Sunday, July 31, 2005
Absolute insane week...
Ok, this post is a recap of the last 8 days of my insane life. On Sunday, me and my Uncle went to the Nationals game at RFK stadium. It was a blast and I had a great time. They lost though, great fans. On Monday me, my mom and Aunt went to DC to go see the WWII memorial again, which leads to this. On Tuesday we were hading down to NC to see my cousin and his family when we got a call from my other Aunt that lives in FLA saying my grandpa was on morphine and oxygen. So we turnedf around and got up here to Try NY at about 10 pm on tuesday. At 4am the next morning my grandpa finally died. It was for the better though, the last 13 years had been very rough for him. On Wednesday we were getting all the funeral arrangment together and everyone was trying to book tickets to get here (my mom comes from a family of 5 kids). Tuesday night something interesting happened. I was sitting down in my grandmas living room watching TV when a stack of magazines fell, I thought nothing of it. Then, less than a minute later, it fell again. I thouhg to myself that it was a sign so I looked up and said, "Ok, Gramps, I get it. Your ok." And it didn't happen again. Then on Thursday people started to arrive, my dad, uncle and aunt and other friends of Gramps. It was just a blur. Late that night though around 2am a gust of wind came through and the door opened a crack. But the thing was the wind came from the wrong direction, I looked up and said, "Thanks for checking in Gramps, but if you do it again don't scare me like that." On Friday we had the wake. And the rest of the family arrrived. It was nuts. On Saturday we had the funeral and I had the honor of being a paul bearer for my Gramps. It was, needless to say, a sobering experience. He got the full respects paid by the military, bugle an all. he was a WWII vet who got injured in the Battle of the Bulge. He was a great man. Today I went to Giants traning camp and that was pretty fun. Well I got to go everyone, I will be back in MN at 7-8pm tommorow where I will give a final recap and please keep my family in your prayers.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
just checking in...
Right now, I am typing this post on my cousins laptop here in Washington DC, with 2 of my cousins and 3 of their friends and two dogs in an apartment that isn't terribly big. It is fun though, today after coming in I took a nap then I came over and went to the Vietnam, Korean and World War II memorial. It is hot here in DC like it still is back home and I will leave on tuesday for Naggs Head/ Killdevil Hills, North Carolina to visit my 3rd cousin. Their all guys in their 20's, very fun to be around. I'll be checking in tommorow with another update after me and my Uncle get back from the Nationals game.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Off to DC...
Well, I get to visit the nations capital for the first time since 1997. No FBI tour this time, oh well. I'm sure it will be interesting and that I will run into a lot of PAC that are gearing up for Roberts, Rove, etc. I hope to go to a Nationals game and if I do I will try and post pics on here. Then I head down to North Carolina and get to hang out on the beach with my cousins who are in their 20's. I hope you all have a great weekend, this will be my last post until I'm settled in tommorow.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
This is something that is deadly serious...
Nuclear Terror. Think it can't ever happen? Well according to Steve Quayle and Shane Conner who were on Coast to Coast AM last night, it's not only possible but inevitable. Kinda a scary thought? You better believe it, but not to fear everyone this post (and the links I provide in it) may actually save your life if, god forbid, a nuke goes off in a city near you. First off the basics:
How real of a threat is it?
Well the answer will surprise (and most likely disturb) you. It is a very large threat, OBL is rumored to have as many as 30 suitcase nukes planted in this country, laugh at me if you want but remember what I say. It's a not if but when question. The dates everyone should be on high alert are August 6 and August 9. Why? Well if you know your history those are going to be the 60th anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Bin Laden is quoted as saying, "It's time that the Great Satan suffer a Hiroshima of their own." According to Quayle the cities that are targeted for al-Qaeda Nuclear Weapons: Atlanta, Beaumont, TX; Boston, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Washington (Sources: World Net Daily and various intel agencies). So if you live in or near any those cities I highly suggest that you check out Ki4u.com. The information and materials provided there could save your life. Some are a little pricy but is it worth it to shell out $3-500 to be prepared? If you say no there's something wrong with you, but to be fair if you can't afford it don't get them, but the second you can fit it into your budget I suggest you order them.
Am I nuts?
For some of you the answer will already be yes and you may ask me, "Ben why are you believing what you heard on a late-night consipiracy talk radio show?" Well the answer is quite simple. Because these guys weren't just speculating on what they were saying, they were just the messengers from the higher ups in the government. If you say I'm nuts and so are they then you would have to say that the Associated Press, AIG (an Italian News Agency), WorldNetDaily, Boston Globe, and countless others are just wrong. I'm not a bookie but the odds of that must be astronomical.
Ok, now we have covered the basics, now I will discuss the worst-case scenario. The nuke has gone off in your area and your not dead from the initial blast but fallout is a serious threat to your health and life. What do you do?
How do I know where to go and what to do? (I will be pasting this info, if you want the site go right here.
IF ONLY A 'Dirty Bomb' Attack (Not the vastly more devastating nuclear weapon blasts with fallout discussed below.) - You can expect localized and downwind contamination from the explosion and dispersed radioactive materials. If you are near enough to see or hear any local bomb blast, assume that it includes radiological or chemical agents. You should move away from the blast area as quickly as possible. If the wind is blowing toward you from the direction of the blast, travel in a direction that keeps the wind to your left or right as you move away from the blast area. If possible cover your face with a dust mask or cloth to avoid inhaling potentially radioactive dust. Upon reaching a safe location, remove your outer clothing outside and shower as soon as possible. Refer to local news sources for additional instructions about sheltering or evacuation. The government is better prepared to direct and assist the public in a 'dirty bomb' incident, unlike an actual nuclear weapon attack discussed below.
In a national crisis of imminent nuclear weapon attacks, read all the way through this guide first,
THEN TAKE EFFECTIVE PROTECTIVE ACTION WITH CONFIDENCE... FAST!
#1 - STAY OR GO?
You must decide FIRST if you need to prepare where you are, or attempt evacuation. The nature of the threat, your prior preparations, and your confidence in your sources of information should direct your decision. If you know already you will be preparing to stay at your own home or, at least, the immediate local area, go now to #2 below.
If you are considering evacuation, your decision requires a very high confidence that it is worth the risk. You do not want to get stuck between your current location and your hoped for destination, as there will probably be no easy getting back. If you fail to get to your destination, you may be exposed without shelter, in a dangerous situation with little effective law enforcement, perhaps among panicked hordes of refugees. Whatever supplies you have may be limited then to what you can carry on foot. IF you are in a big city or near a military target, AND you have relatives or friends in the country that you know are awaiting you, AND the roads between you and them are clear, AND the authorities are not yet restricting traffic, AND you have the means and fuel, evacuation may be a viable option for a limited time. DO NOT attempt evacuation if all of the above is not clearly known, or if the situation is deteriorating too quickly to make the complete trip. You do not want to get stuck and/or become a refugee being herded along with panicked masses. If evacuation is truly a viable option, do not wait - GO NOW! Do so with as many of the supplies listed on the last page as possible. Better to be two days too early in arriving than two hours too late and getting snagged mid-way, potentially exposing your family to a worse fate than having stayed where you were. Because of the very real danger of getting caught in an evacuation stampede that stalls, almost all families will be better off making the best of it wherever they currently are.
#2 - WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FIRST
Because time is of the essence, you need to first delegate and assign to different adult family members specific tasks so they can all be accomplished at the same time. Your first priorities to assure your family survival are Shelter, Water, and Food/Supplies. While some are working on the water storage and shelter at home, others need to be acquiring, as much as possible, the food and supplies.
#3 - FOOD/SUPPLIES
Because much of the food and supplies listed on the last page of this guide may quickly become unavailable, quantities restricted, and/or the streets and stores may become un-safe soon, you need to assign someone NOW to immediately go to the stores with that list! Get cash from the bank and ATM's first, but try and use credit cards at the stores, if at all possible, to preserve your cash.
#4 - WATER
With one or more adults now heading to the stores with the list on the last page, those remaining need to begin storing water IMMEDIATELY! Lack of clean water will devastate your family much more quickly and more severely than any lack of food. Without water for both drinking and continued good sanitary practices in food preparation and for bathroom excursions (which will inevitably be much less sanitary than normal), debilitating sickness could rampage through your household with little hope of prompt medical attention. That is a highly likely but, avoidable, disaster, ONLY IF you have enough water.
Every possible container needs to be filled with water RIGHT NOW! It will be very hard to have stored too much water. When the electricity/pumps go down or everybody in your community is doing the same thing, thus dropping the water pressure, that's it, what you've got is all you might be getting for a very long time. Empty pop bottles (1-3 liter) are ideal for water storage, also filling up the bathtub and washing machine. (Remember, later you'll have some in your hot water tank.) If you have any kiddie pools or old water beds, pull them out and fill them up, too. (Water from a water bed should be used only for bathing or cleaning, not for drinking as it may contain traces of algicide and/or fungicides.) Anything and everything that'll hold water needs to be filled up quickly RIGHT NOW!!
One of the shopping items listed on the last page is new garbage cans and liner bags which you'll also use for storing water. If you can't get any more new cans, you could clean out an existing garbage can and scrub it throughout with bleach, then put in a new garbage bag liner and fill it with water. (Use two liners if they are very thin/flimsy.) Choose well where you fill up garbage cans with water because they won't easily be moved once full and many of them together could be too heavy for some upper floor locations. Ideally, they need to be very near where your shelter will be constructed and can actually add to its shielding properties, as you'll see below. BE ASSURED, YOU CANNOT STORE AND HAVE TOO MUCH WATER! Do not hesitate, fill up every possible container, RIGHT NOW!
#5 - SHELTER
The principles of radiation protection are simple - with many options and resources families can use to prepare or improvise a very effective shelter. You must throw off the self-defeating myths of nuclear un-survivability that may needlessly seal the fate of less informed families.
Radioactive fallout is the particulate matter (dust) produced by a nuclear explosion and carried high up into the air by the mushroom cloud. It drifts on the wind and most of it settles back to earth downwind of the explosion. The heaviest, most dangerous, and most noticeable fallout, will 'fall out' first close to ground zero. It may begin arriving minutes after an explosion. While the smaller and lighter dust-like particles will typically be arriving hours later, as they drift much farther downwind, often for hundreds of miles. As it settles, whether you can see it or not, fallout will accumulate and blow around everywhere just like dust or light snow does on the ground and roofs. Wind and rain can concentrate the fallout into localized 'hot spots' of much more intense radiation with no visible indication of its presence.
This radioactive fallout 'dust' is dangerous because it is emitting penetrating radiation energy (similar to x-ray's). This radiation (not the fallout dust) can go right through walls, roofs and protective clothing. Even if you manage not to inhale or ingest the dust, and keep it off your skin, hair, and clothes, and even if none gets inside your house, the radiation penetrating your home is still extremely dangerous, and can injure or kill you inside.
Radioactive fallout from a nuclear explosion, though very dangerous initially, loses its intensity quickly because it is giving off so much energy. For example, fallout emitting gamma ray radiation at a rate of 500 R/hr (fatal with one hour of exposure) shortly after an explosion, weakens to only 1/10th as strong 7 hours later. Two days later, it's only 1/100th as strong, or as deadly, as it was initially.
That is really very good news, because our families can readily survive it IF we get them into a proper shelter to safely wait it out as it becomes less dangerous with every passing hour.
What stops radiation, and thus shields your family, is simply putting mass between them and the radiation source. Like police body armor stopping bullets, mass stops (absorbs) radiation. The thicker the mass, the more radiation it stops. Also, the denser (heavier) the mass used, the more effective it is with every inch more you add to your fallout shelter. The thickness in inches needed to cut the radiation down to only 1/10th of its initial intensity for different common materials is: Steel 3.3", concrete 11", earth 16", water 24", wood 38", etc. The thickness required to stop 99% of the radiation is: 5" of steel, 16" of solid brick or hollow concrete blocks filled with mortar or sand, 2 feet of packed earth or 3 feet if loose, 3 feet of water. You may not have enough steel available, but anything you do have will have mass and can be used to add to your shielding - it just takes more thickness of lighter wood, for example, than heavier earth, to absorb and stop the same amount of radiation. Increasing the distance between your family and the radiation outside also reduces the radiation intensity.
The goals of your family fallout shelter are:
To maximize the distance away from the fallout 'dusting' outside on the ground and roof
To place sufficient mass between your family and the fallout to absorb the deadly radiation
To make the shelter tolerable to stay in while the radiation subsides with every passing hour
While a fallout shelter can be built anywhere, you should see what your best options are at home or nearby. Some structures already provide significant shielding or partial shielding that can be enhanced for adequate protection. If you do not have a basement available, you can still use the techniques shown below in any above ground structure, but you'll need to use more mass to achieve the same level of shielding. You may consider using other solid structures nearby, especially those with below ground spaces, such as commercial buildings, schools, churches, below ground parking garages, large and long culverts, tunnels, etc.. Some of these may require permissions and/or the acquiring of additional materials to minimize any fallout drifting or blowing into them, if open ended. Buildings with a half-dozen or more floors, where there is not a concern of blast damage, may provide good radiation protection in the center of the middle floors. This is because of both the distance and the shielding the multiple floors provide from the fallout on the ground and roof.
Bottom Line: choose a structure nearby with both the greatest mass and distance already in place between the outside, where the fallout would settle, and the shelter inside.
If you have a basement in your home, or at a nearby relatives' or friends' house that you can use, your best option is probably to fortify and use it, unless you have ready access to a better/deeper structure nearby.
For an expedient last-minute basement shelter, push a heavy table that you can get under into the corner that has the soil highest on the outside. The ground level outside ideally needs to be above the top of the inside shelter. If no heavy table is available, you can take internal doors off their hinges and lay them on supports to create your 'table'. Then pile any available mass on and around it such as books, wood, cordwood, bricks, sandbags, heavy furniture, full file cabinets, full water containers, your food stocks, and boxes and pillow cases full of anything heavy, like earth. Everything you could pile up and around it has mass that will help absorb and stop more radiation from penetrating inside - the heavier the better. However, be sure to reinforce your table and supports so you do not overload it and risk collapse.
Leave a small crawl-through entrance and more mass there that can be easily pulled in after you to seal it up. Have at least two gaps or 4-6" square air spaces, one high at one end and one low at the other. Use more if crowded and/or hotter climate. A small piece of cardboard can help fan fresh air in if the natural rising warmer air convection current needs an assist moving the air along. This incoming air won't need to be filtered if the basement has been reasonably sealed up, however any windows or other openings will require some solid mass coverage to assure they stay sealed and to provide additional shielding protection for the basement. More details on this in the next (#6) section.
With more time, materials, and carpentry or masonry skills, you could even construct a more formal fallout shelter, such as the lean-to shown to the right, but you should pile up much more mass than what little is shown here.
An effective fallout shelter constructed in a basement may reduce your radiation exposure 100-200 fold. Thus, if the initial radiation intensity outside was 500 R/hr (fatal in one hour), the basement shelter occupants might only experience 5 R/hr or even less, which is survivable, as the radiation intensity will be decreasing with every passing hour.
Adding mass on the floor above your chosen basement corner, and outside against the walls opposite your shelter, can dramatically increase your shielding protection. Every inch thicker adds up to more effective life-saving radiation shielding.
As cramped as that crawl space fallout shelter might seem, the vital shielding provided by simply moving some mass into place could be the difference between exposure to a lethal dose of radiation and the survival of your family.
The majority of people requiring any sheltering at all will be many miles downwind, and they will not need to stay sheltered for weeks on end. In fact, most people will only need to stay sheltered full-time for a few days before they can start coming out briefly to attend to quick essential chores. Later, they can begin spending ever more time out of the shelter daily, only coming back in to sleep. As miserable as it might seem now, you and your family can easily endure that, especially compared to the alternative.
It's really not so difficult to build an effective family fallout shelter, not to get it done... RIGHT NOW!
#6 - ESSENTIAL DETAILS
If you've accomplished the above; securing your supplies, stored water, and built your family fallout shelter, CONGRATULATIONS! You have now succeeded in improving the odds of survival for your family 100-fold, or more! Now, you need to expand your knowledge and fine-tune the tactics that will make the most of your family survival strategy.
Government information and guidance is a vital resource in your response to a nuclear crisis, but for many reasons it may be late, incomplete, misleading or simply in error. While evacuation might be prudent for individuals who act quickly in response to a threat, governments will be slow to call for mass evacuations because of their potential for panic and gridlock. As the recent government calls for duct tape and plastic sheeting led to sold-out stores, anxiety, and derision from the press, there will be great reluctance to issue similar alarms. If you want to assure that you have adequate food and supplies for your family you must act BEFORE the panic without first waiting for government instructions that may never come or as urgently as warranted. You alone are ultimately responsible for your family.
Filtering the air coming into your basement shelter won't be required. Air does not become radioactive, and if your basement is reasonably snug, there won't be any wind blowing through it to carry the radioactive fallout dust inside. Simply sealing any basement windows and other openings prevents significant fallout from getting inside. To improve both the radiation shielding inside the basement, and to protect the windows from being broken and letting fallout blow in later, you should cover them all with wood, and then with sandbags or solid masonry blocks or earth, etc. on the outside and inside too, if possible. If the basement air gets seriously stale later on, you could re-open a door into the upper floors of the still closed house, or secure a common furnace air filter over an outside air opening leading into your basement.
Regarding fallout contamination, any food or water stored in sealed containers, that can later have any fallout dust brushed or rinsed off the outside of the container, will then be safe to use. As long as the fallout dust does not get inside the container, then whatever radiation penetrated the food/water container from the outside does not harm the contents. If you suspect that your clothes have fallout on them, remove your outer clothing before you come inside and leave them outside. A cheap plastic hooded rain poncho that can be easily rinsed off or left outside is very worthwhile. Have water and baby shampoo near the entrance (hose and containers) to wash and thoroughly rinse any exposed skin and hair. Exposure to fallout radiation does not make you radioactive, but you need to assure that you don't bring any inside. If any are stricken with radiation sickness, typically nausea, it is when mild (<100 Rads) 100% recoverable and cannot be passed on to others. Before fallout arrives, you might also try to cover up items you want to protect outside for easier rinsing off of the fallout dust later when it's safe to come out and do so. For instance, if you have a vegetable gardening spot, you might try covering much of it with plastic or tarp and weighting them down.
If without sufficient time to acquire radiological instruments of your own, like Geiger counters and dosimeters, you'll need to be extra sure that your portable radios function properly from inside your shelter and that you have plenty of fresh batteries stocked for them. Without radiological instruments, listening for official guidance about the radiation threat levels in your particular area will be the only way you'll know when it's becoming safe to venture out. It might also be the only way you'll know when you first need to take your initial maximum protective action. When not in use, they should not be attached to any outside antenna or even have their own antenna extended. And, they should be wrapped in any non-conducting insulation, like layers of paper or bubblewrap plastic and then stored in a metal container or wrapped in aluminum foil to minimize the potential of EMP ruining the electronics. Having back-up radios would be very prudent. With extra radios, you can have one always tuned to the closest likely target city and, if it suddenly goes off the air, that could be your first indication of an attack.
If close to a target, your first indication of a nuclear detonation may be with its characteristic blinding bright flash. The first effects you may have to deal with before radioactive fallout arrives, depending on your proximity to it, are blast and thermal energy. Promptly employing the old "Duck & Cover" strategy will save many from avoidable flying debris injuries and minimize thermal burns. Those very close will experience tornado strength winds and should quickly dive behind any solid object or into any available depression, culvert, basement, etc. A 500 kiloton blast, 2.2 miles away, will arrive about 8 seconds after the detonation flash with about a 295 mph wind blast that lasts about three seconds. An even larger 1 MT (megaton) blast, 5 miles away, will arrive in about 20 seconds. Hopefully, you are not near any target area 'ground zero' and will only, like the vast majority, have to deal with just the fallout later.
When fallout is first anticipated, even though it has not yet arrived, have anybody still outside begin wearing their dust protector filter masks and hooded rain ponchos. Everyone should begin taking their Potassium Iodide (KI) or Potassium Iodate (KIO3) tablets for thyroid protection against cancer causing radioactive iodine, a major product of nuclear weapons explosions. If no tablets available, you can topically (on the skin) apply an iodine solution, like tincture of iodine or Betadine, for a similar protective effect. (WARNING: Iodine solutions are NEVER to be ingested or swallowed.) For adults, paint 8 ml of a 2 percent tincture of Iodine on the abdomen or forearm each day, ideally at least 2 hours prior to possible exposure. For children 3 to 18, but under 150 pounds, only half that amount painted on daily, or 4 ml. For children under 3 but older than a month, half again, or 2 ml. For newborns to 1 month old, half it again, or just 1 ml. (One measuring teaspoon is about 5 ml, if you don't have a medicine dropper graduated in ml.) If your iodine is stronger than 2%, reduce the dosage accordingly. Absorption through the skin is not as reliable a dosing method as using the tablets, but tests show that it will still be very effective for most. Do not use if allergic to iodine. If at all possible, inquire of your doctor NOW if there is any reason why anybody in your household should not use KI or KIO3 tablets, or iodine solutions on their skin, in a future nuclear emergency, just to be sure.
When you know that the time to take protective action is approaching, turn off all the utilities into the house, check that everything is sealed up and locked down, and head for the shelter. You should also check that you have near your shelter additional tools, crow bars, and car jacks for digging out later, if required. Also, any building supplies, tools, sheet plastic, staple guns, etc. for plugging any holes from damage. Your basement should already be very well sealed against fallout drifting inside. Now, you'll need to seal around the last door you use to enter with duct tape all around the edges, especially if it's a direct to the outside door.
You don't need to risk fire, burns, and asphyxiation trying to cook anything in the cramped shelter space, if you have pre-positioned in your shelter enough canned goods, can opener, and other non-perishable foods, that are ready-to-eat without preparation. More food, along with water, can be located right outside your crawl space entrance that you can pull in quickly as needed when safe to do so.
For lighting needs within the shelter have many small LED flashlights or LED head-lamps to stretch your battery life. Try not to have to use candles if at all possible. Bring in some books for yourself and games for the children. Maybe throw in a small/thin mattress, some cushions, blankets, pillows, etc.
Toilet use will be via the 5 gallon bucket with a seat borrowed from one of the house bathrooms, if you did not purchase a separate one. Garbage bag liners, hopefully sized for it, should always be used and a full-size and bag lined garbage can should be positioned very close to the shelter entrance for depositing these in when it is safe to do so quickly. Hanging a sheet or blanket will help provide a little privacy as shelter occupants 'take their turn'. The toilet needs to have its new 'deposits' sealed up tight with the plastic liner after each use. Use a very secure top on the bucket and position it near the wall with the outgoing upper air vent.
Pets, and what to do about them, is a tough call. Letting dogs run free is not a humane option, both for their potential to die a miserable death from radiation exposure outside and/or to be a danger to others, especially if they get diseased and/or run in the inevitable packs of multitudes of other abandoned pets. Caring for them is ideal, if truly realistic and not a drain on limited resources, while 'putting them down' might eventually become a painful, but necessary reality.
Boiling or bleach water treatments will be used for cleaning your stored water later for drinking. (This is for killing bacteria, not for radiation contamination, which is never a concern for any stored and covered water containers or even sealed food.) Tap water recently put into clean containers won't likely need to be purified before using. To purify questionable water, bring it to a roiling boil and keep it there for 10 minutes at least. If you don't have the fuel to boil it, you can kill the bacteria by mixing in a good quality household bleach at the rate of 10 drops per gallon, and letting it sit for at least 1/2 an hour. The bleach should be at least 5.25% pure, like Clorox, but be sure it has no additives such as soap or fragrance. You can later get rid of the flat taste from boiling, or some of the chlorine taste when using bleach, by pouring it from one container to another several times.
There's much more that can be learned to better understand what you are up against and to acquire to help your family survive and endure it. While time permits, and if the Internet is still up & running, task somebody with getting and printing out additional prep information.
If there is not enough time to order/receive a radiation meter, then print out the plans for the home-makable KFM (Kearny Fallout Meter) that shows how to build at home, from materials commonly found there, an effective fallout radiation meter. Get the free plans for the KFM here...
http://www.ki4u.com/free_book/s60p792.htm
If there is enough time to both order, and be shipped, your own radiation detection and monitoring instruments, potassium iodide anti-radiation tablets, Nuclear Survival handbooks, etc., check first for remaining availability at these links...
http://www.radmeters4u.com/package.htm
http://www.nukalert.com
http://www.ki4u.com/products1.htm
http://www.survivalunlimited.com/completekit.htm
I hope that you took this post seriously and didn't get cheap laughs from it. If you got cheap laughs from this and you are faced with this situation not knowing what to do it will be hard to feel sorry for you. Remember the scouts motto "Be prepared" (for a nuclear attack)
How real of a threat is it?
Well the answer will surprise (and most likely disturb) you. It is a very large threat, OBL is rumored to have as many as 30 suitcase nukes planted in this country, laugh at me if you want but remember what I say. It's a not if but when question. The dates everyone should be on high alert are August 6 and August 9. Why? Well if you know your history those are going to be the 60th anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Bin Laden is quoted as saying, "It's time that the Great Satan suffer a Hiroshima of their own." According to Quayle the cities that are targeted for al-Qaeda Nuclear Weapons: Atlanta, Beaumont, TX; Boston, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Washington (Sources: World Net Daily and various intel agencies). So if you live in or near any those cities I highly suggest that you check out Ki4u.com. The information and materials provided there could save your life. Some are a little pricy but is it worth it to shell out $3-500 to be prepared? If you say no there's something wrong with you, but to be fair if you can't afford it don't get them, but the second you can fit it into your budget I suggest you order them.
Am I nuts?
For some of you the answer will already be yes and you may ask me, "Ben why are you believing what you heard on a late-night consipiracy talk radio show?" Well the answer is quite simple. Because these guys weren't just speculating on what they were saying, they were just the messengers from the higher ups in the government. If you say I'm nuts and so are they then you would have to say that the Associated Press, AIG (an Italian News Agency), WorldNetDaily, Boston Globe, and countless others are just wrong. I'm not a bookie but the odds of that must be astronomical.
Ok, now we have covered the basics, now I will discuss the worst-case scenario. The nuke has gone off in your area and your not dead from the initial blast but fallout is a serious threat to your health and life. What do you do?
How do I know where to go and what to do? (I will be pasting this info, if you want the site go right here.
IF ONLY A 'Dirty Bomb' Attack (Not the vastly more devastating nuclear weapon blasts with fallout discussed below.) - You can expect localized and downwind contamination from the explosion and dispersed radioactive materials. If you are near enough to see or hear any local bomb blast, assume that it includes radiological or chemical agents. You should move away from the blast area as quickly as possible. If the wind is blowing toward you from the direction of the blast, travel in a direction that keeps the wind to your left or right as you move away from the blast area. If possible cover your face with a dust mask or cloth to avoid inhaling potentially radioactive dust. Upon reaching a safe location, remove your outer clothing outside and shower as soon as possible. Refer to local news sources for additional instructions about sheltering or evacuation. The government is better prepared to direct and assist the public in a 'dirty bomb' incident, unlike an actual nuclear weapon attack discussed below.
In a national crisis of imminent nuclear weapon attacks, read all the way through this guide first,
THEN TAKE EFFECTIVE PROTECTIVE ACTION WITH CONFIDENCE... FAST!
#1 - STAY OR GO?
You must decide FIRST if you need to prepare where you are, or attempt evacuation. The nature of the threat, your prior preparations, and your confidence in your sources of information should direct your decision. If you know already you will be preparing to stay at your own home or, at least, the immediate local area, go now to #2 below.
If you are considering evacuation, your decision requires a very high confidence that it is worth the risk. You do not want to get stuck between your current location and your hoped for destination, as there will probably be no easy getting back. If you fail to get to your destination, you may be exposed without shelter, in a dangerous situation with little effective law enforcement, perhaps among panicked hordes of refugees. Whatever supplies you have may be limited then to what you can carry on foot. IF you are in a big city or near a military target, AND you have relatives or friends in the country that you know are awaiting you, AND the roads between you and them are clear, AND the authorities are not yet restricting traffic, AND you have the means and fuel, evacuation may be a viable option for a limited time. DO NOT attempt evacuation if all of the above is not clearly known, or if the situation is deteriorating too quickly to make the complete trip. You do not want to get stuck and/or become a refugee being herded along with panicked masses. If evacuation is truly a viable option, do not wait - GO NOW! Do so with as many of the supplies listed on the last page as possible. Better to be two days too early in arriving than two hours too late and getting snagged mid-way, potentially exposing your family to a worse fate than having stayed where you were. Because of the very real danger of getting caught in an evacuation stampede that stalls, almost all families will be better off making the best of it wherever they currently are.
#2 - WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FIRST
Because time is of the essence, you need to first delegate and assign to different adult family members specific tasks so they can all be accomplished at the same time. Your first priorities to assure your family survival are Shelter, Water, and Food/Supplies. While some are working on the water storage and shelter at home, others need to be acquiring, as much as possible, the food and supplies.
#3 - FOOD/SUPPLIES
Because much of the food and supplies listed on the last page of this guide may quickly become unavailable, quantities restricted, and/or the streets and stores may become un-safe soon, you need to assign someone NOW to immediately go to the stores with that list! Get cash from the bank and ATM's first, but try and use credit cards at the stores, if at all possible, to preserve your cash.
#4 - WATER
With one or more adults now heading to the stores with the list on the last page, those remaining need to begin storing water IMMEDIATELY! Lack of clean water will devastate your family much more quickly and more severely than any lack of food. Without water for both drinking and continued good sanitary practices in food preparation and for bathroom excursions (which will inevitably be much less sanitary than normal), debilitating sickness could rampage through your household with little hope of prompt medical attention. That is a highly likely but, avoidable, disaster, ONLY IF you have enough water.
Every possible container needs to be filled with water RIGHT NOW! It will be very hard to have stored too much water. When the electricity/pumps go down or everybody in your community is doing the same thing, thus dropping the water pressure, that's it, what you've got is all you might be getting for a very long time. Empty pop bottles (1-3 liter) are ideal for water storage, also filling up the bathtub and washing machine. (Remember, later you'll have some in your hot water tank.) If you have any kiddie pools or old water beds, pull them out and fill them up, too. (Water from a water bed should be used only for bathing or cleaning, not for drinking as it may contain traces of algicide and/or fungicides.) Anything and everything that'll hold water needs to be filled up quickly RIGHT NOW!!
One of the shopping items listed on the last page is new garbage cans and liner bags which you'll also use for storing water. If you can't get any more new cans, you could clean out an existing garbage can and scrub it throughout with bleach, then put in a new garbage bag liner and fill it with water. (Use two liners if they are very thin/flimsy.) Choose well where you fill up garbage cans with water because they won't easily be moved once full and many of them together could be too heavy for some upper floor locations. Ideally, they need to be very near where your shelter will be constructed and can actually add to its shielding properties, as you'll see below. BE ASSURED, YOU CANNOT STORE AND HAVE TOO MUCH WATER! Do not hesitate, fill up every possible container, RIGHT NOW!
#5 - SHELTER
The principles of radiation protection are simple - with many options and resources families can use to prepare or improvise a very effective shelter. You must throw off the self-defeating myths of nuclear un-survivability that may needlessly seal the fate of less informed families.
Radioactive fallout is the particulate matter (dust) produced by a nuclear explosion and carried high up into the air by the mushroom cloud. It drifts on the wind and most of it settles back to earth downwind of the explosion. The heaviest, most dangerous, and most noticeable fallout, will 'fall out' first close to ground zero. It may begin arriving minutes after an explosion. While the smaller and lighter dust-like particles will typically be arriving hours later, as they drift much farther downwind, often for hundreds of miles. As it settles, whether you can see it or not, fallout will accumulate and blow around everywhere just like dust or light snow does on the ground and roofs. Wind and rain can concentrate the fallout into localized 'hot spots' of much more intense radiation with no visible indication of its presence.
This radioactive fallout 'dust' is dangerous because it is emitting penetrating radiation energy (similar to x-ray's). This radiation (not the fallout dust) can go right through walls, roofs and protective clothing. Even if you manage not to inhale or ingest the dust, and keep it off your skin, hair, and clothes, and even if none gets inside your house, the radiation penetrating your home is still extremely dangerous, and can injure or kill you inside.
Radioactive fallout from a nuclear explosion, though very dangerous initially, loses its intensity quickly because it is giving off so much energy. For example, fallout emitting gamma ray radiation at a rate of 500 R/hr (fatal with one hour of exposure) shortly after an explosion, weakens to only 1/10th as strong 7 hours later. Two days later, it's only 1/100th as strong, or as deadly, as it was initially.
That is really very good news, because our families can readily survive it IF we get them into a proper shelter to safely wait it out as it becomes less dangerous with every passing hour.
What stops radiation, and thus shields your family, is simply putting mass between them and the radiation source. Like police body armor stopping bullets, mass stops (absorbs) radiation. The thicker the mass, the more radiation it stops. Also, the denser (heavier) the mass used, the more effective it is with every inch more you add to your fallout shelter. The thickness in inches needed to cut the radiation down to only 1/10th of its initial intensity for different common materials is: Steel 3.3", concrete 11", earth 16", water 24", wood 38", etc. The thickness required to stop 99% of the radiation is: 5" of steel, 16" of solid brick or hollow concrete blocks filled with mortar or sand, 2 feet of packed earth or 3 feet if loose, 3 feet of water. You may not have enough steel available, but anything you do have will have mass and can be used to add to your shielding - it just takes more thickness of lighter wood, for example, than heavier earth, to absorb and stop the same amount of radiation. Increasing the distance between your family and the radiation outside also reduces the radiation intensity.
The goals of your family fallout shelter are:
To maximize the distance away from the fallout 'dusting' outside on the ground and roof
To place sufficient mass between your family and the fallout to absorb the deadly radiation
To make the shelter tolerable to stay in while the radiation subsides with every passing hour
While a fallout shelter can be built anywhere, you should see what your best options are at home or nearby. Some structures already provide significant shielding or partial shielding that can be enhanced for adequate protection. If you do not have a basement available, you can still use the techniques shown below in any above ground structure, but you'll need to use more mass to achieve the same level of shielding. You may consider using other solid structures nearby, especially those with below ground spaces, such as commercial buildings, schools, churches, below ground parking garages, large and long culverts, tunnels, etc.. Some of these may require permissions and/or the acquiring of additional materials to minimize any fallout drifting or blowing into them, if open ended. Buildings with a half-dozen or more floors, where there is not a concern of blast damage, may provide good radiation protection in the center of the middle floors. This is because of both the distance and the shielding the multiple floors provide from the fallout on the ground and roof.
Bottom Line: choose a structure nearby with both the greatest mass and distance already in place between the outside, where the fallout would settle, and the shelter inside.
If you have a basement in your home, or at a nearby relatives' or friends' house that you can use, your best option is probably to fortify and use it, unless you have ready access to a better/deeper structure nearby.
For an expedient last-minute basement shelter, push a heavy table that you can get under into the corner that has the soil highest on the outside. The ground level outside ideally needs to be above the top of the inside shelter. If no heavy table is available, you can take internal doors off their hinges and lay them on supports to create your 'table'. Then pile any available mass on and around it such as books, wood, cordwood, bricks, sandbags, heavy furniture, full file cabinets, full water containers, your food stocks, and boxes and pillow cases full of anything heavy, like earth. Everything you could pile up and around it has mass that will help absorb and stop more radiation from penetrating inside - the heavier the better. However, be sure to reinforce your table and supports so you do not overload it and risk collapse.
Leave a small crawl-through entrance and more mass there that can be easily pulled in after you to seal it up. Have at least two gaps or 4-6" square air spaces, one high at one end and one low at the other. Use more if crowded and/or hotter climate. A small piece of cardboard can help fan fresh air in if the natural rising warmer air convection current needs an assist moving the air along. This incoming air won't need to be filtered if the basement has been reasonably sealed up, however any windows or other openings will require some solid mass coverage to assure they stay sealed and to provide additional shielding protection for the basement. More details on this in the next (#6) section.
With more time, materials, and carpentry or masonry skills, you could even construct a more formal fallout shelter, such as the lean-to shown to the right, but you should pile up much more mass than what little is shown here.
An effective fallout shelter constructed in a basement may reduce your radiation exposure 100-200 fold. Thus, if the initial radiation intensity outside was 500 R/hr (fatal in one hour), the basement shelter occupants might only experience 5 R/hr or even less, which is survivable, as the radiation intensity will be decreasing with every passing hour.
Adding mass on the floor above your chosen basement corner, and outside against the walls opposite your shelter, can dramatically increase your shielding protection. Every inch thicker adds up to more effective life-saving radiation shielding.
As cramped as that crawl space fallout shelter might seem, the vital shielding provided by simply moving some mass into place could be the difference between exposure to a lethal dose of radiation and the survival of your family.
The majority of people requiring any sheltering at all will be many miles downwind, and they will not need to stay sheltered for weeks on end. In fact, most people will only need to stay sheltered full-time for a few days before they can start coming out briefly to attend to quick essential chores. Later, they can begin spending ever more time out of the shelter daily, only coming back in to sleep. As miserable as it might seem now, you and your family can easily endure that, especially compared to the alternative.
It's really not so difficult to build an effective family fallout shelter, not to get it done... RIGHT NOW!
#6 - ESSENTIAL DETAILS
If you've accomplished the above; securing your supplies, stored water, and built your family fallout shelter, CONGRATULATIONS! You have now succeeded in improving the odds of survival for your family 100-fold, or more! Now, you need to expand your knowledge and fine-tune the tactics that will make the most of your family survival strategy.
Government information and guidance is a vital resource in your response to a nuclear crisis, but for many reasons it may be late, incomplete, misleading or simply in error. While evacuation might be prudent for individuals who act quickly in response to a threat, governments will be slow to call for mass evacuations because of their potential for panic and gridlock. As the recent government calls for duct tape and plastic sheeting led to sold-out stores, anxiety, and derision from the press, there will be great reluctance to issue similar alarms. If you want to assure that you have adequate food and supplies for your family you must act BEFORE the panic without first waiting for government instructions that may never come or as urgently as warranted. You alone are ultimately responsible for your family.
Filtering the air coming into your basement shelter won't be required. Air does not become radioactive, and if your basement is reasonably snug, there won't be any wind blowing through it to carry the radioactive fallout dust inside. Simply sealing any basement windows and other openings prevents significant fallout from getting inside. To improve both the radiation shielding inside the basement, and to protect the windows from being broken and letting fallout blow in later, you should cover them all with wood, and then with sandbags or solid masonry blocks or earth, etc. on the outside and inside too, if possible. If the basement air gets seriously stale later on, you could re-open a door into the upper floors of the still closed house, or secure a common furnace air filter over an outside air opening leading into your basement.
Regarding fallout contamination, any food or water stored in sealed containers, that can later have any fallout dust brushed or rinsed off the outside of the container, will then be safe to use. As long as the fallout dust does not get inside the container, then whatever radiation penetrated the food/water container from the outside does not harm the contents. If you suspect that your clothes have fallout on them, remove your outer clothing before you come inside and leave them outside. A cheap plastic hooded rain poncho that can be easily rinsed off or left outside is very worthwhile. Have water and baby shampoo near the entrance (hose and containers) to wash and thoroughly rinse any exposed skin and hair. Exposure to fallout radiation does not make you radioactive, but you need to assure that you don't bring any inside. If any are stricken with radiation sickness, typically nausea, it is when mild (<100 Rads) 100% recoverable and cannot be passed on to others. Before fallout arrives, you might also try to cover up items you want to protect outside for easier rinsing off of the fallout dust later when it's safe to come out and do so. For instance, if you have a vegetable gardening spot, you might try covering much of it with plastic or tarp and weighting them down.
If without sufficient time to acquire radiological instruments of your own, like Geiger counters and dosimeters, you'll need to be extra sure that your portable radios function properly from inside your shelter and that you have plenty of fresh batteries stocked for them. Without radiological instruments, listening for official guidance about the radiation threat levels in your particular area will be the only way you'll know when it's becoming safe to venture out. It might also be the only way you'll know when you first need to take your initial maximum protective action. When not in use, they should not be attached to any outside antenna or even have their own antenna extended. And, they should be wrapped in any non-conducting insulation, like layers of paper or bubblewrap plastic and then stored in a metal container or wrapped in aluminum foil to minimize the potential of EMP ruining the electronics. Having back-up radios would be very prudent. With extra radios, you can have one always tuned to the closest likely target city and, if it suddenly goes off the air, that could be your first indication of an attack.
If close to a target, your first indication of a nuclear detonation may be with its characteristic blinding bright flash. The first effects you may have to deal with before radioactive fallout arrives, depending on your proximity to it, are blast and thermal energy. Promptly employing the old "Duck & Cover" strategy will save many from avoidable flying debris injuries and minimize thermal burns. Those very close will experience tornado strength winds and should quickly dive behind any solid object or into any available depression, culvert, basement, etc. A 500 kiloton blast, 2.2 miles away, will arrive about 8 seconds after the detonation flash with about a 295 mph wind blast that lasts about three seconds. An even larger 1 MT (megaton) blast, 5 miles away, will arrive in about 20 seconds. Hopefully, you are not near any target area 'ground zero' and will only, like the vast majority, have to deal with just the fallout later.
When fallout is first anticipated, even though it has not yet arrived, have anybody still outside begin wearing their dust protector filter masks and hooded rain ponchos. Everyone should begin taking their Potassium Iodide (KI) or Potassium Iodate (KIO3) tablets for thyroid protection against cancer causing radioactive iodine, a major product of nuclear weapons explosions. If no tablets available, you can topically (on the skin) apply an iodine solution, like tincture of iodine or Betadine, for a similar protective effect. (WARNING: Iodine solutions are NEVER to be ingested or swallowed.) For adults, paint 8 ml of a 2 percent tincture of Iodine on the abdomen or forearm each day, ideally at least 2 hours prior to possible exposure. For children 3 to 18, but under 150 pounds, only half that amount painted on daily, or 4 ml. For children under 3 but older than a month, half again, or 2 ml. For newborns to 1 month old, half it again, or just 1 ml. (One measuring teaspoon is about 5 ml, if you don't have a medicine dropper graduated in ml.) If your iodine is stronger than 2%, reduce the dosage accordingly. Absorption through the skin is not as reliable a dosing method as using the tablets, but tests show that it will still be very effective for most. Do not use if allergic to iodine. If at all possible, inquire of your doctor NOW if there is any reason why anybody in your household should not use KI or KIO3 tablets, or iodine solutions on their skin, in a future nuclear emergency, just to be sure.
When you know that the time to take protective action is approaching, turn off all the utilities into the house, check that everything is sealed up and locked down, and head for the shelter. You should also check that you have near your shelter additional tools, crow bars, and car jacks for digging out later, if required. Also, any building supplies, tools, sheet plastic, staple guns, etc. for plugging any holes from damage. Your basement should already be very well sealed against fallout drifting inside. Now, you'll need to seal around the last door you use to enter with duct tape all around the edges, especially if it's a direct to the outside door.
You don't need to risk fire, burns, and asphyxiation trying to cook anything in the cramped shelter space, if you have pre-positioned in your shelter enough canned goods, can opener, and other non-perishable foods, that are ready-to-eat without preparation. More food, along with water, can be located right outside your crawl space entrance that you can pull in quickly as needed when safe to do so.
For lighting needs within the shelter have many small LED flashlights or LED head-lamps to stretch your battery life. Try not to have to use candles if at all possible. Bring in some books for yourself and games for the children. Maybe throw in a small/thin mattress, some cushions, blankets, pillows, etc.
Toilet use will be via the 5 gallon bucket with a seat borrowed from one of the house bathrooms, if you did not purchase a separate one. Garbage bag liners, hopefully sized for it, should always be used and a full-size and bag lined garbage can should be positioned very close to the shelter entrance for depositing these in when it is safe to do so quickly. Hanging a sheet or blanket will help provide a little privacy as shelter occupants 'take their turn'. The toilet needs to have its new 'deposits' sealed up tight with the plastic liner after each use. Use a very secure top on the bucket and position it near the wall with the outgoing upper air vent.
Pets, and what to do about them, is a tough call. Letting dogs run free is not a humane option, both for their potential to die a miserable death from radiation exposure outside and/or to be a danger to others, especially if they get diseased and/or run in the inevitable packs of multitudes of other abandoned pets. Caring for them is ideal, if truly realistic and not a drain on limited resources, while 'putting them down' might eventually become a painful, but necessary reality.
Boiling or bleach water treatments will be used for cleaning your stored water later for drinking. (This is for killing bacteria, not for radiation contamination, which is never a concern for any stored and covered water containers or even sealed food.) Tap water recently put into clean containers won't likely need to be purified before using. To purify questionable water, bring it to a roiling boil and keep it there for 10 minutes at least. If you don't have the fuel to boil it, you can kill the bacteria by mixing in a good quality household bleach at the rate of 10 drops per gallon, and letting it sit for at least 1/2 an hour. The bleach should be at least 5.25% pure, like Clorox, but be sure it has no additives such as soap or fragrance. You can later get rid of the flat taste from boiling, or some of the chlorine taste when using bleach, by pouring it from one container to another several times.
There's much more that can be learned to better understand what you are up against and to acquire to help your family survive and endure it. While time permits, and if the Internet is still up & running, task somebody with getting and printing out additional prep information.
If there is not enough time to order/receive a radiation meter, then print out the plans for the home-makable KFM (Kearny Fallout Meter) that shows how to build at home, from materials commonly found there, an effective fallout radiation meter. Get the free plans for the KFM here...
http://www.ki4u.com/free_book/s60p792.htm
If there is enough time to both order, and be shipped, your own radiation detection and monitoring instruments, potassium iodide anti-radiation tablets, Nuclear Survival handbooks, etc., check first for remaining availability at these links...
http://www.radmeters4u.com/package.htm
http://www.nukalert.com
http://www.ki4u.com/products1.htm
http://www.survivalunlimited.com/completekit.htm
I hope that you took this post seriously and didn't get cheap laughs from it. If you got cheap laughs from this and you are faced with this situation not knowing what to do it will be hard to feel sorry for you. Remember the scouts motto "Be prepared" (for a nuclear attack)
a day without a post...
Oh well the streak is broken, I have decided to stop posting about the John Roberts issue, that is until the confirmation battle heats up in a month or so. I will also be leaving for the east coast this Saturday and will be gone for a week. During the weekend though I will have net access, and my posts will reflect the day I had in Washington DC with my Aunt, Uncle and Mom. Then I head down to NC to see my cousins who I haven't seen since 1997. Current events now basically consist of Roberts, possible attacks, the girl thing in Aruba that just won't go away, and a few other pieces of shit I care not to mention. Basically what I'm saying is that I'm DONE with political/current events posts for probably the rest of this month. My posts will be limited to sports, cd reviews and a book review or two. Maybe a review of NCAA 2006 or Madden 2006 too. It's time to show you all I'm not a one trick pony, I can talk intelligently about other things besides politics. I'm going to bed now...
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
We have a nomiee!!!
And the guy, John Roberts seems to be very qualified. Unless your a DailyKos loyalist. I haven't checked other liberal sites yet but it will be very funny to see the bullshit they "dig up" on him. They can bitch, whine, and moan all they want. My personal view is that if a fomer council to the ACLU (Ruth Bader-Ginsberg, the last SCOTUS appointee) can serve on the Supreme Court, John Roberts can. Well you will all be able to get good laughs from the liberal sites because I will be posting and linking to what they say about him because it most likely will easily be dismissed as false disinformation. And if you need more liberal blathering tune in to your local Error Ameri"kkk"a station (if you even have one in your area). It will be entertaining for sure.
Here's a PDF I pulled of Kos
right here. Maybe valid points maybe not.
And here are some entertaining comments from Kos (fyi they AREN'T edited, don't believe me? Go on the site and look bitch!)
When Roberts thanked his family, he mentioned his son, Jack...Roberts' wife's face fell. It was like a poker tell. I think we should research Jack.
by mayan on Tue Jul 19th, 2005 at 13:13:01 PDT
And here are some from the Demokkkratic underground
44. If you have to SHUT THE GOVERNMENT DOWN!
Edited on Tue Jul-19-05 08:12 PM by calipendence
COMPLETELY DOWN! Fillibuster *EVERYTHING* if they try to go nuclear on you! This is the fundamental battle we've all elected you to fight. This is where we expect you to fight to your fullest abilities to win!
Don't let any business go through the Senate or the House unless they pull back this nomination.
Thanks!
And here's a nice sane post from someone that has obviously thought this through...
just what we need. A fucking whacko fundie for the next 30 years or so returning the country back to the 19th century. Why do they all have to be so fucking REGRESSIVE?
What is it with these people, that they're so scared of the present and the future? They want to return to the days of robber-barons, slave labor, NO WOMAN'S RIGHTS, shit, no rights for anyone!
Godamn it, if these fuckers want to pick a fight, I'll knock the snot out these pricks. I've had it with these asswipes!
Liberalism is a mental disorder, look above for god's sake
to contrast here's a "sane liberal"
John Roberts, 49. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C., Circuit. Top of his class at Harvard Law School and a former law clerk for Rehnquist, Roberts is one of the most impressive appellate lawyers around today. Liberal groups object to the fact that, in 1990, as a deputy solicitor general, Roberts signed a brief in a case involving abortion-financing that called, in a footnote, for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. But it would be absurd to Bork him for this: Overturning Roe was the Bush administration's position at the time, and Roberts, as an advocate, also represented liberal positions, arguing in favor of affirmative action, against broad protections for property rights, and on behalf of prisoners' rights. In little more than a year on the bench, he has won the respect of his liberal and conservative colleagues but has not had enough cases to develop a clear record on questions involving the Constitution in Exile. On the positive side, Roberts joined Judge Merrick Garland's opinion allowing a former employee to sue the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for disability discrimination. He pointedly declined to join the unsettling dissent of Judge David Sentelle, a partisan of the Constitution in Exile, who argued that Congress had no power to condition the receipt of federal transportation funds on the Metro's willingness to waive its immunity from lawsuits. In another case, however, Roberts joined Sentelle in questioning whether the Endangered Species Act is constitutional under Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce. The regulation in question prevented developers from building on private lands in order to protect a rare species of toad, and Roberts noted with deadpan wit that "the hapless toad ... for reasons of its own, lives its entire life in California," and therefore could not affect interstate commerce. Nevertheless, Roberts appears willing to draw sensible lines: He said that he might be willing to sustain the constitutionality of the Endangered Species Act on other grounds. All in all, an extremely able lawyer whose committed conservatism seems to be leavened by a judicious temperament.
That's all I can stand for right now, I don't weather to laugh or throw something through the computer screen. I will put up comments on the conservative side later tonight, I need to cool off and eat now though. I'll try and have em up by midnight CST. I'd put a pic up but it's plastered all over the net, go find one it won't be hard.
Here's a PDF I pulled of Kos
And here are some entertaining comments from Kos (fyi they AREN'T edited, don't believe me? Go on the site and look bitch!)
When Roberts thanked his family, he mentioned his son, Jack...Roberts' wife's face fell. It was like a poker tell. I think we should research Jack.
by mayan on Tue Jul 19th, 2005 at 13:13:01 PDT
And here are some from the Demokkkratic underground
44. If you have to SHUT THE GOVERNMENT DOWN!
Edited on Tue Jul-19-05 08:12 PM by calipendence
COMPLETELY DOWN! Fillibuster *EVERYTHING* if they try to go nuclear on you! This is the fundamental battle we've all elected you to fight. This is where we expect you to fight to your fullest abilities to win!
Don't let any business go through the Senate or the House unless they pull back this nomination.
Thanks!
And here's a nice sane post from someone that has obviously thought this through...
just what we need. A fucking whacko fundie for the next 30 years or so returning the country back to the 19th century. Why do they all have to be so fucking REGRESSIVE?
What is it with these people, that they're so scared of the present and the future? They want to return to the days of robber-barons, slave labor, NO WOMAN'S RIGHTS, shit, no rights for anyone!
Godamn it, if these fuckers want to pick a fight, I'll knock the snot out these pricks. I've had it with these asswipes!
Liberalism is a mental disorder, look above for god's sake
to contrast here's a "sane liberal"
John Roberts, 49. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C., Circuit. Top of his class at Harvard Law School and a former law clerk for Rehnquist, Roberts is one of the most impressive appellate lawyers around today. Liberal groups object to the fact that, in 1990, as a deputy solicitor general, Roberts signed a brief in a case involving abortion-financing that called, in a footnote, for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. But it would be absurd to Bork him for this: Overturning Roe was the Bush administration's position at the time, and Roberts, as an advocate, also represented liberal positions, arguing in favor of affirmative action, against broad protections for property rights, and on behalf of prisoners' rights. In little more than a year on the bench, he has won the respect of his liberal and conservative colleagues but has not had enough cases to develop a clear record on questions involving the Constitution in Exile. On the positive side, Roberts joined Judge Merrick Garland's opinion allowing a former employee to sue the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for disability discrimination. He pointedly declined to join the unsettling dissent of Judge David Sentelle, a partisan of the Constitution in Exile, who argued that Congress had no power to condition the receipt of federal transportation funds on the Metro's willingness to waive its immunity from lawsuits. In another case, however, Roberts joined Sentelle in questioning whether the Endangered Species Act is constitutional under Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce. The regulation in question prevented developers from building on private lands in order to protect a rare species of toad, and Roberts noted with deadpan wit that "the hapless toad ... for reasons of its own, lives its entire life in California," and therefore could not affect interstate commerce. Nevertheless, Roberts appears willing to draw sensible lines: He said that he might be willing to sustain the constitutionality of the Endangered Species Act on other grounds. All in all, an extremely able lawyer whose committed conservatism seems to be leavened by a judicious temperament.
That's all I can stand for right now, I don't weather to laugh or throw something through the computer screen. I will put up comments on the conservative side later tonight, I need to cool off and eat now though. I'll try and have em up by midnight CST. I'd put a pic up but it's plastered all over the net, go find one it won't be hard.
Y Ted K day everyone!!!
Today is the 36th anniversary of Ted Kennedys murder of an innocent intern who made the bad decision of riding along with him after he had one too many. Here's a good article I found about the event.
During the month of June in 1969, Edward Kennedy was involved in a horrible car accident. He had been driving back from a party on Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts, and had driven off the edge of a bridge. Luckily, he was not severely injured; however, Mary Jo Kopechne, a woman who was in his car, was killed. She was a 29-year-old blond secretary in Washington D.C., who worked for Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator George Smanthers. Edward Kennedy's wife was home with their children and had not attended the party.
The accident was not reported until eight hours after the car had sunk to the bottom of the river. On the following Monday, Kennedy was charged for leaving the scene of the accident. In Massachusetts, a manslaughter charge is always given when someone leaves the scene of a deadly accident. This was the second time that Kennedy had been in a fatal accident; five years earlier he had been in a serious plane crash and had broken his back.
Kennedy, who was 37, said that he was simply in shock, and that was why he had not called the police.
"I attempted to open the door and window of the car but I have no recollection of how I got out of the car. I came to the surface and repeatedly dove down to see if the passenger was still in it. I was unsuccessful in the attempt. I was exhausted and in a state of shock and I recall that I was able to get back to some friends who had a car parked in front of the cottage. I asked someone to bring me back to Edgartown. I remember walking around for a period of time and when I suddenly realized what happened, I immediately called the police," Kennedy said.
Although Kennedy was sure that Kopechne's body had not been in the car, the police found her body in the back seat. A medical examiner reported that she had drowned and did not have any bruises on on her body. This meant that Kennedy had not been trying to force himself on her.
It is not definite that Kennedy did not plan this accident, or that he hesitated to call the police to hide his embarrassment of having an affair. However, what is thought to be true, is that the reason Edward Kennedy did not run for a high ranking political position, is because of this accident. He was thought to be a scandalous and deceitful person, who would not be electable because of this. It was very suspicious that an older man was found in a car accident with a young, beautiful woman who was not his wife. This was more significant because she was found dead. This one incident gave him and his family a bad name and caused his career to derail.
If you want to go to the article go to
this site
Here is a picture of Mary Jo Kopechne
and a picture of her simple grave
And we all know what this is
And finally, Ted you have the nerve to question Bush on his intelligence going into Iraq? How about we bring you up on AT LEAST manslaughter charges. And we all know how much prisoners would probably like you. Man I hope you rot in hell when you die, until then enjoy losing every battle in the Senate.
During the month of June in 1969, Edward Kennedy was involved in a horrible car accident. He had been driving back from a party on Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts, and had driven off the edge of a bridge. Luckily, he was not severely injured; however, Mary Jo Kopechne, a woman who was in his car, was killed. She was a 29-year-old blond secretary in Washington D.C., who worked for Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator George Smanthers. Edward Kennedy's wife was home with their children and had not attended the party.
The accident was not reported until eight hours after the car had sunk to the bottom of the river. On the following Monday, Kennedy was charged for leaving the scene of the accident. In Massachusetts, a manslaughter charge is always given when someone leaves the scene of a deadly accident. This was the second time that Kennedy had been in a fatal accident; five years earlier he had been in a serious plane crash and had broken his back.
Kennedy, who was 37, said that he was simply in shock, and that was why he had not called the police.
"I attempted to open the door and window of the car but I have no recollection of how I got out of the car. I came to the surface and repeatedly dove down to see if the passenger was still in it. I was unsuccessful in the attempt. I was exhausted and in a state of shock and I recall that I was able to get back to some friends who had a car parked in front of the cottage. I asked someone to bring me back to Edgartown. I remember walking around for a period of time and when I suddenly realized what happened, I immediately called the police," Kennedy said.
Although Kennedy was sure that Kopechne's body had not been in the car, the police found her body in the back seat. A medical examiner reported that she had drowned and did not have any bruises on on her body. This meant that Kennedy had not been trying to force himself on her.
It is not definite that Kennedy did not plan this accident, or that he hesitated to call the police to hide his embarrassment of having an affair. However, what is thought to be true, is that the reason Edward Kennedy did not run for a high ranking political position, is because of this accident. He was thought to be a scandalous and deceitful person, who would not be electable because of this. It was very suspicious that an older man was found in a car accident with a young, beautiful woman who was not his wife. This was more significant because she was found dead. This one incident gave him and his family a bad name and caused his career to derail.
If you want to go to the article go to
this site
Here is a picture of Mary Jo Kopechne
and a picture of her simple grave
And we all know what this is
And finally, Ted you have the nerve to question Bush on his intelligence going into Iraq? How about we bring you up on AT LEAST manslaughter charges. And we all know how much prisoners would probably like you. Man I hope you rot in hell when you die, until then enjoy losing every battle in the Senate.
Bush to name SCOTUS nominee tonight at 9pm EST...
Well the day has come. Every news channel I have seen says he's going to nominate Edith Jones, I personally am still rooting for Janice Rogers Brown becuase a dem senator has already come out and said they would fillibuster her. Bush call his "bluff". Even if it is Edith Jones I will support the nominee because she is a "mainstream conservative" (the left doesn't seem to be able how someone can be mainstream and conservative though, Senate battle anyone?) that SHOULD get bipartisan support. Will she? I doubt it but you never know. My evening post will be analyzing the past record of whoever the nominee is.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Affirmative Action...
It's been what 2 days since I posted a controversial topic? So here it goes, this has contributions from stewie another poster on Conservative Punk (look on the bottom for the link)
I have no problem with other races (I hate that word when it's used in that context; we're all human after all), my way of thinking is that you determine the worth of a person on an individual basis. That's why I have friend's whose views juxtapose mine, that's why I had a perfectly good time living with my homosexual brother and his partner last summer, and that's why I didn't cringe when I saw some of my coworkers during that summer weren't white. I met some very nice people that summer. I say this because before proceed any further I want to discourage the concept that I am some bigoted redneck who can't conceive of a world beyond the whitebred ethnosphere in which I generally live. All this said I think that affirmative action is no more than modern day sugar coated racism and that it's existence only helps to sustain the idea that people are different because of their skin color.
I can understand the reasoning behind affirmative action, I really can. Minorities and women have in the past been dealt an extremely unfair hand and it makes sense that it be made up to them by giving the same chances and oppurtunities that every average white person has ever had. Only that's not what we're doing, we're giving them more chances and oppurtunities than the average white person and this my friends is something of a hypocrisy. We are going to correct wrongs of the past by taking advantages away from one group because of their skin color and giving it to another because of their skin color. In a sane world this would be called hypocrisy, but in the politically correct world in which we live this called justice.
The way to correct the wrongs of the past in not to hand out handicaps but rather to make the playing field perfectly equal. Don't consider race in employment, or college admissions, don't consider race at all! Base everything on whether or not a person has the grades or the qualification to do what they want and to go where they want to go. I know some would argue that there still exists fundamental obstacles to many minorities when it comes to education and this may be true, but the same can be said for many white people as well. If the black son of a billionaire applies to the same college as the white son of a coal miner and they both have comparable grades would it be fair to admit the black student on the basis that he was disadvantaged as a minority? Obviously not! I know that this kind of scenario is rare but it proves the hypocrisy of the affirmative action system. More so what message does it send to people when you pretty much tell them "You need help because your black?"
I know that minorities have struggled long and hard to get where the already are but we invalidate everything they have done when we tell them that even though they have beaten every single white prediction they still aren't good enough to make it the top on their own? I know what I am calling for may seem racist but it isn't. I am calling for a system that makes every person earn what they get, a system that in the end will allow people to look back on their lives and say with pride "I got here on my own."
Like I said in my conversation with ZS the other day. "Both sides political philosiphy can be summed up in one saying: give a man a fish and he'll be hungry the next day, teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry again. Conservatives want to teach, liberals want to give." I couldn't have said it better myself, wait I did say it, hmmm I need to get more sleep at night my mind is going. Anyways basically AA is giving out a fish which is what liberals want to do, conservatives want to help these people get high-quality educations (teach them to fish) so they can succeed without the help of a racist policy (yes lefties, racism against white people IS STILL RACISM!) that does more harm than good to their cause.
I have no problem with other races (I hate that word when it's used in that context; we're all human after all), my way of thinking is that you determine the worth of a person on an individual basis. That's why I have friend's whose views juxtapose mine, that's why I had a perfectly good time living with my homosexual brother and his partner last summer, and that's why I didn't cringe when I saw some of my coworkers during that summer weren't white. I met some very nice people that summer. I say this because before proceed any further I want to discourage the concept that I am some bigoted redneck who can't conceive of a world beyond the whitebred ethnosphere in which I generally live. All this said I think that affirmative action is no more than modern day sugar coated racism and that it's existence only helps to sustain the idea that people are different because of their skin color.
I can understand the reasoning behind affirmative action, I really can. Minorities and women have in the past been dealt an extremely unfair hand and it makes sense that it be made up to them by giving the same chances and oppurtunities that every average white person has ever had. Only that's not what we're doing, we're giving them more chances and oppurtunities than the average white person and this my friends is something of a hypocrisy. We are going to correct wrongs of the past by taking advantages away from one group because of their skin color and giving it to another because of their skin color. In a sane world this would be called hypocrisy, but in the politically correct world in which we live this called justice.
The way to correct the wrongs of the past in not to hand out handicaps but rather to make the playing field perfectly equal. Don't consider race in employment, or college admissions, don't consider race at all! Base everything on whether or not a person has the grades or the qualification to do what they want and to go where they want to go. I know some would argue that there still exists fundamental obstacles to many minorities when it comes to education and this may be true, but the same can be said for many white people as well. If the black son of a billionaire applies to the same college as the white son of a coal miner and they both have comparable grades would it be fair to admit the black student on the basis that he was disadvantaged as a minority? Obviously not! I know that this kind of scenario is rare but it proves the hypocrisy of the affirmative action system. More so what message does it send to people when you pretty much tell them "You need help because your black?"
I know that minorities have struggled long and hard to get where the already are but we invalidate everything they have done when we tell them that even though they have beaten every single white prediction they still aren't good enough to make it the top on their own? I know what I am calling for may seem racist but it isn't. I am calling for a system that makes every person earn what they get, a system that in the end will allow people to look back on their lives and say with pride "I got here on my own."
Like I said in my conversation with ZS the other day. "Both sides political philosiphy can be summed up in one saying: give a man a fish and he'll be hungry the next day, teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry again. Conservatives want to teach, liberals want to give." I couldn't have said it better myself, wait I did say it, hmmm I need to get more sleep at night my mind is going. Anyways basically AA is giving out a fish which is what liberals want to do, conservatives want to help these people get high-quality educations (teach them to fish) so they can succeed without the help of a racist policy (yes lefties, racism against white people IS STILL RACISM!) that does more harm than good to their cause.
Talk about losing it...
Paul Begala, an ex-Clinton aid spoke last week to a bunch of mentally disabled young people. Here's what he said.
This article was written by Jered Ede, CNSNews.com
Young liberals this week flocked to the nation's capital to hear, among other things, liberal television pundit and Democrat political strategist Paul Begala accuse Republicans of wanting to kill him and his children to preserve tax cuts for the rich.
Begala was featured at the first-ever Campus Progress National Student Conference, which was designed to provide campus liberals with the tools necessary to fight the conservative movement. The event also drew former President Bill Clinton, for whom Begala once worked as an advisor.
A panel discussion entitled "Winning the War of Ideas" centered on topics discussed in the book "What's the Matter with Kansas" by Thomas Frank and detailed the challenges that Democrats face in persuading voters in the American heartland and elsewhere to embrace their agenda and support their candidates.
Begala's presence on the panel created a stir when he declared that Republicans had "done a p***-poor job of defending" the U.S.
Republicans, he said, "want to kill us."
"I was driving past the Pentagon when that plane hit" on Sept. 11, 2001. "I had friends on that plane; this is deadly serious to me," Begala said.
"They want to kill me and my children if they can. But if they just kill me and not my children, they want my children to be comforted – that while they didn't protect me because they cut my taxes, my children won't have to pay any money on the money they inherit," Begala said. "That is bulls*** national defense, and we should say that."
The Clinton administration's national security efforts involved the right blend of "experience" and "strength," Begala said, an assertion with which the 9/11 Commission apparently disagreed.
In its report, the bipartisan commission stated that "each president considered or authorized covert actions, a process that consumed considerable time - especially in the Clinton administration - and achieved little success beyond the collection of intelligence."
Begala also included Republican domestic policies in his sweeping criticism. The GOP, he said, "ain't had a new idea since they opposed Social Security, and guess what, they still do. ... They are beginning to figure out that there is no Soviet Union, but they still want Star Wars to stop it," Begala said.
"Okay, they are utterly and completely brain-dead," echoing comments earlier this year by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who accused Republicans of being "brain dead."
Frank insisted that Republicans are not quite as tough on national security as many Americans think.
"Franklin Roosevelt got us in World War II. They dragged the Republicans kicking and screaming. They didn't want to get in that war. They didn't have any problem with Hitler. I won't go so far as to say they thought Hitler rocked. But there were people in America who did, and they didn't want us to get in that war. Democrats have always been just as tough as Republicans once they're in office," Frank said.
Frank did not mention one of the most vocal opponents of U.S. intervention in World War II: Democrat Joseph P. Kennedy, who was one of Roosevelt's top fundraisers, the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain and father of John F. Kennedy, who would later become America's 35th president.
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the eldest of the ambassador's sons, wrote his father with his own observations of the global conflict. Hitler's "dislike of the Jews ... was well-founded," the younger Kennedy explained in his letter.
"In every revolution, you have to expect some bloodshed. Hitler is building a spirit in his men that could be envied in this country," wrote Kennedy Jr., expressing an opinion his father shared.
"I was very pleased and gratified at your observations of the German situation, and I think your conclusions are very sound," the elder Kennedy replied to his son.
Frank defended his point, however, claiming that Republicans didn't see Hitler as a threat to America until Pearl Harbor.
He repeated the Democratic criticism of America's invasion of Iraq. Saddam Hussein "was a horrible [sic], a dictator, a butcher, a tyrant, a mass murderer - as evil as they come," Frank said, but he added: "I don't think he was a threat to the U.S. at the time."
Former Clinton administration Chief of Staff John Podesta told the students that "you can fight hard for what you believe without breaking the law, without cheating and certainly without checking your morals at the door."
It's offical, not only are liberals mentally disabled but now their insane. This is going to make 2006 and 2008 too easy. Oh and Paul, we wouldn't dream of killing you, your too funny and when you speak like this you only help our side. Welcome converts!
This article was written by Jered Ede, CNSNews.com
Young liberals this week flocked to the nation's capital to hear, among other things, liberal television pundit and Democrat political strategist Paul Begala accuse Republicans of wanting to kill him and his children to preserve tax cuts for the rich.
Begala was featured at the first-ever Campus Progress National Student Conference, which was designed to provide campus liberals with the tools necessary to fight the conservative movement. The event also drew former President Bill Clinton, for whom Begala once worked as an advisor.
A panel discussion entitled "Winning the War of Ideas" centered on topics discussed in the book "What's the Matter with Kansas" by Thomas Frank and detailed the challenges that Democrats face in persuading voters in the American heartland and elsewhere to embrace their agenda and support their candidates.
Begala's presence on the panel created a stir when he declared that Republicans had "done a p***-poor job of defending" the U.S.
Republicans, he said, "want to kill us."
"I was driving past the Pentagon when that plane hit" on Sept. 11, 2001. "I had friends on that plane; this is deadly serious to me," Begala said.
"They want to kill me and my children if they can. But if they just kill me and not my children, they want my children to be comforted – that while they didn't protect me because they cut my taxes, my children won't have to pay any money on the money they inherit," Begala said. "That is bulls*** national defense, and we should say that."
The Clinton administration's national security efforts involved the right blend of "experience" and "strength," Begala said, an assertion with which the 9/11 Commission apparently disagreed.
In its report, the bipartisan commission stated that "each president considered or authorized covert actions, a process that consumed considerable time - especially in the Clinton administration - and achieved little success beyond the collection of intelligence."
Begala also included Republican domestic policies in his sweeping criticism. The GOP, he said, "ain't had a new idea since they opposed Social Security, and guess what, they still do. ... They are beginning to figure out that there is no Soviet Union, but they still want Star Wars to stop it," Begala said.
"Okay, they are utterly and completely brain-dead," echoing comments earlier this year by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who accused Republicans of being "brain dead."
Frank insisted that Republicans are not quite as tough on national security as many Americans think.
"Franklin Roosevelt got us in World War II. They dragged the Republicans kicking and screaming. They didn't want to get in that war. They didn't have any problem with Hitler. I won't go so far as to say they thought Hitler rocked. But there were people in America who did, and they didn't want us to get in that war. Democrats have always been just as tough as Republicans once they're in office," Frank said.
Frank did not mention one of the most vocal opponents of U.S. intervention in World War II: Democrat Joseph P. Kennedy, who was one of Roosevelt's top fundraisers, the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain and father of John F. Kennedy, who would later become America's 35th president.
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the eldest of the ambassador's sons, wrote his father with his own observations of the global conflict. Hitler's "dislike of the Jews ... was well-founded," the younger Kennedy explained in his letter.
"In every revolution, you have to expect some bloodshed. Hitler is building a spirit in his men that could be envied in this country," wrote Kennedy Jr., expressing an opinion his father shared.
"I was very pleased and gratified at your observations of the German situation, and I think your conclusions are very sound," the elder Kennedy replied to his son.
Frank defended his point, however, claiming that Republicans didn't see Hitler as a threat to America until Pearl Harbor.
He repeated the Democratic criticism of America's invasion of Iraq. Saddam Hussein "was a horrible [sic], a dictator, a butcher, a tyrant, a mass murderer - as evil as they come," Frank said, but he added: "I don't think he was a threat to the U.S. at the time."
Former Clinton administration Chief of Staff John Podesta told the students that "you can fight hard for what you believe without breaking the law, without cheating and certainly without checking your morals at the door."
It's offical, not only are liberals mentally disabled but now their insane. This is going to make 2006 and 2008 too easy. Oh and Paul, we wouldn't dream of killing you, your too funny and when you speak like this you only help our side. Welcome converts!
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Stupid News Edition 5: The strangest yet...
I'm so goddamn sick of the news in general that today my lone post on this site will be stupid news. It has been awhile and we all need to laugh because we know its good for us. This can't be categorized because its so out there, just read it:
China is planning to study the effects of outer space on sperm by sending the semen from pedigree pigs into orbit.
Some 40 grams of pig sperm will be taken on board the Shenzhou VI spacecraft for its October launch.
Some of the sperm will be kept outside the spacecraft's biological capsule and some inside, according to China's Xinhua news agency.
Surviving sperm will be returned to earth and used to compare the effect of microgravity on the semen.
The pigs chosen are a breed called Rongchang, named after an area in the southwest of the country and famed for their physique and for the quality of their meat.
Agricultural experts hope to use the sperm to fertilise pig eggs back on earth and monitor the effects of the journey to space.
China's first manned space flight two years ago made it the third country able to launch a human into space on its own, along with Russia and the United States. During the mission two astronauts will orbit the planet five or six times.
Strange huh? I think their government has a little too much money on their hands.
China is planning to study the effects of outer space on sperm by sending the semen from pedigree pigs into orbit.
Some 40 grams of pig sperm will be taken on board the Shenzhou VI spacecraft for its October launch.
Some of the sperm will be kept outside the spacecraft's biological capsule and some inside, according to China's Xinhua news agency.
Surviving sperm will be returned to earth and used to compare the effect of microgravity on the semen.
The pigs chosen are a breed called Rongchang, named after an area in the southwest of the country and famed for their physique and for the quality of their meat.
Agricultural experts hope to use the sperm to fertilise pig eggs back on earth and monitor the effects of the journey to space.
China's first manned space flight two years ago made it the third country able to launch a human into space on its own, along with Russia and the United States. During the mission two astronauts will orbit the planet five or six times.
Strange huh? I think their government has a little too much money on their hands.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Here's an idea, lets invade the senate and put REAL people in...
Yea extreme I know but these dipshits just voted against more border agents to protect our southern border AFTER the House passed it 333-91 or something like that.
Notable:
1) Arizona senators McCain and Kyl voted YES
2) Both New Mexico senators voted YES (one is a Democrat)
3) Both Texas senators voted YES
4) Both California senators vote NO
If you have been expending your life energy to fight illegal immigration, yesterday the United States Senate wiped their butts with it. Hey jackasses lets get you out of office you elite bastards. Come on you morons were elected to do the WILL OF THE PEOPLE, not your own personal agenda. Here's the full list of Senators that should be commended (not praised) for being sane and doing what an overwhelming majority of Americans want to see, more border agents.
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Warner (R-VA)
38 for 2 democrats 36 republicans
Here's all the retards that voted against it.
Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)(vote out)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bond (R-MO)(vote out)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Cochran (R-MS)(vote out)
Coleman (R-MN)(vote out)
Collins (R-ME)(vote out)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeWine (R-OH)(vote out)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inhofe (R-OK) (vote out)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN) (vote out)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Santorum (R-PA)(vote out)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Smith (R-OR) (vote out)
Snowe (R-ME)(vote out)
Specter (R-PA)(vote out)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK) (vote out)
Talent (R-MO)
Vitter (R-LA) (vote out)
Voinovich (R-OH) (vote out)
Wyden (D-OR)
62 Senators that don't care about YOUR safety. 43 democrats 19 republicrats (thanks Savage). Democrat or Republican I don't care I want people to demand answers from these idiots that put their personal agenda above your safety. This is unbelieveable. The most disappointing one on this list for me is Coleman, he got in because the DFL here screwed up after Wellstone died and now he stabs this state in the back. Thanks Norm, you have made another enemy, I'm going to make sure you don't even get our parties nomination in 2008. You backstabbing bastard.
Notable:
1) Arizona senators McCain and Kyl voted YES
2) Both New Mexico senators voted YES (one is a Democrat)
3) Both Texas senators voted YES
4) Both California senators vote NO
If you have been expending your life energy to fight illegal immigration, yesterday the United States Senate wiped their butts with it. Hey jackasses lets get you out of office you elite bastards. Come on you morons were elected to do the WILL OF THE PEOPLE, not your own personal agenda. Here's the full list of Senators that should be commended (not praised) for being sane and doing what an overwhelming majority of Americans want to see, more border agents.
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Warner (R-VA)
38 for 2 democrats 36 republicans
Here's all the retards that voted against it.
Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)(vote out)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bond (R-MO)(vote out)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Cochran (R-MS)(vote out)
Coleman (R-MN)(vote out)
Collins (R-ME)(vote out)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeWine (R-OH)(vote out)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inhofe (R-OK) (vote out)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN) (vote out)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Santorum (R-PA)(vote out)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Smith (R-OR) (vote out)
Snowe (R-ME)(vote out)
Specter (R-PA)(vote out)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK) (vote out)
Talent (R-MO)
Vitter (R-LA) (vote out)
Voinovich (R-OH) (vote out)
Wyden (D-OR)
62 Senators that don't care about YOUR safety. 43 democrats 19 republicrats (thanks Savage). Democrat or Republican I don't care I want people to demand answers from these idiots that put their personal agenda above your safety. This is unbelieveable. The most disappointing one on this list for me is Coleman, he got in because the DFL here screwed up after Wellstone died and now he stabs this state in the back. Thanks Norm, you have made another enemy, I'm going to make sure you don't even get our parties nomination in 2008. You backstabbing bastard.
The Harry Potter Phenomenon...
Ok everyone, this isn't a book review but just an observation I have had of the Harry Potter craze that has been going on in the world since like I was in 5th-6th grade. At first I was really against it, I'm not sure why I was just parroting other people. Then I came to realize something, this book is getting kids to read, I have not read a page of a book in the series and I probably never will, but I will not criticize it anymore because it's getting kids away from the TV. In the end, this is one of the few good things (possibly only good thing) that Pop Culture has to offer. Now if only they could stop shoving shitty music down our throats, oh well one step at a time. So to all you Harry Potter fans young and old go for it, and for God's sake don't listen to what Ratzinger/Benedict said a few years ago on it. He has no authority to tell you what to read. Me? I will stick to reading my conspiracy and right-wing books. Contradictory? maybe, entertaining and informative? You bet your ass.
Is this for real???
Well, I just pulled this off my favorite overnight radio shows web site. It is a film calledRubber Johnny. Is it real? Probably not but it's still very interesting and kind of distubing. It makes you think, kinda a messed up video. Who knows, this may actually be an alien but I highly doubt it.
Friday, July 15, 2005
A review of the current state of our world...
A National Review writer. I would have said this but it wouldn't have been as articulate. He says it much better than I can...
Our Wars Over the War
“The fault is not in our stars.”
Ever since September 11, there has been an alternative narrative about this war embraced by the Left. In this mythology, the attack on September 11 had in some vague way something to do with American culpability.
Either we were unfairly tilting toward Israel, or had been unkind to Muslims. Perhaps, as Sen. Patty Murray intoned, we needed to match the good works of bin Laden to capture the hearts and minds of Muslim peoples.
The fable continues that the United States itself was united after the attack even during its preparations to retaliate in Afghanistan. But then George Bush took his eye off the ball. He let bin Laden escape, and worst of all, unilaterally and preemptively, went into secular Iraq — an unnecessary war for oil, hegemony, Israel, or Halliburton, something in Ted Kennedy’s words “cooked up in Texas.”
In any case, there was no connection between al Qaeda and Saddam, and thus terrorists only arrived in Iraq after we did.
That tale goes on. The Iraqi fiasco is now a hopeless quagmire. The terrorists are paying us back for it in places like London and Madrid.
Still worse, here at home we have lost many of our civil liberties to the Patriot Act and forsaken our values at Guantanamo Bay under the pretext of war. Nancy Pelosi could not understand the continued detentions in Guantanamo since the war in Afghanistan is in her eyes completely finished.
In this fable, we are not safer as a nation. George Bush’s policies have increased the terror threat as we saw recently in the London bombing. We have now been at war longer than World War II. We still have no plan to defeat our enemies, and thus must set a timetable to withdraw from Iraq.
Islamic terrorism cannot be defeated militarily nor can democracy be “implanted by force.” So it is time to return to seeing the terrorist killing as a criminal justice matter — a tolerable nuisance addressed by writs and indictments, while we give more money to the Middle East and begin paying attention to the “root causes” of terror.
That is the dominant narrative of the Western Left and at times it finds its way into mainstream Democratic-party thinking. Yet every element of it is false.
Prior to 9/11, the United States had given an aggregate of over $50 billion to Egypt, and had allotted about the same amount of aid to Israel as to its frontline enemies. We had helped to save Muslims in Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, and received little if any thanks for bombing Christian Europeans to finish in a matter of weeks what all the crack-pot jihadists had not done by flocking to the Balkans in a decade.
Long before Afghanistan and Iraq, bin Laden declared war on America in 1998, citing the U.N. embargo of Iraq and troops in Saudi Arabia; when those were no longer issues, he did not cease, but continued his murdering. He harbored a deep-seated contempt for Western values, even though he was eaten within by uncontrolled envy and felt empowered by years of appeasement after a series of attacks on our embassies, bases, ships, and buildings, both here and abroad.
Iraqi intelligence was involved with the first World Trade Center bombing, and its operatives met on occasion with those who were involved in al Qaeda operations. Every terrorist from Abu Abbas and Abu Nidal to Abdul Yasin and Abu al-Zarqawi found Baghdad the most hospitable place in the Middle East, which explains why a plan to assassinate George Bush Sr. was hatched from such a miasma.
Neither bin Laden nor his lieutenants are poor, but like the Hamas suicide bombers, Mohammed Atta, or the murderer of Daniel Pearl they are usually middle class and educated — and are more likely to hate the West, it seems, the more they wanted to be part of it. The profile of the London bombers, when known, will prove the same.
The poor in South America or Africa are not murdering civilians in North America or Europe. The jihadists are not bombing Chinese for either their godless secularism or suppression of Muslim minorities. Indeed, bin Laden harbored more hatred for an America that stopped the Balkan holocaust of Muslims than for Slobodan Milosevic who started it.
There was only unity in this country between September 11 and October 6, when a large minority of Americans felt our victim status gave us for a golden moment the high ground. We forget now the furor over hitting back in Afghanistan — a quagmire in the words of New York Times columnists R. W. Apple and Maureen Dowd; a “terrorist campaign” against Muslims according to Representative Cynthia McKinney; “a silent genocide” in Noam Chomsky’s ranting.
Two thirds of al Qaeda’s command is now captured or dead; bases in Afghanistan are lost. Saddam’s intelligence will not be lending expertise to anyone and the Baghdad government won’t welcome in terrorist masterminds.
In fact, thousands of brave Iraqi Muslims are now in a shooting war with wahhabi jihadists who, despite their carnage, are dying in droves as they flock to the Iraq.
A constitution is in place in Iraq; reform is spreading to Lebanon, the Gulf, and Egypt; and autocracies in Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Pakistan are apprehensive over a strange new American democratic zeal. Petroleum was returned to control of the Iraqi people, and the price has skyrocketed to the chagrin of American corporations.
There has been no repeat of September 11 so far. Killing jihadists abroad while arresting their sympathizers here at home has made it hard to replicate another 9/11-like attack.
The Patriot Act was far less intrusive than what Abraham Lincoln (suspension of habeas corpus), Woodrow Wilson (cf. the Espionage and Sedition Acts), or Franklin Roosevelt (forced internment) resorted to during past wars. So far America has suffered in Iraq .006 percent of the combat dead it lost in World War II, while not facing a conventional enemy against which it might turn its traditional technological and logistical advantages.
Unlike Gulf War I and the decade-long Iraqi cold war of embargos, stand-off bombing, and no-fly-zones, the United States has a comprehensive strategy both in the war against terror and to end a decade and a half of Iraqi strife: Kill terrorists abroad, depose theocratic and autocratic regimes that have either warred with the United States or harbored terrorists, and promote democracy to take away grievances that can be manipulated and turned against us.
Why does this false narrative, then, persist — other than that it had a certain political utility in the 2002 and 2004 elections?
In a word, this version of events brings spiritual calm for millions of troubled though affluent and blessed Westerners. There are three sacraments to their postmodern thinking, besides the primordial fear that so often leads to appeasement.
Our first hindrance is moral equivalence. For the hard Left there is no absolute right and wrong since amorality is defined arbitrarily and only by those in power.
Taking back Fallujah from beheaders and terrorists is no different from bombing the London subway since civilians may die in either case. The deliberate rather than accidental targeting of noncombatants makes little difference, especially since the underdog in Fallujah is not to be judged by the same standard as the overdogs in London and New York. A half-dozen roughed up prisoners in Guantanamo are the same as the Nazi death camps or the Gulag.
Our second shackle is utopian pacifism — ‘war never solved anything’ and ‘violence only begets violence.’ Thus it makes no sense to resort to violence, since reason and conflict resolution can convince even a bin Laden to come to the table. That most evil has ended tragically and most good has resumed through armed struggle — whether in Germany, Japan, and Italy or Panama, Belgrade, and Kabul — is irrelevant. Apparently on some past day, sophisticated Westerners, in their infinite wisdom and morality, transcended age-old human nature, and as a reward were given a pass from the smelly, dirty old world of the past six millennia.
The third restraint is multiculturalism, or the idea that all social practices are of equal merit. Who are we to generalize that the regimes and fundamentalist sects of the Middle East result in economic backwardness, intolerance of religious and ethnic minorities, gender apartheid, racism, homophobia, and patriarchy? Being different from the West is never being worse.
These tenets in various forms are not merely found in the womb of the universities, but filter down into our popular culture, grade schools, and national political discourse — and make it hard to fight a war against stealthy enemies who proclaim constant and shifting grievances. If at times these doctrines are proven bankrupt by the evidence it matters little, because such beliefs are near religious in nature — a secular creed that will brook no empirical challenge.
These articles of faith apparently fill a deep psychological need for millions of Westerners, guilty over their privilege, free to do anything without constraints or repercussions, and convinced that their own culture has made them spectacularly rich and leisured only at the expense of others.
So it is not true to say that Western civilization is at war against Dark Age Islamism. Properly speaking, only about half of the West is involved, the shrinking segment that still sees human nature as unchanging and history as therefore replete with a rich heritage of tragic lessons.
This is nothing new.
The spectacular inroads of the Ottomans in the16th century to the gates of Vienna and the shores of the Adriatic were not explainable according to Istanbul’s vibrant economy, impressive universities, or widespread scientific dynamism and literacy, or even a technologically superior and richly equipped military. Instead, a beleaguered Europe was trisected by squabbling Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians — as a wealthy northwest, with Atlantic seaports, ignored the besieged Mediterranean and Balkans and turned its attention to getting rich in the New World.
So too we are divided over two antithetical views of the evolving West — Europe at odds with America, red and blue states in intellectual and spiritual divergence, the tragic view resisting the creeping therapeutic mindset.
These interior splits largely explain why creepy killers from the Dark Ages, parasitic on the West from their weapons to communications, are still plaguing us four years after their initial surprise attack.
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
Amen Vitcor, Amen. Any lefties want to discredit what he said feel free.
Our Wars Over the War
“The fault is not in our stars.”
Ever since September 11, there has been an alternative narrative about this war embraced by the Left. In this mythology, the attack on September 11 had in some vague way something to do with American culpability.
Either we were unfairly tilting toward Israel, or had been unkind to Muslims. Perhaps, as Sen. Patty Murray intoned, we needed to match the good works of bin Laden to capture the hearts and minds of Muslim peoples.
The fable continues that the United States itself was united after the attack even during its preparations to retaliate in Afghanistan. But then George Bush took his eye off the ball. He let bin Laden escape, and worst of all, unilaterally and preemptively, went into secular Iraq — an unnecessary war for oil, hegemony, Israel, or Halliburton, something in Ted Kennedy’s words “cooked up in Texas.”
In any case, there was no connection between al Qaeda and Saddam, and thus terrorists only arrived in Iraq after we did.
That tale goes on. The Iraqi fiasco is now a hopeless quagmire. The terrorists are paying us back for it in places like London and Madrid.
Still worse, here at home we have lost many of our civil liberties to the Patriot Act and forsaken our values at Guantanamo Bay under the pretext of war. Nancy Pelosi could not understand the continued detentions in Guantanamo since the war in Afghanistan is in her eyes completely finished.
In this fable, we are not safer as a nation. George Bush’s policies have increased the terror threat as we saw recently in the London bombing. We have now been at war longer than World War II. We still have no plan to defeat our enemies, and thus must set a timetable to withdraw from Iraq.
Islamic terrorism cannot be defeated militarily nor can democracy be “implanted by force.” So it is time to return to seeing the terrorist killing as a criminal justice matter — a tolerable nuisance addressed by writs and indictments, while we give more money to the Middle East and begin paying attention to the “root causes” of terror.
That is the dominant narrative of the Western Left and at times it finds its way into mainstream Democratic-party thinking. Yet every element of it is false.
Prior to 9/11, the United States had given an aggregate of over $50 billion to Egypt, and had allotted about the same amount of aid to Israel as to its frontline enemies. We had helped to save Muslims in Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, and received little if any thanks for bombing Christian Europeans to finish in a matter of weeks what all the crack-pot jihadists had not done by flocking to the Balkans in a decade.
Long before Afghanistan and Iraq, bin Laden declared war on America in 1998, citing the U.N. embargo of Iraq and troops in Saudi Arabia; when those were no longer issues, he did not cease, but continued his murdering. He harbored a deep-seated contempt for Western values, even though he was eaten within by uncontrolled envy and felt empowered by years of appeasement after a series of attacks on our embassies, bases, ships, and buildings, both here and abroad.
Iraqi intelligence was involved with the first World Trade Center bombing, and its operatives met on occasion with those who were involved in al Qaeda operations. Every terrorist from Abu Abbas and Abu Nidal to Abdul Yasin and Abu al-Zarqawi found Baghdad the most hospitable place in the Middle East, which explains why a plan to assassinate George Bush Sr. was hatched from such a miasma.
Neither bin Laden nor his lieutenants are poor, but like the Hamas suicide bombers, Mohammed Atta, or the murderer of Daniel Pearl they are usually middle class and educated — and are more likely to hate the West, it seems, the more they wanted to be part of it. The profile of the London bombers, when known, will prove the same.
The poor in South America or Africa are not murdering civilians in North America or Europe. The jihadists are not bombing Chinese for either their godless secularism or suppression of Muslim minorities. Indeed, bin Laden harbored more hatred for an America that stopped the Balkan holocaust of Muslims than for Slobodan Milosevic who started it.
There was only unity in this country between September 11 and October 6, when a large minority of Americans felt our victim status gave us for a golden moment the high ground. We forget now the furor over hitting back in Afghanistan — a quagmire in the words of New York Times columnists R. W. Apple and Maureen Dowd; a “terrorist campaign” against Muslims according to Representative Cynthia McKinney; “a silent genocide” in Noam Chomsky’s ranting.
Two thirds of al Qaeda’s command is now captured or dead; bases in Afghanistan are lost. Saddam’s intelligence will not be lending expertise to anyone and the Baghdad government won’t welcome in terrorist masterminds.
In fact, thousands of brave Iraqi Muslims are now in a shooting war with wahhabi jihadists who, despite their carnage, are dying in droves as they flock to the Iraq.
A constitution is in place in Iraq; reform is spreading to Lebanon, the Gulf, and Egypt; and autocracies in Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Pakistan are apprehensive over a strange new American democratic zeal. Petroleum was returned to control of the Iraqi people, and the price has skyrocketed to the chagrin of American corporations.
There has been no repeat of September 11 so far. Killing jihadists abroad while arresting their sympathizers here at home has made it hard to replicate another 9/11-like attack.
The Patriot Act was far less intrusive than what Abraham Lincoln (suspension of habeas corpus), Woodrow Wilson (cf. the Espionage and Sedition Acts), or Franklin Roosevelt (forced internment) resorted to during past wars. So far America has suffered in Iraq .006 percent of the combat dead it lost in World War II, while not facing a conventional enemy against which it might turn its traditional technological and logistical advantages.
Unlike Gulf War I and the decade-long Iraqi cold war of embargos, stand-off bombing, and no-fly-zones, the United States has a comprehensive strategy both in the war against terror and to end a decade and a half of Iraqi strife: Kill terrorists abroad, depose theocratic and autocratic regimes that have either warred with the United States or harbored terrorists, and promote democracy to take away grievances that can be manipulated and turned against us.
Why does this false narrative, then, persist — other than that it had a certain political utility in the 2002 and 2004 elections?
In a word, this version of events brings spiritual calm for millions of troubled though affluent and blessed Westerners. There are three sacraments to their postmodern thinking, besides the primordial fear that so often leads to appeasement.
Our first hindrance is moral equivalence. For the hard Left there is no absolute right and wrong since amorality is defined arbitrarily and only by those in power.
Taking back Fallujah from beheaders and terrorists is no different from bombing the London subway since civilians may die in either case. The deliberate rather than accidental targeting of noncombatants makes little difference, especially since the underdog in Fallujah is not to be judged by the same standard as the overdogs in London and New York. A half-dozen roughed up prisoners in Guantanamo are the same as the Nazi death camps or the Gulag.
Our second shackle is utopian pacifism — ‘war never solved anything’ and ‘violence only begets violence.’ Thus it makes no sense to resort to violence, since reason and conflict resolution can convince even a bin Laden to come to the table. That most evil has ended tragically and most good has resumed through armed struggle — whether in Germany, Japan, and Italy or Panama, Belgrade, and Kabul — is irrelevant. Apparently on some past day, sophisticated Westerners, in their infinite wisdom and morality, transcended age-old human nature, and as a reward were given a pass from the smelly, dirty old world of the past six millennia.
The third restraint is multiculturalism, or the idea that all social practices are of equal merit. Who are we to generalize that the regimes and fundamentalist sects of the Middle East result in economic backwardness, intolerance of religious and ethnic minorities, gender apartheid, racism, homophobia, and patriarchy? Being different from the West is never being worse.
These tenets in various forms are not merely found in the womb of the universities, but filter down into our popular culture, grade schools, and national political discourse — and make it hard to fight a war against stealthy enemies who proclaim constant and shifting grievances. If at times these doctrines are proven bankrupt by the evidence it matters little, because such beliefs are near religious in nature — a secular creed that will brook no empirical challenge.
These articles of faith apparently fill a deep psychological need for millions of Westerners, guilty over their privilege, free to do anything without constraints or repercussions, and convinced that their own culture has made them spectacularly rich and leisured only at the expense of others.
So it is not true to say that Western civilization is at war against Dark Age Islamism. Properly speaking, only about half of the West is involved, the shrinking segment that still sees human nature as unchanging and history as therefore replete with a rich heritage of tragic lessons.
This is nothing new.
The spectacular inroads of the Ottomans in the16th century to the gates of Vienna and the shores of the Adriatic were not explainable according to Istanbul’s vibrant economy, impressive universities, or widespread scientific dynamism and literacy, or even a technologically superior and richly equipped military. Instead, a beleaguered Europe was trisected by squabbling Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians — as a wealthy northwest, with Atlantic seaports, ignored the besieged Mediterranean and Balkans and turned its attention to getting rich in the New World.
So too we are divided over two antithetical views of the evolving West — Europe at odds with America, red and blue states in intellectual and spiritual divergence, the tragic view resisting the creeping therapeutic mindset.
These interior splits largely explain why creepy killers from the Dark Ages, parasitic on the West from their weapons to communications, are still plaguing us four years after their initial surprise attack.
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
Amen Vitcor, Amen. Any lefties want to discredit what he said feel free.
Another great example of liberal tolerance...
Wow, Sen. Robert "KKK" Byrd's cronines have sunk to a new low. Which is really saying something for people that tried to do and say ANYTHING, almost to the point of slander, to get Bush out of the White House and Kerry in. Courtesy of Newsmax...
Sen. Byrd Supporters Hijack Rival's Web Site
If you decided Friday morning that you wanted to give your support to Rep. Shelly Moore Capito's run against Sen. Robert Byrd, and you went to her Web site, www.capito2006.com, you would have gotten a rude surprise:
You would be at Robert Byrd's re-election Web site.
That's because apparent GOP-hating hackers hijacked Capito's site and redirected the traffic to Byrd's Web Site.
Byrd's webmasters have fixed the problem, however, putting this message up in place of Capito's site:
At least someone who supports Byrd has decency.
Hopefully though the damage has been done. And we all know the liberal media will try to bury this story (kinda like the Turbin comments) but the bolgosphere will keep it going. Imagine if a republican had done this to a democrat. It would have been the lead story on all major news networks the next day. Liberals preach tolerance but they sure as hell don't practice it, espically when it comes to conservatives.
Sen. Byrd Supporters Hijack Rival's Web Site
If you decided Friday morning that you wanted to give your support to Rep. Shelly Moore Capito's run against Sen. Robert Byrd, and you went to her Web site, www.capito2006.com, you would have gotten a rude surprise:
You would be at Robert Byrd's re-election Web site.
That's because apparent GOP-hating hackers hijacked Capito's site and redirected the traffic to Byrd's Web Site.
Byrd's webmasters have fixed the problem, however, putting this message up in place of Capito's site:
At least someone who supports Byrd has decency.
Hopefully though the damage has been done. And we all know the liberal media will try to bury this story (kinda like the Turbin comments) but the bolgosphere will keep it going. Imagine if a republican had done this to a democrat. It would have been the lead story on all major news networks the next day. Liberals preach tolerance but they sure as hell don't practice it, espically when it comes to conservatives.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
New blog everyone...
Well, in case you haven't noticed I took down the American companies to buy from link section because I have started a new blog. It's calledChinese Boycott and unlike this site all of the posts on that site will be limited to focusing on defeating this enemy (yes they are our enemy) instead of giving it economic power over us. Anyone wanting to become a member just let me know. I am also brainstorming ideas on maybe a illegal immigration or libertarian blog. For those of you who don't know I lean more libertarian than conservative. Smaller government is better government people. Once again to find posts about China go to Chinese Boycott
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
nice freaking hot day out...
5pm here in the Twin Cities and our thermometer is reading 94F!!!!!!!!!! Argh, and if that's not bad enough, after hanging out at the pool reading the new anti-Hillary book all afternoon I get to referee 2 soccer games this evening. At least I am going to make about $60 doing it (yes, soccer referees are paid VERY well up here). The worst part about the weather is, no relief in sight, at least not until around Monday. Well I was sick of the storms but now I kinda wish they were coming. Kinda a catch-22 eh tshsmom? You guys burning up there too?
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Muslim scholar: Killing civilians OK
Really, religion of peace huh? These are extremeists but where is the outcry from the sane muslim population? Tell me that, here's the insane article.
Responding to questions about the terrorist attack on London, a Muslim scholar in the British capital asserted Islam makes no distinction between civilians and military targets.
"The term 'civilians' does not exist in Islamic religious law," said Hani Al-Siba'i, head of the Al-Maqreze Centre for Historical Studies in London.
Al-Siba'i, in an interview with the Arab news channel al-Jazeera, elaborated, "There is no such term as 'civilians' in the modern Western sense. People are either of Dar Al-Harb or not."
Dar Al-Harb refers to the Muslim concept of the world being divided into two "houses," the House of Islam and the remaining territories, the House of War, or Dar Al-Harb.
Al-Siba'i speculated that a Western nation could have been responsible for the attack, but he acknowledged it could have been carried out by Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization, according to a transcript provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI.
"If al-Qaida indeed carried out this act, it is a great victory for it," he said. "It rubbed the noses of the world's eight most powerful countries in the mud."
But al-Siba'i said British Prime Minister Tony Blair "made a grave error when he spoke before the investigation and claimed that the perpetrators of these acts were acting in the name of Islam."
The Muslim leader said "the possibility that it was done by the intelligence agency of another Western country hostile to Britain" should not be ruled out.
He also conjectured it could have been done by "some Zionist Americans who wanted to overshadow the G-8 summit."
Al-Siba'i finally said al-Qaida could not be ruled out as the perpetrator.
He asserted the terrorist organization controls the "war agenda" in Iraq and "imposes its policies" on the Middle East.
As an example, he pointed out that al-Qaida's beheading of an Egyptian envoy prompted Cairo to lower its level of representation in Baghdad.
On the subject of targeting civilians, the al-Jazeera host asked Al-Siba'i: "You, as a Muslim and as the director of a center for Islamic history. ... Is targeting wretched civilians considered brave or manly?"
Al-Siba'i replied that after the Madrid bombing, bin Laden called on the people of Western nations to pressure their governments.
"He told them: We did not attack you. You have been attacking us for more than two centuries, and your campaign continues. He said to them simply: Withdraw your soldiers from the Arabian Peninsula, withdraw from Afghanistan and Palestine. …"
Asked whether he considered bin Laden a religious scholar who issues fatwas or the head of al-Qaida, Siba'i said, "First of all, he is one of this (Islamic) nation. ... We have no clergy or a pope, or anything like this. Anyone can carry out his religious duty, even if he is by himself."
The host argued that the religious law assembly in Mecca at the end of last month issued a fatwa forbidding the killing of civilians.
"Should we follow it or Osama bin Laden?" the host asked.
Al-Siba'i said, "These assemblies resemble the assemblies of the church. These assemblies forbid young people from going to Iraq to fight the jihad. … The Higher Religious Authority (in Saudi Arabia) are the ones who allowed the presence of Crusader forces in the Land of the Two Holy Places (Saudi Arabia)."
Maybe turning Mecca into glass would make them understand. But of course we have to unnnderrrrrrsstttaaannndddd these people, killing them does no good... nuke mecca nuke mecca nuke mecca.
Responding to questions about the terrorist attack on London, a Muslim scholar in the British capital asserted Islam makes no distinction between civilians and military targets.
"The term 'civilians' does not exist in Islamic religious law," said Hani Al-Siba'i, head of the Al-Maqreze Centre for Historical Studies in London.
Al-Siba'i, in an interview with the Arab news channel al-Jazeera, elaborated, "There is no such term as 'civilians' in the modern Western sense. People are either of Dar Al-Harb or not."
Dar Al-Harb refers to the Muslim concept of the world being divided into two "houses," the House of Islam and the remaining territories, the House of War, or Dar Al-Harb.
Al-Siba'i speculated that a Western nation could have been responsible for the attack, but he acknowledged it could have been carried out by Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization, according to a transcript provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI.
"If al-Qaida indeed carried out this act, it is a great victory for it," he said. "It rubbed the noses of the world's eight most powerful countries in the mud."
But al-Siba'i said British Prime Minister Tony Blair "made a grave error when he spoke before the investigation and claimed that the perpetrators of these acts were acting in the name of Islam."
The Muslim leader said "the possibility that it was done by the intelligence agency of another Western country hostile to Britain" should not be ruled out.
He also conjectured it could have been done by "some Zionist Americans who wanted to overshadow the G-8 summit."
Al-Siba'i finally said al-Qaida could not be ruled out as the perpetrator.
He asserted the terrorist organization controls the "war agenda" in Iraq and "imposes its policies" on the Middle East.
As an example, he pointed out that al-Qaida's beheading of an Egyptian envoy prompted Cairo to lower its level of representation in Baghdad.
On the subject of targeting civilians, the al-Jazeera host asked Al-Siba'i: "You, as a Muslim and as the director of a center for Islamic history. ... Is targeting wretched civilians considered brave or manly?"
Al-Siba'i replied that after the Madrid bombing, bin Laden called on the people of Western nations to pressure their governments.
"He told them: We did not attack you. You have been attacking us for more than two centuries, and your campaign continues. He said to them simply: Withdraw your soldiers from the Arabian Peninsula, withdraw from Afghanistan and Palestine. …"
Asked whether he considered bin Laden a religious scholar who issues fatwas or the head of al-Qaida, Siba'i said, "First of all, he is one of this (Islamic) nation. ... We have no clergy or a pope, or anything like this. Anyone can carry out his religious duty, even if he is by himself."
The host argued that the religious law assembly in Mecca at the end of last month issued a fatwa forbidding the killing of civilians.
"Should we follow it or Osama bin Laden?" the host asked.
Al-Siba'i said, "These assemblies resemble the assemblies of the church. These assemblies forbid young people from going to Iraq to fight the jihad. … The Higher Religious Authority (in Saudi Arabia) are the ones who allowed the presence of Crusader forces in the Land of the Two Holy Places (Saudi Arabia)."
Maybe turning Mecca into glass would make them understand. But of course we have to unnnderrrrrrsstttaaannndddd these people, killing them does no good... nuke mecca nuke mecca nuke mecca.
back to the boycotting of Chinese goods..
The following list includes American and/or union made products that I proudly endorse over Chinese products.
Alcohol
Benchmark Bourbon Whiskey
Barton Bourbon/Scotch
Brooklyn Brewery
Budweiser
Coors
Apparel
American Apparel
Justice Clothing
DP-77
Lucky Brand
Union Jean Company
Danner Boots
Cape Shoes
Household/Automotive
Rada Cutlery
Maytag
La-Z-Boy
Kitchen Aid
Mac Tools
Stanley
Musical Instruments
US Masters Guitar Works
Sporting
Revolution Snowboards
You can find a more comprehensive lists at the How to Buy American section of my links.
Alcohol
Benchmark Bourbon Whiskey
Barton Bourbon/Scotch
Brooklyn Brewery
Budweiser
Coors
Apparel
American Apparel
Justice Clothing
DP-77
Lucky Brand
Union Jean Company
Danner Boots
Cape Shoes
Household/Automotive
Rada Cutlery
Maytag
La-Z-Boy
Kitchen Aid
Mac Tools
Stanley
Musical Instruments
US Masters Guitar Works
Sporting
Revolution Snowboards
You can find a more comprehensive lists at the How to Buy American section of my links.
Monday, July 11, 2005
You know what pisses me off?
Rant time everyone! What pisses me off is today all these people bitching about gas prices. Everyday I hear "another record high for gas prices" while this is true when you look at the actual dollar value it isn't even close to where it was during the gas shortage of 1973-74 and 1979-80. Don't believe me? Well there's a little word called inflation that makes this the case. I'm not good at explaining this in words (since I am not an "intellectual") so I will have some charts do it for me...
so basically what I'm trying to say is don't bitch until it hits about $4 a gallon. Which sadly is on the way, but it's not here yet people. How about putting all that effort of yelling about gas prices and get Bush to get off his ass and do something about immigration (see, I don't agree with EVERYTHING the guy does)? That's a bigger threat to our economy now than gas; its at $2.40 here. One final note 1973 nomnial (what it was in price back then) gas price per gallon $.50-$1 and in 1979 it was $1.20-$1.50. Minimum wage in 1973-$1.60 in 1979-$2.90. So basically you could buy 1-2 gallons of gas for every hour of minimum wage worked. Today in 2005 it is $5.15 (and probably going to be higher in the near future). With the national average of gas being about $2.30 now that means you can buy 2+ gallons of gas today for every hour of minimum wage worked. Record prices? just another piece of bullshit by the MSM. For those of you who don't know economics too well I'd be happy to elaborate a little more if your still confused. If you entirely understand what I've said (and that's my goal) enjoy and please let me know that you did.
so basically what I'm trying to say is don't bitch until it hits about $4 a gallon. Which sadly is on the way, but it's not here yet people. How about putting all that effort of yelling about gas prices and get Bush to get off his ass and do something about immigration (see, I don't agree with EVERYTHING the guy does)? That's a bigger threat to our economy now than gas; its at $2.40 here. One final note 1973 nomnial (what it was in price back then) gas price per gallon $.50-$1 and in 1979 it was $1.20-$1.50. Minimum wage in 1973-$1.60 in 1979-$2.90. So basically you could buy 1-2 gallons of gas for every hour of minimum wage worked. Today in 2005 it is $5.15 (and probably going to be higher in the near future). With the national average of gas being about $2.30 now that means you can buy 2+ gallons of gas today for every hour of minimum wage worked. Record prices? just another piece of bullshit by the MSM. For those of you who don't know economics too well I'd be happy to elaborate a little more if your still confused. If you entirely understand what I've said (and that's my goal) enjoy and please let me know that you did.
An interesting little statement...
Hillary gets $8 Million for remembering all the details for her memoirs. Bill gets about $12 Million for remembering all of the details for his memoirs. All of this from two people who spent 8 years being unable to recall anything about past events while under oath!
Must. Stop. Shrillary.
Funny how when money is thrown at them they seem to magically remember. Hillary must be stopped, then again as long as she doesn't brainwash the american public she would be crushed in an election anyway.
Must. Stop. Shrillary.
Funny how when money is thrown at them they seem to magically remember. Hillary must be stopped, then again as long as she doesn't brainwash the american public she would be crushed in an election anyway.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
To any of you who still thought the media isn't liberal...
Amazing article here. And I just bought the book last week so I will do a book review of my own soon!
Klein's 'Truth About Hillary' Hits N.Y. Times Again; Paper Lashes Out
Edward Klein's book "The Truth About Hillary" has made the New York Times best-seller list for the second week in a row - a development that has the Times book review spitting mad.
As NewsMax reported over a week ago, Klein debuted on the Times list this week in the No. 2 slot.
Despite an orchestrated campaign to keep Klein off major TV talk shows, NewsMax has learned that the best-selling author will be on the Times list next week as well, in the No. 4 position.
The liberal Gray Lady apparently doesn't like the fact that one of its own - Klein is former editor of the New York Times Magazine - penned a biting biography of one of the paper's icons, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The Times has yet to review the book, but took the unusual step in Sunday's book section to publish a disclaimer attacking the book from pillar to post in a sidebar column adjacent to the best-seller list.
"'The Truth About Hillary' has united [no easy task] literary critics," Timesman Dwight Garner fumed, adding "it is easily this year's most vilified book."
Then Garner promptly joined in the vilification:
"Writing in the Book Review in 1988, Joyce Carol Oates coined the term 'pathography' to describe hatchet jobs like Klein's. Reading Oates's taxonomy of that genre today, it sounds as if she somehow had an advance copy of Klein's book rotting at her elbow."
Rotting?
Still - in what must have been a gut-wrenching admission for the paper - Garner lamented, "That hasn't stopped Klein's book from landing on beach blankets; it makes its debut at No. 2 on this week's hardcover nonfiction list."
The paper's vitriol against Klein contrasts with its first-class treatment of Kitty Kelley's works, including her recent hit book on the Bush family. Kelley's book on Nancy Reagan - in which Kelley alleged that Ronald Reagan engaged in date rape, among numerous other scurrilous allegations - made Page One coverage in the Times.
Shall we call that liberal "pathocoverage"?
Klein, a veteran journalist and editor with credentials well beyond anything Kelley has to offer, said he isn't bothered by the elite media's disdain for his book.
"My book's staying power on The Times list is testimony to the power of the Internet and conservative talk radio," he told NewsMax on Saturday. "The mainstream liberal media no longer have a monopoly on what's news and what isn't, and that's a healthy thing for America."
More healthy still, "The Truth About Hillary's" best-seller status shows that readers were willing to defy the media blockade orchestrated by the Clintons.
Hours after speaking to NewsMax, Klein told WABC Radio's Monica Crowley:
"Hillary and her people have called up ... all the TV networks and the newspapers and said to them that if you give Ed Klein exposure, we're not going to be very happy about it." The result: "I've been canceled on many of the TV shows that I was booked on," Klein said, "and have not had my book reviewed by any of the major media."
Klein appeared on Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes" the day his book was released on June 21, but the network quickly canceled three scheduled interviews with the author.
A wave of other cancellations followed, and CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" and Sinclair Broadcasting's News Central were the only other programs to interview the author.
But the media censorship may be working in Klein's favor. Not only is his book a certified New York Times best seller, it also debuts this week on the Publisher's Weekly best-seller list in the No. 4 slot.
Klein's 'Truth About Hillary' Hits N.Y. Times Again; Paper Lashes Out
Edward Klein's book "The Truth About Hillary" has made the New York Times best-seller list for the second week in a row - a development that has the Times book review spitting mad.
As NewsMax reported over a week ago, Klein debuted on the Times list this week in the No. 2 slot.
Despite an orchestrated campaign to keep Klein off major TV talk shows, NewsMax has learned that the best-selling author will be on the Times list next week as well, in the No. 4 position.
The liberal Gray Lady apparently doesn't like the fact that one of its own - Klein is former editor of the New York Times Magazine - penned a biting biography of one of the paper's icons, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The Times has yet to review the book, but took the unusual step in Sunday's book section to publish a disclaimer attacking the book from pillar to post in a sidebar column adjacent to the best-seller list.
"'The Truth About Hillary' has united [no easy task] literary critics," Timesman Dwight Garner fumed, adding "it is easily this year's most vilified book."
Then Garner promptly joined in the vilification:
"Writing in the Book Review in 1988, Joyce Carol Oates coined the term 'pathography' to describe hatchet jobs like Klein's. Reading Oates's taxonomy of that genre today, it sounds as if she somehow had an advance copy of Klein's book rotting at her elbow."
Rotting?
Still - in what must have been a gut-wrenching admission for the paper - Garner lamented, "That hasn't stopped Klein's book from landing on beach blankets; it makes its debut at No. 2 on this week's hardcover nonfiction list."
The paper's vitriol against Klein contrasts with its first-class treatment of Kitty Kelley's works, including her recent hit book on the Bush family. Kelley's book on Nancy Reagan - in which Kelley alleged that Ronald Reagan engaged in date rape, among numerous other scurrilous allegations - made Page One coverage in the Times.
Shall we call that liberal "pathocoverage"?
Klein, a veteran journalist and editor with credentials well beyond anything Kelley has to offer, said he isn't bothered by the elite media's disdain for his book.
"My book's staying power on The Times list is testimony to the power of the Internet and conservative talk radio," he told NewsMax on Saturday. "The mainstream liberal media no longer have a monopoly on what's news and what isn't, and that's a healthy thing for America."
More healthy still, "The Truth About Hillary's" best-seller status shows that readers were willing to defy the media blockade orchestrated by the Clintons.
Hours after speaking to NewsMax, Klein told WABC Radio's Monica Crowley:
"Hillary and her people have called up ... all the TV networks and the newspapers and said to them that if you give Ed Klein exposure, we're not going to be very happy about it." The result: "I've been canceled on many of the TV shows that I was booked on," Klein said, "and have not had my book reviewed by any of the major media."
Klein appeared on Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes" the day his book was released on June 21, but the network quickly canceled three scheduled interviews with the author.
A wave of other cancellations followed, and CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" and Sinclair Broadcasting's News Central were the only other programs to interview the author.
But the media censorship may be working in Klein's favor. Not only is his book a certified New York Times best seller, it also debuts this week on the Publisher's Weekly best-seller list in the No. 4 slot.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Something to think about...
With all this Christianty/Muslim talk on my site (it's amazing how things are brought up isn't it) I thought I would throw another wrench into this lovely equation. For those of you who don't know I listen to a show called Coast to Coast AM from 12-4am every night. There was a guest on I think nearly 2 weeks ago who says he has scientific proof that we were genetically manipulated about like 150,000-200,000 years ago because some things just didn't add up (I care to not go into detail, go research it yourself if your really interested) anyway he said these "beings" are really our creators and they created the idea of God and religion to give us false hope in something that in reality doesn't exist. Needless to say I was stunned and thought about it for awhile and it made sense. What if Jesus, Mohammed, Budda, etc. were nothing more than average people glorified for the sake of brainwashing people? Before there is a firestorm against me (I know some of you are on the religious right) understand; I AM NOT saying that this is fact or that I even belive it. I am just putting it out there as a possiblity. Here's the question I have for you all; say 10-20 years in the future our government releases information that there is life on other planets and that we are in fact part alien. Every religion got it wrong, as a matter of fact they weren't even close. Could you handle it, would you refuse to accept it? Would you riot in the streets because you don't know what else to do? Would you go as far as to kill yourself because everything you believe in is proven to be a lie? Or would you go on with your life like nothing happened? I could go on, as a matter of fact after hearing this I'm not sure I'm ever going to Mass again (I'm not sure I would have anyway). I am eager to hear what everyone has to say.
Friday, July 08, 2005
The words of the Reid (shoebomber) judge when he sentenced him...
This makes me put some faith back into the legal system in this great country of ours. Why this guy isn't dead yet is beyond me...
This is courtesy of Craig Westover (see link section)
Judge Young delivered in the case of shoe bomber Richard Reid something to reconsider in the aftermath of the London bombings. After sentencing Reid, who declared himself a follower of Osama Bin Laden, to life in prison several times over, Young admonishes Reid --
This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and a just sentence. It is a righteous sentence. Let me explain this to you.
We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before. There is all too much war talk here. And I say that to everyone with the utmost respect.
Here in this court where we deal with individuals as individuals, and care for individuals as individuals, as human beings we reach out for justice.
You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war. You are a terrorist (transaltion, no Geneva Conventions protection, take that liberals!). To give you that reference, to call you a soldier gives you far too much stature. Whether it is the officers of government who do it or your attorney who does it, or that happens to be your view, you are a terrorist.
And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not treat with terrorists. We do not sign documents with terrorists.
We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.
So war talk is way out of line in this court. You're a big fellow. But you're not that big. You're no warrior. I know warriors. You are a terrorist. A species of criminal guilty of multiple attempted murders.
In a very real sense Trooper Santiago had it right when first you were taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and where the TV crews were and you said you're no big deal. You're no big deal.
What your counsel, what your able counsel and what the equally able United States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it that led you here to this courtroom today? I have listened respectfully to what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit you are guilty of doing.
And I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you. But as I search this entire record it comes as close to understanding as I know.
It seems to me you hate the one thing that to us is most precious. You hate our freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually choose.
Here, in this society, the very winds carry freedom. They carry it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom. So that everyone can see, truly see that justice is administered fairly, individually, and discretely.
It is for freedom's seek that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on your behalf and have filed appeals, will go on in their, their representation of you before other judges. We care about it. Because we all know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own liberties.
Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bear any burden; pay any price, to preserve our freedoms.
Look around this courtroom. Mark it well. The world is not going to long remember what you or I say here. Day after tomorrow it will be forgotten. But this, however, will long endure. Here, in this courtroom, and courtrooms all across America, the American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice, justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done.
The very President of the United States through his officers will have to come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged, and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.
See that flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America. That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag still stands for freedom. You know it always will. Custody, Mr. Officer. Stand him down.
And the flag that some faggots in this country like to burn. Oh no, I'm not being PC, forgive me... feel free to dissect and refute this one you freedom hating bastards!
This is courtesy of Craig Westover (see link section)
Judge Young delivered in the case of shoe bomber Richard Reid something to reconsider in the aftermath of the London bombings. After sentencing Reid, who declared himself a follower of Osama Bin Laden, to life in prison several times over, Young admonishes Reid --
This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and a just sentence. It is a righteous sentence. Let me explain this to you.
We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before. There is all too much war talk here. And I say that to everyone with the utmost respect.
Here in this court where we deal with individuals as individuals, and care for individuals as individuals, as human beings we reach out for justice.
You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war. You are a terrorist (transaltion, no Geneva Conventions protection, take that liberals!). To give you that reference, to call you a soldier gives you far too much stature. Whether it is the officers of government who do it or your attorney who does it, or that happens to be your view, you are a terrorist.
And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not treat with terrorists. We do not sign documents with terrorists.
We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.
So war talk is way out of line in this court. You're a big fellow. But you're not that big. You're no warrior. I know warriors. You are a terrorist. A species of criminal guilty of multiple attempted murders.
In a very real sense Trooper Santiago had it right when first you were taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and where the TV crews were and you said you're no big deal. You're no big deal.
What your counsel, what your able counsel and what the equally able United States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it that led you here to this courtroom today? I have listened respectfully to what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit you are guilty of doing.
And I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you. But as I search this entire record it comes as close to understanding as I know.
It seems to me you hate the one thing that to us is most precious. You hate our freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually choose.
Here, in this society, the very winds carry freedom. They carry it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom. So that everyone can see, truly see that justice is administered fairly, individually, and discretely.
It is for freedom's seek that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on your behalf and have filed appeals, will go on in their, their representation of you before other judges. We care about it. Because we all know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own liberties.
Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bear any burden; pay any price, to preserve our freedoms.
Look around this courtroom. Mark it well. The world is not going to long remember what you or I say here. Day after tomorrow it will be forgotten. But this, however, will long endure. Here, in this courtroom, and courtrooms all across America, the American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice, justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done.
The very President of the United States through his officers will have to come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged, and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.
See that flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America. That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag still stands for freedom. You know it always will. Custody, Mr. Officer. Stand him down.
And the flag that some faggots in this country like to burn. Oh no, I'm not being PC, forgive me... feel free to dissect and refute this one you freedom hating bastards!
a funny website...
In this time of death and destruction we all need to a laugh a little. I have found a new funny site and you can check it out up at my cool sites link section under killsometime.com. The funniest video I have seen so far was the outsourcing one you can look at it.right here . I haven't laughed that hard in years, it doesn't hurt that there is some truth in it too. Have fun with this site people, the news doesn't always have to get you down.
Amen Tony...
I may not agree with everything Tony Blair does or says but I'm with him 100% on this.
"It is important, however, that those engaged in terrorism realise
that our determination to defend our values and our way of life
is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction
to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world."
-Tony Blair
"It is important, however, that those engaged in terrorism realise
that our determination to defend our values and our way of life
is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction
to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world."
-Tony Blair
Thursday, July 07, 2005
New link...
I have just heard about a new website called Jihad Watch thanks to a caller from Michael Savage show. You will find stuff here that the MSM flat out ignores probably because CIAR (Council fro Islamic American Relations) doesn't want you to know what Muslims are REALLY doing in the Mosques in this country. Once again, religion of peace? Give me a fucking break...
Terror attacks in London today...
I haven't been able to watch much of it but it is very sad and a serious wake-up call. Sitting there watching it this morning, it didn't feel real. I kept on thinking that this was some movie I was watching because it looked real but it couldn't be. Ok England you stood with us after 9/11 we will stand with you after 7/7. I only urge Blair (not that he needs it) and Parliment to continue to help us kill these cowards because as Blair said today, they have no respect for human life. They need to be totally wiped off the face of the earth, no barganing with these pathetic morons. This WAS an a attack on the civilized world as Blair said and as long as England doesn't cower back in fear (cough, cough, Spain) we will stand with them and win the war on terror. This is a WAR people and we need to and will fight back.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
ok, THIS IS treason...
I'm sorry if these people are US citizens and conspiring to kill American troops in Iraq, they need to be brought back here and shot. There needent be a trial to determine their guilt because the mere fact that they were caught means they were conspiring with insurgents who are trying to kill innocent civilians and US soliders in Iraq... Feel free to defend these traitors liberals, that way you can show everyone your true colors.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military is holding five men with U.S. ties -- two citizens and three possible U.S. citizens -- suspected in insurgent activities around Iraq, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.
They were captured between November 2004 and June 2005 and are being held separately in the three main detention facilities in that country, Pentagon officials said.
Two of the detainees are U.S. citizens -- an Iranian-American and a Jordanian-American -- and the other three are Iraqis believed to hold American citizenship, Pentagon officials told CNN.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told The Associated Press, however, that all five were American citizens.
The five were captured separately and are not believed to be connected to one another, according to Pentagon officials.
Iraqi forces arrested the Iranian-American on May 17 at a Baghdad checkpoint, when they searched his car and found dozens of washing machine timers, according to Pentagon officials. The officials said the timers are often used in roadside bombs. The Iranian-American and two non-Americans in the car were turned over to U.S. forces.
Pentagon officials would not say where the man is being held.
Between April and June of this year the three people believed to be Iraqi-Americans were captured around Iraq.
Pentagon officials said one was believed to be involved in a kidnapping, another was believed to have advance knowledge of an attack on coalition forces and the third was only described as being involved in suspicious activity.
The fifth man held in U.S. custody in Iraq is a Jordanian-American believed to have close ties with the al-Zarqawi terrorist network.
The Pentagon had previously announced that he was captured late last year at his Baghdad home.
All five are registered with the International Red Cross, which has direct access to the men, Pentagon officials said. The cases of the five men are still under review to determine options from release to being turned over to the Iraqi government for further detention, according to Pentagon officials.
Officials said the U.S. government in Iraq is holding more than 10,000 people. Of those, more than 400 are not Iraqi.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military is holding five men with U.S. ties -- two citizens and three possible U.S. citizens -- suspected in insurgent activities around Iraq, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.
They were captured between November 2004 and June 2005 and are being held separately in the three main detention facilities in that country, Pentagon officials said.
Two of the detainees are U.S. citizens -- an Iranian-American and a Jordanian-American -- and the other three are Iraqis believed to hold American citizenship, Pentagon officials told CNN.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told The Associated Press, however, that all five were American citizens.
The five were captured separately and are not believed to be connected to one another, according to Pentagon officials.
Iraqi forces arrested the Iranian-American on May 17 at a Baghdad checkpoint, when they searched his car and found dozens of washing machine timers, according to Pentagon officials. The officials said the timers are often used in roadside bombs. The Iranian-American and two non-Americans in the car were turned over to U.S. forces.
Pentagon officials would not say where the man is being held.
Between April and June of this year the three people believed to be Iraqi-Americans were captured around Iraq.
Pentagon officials said one was believed to be involved in a kidnapping, another was believed to have advance knowledge of an attack on coalition forces and the third was only described as being involved in suspicious activity.
The fifth man held in U.S. custody in Iraq is a Jordanian-American believed to have close ties with the al-Zarqawi terrorist network.
The Pentagon had previously announced that he was captured late last year at his Baghdad home.
All five are registered with the International Red Cross, which has direct access to the men, Pentagon officials said. The cases of the five men are still under review to determine options from release to being turned over to the Iraqi government for further detention, according to Pentagon officials.
Officials said the U.S. government in Iraq is holding more than 10,000 people. Of those, more than 400 are not Iraqi.
a little thank you...
To all the people who have linked to this site from their blog. I really appreciate it and will ALWAYS return the favor, if I haven't please let me know. Also as a promise (or threat depending on how you treat me) I will link up people who comment on my site and in case you don't know I do not accept Anonymous comments, if you don't have the balls to tell me who you are you do not get to comment on this site, plain and simple. Also don't feel that you have to agree with me (even if your conservative) I like debate and this is an open forum for debate (see previous comments). To any liberal who wants to rip me, feel free guys I won't censor you, I welcome your comments because you are so insane most of the time I get a good laugh from your comments.
This is courtesy of RWR...
That's Right Wing Rocker, he's my most recent addition to my conservative blogs link section. Check out the new link section also.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
4th of July recap
First off, I will rant a little bit. It has occured to me that there are a lot of people out there that don't like America, and those in this country that realize that and try to appease those losers by always blaming america first (see liberals) are missing the point. Do I love my country? Yes. Do I think it's perfect? HELL NO Would I give my life to defend our freedom? Yes. What is amazing to me is those people that are embaressed to be here (see liberals again) well, you guys can get the fuck out, no one is keeping you here! Go to socialist Europe and bitch over there, you will find comfort over there. And maybe then when you see what shitholes most of those countries are over there you will realize how great this country is and how lucky you are to live in a country where you can openly criticize the government and not face punishment. Anyway... on to my day.
The day started off with me getting up at 7:30 am to head over to our local community center. I helped blow up ballons and get our floats ready. I got talking with a WWII vet as we were wrapping up and he told me that back in 1945 the Army had anticipated that we would have to do a land invasion of Japan and made out a bunch of Purple Hearts. To give you an idea on how many they made, they are STILL USING THE ONES THEY MADE BACK THEN TO THIS VERY DAY!!! Think about that for a minute...
Then we lined up on the street for the parade. I passed the local Green and DFL parties areas and they sucked ass compared to us. The DFL has this ex-marine that is challenging our local state senator in 2006. He shouldn't be too much of a problem but will probably put up a pretty good fight because he will go Kerry on our ass and play up his war record while ignoring the issues, its so predictable at this point. But I digress... the highlight of the day had to be when he was coming up and passed us smiling and waving yelling "Hi yall" and "Semper Fi" I looked around and all my conservative buddies were looking down embaressed and stuff. So I thought to myself screw it and yelled back to him, "Good luck, your going to need it!" Made everyone around me laugh and then I started ripping them for not joining in with me. God, we can be such pussies sometimes, thank god the party has got me, they seriously need a "bombthrower" like me, as we call it. We marched in the parade and handed out beads with our senate district websites address on it (Shameless plug time!) if you want to check it out go right here as a sidenote our site kicks ass compared to their and they don't even have a main meeting site, its so sad and yet so funny. I got talking with one of my conservative friends I realized I wasn't the only one with issues with our party (i.e big gvt. conservatives, the "Religious Right", etc.). We went back to have a BBQ afterwards and on the way back I managed to scrape on knee and get a lovely 1st degree burn on my other leg (I can be a klutz sometimes). At the end Mark Kennedy stopped by and I was surprised how quiet and softspoken he is. To everyone that doesn't live in MN remember this name, because we will be a key Senate race in 2006 because Mark Dayton is retiring (thank god). I went over to a neighbors house where I got talking with a conservative adult. The day was very nice, it was the first time in months I was able to rant in public outside of this blog. It was very refreshing and therapeutic to me. And I went over to watch the fireworks at night then came back and played Tiger Woods 2005 on my PS2. That was my day feel free to share yours here.
The day started off with me getting up at 7:30 am to head over to our local community center. I helped blow up ballons and get our floats ready. I got talking with a WWII vet as we were wrapping up and he told me that back in 1945 the Army had anticipated that we would have to do a land invasion of Japan and made out a bunch of Purple Hearts. To give you an idea on how many they made, they are STILL USING THE ONES THEY MADE BACK THEN TO THIS VERY DAY!!! Think about that for a minute...
Then we lined up on the street for the parade. I passed the local Green and DFL parties areas and they sucked ass compared to us. The DFL has this ex-marine that is challenging our local state senator in 2006. He shouldn't be too much of a problem but will probably put up a pretty good fight because he will go Kerry on our ass and play up his war record while ignoring the issues, its so predictable at this point. But I digress... the highlight of the day had to be when he was coming up and passed us smiling and waving yelling "Hi yall" and "Semper Fi" I looked around and all my conservative buddies were looking down embaressed and stuff. So I thought to myself screw it and yelled back to him, "Good luck, your going to need it!" Made everyone around me laugh and then I started ripping them for not joining in with me. God, we can be such pussies sometimes, thank god the party has got me, they seriously need a "bombthrower" like me, as we call it. We marched in the parade and handed out beads with our senate district websites address on it (Shameless plug time!) if you want to check it out go right here as a sidenote our site kicks ass compared to their and they don't even have a main meeting site, its so sad and yet so funny. I got talking with one of my conservative friends I realized I wasn't the only one with issues with our party (i.e big gvt. conservatives, the "Religious Right", etc.). We went back to have a BBQ afterwards and on the way back I managed to scrape on knee and get a lovely 1st degree burn on my other leg (I can be a klutz sometimes). At the end Mark Kennedy stopped by and I was surprised how quiet and softspoken he is. To everyone that doesn't live in MN remember this name, because we will be a key Senate race in 2006 because Mark Dayton is retiring (thank god). I went over to a neighbors house where I got talking with a conservative adult. The day was very nice, it was the first time in months I was able to rant in public outside of this blog. It was very refreshing and therapeutic to me. And I went over to watch the fireworks at night then came back and played Tiger Woods 2005 on my PS2. That was my day feel free to share yours here.
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