Boy is My Face Red!

Yes, my face is red.  The reason?  I went to the Hollister Air Show on Saturday and got a terrible sunburn.  I look like Lobster Man (a new super hero?).  It was a great show, however and I loved seeing a lot of vintage aircraft, especially several P51 Mustangs.

Meanwhile, while I rest up and rehabilitate, trying to regrow my epidermis, I am busily studying string bass.  An important goal now appears possible and within reach!  Yeah, baby!

Memorial Day 2011

Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
Sculpted by Moses J. Ezekiel

Confederate Memorial, Arlington Cemetery

Dedicated 1914; Sculpture by Sir Moses Ezekiel, former Sergeant of Cadets, Virginia Military Institute, who is himself buried at the base of this monument.

Inscription:
NOT FOR FAME OR REWARD, NOT FOR PLACE OR FOR RANK, NOT LURED BY AMBITION OR GOADED BY NECESSITY, BUT IN SIMPLE OBEDIENCE TO DUTY AS THEY UNDERSTOOD IT, THESE MEN SUFFERED ALL, SACRIFICED ALL, DARED ALL, AND DIED 

See also jameswebb.com, Speech at the Confederate Memorial, 1990.

Moses J. Ezekiel was one of the VMI cadets who were called into action to plug a hole in the Confederate center at the Battle of New Market, and to repulse a Union Army advance.  Though young (17 to 21 years of age) and untested in battle, the VMI cadets prevailed, charging the Union cannon and sending the Yankees into retreat.  Ten of the cadets were killed outright or later died of wounds from the battle; fifty-seven were wounded.  Although Ezekiel later became a world-renowned sculptor, he chose to be identified on his tombstone simply as:

Sgt. Moses J. Ezekiel

Moses J. Ezekiel
Sergeant of Company C
Battalion of Cadets
of the
Virginia Military Institute

Ezekiel once wrote: "The VMI, where every stone and blade of grass is dear to me, and the name of the cadet of the VMI, the proudest and most honored title I can ever possess."

A detailed description of his life and works can be found here.  

Virginia never had a finer son. May he rest in peace.

****

For more of my views of Memorial Day, see my 2006 (updated to 2007) post, "In Flanders Fields." That story and the poem it created is unsurpassed in our remembrance of our war dead.

A list of several prior year posts on Memorial Days past can be found at this link.

Suspended Soquel High Student David Mine Speaks Out (Video)

David Mine, an Asian descent student at Soquel High, was suspended for being a member of a "White Supremacy" group of students. He states that he wore a white t shirt last week for the school's group picture, but that his shirt was randomly selected and had nothing to do with expressing "white supremacy."

Further, it appears that some of the accused students were merely pranksters, occasionally shouting "White Power" as a joke that was taken way more seriously than was ever intended. Now they have been indelibly linked to "racism" and "white supremacy" on the internet which could destroy their reputations, job prospects and acceptance at universities. Even so, David Mine was not part of these ill-advised jokes. He and his lawyer speak out in the video embedded below the fold (click on "read more").

The Band Loves My String Bass!

Ah, a personal goal at last accomplished.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the friends of my band, who also plays bass, was contemplating buying a string bass.  He asked if I could bring one of mine to our practice location in San Jose, so that he could try it out.

I own a couple of string basses that had been gathering dust in my music room at home, largely unused, as I rely on my bass guitar for practices and gigs.

I brought my Palatino laminate bass to the practice room.  It is a cheap bass, though constructed well and nicely set up for easy playing.  I also have a fully carved bass that I hope to play in future gigs.  It is much more expensive and has better tone, and I surely wouldn't want to leave that in the practice location.

My friend tried the Palatino bass and I haven't heard from him since.  I think he decided an upright string bass is not for him.  However, I decided to leave the bass in the practice room and use it for some songs.  The band was fascinated with its appearance and was keen to try it out.

My first attempt was to play the bass part to "Stray Cat Strut" and the wife of one of the band members videotaped it.  The band loved it.

Last night we practiced again and I played the string bass on several songs.  Again, the band loved it and felt that the string bass has a much better sound than the bass guitar.  We will use the bass at a party on June 11th, not for all songs but on several of them.

I am now practicing string bass daily at home, using my carved bass (a Calin Wultur Panormo), and I'm excited:  I have always planned to play string bass with a band...someday.

Someday has finally arrived!

American Culture is Being Slowly Erased and Replaced

With my breaking the story of the Soquel High School suspensions, I got my very first Memeorandum page, a blogging milestone.  That was nice.  Lots of local folks weighing in on the Soquel post, some saying the kids deserved their suspensions for past "sins" (like wearing American flag t shirts to school on Cinco de Mayo).

Apparently, someone has been putting Nazi symbol graffiti around the school, and this group of white students is suspected of being the culprits, and suspicion is good enough to want to suspend them.   They couldn't prove the graffiti guilt, so they had to prove something easier, i.e. that the students were wearing white t shirts.

It seems to me that the program and goal of many universities and high schools in America is to erase America, replacing it with something else.  In general, they do this by: 
(1) Supporting and celebrating the culture, traditions, language and history of "the other," that is, nonwhite minorities, while claiming that doing the same for the white majority is offensive and racist;
(2) Instilling in the minds of the white students that they and their ancestors are evil oppressors, and that by the very color of their skin they are suspect and untrustworthy, deserving of shame and repentance;
(3) Justifying anti-American and anti-white attitudes in minorities by giving undue credence to their grievances and prejudices, and by reinforcing their status as "oppressed victims" at the hands of Americans or white people;
(4) Instilling in the minds of all students that it is a crime for any white people to be proud of their race or their heritage, causing knee-jerk reactions against any alleged "thought crimes," e.g. that celebrating Cinco de Mayo may not be appropriate or desirable for a public school activity in America.  (Hispanic kids should be assimilated into American culture and become Americans, instead of encouraged to remain separate and apart from, and hostile to, America.)

As for the white kids who understandably feel alienated by the leftist culture that surrounds them on campus, they should find more effective means of resistance.  Shouting "white power" or adopting Nazi symbols (if that is the case) is absolutely not the way.  Also, being white is something many patriots have in common, but no one should be excluded from a pro-American resistance movement based simply on their race.  Attitudes and beliefs are more important.  We need all the friends we can get.

What is an effective way for alienated pro-American kids to resist leftist indoctrination on campus?  That is a question worthy of some serious thought.  I don't currently have the answer.  Suggestions?

Joplin, Missouri: More Incredible Pictures and Videos of Devastation

The UK Mail online has some incredible photos and videos of the devastation in Joplin, Missouri.

As I mentioned before, Bro and I lived there in childhood, and Joplin has many special memories for us.

I was concerned about the fate of my elementary school alma mater, Irving School. I googled it and was dismayed to learn that Irving School is one of several that are declared "a total loss."  After all these years, the quaint red brick school building is now rubble.  I attended 2nd grade into 4th grade there, until we moved to California in January 1954.

Since our former home was near Irving School, it is a good bet that it was destroyed as well.

See the UK Mail online photos and videos at this link.

Soquel High School Students Suspended for Wearing White T Shirts (They're Signs of "White Supremacy")

Soquel, California -- on the Central Coast:

Several high school seniors wore white t shirts to their class's group picture last Wednesday and were suspended for doing so.  The reason:  the school administrators suspect that white t shirts are a sign of "white supremacists."    This was a surprise to student David Mine, who is Asian.  He isn't sure how he could be a "white supremacist" because he's not white.

That doesn't seem to matter to the Soquel school administrators, who apparently can read students' minds and intentions.  High school senior Mike Donnelly explained the situation:

"All the girls wore pink, all the sports guys wore tank tops," says Soquel High Senior Mikey Donnelly. "We were all going to wear white so that was the plan. Just wear white t-shirts to identify ourselves and look back and say that was our group of friends right there."

Soquel High Senior Mikey Donnelly wore a white t-shirt for his senior class photo Tuesday. About 10 of his friends did the same. That decision may seem harmless. But Soquel High suspended Donnelly for three days because of it.

Donnelly said the school told him people were offended and intimidated by his group, claiming they're a white supremacist gang.

The school principal, Ken Lawrence-Emanuel explained the school's position:

"Safety is always first at Soquel High," says Lawrence-Emanuel. "We want to make sure we do everything we can to keep people from feeling and being safe on campus."

But, the students don't agree and are ready to fight it.

"It's a pretty bad feeling to be labeled something you're not," says Donnelly.

Donnelly said nobody's ever accused him of being a white supremacist before and plans on appealing the schools decision. He'll even take it to court if he needs to.

Personally, I am at a loss as to how a white t shirt can endanger anyone's safety.  It is absurd that a school principal could suspend students for such a lame-ass reason, in effect, acting as judge, jury and executioner.  It seems he has punished these students for "thought crimes," even though he doesn't know for sure what they were thinking.  He punished them "just in case" they might do something wrong in the future, and that greatly offends my sense of justice.  I do hope the students sue Principal Silly-Hyphenated-Surname and take away the school's budget for sensitivity training.

Read more about this disgusting exercise in PC madness here.  Meanwhile, watch the video:


Update: Student David Mine speaks about his suspension, with additional comments by his lawyer.  See video here.

Herman Cain Moves Up In Zogby Poll

Herman Cain

The ARRA News Service is reporting that Herman Cain is rising in the Zogby Poll as more Republicans begin supporting him.  Cain is a businessman and a radio talk show host; he is not a lawyer (thank God) nor a politician.

Absolutely none of the establishment Republican candidates appeal to me, and only Herman Cain is clear and unequivocal on the issues that are most important to me (revive the economy, start an energy policy that will lead to cheap fuel, support Israel, support our military, etc).

At this point, Herman Cain is my man.  Imagine, common sense, actual values over and above getting and staying elected -- I like it.

Why Israel Must Retain Defensible Borders

A couple of must-reads on Israel today:

Adrienne's Corner has a great video explaining Israel's defensible borders and why they must be retained.  See it here.

Robert Ringer has an excellent article on the history of the Israeli-Arab conflict, The Truth About the Israeli "Occupiers."  Read it here.

My opinion on Israel's future:

1.  Israel should reclaim control of the Gaza Strip and open the area to Israeli settlements.
2.  Israel should proclaim that all of its ancestral lands are under control of Israel and will remain so.
3.  Israel should remove the Muslim "Dome of the Rock" and rebuild the Jewish temple on its original site.  The Dome of the Rock could be moved elsewhere, out of Israel.
4.  Israel should expand its borders beyond its ancestral ones to include a broader defensive zone, incorporating parts of Syria, Jordan and Egypt.  The so-called "Palestinians" could be moved into these areas, thus creating their desired homeland, and getting the bomb-throwing cutthroats out of Israel. 
This should be planned for the next Arabic invasion, not implemented immediately.  (Whenever Israel is attacked, the price will be more Arabic land appropriated by Israel.)
5.  Israelis should start a Jewish educational outreach and missionary program, to open the religion to many more people, thereby increasing the numbers of Jews in the world, and more defenders of Israel.

God Bless Joplin, Missouri, My Childhood Home

Mom, Little Brother and Sister
Joplin, Mo 1952

Bro and I lived in Joplin, Missouri as children, and our little sister was born there.  I attended grades 1 through 4 in Joplin, mostly at Irving School.  We were cub scouts there and had a great childhood exploring surrounding woods, setting off firecrackers on the 4th of July and swiping our dad's cigarettes and smoking them in the woods.  We got our first television set in that house (it barely worked), and I learned of the death of Hank Williams (Sr) there, too, something I will never forget.

Now Joplin is very much in the news, having endured the destruction of a major tornado, or as we used to call them, "twisters."  Bro and I spent the night in a cellar on two occasions when a twister passed over Joplin; one of these did some damage to the town, but nothing like this new one.  Much of the city is rubble and the death toll stands at 122, but is rising, according to news reports.

We lived in a little gray, stone house on South Pearl street.  Bro went back to visit Joplin after a 50 year absence, and the current residents of our old house allowed him in to reminisce.  I hope that little home is intact and its current owners are safe.

Here's a picture of our home with our mom, kid brother and little sister in 1952.

Related Posts:  See the BlogProf's Harrowing 1st Person Video of the Joplin Tornado.  He also has an AP video of the twister tearing up the landscape.

"Stray Cat Strut" With String Bass! (Stogie Band)

I really like the music of the British American rock group "Stray Cats."  They tried to capture the spirit of 1950's rock and roll and did a great job of it.  Their band used an upright string bass, like the great old rock groups of old, and the string bass has acoustic qualities that the electric bass has never been able to equal.  Here's my group where I try out my string bass on "Stray Cat Strut."  We were pleased with the result.

The video was captured using a Canon hand held camcorder, so the acoustics are not perfect by any means.  Our keyboard player Kenny sings and does a surprisingly good job, I think.  Are we feminists or not?  Our lead guitar player is a woman, Lorraine, and she is "better than sex" on guitar.  Great riffs!

My Impression of CORNEL WEST (Photoshop)

Cornel West Having Lunch in the Faculty Lounge,
Princeton University

Far leftist Professor Cornel West has been insulting President Obama this week with some vicious rhetoric.  Now I don't care that two radicals are involved in a cat fight, but West's crazy-assed, ghetto gang-banger rhetoric only reinforces my impression of Cornel West, Professor at Princeton University:  he  is a hateful, loud-mouthed affirmative action fraud who would never have gotten anywhere in academia without lowered scholastic standards based on race.  He is generally seen shouting racism at anything that moves and sporting an Afro hairdo that resembles an atomic bomb blast.

IMHO, West was hired by the Ivy League not because he has anything valuable to impart, but because he is a Marxist, racial venom-spewing asshole with a really bad attitude and a chip on his shoulder the size of Manhattan. For some reason, such attributes are held in high esteem in the hallowed halls of prestigious universities.

This week West called Obama "a black mascot of Wall Street and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats."  He also claimed that Obama is not authentically black.  Read about it here.

The Photoshop herein describes my impression of Cornel West, perhaps while he is having lunch in the Faculty Lounge at Princeton.  Eat hearty, Cornel, you fraud.

Netanyahu Schools Obama: Israel Will NOT Return to Its 1967 Borders! (Photoshop)

In a meeting today in the Oval Office, Benjamin Netanyahu (of Israel) responded to Obama's Palestinian peace plan by rejecting it.

Apparently, Obama had not been able to write Netanyahu's remarks for him, because the latter stated categorically that Israel would not return to its 1967 borders as prescribed by President Obama.  Further, Israel would not allow Palestinians the much demanded "right of return," effectively barring them from immigrating to Israel.

According to Rush, who viewed the exchange, Obama stared daggers at Netanyahu while the latter spoke, but to no avail.  It appears Obama will have to seek his legacy by throwing some other nation under the bus.

Read more about it here.

Maid Identified in the Dominique Strauss-Kahn Case

Nafissatou Diallo

The maid allegedly attacked by IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) has been identified.  She is Nafissatou Diallo, a Muslim widow from Guinea.  She is currently under police protection in New York.

Read about it here.

The "Two-State Solution" is a Desert Mirage

Tiny Israel is Shown in Red

So now our college sophomore pretending to be a president wants to give away the ranch to the Palestinians.  President Obama has given a speech calling on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Arabic dispute over the boundaries of Israel.  He also stated that Israel should return to its pre-1967 borders, ceding territory taken from the Arabs after the latter attacked Israel.  I say "Hell no."

The dispute in a nutshell:
1.  Arabs want Israel to disappear.  Their reasons are religious as well as bigoted.  Their glorious, false prophet Muhammad said on his death bed that "Two religions may not dwell together on the Arabian Peninsula."  He meant that only Islam should be allowed.  Further, Muhammad hated Jews for rejecting his "prophethood."  He murdered as many as he could and commanded his followers to do the same.  Jew-hatred is an integral, formal part of Islamic belief and scripture.  The intense Arabic hatred of Israel is both religious and cultural; it has nothing to do with "stolen" lands or Israeli "occupation" and persecution.

2.  The Two-State Solution is an illusion.  Liberals and Democrats cannot solve the real problem, i.e. Islamic intolerance, violence and bigotry, so they invent an alternative problem to solve, i.e. "the two-state solution."

Let's all pretend that what the "Palestinians" want is their own country, side by side with Israel.  This is clearly nonsense; the "Palestinians" want a "one-state" solution, i.e. their own country situated where Israel now exists.

The "two-state" solution will simply buy the Arabs more land from which to launch new attacks on the newly shrunken Israel.  It will make Israel weaker and will not change the Arabs' ultimate goal, which is to make Israel disappear.  The attacks on Israel will continue unabated within hours after such a deal is signed.  The so-called two-state solution will not bring peace and should be abandoned.  The only acceptable solution to homeless Arabs in Israel is to require the surrounding, massive Muslim territories to resettle them in Arabic countries and out of Israel.


"Yes, the existence of a separate Palestinian
identity serves only tactical purposes. The
founding of a Palestinian state is a new tool
in the continuing battle against Israel ..."
- - Zuheir Muhsin, late Military Department head
of the PLO and member of its Executive
Council, Dutch daily Trouw, March 1977

See also "Origins of Arab-Jewish Conflict"

Announcing: ARAB SPRING SOAP (Photoshop)

I'm in a Photoshop kind of mood lately.
Feel free to use on your site or blog.

Geert Wilders: a Warning to America

The Brussels Journal has an essay by Geert Wilders today.  Wilders is the Dutch politician who is on trial in Holland for "hate speech" crime, i.e., for telling the truth about the violent and totalitarian nature of Islam.  Specifically, Wilders made the film "Fitna," for which he is being prosecuted.

In the essay, Wilders refers to several other European cases where individuals have been or are being prosecuted for telling the truth about Islam or by voicing a private, negative opinion about this ideology.  Much of Europe now follows "hate speech" laws, where freedom of speech is suspended and the hateful ideology of Islam is allowed to spread unchecked as millions of Muslims pour into Europe as immigrants.  Europe is what the left wants America to become:  a nation bent on national suicide.

Read Geert Wilders' essay here.

Islam Will Dominate the World? Not So Fast.... (Photoshop)

Islam Israel Will Dominate the World!

We've all seen this photo of a Muslim somewhere in the U.K. carrying a sign that says ISLAM WILL DOMINATE THE WORLD.

Here's a nice Photoshop of the photo, changed in such a way as to make this barbarian's friends look at him with suspicion.

Celebrate Nakba! "From the River to the Sea!" Long Live Israel!

"Nakba" is an Arabic word that refers to the anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel.  It means "day of disaster."  That's because Muslim barbarians find a tolerant and highly developed civilization in their midst to be unacceptable.  Too damn bad.

Here is my graphic in celebration of Nakba!  May every day be Nakba for Islam.

Emerging Evidence Suggests Dominique Strauss-Kahn Is Innocent

The chief of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK), was arrested in New York over the alleged sexual assault on a hotel maid.  He is now being held in Rikers Island Prison.

A New York judge refused bail for DSK, stating that he was a flight risk, and noting that he had boarded a plane shortly after the alleged incident.  

However, a New York Post article tends to point to DSK's innocence.  Here are the salient points:

1.  DSK had lunch with his daughter (a university student living in New York) immediately after leaving the hotel, and before boarding his plane to France.  At the same time, DSK made a number of phone calls to conduct business as usual.  This behavior seems unlikely for someone who had just committed a serious sex crime.

2.  DSK believed, erroneously, that he lad left one of his cell phones in the hotel, and called the hotel to ask them to look for it.  NY police asked the hotel staff to call DSK and state (falsely) that they had found the cell phone and would bring it to him, if he would tell them where he was.  DSK then told the hotel that he was just arriving at  JFK for a flight to France. (If he thought he was guilty of a crime and attempting to flee, this scenario makes no sense at all.)

3.  DSK's flight to France had allegedly been scheduled for sometime in advance of the alleged incident, and was business as usual and not an attempt to flee a crime.
4.  DSK was examined by police and found to have no scratches or bruising that would indicate a forcible struggle with the maid (as she has alleged).
5.  DSK admits to sex with the maid but claims it was consensual.

It seems there is enough doubt as to DSK's guilt that we should avoid drawing conclusions until all facts are known.

Stephen Hawking Opines on Existence of Heaven (Yawn)

Stephen Hawking may be a great physicist, but he's also something of an ass.  He is always opining about philosophy and religion, areas of expertise completely beyond his education or understanding.  Earlier this month he opined that there is no afterlife, that the concept of heaven is "a fairy story for those afraid of the dark."

The Archdiocese of Washington takes Hawking to task, stating (accurately) that Hawking's opinion on philosophy is no more authoritative than the opinion of any average person on the street.  The Archdiocese also states that Hawking's beliefs about the universe are largely based on faith, not science, and he's right.  That's why theoretical physicists like Hawking like to discuss unproven concepts like string theory, parallel universes, worm holes and the like.

A few months ago, the huge, glowing, pulsating brain named Hawking revealed that the universe created itself from nothing.  When people stopped laughing, they were too exhausted from mirth to ask if Hawking had a mathematical formula that proves this.  Perhaps:  zero = 100 billion quadrillion.

Perhaps Hawking's next great physics theory will be 2 + 2 = banana.

There you have it, folks, faith-based physics.

Proud To Be An Okie From Muskogee (Video, Merle Haggard)

Back in the late sixties and early seventies, Bro, our friends Bob and Danny and I, played rock music in bars and clubs around the Bay Area.  That was back when drug-addicted hippies were tearing down the country and trying to help the Communists conquer South Vietnam.  One of the songs we loved to play was "Okie From Muskogee" by Merle Haggard.  Bob used to amend one line - "We don't let our hair grow long and shaggy, like the hippies down in San Francisco do."  Bob changed that to "the hippies in the San Francisco Zoo."  We laughed like hell and had a great time.

 Here's the song, sung by a very young Merle Haggard.

The True Causes of the Financial Crisis

Liberals and Democrats have continually tried to evade blame for their overwhelming guilt in causing the 2008 financial crisis and the resulting recession.  Congress appointed a Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to determine the causes of the financial crisis, but it was a whitewash of the federal government's culpability and a disingenuous effort to blame "Wall Street."

The Obama Administration used this whitewash as a basis for enacting the Dodd-Frank Act (DFA) to more heavily regulate the financial services sector.

Peter J. Wallison was a member of the Inquiry Commission and a dissenter in the Commission's erroneous conclusions.  He tells why in an article for the American Spectator.  He writes:

The DFA was sold to the American people by the media and the Obama administration as necessary to prevent another financial crisis, but as outlined in this article and made very clear in my dissent, the financial crisis was not caused by weak or ineffective regulation. On the contrary, the financial crisis of 2008 was caused by government housing policies -- sponsored and promoted by many of the same people who framed and ultimately enacted the DFA.

Read his entire article here.  It is a good article to bookmark because Dems will issue all sorts of propaganda in the coming election campaign, in order to sidestep their guilt in the financial disaster.

The Devil Complains About Osama Bin Laden Entering Hell (Video, SNL)

We are all happy about Osama Bin Laden's demise, but the Devil isn't laughing.

Mike Huckabee Decides Not to Run for President in 2012

Mike Huckabee has decided not to run for President in 2012.  That's good, now I won't have to not vote for him.

On the good side, now Huck will have more time to practice playing bass guitar.  Believe me, he needs it.

French Presidential Candidate Arrested For Sodomizing Maid

A top French politician was arrested in New York and taken off a plane bound for France, on charges of sodomizing a hotel maid.  The arrest occurred ten minutes before take off.

The man is Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a socialist who is expected to challenge Nicolas Sarkozy for the presidency of France.  Strauss-Kahn is currently the chief of the International Monetary Fund.

The maid claims Strauss-Kahn came out of his bedroom while she was cleaning the suite.  He was nude, threw her down on the bed and forced her to perform oral sex on him.  Strauss-Kahn is 62 years old.  The maid is 32.

Either Strauss-Kahn has the run-away hormones of an 18 year old, or this story smells.  How does a senior citizen force a 32 year old to perform oral sex?  Sounds dangerous to me.  All those sharp young teeth and all.

I certainly wouldn't want a socialist to be president of France, but this sounds like dirty pool.  However, if the story proves true, please have someone prescribe me the same vitamins as those of Strauss-Kahn, for strictly legal uses, I assure you.

Read it all here.

Update:  Psota over at Free Will agrees.
Update:  Ben Stein at American Spectator agrees.

School Teacher Censors Student's Drawing of the American Flag

Reporter in Front of the Flag Drawing.

Ridiculous.  An eleven year old boy in Orange, Massachusetts drew and colored a picture of the American flag in his elementary school art class.  The boy is one Frankie Girard.  His teacher refused to allow him to hang it on the wall alongside other student drawings.  The reason:  it might offend another student.

This has created a civil rights controversy in Orange, with the news media getting into the act and the school trying to explain it away.

So many school teachers seem to be Marxists these days.  This is merely another great advertisement for home schooling.

Read it all here.

A Stogie Time Out: The Beatles Sing "We Can Work It Out" (Video)

Okay, I'm tired of fighting with everyone so I am taking a small break. Remember, it's all just my opinion -- use your own judgment and draw your own conclusions. No one has a monopoly on the truth, and the truth is always bigger than our grasp of it.

In that spirit, I present The Beatles singing "We Can Work It Out":

An Over-Reliance on Religion

I noticed this comment over at Lucianne.com.  JD wrote:

Off topic, but…

When you get down to the nitty gritty it isn’t about the fraud in the White House, it isn’t about increasing the debt ceiling, it isn’t about obamacare, it isn’t about the gop’s 2012 presidential candidate, it isn’t about the TEA party, it isn’t about rising gas and food prices, it isn’t about homosexual marriage, it isn’t about American Idol or who wins dancing with the stars or who gets thrown off a make-believe-island, it isn’t about the NBA playoffs, it isn’t about the 2012 NFL season, it isn’t about Putin, it isn’t about China, it isn’t about Imadingdong, it isn’t about BHO getting OBL, it isn’t about oil, it isn’t about Turkey going over to the dark side, it isn’t about the United Nations, it isn’t about what the Palestinians want, it sure isn’t about allah.

It’s about the God of the Holy Bible.

After 50 plus years of pursuing the pleasures of the flesh and caring about this world, I, for reasons I can’t explain, actually picked the bible up and read it. I mean, I really read it and continue to do so…at 20 AM when I can’t sleep…read a chapter or two when I’m brewing coffee before going to work…read a couple of chapters during lunch….read all of Matthew and other books on Saturday morning. Then repeat.

My conclusion: what a kick in the teeth. If the bible is a fake then nothing to worry about. If it’s real then hang on, because we are in the biblical end-time and things are going to get interesting.

My advice is to listen to that little, quiet, easy to ignore, voice inside you.

My small, quiet voice within has spoken and it said "this guy is a self-indulgent ass."  Some people use religion like a drug, to shut out the world and its problems and the need to fix them.  It is the ultimate cop-out, the consummate drop-out, the supreme denial of responsibility, all with the imagined blessing of God.

Left the barn door open?  It's not about losing your horse...it's about God.  Kids playing on the freeway?  No problem, just read another chapter in the Bible.  Wolf at the door?  Just open the door and beat the beast senseless with a large volume of the Bible.  Or quote scripture at him until he dies of boredom.

Here's a better thought, JD:  God helps those who help themselves.

Too Much Discussion Regarding Gays

The super Christians who frequent "View From the Right" have continued to discuss my tolerance for gays.  Good lord, funny how the word "tolerance" can cause such controversy.   The discussion did help me to clarify my real position on this and other matters.

I often self-censor to avoid offending Christian conservatives, especially family members who are really into religion.  I won't do that any more.  I do not filter my judgment, logic and thought through anyone's "holy scriptures."  I am a member of no religion, including Christianity.  I judge religions by the amount of joy they impart to their followers.  Religions that replace joy, wonder and optimism with fear, loathing and prejudice are to be devoutly ignored.

I admire Carl Jung, a great thinker and psychiatrist who tried to understand religious concepts (like an afterlife) through his own direct experience.  He was wonderfully open-minded about it.  A couple of Jungian quotes:

Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or idealism.
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.

My stand on gays is easy to understand:  leave them alone.  Do not insult them, taunt them, fire them (on that basis alone), and most certainly, do not beat them up.  Teenage gays have a very high suicide rate, mainly due to bullying from their peers. Don't add to that by your own behavior.  Live and let live.

My personal standard goes even further:  do not ostracize gays, nor deny them kindness, inclusion and friendship, assuming that the only area of difference is their sexual orientation.  I thought the actions of some social conservatives to boycott CPAC over the participation of a gay conservative group were mean and narrow-minded.

As far as religion and gays is concerned, I will say this:  any religion that requires you to hate people you don't know, for things they can't help and who are doing you no harm, is a false religion.

NOTICE: Blogger Down For A Day

Blogger has been down for maintenance and all blogger blogs have  been unable to post articles or comments.  Also, many of our last posts have disappeared, but we have been told they will reappear at some point.

Senator Describes Osama Bin Laden's Death Photos (Video)

Democrats Are Right: Osama Bin Laden Attack Was a Gutsy Call

I thought about this just now.  Democrats are saying that Barack Obama's decision to attack the Bin Laden compound was a gutsy call.

Gotta give credit:  it was a gutsy call.  As a matter of fact, Osama Bin Laden's guts were all over the place.

Yeccch!

Tina Fey's Current Irrelevancy on "Saturday Night Live"

I see that the phony liberal known as Tina Fey was back on "Saturday Night Live."   She again was making fun of Sarah Palin.

You know, Sarah Palin, who wrote a best-selling book called "Going Rogue."  Tina Fey also wrote a book, called "Bossy-Pants."  It was so popular that it was for sale in book discount stores almost immediately, stacked nice and high because no one was buying it.  Perhaps they can sell them to Eskimos for building igloos...or something.

Maybe Tina needs to stop pretending to be a comedienne and hire Palin to tell her how to write a book...one that actually sells.  Of course, that presupposes that Fey has something to say that anyone wants to read.

Video: Inside the Compound of Osama Bin Laden

A Pakistani security video shows the Bin Laden mansion as run down and dark, but self-sustaining with vegetable gardens and farm animals.

Osama Bin Laden's "Home Videos" Released (Video)

Hollyweird: Celebrating the Gay Lifestyle (the World is Gay, Gay, Gay, Gay, Gay!)

I have made it clear that I am tolerant of gays.  I neither attack gays nor support them in their lifestyle.  However, I am sick to death of Hollywood's massive campaign to normalize homosexuality.  Tolerance is one thing, celebration is something else entirely.

Last night I saw an episode of "Gray's Anatomy" playing on our television set, that my wife had left on.  In it the two major characters of the serial were getting married and exchanging vows.  No problem there.  Simultaneously, however, two lesbian characters were getting married and exchanging vows.  Previously in this serial, both of these women were heterosexual (one was portrayed as being married to a man).  However, the local GLAAD representative must have called, because both women became lovers (of each other).

I stopped watching "Gray's Anatomy" when that happened.  I no longer felt comfortable being a target of leftist propaganda, i.e. that the whole world is gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, and that we should present it, portray it and celebrate it as if it were as normal, as widespread and as beautiful as wildflowers in Spring.

I stopped watching "Glee" for the same reason.  I could tolerate, even sympathize with one gay character and his problems, but then other members of the cast started being portrayed as gay, too.  My tolerance was breached when one scene depicted two gay guys enjoying a romantic kiss on the lips.  Barf.  I decided that "Glee" should be renamed "Gleefully Gay."  It was no longer for me.

Hollyweird should use gay characters when and if they are relevant to the plot.  However, putting whole squads of gays into a medieval catapult and firing them straight at my face -- well, that's just too much.  No can stomach, Hollyweird.  The reason is simple:  the world is not gay, gay, gay, gay, gay.  It is mostly straight, and too much gayness makes us nauseous.

Coexist, the Liberal Bumper Sticker (Photoshop)

Found on Facebook from Hatikvah

Obama's Real Reason for Not Releasing the Photos

A lot of Obama's far-left constituents are upset with the "assassination" of Osama Bin Laden.  It seems that "progressives" always feel really sorry for the bad guys who are trying to kill us.

I suspect the real reason Obama has refused to release the dead Osama photos is because they would further inflame his base -- not because they would inflame Muslims.

Osama Knew the Americans Had Arrived -- and That His Goose Was Cooked

Saxby Chambliss, Senator from Georgia and VP of the Senate Intelligence Committee, gave additional details of the raid on Bin Laden's compound.  From those facts it is obvious that Osama Bin Laden knew that American commandos were closing in and that he was in the last minutes of his life.

The commandos killed two people on the first floor of the three story mansion, and were using explosive charges to open sealed doors.  On the third floor, where Osama sat cowering in his bedroom, the commandos blew open a sealed door to reveal a hallway.  Bin Laden's bedroom was at the end of the hallway, and he poked his head out to see who was coming for him.  One of the commandos fired a shot at Bin Laden but missed.  Osama therefore got to enjoy the feel of a bullet whizzing by his head in the last few moments of his life.  Seconds later, the two commandos entered Osama's bedroom and shot him to death.

See Chambliss's account here.

I remember seeing photos of people looking out the windows of the World Trade Center, knowing there was no escape.  Many of them jumped to their deaths rather than wait to be burned to death by the flames.  These victims of Bin Laden had ample time to contemplate their fate.  Unlike Bin Laden, they never knew who had attacked them or why they had to die.

Bin Laden was lucky.  He died relatively quickly and probably painlessly.  Unlike his victims of 9/11, Osama knew who was attacking him and why.  Somewhere in his consciousness he had to know that it was payback, that he had brought his fate on himself.

No doubt he felt the terror of his impending death, but not for long.  Not nearly long enough.

Osama Bin Laden "a Confused Coward" In Last Few Moments

Fox News has a story with facts from sources that took part in the commando operation that killed Osama
Bin Laden.  It seems that those who desire to die as martyrs often get their wishes.  Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When the commandos first approached Bin Laden's house, a man in the guest house opened fire on them and was quickly dispatched.  Once in the house, the commandos were instantly rushed by people in the house.  Obama's son Khaled rushed downstairs to confront the Navy Seals and was shot dead.  Weapons were seen throughout the house and the commandos didn't know who might be wearing a suicide vest.  This explains why the Seals were fast on the trigger.

Osama Bin Laden was confronted on the third floor, within reach of his AK-47 rifle and 9 millimeter handgun, but did not go for them.  Instead, he pushed his wife at the two commandos, who quickly ventilated him.  They described Bin Laden as "scared and confused."

It seems that when the glorious moment of martyrdom arrived, Bin Laden had lost his enthusiasm.  Too late.

Read it all here (with video).

Herman Cain Wins First Republican Debate in South Carolina

Herman Cain

I watched the first Republican debate tonight.  It was held in South Carolina and included the following candidates:

Ron Paul
Rick Santorum
Herman Cain
Tim Pawlenty
Gary Johnson

Frankly, I was impressed by all five.  All of them could think on their feet, answer tough questions convincingly, and all had worthwhile ideas on how to improve the economy and save the US from financial collapse.

Herman Cain was especially impressive.  He came across as a common-sense, straight talking man with a sense of humor and practical ideas.  He was the only candidate that stressed energy independence by exploiting our oil and gas reserves here at home.

A panel of South Carolina Republicans was hosted by Fox News, and asked who they thought won the debate.  Herman Cain was the overwhelming winner, for the reasons I described above.  (See video embedded below.)

In truth, I could vote for any of the five in good conscience.  Tim Pawlenty convinced me that his earlier exploration of the costs and benefits of cap and trade was a mistake, and that his fact-finding on the subject had convinced him some years ago that cap and trade was a bad idea.

I have been worried about Ron Paul's stand on Israel, but he did a good job of deflecting my fears, at least momentarily.  My opinion of Ron Paul continues to rise.

Gary Johnson's explanation of what should replace the "war on drugs" was quite impressive and struck me as much more effective than the criminalization of drug use, the system that we have now.

What I saw tonight was a group of convincing problem-solvers.  I think the Republican field is impressive for the 2012 elections.  Hope lives!

Graphic Photos of Dead Men in Osama Bin Laden Compound SEE THEM HERE

Reuters has released graphic photos of three dead men killed in the siege of Osama Bin Laden's compound.

Drudge Report links to a Yahoo site where the pictures are said to be displayed, but they do not appear.

The photos were posted at the Reuters site at the following link but Reuters has since removed them from view.


However, we have obtained the pictures from another source and they are below the fold.  Warning:  very bloody!  (Click on "Read More" below.)


Hat tip:  Bungalow Bill

Rush: Obama Decides Not to Release Bin Laden Death Photos

Rush Limbaugh just reported that an Obama official has tweeted that Obama has decided not to release the death photos of Osama Bin Laden.

The "most transparent administration in history" strikes again.

A description of those death photos can be found at this link.

Osama Death Story Keeps Changing, and Not For the Better

At first we heard that Osama Bin Laden was shooting at our commandos when they returned fire, killing him.  Osama was said to have used one of his wives as a human shield and she was killed in the "fire fight."

Now we hear that Osama was unarmed and that no bullets were fired from the mansion, that there was no return fire from Osama, his guards or his family.

Osama's 12 year old daughter, who was present with Osama when he was shot, says her father was taken into custody by the commandos, then promptly shot dead.  He was not resisting his arrest.  (See story here.)

Of course, Pakistani sources should be taken with a grain of salt, since they want to spin the story in a way that will maximize Islamic resentment.

Whatever happened, I'm glad Bin Laden is dead, but I think it would have been more effective had he been taken alive and placed in a U.S. prison to await trial by military commission and execution.

Sharia Compliance: How Osama's Body Should Have Been Treated

Scott Ott at PJTV explains most Americans' confusion on Osama's burial.  He reports:

When I heard that Osama Bin Laden's body was treated with strict Sharia compliance, I assumed his head was chopped off, his body dragged through the streets, then burned and hung from a bridge.

His point is this:  Why should we give a damn what the Islamic world thinks about how we treat the body of this mass murdering terrorist?  The bodies of hundreds of his victims at the World Trade Center were never even found, burned to dust in the wreckage of their office buildings.  Our soldiers' bodies are dragged behind cars through the streets; our citizens have their heads severed as they scream in horror and pain.  Fuck Sharia law.

By pretending "great respect" to the body of this animal, Obama has extended the bastard's myth even unto death, making him superhuman in the eyes of many in the Islamic world.  We should have put his body on display, to prove that Super-Jihadi was nothing more than a mortal man.  Then we should have cremated the remains and disposed of the ashes at sea.

We must stop showing respect to the barbarians who regularly desecrate the bodies of our citizens and our soldiers.  They give none and should receive none.

Osama Bin Laden In The Afterlife! (Photoshop)

New Sign Seen at Former Compound of Osama Bin Laden (Photoshop)

Another Osama Bin Laden Death Photo: Is It Real or Photoshopped? You Be the Judge!

Real or photoshopped? Inquiring minds want to know!

Looks pretty real to me.

Britain's Stuffy Traditions on Display at the Royal Wedding (Video)

Great Britain is so stuffy, following their stale traditions. View this video of the recent royal wedding to see what I mean. Try not to fall asleep.



Hat tip View From the Right

Osama Bin Laden "Sleeps With The Fishes" (Photoshop)

Osama is fish food!

Osama Bin Laden Enters Paradise, Gets First of His 72 Virgins

Bin Laden is now in Muslim heaven, enjoying the first of his 72 virgins.  Note the expression of joy on his face in spite of the extra-heavy flatulence of his gassy bride!

Details of the Raid That Killed Osama Bin Laden

The Fox News report, embedded in the previous post below, gives interesting new details of the raid that killed Bin Laden.

A Navy Seal team, operating from helicopters, landed in the compound that housed Bin Laden and engaged Bin Laden and his guards in a fire fight. Bin Laden (and everyone else in the house) were killed. Bin Laden's body was dumped in the ocean. No other bodies were taken from the scene.

The CIA had been watching the Pakistani mansion for the past four years, after the name of Bin Laden's courier had been extracted from Gitmo detainees using "enhanced interrogation techniques" (water boarding). It was the tracking of this courier that brought CIA attention to the Pakistani mansion.

So-called progressives are now giving Obama credit for the kill, but it was George Bush's policies that obtained the information that led to that kill. Progressives, it is to be remembered, virulently opposed "enhanced interrogation techniques" and cried crocodile tears for the Gitmo prisoners (remember Dick Durbin likening Gitmo to a Nazi or Soviet interrogation camp).

Update: VFR has collected details from various sources. They indicate that Bin Laden was given a chance to surrender but refused, that he was firing his own rifle at the Navy Seals when he was shot dead.

What this means is that Bin Laden knew he was being attacked by American forces. He knew we finally had his sorry ass.  [Update:  It was later disclosed that Bin Laden did not fire at the American commandos, even though his AK47 was in reach.]

Americans Celebrate Death of a Barbarian

Joyous, triumphant celebrations have been ongoing since early this morning.  Flag-waving, raucous celebrations have broken out in front of ground zero in New York, in front of the White House in Washington, and on college campuses throughout the country.

An evil man is dead, and Americans are happy for it.  May Osama Bin Laden rot in Hell, along with his followers and supporters.  Fox News has the story, embedded below.

Osama Bin Laden Reported Killed by CIA Ground Operation

President Obama has announced that Osama Bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan by the CIA.

Bloomberg is reporting:

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been killed by a team of U.S. operatives earlier today after a firefight at a house where he had been hiding, President Barack Obama said.

“On nights like this one we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done,” Obama said in a late-night televised address from the White House.

Obama delivered the news to the nation almost 10 years after the Sept. 11 attacks that bin Laden orchestrated. Bin Laden was killed, along with other members of his family in a mansion outside Islamabad, an official said. Almost 3,000 people were killed on Sept. 11, most at the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia just outside of Washington.

The body has been recovered and DNA testing will be performed to verify that the corpse is indeed that of Osama Bin Laden.  Let us hope that it is true.

Michelle Malkin has more details here.  According to Malkin, one of Bin Laden's sons was killed with him.

Ann Althouse reports that Obama stated in his announcement of the death:

that Obama reminds us that we "are not at war with Islam." He says Bin Laden was not a Muslim, but a terrorist murderer.

Wrong, Mr. President.  Obama was indeed a devoted Muslim who was acting in the name of his murderous religion.  In any case, thank God this monster is dead.

Back Home From the Road Trip: Bro Plays "Sleepwalk" on Steel Guitar

We returned home from Roseville (near Sacramento) today.

I have to go see Bro one of these days, SOON, play some music with him and our old friend Bob, who also lives in Fallon, Nevada.   Bro plays several instruments, including steel guitar.  Steel guitar is played with a bar, slid up and down the strings, and is popular in both Country and Western and Hawaiian music.  They were popular in times past and seem to be making a comeback.  I saw one on American Idol last week.

The song embedded below is "Sleepwalk," one of the most popular pop instrumentals of the 1950's.  (It was popular in 1959.)  My brother "Bro" plays it on his steel guitar and does justice to the original by Santo and Johnny.  Click on the arrow to play.



Here's a picture of Bro with his steel guitar.  He isn't as mean as he looks.  He's meaner.

The Sound of Silence

Hello darkness my old friend...I've come to talk with you again....

Or so goes the lyrics to the great Simon & Garfunkle hit.

The sound of silence is also what you get when attempting to blog about the great racial divide in this country.  Every time I mention the subject all commenting immediately stops.  The truth is, the left's speech codes on the subject are deadly....say the wrong thing and lose your job, be subject to public ridicule and denunciation, and of course, be excoriated by the left as a RAAAAACIST.  There is no enthusiasm for such a discussion, no matter how badly honest discussion is needed.

Who loses by this lack of honesty and openness?  Mainly black people, I think.  Then again, the left and the Democratic Party do not want to see economic progress among blacks, they want to see continuing dependency on governmental hand-outs and set asides.  Only by keeping blacks dependent can they count on them as a solid voting block.

The only alternative to honest discussion is to continually regurgitate all of the PC truisms that aren't true, and I am sick to death of that.  Aren't you?  In any case, I will leave this subject alone for now.