Blah, blah ... blah

Well I spent all weekend learning how to help people get divorced. Boy is that uplifting.

I heard Senator Joe Biden on the radio trying to weasel out of his vote for Bush in invading Iraq. This guy is so dishonest and full of BS that it hurt to listen. I suppose we will get to hear quite a bit of this in the coming months as each candidate tries to distance himself (herself) from the debacle and to tell how they really were against this all from the start.

Then Biden started in on Giuliani ... about how he misled everyone about New York and the the aftermath and government actions on homeland security. That bordered on disgusting. But then he essentially went further and said that Giuliani was lying about that and every other position ... and how he was looking forward to debating him and tearing his story to shreds. Joe -- the plagiarist -- you are not even fit to wipe Rudy's butt. And as to a straight person to person debate, Rudy will destroy you, you miserable slim, dishonest, two faced partisan hack. He will dismember you, should you ever reach the position whereby you earn the right to face Rudy.

And Hillary the Hated will have a book published about her by ... Carl Bernstein. Now, that author is not noted as a Republican sympathizer, so when he decides to do a piece (640 pages) on her, even skeptical liberals ought to sit up and take note. David Geffen, much hated in the Clinton camp for leading the velvet mafia away from the true Clintonian faith, stated that he was taken aback: "the Clintons lie with such ease, it's troubling." And that is troubling by itself!!

Trust Al Jazeera

Trust Al Jazeera to have the photos and report the news of massacre at Virgina Tech earlier than most US news sources. Something bad, and they hear it first.... How do they do that? Anyway, some photos first:

A nice college kid. mugging for the camera. 9mm Glock, baleful glare. Yup just the sort of kid you let run around your campus.

This is the romantic revolutionary pose. Very '70s Sandinista. Disturbed. Really whacked. So this person shoots a female freshman in her dorm, then goes back to his own dorm room and films video for distribution to NBC and shoots some stills. He also wrote some really crazy manifesto-like stuff to set us all straight.

Now he is dead (and because he is/was adult) his medical records are sealed, although in the lawsuits to come we will find a some of the contents. Probably. But why was a character like this walking around a campus? It is not as if the university had not had ample warnings ... for weeks bomb threats had been phoned in. I'd have thought that as soon as anything went down, they'd have locked that place down tighter than a drum. But instead, Mr. Cho went back to his room to film his sayonaras. Someone had been murdered and the killer was running loose in what should already have been a high threat context. And students were "alerted" by e-mail? Are they joking? The plaintiff's lawyers should have a field day with this one.

And the guns ... a mentally deranged weirdo is able to walk in and buy a Glock 9mm with what is obviously a lot of ammo. 5 minutes and he is out of there. Seriously, we have got to get a grip on this. And the solution is simple. No handguns. They need to go. If you belong to a pistol club and keep current with target practice -- maybe -- you should be allowed to keep a handgun, and even then only at the club. Otherwise, only registered security professionals should be allowed. They should be trained, vetted, investigated, grilled and psych examined before getting to carry. And that is it. Don't abridge the right to bear arms ... we, the people, can carry rifles and shotguns ... but only if registered, and with a thorough background check.

And if we catch you with an illegal handgun -- you go straight to prison. Your type of incarceration would depend on your prior history. Anything criminal (as in felony) you go to do hard time. If you are an old timer with an old pistol in the attic, then 90 days at a low security pen, with community service. But the handguns have got to go. Anything violent and we look at 7-10 upstate for mere possession. If a violent prior and caught in the commission of a crime with a handgun ... let's start with 25 years of building roads. Goodness knows our roads need the help.

Would this have prevented Mr. Cho? Yes. He would NEVER have been able to buy a gun in the first place. And what is with a non-citizen ever being allowed to buy ANY firearm?

My prayers go out to the families.

Imus strikes out

Gone, gone, gone. And against my better judgment, I turned on Larry King Live on CNN -- figuring that he'd have the lefty view ... and who should be on Larry King, but Al Sharpton. Unbelievable. Unrepentant hypocrite. Grandstanding heap of bird turds.

So I switched over to Hannity and Colmes (righty vs. lefty). There they had a Rap impressario on, a black female judge and ... Geraldo. Geraldo who claims that he "knew" the instant his wife told him of what Imus had said that "he was gone." And how bad Imus was and its about time someone took a stand against inappropriate behavior in the media. Geraldo?

Interestingly, the black rapper/ comedian stated that every rapper ought to be calling in to support Imus ... "its about hip-hop." "We let them do this to Imus -- for saying something that any of us would say -- and next its us." Too true. He flat admitted to enjoying his double standard, but the way that this was coming down was not good for his industry.

The black female judge said "good." But then qualified it by saying that if offended by Imus, she is also offended by the garbage spewed by the members of her own race. Backing up the rap view.

BTW, Hasselbeck from The View was on and roundly skewered by Hannity for the double standard of Rosie saying the crap she does, without her censure. Cool.

Don Imus: Nappy Headed ex-Addict

But is he a racist? I don't think so. A fool with fried gray matter for sure. He should have known better to say what he did ... but that brings into question the larger issue of what he said being wrong at all.

How can I say that ... am I a racist? No. Emphatically, no. But here is the deal: when a culture -- in this case the black American culture -- decides to identify itself with certain conduct and behavior, it becomes an act of duplicity to then deny that others can then identify members of that culture similarly. Put another way, if you insist on calling each other the "N" word and other demeaning and derogatory phrases, you can hardly expect that others will not see and hear this and assume that it is OK.

If your culture becomes broadly imitated, your music everywhere, your morals ethics and ideals widely copied in other cultures ... the words you use cannot suddenly be divorced from similar acceptance.

Bill Cosby has loudly called for black society to clean its act up and hold itself to higher standards (by that he meant that black people should strive for education, to be proud of black heritage, to respect each other). Black leaders such as Sharpton and others decried that goal as being "white" selling out to white society and suggested that he was an "Uncle Tom."

I am sorry, but I cannot see where self-respect is "white," where seeking education and betterment of society is "white." We all live in our communal society and where people largely benefit from its functioning (if you are white or a minority and taking any form of public assistance, this means YOU), you can then hardly dismiss it as being a "white" creation and run for the benefit of whites -- those benefits come from ALL tax payers.

Imus was a jerk. He should not stoop to using those words, but he was also trying to be funny (for which he is paid) and using terminology in wide use throughout the country. If Chris Rock had said that, there would be no issue: any reaction would have been limited to something like "he's just a loudmouthed creep" or some such -- probably using "hate words" that are in question right here. So Imus apologized. Profusely. Groveled. Now let's move on. The real debate here is the PC acceptance of misogyny and hateful words, deeds and principles by minorities and the double standard it implies.

Let's be clear ... it is NOT alright if they do it, and it is NOT alright if we do it. If we are ever to put racial and ethnic divisions behind us, we must all operate on the same system, to the same standards: to be "color blind" is to be the same.

BUT, I have no intention to shift my system of morals and ethics to permit or accept: (1) ignorance; (2) miscogyny; (3) violence as a dispute resolution system; (4) the breakdown of the family unit whereby single mothers become the norm; (5) acceptance of the government as my provider -- but NOT my protector; (6) refusal to work for the benefit of ALL Americans. 50 years ago the civil rights movement was started to place us on the road to being color blind with equal opportunity for all. Since then, what have we really achieved? The laws are in place -- but to use an old metaphor, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. The division are still there, and will be as long as someone who strives to achieve socio-economically -- that is, a contributor to our society at large -- is perceived as being a societal or race traitor, in other words, "white."

If my intransigence constitutes racism, then perhaps I need to go to rehab.

Pelosi: Mistress of Evil

Here is the Mistress of Darkness herself -- with her mentor, Bashar Assad. Remember, this is the same dude that orchestrated the assassination of numerous Lebanese officials and public figures (remember Hariri's death). This is the guy that allows Iran to funnel weapons and support to Hezbollah. This is the President-for-life of an absolute dictatorship, committed to the destruction of Israel, the training of terrorists and with a horrible record of human rights violations. Assad also has been instrumental in the support of the Sunni branch of Iraqi insurgency.

Pelosi claims (with her Congressional delegation) that she is on a "fact finding mission," but let's be clear: this is partisan politics pure and simple. She is #3 on the rung of power, if Boosh and his evil henchman were to croak. So she cannot simply represent an individual Congresswoman out on a junket.

The Arab world will hear something very different: their arch enemy is divided, so take heart in the struggle to thwart democracy and modern civilization. If Pelosi understands this and still continues with her "mission" (who the hell sent her?), then she is actively working for the enemy and functionally a traitor. If she doesn't understand what she is doing, then she is too stupid for her position and should be removed. Flying 757s to commute home is one thing, but to actively undermine our military mission -- and hence our sons and daughters in uniform -- is unconscionable. If fact finding was indeed necessary, send some flunkies on the DNC staff -- do NOT lend authority and credibility to America's enemies.

On the same region of the world, have you noticed that the hostages in Iran have been abandoned by: (1) the UN -- they were executing a UN mandate to inspect shipping to prevent the smuggling of oil and weapons, so they are really in Iranian captivity as a result of a UN directive; and (2) the EU -- so much for a common EU front for its citizens, as true to form the Germans and French are working the end run for commercial reasons and to thwart the perceived Anglo-American alliance for their own ends. ISn't the EU supposed to take care of things relating to the creation of a greater whole? Wouldn't support for the citizen of a member state (nation?) serve to cement the bonds that are meant to tie?

Local News:
Mayor Mumbles is stumbling all over himself in the face of a crime and murder wave of epic proportions. Lawlessness is the rule in areas of Dorchester and Matapan and yet Mumbles claims there is no problem, "30% more guns have been taken off of the street as compared to last year...." Yeah. But murder is up 60%, so who cares ... it might just be that there are 100% more guns out there than last year and a gun by itself does not commit a crime, people do.

So the Guardian Angels have come up from NYC to protect us. First the police and Mayor freak out at the vigilantes on the street -- but as the public point out, any help is welcome as the administration and police seem to be singularly incapable of their jobs: protecting us.

Devoid the Idiot Patrick suggested that all of us should tell the baggy pants crowd to pull them up and start behaving themselves. Yeah. Great idea that. You first, Mr. Governor.