Monday - March 24, 2008
Racer Hunter Abbott survives 100mph crash, A MUST SEE FOLKS!
Ppl, check out the link. Not video but anyway ... hard to believe anyone could make it out alive.
The hard copy showed his car in total flames and you could see him still inside that car.
Racer Hunter Abbott survives 100mph crash
By Adam Lusher
Last Updated: 1:31am GMT 24/03/2008Hunter Abbott will be celebrating his own Easter miracle today.
The British GT4 Championship driver was 10 minutes into the first race of the season when he left the track at 100 miles per hour trying to negotiate The Cascades, an S-bend on the Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire.
In pictures: Hunter Abbott’s 100mph crash
The crash happened in dry conditions, shortly after the start of the hour-long race, the first of the British GT Championship season.Abbott had slowed down slightly from his top speed of about 160 miles per hour, but had other cars around him as he went into The Cascades. It is thought the Ginetta G50 and another competitor’s Aston Martin collided at about 100 miles per hour, causing Abbott to spin off the track and hurtle into the crash barrier.
His Ginetta G50 smashed through a crash barrier, went airborne, thudded into the ground, rolled about three times, landed on its roof and burst into flames.
advertisementAround 1,000 spectators watched in horror as Abbott, now upside down, struggled to free himself from the middle of the fireball for up to 10 seconds.
Then the driver walked out alive and well enough to assist the stewards in putting out the flames around his racing suit.
Drew Gibson, who took this sequence of photographs, admitted:
“As I saw his car rolling, I knew it was really bad and my heart sunk. “Then it burst into flames and I thought ‘Oh God, I am watching my first death in motor sport.’
“When he walked out, I was amazed. The car was rolling for about five seconds, disintegrating all the way.
“I assumed he had been knocked unconscious - so there didn’t seem any way he was going to get out of that car alive once it burst into flames. The sun was certainly shining on him today.”
The race was temporarily halted as Abbott, in his mid-twenties, was helped into an ambulance. His car, thought to be brand new and worth more than £50,000, was destroyed.
In GT championship racing, drivers race in teams of two, changing places at a pit stop.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/24/2008 at 05:12 PM
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Permalink • Americans can take pride in Obama
Most of you will not like this. I certainly hope ya don’t. I think she’s a bit over the top.
By Lionel Shriver
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 22/03/2008‘You kids!” my mother ritually despaired in my childhood. “You’re so - negative!” That line has been a standing joke between my brothers and me for decades, ruefully repeated at my mother’s expense. But she had a point. We were a critical bunch. On into my middle age, much of my non-fiction commentary has continued to deplore this, to ridicule that. I am still “negative”.
Yet, like many of my American compatriots this week, I have been enjoying the unnerving experience of being for something. Of being encouraged. Of daring to believe that something in my country has improved. Of being deeply, unembarrassedly moved.
Can you imagine any British politician’s campaign speech making the No. 1 most-watched slot on YouTube? Of course, videos of Rev Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s pastor of 20 years, made the top 10 on YouTube as well. The same clips of Wright’s racially incendiary sermons have played incessantly on American cable news: a black minister describing 9/11 as the chickens deservedly “coming home to roost”, invoking “God damn America!”
But the popularity of these videos is par for the course. They are disappointing. They suggest to some white Americans that the conciliatory black presidential candidate promising to unite the country has a darker, angrier face; that, by association with a pastor whom Obama still refuses to entirely repudiate, the current Democratic front-runner is one more chip-on-the-shoulder rabble-rouser who will only prosecute the grievances of his own race.
Because in Republican hands these clips might imperil his electability in November, the Rev Wright controversy might have had the potential to sink Obama’s candidacy. Some candidates would duck or distract from such a PR disaster, but Obama took the bull ---- by the horns. This Tuesday, he delivered a speech entitled “A More Perfect Union”, which for the first time in his campaign focused wholly on the issue of race in America. The address was inclusive, frank, rich, warm, and politically brave.
Where you will also find the kind of viewer responses of which Gordon Brown or David Cameron would never even dare to dream. “Wow. That was ------- beautiful.” “Wow, he is the first real leader of my generation.” “This was one of the best speeches in our time.” “One of the greatest speeches ever made. I pray this country is intelligent and courageous enough to elect him president.”
I just can’t copy any more of this and only did this post to let my fellow yanks know what’s being printed here by I guess an American.
Oh btw .... Lionel is a female.
You might wanna read everything she has to say on the subject just so you know exactly what and why ur pissed off.
Drews editorial tho long was also brilliant I must say. Anything I thought I might say on this subject, Drew said for me. And so did others. But this lady just doesn’t get the picture. I just hope Brits reading her don’t go away believing she speaks for us all.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/24/2008 at 05:00 PM
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Permalink • 15mph speed limit to force people out of cars
An idea whose time has come?
Good grief. What next?
Global warming? Hey ... according to the weather dudes this has been the coldest Easter in 25 years here in the UK.
The gument btw wants to force supermarkets to give up plastic bags. That one alone deserves it’s own moonbat award.
15mph speed limit to force people out of cars
By David ThomasLast Updated: 5:23pm GMT 24/03/2008Speed limits of just 15 miles-per-hour are to be introduced on major roads in planned new towns across the country as part of an effort to reduce global warming.
Have your say: What do you make of the 15mph plans?
Caroline Flint, the housing minister, will unveil the measure when she publishes planning guidelines later this week for up to 15 “eco-towns” across the UK, which will house 100,000 people.New speed limits will be designed to encourage cycling
The Government wants the towns designed and built to encourage people to stay out of their cars.It will introduce the low speed limit as a means of getting people to use public transport, walk more or use bicycles, with the aim of cutting pollution and increasing the quality of life for local residents.
The measure has been attacked by pro-car campaigners who called it “lunacy” and fear it is a pilot project ahead of limit cuts in other towns and cities.
Nigel Humphries, of the Association of British Drivers (ABD), said the move was the latest in a long line of attacks on drivers by the Government and questioned whether the move would make people abandon cars.
“It is ridiculous. It is another step towards the return of the man with the red flag walking in front of the car. The Government has got to think of a different way. It just shows how flawed the idea of eco-towns is if they have to bully people into getting out of their cars in this way.”
Under the plans, the central areas of the new towns would be pedestrianised, with the 15mph limit introduced on “key roads” into the centre. All homes would be built within 400 yards of public transport stop and 800 yards from shops.
This, the Government argues, will mean just 25 to 40 per cent of journeys will require a car, compared with the current national average of 85 per cent.
Mrs Flint on Monday said the Government had an opportunity to “deliver a programme which will genuinely revolutionise the way people live” and would not shy award from controversial ideas.
She said: “These developments will be exemplars for the rest of the world, not just the rest of the country. It’s critical that we get it right - and I make no apology for setting the bar as high as possible.”
The RAC questioned whether a blanket 15mph ban was appropriate in all cases, saying a case-by-case approach was needed.
“If they are just looking at it from a vehicle emissions point of view, they need to look at individual situations,” a spokesman said.
“The Government should use individual studies and monitoring after three months to see if the limit is still working.”
A shortlist of carbon neutral eco-towns will be drawn up from the current list of 60 possible sites in the coming weeks. But several prospective sites are already the focus of opposition from local residents.
Plans for a new town of 15,000 homes near the picturesque village of Weston-on-the-Green in Oxfordshire are being opposed by local residents, led by the parents of former British tennis champion Tim Henman.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/24/2008 at 04:48 PM
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Permalink • Gunfire at 30,000 feet! Oops!!
Pilot’s gun discharges on US Airways flight 4:15 PM
12:14 PM EDT on Monday, March 24, 2008
By DIANA RUGG / WCNC
E-mail Diana: DRugg@wcnc.comCHARLOTTE, N.C.-- A gun carried by a US Airways pilot accidentally discharged during a flight from Denver to Charlotte Saturday, according to a statement released by the airline.
The statement said the discharge happened on Flight 1536, which left Denver at approximately 6:45 a.m. and arrived in Charlotte at approximately 11:51 a.m.
The Airbus A319 plane landed safely and none of the flight’s 124 passengers or five crew members was injured, according to the statement. It was a full flight. An airline spokeswoman said the plane has been taken out of service to make sure it is safe to return to flight.
WCNC’s Mark Boone talked to a US Airways spokesperson on Monday, who said she did not know if the plane was still grounded. A source told WCNC that the plane remains inside a hanger at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
A Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman reached by WCNC Sunday said the pilot is part of TSA’s Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program, which trains pilots to carry guns on flights. Andrea McCauley said the gun discharged in the cockpit, but she could not release how the gun was being transported at the time. She did not release the pilot’s name, but said he was authorized to carry the weapon and was last requalified in the FFDO program last November.
A statement from TSA said the airplane was never in danger, and the TSA and the Federal Air Marshals Service are investigating the incident.
Chiz Whiz on a smoking cracker, who the hell was flying the plane, Jayson Williams? He’s the only guy I’ve ever heard of with a “legally proven” accidental discharge. Every single other time it’s ALWAYS “idiot gets near trigger, does something stupid”, because lack of attention and unsafe behavior can turn any of us into instant idiots. On the 3rd hand, I wonder what kind of gun airline pilots are allowed to carry onboard? This story makes me think it ought to be a double action revolver with a strong trigger pull, a transfer bar, and a bobbed hammer. Awfully hard to set them off by accident.
PS - Jayson Williams’ attorneys are trying to “pull a Fuhrman” on his retrial ... which has been dragging on for 4 years now and still hasn’t gone as far as jury selection.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/24/2008 at 04:39 PM
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Permalink • Let’s Hope There’s a 3rd Company In Start-UpDATE
The DOJ has given satellite radio companies XM and Sirius approval to merge, more than a year after asked for permission. This means the Department Of Justice has looked at the satellite radio market, and determined that the only two companies that exist can now merge and form a monopoly. And that merger doesn’t the old Sherman Anti-Trust Act, or show itself to be anti-competitive. Nope, before we had two companies, competing a new and fairly expensive luxury market, where consumers had to buy expensive special tuners just to listen, and then they had to pay monthly membership fees. Now we’re going to have one company owning the entire market, no competition, and who can say what will happen to the prices. And DOJ says this is a good thing. Gosh, YOU MORONS, no it ain’t!
I hope some other companies are about to get into this game, or else the customers are about to get the shaft. It doesn’t matter if most of them already have plenty of money to spend, nobody is supposed to be able to sew up an entire market in this country. Nor does it matter if both of them have enormous operating costs, and have to merge just to stay alive. Which I haven’t heard, but I wouldn’t believe if I did hear it, considering what one of these companies is paying Howard Stern for his worn out old schtick.
Ah ha, here’s the con:
In its decision, the Department of Justice had to determine whether an XM-Sirius merger was anti-competitive, or if other media companies such as Clear Channel (CCU, Fortune 500), CBS (CBS, Fortune 500), or even Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) with its iTunes software and iPod music player served as alternate options for music and media customers.
So it’s pretty obvious we have some Luddites at DOJ, who let a bunch of lawyers convince them that one means of musical playback equates to all the others. Yes, Clear Channel owns damn near every radio station around the world. But none of them are digital satellite broadcasters. Oh wait, not true. Clear Channel owns a dozen or so of the stations that broadcast through XM. Sure, you can buy a tune for you iPod and carry it with you. Hey, you can put a CD in your car’s player too, or just roll up the windows and sing yourself happy. Apples and Oranges, people, apples and oranges. This is a little chip at our freedom, and it doesn’t taste good to me.
UPDATE: Brietbart says Sirius is buying XM for $5 billion. Stocks of both companies have risen. This is going to suck for half the merged customer base, because Sirius and XM use totally different receivers.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/24/2008 at 04:15 PM
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Permalink • Here we go again!
Gosh, does any of this sound in the least bit familiar? We will be hearing about cigars by this time next week? Good grief, what is wrong with politicians?
DETROIT — Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, a one-time rising star and Detroit’s youngest elected leader, was charged Monday with perjury and other counts after sexually explicit text messages contradicted his sworn denials of an affair with a top aide.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy also charged the popular yet polarizing 37-year-old mayor — who adopted the nickname the “Hip-Hop mayor” given to him by comedian Chris Rock — with obstruction of justice and misconduct in office.
...
Kilpatrick, a Democrat, was to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon and could face up to 15 years in prison and be expelled from office if convicted.
...
“Some have suggested that the issues in this case are personal or private,” Worthy said. “Our investigation has clearly shown that public dollars were used, people’s lives were ruined, the justice system severely mocked and the public trust trampled on. ... This case is about as far from being a private matter as one can get.”
Kilpatrick defiantly declared his innocence just an hour after the charges were announced.
“This has been a very flawed process from the beginning,” said Kilpatrick at a press conference Monday. “I look forward to complete exoneration.”
Last week, the Detroit City Council voted seven to one to ask Kilpatrick to resign, a city clerk said. The vote was non-binding and Kilpatrick has continued on the job.
Kilpatrick offered an abject apology to his constituents January 30, but remained adamant he would not resign.
“I truly apologize to each and every one of you, individually and to the whole city,” Kilpatrick said in a sometimes emotional televised statement.
Sitting next to his wife, Carlita, he also apologized to “my entire family, and specifically to the four people I love most in this world”—his wife and his sons, 12-year-old twins Jelani and Jalil and 6-year-old Jonas.
This mess started breaking nationally on March 11, just a day or so after the Sptizer fiasco in NY. I didn’t run with that story then, even though Kilpatrick seemed to playing the Race Card as hard as he possibly could. That wasn’t even two weeks ago, and the story seemed to fade away quickly, especially in light of Client #9 and all those shennanigans. But it’s been big news in Detroit for months now. Funny how the biggest scandal in a major city just didn’t get any airplay for most of this time. I guess I just missed it, seeing as I hardly ever watch or read the news. Riiiight.
I think the new NY governor, Patterson, made the best play: take the oath of office, step off the podium, and tell the press that you’ve screwed around on your wife.
Of course, the best best play would be if we had politicians that could keep their pants on. I think it’s something psychological. Do all male married hetero high ranking politicians cheat on their wives? Or just the Democrat ones? Oh look, I’m the leader, I’m the big Alpha Male, I make the law so I’m above the law, I’ve spent my whole elected career making promises I have no intention of keeping - I’m a habitual liar with no respect for the truth and my word is worthless - so why should some promise made in some church be any better? Besides, did you see how she looks when she bends over in that blue dress?
Politicians are pigs.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/24/2008 at 03:38 PM
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Permalink • Sunday - March 23, 2008
Easter Sunday
BMEWS is taking the day off to spend this holiday with family. I hope you get the chance to do the same. And if you can’t, phone them up. Our special thoughts and prayers extend to those far from home, and to those standing in harm’s way to protect us. God bless them one and all.
And I just couldn’t resist sharing my favorite easter cartoon, but I’ll be good and hide it beneath the fold.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/23/2008 at 12:07 AM
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Permalink • Saturday - March 22, 2008
Why we need the death penalty, example 7823
You want target practice? I got your targets, right here:
ALTON, Illinois (AP)—Banished to the basement, the 29-year-old mother with a childlike mind and another baby on the way had little more than a thin rug and a mattress to call her own on the chilly concrete floor. Dorothy Dixon ate what she could forage from the refrigerator upstairs, where housemates used her for target practice with BBs, burned her with a glue gun and doused her with scalding liquid that peeled away her skin.
They torched what few clothes she had, so she walked around naked. They often pummeled her with an aluminum bat or metal handle.Dixon—six months pregnant—died after weeks of abuse. Police have charged two adults, three teenagers and a 12-year-old boy with murder in the case that has repulsed many in this Mississippi River town.
“This is heartbreaking,” police Lt. David Hayes said. “It was almost as though they were making fun of the abuse they were administering.
“I’ve never seen an almost conspiratorial effort by a group of people to continuously torture someone until she finally died, then not really show any remorse,” Hayes said. “It was just a slow, torturous, tragic way to die. I highly doubt Dorothy Dixon even knew she was dying.”
Hayes watched the autopsy and found her injuries disturbing. X-rays revealed roughly 30 BBs lodged in her. Deep-tissue burns covered about one-third of her body—her face, her chest, her arms and feet—and left her severely dehydrated. Her face and body showed signs of prolonged abuse. Many of her wounds were infected.
This has to be one of the sickest, cruellest crimes I have ever heard of. Enslave a retarded woman to steal her Social Security money, then rape, torture, starve, and abuse her for fun, while leaving the woman’s own child to starve, and getting your own children and their friends involved in it too. For kicks. They were enjoying themselves.
Riley, 43-year-old Judy Woods and three teenagers, including Riley’s 15-year-old daughter, LeShelle McBride, are charged with first-degree murder, aggravated and heinous battery, intentional homicide of an unborn child, and unlawful restraint. Riley’s 12-year-old son is charged as a juvenile.
There is no combination of tortures that could begin to fairly punish these rabid animals masquerading as human beings. Don’t even give them a trial. Just douse them with acid, impale them on a large electrified spike and walk away. Then go find their parents and execute them too, for bringing such hellspawned demons into the world and not immediately drowning them.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/22/2008 at 02:01 PM
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Permalink • The Great Race Debate (GRD), round 3: Buchanan’s Essay
Americans and other impatient people may skip this part:
I would like to apologize in advance to our international readers. I am sorry, but I think you are going to see a lot of these racial posts. I’m going to give you a brief bit of background on and about America and her people that I hope will enable you to understand our mindset, and allow you to understand why this is such a Bloody Big Deal to us. I fully expect people to cuss me out, tell me I’m an idiot, and offer up countless counter-arguments that show my errors. All of which will actually show that I’m right, as “spirited debate” is one of the things that makes us Americans.
The United States is currently fixated on it’s painstakingly slow process of choosing it’s next leader. This iteration of the process is exquisitly tedious. For starters, this is the longest preamble to an election we’ve ever had. In the past we could do the whole thing in 8 to 10 months. Last time it took 18 months. This time we’re going at it for a full 2 years. And this is the Information Age, when almost literally everything is available instantly with just the click of a mouse or the flip of a remote control. It’s getting crazy. An awful lot of us are sick to death of the endless beating we’re suffering, seeing and hearing about these candidates, every minute detail of their lives, their backgrounds, their associates, their finances, every single hour of every single day FOREVER. For added angst, the selection of candidates this time has been disappointing to almost everybody. From the Conservative, Republican side of politics, it felt like a hundred guys wanted the nomination, but we didn’t really like any of them. None of them met our qualifications. Too much this, not enough that. It finally came down to John McCain, even though many of us can’t stand him. We don’t think he’s a Conservative. Hell, most of us have a hard time even believing he’s a Republican. Which really means he is a Centrist, and that’s a good position for a candidate. From the liberal, Democratic side of the aisle, another horde of people wanted the nomination. Being a Democrat has taken on a new meaning in the last two decades. The Left has shifted much further to the left. Liberalism has become Progressivism, and nobody notices that this is what the Communists used to call their policies. No, we’ve all come down with selective amnesia and decide that (thank you Tim Curry in Clue),"Communism was just a Red herring”. At this point there are two candidates left vying for the Democratic nomination. Both are major leftists; just one generation ago both would have been branded, and damned, as Socialists at best, Fascists or Communists more likely, but at the far end of the political spectrum definitions start to blur for most of us. Regardless, 25 years ago both of them would have been deemed so Far Left they’d be Left Out. Anyway, one of them is female. And one of them is black. But we also can not ignore that in those same 25 years our government has also shifted quite a lot to the left. We’ve become a Nanny State, where all goodness flows from the Almighty in Washington DC. Where the role of government has changed from one of minimal guidance to one of massive protection from every minor risk in life and has become the font of sustenance and wealth. So in many ways these two lefties are more centrist than many people want to believe. That change in philosophy is another gigantic essay, but for now I’ll just state that as a given, even though I believe that such change is wrong and should be reversed if at all possible.
We’re a funny people. We all know that the President doesn’t really have all that much power, and can at best merely guide the federal government. The federal government, and the state governments, can guide and constrain the economy and the people to some extent, but their influence is really mitigated by world events and economic realities. We are a capitalist nation, a nation of shopkeepers writ large. Business, both large and small, drives us. We like to make money, lots of money. That being said, there is another part of our psyche that is strongly concerned with social issues. We worry about the education of our children, the cleanliness of our environment, the quality of life of the less successful among us, et cetera. We also think a lot about the higher issues, the meta-concepts like freedom, equality, justice, opportunity, and so forth. I am not claiming that we are the only people that do this; I’m sure that many of these worries are shared by most other folks around the world. But in America, The Land Of Opportunity, one’s present level of social and economic success, along with everything else good and bad in life, generally gets blamed on the current President. We blissfully ignore the realities that trends exist, that policies take time to come to fruition, that change often happens slowly. No, we are impatient, hyperactive people. We want it all, we want it now, and if it isn’t happening right this second it’s the fault of the person in the White House. Oh, and we love to argue. We disagree on everything, all the time. Sometimes we disagree purely as a matter of principle; I refute what you’re saying today because I’ve disagreed with you in the past. And the beat goes on ...
Oh, one other thing. Every group, either ethnic or religious, that has come here has been hated and feared at first. They’ve all had to prove themselves in an extended trial by fire, sometimes generations long, before being accepted as True Americans. We’re a tough club to join, because we want only the best of who gets here. The rest of you can either die or go home. Well, that’s how it used to be, at least. Things have changed in the last few decades. Now anybody can get in, and immediately start crying when things get rough. And they get rewarded for it! Back in the day, it was “root, hog, or die”; a rural expression that meant you were the only one responsible for your own success and survival.
For all of our history our Presidents have always been white men. For most of our history our Presidents have always been Protestant Christian white men. Around the time that I was born we elected a President who was a Roman Catholic. People turned themselves inside out over that one, worried sick that our leader would be in thrall to the Vatican. That didn’t happen obviously. “Regular” religion has become almost a political non-issue, though we still can get excited about any “unusual” religions the candidates may belong to. We also get our panties in a twist when a candidate seems “excessively” religious, and (forgive me the applicable oxymoron) God help the candidate who might be an atheist, should we ever field one. It’s a minefield, but it’s one that can be avoided by treading lightly.
This election cycle has brought us to a unique spot in our history. We have a woman running for the office. We also have a Person Of Color ( a choice euphemism that theoretically means “anyone of any skin tone darker than a sheet of paper”, but in reality means a person of remote African descent. I know, I know; people from many other parts of the world are just as dark or darker. They can also claim the POC mantle, but usually only do so when they have something to complain about and want to convince us that they’ve been put upon. The rest of the time they’re just Americans, which means they’re too busy making money to pay much attention to skin tones. )
Ok ... the Woman Thing ... nobody really cares. Not really. We have truly “come a long way, baby”; we have women in the workforce, we have women bosses, we have women business owners, we have women in the military. We still argue a bit about “the glass ceiling” and “pay inequalities”, but we ignore the fact that women often want different things out of life than men do. But being female is no real barrier anymore to being President. Well, as long as they don’t complain “you’re being mean to me because I’m a girl” because they get asked the first question in a debate. We see that response as a cheap trick, to which the proper response is “Man Up”. It’s the old dichotomy in action again; you can’t demand full equality on the one hand, and seek special treatment because of some natural circumstance (ie being female) on the other. Swim with the big fish, as a big fish, or get out of the lake.
Right. Finally? The Race Thing. Mostly. The United States of America was founded on some lofty concepts. One of those concepts was that all of us are born equal (after that it’s what you make of it). We love the concept, but it has taken a long time to actually make it happen. We weren’t a society of complete equality at first. It is not unfair to say that it took us nearly 200 years to get even close to that point. It was within my lifetime that laws were passed that enforced true legal equality for people of all genders, races, sexual alignments, and belief systems. Laws notwithstanding, it has primarily been within the past 45 years that most of the social turnover has taken place. Changes are happening still. While a vast number of people today do honestly feel that a “level playing field” has finally become a reality, other large numbers of people feel that the “level” has quite a bit of slope left in it. So, of course, we argue whether the slope is uphill or downhill for “our side”, even though most of us are out on that field, running around in circles as fast as we can, making money. Hey, we’re Americans. Getting rich is our job.
Geez, are we there yet? I have to pee! Yes! For the past 50 years America has made enormous efforts to improve the lives of black people. We had this whole thing called the Civil Rights Movement in my childhood, and Full Equality was the supposed outcome. That wasn’t enough, or maybe the outcome didn’t really happen. We’ve had the push for the Great Society (a new New Deal). We’ve had the War On Poverty and created a vast welfare state. These weren’t enough either. We’ve had Affirmative Action, a very slick term for reverse discrimination, for many years now to force black people to have more than equal rights and opportunities in higher education and the workplace. All of these programs were meant to atone for past wrongs and to make up for past mistakes at an accelerated rate. But we’re still not there. We’ve spent billions on improving our schools, spending extra heavily in the inner cities and other areas with strong black populations. It doesn’t seem to be working. We’ve been round pegs hammered into the square holes of Political Correctness and Zero Tolerance, to the point that the pale among us suffer from White Guilt, our children suffer from Black Envy, and we have had our voices silenced to the point that black celebrities can come on the TV and tell us how some words are reserved for black people alone, and can have either a positive or negative meaning based on context, but those same words are denied to white people because, no matter the context they are used in, they will always - by definition! - be the negative meaning. And this has been not only allowed, but celebrated! And still millions of us, white and black, cry racism and inequality and discrimination and secret conspiracy theories to Kepp the Black Man Down. To many of the Caucasians living in this soup, these efforts seem to be Too Much even though they are forever derided as being Not Enough. An awful lot of us have just about run out of patience with the whole thing. We’re fed up, because we’ve got to where we are now largely by our own efforts, and it looks like the other side isn’t willing to do much other than complain and feel sorry for themselves. The olive branch has been extended time and time again, then gold plated and re-extended. Heck, it feels like the whole forest of olive trees has been extended, but it’s never going to be enough. Nothing ever will.
Pat Buchanan is known as the voice of the Religious Right. Don’t ask me why because he doesn’t speak for me. But while the man may have some views that are rather out there, it can’t be denied that he is both observant and intelligent. Giving him that respect, he has come out with his own take on Mr. Obama speech from the other day. He echoes some of the frustration felt by white people, and points out the one-sidedness to Obama non-apology apology, along with poking a few holes in Obama bubble of hot air ...
Yes, Barack agreed, Wright’s statements were “controversial,” and “divisive,” and “racially charged,” reflecting a “distorted view of America.”
But we must understand the man in full and the black experience out of which the Rev. Wright came: 350 years of slavery and segregation.
Barack then listed black grievances and informed us what white America must do to close the racial divide and heal the country.
The “white community,” said Barack, must start “acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination—and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past—are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds ... .”
And what deeds must we perform to heal ourselves and our country?
The “white community” must invest more money in black schools and communities, enforce civil rights laws, ensure fairness in the criminal justice system and provide this generation of blacks with “ladders of opportunity” that were “unavailable” to Barack’s and the Rev. Wright’s generations.
What is wrong with Barack’s prognosis and Barack’s cure?
Only this. It is the same old con, the same old shakedown that black hustlers have been running since the Kerner Commission blamed the riots in Harlem, Watts, Newark, Detroit and a hundred other cities on, as Nixon put it, “everybody but the rioters themselves.”
Was “white racism” really responsible for those black men looting auto dealerships and liquor stories, and burning down their own communities, as Otto Kerner said—that liberal icon until the feds put him away for bribery.
And as for The Great Race Debate, PB says it’s high time we spoke up:
Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America. Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to. This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:
First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.
Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.
Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ‘60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.
Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks—with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas—to advance black applicants over white applicants.
Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks. We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?
Go and read the rest. I think it’s one of his better essays, though I fully expect him to be instantly sidelined. After all, he is a Religious Nut. And a White Guy. And a Right Wing Extremist. So he can be ignored. Have to keep the Silent Majority silent, you know.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/22/2008 at 08:38 AM
Filed Under: • Politics • Racism and race relations •
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Permalink • Friday - March 21, 2008
And so it begins? The Great Debate, early statements
So I guess The Great Race Debate has finally begun? Two voices weigh in today from “Crackerville”, by two of my favorite online pundits. I’ll get around to writing something myself, when and if I find something to say that hasn’t been said before. Let’s just say for now that I’m rather fed up, and then go read what others have written.
Right Wing dream Mary Katherine Ham takes the high road ...
The new revelations of Rev. Wright and the fact that Obama chose him as a close spiritual adviser for 20 years makes it nearly impossible for me to buy what the Messiah is selling.
His distancing speech was more a justification speech than anything else. Rev. Wright and other, older black citizens are understandably still angry about discrimination they experienced, he said, and those frustrations are given voice at dinner tables and in fiery sermons. This is all right, Barack posits, because white people are angry, too, for much less justified reasons, like affirmative action.
Barack Obama is uniquely positioned to talk about race in America in a new way. It would have served his post-racial aspirations to do so today. He did not take that opportunity.
He was more eloquent than most, and less overtly divisive than other black leaders would have been, but the message was the same. Black people are angry because they were mistreated, and hateful people like Rev. Wright are only guilty of not understanding that the country can change, and has changed. Obama gives Wright a pass on perpetuating the pernicious notion that the Man is keeping his parishioners down, despite the fact that one of those parishioners is quite conspicuously running for President of the United States of America and winning.
The truth is that the firm belief of preachers and leaders like Wright in the perpetual victimhood of the black community, the sheer audacity of their hopelessness, has arguably done more to injure the black community over the past 20 years than many other things, including white racism.
...
I appreciate the nod to personal responsibility in the black community at the end of that paragraph, but it’s overshadowed by the fact that Obama refuses to condemn those who have risen to power preaching the systematic abdication of exactly that responsibility.
and bloggy darling Rachel Lucas cuts right to the bloody bone ...
Earlier, I was bored with the whole Obama/Reverend Wright kerfluffle, but not now. Because oh hell no:
“The point I was making was not that my grandmother harbors any racial animosity,” he said. “But she is a typical white person. If she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know. . .there’s a reaction that’s been bred into her experiences that doesn’t go away and it comes out in the wrong way.”That’s via Ace, who also has a post about a Time magazine piece coming out about how “incredibly ignorant” white America is about black America’s rage and resentment.
For shit’s sake.
Trust me, we’re not ignorant about it, because it’s all we ever hear about. We’ve known for a long, long time, too. Ten years or more ago, slavery reparation demands were all the rage. We’ve seen Spike Lee movies. We hear rap music. WE KNOW.
You want to start talking shit about “typical white people”, fine. Talk all you want but take your lumps in turn.
Both are worth reading, though I like Rachel’s piece better. That’s the thing about them thar InterTubes; sometimes what you want to say has already been said, sometimes better than you can say it. So the best thing to do is just link it up and put in some trackbacks. Although, to be a little bit original, I’d like to point out that the Obamagranny may be afraid of some strangers not matter what color they happen to be. Older folks, especially older women, often feel a lot more vulnerable than the rest of us, and often with good reason. That’s a point that I haven’t heard anyone bring up yet. Hmm, I wonder if she carries?
Posted by Drew458
on 03/21/2008 at 04:43 PM
Filed Under: • Politics • Racism and race relations •
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Permalink • When Seconds Count …
the police are just minutes away.
WEST COVINA, Calif. (AP) - A woman was asking a 911 dispatcher for help when her pleas were interrupted by gunshots, then silence. She was shot to death. The woman told the dispatcher someone was trying to break into her home in upscale West Covina, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Dan Rosenberg said. “Deputies heard gunshots followed by silence and an open phone line,” he said. Deputies arrived at the house, 20 miles east of Los Angeles, a few minutes after Wednesday’s late morning call. The woman, whose name was not released by police, had been shot several times. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
“At this point we believe it was a burglary gone awry,” Rosenberg said.
Investigators are trying to determine if anything was taken, Deputy Luis Castro said. While police were investigating the shooting, a man arrived at the home asking about his wife.
When he heard that the woman had been shot and killed, he collapsed and started to cry, saying “No! She just called me. You lie.”
The man was placed in a patrol car and taken to a sheriff’s station, police said. Witnesses said they saw one or more men running from the house, Rosenberg said. Investigators used bloodhounds to conduct yard-to-yard searches. No arrests had been made by Thursday morning, deputies said. As a precaution during the search, a high school and an elementary school were locked down for about two hours, police Lt. Dan Brooks said.
“A California woman was shot to death as she pleaded with emergency dispatchers to come and help her. Her death will not make the network news programs this evening, but this is the latest reminder that we must take responsibility for our own safety and not rely on the police.
Bill Masters, a libertarian and sheriff of a Colorado county tells the residents of his county, “It is your responsibility to protect yourself and your family from criminals. If you rely on the government for protection, you are going to be at least disappointed and at worst injured or killed.”
Gun control puts honest citizens in the position of having to choose between protecting their lives or respecting the law. What kind of government would do such a thing?”
This is a terrible situation. I don’t know the details, but I’ll tell you one thing ... if you’ve got people breaking in one side of your house, get the heck out the other side ASAP. Self preservation is more than having a gun or a big dog or impressive ninja skills. It’s also about having a plan. An escape route. A way out. I am not blaming the victim here, nor assailing any of the Castle Doctrine laws, but DAMMIT, don’t F^%(ing just STAND THERE TALKING ON THE PHONE!!!
Of course, maybe she lived on the 7th floor and only had the one door. Too high to jump from the windows, and let’s assume there was no fire escape. Still, Have a Plan. Think ahead. Do something proactively. Have a second set of locks and a deadbolt on your heavy duty bedroom door. Retreat to a position of strength if you can’t get away. Don’t get frightened, get angry. Somebody broke into this woman’s house and killed her without a word. And she just stood there.
BTW, all you gun nuts ... have you cleaned your firearms lately, taken them apart, and properly lubricated them? If you want to try a fantastic bore cleaner, rust preventive, and light lubricant, give TSI-301 a try. One pint will last you for years. It smells lemony fresh, removes surface rust, cuts down on barrel fouling, and make a pretty nice oil that doesn’t attract dust and grit like a magnet. I’ve tried just about every gun cleaner and oil on the market over the years, and this is one of the very best. A jammed gun will get you killed when you least expect it. And while you’re at it, give your ammo stockpile a check. Make sure your rounds are cool and dry. Make sure the rounds in your carry guns and house guns is fairly fresh, and that your magazine springs aren’t collapsed from sitting around fully loaded for years. See? Think Ahead, Have a Plan.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/21/2008 at 03:50 PM
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Permalink • OUR ELECTION CHOICES
With much thanks to Vilmar from whom I lifted this.
Thanks V.
Somethin’ to take us into the wkend with.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/21/2008 at 03:48 PM
Filed Under: • Celebrities • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Republicans •
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Permalink • El Al: better to argue over money than provide safety
Defense officials say Israel will begin outfitting some of its passenger aircraft with missile defense systems within weeks.
The plans have been in the works since 2002, when an Arkia passenger jet was targeted after takeoff by militants firing missiles in Mombasa, Kenya. The missiles missed, but the attack spurred Israel to consider equipping passenger aircraft with defense systems similar to those already used by the air force.
The officials say the system fires flares that disrupt an incoming missile’s heat-seeking mechanism. It will be installed first on airplanes flying to destinations considered dangerous, especially in Africa and parts of Asia.
The officials say the plans were held up until this month by arguments between government ministries over who would foot the bill.
But now that hezbollah is making threats of revenge everywhere, the Israeli government has agreed to cover most of the cost. I wonder how many more years El Al would have kept the argument going if the gov hadn’t given in? Until one of their planes was shot down? Two? Twelve?
Ok, this isn’t a knock against El Al specifically, but come on already. Flare and chaff launchers have been around forever. These are off the shelf parts, and self-contained units. The cost out to be minimal and the retrofit should be quite simple. Yet it took 5 years to debate who was going to pay for it? Puh-leez. I’m simply amazed that El Al didn’t install these things ages ago. Hell, I’m surprised their airliners don’t have radar jamming electronics and a few air-to-air missiles secretly mounted.
And these guys are probably leading the pack. Does any other airline have any kind of active defenses installed? Not that I know of. But in a more perfect world, I wouldn’t want to know about it. Put the things in, and keep your damn mouth shut. Crazy people have been hijacking, bombing, and shooting down airliners for more than 30 years now. Wise up.
Cruise ships have started getting hassled by pirates lately. I see no reason why they aren’t armed a little bit too. Once upon a time, back in the old days, all merchant vessels were armed. Out there on the high seas you were truly Over The Line, and you were responsible for your own safety. Frankly I’d rather travel in a ship or plane that was set up for self defense, and I’d be willing to pay a little more for that too. But remember what happened post-9/11 when US airline pilots wanted to be armed? Screaming monkeys flinging poo everywhere. Not much happened, though I’ve heard the flight attendants got some judo training. I hope they got tasers and stun guns too, but I doubt it.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/21/2008 at 01:48 PM
Filed Under: • War On Terror •
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Permalink • It’s a miracle they didn’t shoot him three hundred times
I’m not sure if this is another one of those stupid Punk’d stunts, but this crime takes the cake - or the Krispy Kremes - for RSCD (Really Stupid Crime of the Day).
TOLEDO, Iowa — An Illinois man was arrested after police chased a stolen delivery van loaded with doughnuts across two Iowa counties at speeds of up to 100 mph.
The van, owned by Donut Delite, of Moline, Ill., was stolen early Thursday while the driver was making deliveries at a hospital in nearby Rock Island.
More than 100 miles later in Iowa, a Benton County sheriff’s deputy spotted the van about 9:30 a.m. — and the chase began.
Other officers joined in, and the chase stretched into Tama County. Authorities finally cornered the van in Toledo and arrested the driver, Frank Alvarado, 46, of Moline, Ill. He is charged with theft, eluding and numerous traffic violations.
He had been a patient at Trinity Medical Hospital-West in Rock Island, authorities said.
The bakery donated the doughnuts to the officers involved in the chase.
“They probably deserved it,” said Sharon Wainwright, manager of Delite Donuts.
Salt and Pepper, Ham and Eggs, Democrats and Corruption, Cops and Doughnuts. Some things just go together naturally.
Posted by Drew458
on 03/21/2008 at 12:39 PM
Filed Under: • Humor • Stoopid-People •
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It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.
- Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
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Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.
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