It’s Open Thread Thursday!
Want to promote your blog or a post? Drop a link. Want to talk about the weather or a hobby? Knock yourselves out. Whatever you want to discuss, discuss.
Suggested topics:
- WorldNetDaily shouts “Illegal aliens murder 12 Americans daily.” (Also see “Nearly One Million Sex Crimes…”) Conservative blogger Ed Morrissey cries fudged-numbers foul. Some disagree; others take a…different view. What say you?
- On Monday, December 4, a bunch of black folks will rally in Washington, D.C., to “argue the essential weakness” of their own people, to quote Shelby Steele. They will protest the notion of equal treatment and promote government-sanctioned lowered standards, demonstrating a complete lack of understanding of Brown v. Board of Education, prominently displayed in the event’s title. I may show up and play “reporter.”
- “I swear on a stack of Korans.”
- Five New York City cops were involved in a fatal shootout. Sean Bell, a groom-to-be, was killed in a hail of 50+ bullets. Effete NY mayor Mike Bloomberg called in clownish Al Sharpton for photo-ops and community “outreach,” defining the tragedy in racial terms. Two of the cops were white, two were black, and one was hispanic, but some say the shooting was motivated by race. Question: If it turns out that one or both black cops also did the shooting, is the killing still considered “racist”? (Also see “A Reasonable Fear” and ““Bloomberg’s Blunder.”)
- Victor Davis Hanson’s “Losing the Enlightenment,” which I quoted yesterday, is a must-read for Americans who love liberty and the free exchange of ideas.
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I work for a farming company in CA and it is disconcerting to see conservative farmers (including the Farm Bureau itself) suddenly liberalize when it comes to immigration. I think, though, if an iron-clad Bracero program was started, they’d all be comfortable with that.
Anyway, I’d like to drop a link. I just started a song blog. Totally free music. I’ll be composing on various topics. I’m also open to topic suggestions. Come on by and download an mp3…
http://www.tunescribble.squarespace.com
Stop illegal immigration, no North American union, get us out of the UN, and get the cfr out of our nation as well.
Okay. No alien news; no political views. Just a shameless plug for a great non-profit.
Growthtrac is a Christian marriage enrichment resource located at http://www.growthtrac.com
And a blog, located at http://www.growthtrac.com/blog
Thousands of pages of best-of-the-best, “A List” articles and interviews from authors and artists.
Community, podcasts, resources, and more.
Thanks LaShawn!
Hi La Shawn-as you favor us with an open thread and encourage us to promote our blogs, I just wrote an answer to the Iranian President’s latest letter to America titled “The Tinfoil Burlesque”:
http://www.finedrywit.blogspot.com/
Thank you and stay warm, all. It’s nearly zero degrees here.
I’d love to meet you there at the rally.
I blog the absurdity of America’s political system as viewed from the desk of a Marine Officer’s wife stranded in The People’s Republic of Northern Virginia.
I adore your candor. Love your style.
Come browse my archives!
http://www.seejanemom.com
jane
Here’s my wild tangent: my Dear John letter-response to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s love note to me (and every other American.):
Dear Mahmoud,
Please stop your fruitless efforts to convert America into a jew-hating backwater. We are all Jews here. Even the Gentiles. Just ask Michael Richards.
Thanks for thinking of us, and good luck with that prostitution problem that is undermining your nation’s future. I’m sure a few nukes will clear that issue right up.
Love,
Your Pal Dan
What the MSM has not mentioned to any extent is the fact that the dead “groom-to-be” had a fairly substantial criminal record AND the vehicle in which he was riding deliberately rammed a police car! If that isn’t assault with a deadly weapon,I don’t know what is.
Hello La Shawn,
I was informed by a friend yesterday that a leading journalist in Europe said, to wit: We all know where this is heading. It will be the whole world against America. Which side will you be on?
At that he turned on his heels and exited the press room.
I’m trying to confirm this via the internet, but I haven’t found anything. If anyone can confirm this please report, let me know.
http://thomaschronicles.com/
Hi La Shawn,
I read your testimony yesterday, and was blown away. As a left-leaning black woman, we may have divergent viewpoints on some issues, but I appreciate your insight and honesty.
Now for my shameless “blug”: http://www.visionsofvida.blogspot.com
I write about blacks and immigration reform, intraracial conflict … and also my recent road trip with a white agnostic — from a devout Christian standpoint!
Keep up the fab work!
I’m looking at my watch. Everytime I go to look back at it….it seems to have jumped.
Stop the world!
I know time just races by as you get older, but this is ridiculous.
This is the fastest time has ever gone, that I can remember.
It gets dark at 4:30 pm.
It’s like a continual race against time to see how much you can get done, and the clock keeps jumping forward.
Still, I’ll take this time of year, rather than the boring, interminable Summer Solstice …any day.
I’d rather run a race, than be bored with nothing to do, and wondering when the drawn out day will ever end.
These are great days, this time of year..whizzing by.
Okay, this brother has no shame in his game. So here’s my plug.
ruminations.blog.com
It’s for the strong in faith. Check it out.
Promote my blog? Don’t mind if I do:
Halbert’s Cubicle
Grad school being what it is, I haven’t posted much recently. Still, I’d like to think I’ve some things on there worth reading.
I’d like to ask visitors here to read this post at my blog (connexions about a co-blogger Mike Blakey who has been murdered while volunteering on a project in Northern India. Please pray for his family and friends.
Here is a great article about the Sean Bell incident:
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/sayitloud/weathersbee1129
Hey, how come we can’t post under the Harry Potter entry?
I wish to assert that I don’t believe Dumbledore is really dead. I think Snapes just made it look like he had killed him, but really just put a spell on him to make him look dead. I think Snapes is on the side of good, but is acting as a spy over on the dark side. Remember that Dumbledore’s falcon suddenly stopped his mournful cry at the funeral, as if he had figured out that Dumbledore was not really dead. Also, Dumbledore had implicitly trusted Snapes; could his judgment really have been that off?
Batyah, post your Dumbledore theory at this post:
http://www.lashawnbarber.com/ffc/2006/11/30/main-blog-is-a-time-hog/
…and I lay out my theory here: http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2005/10/26/harrypotter/ – Admin
1. I think the fact he had a criminal record doesn’t mean he should be shot to death on suspicion of carrying a weapon. Atleast not until police officers are judge, jury, and executioner.
2. I doubt the officers story that he purposely try to run them over and the undercover detective immediately identified himself. Mr. 31 shots was probably a little tipsy after drinking, jumped out screaming with his gun drawn and well shoot I’d probably try to run him over too. No the mention the police van he hit was a regularly ole van, unmarked. It looks like Mr. Bell actually panicked instead of purposely trying to run someone over. Obviously if he had been trying to really run over the cop he probably would have just tapped him. That detective would not be walking. He also probably wouldn’t have backed up and hit the van in back of him. He would have just tried to just mow that cop down.
3. I think then what happend is the cop took the little tap as a threat and then started firing which prompted the other officers to fire and then the original cop to believe firing was coming from inside the vehicle, and no one knew really was was going on, but got wrapped up in shooting and just kept on doing it.
4.For him to totally empty his clip and reload after the car was 1, not moving anymore, 2, he hard already cleared out one clip and didn’t bother to assess the situation, and two that there were no weapons found on the victims also leads me to believe that the detective panicked and himself was not thinking clearly.
5. I love Bloomberg but was really dissapointed in him for allowing the good Ole Reverand and Jesse Jackson to so fully inject themselves into this incident.
I must agree Zakia. I totally feel as if there was waaaaay tooooo much force.
I feel humbled by all the good writers on this thread. I also feel out of place. I cringe at the thought of trying to write a paragraph. However, under the escape clause of hobby and some blatant self promotion, please visit my website and see something that I am pretty good at: http://www.edessedesigns.com.
Re: swearing oaths.
Where is Prager getting his information from? Did he make this up, or what? The swearing-in ceremony for the House of Representatives never includes a religious book.
An oath is not required either, as the Constitution in all instances includes the option of affirming rather than swearing an oath, since many Christians (Quakers and Mennonites, for example) believe that Jesus fordabe the taking of oaths (Matthew 23:16-22).
Why are so many Americans (especially the right wing pundit types) so ignorant of their own Constitution and traditions?
What happened to the principle of religious liberty? It’s not really liberty if one can be coerced into conforming to a belief one doesn’t share, is it? Prager’s outrage is simple bigotry, nothing more, nothing less. It’s disgusting and un-American.
Mayor Bloomberg deserves condemnation for enlisting the help of a real [deleted] for a suspected racist event.
Al Sharpton is a [deleted]- plain and simple – he freely slurs Jews and other Whites. Shame on Bloomberg for sinking so low.
Zakis doesn’t understand guns and police procedures:
1 /When threatened, cops are trained to “shoot to kill”. Only in the movies do cowboys shoot guns out of the bad guy’s hand; in real life, in motion, this can’t be done.
2 The number of bullets is not relevant here. A semiautomatic pistol can unload in a few seconds; 50 shots from 5 guns is NOT “too much”. And policy for many cops is to “shoot until you are not threatened” – which means emptying their guns.
3 What kind of fool would say that a moving vehicle is not “deadly force”?
– Admin
You’re one of my favorite and long-time commenters, Frank, but I have to hold you to the same standards as other commenters. Let’s avoid calling people the “R” word.
Fifty Cent was quoted as saying that Oprah has been “catering” to middle-aged white women for so long that she has become one.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11302006/gossip/pagesix/50_cents_worth_pagesix_.htm
Under that logic, it only follows that Fifty Cent has been catering to teenage white boys for so long that he has become one, too, right?
I didn’t realize that your thoughts could change your skin color. Good thing, too. My neighbor has a three-car garage, and three cars to go with it. If I suffered from the mysterious thought-pigment malady so astutely identified by Dr. Cent, I’d be green right now!
i guess it’s ok to call the shooting a racist incident as long as tawana brawley, himeytown, and white interlopers aren’t mentioned.
Re: the NYC police shooting:
I heard on the radio today that they have arrested the fourth person from the group that was shot at by police, who escaped on the night (morning?) in question. In his possession were illegal drugs and a handgun of some sort. From the beginning of this story in the news, there are reports of these men being suspected of having a weapon, and someone yelling “gun” at least on two different instances before the fatal shooting. I think we all need to take a very deep breath and let the investigation continue before we call this a racial incident.
This is a little old, but it seems to fit:
WASHINGTON, D.C.- At a symbolic event yesterday at the Tomb of the Unknown Housekeeper, President Bush announced a dramatic new plan for reforming United States immigration policy for our convenience and the convenience of future generations of Americans.
Admitting his most recent initiative calling for the construction of a high-voltage electric fence between the US-Mexican border and distribution of Get-Out-Of-Mexico Free/Debit Cards to illegal and illegal-wannabes, would not solve the growing problem of his low poll numbers, the President instead proposed abandoning the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution and reestablishing the peculiar institution of slavery in the United States of America.
In a bold attempt to recapture the support of his ultraconservative, white-collared and/or red-necked base, President Bush declared, It was a simple decision. See, Americans wont do a lot of the tough, dirty jobs this country has to offer for low wages and no benefits, and millions of folks south of the border will. In the end, our country pays a high price in lost tax revenue and unpaid government services, not to mention billions of dollars sent back to Mexico and other poor countries, which just encourages more people to illegally clean our toilets and pick our artichokes.
In a remarkably honest statement, the President noted, Whole generations are being raised and exploited within the shadows in this country, and your government and your tax dollars are paying for it. It is time for these despicable un-American practices to come to an end. It is time for the exploiters to pay their fair share, and for the exploited to come out into the light once and for all. Mr. Bush added, Look, you and I both know we cant just deport the millions of people in our country illegally. It would cost more than regime change in Iraq, I mean, the war on terror, and besides, theyd only come right back again, just like they do now. My plan is a no-brainer.
President Bush indicated his executive order, which has already been pre-approved by a majority of Supreme Court Justices, will not take effect until January 1, 2007, and calls for every person found to be illegally present within the US borders at that time and thereafter to de deemed property of the Untied States.
A high-ranking White House official (whose identity as Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove could not be confirmed by someone who may or may not have been Vice President Dick Cheney) said, This should give anyone, including potential terrorists, enough time to get back to wherever the hell it is they came from before becoming official US slaves.
In an apparent attempt to forestall potential opposition from those he referred to as Liberals, the President was quick to add that new slavery in the Untied States would be well-regulated, bipartisan, and carried out on a strictly need-to-own basis.
According to the Presidents plan, slave-master applicants will be required to provide complete job profiles (hours limited from dawn to dusk, 365 days annually, except for domestics), and for each servant, minimum basic housing, food and water; English-as-a-second-language training, and cable television.
Servant Trade Boards would be established in every state to regulate the sale, transfer and trading of slaves nationally, and owners would receive prorated tax deductions to help offset the cost of procuring and maintaining their stable of workers, as well as the installation of invisible fencing, and electronic implanting which shall be the proscribed method of behavior modification and control.
At first outraged, labor union leaders expressed tentative support for the Presidents initiative, which called for the creation of one new union job for every ten officially recognized new slaves. Conservative estimates show a near doubling of union membership could result by the year 2008. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney called the plan, The most significant advance for the union movement in America in nearly forty years. I never thought Id say it, but this President is finally on the right track.
Upon learning of his dramatic announcement and the upcoming changes in US policy, a growing number of massive immigrant rallies are being abruptly planned for cities across the country, sponsored largely by a wide variety of US business owners and their shareholders. Three hots and a cot, and Better a slave in the US than free in Mexico, banners have been sprouting up along the border.
Mexican President, Vincente Fox, speaking out against the US Presidents plan, indicated he will soon be meeting with leaders from throughout Central and South America to figure out what to do with the destitute millions in their countries who will choose not to become US slaves, and how to make up for the tens of billions of dollars which will no longer be sent back to their nations from courageous expatriates.
Meanwhile, President and Mrs. Bush left the Capitol to begin a six week working vacation at their Crawford, Texas ranch. Among other things, the first couple will be overseeing the installation of several hundred miles of invisible fencing, and the construction of new servants quarters.
Overnight polling indicated the Presidents approval ratings have soared into the low sixties on the heels of this latest announcement.
© 2006 TS Tyler All Rights Reserved
In regards to the recent police shooting in New York, I wonder why this sort of thing never happens to other minorities such as Asians, Indians, and Arabs. Maybe it’s because they’re generally more law-abiding and are statistically less likely to engage in criminal activities as Hispanics and blacks.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that because the victims here were black that they deserved what happened to them. What I am saying is that the stereotypical image of today’s black and Hispanic young men (nurtured by the negativity these men bring onto themselves via their actions and behaviors) might have played a role in the mindset of these police officers.
Being a cop in a city like New York is a difficult job. Sometimes to best serve the communities they’re assigned to protect, these officers have to resort to stereotyping and generalizations about certain groups due to that particular group’s overall behavior. Maybe if more black men would begin to shun the negativity glorified in today’s rap culture and took to more positive endeavors, incidents like this may not occur as often. (Or at all.)
I guess what I’m trying to say is that everyone should try to keep an open mind in this case and not jump to conclusions. If it turns out that the officers in this case were at fault, then they should be dealt with as such. But let’s not forget that, as citizens, we depend on the police to be our protectors and they can’t do their jobs if the communities their sworn to protect are constantly suspicious of them. Although it’s tempting, let’s try to refrain from the unlikely conclusion that this is a case of “police brutality.”
I think this is crazy
Whoa – British Airways to Contact Passengers After Traces of Radiation Found on Planes
Another murder in NYC and I’ll bet that moron MICHEAL BLOOMBERG will blame the NRA like he did before.
On the NY shooting…
1) racially motivated? apparently the police officers involved were also black.
2) Hannity – on Wednesday – did a commentary based on the fact that Sharpton has written a book in which he states that when he (Sharpton) declined to endorse the black candidate running against Bloomberg, Bloomberg called him _personally_ and told him(Sharpton) that if he (Bloomberg) won the election as a result of Sharpton’s endorsement, Sharpton would have direct access to the mayor’s office as long as he was in office. Hannity found it fairly incredible that Sharpton would have such access, but apparently that’s what Sharpton says. I haven’t read the book – and probably won’t – so I’ll take Hannity’s word for it.
Afterthought…everybody seems to assume (at least originally)that the police officers involved were white. _That_ seems a bit racist!
I think that people are calling the police incident racist is not because the shooters are right necessarily, but because the victims are black.
Generally once you are a cop, you are a cop, many see blue before they see black or white. It is understood because of the danger that they face. Given that assumption, many police, black, white and other(and often times rightly so) perceive black men as more dangerous than others especially in certain situations. So their sensitivities are heightened when confronting black men. Could the shooting have been handled differently? Maybe, but I also can appreciate the fear that the cops faced.
So you don’t have to be white to be racist or prejudice against black men. It seems harder to deal with when coming from whites because you think that they are prejudice against all blacks. However, as a black woman who works “in the hood” I am very suspicious of people in the neighborhood around me when I am at work(they are black). Yes, white people commit crimes but the reality is that many black folks entertain a culture where anger, violence and selfishness rule the day and their victims are usually black. You’d be dumb not to be weary.
Heather
Dan: Dear Mahmoud,
Please stop your fruitless efforts to convert America into a jew-hating backwater. We are all Jews here. Even the Gentiles. Just ask Michael Richards.
Humor aside, we are NOT all Jews here. Israel is not our 51st state and our soldiers never took an oath to die for it. Nor will a Jewish minority define our enemies and who and who not – we are permitted to talk to.
Iran is a very interesting country – it has a long, distinguished history & culture, a well-educated middle class, ample resources, and a major geostrategic role. Iran has much of it’s population favorably disposed to America. We should be doing our best to engage Iran and start a dialogue to prepare the way for the future. Nixon understood that with China and the Soviets.
Ahmedinejad is just a factotum. The power in Iran is Ayatollah Khameni. He is Azeri, not Persian…one of innumerable details of Iran that Americans are by and large ignorant of.
I wouldn’t write a letter to either.
But I would urge Americans to look at the exploding number of Iranian citizen’s websites and blogs. Really learn what is going on there – what is actually on their minds – and then start a dialogue there, if you are so inclined. I have had some excellent discussions with Iranians about what they would like to export to the US market, what they want from us, the vigor of democracy and what constraints the religious authorities use and what they permit. Why just about every Iranian strongly believes in going with nuclear power is absolutely in Iran’s interest…Their reasons are quite understandable, and they are correct in stating that they are in violation of no nuclear NPT or the IAEA – so any Israeli or American attack would be denounced vehemently and a counterattack endorsed by all Iranians from mullahs to the large pro-American factions.
The jingoist American dogma of trying to ignore any nation that is not 100% perfect and refusing to talk to them or allow mixing between peoples is infantile and gets us nowhere. Look at Cuba and the 45-year long attempt the US made to “isolate them to reform them.”It leads to false beliefs, among other problems, and I think it prolongs the very conditions we attempt to correct through the “silent treatment”.
On the NYC shooting – not all the facts are yet in, so it can’t be determined yet, one way or the other.
Police claim there was a 4th person with the wedding party, others dispute that.
The NYPD claims to have found spent shells that were not NYPD issue, which may indicate a non-police gun was present.
On the other hand, 50 shots is a LOT of shots…and the cop who reloaded and emptied another clip will have a real hard time explaining that to investigators.
But it’s also true that most people don’t really understand the rules about the use of deadly force.
If a subject has a knife at the throat of a hostage/victim, but hasn’t done anything yet, though he has refused to drop the weapon on command – shoot, or not?
The answer is shoot. Hesitation could give the assailant time to cut that victim’s throat before you get another chance to react.
Or a domestic dispute in which family members claim a female family member is being assualted in the back room – a police officer arrives to find a woman being choked by a male, no weapons (other than his hands) are in sight, so they order the male to back away from his victim, he does not – shoot or not?
Again, it’s a shoot, because that woman’s life is in iminent danger. The officer’s stepping closer or trying to physically separate the two may result in the assailant going for the cop’s gun.
In such cases cops are directed to shoot and to shoot at “center mass” the torso area, as that’s the largest target on a human.
Some basic rules for not getting shot; don’t hold knives to other people’s throats, don’t choke someone and when directed by police to back away refuse their demand to do so, and generally, it’s wise not to threaten patrons of a bar while alluding to having a gun nearby.
Does any of that make this a “good shoot?”
No. Not enough information has been released to make that determination. 50 shots (especially that reload) does seem tough to rationalize, but if the police are right about the 4th guy having a gun, about threats made by this group to an individual both inside and outside the club, and about their refusal to comply with cops after the police identified themselves as such, then they really hurt themselves by doing those things.
Also, the cops weren’t all black, nor all white. There were two blacks, two whites and one Hispanic officer involved in the shooting. They may well have over-reacted to this situation, but it certainly doesn’t appear to be at all racially motivated.
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