ISIS Losers

There’s a picture that I’ve seen several times now and it strikes me as a rather strange photo. Ostensibly, the photos is of a group of ISIS clowns trying to look impressive, but wow this thing is a joke... they are a joke. Check this out and tell me you don’t laugh!

This thing is clearly meant to make them all look cool. It’s meant to be like a regimental photo where you get a bunch of tough looking military guys standing at attention looking all military and whatnot. In fact, that’s become such a tradition that every real or imagined military institution will do those photos. This photo above is meant to be that, but it comes across more like some muscle bound loser from New Jersey who poses in Speedos, holding a pistol, and with a bird on his shoulder.

I love too how they’re all looking in different directions, like they don’t know where they’re supposed to be looking. Didn’t anyone give instructions before this photo was taken? Apparently not as they are resting on different knees and using different arms to hold up the flags... except for the kickline in the front. The kickline are all using the same legs. Of course, they can’t hold their guns the same either.

Dipshits on parade.

Do you wanna bet there isn’t a typo in one of those flags too? "Allah is grape!"

Speaking of the flags, it sure seems like they’re struggling to hold the flags in place, doesn’t it? I guess they were rushed and couldn’t wait for the wind to change to get the picture right. Must have been Virgin Goat Night at the sex tent... gotta rush for that.

And what about that tough guy in the front. Tell me that’s not a fake beard. And why is the guy next to him blurred out? Is he an informant for the cops? Hey, that’s not Mohammed1497, that’s Bill Peters Mecca PD! He’s deep undercover!

Of course, from what I’ve seen, these guys are a bunch of weirdo losers to begin with -- all the pictures they show are of super ugly dudes... tragically ugly dudes. That's why most of them cover their faces in the ski masks.

And WTF is up with this hat?

Did he escape from the Renaissance Fair?

We’re Number 1! Wooo! Go Cougars!!!

Losers.

The Nazis? They were sharp. They were scary. The Soviets? Inhuman killing machines. Resistance is futile, you will be absorbed. These guys? Pizza delivery guys gone wrong. I don’t know. This feels like we’re fighting the undercard this time, doesn't it?

We should just pay a couple street gangs to go get rid of these punks for us.

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Our Syrian Refugee Problem

We seem to be in a Constitutional crisis over Syrian refugees. 31 State governors have openingly defying the Federal Government in refusing to allow any of the 100,000+ Syrian refugess into their states.

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

It runs the gamit of requesting guarantees from Homeland Security that they will be thoroughly vetting each refugess before allowing them in the country to outright refusals to allow it for any reason. I understand the sentiment, but I am not sure what I think about the heavy-handedness of our Republican Governors.

On the otherhand, President Obama's shocking tone-deafness on immigration in general and Islamic terrorism specifically leaves all of us at risk. He has managed to create such an atmosphere of distrust with just general immigration issues on our Southern borders that how can we believe that the Feds are going to be responsible with Syrian immigrants?

Of course there is always a middle ground, but no one seems to have ideas. Just a lot of blustering rhetoric from both sides. (Big surprise...) It doesn't need to be a crisis. If the pledge poem on the Statue of Liberty means anything, we are must do something. Despite all of the rhetoric, we have not always welcomed immigrants with open arms and unfettered entry.

I remember the tales of my own grandparents who came over in the early 20th Century and landed at Ellis Island. They too were escaping tyranny and pogroms. But before they could leave Ellis Island and take that final boatride across New York Harbor, they were given health exams, extensive interviews, had to have a sponsor or family already here, a place to live, and proof of some kind of employment opportunity. And from what I know, my grandfather had to check in with Immigration every month before he became a citizen. I don't think that it is unreasonable to request something similar for these immigrants...any immigrants, for that matter.

On a side note on that: Elections have consequences and the Dems are by now realizing that losing so many states to the Republicans is a huge consequence.

As always, let's discuss

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The Wednesday Article

Between the Great Blizzard of 11/17 AM (which was all but gone by 11/17 PM) and my mom going through open heart surgery (all went well :)), I didn't get a chance to write much today. There are a few items worth mentioning, however.

● Another One Bites The Dust: Bobby Jindal has suspended his campaign. That's really no surprise as he was DOA from the get-go. Jindal is a smart and wise man who would make an excellent President, but we have a system in place to keep deserving and qualified people like him from winning the office. So there! On with the circus!

● Looking At You, Krauts!: I'm pretty sure the Germans are next for a big terrorist attack. The Islamists seem to be working their way around Europe, starting with Spain and Britain and now France. So I'm thinking Germany is next.

● I'm Calling Bull: Have you noticed how many companies are having their Black Friday sales plans "leaked" online? I'm calling bull on this. This is just the latest marketing gimmick to get their sales noticed. It's the click bait version of advertising done by big companies.

● Priorities: Honestly, there is something wrong with the world (media) when France gets attacked by terrorists, then France and Russia start bombing the crap out of ISIS in response, and the lead item in all the news blogs and shows everywhere is Charlie Sheen having HIV. Seriously? That, perhaps more than anything, tells us all we need to know about the media and their values.

● Testify, Brother!: Alan Dershowitz blasted all the student protesters today rather interestingly. He noted that they don't really want diversity. They use that word to mean "more of us." He also noted their lack of respect for the rights of others. I get the feeling that these kids have worn out their welcome, even on the left at this point.

Thoughts?

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Crazy NYC stuff...

Speaking of crazy stuff, let's start with this. Last week Reuters published an article claiming that said 1 in 5 people in NYC have mental health issues. By "mental health issues", they mean depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts or other psychological disorders. When I polled my friends, they all thought that the 1 in 5 sounded generous. [On a personal note: Just for the sake of wanting to fit it, I want to proudly claim that I am "the 1" in that 5. I want to have t-shirts made "Stay Calm. I am the 1 in that 5!".]

But seriously, what makes this kind of perplexing is that a few years ago, reports were published in the papers about how the NYC drinking water had been found to have trace amounts of Prozac and other anti-depressants. You'd think that it would make everyone more sane. Guess not.

Other NYC news: So our dear Mayor DeBlasio has been ignoring issues in NYC like the dramatic rise in homeless panhandlers and murder rates to widen his profile on the national political stage. Unfortunately, no one already on the national political stage seems that interested. He initiated a Progressive Agenda Committee to rally the DNC in a cohesive progressive message with a forum schedule for December 6 in Iowa. Unfortunately none of the presidential candidates were interested, so the forum has been cancelled. So much for progress. Now maybe he can get back to NYC and do some mayor-ing for awhile.

And on the college dystopian front: Hunter College in the heart of the Upper East Side of Manhattan staged their "Million Student March" or "walkout" is more to the point on Thursday. About 60 students filled the sidewalk outside of the building holding signs for Black Lives Matters cop haters, Free Tuition, and some girl was wrapped in the flag of Israel. Interestingly, the signs that they held were mostly professionally printed. They chanted and rallied and made their voices heard, but no one could really make heads or tails of what they really wanted. I sidled up to one of the cops assigned to rally and asked him if they had asked for herds of unicorns yet. He laughed and we chatted for a minute. We decided that they were no great threat to democracy and probably weren't going to riot. Since I don't talk to police officers ever, I took a moment to let him know that he had my support for which he was very appreciative.

So other than terrorist attacks and general mayhem, let's continue in an open forum...

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Morons With Microphones

Some thoughts on ISIS and the Democrats.

Let me start by saying that I am not a simpleton, like so many in our chattering classes, who believe that ISIS or radical Islam can be stopped easily. You can't kill it with bombs. You can't contain it with good wishes. You can't police it away. And you can't ignore it into leaving you alone. Stopping radical Islam is a complex problem that will require much more brutal military power than we like to use, a greater use of psychology to break its will, dealing with moderates to narrow the problem, and a pretty heavy investment to change the nature of the Middle East, which currently feeds radical Islam.

So I don't buy any solution from blowhards who say we just need to drop more bombs. Nor do I buy any of the liberal solutions, which typically amount to click our heels together and hope it goes away. Nor do I believe in playing "gotcha" with this issue as so many talking heads do. There is no simply answer, so the only stupid answer really is that there is a simple answer.

But that brings me to Obama and Hillary.

Obama: Friday before the attack, Team Obama made the claim that ISIS is "contained." Then the attack happened. Naturally, the timing of the attack has made that particular quote an embarrassment and everyone is jumping on it. Basically, the attack is taken as proof that Obama is either lying or such a fool that he didn't realize that ISIS was not "contained." To me, the problem with this quote is slightly worse. To me, the problem is the idea that ISIS can be contained at all. Too many in our political class still view groups like ISIS and al Qaeda as if they were governments with borders. They think that if they can surround the areas these groups control, then they are "contained" and can be dealt with. But that's not how terrorists work. Terrorists specifically eschew that strategy because they know they lack the power to fight in that manner. Instead, they spread out and try to blend in, so they can attack the other side seemingly at random. The idea that you can "contain" a group like that is nonsense, just as the idea that you can "degrade" their capabilities by killing their members or shutting down their bank accounts is wrong-headed. As long as there are idiots with guns or homemade bombs willing to die to make a statement, these groups will continue to exist and continue to thrive no matter how many others you kill. Terrorists don't need an infrastructure.

Hillary: Hillary keeps putting her foot in her mouth. She was asked about ISIS and she actually said, that fighting ISIS "cannot be an American fight." Way to put your head in the sand, idiot. This statement pretty much disqualifies Hillary from any foreign policy authority. And as of this writing, she is being blasted by everyone on the left and right for being an idiot. She also refused to condemn radical Islam, which is even worse.

It makes sense when the Democrats say "we aren't at war with Islam, but only radical Islam." I think that's a bit naive, but it makes sense. For her to now refuse to condemn radical Islam is really delusional. It is like the Democrats spent all this time saying, "We aren't at war with the German people, we are only at war with Hitler and Nazism," and here comes Hillary and says, "Nope we're not at war with Hitler or Nazism either." So if radical Islam is not the problem, then who does Hillary think is doing all the killing?

Thoughts?

UPDATE: Hillary, who last told us that this "cannot be an American fight," has flipped around and is now trying to deny ever saying that. She's saying, "This is a worldwide fight, as I said, I know America has to lead it, but we cannot and should not do it alone." So there! She isn't a total moron after all! //shakes head Interestingly, she got Bill out of the brothel to sit on stage with her to make her look competent. So apparently when a "strong woman" gets in trouble, she tries to remind you that you liked the man on whose coattails she rode. You can't make this sh*t up.

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Kit's Weekend Thoughts: Paris

This afternoon I went for a brief walk at a local park. When I came back to my apartment I checked Facebook and saw a message from my Mom asking if I knew about Paris. I replied "No" and went to google. At the top of the search was a headline mentioning several attacks in Paris and 35 dead with several held hostage at the Bataclan theater.

now, CNN has the death toll at 153, with over 100 of those occurring inside the theater, and, with over 50 seriously injured, that number is likely to go up. France has since been placed under a state of emergency and Paris has a mandatory curfew for the first time since 1944. We have some reports that a few of the gunmen at large while others say all were killed.

There is so much we as of yet do not know. While there is much in the news that ISIS was responsible, I must remind you that it is at times like this, in the midst of a chaotic event, that rumors fly. We have heard from some that it was carried out by ISIS, I have seen at least 3 different death tolls (120, 153, 158). We don't know if they were refugees or if they came from the cités around Paris. It will be at least 24 hours before we know much of the details of who was behind it, who the men were that carried it out, and the ultimate death toll.

What is clear is that this was not an attack by a deranged quack or a lonely duo of losers; this was well-planned and well-orchestrated terrorist attack. This was not Fort Hood, this was not Boston, this was Mumbai.

Some have said ISIS, if they were truly behind this, wants us to strike back. They want us to strike back. Well, in response to that sentiment I quote William T. Sherman:

"War is the remedy our enemies have chosen. Other simple remedies were within their choice. Yon know it and they know it, but they wanted war, and I say let us give them all they want; not a word of argument, not a sign of let up, no cave in till we are whipped or they are."

I will post updates as the story develops.

Update (9:58am): ISIS has claimed responsibility. LINK

Update (1037am): Death toll has been lowered to 127.

Update (2:49pm): Death toll now at 129, including 1 American. 352 injured, over 90 "critically". Arrests in Brussels.

Update (5:24pm): A good article on the topic and what France can do going forward, as well as the problems they face: LINK

Update (12: pm): Evening mass at Notre Dame (may be winding down), LINK* while French law enforcement hunt for a person involved.

*Yeah, it's a Russia Today affiliate, but it was the only one I could find. Sorry.

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More of (Not)Kit's Thoughts

I believe Kit has been taken away for testing. So I'm going to take his spot tonight and share some thoughts that I'm pretty sure Kit feels deep down, but won't share because he's far too sensible.

● WTF NFL?: Why was the NFL experimenting with both teams wearing solid colors tonight? It looked like an arena bowl game, only without the dignity. Anyways, Dr. Pepper beat Sprite in a rather dull game in New Jersey. Actually, Nike was behind this. That is a company that should be nationalized so it can be shot into space with all of its employees.

● Missouri Loves Company: Oooh, that's clever! Anyways, I find it funny that all the minority students are now freaking each other out about racists seeking revenge for blah blah blah. Whatever. News flash... no one cares about the U. of Missouri. Seriously, it's a worthless school in the middle of nowhere without even a decent football program. The world does not care about your invented problems. Frankly, I'd like to see the whole school year crash and burn as a lesson to other schools about letting the inmates have their way.

● Sing It Sista: Sista Souljah has declared that Hillary's campaign reminds her of "the plantation," with Hillary being "the White wife of the White Master." That is stupid hyperbole with absolutely no awareness of the reality of slavery, but I'll run with it. Heck, Hillary also reminds me of "the Third Reich" with Hillary being Hitler's Minster of Curmudgeoning Heinrich Grumpler.

● Lookout Below: So the stock market is beginning its annual fall. Your best bet is probably to have invested in 1981. This game is rigged.

● Dude Looks Like A Dude: Caitlin Jenner, f.k.a. Bruce Kardashian, is now getting protested by "trans people" who accuse IT of being "an insult to trans people." First of all, let me say that I think it's funny that "trans people" are now being pulled into the Kardashian empire. There is no escape from that black hole, my friends. Secondly, let me ask, what makes one a "trans person"? Do you need to own a TransAM? Fly TWA? Cross the continent using the TransContinental Rail Road? Come on, there must be more than just wanting to mutilate your genitalia? What kind of sh*tty club is this?

● Liar, Liar (Part 1,007): Hillary now claims she tried to join the Marines, but was rejected. This is so obviously a lie that even the MSM is looking into it. This is truly a disappointing lie. There is no art to this whatsoever and there isn't even the possibility of this being true. It's like Hillary just doesn't care. Sigh.

Thoughts?

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Keen Political Nuggets

Well, we’re still struggling to find something interesting to write about. I guess that’s just the summer fall holidays. Actually, I think it’s just that our political system has entered a loop and is stuck. Here are some thoughts though.

● The Carson Problem: The media is firing its best shots at Ben Carson right now and they can't seem to dent him. The problem is they are using the wrong material. If you want to bring down a candidate, you either need to catch them in a major, substantive lie of the type that makes people cringe ("that was the first time I did blow off the belly of a dead hooker!") or you need to catch them in a thousand little cuts that play into a negative personality trait or stereotype.

For black males, the way to sink them is sexual misconduct. Line up a couple white women, get them to swear that said black gentleman fondled them or left public hair on their cokes, and that’s usually enough to bring down a black dude. No such allegations have been made against Ben Carson. Instead, the media is obsessing over verbal technicalities from when he was a teenager about whether he was a a great guy or just a good guy. Even more stupid, they are attacking the idea that Carson was a bad boy when he was young. “Ha! I have found you out! You were always a decent kid... you monster!” Yeah, that will sink you with America. Idiots. Until they start trotting out the hos he date raped on the bodies of unconscious patients, they won't lay a glove on him.

● Obama Loses Again: Yet another court has struck down Obama’s attempts to rule by Executive Fiat. This time it was his vaunted immigration amnesty. The court even used his own words against him where Obama stupidly admitted that he was changing the law with his order. At this point, not a single attempt by Obama to circumvent the Congress has worked. The Imperial Presidency has turned into a dud and waste of seven years.

● Petty Minds and Irrelevance: Here are issues that have set the GOP world afire. Hillary Clinton laughed when someone said they wanted to strangle Carly Fiorina. The media is being unfair to the Republicans. Starbucks no longer puts “Merry Christmas” on their cups (which they never did, by the way... this is all made up and the guy who made it up has since admitted he was wrong). That’s fine if that’s what gets the GOP insiders all hot and bothered, but does anybody really think that the public cares about this? Has it dawned on anyone that the way to win the public is to tell them how you will get them jobs, how you will improve the value of their money and assets, and how you will help improve their kids’ education? Nah, keep attacking the red cups.

● Keystone Favor: It strikes me that Obama just gave the GOP a pretty big helping hand in the Rustbelt and Midwest by killing the Keystone Pipeline. Think of all the union jobs that just vanished in a puff of smug.

● The FBI Wants You: This FBI probe of Hillary is getting rather interesting. When it happened, I saw two possibilities. Either, Obama wanted to burn Hillary and this was his way of dragging her down and possibly even locking her up. Alternatively, he was going to run a quick and dirty “investigation,” and then declare her clean and saintly. Right now, it’s starting to look like the FBI is serious. That is not good news for Hillary.

● Cold Turkey: I hear there's going to be a turkey shortage this Turkey Day. Am I the only one who is starting to get skeptical of all these shortages on key days?

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Enough Whining Already...

When did we become such a society of whiners and ingrates? We used to be country that solved problems with humor and conquered big, grand things like air and space flight with pride and industry. We used to have pride in our accomplishments. But now we are just a bunch of whiners.

Maybe my frustration comes from the book I am reading right now - The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. It is the story of how two young men decided to conquer the problem of flying. Not for any other reason than to solve the problem. Not for personal aggrandizement or out of any kind of arrogance. Certainly they did not do it for personal wealth though they were smart enough to insist on being the sole owners of their patent. They did it for the shear desire to solve a problem that most said could not be solved. And they did by starting with the basics - studying and observing birds.

So on the 8th day of the 8th month of the 8th year of the 20th Century (August 8, 1908) in a field in Le Mans, France, they proved to the world that they had indeed conquered the skies with motorized, controllable airflight. All of the people who said it couldn't be done were amazed at what they witnessed that day. And these two men changed the world forever.

Wilbur and Orville Wright were from a humble home and modest means in Dayton, Ohio. They spent their childhood days studying and building stuff. Their father was a modest travelling minister who raise his children (4 boys and 1 girl) to be curious about everything. They did not have fancy furniture or clothes, but their father filled their house with books. He allowed his children to explore the world through books and stretch their intellects without limits. Interestingly, the only one of the Wright children to attend college was the daugher, Katherine who actually became the first American woman to fly in an airplane.

Many, many were trying to solve this problem. You could say there was a race on to be the first. The US government had paid $20,000 for Samuel P. Langley to build and test his much publicized glider, but on December 8, 1903 with thousands to watch, he failed miserably. But only 10 days later (December 17, 1903) on a lonely beach in Kitty Hawk, NC, after thousand of tests, failures, re-building, re-engineering, and in front of a few witnesses, Wilber and Orville proved to themselves that they had conquered controlled glider flight. And they did without fanfare and for just a $1000 of their own funds earned from their Dayton bicycle shop, what Langley could not with government funds.

It is most inpiring biography written by a most inpiring biographer and I highly recommend the book to read if for no other reason for a much-needed dose of inpiration in what humans can accomplish through ingenuity and hard work.

Sadly, what we have in November of 2015 are Yale and Missouri University whiners who can't get too many safe spaces to whine. But I know that there are kids out there just ike Wilbur and Orville who will solve the next big problem without fanfare just for the shear pleasure of conquer a problem that everyone said was unconquerable.

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Silence From The Left... Again

Imagine it is the 1980s. The left hates Ronald Reagan. They accuse him of being a warmongering in the thrall of the right-wing military industrial complex. They see Russia as peaceful. Russia is just a country who loves everyone... ignore the military doctrine they discuss openly about first strikes and destroying America. Now imagine Reagan's Secretary of Defense gave this speech:

The speech in question happened at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the Secretary begins by actually having the nerve of accusing Russia of "endangering world order." Can you believe that, the left squeals? They demand to know when has Russia ever threatened the United States, and they shout down every attempt to answer. Many even point out that the US is pointing thousands of nuclear missiles at Russian cities even after the Russians agree in the 1990s to de-target their missiles (something symbolic which can be undone in seconds).

The Secretary says that Russia is undertaking "challenging activities" at sea, in the air, in space and in cyberspace. He claims that "Moscow's nuclear saber-rattling raises questions about Russia leaders' commitment to strategic stability, their respect for norms against the use of nuclear weapons, and whether they respect the profound caution nuclear-age leaders showed with regard to the brandishing of nuclear weapons." Wow is that paranoid, says the left. Putin has never once said he would nuke the US, though he has a couple times made indirect threats to destroy the US and his generals have spoken openly about nuking the US, but that doesn't matter. We are still the only country to use nuclear weapons, the left reminds us, and until the Russians actually do it, they are innocent.

What's more, we are asked to think "critically" about the provocations cited by the Secretary and to realize that they are a pretext. DOD is upset that the Russians are sending their navy out to defend their interests. So it's fine when we "police" the world's oceans, but it's not fine when someone else chooses to do the same? Besides, Russia's navy is sclerotic. DOD is upset that Russia is flying more long-range air patrols off US shores. Well, that is legal and the US does it too. They are upset that Moscow is reopening 10 Soviet-era bases along the Arctic that were closed in 1991. How are the internal workings of other countries our affair? Besides, we still operate bases from the Cold War, are we being aggressors?

This Secretary is clearly just looking for a reason to go to war, right?

The Secretary claims that Russia is "stirring trouble" in Europe and the Middle East. In that, he claims the Russians invaded Ukraine and Georgia and are trying to "intimidate" the Baltic states, despite the fact that Russia can show that it was asked to intervene in each instance, despite the fact that each is a former Soviet territory and should be within the Russian zone of influence -- not ours, and despite the fact that each country has sizable parts of their populations who are ethnic Russians and want to join Russia.

The Secretary claims Putin is "throwing gasoline on an already dangerous fire" in Syria, without even asking if that isn't exactly what the US has done in Iraq, Afghanistan and by creating ISIS! The Secretary attacks China too.

He then critically admits that neither Russia nor China can actually challenge the world order, yet he uses their challenge to the world order as a basis for making this threat:

"We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot, war with Russia. We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake; the United States will defend our interests, our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords us all."

You can't really get a more aggressive statement than that, short of a declaration of war. Indeed, he admits that US policy will be aimed at stopping Russia and China:

"We are adapting our operational posture and contingency plans as we - on our own and with allies - work to deter Russia's aggression, and to help reduce the vulnerability of allies and partners."

This is preparation for war, screams the left! And if you need further proof, here are some of the things the Secretary says are being undertaken as preparations: the U.S. is modernizing its entire nuclear arsenal — not only the submarines, bomber aircraft and land-based missiles that are armed with long-range nuclear weapons, but also the weapons themselves. "We're investing in the technologies that are most relevant to Russia's provocations, such as new unmanned systems, a new long-range bomber, and innovation in technologies like the electromagnetic railgun, lasers and new systems for electronic warfare, space and cyberspace, including a few surprising ones I really can't describe here.

Damn you war monger Ronald Reagan!!! But this isn't Ronald Reagan... this is Obama and it's his Secretary of Defense, and not a single leftist is out there rioting in the streets or trying to bring down the warmonger Obama.

My point in presenting this article is sixfold. First, it is to point out to you why foreign policy always seems more difficult under conservative presidents. Had Reagan or Bush(s)'s Defense Secretary given this exact same speech, there would be leftists whining in the streets about the warmongers in the White House trying to destroy us all, building weapons at the behest of defense contractors, and destabilizing the world with another round of sabre rattling and an arms race. Yet, since it is a leftist administration, the left remains silent... just as they've stopped complaining about every other "war crime" they used to bitch about every single day under Bush/Reagan (the immorality of war itself, the immorality of nuclear missiles, drones, land mines, Gitmo, phosphorus weapons, "aggressive" war, lack of proportionality, fighting for oil, etc.). This silence shows that the left's arguments are not principled, they are opportunistic. They are applied only to hurt the right, not to create some set of genuine values.

Secondly, this shows that Obama has not made the world any better than when he found it. To the contrary, it seems that things have gotten worse. There is an out-of-control war in the Middle East, where there had been an uneasy ending to the wars when Obama took over. Russia and China are rising up and causing problems, with no respect for the US. Ukraine, Georgia and Eastern Europe remain in the same tense state as when Obama took over, if not worse.

Third, this shows that Obama has finally come around to the real world. It has taken him forever during his administration, but he's finally given in to the reality that plastic reset buttons, bowing to terrorists and clowns, and wishing problems away just don't work. Obama is now starting to implement the same doctrines as "evil" people like Reagan and Bush.

Fourth, this shows that Obama indeed has no policy in the Middle East except "hope they all run out of things to kill."

Fifth, it shows that Hillary didn't fix a thing as Secretary of Drunk Texting.

Sixth, it shows that we're in for an interesting period where Russia will try to fix the Middle East by force and by supporting different partners. At the same time, Obama apparently plans to contain China. They even sent an American cruiser to challenge China's territorial claims the other day. That's called gun boat diplomacy, and the left has railed against that since 1945.

What a world!

Thoughts?

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Free Form Open Thread...

I don't really have anything for tonight, so feel to free your minds to free-associate freely. I hear they did this in the '60's with great success...

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Ug... Blahg... Njaaah... Drool

So I'm not dead. That is the good news... I suppose. In fact, I'm healthy enough to actually write an article. But then another problem arises: there's nothing to write about!

It looks like the Republican won the governorship in Kentucky despite everyone being sure he would lose. That's a bad sign for the Democrats. Kentucky is still one of the few southern(ish) states that leans Democratic. But apparently, Democratic voters are on strike. For the longest time, it looked like the Democrats were going to recapture the US Senate, but now I'm having my doubts. After things like Kentucky, it seems that the left is just too demoralized to turn out. Moreover, the Dems are using a bad strategy in places like Virginia where Bloomberg is determined to make the Senate contest about gun control. Good luck with that, fool.

A word on black quarterbacks. The search for the world's first great black quarterback has become a sort of Holy Grail quest for liberal sports journalists. The way this translates is rather ironic. First, it means that THOU SHALT NOT criticize the latest great black hope. Even to offer very legitimate criticism gets attacked as racist. And when these guys show some talent in their first year, well break out the Papal robes because they get anointed as divine. But the moment they stumble, these same journalists who sought to shame away all the critics turn viciously and often unfairly against these guys. Their attacks go beyond talent and far into personality. RG3 and Colin Kaepernick have both been savaged now by journalists for being lazy, entitled and rude. They are described as rude and selfish. And many of these articles are downright gloating, mocking and intentionally insulting. It is an amazing display only a liberal could excuse. How can it be racist to offer legitimate criticism that, if corrected, could help these guys succeed, but the moment the Messiah robes turn to ash, it becomes fair game to destroy them as people?

I'm not entirely sure what Putin is doing, but after the Russian plane got shot down in Egypt (and with more no doubt coming), I think Putin is about to start his own Vietnam in Syria and Iraq. It will be interesting to see if Putin can eliminate his problem by simply killing enough people. History says he can't, but he seems like he's willing to try. Anyways, my prediction is this... look for a joint Russian/Iranian invasion of ISIS held Iraq in the near future.

Thoughts?

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Random Silly Thoughts and Revelations

Just a couple of random thoughts and revelations. Not "revelations" with a capital "R", as in the End Times, but just random stuff, not too heavy, to discuss for today while Andrew heals from his child-induced plague and Kit gets through his studies

Case #1: As a follow up to the revelation by Rachel Dolezal. You may remember her as the former head of the Seattle branch of the NAACP and professor of Black Studies at Eastern Washington University who was outed as...well...not being the least bit a "person of color" from this summer. Well, after months of controversy, she finally had to admit when pressed by a Fox News panel of actual Black women that she, in fact, is a 100% white person with two white, Caucasian parents and that the person that she claimed was her "son" was really her adopted brother. Well, now that is settled, we can move on.

Case #2: Big news about Stonehenge. Yes, THAT Stonehenge where scientists, archeologist, and random Druids have speculated for generations about the reason they set up at this particular spot at that particular time. Was it some ancient astronomical calculator? Was it an ancient sacred religious ceremonial site for human sacrifice? Did an alien species use it as a landing site? Well, now the big news is that the people who frequented Stonehenge had big barbecues. Imagine.

This brings me to my theory of the mystery of Stonehenge. Having walked among these giant stones in April, there really should be no mystery as to why they ended up in the middle of nowhere. Honestly, humans haven't changed that much in thousands of years, so commen sense would say that these people had been dragging giant stones across Salisbury Plains forever and they just got tired. Finally one of them was brave enough to say with an oddly old man Yiddish accent said "Oy, I am tired of dragging these stones around. Can't we just stop with this mishegas already? My arms hurt. My sandal are worn to a nub. This looks like as good a place as any to set up these stupid stones. Maybe we could set up here? We can set them up with a pretty view of the stars at night. Maybe invite some of people over to have a giant nosh with these cows that are following us around. Eh, why not. We gotta eat, right?" Invitations were sent out, people came, and hence, the first known disgruntle employees and barbecue joints were born. See, mystery is solve.

By the way, I have the same theory about why the stone carvers of the Mayan calendar stopped at 12/21/2012. There should be no great mystery or revelation as to why it ended since the world did not actually end on 12/21/2012. Maybe, just maybe, one of the stone carvers with[oddly] the same old man Yiddish accent just got tired and bored like artists and craftpersons have done forever. Finally he (or she in our new PC world order) finally took a stand, stood up and shouted "Oy, I am tired of carving the same thing year after year. Just once, I want to carve something else! Maybe a pretty naked lady with no arms or nice naked boy. Anything other than this stupid circle!" It really could have been something as simple as that.

Anyway, I don't have a Case #3, but I am sure you can fill it in with some current or relevant topic...except for the Mets. Don't mention the Mets...the team that blew it when they lost the 2015 World Series in five games. Just don't do it unless you have to.

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Happy Halloween!

By Kit

This is an open thread. But I do have a rather heartwarming treat for you below.

Paul Ryan, our new speaker, who Democrats have informed us likes to push grannies off cliffs, apparently prays with heroin addicts.

Really.

I may have had some disagreements with him but I have never gotten the impression that he was anything other than a decent human being.

Here are some little treats from classic movie monsters

"This is Halloween" set to Universal horror monsters, cuts off rather quickly at the end but it is still fun: LINK

Classic Horror monsters set to Imperial March: LINK

And, "The Monster Mash", LINK

Happy Halloween!

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One Step Forward; Two Steps Back...UPDATED

So this week has seen one giant leap forward on the horizon and a few steps back in global health -

First, one giant leap forward:

This is very cool and it was only a matter of time...introducing the Cicret bracelet!



My only problem is what does one do when one is wearing sleeves. Other than that, next stop - brain implants.

Btw, since this is an invention from Israel, I just want to point out if you did not catch it . It starts with the guy waiting for the subway or most likely the Metro in Paris. One of the images on the forearm at around :41 has a headline from Le Monde. Now my French is not that good, but loosely translated, the headline reads "Hamas refuses any negotiations for disarmament". It goes by really quickly, but you got to love the lack of subtlety...

Now for the "Two Steps Back":

What is the point of World Health Organization (WHO), the CDC of the United Nations? On Monday, they publish findings that all red and processed meats "may" cause cancer. Yeah, but don't worry, they spent billions to come up with this 1st World disease scrouge.

Then, the next day, the eminent scientific brains that ignored the Ebola epidemic in western Africa until it became a global panic, publish another study opining that tuberculosis now rivals AIDS as the leading cause of death in the 3rd World. The reason is as unshocking as it is unsurprising.

"...there remains a $1.4 billion gap in the amount of funding needed for TB interventions in 2015."

All I can say is that if WHO had spent less time and money on demonizing beef and processed meat, they would have all the funds they would ever need to fight the very real scourge of TB.

Okay, the floor is open...

Well, okay, this will learn me. After speaking to my IT friend and doing about 20 seconds worth of "research", I have found out that the Cicret bracelet/arm pad is not technically real. But in my defense using my best Dan Rather/Mary Mapes logic: "It COULD have been real!"

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Whoops! Reality Strikes Again

Sticking with the theme of feminism, there was devastating news this week for the feminist left. It turns out that women are not the only victims of domestic abuse. In fact, women are just as likely to be abusive as men! Read on.

For those of you who read my film book, you are already aware that Hollywood presents an absolutely false view of domestic abuse. Film after film shows the abuse occurring to middle-aged, married white women, with the abuser being their slightly older husbands. In fact, that is the only abuse allowed to be shown on film. But that version is the least statistically likely scenario for abuse. White women are the least likely race to be abused. White males are least likely to be abusers. Middle-aged males are the least likely age group to abuse, and middle-aged women are least likely to be abused. Married people are far, far less likely to be abused or engage in abuse. Middle class people also are much less likely to be involved in abuse than poor people. Basically, the by far most likely portrait of abuse is a poor, single, young black male abusing his black girlfriend. And the by far lease likely portrait of an abuse is a middle-aged, middle class married white man beating his wife.

What's more, men aren't the only abusers. According to DOJ, women account for about 30% of abusers, and women are far more likely, as a percentage, to kill their spouse while abusing them. Yet, you'll never see the reality on screen because that would be an attack on blacks or women and the identity politics left will not allow it.

Well, now there's an even bigger CDC study and it found that 40% of the victims of severe violence as domestic abuse (beaten, burned, choked, kicked, slammed with a heavy object, or hit with a fist) are men. These numbers have been consistent for several years.

So why does this matter?

Well, feminists use abuse as a crutch... like black racists use "racism." They use it to claim that males are inherently dangerous (particularly middle class white males), and from this stem all their demands for any number of "protections," with those "protections" being legal as well as things like special privileges, demands for re-education, differing legal standards, etc. If, as it now turns out, women are just as likely to be abusive, then the whole idea that abuse is a gender issue goes away and the very argument feminists use to support their positions vanishes. In other words, if men are no worse than women, then women have no valid basis to claim a need for protection.

It will be interesting to see if this changes the view of abuse and what effect it will have on feminists. If they are forced to admit that women are just as abusive as men, and that blacks are the worst abusers, and that lesbians are equally bad, then the feminist left has a problem. Not only does it's only accepted-as-valid weapon vanish, but they will be causing a schism with other identity politics groups.

Interesting.

Thoughts?

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Real Women v. Feminists

Oh, it is so much fun when bush-league college feminists start feeding on themselves. But it's much more fun and ridiculous when the icons of capital letter Feminists do it.

Here are two examples from this weekend:

The first came from the great Goddess of first-wave Feminism Gloria Steinum who took to the airwaves while promoting her latest venture to blame Rush Limbaugh for Feminism's bad rap.

Now let me be honest. I have never embraced the doctrine of feminism and more importantly to me, have always refused to call myself a feminist. I am a person. A person with skills. And I blame Gloria Steinem, not Rush Limbaugh. She never spoke for me. Steinem and her ilk like Ellie Smeal of N.O.W. drove the feminist bus off the cliff long ago by losing sight of the real goal of the Feminist Movement which was winning the right of choice for women. And while driving this bus over the cliff they made sure to demean any and all woman who made choses not in line with the feminist doctrine.

Feminism has always been much too limiting and whiny to me. I, like Meryl Streep as describe in the NY Post article, call myself a "humanist". To me it has always been about choice. I fully embrace the equality of opportunity for all humans regardless of gender, race, or whatever grievance group one might be defined. All should have the opportunity to compete equally in all fields of endeavor and achieve because they are qualified. No grading on curve. To lower standards just to achieve some faux, statistical "equality" demeans those who have qualified and do qualify on their merits and abilities. And in cases where lowering standards to just to achieve "equality" specifically in fire departments and elite military units, it can actually endanger the general public. But, most of all, I cannot tolerate whining about "Boo-hoo-hoo, they wouldn't let me [fill in the blank} because I am a [fill-in grievance group]".

But then this issue is just as stupid. For those of you who are not hip to the fine feminist monthly manifesto that is Glamour magazine, let me enlighten you. Rife with emaciated, holocaust victim-esque models and endless academic treatists on the joys of botox injections and age-abating plastic surgery, meaningless sex, and the latest in hem lengths, Glamour magazine will name in their latest issue Caitlyn Jenner (a/k/a Bruce "Kardashian" Jenner) as their 2015 "Woman of the Year".

Germaine Greer, leader of the second-wave feminist movement (whatever that is/was) has taken exception to a former man being named as any kind of "Woman of the Year" calling it just another example of misogyny. And then as right on cue, came the cry of "transphobia" as in this from Jezebel Germaine Greer Says Caitlyn Jenner, Transgenered Woman Are Not 'Real Women'.

Ms Greer was booked to speak at Cardiff University. But after her honest opinion about Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner's "Woman of the Year" honor at Glamour, the expected petitions by feminist student groups have been signed to unbook her because she dared to speak her opinion which translates in current college campus-speak as her obvious transphobic misogyny against the transgendered men. Science and Biology be damned! To the credit of Cardiff University administration, they refused to uninvite her.

I happen to agree with Ms Greer on this, but then I am a biological woman with all of the biological privileges that come with that who resents Glamour Magazine making me feel less than for not being an emaciated, holocaust-victim-esque model type. But more importantly, naming a former man as "Woman of the Year" demeans real womem of accomplishment by naming a man who just cut his man-parts off so he can call himself woman and wear pretty clothes. But then again, when did Glamour Magazine have any relevence in defining what a real woman is anyway.

So what have we learned here. Well, it boils down to this. If you don't go along with first or second-wave feminist doctrine, you are the enemy of everyone or a Republican. God help you if your Carly Fiorina...

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Pet Peeves and Other Annoyances

I’m feelin’ ornery. So much annoying me. Here are some things that bug me. Feel free to add your own!

● You’re Soooo Brave!: I’ve been watching sports. Because of this, I’ve been subjected to ads for someone called Colin Cowerd, who does a sports show. He advertises using the same pathetic crap all these talker do... he tells us how brave he is to spout his opinion and how he will never back down in the face of non-existent pressure.

How in the world can it be heroic to spout an uninformed opinion in a land where you face no danger from doing so... in an industry where the more ignorant and strident you sound the better... to an audience that is too stupid to know better. You know what? I am heroic for shopping at Target the other day... and I will never back down on what I bought!! All glory to me!

//*sshole

● No More!: Dear Daily Mail... stop giving us articles about the Kardashians. Seriously, my eyeballs don’t even need to see the headlines anymore. And stop telling me what Bruce Jenner is wearing. WTF? He was hideous as a man and he looks like a corpse as a woman. I don’t want to see him and I certainly don’t care what he’s wearing.

● Ugly: Have you ever noticed that so many models are ugly?

● F-You Whiners: There are now people trying to destroy high school football because seven kids have died playing the game this year. This is actually a typical number. The problem is that the morons whining about this have no ability to use reason. They see seven dead kids and they think “why won’t somebody do something!” A number have demanded that the NFL do something, even though the NFL has nothing to do with this... this is Board of Education matter. Others have whined that the game is too dangerous, even though most of these kids have died from things other than hits. Some have whined that it’s the lack of qualified medical staffs at games that have caused this without even asking first if there were medical staffs at the site of any of the death (hint: there were).

This is very typical of liberals and idiots... but I repeat myself. They see a problem because they see a group of things they don’t like. They never ask if the statistics bear out that there is a problem or if this is just a random thing. They immediately reach into their bag of “things they want to blame” without ever figuring out if any of those were even implicated. And then they look for someone with deep pockets to blame for not having fixed this horrible problem already even though they themselves only just noticed it.

//*ssholes

● So Much For The Media: When did pranks and emails posted on Facebook and notes left on windshields and crap that went viral become news?

● Call In The Clowns: Trump is done. He’s run out of things to attack and his popularity never went beyond the fringe base. He’s gotten boring. Yaaawn.

Bernie Sanders is done. Well, he was always done, but people are starting to notice. When Biden refused to run, his decision essentially told the Democrats that Hillary had won, so they are now lining up behind her. She could still lose to a new candidate, but not to the ones in the race.

I’m thinking Bush has killed himself. It’s not certain yet, but Bush’s strategy of pretend to be a tree (dare I say a bush) as everyone else takes each other out has left the impression that he’s as bland as a bologna sandwich and, more importantly, cannot win over the public. The ball shifts to Rubio.

Did Carly Fiorina go on vacation? She seems to have disappeared, leaving the vice presidency open to Ben Carson.

Personally, I think we should put them all in a blender and run it until... well, until we need new candidates. :)

Thoughts?

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Friday's Thoughts: Open Thread

Some thoughts from this week:

—Paul Ryan has the path cleared away for the Speakership after a supermajority of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, though it wasn’t enough to get the 80% needed. So, despite the lack of endorsements, the way is cleared. Unless some revelation comes out or he has a McCarthy-sized gaffe, Ryan will be our next Speaker.

As expected, talk radio and others are going crazy. It did not help that Harry Reid “endorsed” Paul Ryan, an endorsement seconded up by an army of Democrats on capitol hill and in the press. And, what is aggravating is that a bunch of these conservatives, who expound endlessly on why compromise with Democrats is bad because Democrats are untrustworthy, took this at face value.

The reason the Democrats are endorsing Ryan is for two reasons. One, in the case of Reid it is just to screw with Republicans, a bait these conservatives have taken hook, line, and sinker. Second, in the case of Luis Guiterrez, who said a vote for Ryan is a vote for amnesty, it is so that in several months when Ryan does not pass a massive amnesty bill, or whenever the House does work on immigration, it is so he, and the rest of the liberal pundits, can talk about how “Ryan is allowing himself to be pushed around by the Tea Party.”

They do it all the time.

Givne he could win over the House Freedom Caucus and the most of the people opposing him are those who think Donald “I love Kelo”Trump is a standard bearer of conservatism, I’m inclined to support Ryan.

—On Kelo and Trump, if Rubio, Jeb Bush, or any other Republican candidate and come out with his position on Kelo and eminent domain, these people would’ve been apoplectic, but instead, they praise him for a “nuanced” position. He is our Obama.

—Benghazi hearing: What can I say? People died, Hillary lied. ‘Nuff said.

—Oh, Trump falls behind Carson in Iowa. Let’s hope this is the beginning of the end for Trump.

—Jews are being stabbed in the streets of Israel because of provocation by the Palestinian government. And, again, the “moral” leaders of the world are saying “both sides need to de-escalate”. If both sides of World War 2 had “de-escalated” in 1942 there would not be a single Jew left in Europe. Sometimes, you have to fight back.

My support for Israel, which, yes, is a flawed country, is not based on some biblical principle of the Jewish people being special. It is based on the fact that Israel is the freest country in the Middle East, the only true democracy with a system of governance based upon the rule of law.

Yes, it has problems, there is discrimination, against christians and other Arabs and, yes, it can be a pain in the neck for those who live there but it is not anywhere near the pain in the neck it is for Christians or dissidents in the rest of the Middle East. You don’t tear down a good thing because it is flawed, you improve the good thing. You cherish it and, most importantly, you protect it.

Especially when it is the only island of freedom in the sea of anarchy, violence, and tyranny that is the Middle East.

—Star Wars: The Force Awakens, well, I saw the trailer and, dammit, it looks really good and now I have to see it. Crap. But, hey, after the prequels the only direction we can go is up, right? Right?
Trailer: LINK

—#BoycottStarWarsVII went viral and I want to say that I fully understand the sentiment. Star Trek: Into Darkness was an awful waste of time that relied entirely upon the emotional beats of a movie nearly 30 years old and, from what I’ve heard, Abrams other recent movie, Super 8, was a stupid, 1970s Spielberg knock-off. I don’t see why a bunch of people were angry over it.

Hold on.

Wait, wait a minute. Ok. Apparently it has to do with the black actor in the movie? Huh? What?

Ok. Apparently, a couple of trolls started it and a few people saw it, were shocked, and then it went viral with a bunch of people tweeting about how terrible it was and, since it was now trending heavily because all these people were shocked about it, a bunch of other people saw it, and failed to realize it was trending because most people didn’t agree with it.

Really. One of the trolls actually bragged about it, saying, “We did it Again #4chan should win a Nobel Peace Prize ! We made a racial issue out of thin air!!”

This should not be surprising, the people who forwarded this are obsessed with "proving" that America is nothing but a putrid swamp of racist, knuckle-dragging sexists. Why else would the NRA have a 58% approval rating among Americans?

Read this Esquire article for an explanation of the: LINK

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Questions Answered While We Wait For Hillary

Former Sec't of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be "testifying" today before the House Committee investigating the events leading up to the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya where our ambassador and three others were murdered. Expect lots of blustering about how this is a waste of taxpayer money.

Expect lots of excuses as to why she was not running the State Department when she was supposed to be Secretary of State. Expect some interesting questions about her ongoing relationship with the Clinton Foundation while at State and donations made to same. Of course, there will be questions about e-mail security or lack of same. Expect even a few really tasty sound-bites that both parties can use to bludgeon each other with.

What not to expect - any real answers from Clinton to any questions.

I know how frustrating it can be to want a straight answer and not get one. So, as a little diversion to quell that frustration, here are some answers to questions that may have kept you up at night:

Question #1: Which is the correct way for toilet paper to roll to go - over or under?
Answer: The original patent shows that the toilet paper should roll over...LINK

See, wasn't that nice...asked/answered...moving on.

Question #2: What was the first novel written on a typewriter?
Answer: Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain a/k/a Samuel Clemens in 1874.

Done. And now the answer to one of the most important question of the 20th Century...

Question#3: How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?
Answer: It takes about 142.18 licks to reach the center of a Tootsie pop.

See, it was that easy. If you need another endorphin rush that only comes from straight answers to simple questions, here is a link to...the internet. Uh, you were expecting a link? Do you own internet searches....{{{mic drop}}}

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