Monday - May 31, 2004

Daily Dose

Quote Of The Day

"Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite."
-- John Kenneth Galbraith

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On This Day In History

May 31, 1889 - The Johnstown Flood
In a river valley in central Pennsylvania, heavy rain and a neglected dam lead to a catastrophe in which 2,209 people die and a prosperous city, Johnstown, is nearly wiped off the face of the earth. At 3:10 p.m., the South Fork Dam washed away, drowning several laborers who were struggling to maintain it. Club officials on high ground watched awe-struck as 20 million tons of water went roaring down the valley toward Johnstown. The deluge swept through the communities of South Fork, Mineral Point, Woodvale, and East Conemaugh, accumulating debris, including rocks, trees, houses, barns, railroad cars, animals, and people, both dead and alive. By the time it reached Johnstown, at 4:07 p.m., the flood appeared as a rolling hill of debris more than 30 feet high and nearly half a mile wide. In a terrible swoop, the northern half of the city was swept away, sending some 1,500 demolished Johnstown buildings tumbling down with the roaring torrent.

_{Thanks to The Quotations Page and The History Channel.}

   Sunday - May 30, 2004

Sleep Softly

I remember when I was boy, about eight or nine years old (this was around 1958), my dad took us to visit Arlington National Cemetary. Dad was stationed at Andrews AFB at the time. I remember the thrill of watching the guard performing his precision march in front of the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier.

Later as we walked around the grounds, we came upon a funeral in progress and dad ushered us along to keep from interfering with the ceremony. As we walked away, the bugler started to play "Taps". I thought it was the saddest song I had ever heard played and I told my dad so. I asked him if there were any words to the tune. He smiled and said "yes". Then he hung his head and started to sing quietly:

Rain Delays And Blinks

Well, We're back home. We got rained on and the race was delayed twice. My lady-friend developed the sniffles and started whining. Temp was in the 80's at the racetrack. I was having the time of my life. After the second rain delay stretched out to nearly two hours we decided to leave (she decided, I caved -- hehehe). I can honestly say it was MAGNIFICENT! I never dreamed it could be so loud. All that horsepower, flying around the track at speeds in excess of 200 MPH. I just checked and the race was finally resumed and is just past the halfway point. The lead keeps changing hands. All I can say is you have to come see the Indy 500 at least once in your life to really appreciate motor racing. Watching it on TV is just not the same. At the track it is AWESOME!

The only problem I encountered was finding a parking place. We had to walk about half a mile, even after arriving two hours before race time.

I've started to tinker with the blog site again. I just signed up with blogrolling.com to automate our blogroll. This should be a lot easier than manually editing the Main Page template every time I add another really cool site.

Now, let's see what's going on around the Blogosphere .......

Tom, at Aldaynet, has the scoop on a RetardFest in Atlanta.

Allah is still AWOL and has been for three weeks. I'm starting to get worried. Someone contact Amber Alert - STAT!

Emperor Misha is MAD! M-A-D mad! Grinding teeth mad! Clenched fists mad! Why? Go read about what is going on at one of our fine government-controlled schools in Denver. I'm right there with you, Misha. I say we pop a cap in the principal's sorry ass.

John at Castle Argghhh! has his Memorial Day post up. READ IT NOW! That's an order!

The guys at DGCI have a letter from Cooter, down by de bayou in Loosiana, to John Kerry. Triple-Laugh Alert! They promise to have their Memorial Day tribute up tomorrow.

Frank, at IMAO, is out for the weekend but he left us with an informative look at Al Gore. Key quote: Al Gore's father was also a U.S. Senator and his mother is a wooden plank. Many say Gore got his personality from his mother. Mheh-heh-he ....

Instapundit keeps us abreast of absolutely wonderful developments in Europe.

Speaking of staying abreast, Kim du Toit loves guns and broads. So do I. This weekend's pics are an absolute treasure. Jane Russell. I remember that picture of her in the hay is what started me through puberty .. way back when. Oh, my! Temperature's rising ........

Finally, while you're enjoying the long weekend, take the time to read Steven Den Beste's excellent essay on Bias In The Press. Steven is probably one of the best writers in the blogosphere and should be required reading.

FINAL STANDING ORDER: It is Memorial Day Weekend - get out and enjoy yourself. Bathe in the freedom this country provides. Go have a picnic, go fishing, take a drive around the countryside, visit friends and family, relax and tell yourself what a good life you have. Somewhere, under six feet of dirt, is a soldier, sailor or airman who sacrificed his or her life so you could do all these things. That is all.

Daily Dose

Quote Of The Day

It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.
-- Robert E. Lee (1807 - 1870)

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On This Day In History

May 30, 1868 - Civil War Dead Honored On Decoration Day

By proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, the first major Memorial Day observance is held to honor those who died "in defense of their country during the late rebellion." Known to some as "Decoration Day," mourners honored the Civil War dead by decorating their graves with flowers. On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.

The 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances that had taken place in various locations in the three years since the end of the Civil War. In fact, several cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Mississippi; Macon, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; and Carbondale, Illinois. In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon B. Johnson, declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo--which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866--because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

By the late 19th century, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day, and after World War I, observers began to honor the dead of all of America's wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. It is customary for the president or vice president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. More than 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually. Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.

_{Thanks to The Quotations Page and The History Channel.}

Historical Note: What is now Arlington National Cemetary was once home to Robert E. Lee. The mansion and surrounding land were owned by his wife Mary Anna Custis Lee. The mansion was constructed in 1802 by George Washington Parke Custis, who was the adopted grandson of George Washington. The US Government confiscated the property on January 11, 1864. Arlington National Cemetery was established by Brigadier General Montgomery C. Meigs, who commanded the garrison at Arlington House. He appropriated the grounds June 15, 1864, for use as a military cemetery. His intention was to render the house uninhabitable should the Lee family ever attempt to return. Neither Robert E. Lee, nor his wife, as title holder, ever attempted to publicly recover control of Arlington House. They were buried at Washington University (later renamed Washington and Lee University) where Lee had served as president.

All The Apologies That Are Fit To Print

The New York Times has issued an apology for lying to us about WMD's in Iraq.

(insert your own punchline here)

   Saturday - May 29, 2004

Hate Art

Freedom of speech and the freedom to express one's self is the greatest freedom we Americans possess. That is why it is explicitly defined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. You are entitled to say anything or express any opinion you wish .... without intervention by the government.

However, with that freedom comes the responsibility to be held accountable for your words by your fellow citizens. If you are going to create what you think is a "work of art" then you have to contend with the inevitable critic. Works of art are intended to appeal to the emotions of the viewer. If the emotions the artist sets out to stir up are hateful emotions then the artist should not be surprised when that is the reaction he or she gets.

Today's modern artists seem to me to be pushing the envelope of "hate art" to extreme limits. Paintings of Christ covered in feces do not strike me as art. To me, that is nothing less than an expression of the artist's hatred of Christianity and I am strongly offended by it. So why are "hate speech" and "hate crimes" declared illegal and condemned by society but "hate art" is allowed to not only exist but to spread?

More importantly, where does "hate art" cross the line and generate a blacklash? It seems that happened in San Francisco yesterday. No, the government did not censor the artist and neither was he arrested for a "hate crime". The community responded and the shopowner who was exhibiting the painting was spat upon and beaten.

When I first read the story I was shocked and felt sorry for the woman who was beaten.

Then I saw the painting.

After seeing the painting, I wanted to beat not only her but the artist who painted it. Guy Colwell's painting, titled "Abuse," depicts three U.S. soldiers leering at a group of naked men in hoods with wires connected to their bodies. The one in the foreground has a blood-spattered American flag patch on his uniform. In the background, a soldier in sunglasses guards a blindfolded woman.

This is disgusting. The Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal was abhorrent to us all and the guilty few have been identified and tried. To see the national media concentrate on this single incident has been troublesome enough. For an artist to depict the incident in this manner goes beyond bad taste and, by all appearances, is nothing more than "hate art". This is the same kind of art that was produced by the Nazis in World War II depicting leering, ugly Jews killing babies. Its sole intention is to generate hatred.

There are over 130,000 American soldiers, sailors and airmen in Iraq who are fighting and dying to free a country and make the world a safer place. They are living in miserable conditions, contending with an insane enemy and getting paid less than the cook at your local McDonalds. Would you like to tell them that they are sacrificing and dying so that this artist and shopowner can express their hatred of them? I sure wouldn't.

This "hate art" is just not acceptable and you know it.

My final thought on this incident in San Francisco is that it is a shame the artist wasn't beaten to a bloody pulp. Mr. Colwell deserves no less than to receive a little taste of the hatred he espouses.

The liberal Left in America has only hatred and anger on its mind these days. Hatred of America, hatred of the current administration, hatred of the military. They are shouting, screaming, finger-pointing, accusing, name-calling and infecting us all with their vitriolic behavior. Take a look around. Every day they escalate their radical behavior.

Sooner or later there will come a reckoning. Their hatred will eventually generate a blackash. This incident in San Francisco is only a small taste of what is to come unless the Liberal Leftist Moonbats find something better to do than preach hatred.

Mini-Buff

Speaking of radio-controlled toys, a team of Brits have come up with the ultimate "Man Toy" .... and we do mean TOY!

It weighs 300 lb and has eight miniature turbo-jet engines, each producing 14 lbs. of thrust. What is it?

A large-scale model, radio-controlled B-52 Stratofortress .... with real jet engines. Videos of in-flight tests are here.

I wonder if it could carry a miniature nuke to Damascus or Teheran? Bwah-hah-ha-ha-ha-ha ....

I Feel The Need For Speed

Vilmar is hosting family members this weekend and celebrating his mom's 70th birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MRS. T.!!), so he has his hands full. Because of that I am manning the Command & Control Center here at BMEWS by myself. Tomorrow, I will be out of pocket too .... all day. So be prepared.

You see, I am going to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I moved here to Indianapolis last year and have been waiting for tomorrow ever since I got here. In less than 24 hours my lady-friend and I will be in the "C" Stands, Upper Deck ($180 for two tickets) waiting for the excitement to begin. The weather promises to behave and I can hardly contain myself. I promise to have a full report tomorrow night. Until tomorrow morning, this 55-year-old "child" will be playing with his radio-controlled race car creating havoc on the living room floor ....

My Reality Check Bounced

Every day I wake up and after a brief check of all body parts to see if they are still attached and functioning as per specification, I open my eyes and visually inspect the current reality I am inhabiting. If gravity is still functioning and the atmosphere contains the proper amount of nitrogen and oxygen, I make a marginal decision to get out of bed and further inspect the status of current events. Most of the time the good news outweighs the bad and after a couple of cups of coffee, I quickly analyse my options and proceed to fill the day with the proper amounts of work and play.

Quite often though, my fellow human beings perform acts that defy all logic or understanding. When this happens I usually sit down here at the keyboard and try to articulate my astonishment and often outrage. I'm just a tiny voice in the wilderness amid the cacophony of noise from various mindless sources that we all must endure every day of our lives but I have hopes that somebody out there will listen and decide not to do something they shouldn't be doing.

Then again, on some days, news reports like this one from Saudi Arabia cross my desk and I feel a sense of frustration and anger at certain members of homo sapiens sapiens who evidently are not as "sapiens" as the rest of us. Mindless murder and rage at the rest of the race by these evolutionary throwbacks can only be answered by one method: annihilation. They must be "put down" so that the rest of us can live in peace. There is no bargaining with them. There is nothing we have that they want .... except our death. They are the enemy and the only good enemy is a dead enemy. Period.

With that said, I also have to ponder this news story. I ponder the story, examine it from several angles, question whether I read it right and then .... go back to bed.

Today, my reality check bounced.

Daily Dose

Quote Of The Day

"The time not to become a father is eighteen years before a war."
-- E. B. White

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On This Day In History

May 29, 1953 - Sir Edmund Hillary Reaches Summit Of Mt. Everest
At 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first explorers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, which at 29,035 feet above sea level is the highest point on earth. The two, part of a British expedition, made their final assault on the summit after spending a fitful night at 27,900 feet.

_{Thanks to The Quotations Page and The History Channel.}

   Friday - May 28, 2004

Memorial Day

Barking Moonbat Of The Week

This week it's a THREE-FER. Three of the ugliest, stoopidest creatures ever to walk the face of the earth. This is what 1400 years of inbreeding produces ....

Radical Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (left) caves in and runs away in Najaf. An outlaw in his own country.

Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri (center) is under arrest and on his way to the US for trial.

Radical Democratic cleric Al Gore (right) flips his lid when his medication is removed.



Three blind mice,
Three blind mice.
See how they run,
See how they run ...

Little shorties

The assclown: Gore
His venue: a MoveOn.Org event
Kerry's reaction? He's waiting to flip before he flops
His campaign staff's response to what The Poodle's Iraq policy is? A typical leftist response representative of the assclowns who like having government do everything for them so that they do not have to be responsible,

"We're just not going to set ourselves up to be held accountable."

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Found: New World
Distance: 420 light years away
Our speed for rocket craft today: about 17,000 MPH
Estimated date of arrival leaving today: A.D. 41,500

Don't forget to bring a couple of cross word puzzles to pass the time.

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Location: Philadelphia
Place: a Mosque
Cleric: vocal anti-western imam
Found: documents, financial records, wire transfer receipts
Who's pissed? The Muslims
You surprised? I didn't think so.

Daily Dose

Quote Of The Day

"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives."
-- Abba Eban

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On This Day In History

May 28, 1754 - First Battle Of The French And Indian War
In the first engagement of the French and Indian War, a Virginia militia under 22-year-old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington defeats a French reconnaissance party in southwestern Pennsylvania. In a surprise attack, the Virginians killed 10 French soldiers from Fort Duquesne, including the French commander, Coulon de Jumonville, and took 21 prisoners. Only one of Washington's men was killed.

May 28, 1937 - Golden Gate Bridge Opens
The Golden Gate Bridge opened to vehicular traffic on this day in 1937. One of the world's largest single-span suspension bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge was designed by Clifford Paine. Paine submitted the final blueprints for approval in 1930.

_{Thanks to The Quotations Page and The History Channel.}

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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

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.

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