by La Shawn on May 31, 2005
in Lunacy
Stacy at MediaSoul reports that her car was vandalized not once but twice by a new category of hate crime thug: the hetero-hater! She writes:
A few months back I wrote about how my Marriage equals one man plus one woman bumpersticker was vandalized. In that incident the perp had used a pen to make the figures the same sex.
In tonight’s incident, the heterosexual hater had taken off one bumpersticker that said protect marriage, and found my previously vandalized sticker underneath it. So they placed a rainbow sticker over the figures of the man and woman.
And they also took my God Bless America magnet that was on my car and cut through the word God.
Do we need to create new categories of protected classes? If you assault a heterosexual or God-of-the-Bible worshipper because he/she is a heterosexual or God-of-the-Bible worshipper, have you committed a hate crime?
Only in America could someone come up with a concept called “hate crime.” But it’s not just any hate, you see. It’s a certain kind of hate. If you’re black and you kill a white person for whatever reason and call them “cracker” while you’re doing it, in addition to murder you’ve committed a hate crime. Maybe. Whites may or may not be protected under the statutues, but you get the idea. If you kill someone for sleeping with your husband and call her a whore while you’re doing it, you’ve committed murder but no hate crime. As of this writing, “whore” is not a protected class. Sorry.
Now, about that “God” bumper sticker, if you strike out God in “God Bless America” because you hate God or don’t believe in him, who or what are you appealing to for this blessing? (Why not just strike out the whole phrase while you’re at it?) Where is it supposed to come from? The sun, moon and stars? The universe? Trees and rocks? Perhaps man himself?
“Man bless America!” That’s rich. It’s also sexist. How about “Humankind bless America!”
“Humanity bless America!”
“Humans bless yourselves!”
Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it?
Important Note: I do not want this thread to become a discussion on homosexual “marriage.” I will likely delete such comments. You’ve been warned.
For people reading this blog for the first time or who think I support so-called hate crime law, read this.
by La Shawn on May 31, 2005
in Justice
Last week Jennifer Wilbanks was indicted on one felony count of making false statements to the police and one misdemeanor count of making a false report about being kidnapped. She’s agreed to pay the city of Duluth $13,250, a portion of what it actually cost:
In accepting the agreement, the city will have to write off about $30,000 in other costs searching for the bride-to-be, who disappeared April 26, four days before her planned wedding.
“We’re very appreciative they were willing to give us the $13,000. We would have certainly welcomed the entire amount that covered all of our employees but we are ready to get this behind us,” [Mayor Shirley] Lasseter said. (Source)
More sources: Joint Statement by Duluth and Wilbanks, USA Today, FOX News…
Related posts:
by La Shawn on May 31, 2005
in General
W. Mark Felt (who?) admits that he’s “Deep Throat,” a government official who supposedly fed former Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward inside information that brought down President Richard Nixon during Watergate. I hope this means A&E or one of the movie channels will reshuffle the line-up to run “All the President’s Men” this week.
From MSNBC:
Felt said he was “only doing his duty” and did not seek to bring down Nixon over the cover-up of a break-in at Democratic Party offices in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.
Carl Bernstein, who with Bob Woodward broke the story as Washington Post reporters, issued a statement neither denying nor confirming Felt’s claim. Bernstein stated he and Woodward would be keeping their pledge to reveal the source only once that person dies.
NBC News commentator Chris Matthews, who wrote a book about Watergate, said he wasn’t surprised, adding that Felt “has always been the leading suspect.”
After watching actor Hal Holbrook as Deep Throat in the movie, knowing the identity of the real guy is kind of anti-climatic, isn’t it? I always thought Deep Throat was Alexander Haig, Nixon’s Chief of Staff during Watergate and President Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of State for about 5 minutes.
I’ll have more to say later. Maybe. Let’s go to the videotape!
Related post: Watergate: Mother Of All Scandals (So Far)
Sources: Deep Throat: Uncovered (Journalism students at the University of Illinois conducted a four-year study on this. They guessed wrong, but I highly recommend it, although the site seems to be loaded down with heavy traffic at the moment.), Revisiting Watergate, Watergate Revisited, FOX News, Washington Post…
In praise of W. Mark Felt?
…come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities and colors.
by La Shawn on May 31, 2005
in Rants
Here’s some “news” from the Associated Press:
Scrutiny of Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s travel has led to the belated disclosure of at least 198 previously unreported special interest trips by House members and their aides, including eight years of travel by the second-ranking Democrat, an Associated Press review has found.
At least 43 House members and dozens of aides had failed to meet the one-month deadline in ethics rules for disclosing trips financed by organizations outside the U.S. government.
When stories about Tom DeLay’s ethical problems first broke, I was astounded by the liberal media’s naïveté, willful blindness — whatever it was that caused them to focus solely on his lapses. Surely these journalists know they all do it. According to House ethics rules, Members are not supposed to take trips abroad funded by lobbyists, nor are they to accept “gifts.” But they do it all the time. (See Web of Hypocrisy.)
A politician is a politician, and from time to time they all get sloppy or try to find ways to cut corners and fudge the truth. Life would be much easier if we just accepted it. In many ways Republicans are no better than Democrats. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t jump on the “Defend DeLay” bandwagon. I knew some of the media reports about him were true and that politicians wagging their finger in his face had done the same thing. I used to have a knee-jerk habit of defending Republicans whenever an accusation was made, but I no longer waste the energy.
In that regard, I’ll no longer waste energy trying to figure out what’s wrong with George Bush, either. I’ve often said he’s not conservative enough for me. It’s actually worse than that. His “reign” has been disappointing. He squandered four years trying to “compromise” with hard-headed liberals, although Republicans dominate all three branches of government. At first I thought he was playing it cool, lying in wait until he won his second term, at which time he’d turn up the heat and play hard-ball right down the line. But he hasn’t.
While the media attack, he should be running an anti-media campaign and come out swinging, pushing his agenda the same way Democrats would if they were in the majority. But he hasn’t. He seems intimidated by the media even as leftist journalists are being exposed as the not-so-covert Democratic operatives they are. Instead of vehemently defending and supporting his judicial nominees, for example, he lets them dangle in the wind as rabid demagogues compare them to Nazis.
And illegal immigration. What more can I say about that? A president who defines himself by the “war on terror” clearly has no regard for security breaches in his own country as Middle Eastern men jump the border along with Mexicans. Men and women are dying on foreign soil, leaving behind orphans, widows and widowers, but too little is being done on our own soil to fight the war.
While we dopes are being felt up at the airport and our personal items rifled through, illegal aliens are downstairs working on the airplanes! Some of those “Mexicans” are probably Arab terrorists. Who knows? I guess we’ll just have to wait for another plane-missile before we know for sure.
Thanks to George Bush and his drunken-sailor spending, I can’t even brag about the “small government” Republican party anymore. As he tries in vain to appeal to moderates (For what reason?), he’s playing it too close to the middle. But I suppose he’s worried about his legacy, trying to maintain some misguided “spirit of cooperation.” The people who elected him to office did so for a purpose: to push the conservative agenda. So far that purpose has been subverted. As a result, George Bush is ineffective.
A politician by any other name would still stink.
by La Shawn on May 30, 2005
in General
Take a moment to honor the men and women who died in defense of the United States of America. From the Revolutionary War to the War in Iraq, they made the ultimate sacrifice. Freedom isn’t free. It must be fought for and defended.
The enemies of freedom and civility will never stop envying and hating this country, nor will they cease trying to destroy it. But as long as we’re willing to protect ourselves against whatever threatens our freedom and sovereignty, the deaths of the fallen will not have been in vain.
Threats against our country don’t just come from abroad. We’ve got homegrown enemies in our midst, enemies who call themselves Americans. (Remember when traitors were executed?)
If you’re spending this day close to home and you’re compelled to watch TV and you have cable, tune in to the The History Channel.
(Arlington National Cemetery photo borrowed from Military Factory)
Check out The Truth Laid Bear’s Memorial Day header.
Are you an out-of-work publicist embittered with eeking out a “living” off the backs of stingy taxpayers who won’t vote for an increase in your unemployment benefits?
Does your present trying-to-revive-a-dead-tree PR job pale in comparison to the challenges and excitement of promoting the world’s preeminent news magazine? Perhaps you’re simply frustrated by the “objective reporting” facade at your current liberal media job and seek something more blatantly partisan. Newsweek may be the place for YOU!
You will also interact with top editors and counsel reporters for interviews, promote breaking news on the internet, place photos from Newsweek events in trade publications, promote special issues, assist with awards entries, and update and monitor biographies and headshots. (Source)
The ability and desire to incite Muslim riots and harm the U.S. cause abroad is a must. You should be willing and able to engage in pass-the-buck parlor games on a weekly basis, embrace moral equivalency, particularly important in this present age of terrorism, while maintaining just enough moral ambiguity so as to render yourself unable to denounce the horrors of decapitation, especially when done in the name of Allah.
Photos of suspected terrorists wearing panties as head gear should be grievously galling to you and a violation of your sensibilities as a proud American who expects better of our military even as you publicize stories that undermine the same military at every turn.
Newsweek is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People of various hues are encouraged to apply. While we can’t promise diversity of viewpoint, we try to make sure we have just enough black faces around to keep the professional civil rights industry off our backs. Hiring the best candidate for the job is an idealistic but unattainable goal in these litigious times. Besides, we get enough bad press as it is. Which is why we want to hire YOU.
Outspoken and judgmental black female Christian fundamentalist conservatives need not apply.
Hollywood has a smattering of non-liberal actors, believe it or not. Here are a few celebrity Republicans and/or conservatives: Clint Eastwood, Dean Cain (!), Robert Duvall, Patricia Heaton (also a Christian), Tony Danza, Kurt Russell, Tom Selleck, Angie Harmon (the best ADA Law & Order ever had), Lynn Swann, Scott Baio, Heather Locklear, and James Woods.
Check out Wikipedia’s entry. (Hat tip: Metrolingua)
Update (5/28): More Hollywood non-liberals.
Note: In the blogosphere, you have to be clear about everything. This post is not a rant against the FBI. I don’t believe the agent was biased or sought to aid and comfort the enemy with the report. I’m merely pointing out that he recorded a detainee’s Koran flushing claim; the agent himself wasn’t a witness.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Those liberal bloggers. They want a scandal, too, and they want it now! So they’ve pounced on the story about a 2002 FBI report that repeats the same Koran-flushing story as Newsweek.
Yesterday afternoon I saw the first story, and last night I saw two others. I thought an FBI agent actually witnessed the flushing. Contrary to what you may read on liberal blogs today (the buzz will be significant), the FBI agent did not. It was a disgruntled detainee who told the agent it happened. Michelle Malkin also noticed that important piece of information. Her post includes a copy of the FBI report. She writes:
It should be obvious to anyone who so much as glances at the documents being cited that the FBI was reporting the statements of detainees rather than endorsing or validating those allegations. Immediately before describing the Koran-in-the-toilet allegation, the FBI notes the detainee’s statement that “God tells Muslims to do a jihad against non-Muslims.” Does Kos expect us to believe the FBI is endorsing that statement too?
Many detainees have made allegations of serious physical abuse as well as mistreatment of the Koran. Notwithstanding the MSM’s “flood the zone” coverage, that’s neither unexpected nor particularly newsworthy.
Are the detainees’ complaints valid? Maybe some are. But the FBI documents heralded by Kos and others as evidence of abuse actually show that a significant number of detainees’ complaints were either exaggerated or completely fabricated.
It’s common knowledge around here that conservative political bloggers are the ones who’ve gained prominence in the blogosphere covering media scandals. I attribute that to the left’s domination of media, which we conservatives have had to deal with for years. Study after study shows that mainstream media are teeming with leftists. Our charges of bias are simply more credible than liberal bloggers’. I also think that because conservatives dominate the top spots in the Ecosystem, we tend to have more influence in covering and exposing bias, and as reporters seek out bloggers to quote, they tend to select higher-ranking ones.
[click to continue…]
by La Shawn on May 25, 2005
in General
…to show vulnerability.
Update: If your comment doesn’t appear after you hit “Post it,” it’s caught in the moderation cue. You may rephrase (spam word?) and resubmit. If not, I will approve comments in the morning.
by La Shawn on May 25, 2005
in Justice
I see a pattern. Do you see it, too?
Update: These criminals have several factors in common, as many have noticed. Besides the obvious similarities, these future prisoners committed most of these crimes during the summer, as noted by one commenter.
In the spirit of Easongate.com comes a new blog called Media Slander.
Media scandals are happening at a rate that justifies a site dedicated to exposing them. This site will address media bias against the military in general, as well as remarks made by individual journals, including Linda Foley, who has yet to substantiate her claim that the American military is targeting foreign journalists for assassination. (Also see Foley Gate). The purpose of the new blog:
The goal of Media Slander is to hold journalists and bloggers to high ethical standards regarding coverage of the War on Terror and other military-related issues. We plan to achieve this by highlighting bias, rumor and falsehoods that have been creeping into military coverage under the guise of objective news.
We by no means advocate censorship or the deliberate suppression of well-researched and relevant stories about the war and the military.
As much as journalists feel that they are the guardians of the First Amendment, its true protectors are standing watch in Iraq, Afghanistan and places no one will ever hear about. Journalists owe it to the true gatekeepers of our liberties to be fair, balanced, relevant and accurate in covering them.
Reader Bob V. sent the following e-mail:
I went to the Department of Homeland “Security†page from your link.
From there I clicked on the Border Management link.
On that page I scrolled down to the National Border Patrol Strategy link and found we don’t have one!
404 - Requested Page Not Found on Site
I don’t think my comments are necessary.
Related post: 36,000 Troops
Update: A commenter asks: “Um, guys, do you follow links?”
The error page leads to Border Security Spotlight, which leads to this PDF copy of the Border Strategy. After sloughing my way through heavy bureaucrat-speak, I found this about the southern border:
“Other challenges include increasing cooperation with Mexico on policies to improve safety and slow migration.” (Emphasis added)
As I wrote before, National Border Patrol Strategy: None.
The Democrats’ dependence on blacks for votes means that they must keep blacks dependent on them….Black self-reliance would be almost as bad as blacks becoming Republicans, as far as liberal Democrats are concerned. All black progress in the past must be depicted as the result of liberal government programs and all hope of future progress must be depicted as dependent on the same liberalism. - Thomas Sowell
Liberals’ apparent antipathy for black self-reliance makes me very angry. It’s why I was fired up against John Kerry during his failed presidential campaign whenever he’d speak to black crowds about government programs (See John Kerry’s Racist Rhetoric). It’s why my blood boils whenever I hear white liberals advocate one government-dependent plan after another for black people.
Then again, maybe I’m too prideful. I break out in hives when I’m around people who talk about government as though it were a savior.
From where I’m sitting, liberalism is an ideology without hope, pride or expectation of excellence. My position is by no means lofty. I’m out here trying to make a living just like everyone else. I’m not rich and privileged, nor do I receive special favors from powerful and influential people. I’m someone who’s had an awakening, going from politically apathetic Democrat voter to Bible-believing Christian and advocate of the conservative cause. My pride, good or bad, will not allow me embrace the kind of thinking one needs to vote for liberals. Sowell sums it up:
What blacks have achieved for themselves, without the help of liberals, is of no interest to liberals. Nothing illustrates this better than political reactions to academically successful black schools….Achievement is not what liberalism is about. Victimhood and dependency are.
Black educational achievements are a special inconvenience for liberals because those achievements have usually been a result of methods and practices that go directly counter to prevailing theories in liberal educational circles and are anathema to the teachers’ unions that are key supporters of the Democratic Party.
Many things that would advance blacks would not advance the liberal agenda. That is why the time is long overdue for the two to come to a parting of the ways.
Related posts: The entire “BC Wisdom” category.
