Saturday, August 23, 2014

ISIS. What's in a name?



I guess the Islamic State thugs don't respect copyright law either. The post metal band ISIS broke up in 2010 but has had to alter its Face Book page after it was inundated with hateful posts from less than clever visitors who confused them with the terrorist group of the same name.


“It is an unfortunate situation and of course a few less than enlightened people are not seeing the distinction between an inactive band of musicians and a band of terrorists involved in current world affairs,” a representative from Ipecac, the band’s label, told ABC News.

The other Missouri shooting

Clearly there is quite a gap between the police account of this shooting and what is shown in this video they did not know existed. The official account said the victim charged at them with a knife. He is indeed holding something in his hand but charging? Some report that the knife, which is obviously rather small, was some novelty store item. Others say it was a steak knife.
Is a butter knife a lethal weapon? The excuse that the officer feared for his safety is either far too broad or police officers are far too cowardly these days. Do police enjoy rights beyond those they serve? Would a private citizen be exonerated in this instance? In the Michael Brown shooting much is made about the size of Brown as compared to Officer Wilson. Will society gladly pardon every petite female shooter who chooses to marry a 6 foot 4 inch, 298 pound bruiser?

Friday, August 22, 2014

Sentiment Vs. Reason

Since the dawn of man, the head and heart have been at war. The no-rules, feel good, go with the flow Eve persuaded Adam to perform the ultimate irrational action, to displease their Creator. Then again, one could say it was the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge—reason itself—that got the first couple in trouble. Had they contented themselves to live as their fellow animals forsaking knowledge itself, had sentiment defeated reason, we would all be living in The Garden of Eden.

Oy vey. A narrative so simple and yet, so complex. It beautifully illustrates the ongoing struggle between the yang of reason and the yin of sentiment. Pathos vs. logos. Aphrodite vs. Apollo. The poet vs. the engineer. Ultimately, sentiment points her warm, fluffy finger at reason who in turn points his cold, steely digit at his bubbly bride.

Sentiment usually gets the best of reason. Reason requires effort. It can be time consuming. Sentiment just seems to have a stronger grip on the rope most of the time.

In 1774, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe published “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” a novel about a broken-hearted young man who ultimately terminates his life with a pistol. Vital statistics were not what they are today but it is widely believed that “Werther” set off a string of copycat suicides throughout Europe and the novel was banned in several countries.

Some scholars believe “Werther” laid the foundation for the later Romantic literary movement, a reaction to the strictures imposed by the Enlightenment. Just as Thinking comes out of the shadows, Feeling boots him squarely in his over-sized head.

There was an industrial revolution, scientific and technological advances, the institution of capitalism, representative democracy, cures for diseases. Reason was doing OK until someone invented a moving picture camera. Edison's toy could have been used to deliver academic lectures to Peoria. Of course, Peoria would rather watch Vivien Leigh get all fluttery over Clark Gable and get even fluttier over that Ashley dude. Sentiment was back in business!

Then came radio and the flowering of Madison Avenue. By the timed television arrived on the scene, the ad men were quick to apply their skills to the tube. Fifty years later, they would play our hearts like Fischer played kingside pawns.

A quick note on bias, partisanship, unavoidable bias and universal bias. Journalists, like people, bring a set of biases to their work. Some biases are overt, others are cryptic, some others are sneaky and some are almost impossible to avoid. The most influential ism of our era might be simplism. Simplism does not simply mean simple, it means overly simple. Simple bordering on the ridiculous.

Newspapers, the forefathers of American journalism were always, to one degree or another, plagued by the burdens of simplism. Material costs limited space and forced editors to embrace the doctrine of simplism, either consciously or otherwise. Survival required short, snappy articles. Hence, newspapers kowtowed to sentiment at the expense of reason.

Editors often endorsed the prohibition of anything and everything because “No” could be expressed in fewer sentences than an exploration of unintended consequences, unintended costs, counterproductivity as well as the problems arising from the emergence of an imperial bureaucracy.

Newspapers reflexively advocated that governments should “Do something about______” because “Help” could be expressed in fewer sentences than an exploration of unintended consequences, unintended costs, counterproductivity as well as the problems arising from the emergence of an imperial bureaucracy.

Broadsides reflexively advocated for bureaucracy for bureaucracy sake because “Regulate” could be expressed in fewer sentences than an exploration of unintended consequences, unintended costs, counterproductivity as well as the problems arising from the emergence of an imperial bureaucracy.

Newspapers usually favored positions to which opposition required excessive verbiage. Simplism carries the day for sentiment. Radio and television took the doctrine of simplism to a higher level. The constraints of time are less yielding than the constraints of space. Often simplistic became always simplistic.

Reason was banned from broadcast studios. Through the lens of simplism it is easier to view the hardship of the spending cut than the hardship caused by the spending. Reason does not sit on the panels that discuss debts and deficits, the solvency of public pensions, the solvency of entitlements, or the value of our currency. We don't need no stinkin facts.

To the extent that reason is allowed the occasional chirp, simplism quickly drowns him out. Thus:

We hear more about “settled science” than we hear about objective analysis of climate data.

Millions of children grow up without fathers because of pathos-laden bromides advocating the financial support of single mothers.

Tens of millions of Americans face a lifetime of unemployment because the peddlers of conspicuous compassion jack the minimum wage thereby making it extremely difficult for unskilled people to find entry level jobs.

We have elevated tax rates far beyond the optimum rate of revenue enhancement because higher rates satisfy a childish fixation with “fairness.”

We endure mindless prattle about the evil one per cent by people who are in the 99th percentile of income on a global basis.

We endure endless chatter about the one per cent of top earners from passionate fools who fail to mention that composition of the economic strata are constantly changing (except for those families who are locked into the culture of dependency for generation after generation.)

We continue to increase funding to public schools that fail to teach literacy, numeric competency, World History, American History, civics, scientific reasoning, rudimentary economics or anything else that might promote civilization but that do promote self esteem, self delusion, an appreciation for “social justice” and the celebration of all things politically correct. A generation emerges with hypertrophied hearts and contempt for truth.

This is an inexhaustible subject. Show me any topic and I will show you an argument being fought and won with slogan, sound bite and poster child. Reason be damned.

The triumphant sentiment rains her spoils on all of us. Self esteem has become the gold standard of pedagogy. Kids who can't add two numbers without a calculator are confident of their mathematical proficiency.

Handicapped kids are mainstreamed to make all of us feel good about inclusion as we neglect their special needs. We forbid dodgeball and ruin the joy of competition by pretending that no on keeps score. We have multiple valedictorians and we have zero valedictorians. We have trophies and awards for everyone including children who do not want and do not strive for trophies and awards. Everyone is a champion for fifteen minutes.

Unbridled sentiment does not always bring smiles. We have witnessed the rise of “offense culture.” Sports mascots offend the vocal and the verbose. So too, do Nativity scenes. And crosses. And portraying certain ethnic groups as criminals. And displaying beautiful women in any context is “objectification.” And describing dark-skinned residents of Caribbean Islands as “black” when they should be described as “African-American,” even though they are neither African nor American is now deemed offensive. If you are not profoundly offended by something, you simply are not making the effort.

Jay Leno's “Jay Walking” is a comedy staple wherein the talk show host takes to the street to ask common people questions like “Who fought World War II?” So rich is the field of ignorance that "Jay Walking" has inspired several imitators. Jesse Waters and Mark Dice will ask people why we celebrate the 4th of July or what year the Declaration of Independence was signed. They sometimes go to pricey colleges to ask their questions. What is doubly discouraging is not just the usual wrong answer to simple question but also the pride so many of the queried display. They are content with their mental vapidity, smugly celebrating their post-fact existence as they cruise through life with uncluttered minds.

On the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator just under 60% of people surveyed are Feelers and the other 40% are Thinkers. Pop culture caters to majority tastes. In the realm of what has been labeled entertainment, Sentiment does not just trounce Reason, she spikes the ball in his end zone. Smart people are portrayed as socially awkward, morally challenged and always missing out on the folk wisdom that enriches the lives of simpletons.

Hazel” taught us that maids know more about human nature than lawyers. “Columbo” taught us that smart people are evil. “Law and Order” continues the tradition of evil smart people but it also expands the scope of evil to include all rich white folk.

In movies and television children are wiser than adults. Woody and Carla are privy to a certain sagacity that escapes Lilith and Frasier. And let us never forget movements like Farm Aid where Sentiment rubs salt into Reason's wounds. Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp tug at our heartstrings to lobby for the expansion of corporate welfare and the further enrichment of our landed gentry. In your logical face!

Barack Obama makes voters feel even better about themselves. In their non-thinking, high-feeling cores, people formulated the belief that voting for “The One” would confirm the elector as an open-minded, caring and concerned individual and the country would be better for it. Did they have any concerns about Barack Obama's character, his mysterious past, his limited political experience, his limited work experience and his absence of any—as in zero. As in not even a paper route or a shift manager at McDonald's—executive experience?


No. Facts suck. Facts involve thinking and...what was that again? Just feel it, man. Just feel it. Just feel it.

Brown, Shaheen In Statistical Dead Heat

Granite State Poll: Sheen 46. Brown 44.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/08/21/jeanne-shaheen-scott-brown-dead-heat-new-poll-finds/aP4DUADaYLNif2LBJ5TWaI/story.html

Not "The Onion"...Student Suspended For Saying "Bless You."

We sometimes chuckle at the PC thugs but for me, they just are not funny anymore.

We make jokes along the lines of "what will they do next?" "where will it all end?" "what happened to common sense?" "If an index finger and thumb can be called a gun..."

We hit the snooze alarm too many times. Common sense is not collateral damage, she is the enemy. Grandma's wisdom is in the cross hairs. We wrongly assume that the purveyors of stupidity are stupid. They are dealers, not users. We are stupid for underestimating them.




Wednesday, August 20, 2014

The Barney Fife's are running the police departments

Just a follow up to my previous post. Suddenly the country is becoming aware of the danger of a militarized police force.



Here is the video they mention of police confiscating/stealing cell phones from those who witnessed the abuse of a disturbed homeless man who is under the five cops and a dog.

What about the police war on white people? Two unarmed whites killed since Ferguson shooting.

Maybe Chris Hayes and Jake Tapper will want to put in some time in Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank bristles at comparisons to Ferguson but guess what? Just as in Ferguson the name of the police officer is being withheld and body cam footage of the shooting cannot be released to the public lest they get the wrong idea. Just as in Ferguson the shooting victim is a marginal member of the community but in this instance the ne'er do well is white. This is the second police shooting of an unarmed white man since the Ferguson debacle. Andrew Scott Gaynier was shot to death in Dallas on August 11, after moving in a manner the police deemed to be threatening.
Dillon Taylor was shot after he continued to walk away from police officers. He had been ordered to stop but witnesses say he was wearing headphones and did not hear the command. Taylor and his brother and cousin had just exited a convenience store as police arrived responding to a call that someone in the area was waving a gun. After killing Taylor police searched and detained his companions but failed to find a weapon. After the shooting police found that Taylor had an outstanding warrant for a probation violation.
 


Do not expect to ever hear of this shooting on the national news. It would ruin the racial narrative. It would debunk the war on black people, a theme that has played so well, that has boosted media careers and Nielson ratings. I have documented countless flagrant abuses of police power long before the world discovered Ferguson, Missouri. The militarization of police forces is but part of the problem and the easiest to solve. Just quit giving police departments military equipment. There is legislation before the House to do just that but that does not address the problem of highly unionized police officers who like sex starved, predatory, school teachers cannot be fired even with cause and the arrogance of power mentality that permeates law enforcement.
"If you don't want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground," warns Officer Sunil Dutta of the Los Angeles Police Department, "just do what I tell you."
If Dutta were merely a half-witted disciple Chief Daryl Gates it would be one thing but he is a half-witted adjunct professor of Homeland Security and Criminal Justice at Colorado Technical University. This is a phd! This is also a member of a department whose members earn on average $157,151. He is overpaid, overbearing and over the training of future half-wits who will shoot you if you don't "just do what I tell you."

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

The Shadow of Alinsky or Something More Elemental?

The Visceral Attacks On Heretics

Ever hear of Thomas Gessling? Tuffy The Clown? How about the only rodeo clown in history to receive a lifetime ban from the Missouri State Fair?

On August 10, 2013 Tuffy The Clown donned an Obama mask while performing as a rodeo clown at the Missouri State Fair. Within days, he had received threats against his person and his property, a woman spat in his face and the “rogue clown” would forever cross The Show Me State's prime venue off his itinerary. The NAACP demanded a federal investigation. Local politicians piled on and made veiled and overt threats against the rodeo and everyone associated with it.

Missouri State Fair officials called on the Rodeo Cowboy Association to “hold all those responsible for this offensive stunt accountable.”

Missouri Rep. Steve Webb, D-Florissant, said he was “incensed” by the incident.
Sometimes apologies just won’t do. While I do not believe this represents all of rural Missouri, the racial undertones of a taunted rodeo clown dressed as our nation’s first black president is what the nation woke up to this morning,” 

U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, said he was “amazed that in 2013 such hatred, intolerance and disrespect towards the President of the United States could take place at the Missouri State Fair.”

Missouri Rep. Jeremy LaFaver, D-Kansas City, wrote on Twitter that he would no longer attend Missouri State Fair events and Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, called the event “racist and degrading.”


The heated reaction might seem surprising to anyone who follows American politics. We have a long and proud history of mocking powerful people.

I didn’t do this to do any hating on anyone. I did this to be funny. I did it to be a joke,”  told KCTV. “I didn’t think anything more of it than what we’ve done 15 years ago, 10 years ago, five years ago, when we’ve done it with Bush, Clinton and Ronald Reagan.”


Entire industries were formed around mimicking and spoofing and satirizing The Kennedys, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan. It slowed down a bit with Bush 41 but accelerated with Bill Clinton. As I write this, a cigar clock featuring the President and Monica Lewinsky is being auctioned on Ebay. A decade and a half after he left office, professional Clinton lookalikes and impersonators are still available for booking at your special event.

Clinton was often mocked in a cruel manner and Bush 43 even more so. Gabriel Range's “Death of A President” seemed to stop just short of advocating for Bush's assassination. “W” was Oliver Stone's smear of George Bush released conveniently in 2008 enmeshed in the nets of the presidential election. Comedy Central gave us “That's My Bush,” which by the way was criticized at lampooning traditional sitcoms instead of constantly zeroing in on the media's least favorite politician.

An encyclopedia could be written on the attacks on George W. Bush. But one snapshot captures the contrast in his treatment with the attention Barack Obama has received. In the TV show, “Dexter,” a drama that revolves around the life of a highly-principled serial killer, the lead character is narrating a montage of Halloween. As Dexter says something about children dressing up as monsters, we are treated to the image of a child wearing a mask of George W. Bush. Unlike Tuffy The Clown, the child's future employment was not hindered and no one was threatened with bodily harm. No politicians expressed outrage and the actors and producers were not asked to apologize to anyone. This was before America had elected her first deified president.

Religious organizations are notorious for harshly assailing blasphemers, heretics, apostates and even level-headed critics. On September 30, 2005, the Danish newspaper “Jyllands-Posten” published twelve cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed. One cartoon depicts the prophet with a bomb in his turban. The eleven others are not so pointed in their commentary but are nonetheless offensive to Moslems who regard any depiction of the prophet as blasphemous.

The resulting quake resonates a decade later. According to “New York Times” worldwide protests resulted in over two hundred deaths. There were also bombings of Danish embassies and assaults on Danish nationals. There would be consumer boycotts, protests, shuttered embassies, more protests, an aborted prosecution of the publishers, more protests, assaults on Westerners as well as multiple conspiracies to harm or kill the editor, the cartoonist, other employees of “Jyllands-Posten” and Danish public officials. Someone had kicked the hornet's nest.

Critics of Obama, or for that matter anyone who slightly disagrees with him, have been labeled racist. A racial slur can end a person's career and livelihood. Traditionally, the Letter 'R' was not something readily stamped. Times change. Vote for Hillary, you might be a racist. Vote for McCain, you are probably a racist. Oppose the graft-laden stimulus plan, you are certainly a racist. Oppose the absurdly wasteful Cash For Clunkers program and you are doubly certain a racist. Object to any facet of the Affordable Care Act and you are absolutely an absolute racist.

The cult leader plays the race card for one reason: it works. The cultists do so for another reason: fidelity. After all, if a god made flesh, a model of perfection, a flawless individual cut from a different cloth than the rest of humanity is criticized, the baseless attack can only be attributed to the color of his skin. There can be no other explanation.

Sarah Palin

Is Sarah Palin stupid or smart? Well, is a budget deficit stupid or smart? Conversely, is a budget surplus stupid or smart? Is a growing economy stupid or smart? Conversely, is a stagnant economy stupid or smart?

If there is brilliance to be assigned to Barack Obama it is an Orwellian brilliance in which success is failure, failure is success, health is sickness and sickness is palliative. Our enemies are our friends and our friends are nervous. Smart is stupid and recklessness is smart. Brilliant.

Sarah Palin launched herself onto the national stage as the innocent who reminded one and all that the emperor-to-be had no clothes. The two hundred thirty two years of America had never before witnessed such a fawning press. Thrills ran up legs and all dutiful Jimmy Olsens pledged to see no evil or speak no evil of what might soon be, America's first deified president. He would also be our first unvetted president.

A minority of voters refused to drink the Kool-Aid. We refused to wear blinders and we rejected the divinity of Barack Hussein Obama. We did not know who this man was but unlike his minions, we were not phobic about finding out.

Palin boldly questioned the notion that status as a community organizer adequately prepared one for public office.

Palin expressed concern at Obama's “bitter clinger” comments.

Palin reminded us that the self-focused Barack Obama had written two memoirs but had not written any significant legislation, even at the state level.

Palin reminded the faithful that Obama's Greek columns were made of Styrofoam.

Palin reminded one and all that Obama claimed power to make oceans recede. She would remind the listener of Obama's ties to the domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers. She would correctly predict that Obama was a tax and spend illiberal and she would for the first time in his campaign, make John McCain look attractive if only by contrasting him with his opponent.

Sarah Palin had committed two mortal sins. 1.) She had criticized Obama. 2.) More importantly, she had humanized Obama. The latter was, in the eyes of the faithful, the greater sin.

As with Mohammed, it is not just the deliberately insulting bomb in the turban cartoon that caused outrage. It is any and all depictions that ultimately humanize the prophet that Moslems find offensive. So too, the Obamacists object hatefully to any but Obama's self-generated depictions of their living icon.

The backlash was immediate. Obamacists started showing up at Obama rallies wearing “Sarah Palin Is A Cunt” t-shirts. That word would later be uttered by celebrity and blogger and Youtuber to describe the execrated for years to come. Andres Serrano never took as much flack as Sarah Palin. Then again, Christianity is premised on forgiveness and despite what its critics might say, it has a long tradition of tolerance. Obamacism does not concern itself with such matters as forgiveness or even tolerance of dissent.

Professional constraints forced journalists to adopt a softer tone. They called Palin “white trash” and predictably, compared her to Hitler. Then they went after her family. Kids, especially babies have traditionally been off-limits. But never before had we witnessed a blasphemer question the actual responsibilities of a vaulted community organizer.

Obamacists called Trig Palin a "retard” over and over and over. Others condemned his mother for failing to abort him. “US” and the usually staid and traditionally respectable “Atlantic” questioned Trig's parentage. Trig and his family were mocked and lied about and ridiculed unlike anyone before or since. What should we expect? His mother did mention the columns were Styrofoam, didn't she?

Sarah Palin's eldest daughter was pregnant at the time of her mother's nomination and she too was pilloried. The father of her baby, Levi Johnston would later be recycled over and over in an effort to find dirt on the Palins. She who said “the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of personal discovery” should expect no mercy.

Shortly after Palin was selected as McCain's running mate, her personal emails were hacked by David C. Kernell, the son of a Democratic politician. Personal information including family photos and telephone numbers were passed around the Internet. Not surprisingly, Bristol Palin, the eldest daughter soon received a series of creepy phone calls.

Sarah Palin would weather as many half-truths, falsehoods and smears as any politician in American History. She would fight gallantly for her beliefs but ultimately John McCain would prove no match for America's first deified president. She graciously saluted the victors, said all the right things and went back to Alaska. Usually, this would end the chapter. Unfortunately, Change had come to America

I can't remember another American politician who was vilified and harassed after they lost an election. On April 6, 2009—not even three months into the Obama Administration--Tyra Banks, hostess of “The Tyra Banks Show,” dragged out Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol Palin's baby, in an effort to humiliate the Palins. Johnston would not disappoint. He would allude to nefarious activity on the part of the governor and her husband.

In three years Levi Johnston would rack up eleven TV credits on IMDB. In each appearance, he played himself. He would professionally hobnob with such luminaries as Bill Maher, Larry King, Dr. Phil and Jimmy Kimmel. A star was born.

As Johnston advanced his own career, Sarah Palin's career took an unexpected twist. She would fall victim to a loophole in Alaskan law that forced her to defend herself against bogus ethics violations. In the process, the Palins were beset with about a half million dollars in legal fees. Out of financial necessity, Sarah Palin resigned as governor of Alaska in July, 2009. Alaska would later amend its ethics laws to prevent future office holders from undergoing such harassment.

It was a choreographed conspiracy that drove Sarah Palin from office and had the US Department of Justice been composed of something other than Obamacists, an investigation would have ensued. Obamacists are not necessarily beholden to civil law.

Even as she left public life, Sarah Palin would not be left in peace. Actress Kathy Griffin would travel to Alaska and ring her doorbell. It would not be the only act of stalking. The writer Joe McGinniss would rent a house next door to Sarah Palin to better spy on her and her family. We should remind ourselves that the subject of this unprecedented level of attention was a RETIRED politician. Then again, she did remind us that the columns were made of Styrofoam. Maybe she should be thankful she was not afforded the Joan of Arc treatment.

Certain parties feel strongly that they own certain words. Words like racism and hate. Obamacists can hate as well as any other religion. We cannot list all of the celebrities who bolstered their careers by bashing Sarah Palin. We will highlight a few comments from Obamacist acolytes.

Bill Maher is a satirist turned sycophant who loves Barack Obama. He is disdainful of religion but in the case of “The One” he is willing to make an exception. He speaks so reverently of Obama, an observer is not sure if the audience is being treated to a beatific visionary or something more erotic. On the other hand, he has called Sarah Palin a “snarling bitch,” a “stupid twat” and a “cunt.” He also likes to make fun of her children, especially the one with Down's Syndrome. If you want to stay on Bill's good side, do not mention that the columns are made of Styrofoam.

Obamacist high priest, John Stewart, was concise. Even though he devoted a 2008 pre-election standup routine to trashing Sarah Palin—and to a lesser degree, John McCain--interspersed with praise for Barack Obama, he was succinct is his feelings for the governor of Alaska. “She said that small towns she likes going to because that's the pro-America part of the country. You know, I just want to say to her, just very quickly: Fuck you.” According to Jason Mattera, Stewart's expressed grievance with Palin stemmed from her criticism of Obama befriending domestic bomber Bill Ayers. I bet he wasn't wild about the Styrofoam columns either.

Sandra Bernhard was just as passionate in her reverent defense of the sacred from the profane.

Now you got Uncle Women, like Sarah Palin, who jumps on the shit and points her fingers at other women. Turncoat bitch! Don’t you fuckin’ reference Old Testament, bitch! You stay with your new Goyish crappy shiksa funky bullshit! Don’t you touch my Old Testament, you bitch! Because we have left it open for interpre-ta-tion! It is no longer taken literally! You whore in your fuckin' cheap New Vision cheap-ass plastic glasses and your hair up. A Tina Fey-Megan Mullally brokedown bullshit moment.”

She also joked about Palin getting gang-raped by “a bunch of brothers.” Her defense of the faith would be appreciated by her fellow Obamacists on “The View.” She would be invited on the show where she would call Bristol Palin a “hooker.”

Perhaps the most telling comment about Sarah Palin was made by the late Father Andrew Greeley who called her “a racist with her eye on the White House.” Sarah Palin is not a racist but to an Obamacist, all who disagree with their leader are by definition, racist. Christians are strictly forbidden from bearing false witness against their neighbor even their neighbors who happen to be hockey moms.

Christians are also forbidden to worship false idols. Obamacism is premised on idolatry and falsehood. Christianity and Obamcism are incompatible. Father Greeley, a man who devoted his life to the service of Jesus Christ succumbed to the theatrics of a crafty cult leader. In Obamacism, Father Greeley could do that which Christianity prohibited. In Obamacism, Father Greeley could openly foment hate. His conversion was a tragic shame.

The Clintons

If you can overlook busing Obama voters from Chicago to Iowa, the manipulation of the caucus system, news media assisting Obama to the degree never before seen in America and the betrayal of the super-delegates, the Clintons were left relatively unscathed by the wrath of the Obamacists. Yet, there were times when the faithful could not contain themselves.

Air America host, Randy Rhodes, verbally assailed Hillary supporter, Geraldine Ferraro. "What a whore Geraldine Ferraro is, she's such a fucking whore." Randi Rhodes then said that Hillary Clinton was a "Big fucking whore too."<Fox News reports

Small potatoes compared to the repeated charge of (what else?) racism directed against former President Bill Clinton. That is a sharp insult for any non-racist but for the governor of a southern state who would affectionately be called, “America's first black president,” it stung deeply. Bill Clinton's public record, his life's work, meant nothing to the Obamacists. He who is not for us, is against us.

John McCain

John McCain, the battle-proven warrior that he is, was ruthless in his attacks on his fellow Republicans. Securing the nomination, he soon took on the manners of a neutered twelve year old bulldog trying desperately to reassure prospective adopters that he would never have an accident on their shag carpet. He would be squaring off against Zeus in the general election and his brain trust would advise him to take a gentler, deferential tone.

Only twice did McCain show any fight. The second time would be when he selected Sarah Palin as his running mate. The first time was the “Celebrity” ad where he compared a vapid Barack Obama to Paris Hilton. The backlash was instantaneous. CBS devoted over five minutes of their nightly news to announce that campaign had now gone negative while the talking heads subtly dismissed McCain's jab.

Despite his feeble tone, McCain would weather a barrage of racist insinuations, racist innuendo, racist by proxy charges, racist by association (with racists unnamed or unknown who shouted vile, hateful messages wherever Republicans held a rally) as well as being called, what else? A racist. He would be invited to ”The View” where Whoopi Goldberg would ask him if he would re-institute slavery.

Most of the press took a gentler if not more convoluted logic. Countless articles and editorials (do they still make a distinction?) started with the premise that Barack Obama was perfection incarnate and thus, the only reason to oppose him would be racism. The opposition is headed by John McCain who is therefore, a racist by proxy.

In their most evenhanded moments the press would do to McCain what they would never do to Obama. They would humanize him. Vast expanses of Obamaville would be quarantined but the mullahs in the press would inform us of John McCain's ugly divorce and subsequent marriage to a younger woman. Obamacist prelates at the ”New York Times” would fabricate an affair between McCain and a lobbyist with not a shred of evidence. They would attack McCain for being wealthy and they would attack Cindy McCain for being Cindy McCain.

Like Bill Clinton before him, John McCain was probably stunned by the harshness of the attacks. However slight the infraction, he was guilty of nondeference. In the Ecclesiastical Court of Obamacism, McCain would plead out to perfunctory insolence and promise to never re-offend.

Joe The Plumber

On a campaign photo op Barack Obama wandered through a blue collar neighborhood outside of Toledo, Ohio. There he encountered a man who was tossing a football in his yard with his son. Obamacists in the press like to say the gentleman in question stopped Barack Obama but it seems that the candidate actually engaged the suburban father.

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher asked Senator Obama a question about his proposed tax increases and briefly asserted that said tax increases could have a negative effect on small business owners. The candidate famously responded that he preferred to “Spread the wealth around.” Within hours the Obamacists would find themselves a new punching bag.

The Director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Helen Jones-Kelley instructed a subordinate, Vanessa Niekamp to comb through the state's data system to find out information about the man who would become known as “Joe The Plumber.” In addition to these two Alice Kravitzs, the “Columbus Dispatch” would later report that the State Highway Patrol's computers as well as computers utilized by the Ohio Association Of Chiefs Of Police were used to scour confidential law enforcement data bases to find information about Public Enemy #1. Within days, the Obamacist Media would report scandals innumerable about the terrorist interrogator.

Virtually every news outlet from the “New York Times” to ABC to MSNBC to Fox News and the “Toledo Blade” would release stories that portrayed Wurzelbacher as a fraud, a scofflaw and a dupe. First, Joe was his middle name. How dare he call himself Joe when his first name is Samuel. Second, he was not even a licensed plumber. He was not a small business owner and he did not possess the wherewithal to launch a plumbing business and he owed back taxes totaling almost two thousand dollars. He was twice divorced and he is too stupid to understand that he would actually benefit from an Obama Presidency.

Understand, these revelations were made at a time when almost fifty per cent of the voting population were starved for information about their future president. No birth certificate, no college transcripts, no passport records, a high degree of mystery in all that he did. Meanwhile, everything you never wanted to know about some guy who asked a question from his front yard saturates the news media.

Of course, Obamacists can never peek at the man behind the curtain. To do so would be to humanize the wizard and they would risk killing their religious bliss. We will explore this matter in a later chapter.

Joe The Inquirer would be savaged on YouTube, the blogosphere and places like Ask Yahoo. Daily Kos (not sure they were first but they were front runners) would call him a racist and The Cult of Obama would pick up the meme. Per usual for Obamacists, death threats would follow.

Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck was a run of the mill conservative talk show host whose fortunes rose in Tandem with Barack Obama's. Obama was elected president the same year Beck came to Fox News. Beck was always suspicious of Obama's stagecraft, his trickery and his anti-transparency. Beck did something pundits rarely do; he started practicing journalism.

Beck's show became a network within a network. His skeleton crew exposed Van Jones' interesting past, scandal at ACORN, The Tides Foundation, the Cloward-Piven Strategy, the motives of Cass Sunstein and much, much more. Not bad for an amateur newsman.

The Obama Administration despised Glenn Beck. When White House Communications Director, Anita Dunn accused Beck of misrepresenting the administration, the hyperkinetic entertainer took umbrage. He confirmed his show's commitment to truth and set up a red phone whose unlisted number was given only to the White House. Should the administration find any inaccuracies, they could immediately interrupt the show with a phone call. The red phone was never utilized.

Hell hath not fury like Obamacists scorned. Beck would be hit with possibly the most vicious rumor campaign in the history of Planet Earth. Obamacists spread the obviously unfounded story that Glenn Beck had raped and murdered a girl in 1990. The websites and YouTube vids usuually don't come out and state in a declarative sentence that Beck raped and killed a girl. “I am just asking the question if Glenn Beck raped and murdered a girl in 1990.” Give the Obamacists points for cute but do not underestimate their capacity for malice.

Beck was also subject to a puppeteered sponsor boycott that would prove futile. When Glenn Beck left Fox News to concnetrate on The Blaze and GBTV the Obamacists took credit fro running him off the air. In truth, it was more of a Billy Bean/Money Ball sort of decision on Fox News' part and Beck wanted more time and more freedom and ultimately more revenue. Nonetheless, the Obamacists did a victory dance.

In June of 2011 Glenn Beck and his wife were mobbed by an angry crowd in New York's Bryant Park. They emerged unscathed although Mrs. Beck was soaked with someone else's wine. The Becks had arrived not to promote a political agenda but to view Alfred Hitchcock's “39 Steps.” The Obamacists did not care. This was a critic of their deity. Attack!

The Tea Party

The Tea Party is an ill-defined political movement. It originated after CNBC correspondent Rick Santelli, fed up with the bailouts of corporations and reckless mortgagers, suggested America have another Tea Party. Thus began one of the most interesting chapters in American political history.

The Tea Party started out as a reaction to both political parties. It concerned itself with fiscal conservatism and only fiscal conservatism. The final chapter on the Tea Party is not yet written but a recurring theme is that the movement gets hijacked by chronic attention seekers. From a media magnet sheriff in Arizon to an environmental activist in Indiana to Teavangelicals and their emphasis of social conservatism to dozens of Republican retreads, the Tea Party has become an ever-evolving paradigm.

Had the Tea Party percolated during the Clinton Administration, the president would have charmed its members. He would have some of them believing that he started the Tea Party himself. He would have listend to their concerns and would have acted on some of them.

Unfortunately, the political movement in question arrived on the scene shortly after the arrival of our first deified president. Barack Obama cannot and will not tolerate dissent or defiance. He mocked and ridiculed the protestors. The IRS would later harass Tea Party groups. Whether that is the work of the administration or the work of faithful Obamacists protecting their leader has yet to be determined.

The Tea Party was the perfect target for the Obamacists to attack. Individuals can sue but nebulous groups are defenseless against blanket charges of racism. Obamacist pundits would repeatedly say things like “not all of the Tea Party is racist but...” This tactic was repeated on a daily basis. If there were racists within the Tea Party movement, they would never be identified.

Although the insults leveled against the Tea Party have been unimaginative (tea bagger/racist/extremist) they have also been repetitive. Scroll down to the comments of any Tea Party video on YouTube and you will see the same remarks over and over and over. Of course, the intensity never wavers. To the practicing Obamacist, the ideas advanced by the Tea Party were moot. A challenge to both political parties included opposition to their beloved leader. That could never be tolerated.

Mitt Romney

One can disagree with Mitt Romney's politics but he is one of the most decent and generous public figures America has ever produced. Yes, his father sent him to good schools but Mitt did not accept his inheritance. He donated it to Brigham Young University in memory of his father.

The Romneys tithe and give additional money to charity. Forbes.com lists such diverse groups as United Way, Deseret International Foundation and Weber State University as beneficiaries of Mitt Romney's charity. And let it be said that Mitt Romney is a devoted family man and church leader.

Team Obama knew they were in trouble. They would not be able to run on their candidate's disastrous record. They would commit themselves fully to smearing their opponent, whoever that happened to be. And if their opponent was beyond reproach, they would fabricate false witness.

We will later explore the personality of Barack Obama, including his chronic deception, dishonesty and duplicity. For now, let us state state that unless it involves issues of national security, it is not acceptable for the president to lie to the populace, even if an election is at stake.

Team Obama would claim that Mitt Romney was a tax cheat, a felon, a misogynist and that he was somehow complicit in the wrongful death of an innocent woman. Falsehoods. Nothing but vicious, malicious falsehoods.

In another era the press would have called out Team Obama on their lies. The bulk of the voting public would have taken it upon themselves to separate falsity from truth. Yes, there was a political sliding scale of truth but traditionally the American public took a dim view of people who lied to them in a brazen manner. Sadly, facts mean nothing to Obamacists.

To the Cult of Obama, Mitt Romney was just one more demon rising from the cauldron. He challenged their god. That is all an Obamacist needed to know. One more fallen angel who needed to fall once more. If that meant embracing the dogma and spreading the hate, thy will be done. Facts be damned.

Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root is an interesting character. Despite graduating in Barack Obama's class at Columbia, his politics are 180 degrees from Obama, having at times involved himself with The Libertarian Party. He is frequently critical of Obama's policies but he also brought a curious phenomenon to the surface.

Wayne Allyn Root does not remember Barack Obama at Columbia. None of his classmates knew Barack Obama personally or even remember seeing the tall, handsome black man with the winning smile. The graduating class was about 700 students and the political science department—which would include both Root and Obama—graduated 150 students. Root describes the political science students as “tight knit” but not one of them remembers Barack Obama. Incidentally, Obama would be conspicuous by his absence at their thirty year reunion. Root would again quiz his classmates and no one remembers ever seeing Barack Obama at Columbia.

For revealing this oddity Root was audited by the IRS in 2011. He completed his ordeal in the summer of 2012 only to be audited five days later for another two year period. Such tactics are unheard of except in the case of Wayne Allyn Root.

Perhaps we should not jump to conclusions about rabidly loyal Obamacists who happen to work for the IRS. Perhaps this originated at the White House (in which case a special prosecutor needs to be appointed pronto.) Either way, we are viewing the harassment of an honest citizen for political purposes.

We will explore the systemic attack on Obama's critics in another chapter.

Flea Bites And Drivebys

There are leftists, either unified or not, who are sometimes referred to as Occupy Amazon. They assign one star ratings to authors with whom they disagree politically. They never, ever refute because they never read the book in question. The commnetary is usually a standard “the author cherry picks his statistics” kind of blurb. There are stories of one star ratings appearing within hours of a book's release to the general public.

It is not ideology alone that drives the blurbmasters. With Obamacists it is a bit more personal. Thomas Sowell is sometimes wrongly called a conservative economist as if he driven by bias and bias alone. In truth, he is an honest social scientist whose findings often clash with the interests of the political class. You won't often hear big government proponents quote Thomas Sowell.

Sowell's “Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy” has currently garnered 180 reviews including 3 One-Star reviews. 1.6% of reviewers (not necessarily readers) handed out the worst-possible rating.

By comparison, Mark Levin's blatantly partisan “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” collected roughly four times the number of One-Star reviews. Of the 2.954 Amazon reviewers, 185 (6.2%) left the worst possible rating.

Now let's examine the criticism expressed by reviewers of a book obviously critical of President Obama's record. David Limbaugh's “The Great Destroyer: Barack Obama's War On The Republic” attracts 16.8% One-Stars (41 out of 244.) The comments are typical of Occupy Amazon in general and Obamacists in particular. There are blanket racist accusations, revelations that the author is stupid, revelations that the author is evil and zero refutations coupled with zero evidence that the reviewer even read the book and of course coupled with the revelations that the book is poorly written.

Amazon Reader” a verified purchaser with no other reviews to his credit, offers this insight:
I stopped reading this book half way through.
In addition to Limbaugh's racist rants, his style of writing is altogether disorganized and immature.
There are other books of this style (e.g., The End of America) that are much more worth while.

ANAF” offers a slightly different perspective: “Juvenile, lost in the belief that your side or "your" president will save you and another will put the country in ruins. Archaic. Just nonsense and that stands for its left-wing equivalent as well. Shut up.” This is the only book in “ANAF's” three pages of reviews. He mostly reviews music but he did find time to tell us about a product called Semenax. “I blow loads that need the Hoover Dam to stop the flow. Props to Semenax. Now, I need to clean my tub.” Thanks ANAF.

JustSayWhydotCom” might the best choice to author “The Complete Idiot's Guide To Occupy Amazon.” ”I read political screed for a living and this is one of the worst I've seen in a while. Not only is the writing style immature and irritating, but the points have either been debunked or are so deceptive as to be worthless.
I would gladly point out case by case how these are lies, fed to the gullible, but those who seek out the facts already know these to be lies and those who believe books like this will never benefit from facts anyway.
Regardless of your political leaning, don't waste your money on this factually deficient children's book.” By the way, Mr. Com is not a verified Amazon purchaser of Limbaugh's book.

It's not just Limbaugh. Anyone who writes a book critical of the president will be personally attacked by loyal Obamacists who clearly have not read the book in question and have no curiosity regarding its contents. And it isn't just Amazon where this occurs. Any online newspaper that features reader comments will be scrolled with the same racist/hate/stupid/evil/factssuck formula that we see at Amazon. Ditto Youtube.

Returning to Wayne Allyn Root, I did a couple of web searches on him which led me to even more scorned Obamacists. Root has made a name for himself as a sports handicapper. I don't know if he is a good or bad gambler but I can tell you that the Occupy Amazon crowd has infiltrated sports gambling discussion sites. Root's name is often followed by an unsubstantiated claim that Root is either dishonest, incompetent or both. Guess he should have zipped his lip about Columbia, huh?

We have yet to determine if Obama critics are being targeted by the White House, by overzealous worshipers or a combination of both. The convenient hard drive crashes at the IRS are legendary and more reports of data destruction are being reported at other Federal agencies might make this difficult to sort out. Here is an abbreviated list of suspicious acts of intimidation:

Dr. Ben Carson was audited for the first time in his life a few months after making a political suggestion at The National Prayer Breakfast attended by President Obama.

From “USA Today” May 16, 2013, “In a blistering letter to President Barack Obama, the Rev. Franklin Graham said the IRS targeted the two non-profits he heads with an audit last year after the organizations took out ads urging people to support biblical principles on marriage and in choosing political candidates.”

In 2012, businessman Frank VanderSloot donated to a Romney Super PAC. He was first smeared by the Obama campaign, then audited by the IRS. When that audit turned out clean, he was audited by the Department of Labor. All of this in an election year.

On May 15, 2013, ABC News reported another suspicious IRS audit. “... Hal Scherz, a physician who started the group Docs4PatientCare to lobby against President Obama's health care initiative, and became a vocal critic of the president on cable news programs.”

Multiple heavy Romney donors were subjected to IRS audits in 2012 including casino magnate, Sheldon Adelson, who was also probed by the Department of Justice in that election year.

Richard Nixon was impeached for attempting—yes, merely attempting—to do what the Obama Administration succeeded in doing. Richard Nixon failed to use the IRS as a political weapon. Someone close to Barack Obama has weaponized several branches of government, including the IRS. Of course, four or five Obama Plumbers could not execute widespread, ongoing abuses of power from multiple offices in multiple agencies. Dozens, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of government employees have risked their careers, their pensions and their freedom in their devoted service of their deity.

Whatever else may be said about Obamacists, they are decidedly loyal in word and deed.






















Monday, August 18, 2014

Pro-Israel Rallies Around The World

TOKYO

I THINK THIS IS THE NEW SPELLING OF CALCUTTA

MIDNIGHT COWBOY GIVES THEM WHAT FOR

PARIS 

AMSTERDAM

Police killings increase as violent crime declines

Phillip Bump at the Washington Post blog, The Fix, has researched so called justifiable homicides by law enforcement. For some reason Bump would like to see part of this increase as being the result of more cops on the street. Wait a minute! We hire more cops to make us safer and then they shoot us? The graph below tells the story.