Monday - May 14, 2012

worthy of a prize. yeah, but what kind? stupid doesn’t cover it.

Howz this in the category of one for the books?

If this doesn’t paint the picture of just how stupid things can get, then nothing else will. 
This is a letter to the editor from a retired woman. And boy I’d say she has a problem. I only wish there was a follow up done cos I’d like to know what happened over time. 
Under the headline …….

BAD ADVICE, was the following. Take a look.

I’m a pensioner whose mother died last year, after which I decided initially, to rent out her house.

A married couple with three children moved in last October, but as I wanted to put the house up for sale I gave them notice.

Then the husband walked out, and the rent stopped being paid.  The wife has now been advised by the (town) council to squat in the house.

How can the council tell someone to do something so wrong?  What’s happening when the authorities are recommending such behavior?

Posted by peiper     on 05/14/2012 at 07:09 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Outrageous • UK •  
• Comments (2) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

IT’S PERSONAL

Yesterday I posted a story about the closing of a museum. Nobody made any comments on it here at bmews but there were a number of comments made by Daily Mail readers on line. Including me because I felt strongly about the subject, and mourned the passing of the museum and most likely the Empire as well.

Sun sets on the only museum dedicated to the British Empire because of the nation’s dislike of colonial past

By MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTER

The country’s only museum dedicated to the glories of the British Empire has closed for good.

The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum has been forced to sell its premises in Bristol and give up its collections because of public antipathy towards the country’s colonial past.

That isn’t the entire article but it’s enough for my purpose today.
As I mentioned above, I wrote a comment along with others.
When I opened my email this morning, I was greeted thus.

Hello jayd,

We have received a number of complaints about the comment you made on article “Sun sets on the only museum dedicated to the British Empire because of the nation’s dislike of colonial past “ (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2143618/Sun-sets-museum-dedicated-British-Empire-nations-dislike-colonial-past.html), 13/05/2012 at 07:23

Due to the number of complaints received, your comment has been removed from MailOnline.

Should the situation change, we will review and consider re-publishing. Until such time, your comment will remain off the site. To avoid this happening again, please take the time to review the House Rules and site Terms and Conditions.

I wish I had made a copy of the short comment I wrote, and can not recall what I said that would have caused so much angst and complaints. But the folks at the Mail don’t tell me how many that number was, nor do they tell me in what way or what words used could have caused offense.  I used no bad language and attacked nobody personally so I am in the dark as to which one of their numerous rules I violated.
So it sure does have me PO’d. Not from an ego standpoint. But from the position that I was actually defending the Empire and thought that the billions spent on foreign aid could be better spent here in England.  Oh yeah, I also mourned the idea that the Victory had to beg for money and lease itself to raise funds for upkeep.

And so it goes. Which I fear ain’t well.

Posted by peiper     on 05/14/2012 at 04:34 AM   
Filed Under: • Personal •  
• Comments (7) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Sunday - May 13, 2012

eye candy bombshell

I know I’ve used this goddess before but she’s worth another visit.

CHRISTINA HENDRRICKS

That’s all folks.

good night.

Posted by peiper     on 05/13/2012 at 02:37 PM   
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

pentagon instructor urges war. instructor no longer instructing.

If only.  A few nukes and take out Somalia too and kill (literally) two roaches with a few boom-booms. 
Hey come on. We all have our fantasies. Right? 

Or is this article already old news back home?  Of course it’s brand new to me here.

Anyway, it’s so typical of how things are these days. ONE student had a gripe. ONE! That’s all it takes I guess.

PENTAGON INSTRUCTOR URGES TOTAL WAR ON ISLAM

A red-faced Pentagon has conceded that an instructor at its Joint Forces College in Virginia for military officers was until recently teaching a course advocating “total war” with Islam that could require obliterating the holy cities of Mecca and Medina without concern for civilian deaths.

The material in the course, which officers could elect to take but was not obligatory, flew in the face of repeated assertions by the Obama administration that the war on terrorism is just that and should under no circumstances be read as an assault on a religion observed by 1.4 billion people around the world.

Details of the course were obtained by a blog on Wired.com, drawn from a presentation given by the teacher, Lt. Col. Matthew Dooley, in July last year.  He suggested that destroying Islamic holy sites would follow the precedents of the nuclear strike by the allies on Hiroshima in World War II and the firebombing of Dresden. His course was called ‘Perspectives on Islam and Islamic Radicalism’.

It was suspended in April after the Pentagon received a complaint from a student and Lt. Col. Dooley, while still at the College, no longer has any teaching duties.  The FBI, meanwhile, has revealed that it too has recently been forced to revise some of its instructional materials to excise references that could have been insulting to Islam.

“It was just totally objectionable, against our values, and it wasn’t academically sound,” the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Martin Dempsey, said at a press conference at the Pentagon. “This wasn’t about ... pushing back on liberal thought; this was objectionable, academically irresponsible.”

Dooley offered a theoretical war plan based on the need for “a direct ideological and philosophical confrontation with Islam”. In his presentation, he said:

“They hate everything you stand for and will never coexist with you, unless you submit”. He added that as America waged that war it would be free to ignore provisions of the Geneva Convention that sets the rules for armed conflict as “no longer relevant”.

“This would leave open the option once again of taking war to a civilian population wherever necessary (the historical precedents of Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki being applicable...).” Saying Islam has already declared war on the US, Dooley called the current American stance of seeking common ground with Islamic leaders around the world as “illogical” and the better option was “waging ‘near total war’”.

“We have now come to understand that there is no such thing as ‘moderate Islam’,” Dooley said in the July presentation. “It is therefore time for the United States to make our true intentions clear. This barbaric ideology will no longer be tolerated. Islam must change or we will facilitate its self-destruction.”

Offered five times a year for groups of 20 at a time, the course may have been taught to as many as 800 mid-level and senior US military officers before the Pentagon closed it down.  Lt. Col. Dooley was himself a highly decorated officer who had served in Iraq, Bosnia and Kuwait among others.

SOURCE

Posted by peiper     on 05/13/2012 at 02:17 PM   
Filed Under: • USA • War On Terror •  
• Comments (7) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

sun has set on the empire museum

Caught this today and find it depressing. What a shame. And meanwhile the most famous warship the world has ever known, The Victory, will be turned into a high end restaurant to raise money to maintain this greatest of all fighting ships, while the govt. sends billions of dollars in foreign aid. What crap.
I hate to see all that happen and even more the ppl who continually say sorry for the Empire. Jerks!

Sun sets on the only museum dedicated to the British Empire because of the nation’s dislike of colonial past

By MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTER

The country’s only museum dedicated to the glories of the British Empire has closed for good.

The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum has been forced to sell its premises in Bristol and give up its collections because of public antipathy towards the country’s colonial past.

Sir Neil Cossons, chairman of the museum’s board of trustees, last night blamed the demise on ‘post-imperial angst’.

He said: ‘I think the time has not yet arrived for the proper story of Empire and Commonwealth to be told.’

Although attitudes to Empire were improving, he said it was still an ‘unfashionable subject’ and ‘more healing of time’ was required.

The museum opened in Bristol in 2002 but closed in 2008. It was hoped that selling the building would pay for the collection to move to London.

But despite fetching £3.1 million, the museum failed to find a home in the capital.

Now its 50,000-strong collection of written records, photographs, film clips, paintings, letters and artefacts has been gifted to Bristol Museum.

Last week three Lord Lieutenants, who advise the Queen on the awarding of honours, said the term Empire should be removed from awards such as the OBE and CBE because it was anachronistic.

okay, there could be a valid case made for the term Empire since there no longer is one.

source

Posted by peiper     on 05/13/2012 at 01:25 PM   
Filed Under: • UK •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

a nationwide ban on lead ammo?  some say yes.

I don’t think you’ll be surprised but it’s interesting to note how they word things with this subject.
It’s a bit long so I’ll only post an edited version.
For all of it for those interested, as always see the link below.

‘An attack on country sports’ ...anger at Wildfowl Trust’s bid to ban lead shot

By VALERIE ELLIOTT

A leading conservation charity is at loggerheads with its pro-shooting president, Prince Charles, after launching a campaign calling for a nationwide ban on lead shot.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), which also has the Queen as patron, is calling for a ban on the shot used in game shooting – despite the risk of offending members of the Royal Family who enjoy this traditional country sport.

The move has revived tensions in the countryside, seven years after the foxhunting ban.

Chef Marco Pierre White is among many people convinced it is an attempt to attack game shooting.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation and the Countryside Alliance have been angered by the move and insist there is no scientific justification for a lead shot ban.

They claim it would harm an industry worth almost £2 billion to the national economy.

Farmers are also concerned the higher price for non-lead shot will drive up the cost of controlling rabbits, foxes, pigeons and rooks on farmland.

A typical pack of 25 cartridges filled with lead shot costs about £7 while a pack with non-toxic shot made of the metal bismuth costs about £34.

Cheaper steel shot is sold for about £5 a pack – but this high-velocity ammunition is not suitable for many older guns because there is a risk the barrels could explode.

The controversial WWT strategy is revealed in papers leaked to The Mail on Sunday.

It has triggered particular anger because the charity is widely supported in the shooting community.

The WWT was established by conservationist Sir Peter Scott in 1946 at the Slimbridge nature reserve in Gloucestershire and now has eight sites in the UK.

Mr Pierre White, a keen shooter, said: ‘People have been shooting with lead for generations, why would you want to change it?

‘If you want to talk about pollution, let’s talk about petrol and industry. The bottom line is that they are trying to ban shooting.’

READ MORE

Posted by peiper     on 05/13/2012 at 12:22 PM   
Filed Under: • Guns and Gun Control • UK •  
• Comments (2) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

in my inbox

The Little Red Hen version 2012

“Who will help me plant my wheat?” asked the little red hen.

“Not I,” said the cow.
“Not I,” said the duck.
“Not I,” said the pig.
“Not I,” said the goose.

“Then I will do it by myself.” She planted her crop and the wheat grew and ripened.



“Who will help me reap my wheat?” asked the little red hen.

“Not I,” said the duck.
“Out of my classification,” said the pig.
“I’d lose my seniority,” said the cow.
“I’d lose my unemployment compensation,” said the goose.

“Then I will do it by myself,” said the little red hen, and so she did.


************
“Who will help me mill the flour?” asked the little red hen.

“Not I,” said the duck.
“I’m on disability,” said the pig.
“It’s against nature for cows to haul sacks. Don’t play to the stereotype that we’re all oxen,” said the cow.
“I have to get my nails done,” said the goose.

“Then I will do it by myself,” said the little red hen, and so she did.



“Who will help me bake the bread?” asked the little red hen.

“That would be overtime for me,” said the cow.
“I’d lose my welfare benefits,” said the duck.
“I’m a dropout and never learned how,” said the pig.
“If I’m to be the only helper, that’s discrimination,” said the goose.

“Then I will do it by myself,” said the little red hen, and so she did.



She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see.
“Who will help me eat the bread?” asked the little red hen.
“I will.” said the cow.
“I will” said the duck.
“I will” said the pig.
“I will” said the goose.

“No,” said the little red hen, “I shall eat all five loaves.”

“Excess profits!” cried the cow.
“Capitalist leech!” screamed the duck.
“I demand social justice and equal rights!” yelled the goose.
The pig just grunted in disdain.

And they all painted ‘Unfair!’ and “1%” picket signs, occupied the farmyard and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.

Then the farmer came. He said to the little red hen, “You must not be so greedy.”

“But I earned the bread,” said the little red hen.

“Exactly,” said Barack the farmer. “That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle.”

And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, “I am grateful, for now I truly understand.”

But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the ‘party’ and got her bread free. And all the Democrats smiled. ‘Fairness’ had been established.

Individual initiative had died but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared so long as there was free bread that ‘the rich’ were paying for.



EPILOGUE

Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs.

Hillary got $8 million for hers.

That’s $20 million for the memories from two people, who for eight years repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn’t remember anything.

IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OR WHAT?

Posted by Drew458     on 05/13/2012 at 08:54 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Fun-Stuff •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Saturday - May 12, 2012

Brit columnist thinks Mrs Clinton has given up on looking presentable

Jan Moir writes for the Mail and can be catty at times. But she has a valid point here.
No matter what party one belongs to, you’re still representing the USA in a very public way when holding high office.
Since I don’t follow what Mrs. Clinton looks like at any given time but apparently some do, I thought I’d share this Brit take on Mrs. Clinton’s appearance.

Moir btw isn’t a consv. I don’t believe and is no fan of the American Tea Party. But her points in the article are pretty well on target.

Please try not to vomit or panic. If you feel the need, pop on a pair of lads’ mag standard issue, lead-lined crone-o-vision spectacles.

So what I am saying is the reason Hillary has gone all hairy-legged basket-weaver on everyone is not because she is giving up lipstick, but because she is giving up politics. She has no desire to run for high office again, surprise surprise. She wants to step down, saying: ‘I just want to take some deep breaths.’

In a way, she has boomeranged back to the geek from Arkansas in the bottle-neck specs, and put all that vote-winning glam stuff behind her.

Politics is not a beauty contest, but I do think those in high office should be as groomed as possible. Clinton is representing the people of America. Come on. There would be outrage, not fem-applause, if it was a male Secretary of State who was wandering around unshaven and unkempt.

Hillary also looks exhausted — and no wonder, given her gruelling schedule. Do you know what I say about that? Blusher always helps.

I’m doing this post a bit backwards because this small part of her column caught the attention of other Brit papers with one quoting Moir. But I doubt Clinton will see it and if she did, she would take little note.

Looking your best and wearing make-up is not about taking part in a beauty pageant or trying to be the prettiest girl in the room. Powerful women all over the world understand the power of image, of good grooming and polish.

Hillary is going to roam around the globe meeting important world leaders while looking like a lightly boiled bag lady. She just doesn’t care any more.

Please see the link for the gruesome pix.

JAN MOIR

Posted by peiper     on 05/12/2012 at 05:09 PM   
Filed Under: • USA •  
• Comments (2) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

here we go again

Well, here we go again.
What is it with our society?  Why are we allowing the anarchists to have their way.  It isn’t even really about capitalism altho I’m sure that plays a part.
No. It’s simply about disruption and going as far as they are allowed to go.  Which seems to be quite a bit.

It could be handled so easily however.  The police know who and where the ringleaders are. Surely there are special squads who could go after them and eliminate the vermin. Cut the head off the snake.

Then as to the rest, flame throwers and machine guns would do very nicely provided nobody left above ground to come back and do it again.
Could work if only the powers that leach had the guts and the heart.

The cast majority of “Occupy” have never had a job, have never paid any tax, they bleed the system for benefits, cost local councils a fortune for policing and clearing up after them and then have the cheek to talk about the deficit. Do they know what they are protesting about, do they offer an alternative set of policies, no they are upset that their way of life (not working and living on handouts) might be under threat. Rather than being jealous of those that work hard they should try it.
- marc, chelmsford, 12/5/2012 16:47

They’re back: Occupy protesters return to St Paul’s cathedral as hundreds gather for protest rally

Minor skirmishes break out between police and protesters
St Paul’s cathedral remained open to tourists

By RICHARD HARTLEY-PARKINSON

Anti-capitalism protesters from the Occupy movement have begun a new protest in the City of London.

It is part of a global day of action seeing thousands of people rallying in cities including Moscow, New York, Athens and Madrid, organisers said.

Several hundred people have gathered outside St Paul’s Cathedral for a rally before ‘visiting the 1%’ at the offices of some of the largest firms in the financial heart of the capital.

There were some minor skirmishes between protesters and police as they marched through the City.
Officers had briefly encircled the protest after it moved down Fleet Street and into Fetter Lane, causing some protesters to break through the police line.

An Occupy spokesman said: ‘Nowhere in Europe is the unequal distribution of wealth as striking as in the UK.

lots more here, photos

‘The richest 1,000 persons, just 0.005% of the adult population, increased their wealth by £155bn over the last three years.

‘That is enough for themselves alone to pay off the entire budget deficit and still leave them with £30bn to spare.

‘“We’re all in this together” never rang so hollow. Whilst the rest of the country is being crippled by austerity, the very same people who caused the crisis are now sitting on wealth even greater than what they had before the crash?’

City of London Police said it had a ‘proportionate’ operation in place around the peaceful demonstration. St Paul’s Cathedral remains open to tourists.

Posted by peiper     on 05/12/2012 at 04:35 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • UK •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Cashmere

Cashmere. Love it. Snuggle city.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/12/2012 at 10:40 AM   
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Our Part Time pResident

Wish I had a part time job that paid this well and had the same level of benefits.

On May 7, Geoffrey Norman posted “Today’s Laugh Line” at National Review Online—a quote from a column by Mark Halperin in Time asserting Mitt Romney has “the luxury of an open schedule” allowing him to “spend every waking hour as a full-time candidate,” while President Obama “is required to do his day job.”

It was even funnier if one looked at President Obama’s May 7 schedule. Here was his schedule that day, in its entirety, with all events taking place in the Oval Office:

10:00 a.m.  The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing.

11:00 a.m.  The President meets with senior advisors.

2:30 p.m.  The President holds a conference call with elected officials and student government leaders from across the country to discuss the need to prevent rates from doubling on July 1.

Yeah, well what did you expect? The guy didn’t work full time as a college lecturer. The guy didn’t work hardly at all as a lawyer. And community organizin’ ain’t exactly at Up At Dawn kind of effort neither.

Besides, a decent round of golf takes hours. As does planning for your next vacation.

Hey all you racists: lazy AND shiftless. Probably has his comfortable shoes too. Plus there’s this one.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/12/2012 at 10:30 AM   
Filed Under: • Obama, The One •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Friday - May 11, 2012

some tech stuff

okay....
This is for you guys and gals that are up to date on this new fangled tech thingy stuff. I take it an iPad is also a phone. Is that correct? Why would I want one? That’d be assuming I could afford the costs I’ve seen for this product.  Which is even higher over here.
Maybe the question I should ask is, what influences you to make the choice you have or will make on these products?

I’ve been looking at Kindle a bit but not sure which would be best. I’ve seen ads that claim you can be online for things like email with no extra charge.
Online?  I thought they were electronic books. ??

Still haven’t got a mobile phone. Trying to justify one but can’t. I get caught up in all the ads I see and a few ppl I know who have these phones that do all sorts of things and one of my friends back in the states is in love with her Samsung which she says has voice recognition. Seems a bit overwhelming with all the bells and whistles. So anyway, looks here like Apple is declaring war on the competition.

Anyway, the price is expected to be about 200 to 250 American dollars.

But I also see it says “Mini” so maybe it isn’t any big deal at all. But I wouldn’t know and so I’m asking.

Any answers?

Apple ‘planning to sell £150 iPad Mini AT A LOSS in order to kill off Android tablets’

Claims suggest Apple will launch iPad Mini this October for between $200-$250

Dramatic price-point will help Apple compete with cheaper Android tablets

Apple’s $100billion cash reserves may soften blow of loss-making device

By EDDIE WRENN

Apple is planning to launch an assault against the burgeoning Android tablet market by releasing an ‘iPad Mini’ - at a loss-making price of around £150, according to new claims.

The bargain-basement priced tablet will even feature the same ‘Retina’ display featured on its big brother, bringing the same 3.1million pixels to a smaller 7-8” display.

Sources told Apple fansite iMore that the aggressively-priced tablet will launch in October this year, with Apple potentially selling the sub-$250 tablet at a loss in order to leave no room for competition.

With Apple sitting on cash reserves of $100bn, the tech giant should at least be able to stomach such a move financially.

iMore reported: ‘Today’s claim says that Apple is going to step-up the pressure on Android tablet manufacturers with an iPad mini that will sell for a surprisingly low $200-250.

‘That’s a bit hard to accept in the light of the other major claim this rumor makes, that the iPad mini will keep the full-sized iPad’s 2048x1536 resolution.

‘If this is true, Apple might have to take a serious cut to its margins, if not sell the mini at a loss. Considering the kind of cash Apple has on hand, though, it might be willing to take the hit just to help kill-off competition from Android tablets.’

If the iPad sells for $250 in the States, that would translate to £150 in the UK, although whether Apple would respect currency rates is up for debate.

With the screen as a premium feature, it is likely sacrifices will be made in other parts of the tablet, such as reduced storage space of, for instance, 8GB for your apps, videos and music.

This will likely cause issues for users as that amount of space will be used up quickly, marking this out as very much a budget tablet.

However, it will also appeal to people who want an iPad for casual browsing and occasional use of apps and movies, but who are not willing to shell out £400 for the bigger brother.

iMore and another website, Daring Fireball, have separately heard that Apple has already built the seven-inch device, and the only decision left is whether to ‘go to market’.

Both iMore and Daring Fireball have proven to be reliable sources of internal Apple discussions in the past.

Steve Jobs hated the thought of a smaller iPad, calling them ‘dead on arrival’. He said people did not wish to use smaller tablets for video-playback, and feared a smaller tablet would serve as a bridge between the iPad and the iPhone, resulting in app-makers simply ‘stretching’ their phone apps for the tablet.

In a 2010 earnings call, he said: ‘One naturally thinks that a seven-inch screen would offer 70 percent of the benefits of a ten-inch screen.

‘Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. … The reason we won’t make a seven-inch tablet isn’t because we don’t want to hit a lower price point, it’s because we think the screen is too small to express the software.’

Another big problem - which Android is struggling to deal with - would be the resulting fragmentation, with app-makers having to invest more money for coding different versions of their apps for different devices, something Apple has almost entirely succeeded at avoiding so far.

With the Android tablet market maturing, and competitors like Amazon launching their own tablets such as the Kindle Fire at less than $200, it would make sense for Apple to join the burgeoning cheaper market, although the company may be concerned about devaluing their premium brand, which is associated with high prices but also high quality.

However the company has previous form with cheaper models. The iPod music player was released in 2001, and in 2004 and 2005 the iPod Minis and Nanos were released, bringing elements of Apple’s flagship device to a cheaper market.

In March, a source from within competitor Samsung made a ‘mini’ indescretion while talking to the Korea Times.

While discussing Apple and Samsung’s $9.7billion deal for Samsung to manufacturer parts of the iPad, an official said: ‘The contract is expected to rise to $11billion by the end of this year as Apple is planning to release a smaller iPad, probably with a 7.85-inch screen, and to sell more of its MacBook Air PCs using Samsung’s faster solid state drive storage.’

SOURCE

Posted by peiper     on 05/11/2012 at 12:43 PM   
Filed Under: • Science-Technology •  
• Comments (10) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

A little taste of ginger

Posted by Drew458     on 05/11/2012 at 12:09 PM   
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •  
• Comments (4) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

How to avoid airport security: Wear a burka.

I wasn’t going to bring this one up again as I’d posted the issue yesterday.
However, Littlejohn writing in the Daily Mail, has addressed it well and really shows the absurdity of the officious trolls who along with the terrorist scum, make the travelling public dread the thought of airports and waits and searches. I think his column today is well worth reading, as it is almost all of the time.

How to avoid airport security: Wear a burka

By RICHARD LITTLEJOHN

White airline passengers are routinely stopped and searched unnecessarily at Britain’s airports just so staff can prove they’re not ‘racist’.

Even when customs officials have been tipped off about a black drugs mule arriving on a plane from the Caribbean, they deliberately intercept a number of innocent white passengers so they can’t be accused of discrimination.

John Vine, chief inspector of the UK Border Agency, says staff try to ensure the right racial ‘mix’ even though they have no legal right to detain people on such grounds.  This is because they are petrified about being hammered with allegations of racism every time they stop and search someone from an ethnic minority background.

Tell us something we don’t know. Airport security operates on the same senseless basis.

We’ve all watched elderly white passengers being put through the third degree, while young Asian men wearing backpacks waft past unchallenged.
I’ve seen distressed grey-haired pensioners being patted down intimately and forced to empty all their belongings out of their hand luggage.
Meanwhile, women in full burkas are waved through with a cheery: ‘Have a nice flight.’

Like it or not, though, the fact is that potential suicide bombers do tend to come from that particular demographic. And Al Qaeda suspects have been known to shield their identities behind a burka.  Humiliating every Howard and Hilda heading off on a package holiday, just to meet some artificial racial quota, doesn’t serve to make air travel any safer. It is witless, inconvenient and inefficient.

The authorities know that it causes widespread resentment, which is why airports are plastered with notices giving dire warnings that anyone abusing staff will be arrested immediately and prosecuted.  There’s something horribly wrong with any organisation which has to threaten its customers with arrest before they get to the counter.  I have to bite my lip every time I travel by air to stop myself railing against the insanity of it all, otherwise I’d be in handcuffs before I got anywhere near the departure gate.
Don’t do it, Rich, it’s not worth it.

Passing through Britain’s airports is already an ordeal. And now that the CIA claims to have discovered a new Al Qaeda metal-free explosive device aimed at bringing down aircraft, it’s about to get a whole lot worse. Expect even more stringent security, especially on transatlantic flights.

As someone who travels to the U.S. fairly regularly, I’m acutely aware of the threat posed by terrorists. I was on a North West flight into Detroit just two weeks before the so-called underpants bomber tried to bring down another North West plane above the same airport in 2009. So I’m glad that the authorities are doing everything possible to prevent more aircraft being blown up or flown into skyscrapers.
I just wish a little more intelligence was applied to the process.
When was the last time any plane was hijacked by a 78-year-old granny from Leamington Spa? Precisely.

The nature of the threat makes the case for racial profiling at airports compelling. The security services already do it covertly. Stopping and searching those who plainly pose no danger, simply for the sake of keeping up appearances, is obtuse.
Yet when Jeremy Clarkson suggested recently that a little light profiling of air passengers might not be a bad thing, the twittering lynch mob went knee-jerk berserk and there were bovine calls for him to be sacked from the BBC.

While we are all being urged to ‘celebrate diversity’, we shouldn’t try to kid ourselves that multiculturalism hasn’t brought with it some serious downsides — such as home-grown Islamist terrorists and gangs of Pakistani child rapists.

We’ve all got to rub along in this modern-day melting pot. And that noble ambition isn’t served by ignoring genuine prejudice where it exists, from whichever inconvenient quarter, and gormlessly screeching ‘racism’ where it doesn’t.

Disingenuously insisting that Pakistani child rapists aren’t motivated at least in part by their own wicked brand of racial and cultural bigotry doesn’t do anyone any favours.

And neither does stopping and searching blameless white passengers at Britain’s airports, when you are hoping to catch a black drugs mule.

That’s not a bold demonstration of anti-racism. It’s just plain stupid.

SOURCE

Posted by peiper     on 05/11/2012 at 11:04 AM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Health and Safety • muslims •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

DISCLAIMER

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

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.

THE INFORMATION AND OTHER CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AMERICAN COURTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPLICABLE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THEN THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ACCESSED BY PERSONS FROM THAT COUNTRY AND ANY PERSONS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SUCH LAWS SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO USE OUR SERVICES UNLESS THEY CAN SATISFY US THAT SUCH USE WOULD BE LAWFUL.

Copyright © 2004-2008 Domain Owner