Hey... it's a GOOD Thing

Unless they shot a civilian, right? This guy weren't no civilian, okay. And there's no reason those British officers should have ANY reason to think that he was.

Why do I feel pretty secure in this? So, what would you do?

Here's the scene: You're following a guy wearing a big, bulky overcoat (hey, yeah, it's London... but it's JULY 22nd, okay). He's a known terror suspect... I'm sorry, I meant Islamic Soldier. He's heading toward the Tube. He will not respond when you order him to stop. He goes into the Tube. You're in hot pursuit.

Now, bear in mind that you're following a guy into what amounts to a cave... a guy who has a high probability of exploding with hot nails shooting out of him and stuff. You reach the train. You take him down. He's still struggling.

[Over-puntuation alert] You. shoot. him... Dead.

Why?

Well, he was soldier, right? I mean, soldiers - in uniform or mufti - are the same, right? (That's what people are saying about GITMO and the Geneva Convention and all.) And that train was loaded with civilians, right?

So, by that definition, he is an enemy soldier very likely with his finger on the trigger of a weapon that can take out oh... conservatively a 100 people or so - most of whom are "civilians".

And their fucking problem is...?

Multi-Culti Suicide
And while we're at it... read this brilliant eassy by Lee Harris. It's a long one and comes from a different angle, but man, it's worth the trip.

After reading Harris' eassy - check this out.

Another Brick in the Wall

So... the People's Republic State of Illinois is going to decide whether you can finance a home or not. From the Belleville News Democrat

Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a bill Thursday that will require homeowners in the test areas to turn over all their financial, personal and loan data to the state for a mandatory review before they will be allowed to buy a home. It also affects refinancing and home equity loans. The bill requires the selected Cook County borrowers to submit information to the state, which will then decide whether a borrower must undergo mandatory financial counseling before agreeing to the home loan. It is intended to aid state regulators in tracking and cracking down on dishonest lenders.

... The law creates a predatory lending database with personal and financial information about people seeking home loans in a test area, as well as information about the loans, in portions of Cook County. After four years, the pilot program will be reviewed and possibly expanded to cover the entire state.

So... with arguably good intentions (when is it not...?), Illinois is going review and place conditions on individuals seeking to finance a home. No one has broken a law and yet, "State Re-education" is required.

Christ, this is an outrage. Once again, property rights plays the red-haired stepchild of personal liberties.

Here's a thought experiment. Imagine, if you would that the government created a similar system for any form of non-criminal/non-economic behavior with possible negative consequences. How about... sexual promiscuity or predilection.

Imagine the outrage.

Explain to me how this is less heinously intrusive.

H/T - my friend Jeffrey.

Rest in Peace Scotty

Making Law

I heard three talking heads on The Today Show say something like: "... but this is different then when he was Appeals Court Judge. As a Supreme Court Justice, Roberts will be able to make law, not just intrepret it".

Anyone else see a wee bit of a problem with this?

Bush Nominates Conservative for SCOTUS

And the New York Times thinks this could "tilt the court" rightward.

Zounds! I thought the Constitution said that when the President doesn't win by a 60% popular majority, the Executive Branch was compelled to appoint justices that would "unite the country", "makee nicey-nice", "not hurt anyone's feelings" and all that.

Man, that Rove Bush sure has a brass set.

I'm Not a Right WingNut Mikey... Really

This post, inspired by "comedian" Margaret Cho naming her dog after a terrorist, got a strong response from Mikey.

The first one is just funny. She's a comedian for godssake. George Carlin suggested that raping an old woman was funny.

The second one is just stupid (meaning somebody should tell Begala to chill out). But events titled "Campus Progress National Student Conference" are just a likely to produce stupid soundbites as the "Republican National Convention"

And the last one, since when did Islamist-terrorist-sympathizers become part of the left? Is this part of the campaign to put every stupid idea or thing you disagree with in the left's mouth?

There's no monopoly on the left or right for saying stupid things.

True enough Mikey. But I was talking about the Left in reactionary mode to the war. In that area, the Left has it sown up. My response:

Cho - no, Mikey... she's a comedian/activist - which makes her comedy as funny as political revolutionary theatre and their attendant giant puppets are entertaining.

Begala - show me a quote from a national Republican talking head that is even close to being as stupid and over the top as:

They want to kill me and my children if they can. But if they just kill me and not my children, they want my children to be comforted -- that while they didn't protect me because they cut my taxes, my children won't have to pay any money on the money they inherit...

And the last one, since when did Islamist-terrorist-sympathizers become part of the left?

When they're published in The Guardian.

Mikey's reposte:

Rick Santorum:

"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery."

Vice President Cheney:

"Fuck yourself."

President George W. Bush

It was at this point I thought I'd get this off comments and on the blog proper.

Mikey's not going to get me to defend Senator Santorum. Santorum is a narrow minded frightened boob who is among the worst the Republicans have to offer. But... he does have something of a point.

Forget about bigamy - it's fraud and there's an obvious victim - the spouse(s) unaware of the other spouse(s).

Polygamy...? Why not. Gay marriage is on the way. We're likely to see it in this country within the next couple of decades. If that's what we want... fine. Furthermore, I have absolutely no problem with polygamy, polyandry, group marriage. Consenting adults in a binding contract that forms a "family" and supports the raising of children. Go for it. Given our imperfect predisposition for monogamy, it seems like a tough row to hoe, but... it's not really our business now is it?

Incest... if you're not planning on contributing to the gene pool (like gay partners - at least with each other anyway...) what's the harm. If an adult brother and sister are in love, what's the problem. Sure, you may think it's all yucky and stuff - being so closely related and all, but what business is it of yours? There are folks that so narrow minded that they used to think that homosexuality was actually wrong.

Well, you see where I'm going here. I'm pulling out a variant of the dreaded - and in this case appropriately named - "slippery slope" argument. But, to me it seems rather apt. Where do we draw the line. I honestly don't know. But to claim that drawing the line is not an issue seems ingenious, to say the least.

Enough of the good dim Senator.

Dick Cheney did indeed say "Go Fuck Yourself". He said it to Senator Pat Lehey when Lehey was acting all "buddy-buddy" during a photo shoot. No one really knows why Vice President Cheney said that to Lehey. Some think it may have been because Lehey had been accusing Cheney for weeks of essentially being a war profiteer (Halliburton! Halliburton!) and leveraging the deaths of our young men and women for he and his capitalist cronies to make money.

Stupid...?

No, I credit the Vice President for having the intelligence to not pop Lehey in the mouth - the vile, hypocritical little pissant. Words have consequences.

And yeah - there are still such things as "fighting words".

Oh... and of course Bush is dumber than a chimp... everyone knows that. Rove's the puppeteer... stupid gladhanding fratboy, dimwitted Chimpy-bush, Bushy-chimp, etc.

Look, I'm not a Republican. I've written in this venue on the Republicans' stupidity trying to leverage the pro-war vote as some kind of "moral mandate" for religious right falderal. But, my last few posts have been my reaction to the MSM's and Left's reaction to terrorist bombing in London. The Democrats (with the exception of Joe Lieberman and a few other adults) have had no problem using the war as a political lever. This is a war that we're likely to be involved in for decades to come.

I'd LOVE for the Democrats - Christ I'd love for Europe and the rest of the world that actually has the priviledge of living in the 21st century - to step up and deal with this now - like adults.

What do I mean by "like adults"? I mean by having the intestinal fortitude to see this conflict and attendant responsibilities in their historical perspective - not in a comfortable opium cloud of chic, upper middle-class faux - and really, isn't faux the best kind of - guilt.

For doubt it not for one second this is going to be with us for a while and there's a good chance that we'll see a sizeable terrorist attack on American soil within the next decade. The sooner that we are victorious, the better - for everyone. That's why the stupidity of Cho and Begala and Reid and Durbin and Pelosi and Kennedy and Franken and Garofalo and Keiler and on and on and on almost always trump the Republican and Right-Wing variety.

Given the times we live in - and the enemies we have in the world - I find the Democrat/Left Wing brand of stupidity way more dangerous than global warming, the issuing of concealed carry permits, the Plame kerfuffle, disrespect for the UN or even the possibility that the SCOTUS - packed by Bush with right-wing misogynist crazies - will overturn of Roe v. Wade.

We're Just As Bad

Uncle Sam in a bomb vest made of smokestacks. You get it don't you...? We're the same as the scum that blew up the tube riders in London because we... well, we drive our big nasty cars and SUVs.

And this cartoon was in that "mainstream left-leaning" (don't want to say "hard-left" now...) Washington Post.

"Art Terrorism"

Yeah... there's nothing wrong with the self-hating, reactionary left. Here's an excellent example of how there's absolutely nothing screwed up about their world view.

Oh... and here's another.

And another...