyone wrong, they got their shot at social engineering for 30 odd years, and they failed utterly.  Now we’re all grown up, and the real jocks of American society, her heroes (not professional athletes though some are certainly heroic for reasons above and beyond sport), her true heroes are back, and we will NOT “accept” your views like our Vietnam era brethren did. 

Fear us clown, for I call thee fool, idiot, seditionist, and to hell I thrice damn thee. I name thee COWARD and weakling; I name thee slave, for that’s what you speak like.  Countries take men and women to build, not milquetoasts and hags.

And I bow out, and exit this frightful stage...for now.

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Trackposted to Is It Just Me?, Rosemary's Thoughts, Right Truth, Shadowscope, Cao's Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Conservative Cat, third world county, Faultline USA, Allie is Wired, Nuke Gingrich, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, A Newt One, Tilting At Windmill Farms, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Great. Just great.

Just as the Air Force is asking for a record-busting budget increase, we lose one of these.

Looks like we can expect another RIF.

Oh, and Sean Young is hot.

"The Nose On Your Face" : Zombie-Castro

February 19, 2008

Top 9 Reasons For Fidel Castro’s Resignation

9. Accepted a job as an expert judge on Fox’s new reality show, “Making the Totalitarian Despot.”

8. Tired of all of the toxic pro-American sentiment in Cuba, he’s going to move in with Michael Moore for awhile. Just to get himself grounded again.

7. Has been hired as an economic development consultant by the City of San Francisco.

6. Wanted to have more time to throw rotten food and feces at all of the librarians, authors, and political dissidents he has jailed.

5. Headed to a more technologically advanced country like Haiti or Sierra Leone to receive more cutting edge health care in his dying years.

4. Moving to America and running for president on the Democratic ticket to offer voters a more moderate choice.

3. After holding out for decades, finally took a position as the crazy uncle who lives in your basement.

2. Isn’t really stepping down. He was just filming an elaborate hoax for Ashton Kutcher’s hilarious show “Punk’d: Havana Style.”

1. Heard there was an opening for a Senior Human Rights Editor at the New York Times.

The video version of this Top 9 List is viewable at the TNOYF You-Tube page.

Why does the Navy get to do all the cool stuff?

So we're going to shoot down a satellite. I watched the target in question lift off from Vandenberg in 2006--it was inspiring, even though the booster in question was just a Delta. Gen. Cartwright (CDRUSSTRATCOM) said last week that we would simply use an SM-3 (an ABM-capable surface-to-air missile) to hit the satellite as it came low on a pass, and that it would be done due to the poisonous hydrazine on board--not to mention the sensitive payload. In summary, the missile would go high, the satellite would go low, and we would violently de-orbit a very expensive failure.

Now for the impact of all this. Pardon the pun. Let's start domestic. The Air Force boosted this thing to orbit in the first place. As the "executive agent for space", don't you think it would also bring it down? Think again. While the AF has all sorts of neat radars, it doesn't "do" surface-to-air missiles. Those belong to the Army and Navy. Thanks a lot, guys. Not only do the other services get Top Gun and Band of Brothers, they get the splashy space warfare, too.

Overseas: The Chinese are going to take note of this, since they did a similar thing with a malfunctioning satellite about a year ago. Our intercept, however, will result in a whole lot LESS space junk up there, as the orbit is very low.

The Russians are exhibiting their typical paranoia when it comes to anything ballistic in nature. They're being complete hypocrites, since the only functioning ABM system in the world is the ring around Moscow.

Comments?

Berkeley Reaps a (deservedly) Bitter Harvest

By now hopefully everyone is aware of the ass-clownery perpetrated by the City of Berkeley, CA Mayor and City Council, in cahootz with the Code Pink morons, against the good name of the United States Marine Corps.  Berkeley, quite possible the most irrelevant city in America (which by the way, has a history of moronic protest going all the way back to WWII, as in opposing the US's entry into the war after Pearl Harbor), exercised its God-given right to free speech.

And so have, by god, thousands across America in response.

I hope Berkely, for once, sees what the real power of free speech is as it loses millions in private business and industry, per the link above, and, perhaps more near and dear to their collectivist hearts, millions in federal earmarks

DeMint to Berkeley: Support Our Marines or Lose Federal Funds

January 31st, 2008 - Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) released the following statement in response to the decision by the City Council of Berkeley, California to evict the U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Station from the city. “This is a slap in the face to all brave service men and women and their families. The First Amendment gives the City of Berkeley the right to be idiotic, but from now on they should do it with their own money. If the city can’t show respect for the Marines that have fought, bled and died for their freedom, Berkeley should not be receiving special taxpayer funded handouts. I am currently drafting legislation to ensure that American taxpayers aren’t forced to pay for this insult by rescinding all of the earmarks for Berkeley in the Omnibus Appropriations bill, and to transfer the funds to the Marine Corps.” I guess the most satisying thing about this has to be the absolute shock to the graying, leftover hippie crowd that they don't run the roost in this country, or quite possibly even in California, and I think they're worried (and I think it's also called, as you will see by the cite below, too freakin' little, too freakin' late) (02-04) 18:52 PST Berkeley -- A week after blasting the Marines as "unwelcome intruders" in Berkeley, two City Council members want the city to back off the declaration that ignited the wrath of the nation's right wing and inspired a Republican senator to try to sever Berkeley's federal funding. Council members Betty Olds and Laurie Capitelli on Monday proposed that Berkeley rescind its letter to the U.S. Marine Corps that stated that the downtown Berkeley recruiting center "is not welcome in our city," and publicly declare that Berkeley is against the war but supports the troops. The City Council will vote on Olds' and Capitelli's two proposals at its meeting next Tuesday. "I think we shouldn't be seen across the country as hating the Marines," said Olds, who voted against last week's proposals. "If you make a mistake, like we did, you should admit it and correct it and move on."  .... ... Olds said she heard from hundreds of people angered by the city's action, including many in her Berkeley hills district. "People are so mad about this. They have relatives in the service, and now they think they're not welcome in Berkeley," she said. "My twin brother was a Marine in World War II. He'd be turning in his grave if he saw this." My dad once said forgive, but never forget.  Berkeley, you earned this.  You lie down with dogs (yes Medea, I'm talking about you), you shouldn't be surprised when you stand back up with fleas.  And hey Berkeley are you going to bill Code Pink for all the lost money in businesses that don't want to be tainted by association with you, or the federal money you stand to lose?  Something tells me that a bunch of commie-wannabes aren't going to pony any cash for you guys, in fact they'll probably demand you help up open up an "anarchist book collective" or something equally useless in their city government-sponsored parking spot. My greatest disappointment?  The mayor is apparently something of a BLUE FALCON MOGS, patiently awaiting the day when the last arrogant, useless, adolescent waste of life called the "Woodstock Generation" packs it in