Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito Found Guilty (Again) of Murder

I expected no less from the Banana Republic of Italy and their Kangaroo Court, but the Second Appellate Court has found Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito guilty of murder.

Still, I feel outraged and shocked at the sheer injustice and evil perpertrated by these fools.  The verdict feels like a sock in the gut, and I feel heartsick for Amanda and Raffaele. 

Amanda will fight extradition to Italy, and it is unlikely that the US will honor any requests for her extradition due to our double jeopardy laws.  Raffaele, however, attended the trial and is still in Italy.  He is in danger of being incarcerated while awaiting Rome's official acceptance of the verdict, which of course, is a foregone conclusion.

If Raffaele can get out of the country, he should do so at once.

Third Verdict in Trial of Amanda Knox Expected By Tomorrow

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito

UPDATE:  Both Amanda and Raffaele have again been found guilty of murdering Meredith Kercher.  It is utterly shocking to hear such insanity. 

The never-ending trials of Amanda Knox will mark another milestone by tomorrow. The second appellate court is to render a decision on the guilt or innocence of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito in the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher.

This will be the third court decision in the matter. Having studied the case extensively, I am certain that both Knox and Sollecito are completely innocent of any connection to Kercher’s murder. Rudy Guede, a feral young black man, murdered Kercher after she surprised him burglarizing the house where she and Knox (and other students) lived. Guede raped and murdered Kercher, and was convicted of the crime. However, he was sentenced to only 16 years for the murder. Knox and Sollecito, who weren’t even there, were sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectfully. The Italian Justice System appears substantially flawed, and Knox's persecution nothing more than anti-American prejudice and judicial incompetence.  Italian prosecutors are now trying to salvage their dignity by doubling-down on injustice.

The U.K. Mirror reports on Knox’s attorney’s final plea to the jury:

Knox’s lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova raised his voice in anger as he urged the judges not to feel they had to protect the reputation of the Italian justice system, following allegations from the United States that a flawed system led to Knox being wrongfully dragged into the case as a suspect.

He said: "Judges, we cannot send two innocent people to jail to ... protect the dignity of anyone we heard in this process.

"What about the dignity of the accused, who spent four years in jail? The dignity of the family? The victim?"

Personally, I will be surprised if the appellate court finds the two defendants innocent. I have long since abandoned the idea that Italian Justice is capable of producing a just result. Let’s hope I’m wrong.

Some Late Thoughts on the 2014 Grammy Awards Ceremony

Busy, busy, busy doing tax returns.  That explains the big slowdown in my posting, if anyone cares. 

I watched the Grammy Awards, because my wife wanted to watch it, and I had no choice.  I liked seeing some of the old rockers like Kris Kristofferson, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.  I also enjoyed the western groups, and one new female country singer wore a very short dress, and she had fantastic legs.  Those were the good parts of the show.

I was annoyed at the new pop music acts and “artists.”  Some young woman with black lipstick was unveiled to smoke and flames by the raising of what looked like a giant Japanese lantern, revealing her underneath.  Then a troupe of people in tights all emulated grand mal seizures as they writhed around the stage, all while the black lipstick lady "sang."  The music was cacophonous and the words unintelligible.  The lady in black lipstick was later awarded a Grammy (a trophy resembling an old fashioned phonograph with a megaphone on top). 

 Then some black guys in white suits stomped around chanting and grunting to something called “Def Jam,” making me wish I really were def or that I could jam cotton into my ears.

 Surprisingly, the best music group was one from France, whose name I have deliberately forgotten, who wore what looked like white space suits, including helmets with black, opaque visors, so their faces were completely hidden.  Weeeeeeird.  It kind of reminded me of the Cone Heads from Saturday Night Live, with the space aliens explaining in a robotic monotone:  "We're from France."

There is a reason for all this dubious theater by the pop groups:  it is to hide the fact that they  don’t really have any talent.  Their songs are garbage, the lyrics the incomprehensible mutterings of the mad.  Without the giant lanterns, smoke, flames and space suits, they got nothing.

Towards the end of the ceremonies, Queen Latifa “married” 33 couples, some of whom were gay, right after some schmo with a weird haircut sang a non-melodic paean to the wonders of gay love.  How did this figure into a ceremony honoring the best singers?  It didn’t.  The left has control of the popular culture along with their control of the economy, the media and academia.  This enables them to continually propagandize us with their latest compulsions. 

You're Wrong If You Believe These Ten Things -- And Possibly Nuts

I saw a site this week where the blogger bragged about being proud of the fact that he was a "conspiracy theorist."  People who don't believe in his conspiracy theories (like 911 being an inside job) are people who strongly believe what the mainstream media tell them.

He should change the title of his blog to "Proud to be Paranoid."

It's amazing to me how much sheer nonsense is believed by so many people.  So here's a list of things that, if you believe in them, you're wrong at best, and maybe even nuts.

You're wrong or possibly nuts if you believe:

1. That 911 was an inside job.

2. That a great conspiracy assassinated John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

3. That the primary purpose of the American "Civil War" was to free the slaves.

4. That Amanda Knox had anything whatsoever to do with the murder of Meredith Kercher.

5.  That socialism improves the standard of living for most people in a population.

6.  That the wars in the Middle East are over oil.

7.  That Islam is a "religion of peace," no worse or any more violent than any other religion.

8.  That white people are responsible for all the bad stuff in world history.

9.  That criticism of Barack Obama is racism.

10.  That man made global warming is real.

Conservatives: Use Brains More, Adrenal Glands Less to Fight the Ascendant Left

My friend Rick Darby at Reflecting Light has a worthwhile post today, "Where's the Outrage?"  Rick notes that being outraged over the political situation is not enough anymore, we need a strategy.  Rick notes the following destructive trends, with my comments below.

Population Replacement through legal and illegal immigration.  Our formerly European-descent majority is being rapidly whittled away, replaced with third-world immigrants who are not tethered to small government, free markets and low taxes -- and who make far better constituents for the Democratic Party.

Using Government Agencies to Persecute Political Opponents.  Rick is speaking of the IRS and its use as a "weapon against organized criticism."

Widespread Surveillance of Everyone.  The NSA's spying on the citizenry is reminiscent of Orwell's novel "1984."  Phone calls, email and text messages are collected by the millions every day; every aspect of our lives is under government scrutiny.  Lately, we have learned that the NSA even intercepts shipments of computers for installing spying devices within, before allowing them to be delivered to purchasers.

The Militarization of the Police.  Local police forces are being armed with tanks and organized as paramilitary units -- probably to get round the posse comitatus law.  The military may not be able to fire on civilians, but that does not necessarily prevent the police from becoming the arm of tyranny.

Obamacare.  "imposing an untested and conceptually unsound healthcare plan" on the population of the United States is a serious invasion of the private sector and reflects the federal government's growing contempt for its constitutional restraints. 

One other leftist strategy that Rick did not discuss was the global warming fraud, whose "cure" will be a regimented society with great redistribution of wealth, in other words, socialism.

Those are some of the problems that we face.  The left is victorious and on the move.  They see their goal in sight, i.e. turning the United States into a socialist nation on the European model.

But what are the remedies?  What are our strategies for defeating the left?  Or is it already too late?

Freakout Nation Freaks Out Over a Child's Hat

A little black boy in North Carolina was given a Confederate kepi as a prize at his grade school.  As he stepped off the bus on his way home, his mom freaked out.  Omigod, a Confederate kepi!  Slavery!  Racism!  Some dumb-ass leftwing site (Freakout Nation) picked up the story and are now wallowing in self-righteousness.  They don't realize it, but they are also wallowing in ignorance.

The Northern Myth (that righteous Northerners fought the Evil South to free the slaves) is a matter of religious faith for the ignorant, a paean to the mighty federal government, who has the right to compel any of the formerly sovereign states to do what it wants, to invade those states with armies, make war on the population therein, and kill and destroy until the will of the populace is obliterated.  This is a blueprint for internal tyrants to reduce Americans to utter despotism, and even those conservatives who buy into it are promoting the unbridled power of the centralized government.

Grave of a Black Confederate
Cavalry Trooper

And no, the so-called Civil War was not fought over slavery.  There is no moral justification for Lincoln's war of aggression.  (Read the article before hitting me with all the Damn-Yankee talking points.)

I commented over at Freakout Nation, and was quickly banned from further commenting.  Ignoramuses do not appreciate any light allowed into their desiccated brains.

And He's Wearing a Kepi
See Confederate Memorial Here

I told them that this kid is not the first black to wear a Confederate kepi.  Many blacks did, in service to the South.  This unfortunate fact upsets the great moral, self-legitimating myth, and must be suppressed.  The brainwashed like their history nice and neat, like a file cabinet with two drawers, one marked "Good" and the other "Bad."  Actual history is not so neat and tidy, not so easily understood.  And, frankly, I am sick and tired of having ignoramuses slander my Confederate ancestors.

Real Confederate Soldiers
Notice the Tan on the Confederate in Upper Right?

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL: ROOT FOR YOUR OWN DAMN TEAM

I like professional football, but have learned not to take it too seriously. Nevertheless, I have my pet peeves, and the major one is when people who live in my locality root for someone else’s team.

Say the Forty-Niners are “our team.” But some schmucks root for the opponent instead, like the Seahawks. Now it’s one thing if they used to live in Seattle, or were born and raised there, and have legitimate ties to the place. But most team turncoats don’t have that as an excuse. They identify with someone else’s team, community, city and state because they’re just frigging nuts. Or maybe they’re contrarians, someone who needs to "be different," the way the facially-studded, tattoo-festooned counter culture do. “Look at me, I’m gross! I’m such a rebel! Oh yeah!”

Other possible reasons -- maybe they think the other team’s mascot is cuter. Or they like the other team’s colors better. Or because they would love to live in the city of the opposing team, but can’t afford to move. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live in Seattle where it rains sometimes straight for 100 days at a time, and the sky is mostly cloud cover except for a week in August (I may be exaggerating, but not by much).

The secretary in the tax office where I work roots for any other team that plays the Forty-Niners. I told her if the Russians invaded the USA, she’d root for the Russians, because she thinks their uniforms are cute or their helmets are chic. After the Seahawks won the NFC championship game, she posted her joy on FaceBook. I instantly unfriended her.

I remember several years ago when the Forty-Niners were playing Dallas in the playoffs for the Super Bowl. A friend of mine, who has never lived in Texas, showed up for a lunch meeting wearing a Cowboys hat and sweatshirt. As far as I was concerned, he could have hung a sign around his neck that said “ASSHOLE.”

Now sports turncoats have a right to their unnatural proclivities, but that doesn’t mean I have to like them. Instead of rubbing salt into the wounds of their fellow Bay Area residents, they should just keep their oddities to themselves. I believe in tolerance for gay people, but I don’t want to watch them make out.  So if you are a sports traitor, keep it to yourself. Be sensitive to the feelings of the less insane.

Seattle Seahawks Defeat San Francisco Forty-Niners 23-17 In Close, Hard-Fought Championship Game (1/19/2014)

It was a close game, and the Niners were ahead 17-13 going into the Fourth Quarter.  However, the Seahawks scored a touchdown and a field goal in the fourth quarter to go ahead and win.  The Niners had possession in the last two minutes, and were moving the ball well with Quarterback Colin Kaepernick actually completing some passes for a change.  His last throw of the game was into the end zone, where it was intercepted to end the game with only seconds left.  If the Niners could have scored a touch down, they could have won the game by one point, 24-23, and been headed for the Super Bowl.

It seems to this observer that Kaepernick has some serious weaknesses as a quarterback.  He has trouble completing passes, and makes some bizarre play calls.  His strength is in running the ball.  If he cannot overcome his weaknesses next year, I suspect he will be replaced.  However, I hope he can continue to grow as a 49er and as a quarterback.  

The Niners had a good season and went down fighting hard.  I would rather see them lose the NFC Championship than to go to the Super Bowl and lose there.  Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks. I suspect that they will be the next Super Bowl champions.

Bill Schmalfeldt's New Hello Kitty Pop Gun (Photoshop)

This is just for fun.

San Francisco Forty-Niners vs Seattle Seahawks Today 1/19/2014

The Niners play the Seahawks today and the winner will go to the Super Bowl.

I'm a long-time Niners fan, so naturally I am rooting for San Francisco.  I'll be happy if the Niners win, but I won't be crushed if the Seahawks do (I'll be mildly down for the rest of the day, but that's all).  The reason is simple:  sports are for fun, they are not the end-all and be-all of existence.

I am supposed to attend a compulsory meeting of the tax preparers for my employer today, and that meeting would prevent me from seeing the game.  Sports may not be the be-all and end-all of existence, but I'll be damned if I am going to miss the game.  So I informed my wife that I won't be attending the meeting, and if anyone asks, it's because I have a temperature.  Yep, a temperature of 49 degrees F.  Or, Forty-Niner-itis.  What if they fire me??? Let 'em.

Seattle has the home-field advantage, and their fans are purposely noisy in order to disrupt the plays of their opponents, when those opponents are on offense.  Seattle has refused to sell tickets to the game to Californians, probably to prevent any rooting section for the Forty-Niners.  That's a bit chickensh*t, but it does show how seriously many people take football.

Oh, there's another game today as well, between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos.  That game will decide the other team that goes to the Super Bowl.

Probable winners today?  Seattle and Denver (because both have home field advantage).  However, as I told my friend Curmudgeon of Political Clown Parade, quoting the late Al Davis:  "football is a game of funny bounces."  Nothing is certain when two great teams collide.