Slideshow and (video at link)
Cat and Harland Barnard said that inside their home there was dirty clothes in front of the washer, dirty dishes all over the kitchen and clothes and books on the floor in the bedrooms. The couple said they decided they were finished pleading for clean-up help from their children, who are 17 and 12. Two words: Tranquility Bay
So they moved outside to their front yard until the children decided to shape up. "It's not that I want indentured servants," Cat Barnard said. "It's more that I want ... children (who) can see beyond their own noses to the world around them." The children admit they could do more to help out around the house, but said they are convinced their parents will give up after a few more days. Sounds like a couple of little sh*theads needs a good hard swift kick (or three) in the ass.
#2
Wow. This is an interesting symptom of a much larger issue... the breakdown of the family as a social unit responsible for producing functioning contributors to society. Too many contributors to the failure of this mechanism to thank here, heh, but it sure as hell starts with the social engineering and feel-good wussification dipshits.
Obviously, these "parents" are not really parents... they are now merely the biological entities responsible for spawning these 2 twits.
Funny, but the simplisme cowboy in me says that, were these parents not neutered, they would've used something called "discipline" and, hold onto your hats (Take your Valium!) corporal punishment (See Dictionary.com's entry - note their note, heh - proving the PC / wussification is nearly complete) if necessary - oooooooo!, and then these biological burdens might just have never have become such obvious losers.
And just think, soon they'll be out here in the world with us - irresponsible wankers for life and probably burdens upon us all - because society has been re-engineered and "fixed"... Yeah, I know: "It was for the children." Right. And for the common good, eh?, not to mention some really spiffy and cushy jobs judging others and drawing up nifty social designs which have since proven to be worse than worthless. Can you say recidivism? I knew you could.
#5
I am avilable to help.
Turn on the SHIP light and I will appear as by magic and administer theraputic velocity dope slaps. Parents first in this case.
#7
This is a done deal at this point. The parents might as well move back in and hand the little shits the key to the car and the access codes to the bank accounts. The little brats will never do what they're told because no one ever told them that's what they HAD to do. Little ducks follow mama duck because it's what they're expected to do, and mama duck would peck them if they didn't. Thus endeth the lesson for today.
Posted by: Weird Al ||
12/09/2004 16:48 Comments ||
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#8
Ok, I admit. I don't have kids....yet. Me & the Mr will be working on that in 2005.
But....shouldn't the little brats be living the friggin' tent instead of the parents?
I mean, hell, I got a REI membership and would get a good deal on the damn tent, but I sure as hell wouldn't be living in it if I was the momma. I might let them in to use the toilet, but other than that....they could use the hose for a shower until they clean the bathroom, that kind of thing. Want to live indoors? Pick up your "Hot Topic" tee shirt, put it in the wash machine, and dryer....fold the freakin' thing, and don't bitch if you put a red shirt in with your white socks. Pink is the new black, kids.
I don't know what offends me more....the fact that these parents have no spines, or that they are advertising that fact in the media?
Legislators say they will file bills next year to expand the state.
"We need liebensraum!"
One proposal would declare the towns of Kittery and Berwick, Maine, part of New Hampshire. The two states have fought over the border for decades in a dispute over who owns the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Obviously as a base of operations for the New Hampshire Navy
Another bill would welcome Killington, Vt., whose voters approved a plan to join New Hampshire because of a tax dispute with Vermont.
Sure, they "say" they just want Killington. Next thing you know, they'll be annexing all of Vermont into the Greater New England Co-Prosperity Sphere!
The Vermont and Maine legislatures also would have to approve the proposals. Their approval isn't seen as likely.
This means war!
Posted by: Steve ||
12/09/2004 9:56:18 AM ||
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#1
We plan to start infiltrating Killington VT just as soon as they get enough snow base.
Mum's the word, RBers....
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
12/09/2004 11:58 Comments ||
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#2
..oh, and the New Hampshire Navy is in the shed until I can repair the outboard, so don't expect amphibious ops in this campaign.
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
12/09/2004 11:59 Comments ||
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#3
Watch out for that Brutal Vermont Winter, Carl.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/09/2004 12:30 Comments ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
12/09/2004 12:37 Comments ||
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#6
Well, it's Vermont, the hippie paradise. Seems to me that if you just air-drop some Maui Wowie on the Vermont legislature they'll mellow out and cede the entire state to New Hampshire. Bloodless coup!
Posted by: Jonathan ||
12/09/2004 13:07 Comments ||
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Ship, I thought that's the one where we take over Canada.
I get so confused...
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
12/09/2004 18:28 Comments ||
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#14
Ha! There is plenty of SNOW to ski on at Killington right as I type this. So all skiers should hit the slopes and not worry about any real estate battles because this would NEVER happen!
Andrea Jackson
Posted by: Andrea Jackson ||
12/09/2004 19:18 Comments ||
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Posted by: ed ||
12/09/2004 05:28 ||
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#1
Wasn't there a story a couple years ago that Binny suffers from Dinky Doinker Syndrome? In that case, I don't suppose it gets in the way, even if it is stuck in the 'on' position...
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2004 8:39 Comments ||
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#2
"He's got a woody that won't quit and the pain must be blinding,"
Worst case of blue balls ever, I suppose. No wonder he's ornery.
Fred - it mentions his puny pecker and gay affair with Sammy:-)
#3
What a CRAZY story! Maybe, if we sent him some VIagra for the holidays the troops could find him easier??? Afterall, he would have to come out of hiding for the persuit of happiness**
Andrea Jackson
Posted by: Andrea Jackson ||
12/09/2004 19:22 Comments ||
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WOMEN fed up with their menfolk moaning while out Christmas shopping can now leave them to play in their own in-store creche.
Hurrah! the saloon's making a comeback!
We have those here at the mall, called Hooters
Marks and Spencer, the venerable British department store chain, said Wednesday it was creating playpens for men in six of its stores, fully equipped with everything to keep the guys entertained for hours.
A slug of gin, please!
The lads will be able to settle back in sofas and watch a selection of films and TV programmes such as The Best of Monty Python and Football's Greatest Ever Matches.
Huh? Sounds like some sort of piano bar...
Each area will also boast a Scalextric slot-car racing set, remote-control quad bikes and walkie-talkies. The creches open at Marks and Spencers' flagship store at Marble Arch in London, and at selected outlets in Edinburgh and Aberdeen in Scotland, Cardiff in Wales, and Sheffield in north-central England.
Egg jelly, I was envisioning something with a player piano and spitoons. And a large picture of a reclining, unclad fat lady behind the bar...
"Ms. Streisand! Get down from there right now!"
Posted by: tipper ||
12/09/2004 3:31:34 AM ||
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A 500-pound wildebeest kept with other exotic animals on a northern Indiana farm trampled its owner to death, police said. It was unclear what caused the animal, an African antelope also known as a gnu, to attack Klaus "Dick" Radandt, 64, Sunday in the barnyard behind his home about 10 miles southwest of South Bend. The coroner said the male animal apparently repeatedly rammed Radandt and then trampled him. The man's wife found him lying on the ground; paramedics were unable to revive him. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the chest and head. The wildebeest's horns, which grow large and curved, had been cut to the nubs, police said. St. Joseph County Police Cpl. Steven Shively said the couple own three wildebeests and several other exotic animals, including ostriches, emus, reindeer and llamas.
Now he's pwned by the wildebeest.
Damn. I hate it when that happens to me.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2004 11:17:38 PM ||
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If he only knew what the gnu knew.....
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/09/2004 0:20 Comments ||
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Them Wildebeest is bad animals. Hunters with big-bore rifles fear them, with good reason.
#9
Again, it is a wild animal ~~WILD. Did Roy Horn ever think his "tame" tiger would almost kill him?? Same goes for a shark, snake, whale
etc. The Family dog could turn on an owner.
Andrea
Posted by: Andrea Jackson ||
12/09/2004 20:10 Comments ||
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The government's immigration rules discriminated on racial grounds against Roma (Gypsies) seeking entry into the UK, the Law Lords have ruled. It follows a Home Office move to cut asylum claims by stopping people, mostly Roma, from boarding flights to Britain from the Czech capital Prague. Civil rights group Liberty said it exposed "racism at the heart of the government's asylum policy." The message was, "Roma not welcome in UK," director Shami Chakrabarti said. Yes, dead right, the Roma are NOT wanted in the UK.. Chakrabati clearly doesn't catch the tube and have to put up with gypsy children being thrust in her face in an attempt to make her part with her hard earned cash every morning. In fact Chakrabati isn't welcome in Britain - come the revolution we'll find her and her ilk a nice remote Scottish island to inhabit. (Apologies McN!). I love the way second and third generation immigrants want to sell off the country - they seem to gain a perverse thrill from diluting British culture. Controlled immigration may be a good thing - letting in scum isn't.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
12/09/2004 6:26:55 AM ||
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Howard UK:
Let me tell you an interesting story. I have some family in Dublin whom I was visiting a few years back. After a few drinks, one of my cousins began complaining about the recent wave of immigration which has flowed into Ireland over the last few years; a new and novel concept for the Irish as people tend to flee from, rather than to, the Emerald Isle. I assumed that this was a racial thing, so I asked her if she meant the Ethiopians as they are the most physically different immigrants.
"No," she replied, waving her hand in that dismissive peculiar Dubliners' manner, "we don't mind them. They're family people."
"Then you must mean the Bosnians." I commented, assuming it was a religious conflict. As you well know the Irish take religion notoriously seriously, and most Bosnians are Muslims (abet very slack ones).
"No, we don't mind them either." She commented, "They're not a problem."
I think you can see where this is headed. My cousin was angry with The Roma. For while it's all too true that The Roma have sticky fingers and like to live off of government handouts, they also like to beg in the streets. And while the former pastimes might be Irish traditions, begging is considered lower than low.
Yeah; good point. The Nazis were as close to pure evil as the 20th Century produced. I don't really know enough about The Roma personally to have a clear opinion of their character. I was just reporting what Cousin Nancy had to say on the matter for general "huh" purposes.
#4
I clearly recall, the first time I was in Dublin more 30 years ago, the Gypsies (roma) begging on the streets - women in rags with dirty barefooted children. At the time beggars were unheard of in the UK and it was the first time I had ever seen one.
#5
Romani have been in Ireland for centuries. I saw them as recently as ten years ago. They work as tinkers primarily. And yes, they steal and beg. So it goes. Some of them have immigrated one way or the other to the US, where they run several scams, the most popular of which is the guy who shows up at your front door and offers to redo your driveway. Here they're called travelers. Same guys.
Posted by: Weird Al ||
12/09/2004 16:54 Comments ||
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#6
phil_b and Weird Al:
You guys misunderstand me. The Tinkers have indeed been in Ireland for hundreds of years but they aren't Roma at all. They are a separate indigenous nomadic population of native Celtic Irish, descendants of a clan which was displaced centuries ago by political upheaval that simply never settled back down again (or so I am told). I have visited one of their camps near Cork and I can tell you that they are not gypsies. Are they thieves, prostitutes, and bums? Pretty much. Are the Roma? Nope. And, yes, the Irish look down on them as well.
My counsin was talking about Central European Roma, not Tinkers.
#7
Whoever they are no one wants them. I read at least one article a month about some UK council or the other is evicting them (travelers) and their "caravans" from some land someplace. The travelers have a different stigma than the "gypsies" have? The Beeb never refers to them as "Roma" but gypsies. Are we talking about a 3rd group here? Isn't Romainia big enough for all of them?
If anyone tried the stuff I read about at the BBC website here in the US they would be dipped in shit by the MSM, hung out to dry and left for dead in some court room someplace bleeding from their arse after some LLL lawyers, a liberal judge and,the Federal government was done with them.
#8
by stopping people, mostly Roma, from boarding flights to Britain from the Czech capital Prague
Well, well, is not that precioussss?
When Czechs applied for EU membership, it was mostly UK screaming from the top of the lungs about discrimination of Roma in Czech Republic.
(the discrimination like not letting kids pass the grades if there was not adequate performance, or not providing lifelong dole and such horrible human rights abuses and crimes)
#9
The Roma, a.k.a. Gypsies, are an Aryan tribe that wandered out of India after the lands to the west had been settled, and have been wandering ever since, first across Europe and then, like everyone else, across the U.S. The Travellors, a.k.a. Tinkers, are as Secret Master said, indigenous to the Isles. Both groups have been allowed very little opportunity over the centuries to join mainstream society, and thus feel justified in their life of petty crime. One of those chicken/egg things, I guess, and Cousin Nancy expressed the general view.
#11
I saw many tinkers when I was on the west coast of Ireland back in 1996. I saw one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen during that trip. She was a tinker woman wearing a very brightly colored patch worked dress with long raven black hair and walking a white horse along a beach. They had one of those house wagons parked a little ways down the beach. It was surreal and I'm definitely not the touchy feely type. (I wasn't even drunk - at that time of day anyways). I was single at the time and thought about turning around and introducing myself. My instincts told me I'd prolly be set up for my wallet getting lifted so I declined. Prolly a mistake as it could've been the best mugging of my life.
"We can say that the Venezuelan people have begun to free themselves from ... the dictatorship of the private media," Chavez said in a speech late Tuesday.
It's For the Children (TM), of course...
A law that gives the government control over the content of radio and television programs in Venezuela took effect Thursday. The new law establishes strict rules regarding violence and sexual content, and allows the government to impose huge fines or close down stations that break the rules. It also requires TV and radio stations to "broadcast all messages in Spanish" and set aside 70 minutes of programming each week for government-produced spots, said Alberto Federico Ravell, director of the privately owned Globovision television channel. "The government, starting today, began a progressive intervention of the media," Ravell told The Associated Press. He said all local TV and radio stations would be forced to "broadcast all messages in Spanish" and set aside 70 minutes of programming for government-produced spots each week. Chavez says the law will ensure programming on private TV channels is suitable for children. But opposition leaders and journalists say it is aimed at stifling criticism of his leftist government.
Posted by: john ||
12/09/2004 15:38 Comments ||
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That'd be: Game. Set. Match.
It'll be at least a generation, prolly several, before Chvez is removed from power...
Unless the people of Venezuela decide to really get their hands dirty and fight this Castro wannabee - and I don't mean some street demonstrations for TV.
[rant]
Lessee, what are the actual "secret" regulations, compliments of the Church Committee, et al, regards CIA actions in foreign countries? I know - and can anticipate the reactions of some people who are, despite good intentions, sadly neutered by the incessant PCism... Sure, you're right - about everything, now go have a fucking latte, there's real work to be done that won't suit your delicate condition.
We talk openly about undermining and toppling the Mad Mullahs, why not an equally obvious foe like Chavez by cooperating with his opposition - actively? Communism, socialism, dictators of all stripes are as much enemies of Freedom as the Caliphatists.
If we don't, we have effectively signed off on millions of Venezuelans - thanks to inactions and actions alike, such as Jimmuh Carter's despicable behavior. That asshat made us complicit in this defeat of Freedom - and I find that shameful.
[/rant]
#6
I wonder if that new channel is carried in Venezuela.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/09/2004 16:06 Comments ||
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#7
.com, I'm not really convinced the CIA is on our side. I wouldn't be surprised if our station chiefs in the middle east were actually working to thwart the Bush admin's pro-democracy maneuvers in Iran and elsewhere in the region.
Actually, you raise a very interesting (although inadvertent) point in your rant; namely, why are we Rantsburgers, LGFers, and Freepers (etc.) waiting for our government to do anything? If there's one thing a conservative can rely upon it's the fact that "government" does things in the worst, most ass-backwards, bureaucratic manner possible whereas private organizations, businesses, and churches do things far more efficiently and quickly. Maybe what's called for here is a more, shall we say, direct application of some of the fund-raising skills which we as a group have picked up in the Culture War.
Heed the lesson of the NRA, NOW, and the Sierra Club: small amounts of money donated regularly by true believers create larger pools of money, which in turn allow you to produce useful or fun products and services that can be sold to the same group of people who are donating money in the first place. This leads to larger sums of money with which you can purchase tings such as politicians, lobbyists, and advertising space.
Or, in the case of poor Venezuela, what you might want to purchase are a dozen crates of AR-15s, three crates of .50 caliber anti-tank/anti-helicopter single shot rifles, a smattering of explosives, and two or three ex-military Army Rangers to train a few hundred pissed of Venezuelans on the basics of guerilla tactics for three months. Repeat where needed. Can it be done? Ask the Mayan Indians in Southern Mexico about it. They might not have a "no fly zone" down there but they do have a "no walk zone" for the Mexican Army courtesy of privately contracted former American military men.
Total Cost: $200,000.00 to $300,000.00 (maybe you can find a wealthy Venezuelan expatriate to help you)
#11
If we don't, we have effectively signed off on millions of Venezuelans
My understanding is that Chavez actually has the support of a huge chunk of the population. In which case, perhaps the better solution is to divide Venezuela into two parts: one half for those who think dear leader Chavez has all the right answers, and the other half for all the rest.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/09/2004 19:39 Comments ||
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#12
Interesting stuff, folks. The CIA's Venezuela Desk might not be worth a shit - but you know it is fully staffed with a non-trivial number because of our dependence upon Venezuelan oil contracts - a major supplier. The events surrounding his election (pickpocket theft) and then the recall (an obvious mugging), with estimates of a million people in the streets, certainly give pause to what we are and are not doing and makes me wonder about the population splits for and against Chavez. Thanks to Jimmuh, we'll never know. I do feel we are involved because of his asshatted actions on behalf of the Chavez regime.
It was a rant (note the tags - not an accident) and I do not know enough hard detail to say precisely what I think we should do and back it up with cold hard stats. But my gut tells me we should not be waiting for Chavez to complete his consolidation of power - we should be intervening and setting his ass up for a fall. I say this in the spirit of the rant and that troubling feeling that a mistake here is also a mistake for the entire South American continent.
Defense Minister Raul Castro said the reason Cuba plans to hold a series of defense exercises for the general population is so the United States will see it shouldn't dare attack the communist country. The exercises are "for (the United States) to observe closely, so it doesn't make the same mistakes it made in Vietnam and is now making in Iraq," Castro, the younger brother of Cuban President Fidel Castro, told Cuban media Tuesday. The exercises, to be held Dec. 13 to 19, are aimed at evaluating how prepared Cuban society is to face possible military action against Cuba during a second term by U.S. President George W. Bush.
Right. We wouldn't dare. Attack Cuba. Heh. I'm sure that, given the ferocity of the Cuban military and the impregnable fortifications that'd be arrayed against us, it'd take us at least an afternoon to dismantle the regime.
QUAGMIRE!
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2004 11:24:26 PM ||
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Sorry Raul we already have enough welfare recipients in Perto Rico. Taking on your whole population as well after they kill you and the rest of your family will have to be left to someone else.
Why Invade a target small enough to nuke from orbit anyhow?
#2
Hmmm. Those exercises sound expensive. Require a lot of planning, stopping regular work, fuel, etc. Sounds like it'll put a nice little (extra) strain on Cuban society. Let's keep them on their toes. Stage a counter exercise. Make'em drill, train and maneuver as much as possible. You know they cannot afford the logistics required. The Castros will crumble.
Posted by: John in Tokyo ||
12/09/2004 3:44 Comments ||
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#3
Then there's the issue of the Brutal Cuban SummerTM we have to take into consideration. Are our Humvees air-conditioned?
#4
If the descriptions of the Hispanic/LatinBlogs are accurate, CUBA is well on its way to becoming another NORTH KOREA [the starving Cannibal one]in about 10-15 years. Its getting harder and harder to find, buy, or grow domestic foodstuffs, while many small towns in Cuba suffer from prolonged and getting longer outages of water and power. CASTRO and his own, however, have it made as usual, like KIM and KIM 2 - inevitably, HAVANA and other Party/Casto-controlled cities will not escape. FIDEL WON'T CARE BECAUSE HE'LL LIKELY BE DEAD BY THEN. It amazes me - despite knowing that Socialism and Communism are abject failures, and that under OWG and SWO their nations will never be anything except glorified slave states to RUSSIA-CHINA the former are STILL fighting for their right to as such, and to REMAIN PERENNIALLY MINOR/BACKWARD NATIONS WHILE DEMANDING TO BE UNCONDITIONALLY OR ASYMMTERICALLY $$$ SUPP BY THE WORLD COMMUNITY, ESPEC THE USA.
#5
Fidel also has the Chicoms in PANAMA CANAL as well as in HAITI ags PUERTO RICO and British Commonwealth states. The anti-American LeftMedias and Leftperts are NOT reporting that every potential US/Western ally around the world is surrounded by at least two anti-American andor Communist entities, all while US/Allied milfors are diverted fighting Radical Islam, Bill Clinton's "THIRD WAY", aka THIRD PARTY ALIBISTS.
Buried in this article is the following paragraph:
"Italy, with a population of 57 million, is home to an estimated one million officially registered Muslims, making Islam the country's second largest religion. But social services groups say the number is much higher and growing."
You can find this under "Oddly Enough" news stories from Reuters on Yahoo. I have got to find a better page to keep up with things than Yahoo; they have gotten weirder.
But the arms sale ban may not last long.
The European Union decided on Wednesday to maintain its 15-year-old arms embargo on China, reports Reuters. "The EU side confirmed its political will to continue to work towards lifting the embargo," the EU and China said in a joint statement issued at the summit in The Hague. The joint statement leaves open lifting the ban next year "despite fierce opposition from Washington and human rights groups," reports Reuters. The EU cited concerns about China's commitment to human rights. The embargo was imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre of pro-democracy activists.
They're still dead, aren't they?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/09/2004 9:33:36 AM ||
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I figure one large order for Airbus may see the embargo dissappear.
Posted by: john ||
12/09/2004 16:06 Comments ||
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Actually, France is the hold out. They don't want to accept the transparency rules the rest of the EU is willing to put in place in exchange for selling arms.
Posted by: too true ||
12/09/2004 16:07 Comments ||
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Of course not. Kickbacks from overseas deals are a major source of funding for both the major political parties in France.
Bush visit failed to impress Canadians, poll finds
A nationwide poll shows that U.S. President George Bush didn't gain any popularity points with Canadians after his recent visit.
Here's what the story actually says lower down.
Those most likely to say their opinion of Bush is better after his visit are residents of:
Atlantic Canada (17 per cent)
Saskatchewan/Manitoba (17 per cent)
Alberta (14 per cent)
Ontario (10 per cent)
Quebec (6 per cent)
British Columbia (6 per cent).
Our intrepid reporter says Bush ''didn't gain any popularity points.'' But the table above shows he so did in all ten provinces. And in six out of ten of those provinces, almost one in five people have a better impression of the president.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/09/2004 20:17 ||
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As an ex-Cowboy fan from the era when they and the Steelers had some great contests, this got a good laugh out of me. I don't watch sports anymore - haven't in about 25 years cuz I decided I'd rather do it than watch it.
After the first blush, however, and reading the piece - hey, why not? He's an intelligent and articulate man - and one I can attest to having a serious streak for hardball heads-up competition and quick wits... there were headhunters in the secondary back then - and damned few rules protecting anyone from the likes of The Assassin (extra points if you know who carried that nick, heh).
#3
Oh, yeah, now it comes back to me what a foul son of a bitch Jack Tatum is and always will be. Maybe I'm biased about what happened to Darryl Stingley, but scroll down to 9. and you be the judge.
#5
I'd be more of a Stallworth fan over Swanny, myself. With the Boston Celtics Kevin McHale was my favorite (with apologies to Russel, Cousy and many others), not all of it because of l'affaire Clothesline. One of the best basketball games ever played.
#7
Heh - that was a fun read... memories of at least a hint of innocence and pride over paycheck. And the other certainly highlights the differences between then and now - how far they have fallen. Thx, guys!
All of John Kerry's one-time rivals in the Democratic presidential primary eventually lined up to support him as the nominee, but only one got paid for it — Al Sharpton. The Democratic National Committee paid Sharpton $86,715 in travel and consulting fees to compensate for his campaigning for Kerry and other Democratic candidates, according to reports to the Federal Election Commission. In an interview with The Associated Press, Sharpton said he was paid for travel and he didn't know how much he had been reimbursed. "They asked me to travel to 20 or 30 cities to campaign, and I did that," Sharpton said. "What am I supposed to do, donate the cost of air fare?"
But records show that while most of the money was to reimburse travel expenses, Sharpton was paid $35,000 as a "political consulting fee" 15 days after the election. The consulting fee was first reported in this week's edition of the Village Voice. Democratic National Committee spokesman Jano Cabrera said the party paid Sharpton at the request of the Kerry campaign. "After meeting with Kerry's staff, we did agree to pay for Reverend Sharpton's travel and consulting expenses," Cabrera said. "He traveled very extensively to help the nominee and Democrats across the board, encouraging them to get out and vote on November 2."
Sharpton frequently appeared at Kerry's side in the final weeks before the election as Kerry was trying to connect with black voters. Sharpton was with Kerry in largely black churches and when he spoke to other black audiences. Kerry's eight other former rivals from the Democratic primary also worked to varying degrees to get Kerry elected. In particular, Wesley Clark, Bob Graham, Dick Gephardt and Dennis Kucinich often campaigned with Kerry, although the latter three mostly appeared in their home states. But none of the other eight Democrats who were once in the race were paid travel reimbursements or consulting fees, according to a search of federal records collected by tracking service PoliticalMoneyLine. Cabrera would not say when the party agreed to pay Sharpton or whether he requested the consulting fees. Cabrera said that information was part of private negotiations.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/09/2004 3:48:56 AM ||
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Sharpton, like Jesse, are racial pimps, selling their self-proclaimed "black leader" status to the highest bidder. The fact that Dems play along tells you all you need to know about their support for real blacks an their complete moral and ethical bankruptcy. Sharpton needs to be jailed
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/09/2004 8:14 Comments ||
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#2
If Sharpton were in the slammer, he wouldn't be ab le to help the Dhims as much as he did this year. The more publicity he gets, the better for the country.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/09/2004 8:17 Comments ||
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#3
So he got $86,000 from the Dems.
Wonder how much the Republicans paid him? :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/09/2004 12:14 Comments ||
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#4
Al Sharpton: "authentic" voice of African-Americans.
Condi Rice: useful tool of white warmongers.
Does anything better illustrate the pathology afflicting the Dem Party's thinking on race today?
An excellent summary. I couldn't have said it better myself.
ACCORDING to the Kyoto protocol proponents, Australia and the US are the rogue nations. But in the eyes of the absolute majority of the world, they are reasonable and smart. After all, Australia and the US -- along with nine developed countries and 167 other nations -- are refusing to undertake legal obligations in restricting their greenhouse gas emissions. The fact is the Kyoto protocol that will be a global treaty within months is based on fraudulent science. Assertions that global temperatures are higher today than any time in the past are completely false. Fluctuations in climate patterns have existed for millions of years -- for all earth history. Global temperatures were higher in the Roman times when grapes were grown on British islands The place I grew up 25 miles n. of London was mentioned in the Doomday book circa 1100 AD as being a major wine producer. Clearly impossible when I lived there.
and Hannibal's elephants walked through the Alps into Italy. They were higher in the medieval period when the Vikings found and colonised the island that they have called Greenland and when Norwegians grew grain on the fields that are 300m in altitude higher than it is possible to do today. Temperature variations in the course of the earth's history have been much greater than the increase of 0.6 degrees Celsius estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the last century. In the past, the earth's climate was warmer, the global temperature rose faster, sea level was higher, floods were more severe, droughts lasted longer and hurricanes were more devastating than they were in the 20th century. Moreover, the best available temperature data from satellites show negligible temperature changes over the past several decades. Go read the rest.
Posted by: phil_b ||
12/09/2004 6:38:04 AM ||
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Thank you Mr Illarionov - this message needs to be heard everywhere. It will be accepted everywhere that hasn't drunk the Kool Aid. The entire spectrum of Kyoto / Day After Tomorrow / GAIA eco-bullshit movements are insane... and you can toss in a host of other similar BS games, e.g. CSPI, as they have reached cult status - reality took a hike long long ago.
A total 18,607 illegal immigrants in Malaysia were whipped under an amendment to the Immigration Act introduced in 2002, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Tan Chai Ho said Wednesday. The number comprised 11,473 Indonesians, 2,786 Myanmars, 1,956 Filipinos, 708 Bangladeshis, 509 Indians and 1,175 other nationalities, Tan told reporters at the parliament lobby here. "Most were whipped for entering without valid documents but the women and men above (50) years who were caught were spared," he said.
Tan warned that illegal immigrants who refused the current amnesty to leave the country that they would be flushed out when the authorities launch a large-scale operation next month. Malaysia offered illegal immigrants an amnesty from Oct. 29 to Nov. 14 prior to the Hari Raya Aidilfitri (the Break Fast Festival), and extended it at the request of Indonesia. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, now in Indonesia on an official visit, Wednesday announced that the amnesty for Indonesian illegal immigrants would be extended to Dec. 31 this year. Up to Dec. over six million illegal immigrants had left voluntarily. "Unofficial estimates indicate there are still about one million illegal immigrants in the country. We want to ensure they go back to their country of origin until no one remains behind," Tan said. "We are unhappy many have still not left...if they don¡¯t leave they will face the full might of the law."
He said the operation would cover urban as well as rural areas and plantations throughout the country. "As such I urge employers not to take the risk and to send home their illegal workers before the end of December. If they want to come and work here, they should do so by following the proper procedures." He added that 112 cases of employers harboring illegal workers had been brought to the courts. Hundreds of thousands of the foreign workers from neighboring countries make a beeline to Malaysia every year to earn a living in various sectors, especially in construction and plantation, due to insufficient job opportunities at home.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/09/2004 9:31:11 AM ||
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Whipped with what? How many strokes each? Man, I'll bet Tan's arm was really tired. Prolly looks like Popeye, now... tipper - you're getting weird on us!
While reading the original Xinhua article - looking for the info above - I saw this story on a new Hollweird movie, In Good Company, and 2 things (heh) jumped out at me:
1) Scarlett Johannson is becoming an Ingrid Bergman knockout:
2) Dennis Quaid has become the Junk Science poster-boy: " Dennis Quaid has ever been the hero of 'The Day after Tommorrow'" - and Xinhuanet could use some native English-speaking editorial services. And no, his picture isn't worth posting, heh, cuz he's a moron.
Nearly 3,000 people packed the Flint Center in Cupertino for a live broadcast Wednesday of Fox News' ``Hannity & Colmes'' talk show featuring Stephen J. Williams, the teacher at the center of a reinvigorated debate about the place of religion in public schools. Williams, who teaches fifth grade at Stevens Creek Elementary School in Cupertino, reiterated his position that the handouts he gives students with history lessons are a natural part of U.S. colonial history and that he presents God modestly in his class. ``Some people say I'm trying to teach Christianity all of the time in my class, but 99 percent of what I teach is secular,'' Williams, 38, said on the show.
Williams said he is stunned at how the lawsuit he filed against the Cupertino Union School District over restricting his use of religious materials has snowballed. ``I'm blown away at what a hot-button issue this has become,'' he said. ``I think for many people it strikes at the heart of the heritage of this nation. The Founding Fathers were clear that their right came from God. That is in the basic documents.'' Many in the audience seemed to agree with Williams' stance, applauding him during the broadcast. Cupertino is not Berkeley, but is not far from it. This reaction is surprising unless the audience was stacked with supporters, which the reporter would have picked up on.
``I support him,'' said Tom Forese, 30, who works in commercial real estate. ``Most elementary schools are requiring the teaching of Islam, and I agree with that. But it's equally important to teach the Christian view.'' But Kate Froesberg, a 50-year-old parent whose son was in Williams' class last year, said Williams goes overboard in presenting God in the classroom. ``Everyone has been very tolerant of him at school, but there are many complaints,'' she said. ``He's got an agenda. He's overdoing it in trying to make a case for Christianity.''
Williams sued the Cupertino Union School District recently, saying his civil rights were violated when he was told by Stevens Creek Elementary School Principal Patricia Vidmar to refrain from using supplemental teaching materials on colonial history that had religious references. Among Williams' controversial teaching handouts are excerpts with multiple references to God from the U.S. Constitution and from various state constitutions. There also is a handout created by Williams called ``What Great Leaders Have Said About the Bible'' -- quotes from U.S. presidents and Jesus. But the district says it has not banned any historic documents. Williams and his attorney, Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defense Fund, plan to be interviewed on ``Good Morning America'' this morning. The two have already been on several radio and TV talk shows. The Alliance Defense Fund is a conservative group that supports Christian causes. Joanne Jacobs has a post with several other links on this story as well as comments about the educational value of flatulence, pubic hair and fornication.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/09/2004 4:45:44 PM ||
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Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's ruling party passed a controversial new law that aims to bar foreign rights groups from the country, as well as foreign funding for local groups doing similar work. The law, known as the Non-governmental Organisations Bill, was passed by 48 lawmakers from Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe ZANU-PF party following weeks of intense debate. "This bill is the best law to be enacted by this parliament," Social Welfare Minister Paul Mangwana boasted shortly before it went through its third and final reading. The law, which forces all non-governmental agencies to register with a state-appointed commission, also makes it illegal for them to receive foreign funding.
The bill was condemned by opposition lawmakers, who said it would curtail the rights and freedoms of Zimbabweans, including the work of the country's churches. "It is unfortunate that this house has been called on again and again to pass legislation whose effect is to continually extinguish the rights of the people of this country," MDC lawmaker and secretary general Welshman Ncube said during the final debate on the bill. He said that, once it was signed by Mugabe, it would interfere with the "social mission" of churches if that included feeding the poor, tending to human rights abuses or addressing issues of governance.
More than 60 suspected mercenaries are to appeal against their convictions over an Equatorial Guinea coup plot. Their lawyer said the High Court in Zimbabwe had granted permission for their case to go to the Supreme Court. In September, former British special services officer Simon Mann was jailed for seven years but is not appealing.
Must figure he got off easy.
Sixty-seven other suspected mercenaries were sent to prison for 12 months for illegally landing at Zimbabwe's main airport.
Not bad considering what they might have gotten.
The authorities said they were en route to Equatorial Guinea to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in the oil-rich country. The 67 were found guilty of lesser charges of violating immigration and aviation laws. Mann, an old Etonian, was convicted of trying to buy weapons without a licence.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/09/2004 9:26:02 AM ||
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Dear Friends,
May I take a break from our post-election despair to share with you a little piece of happy/silly/cool news?
"Fahrenheit 9/11" has been nominated by the People's Choice Awards as the American public's "Favorite Film of the Year." The five nominees were chosen from a poll of thousands of Americans in mid-to-late November. The other nominees for best film are "Spiderman 2," "The Incredibles," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (with Jim Carrey), and "Shrek 2." It is the first time ever a documentary has been nominated for best film by the People's Choice Awards.
The People's Choice Awards are considered, among all the awards shows, to be the one which most accurately reflects the "mainstream" public opinion in the United States.
OK, now, here's the best part: YOU get to vote! Online. Now. Just go to http://www.pcavote.com/voting/film/f01.shtml, click on the little circle next to "Fahrenheit 9/11" in the "Favorite Movie" category and press the "vote" button. Voting is going on now and continues only through this coming Monday, December 13, at 3:00pm ET, so send an e-mail to your friends and let them know they can vote, too. Winners will accept their awards live on CBS on January 9.
Now, normally I wouldn't make a very big deal out of something like this. It's nice and I'm honored, but it's not exactly the number one priority on any of our minds these days. In fact, when we found out we were nominated over a week ago, I didn't even think to tell you about it or put it up on our website.
But then a group of top Republicans took out a full page ad in USA Today (and placed a similar one in the Hollywood trade magazine, Variety) proclaiming that "An election is over, but a war of ideas continues." The point of the ad was to say that while they, as right wing conservatives, were proud of getting rid of Kerry, there was still one more nuisance running around loose they had to deal with -- me! They also issued a not-so-subtle threat to the Academy Awards voters that, in essence, said don't even THINK about nominating "Fahrenheit 9/11" for Best Picture. And Bill O'Reilly recently bellowed that if the Oscars recognize my work this year, Middle America will boycott Hollywood.
Oops. I guess he spoke too soon. Because now along comes Middle America's favorite awards show, the People's Choice, and the People's Choice this year, along with a Spiderman superhero and a lovable green ogre, is a film that apparently continues to resonate throughout the country. The truth about Iraq, Bush, terror and fear. The election has not altered or made irrelevant, unfortunately, a single one of these issues. That they (and the film that dealt with these issues) are still at the forefront of the majority of the public's minds should give serious pause to Mr. Bush as he brags about a nonexistent "mandate" and begins to spend his "political capital."
He may have been (barely) the people's choice on November 2 (Ohio recount excluded), but now the people get to vote again, this time for a movie. It's about the best we can do right now, and, trust me, it won't be long before we start the real work we need to do to get our country back.
Again, go to http://www.pcavote.com/voting/film/f01.shtml if you want to vote for our film. I promise, if we win, to give a nice and polite speech.
Yours,
Michael Moore
Posted by: tipper ||
12/09/2004 9:01:48 AM ||
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Rantburgers! Go to the People's Choice site immediately and put in your vote for The Incredibles. Won't Michael Moore be surprised when his "documentary" loses to a cartoon! (A cartoon rich in the sort of moral and conservativevalues Michael Moore hates so much, I might add.)
Posted by: Mike ||
12/09/2004 9:32 Comments ||
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DB - They aren't selling them here in Sin City, sniff, but they are offering a damned good Pastrami Burger promotion! I hope they make it permanent - and add the Monster soon, heh. Can't get too much red meat.
Posted by: ed ||
12/09/2004 04:51 ||
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Films from Bollywood. It's those awful Indians, corrupting our youth!
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/09/2004 9:07 Comments ||
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"But in recent years, Bollywood has abandoned many old taboos, allowing far more erotic scenes and songs than ever before - though the films rarely push beyond PG-13 Hollywood fare."
Posted by: Tom ||
12/09/2004 9:36 Comments ||
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Yep, Ms Jalal, you're right - across the board. It's nearly a miracle that the PakiWaki Parliament passed a bill with any intent to slow this variety of atrocity. But, since it is actually Islam and Shari'a behind this insanity, it will not be outlawed, or if outlawed (with a wink and a nod, doncha know), not enforced.
There are atrocities committed by individuals every day - and some of the time these perps are even brought to justice. When that happens, at least, there is the chance that the perp won't be able to do it again and also the chance that the punishment deters all but those who act in a fit of rage or insanity. It eventually weans a society of certain premeditated conscious behaviors. Normally, this takes something less than 1400+ years.
But, speaking of eternity, back to Islam... This is the "special" case of institutionalized insanity - dating back about 1.5 millenia, cast in amber, and practiced with aplomb and social approval... Islamic "scholars" agree that Islam is "complete" and "perfect" and "unchangable"... Gosh. That doesn't leave much room for anything, now does it?
As long as there is Islam, there will be Shari'a. As long as there is Shari'a, there will be insane barabaric atrocities committed and condoned. And it won't change - no matter what the well-intentioned say. Pretty simple, that.
NEW DELHI — India yesterday asserted it would take steps to bolster the country's defence preparedness if the US went ahead with the proposed supply of F-16 jet fighters to Pakistan. "We have cautioned the US against such a decision," external affairs minister K. Natwar Singh said while concluding a debate in the Lok Sabha on the foreign policy of the UPA government. "I would like to assure members that in case of US arms supply to Pakistan, the government will not hesitate to take steps to ensure that our defence preparedness is not compromised in any way," he said.
Relax guys, we control the spare parts and the training.
Not to mention the remote controls embedded in the flight control software.....er, don't mention that, ok?
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2004 2:01:24 AM ||
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What's the problem? Didn't these guys manage to best U.S. pilots in simulated combat? And don't they have a number of Russian up-to-date hardware?
In Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Tiny Tim delivers one of the famed lines in literature: "God bless us, every one!" Along with "Bah, humbug," it's the story's signature. There's the Christmas setting along with some allusions to Christian ideals, but Tiny Tim's blessing is the tale's most overt reference to religion. Yet that was too much for Lake Washington High School in Kirkland. Students were to see a staging of Dickens' story on Dec. 17, but the principal has canceled it, in part because it raised the issue of religion in the public schools. Ah, it's that special time of year, when the spirit of the season is more about offending no one than celebrating anything.
Except that I think you've got that backward: it's about offending as many people as possible to demonstrate how much more virtuous the offenders are.
Schools and libraries ban Christmas trees. Holiday concerts replace Handel's "Messiah" with bland numbers such as "Frosty the Snowman." This year the controversy has boiled over in New Jersey, where a school banned religious carols. In Denver, people were barred from singing hymns in a parade. And in Italy, a teacher told Muslim students to replace the word "Jesus" with "virtue" if it helped them sing a Christmas carol. The motivation is always well-meaning: to keep religion from distressing anyone in the diverse public square.
Nope. Sorry. I just don't buy that the motivation is well-meaning. See my comments above. As a practicing agnostic, I find the actions offensive and small-souled. I don't consider myself sufficiently superior to my fellow citizens to demand that they stop doing what they like to do because it might offend me in some way. In fact, I fall pretty comfortably into the Christmas spirit. Our house has two Christmas trees, one in the living room and one in the family room, plus a wreath on the door. We send Christmas cards and I enjoy Christmas carols, though after hearing them every day for a month I'm usually ready to listen to something else come the day after Christmas. We took 2-year-old Titus to see the Polar Express and I found it charming. We'll watch It's a Wonderful Life and I'll get choked up (unlike La Dowd). You don't have to be a Christian to do any of that.
As a secularist and agnostic who doesn't subscribe to any particular religious doctrine, it's a goal I support.
Even as a secularist and an agnostic, I don't. It's not my place to tell other what to do. I'm not in charge, and even if I was, I wouldn't.
But even a lifelong doubter like me can see that something crucial is being lost, especially in the schools. If kids can't see a Charles Dickens play, hasn't the cause of separating church and state gone too far?
Demonstrably so. Let a hundred flowers bloom, as an old atheist once ordered...
Dickens said "A Christmas Carol" was nothing more than a "ghostly little book." With its apparitions of hope and death, it's more supernatural morality tale than religious dogma. He hated the institution of his Christian faith, the Church of England. He's considered the father of the modern secular Christmas, in which many of us celebrate with friends and family instead of attending a church service. Yes, the work has Christian themes. So what? The students can handle it. They might even learn something — about Christianity, or redemption. Or about good storytelling. Banning "A Christmas Carol" because it says too much about religion is like banning "A Catcher in the Rye" because it says too much about adolescence. And that goes for much of the rest of this seasonal controversy. We fall all over ourselves to keep religion from the schools. Yet a major gap in my public education was the lack of religion in the schools. I learned a lot about math and science and literature, and literally nothing about the belief systems of billions of the world's people — an educational hole as stunning as if they'd decided not to teach, say, world history. The schools say they walk a fine line. Religious holidays can be taught, not observed. If Charles Dickens is over that line, then I don't have much faith today's kids are learning any more about religion than I did.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2004 10:39:41 PM ||
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Schools and libraries ban Christmas trees
Yes I can understand the sentiment. At this time of the year, a street corner close to where I live used to be the home of a tall, beautifully decorated Christmas tree. This year they have replaced it with a tall, colorful, sparkling...rocket or something, I have no idea what it is.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/09/2004 0:50 Comments ||
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I learned a lot about math and science and literature, and literally nothing about the belief systems of billions of the world's people â an educational hole as stunning as if they'd decided not to teach, say, world history.
One of the better classes I took in college was a comparative religions course. Then again, I went to a Catholic college that wasn't run by the weenies who are out banning Christmas carols.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2004 1:57 Comments ||
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Amen Fred. Your self description fits me to a tee.
I love everything about Christmas and though I don't believe in God or Jesus; the underlying principles are the basis of much that is good in Western civilization. I've yet to hear the Christmas carol that says kill the infidels, not even kill the Democrats.
#4
Christmas trees are Pagan. This seems like discrimination agains Pagans. And wreaths. Don't get me started on them too.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/09/2004 11:24 Comments ||
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Count me in. My Jewish by choice elder daughter told me yesterday that decorating the Christmas tree with her father (its his holiday, so I play the support role and get the ornaments out of the box) is her favourite part of Christmas -- better even than getting presents. And while there is a lot of lovely music in the Jewish repertoire, Hanukkah songs are just that, and no match for Handel's Messiah, or even Silent Night. Some people choose to be hypersensitive.
#6
Administration of Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, WA.
This guy doesn't know the grief that the woman who is principal of the Elementary School in Cupertino, CA is taking for banning THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE from a 5th grade teacher's classroom. I have a feeling "Mr. Robertson" is about to feel some heat.
#7
He may get a visit... Draw the shades, "Mr. Robertson", Lock the doors, "Mr. Robertson", he will still come, "Mr. Robertson!" Just as he did to Scrooge!!!...
#8
"Tolerance" has become a PC byword for secular-based spiritual ABSOLUTISM and societal-national CANTONIZATION. Organized Religion for the most part gen motivates and teaches youth and individuals to personally strive for self-improvement, whether individualist or group-oriented, which SCIENCE AND INTELLECTUALISM DOES NOT. CANTONIZATION ultim devolutes to national-/political CONFEDERATISM which history has repeatedly shown to again lead to the dissolution of organized nation-states/societies. REMEMBER THIS ALSO, THE LEFT DEMANDS THIS OF AMERICA ADN THE WEST, BUT DOES NOT DEMAND IT OF COMMUNIST/COMMUNISM-CENTRIC RUSSIA-CHINA, ETAL. - you know, alleged National and International [now GLOBAL]"EQUALISM"!?
As the Wisconsin State Capitol decks the halls with season's greetings, a "Winter Solstice" sign stands there to tell people, "There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell."
"So we're gonna poop in your punchbowl, thereby proving that there are, in fact, arseholes."
The Freedom From Religion Foundation said this marks the ninth year it has placed its "Winter Solstice" sign in the first-floor rotunda in Madison. The sign carries the following message composed by the group's founder, Anne Nicol Gaylor:
"At this season of
the Winter Solstice
may reason prevail.
"There are no gods,
no devils, no angels,
no heaven or hell.
There is only
our natural world.
"Religion is but
myth and superstition
that hardens hearts
and enslaves minds."
All I can think of to say is: "Bah. Humbug."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2004 10:35:36 PM ||
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AFAIK Mratin Luther King Jr., Sojourner Truth, St. Francis of Assisi, and Mother Theresa had neither hard hearts nor enslaved minds, Ms. Gaylor.
#5
Tecnhically it is winter solstice. The early Christians moved the celebration to coincide with the pagan celebrations of the same time frame so as to both provide cover of their activities [something about state oppression of Christians back then] and to compete with the other religions. There was a 'who has the most holidays' type of appeal among the general population. A lot of what we connect to Christmas comes from pagan sources. That Yule tree is a prime example.
Posted by: Don ||
12/09/2004 9:25 Comments ||
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It really doesn't matter whether we're talking about Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Diwali, the Roman festival of Saturn or just people who like to have some fun as the days get short and dreary: the "Freedom From Religion Foundation" is not about having freedom FROM religion, it's about spoiling freedom OF religion for the rest of us. It's the Islamofascists without the Islam.
Posted by: Tom ||
12/09/2004 9:47 Comments ||
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Last year Saturnalia, this year Christmas. The proles don't really care who's buying the beer, as long as it's free and there's plenty of it.
#8
Not wanting to celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, whatever.....fine.
But, really, can't they come up with something other than this completely lame sign? I know some pretty creative atheists who could do far better than that.
The only thing more bleak than a Wisconsin winter must be a party with this crowd.
#9
The sign's getting to be a regular, I'm afraid. And of all the displays in the Capitol, it is the only one that goes out of its way to insult people.
Posted by: James ||
12/09/2004 12:50 Comments ||
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Heard a buffoon froom this group on Laura Ingraham while coming to work this AM. He sounds like has some kind of red hot poker stuck in a very sensitive orafice. There is some sort of hang up he has about religiousity. He claimed to be an ex-clergyman. Probably, in truth, a monk stole his twinkie when he was a kid...
#11
The entire issue is being handled in a ham-handed and asinine fashion by the ACLU, et al. Utterly and totally unnecessary - and can you say "backlash"? I knew you could. I do NOT favor stripping away American traditions in favor of imaginary equality or, to be plain, insane fears that the constitution has been rent asunder. Bullshit hype and hysteria. Beware this tack - it will blow up in your faces, Libby Loons. The Christian traditions do not threaten me , a no-shit athiest, in any way, shape, or form. In fact, I am offended by the entire show by the LLL, gutlessly hiding behind constitutional verbiage to justify a purge - and it actually buys them nothing and serves no practical purpose.
Stupid morons. Creating dissention where none is necessary - prolly just to make themselves relevant.
Only one "religion" deserves special attention, IMHO, and that's Islam - for it is far more than a mere belief system - it is a human pathogen. It, alone, among "religions" of any size membership, advocates violence in every form, from human mutilation to death, for merely failing to adhere to its incomprehensible and contradictory (convenient, that) screed or opposing its domination.
I would happily vote to abolish the ACLU as a seditionist group if I had the opportunity - they, much like unions, may have served a noble purpose once, but no longer. Using Bill Cosby's bit about the tonsils comes to mind - they fought the good fight, but they lost, and now they're on the other side... they have to come out.
A court in south India yesterday denied bail to a prominent Hindu priest accused of involvement in the murder of an aide who questioned the financial records of a temple in Tamil Nadu state. Judge R. Balasubramanian of Madras High Court, denying bail to Jayendra Saraswathi, cited a law banning bail to any person when there were reasonable grounds to believe they could be guilty of offenses punishable by death or a life sentence. Saraswathi, 71, and the head of a 2,500-year-old temple at Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, is the most powerful of Hinduism's four main leaders. He was arrested last month over the death of Thiru Sankararaman, 52, once a close aide but later a sharp critic. Saraswathi has since remained in judicial custody on suspicion of murder, criminal conspiracy and suppression of evidence over the death of Sankararaman in September. He has not been formally charged. This was the second time the court denied a bail plea.
The detention of Saraswathi following his arrest on Nov. 11 has enraged Hindu activists who have staged nationwide protests. His cause has been taken up in New Delhi by the opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which has staged protests near Parliament. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also written to the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayaram Jayalalitha, asking her to ensure the investigations against a "person of his eminence' are conducted "with extreme care and consideration." Media reports say Sankararaman had alleged financial irregularities at the spiritual institution headed by Saraswathi that controls assets worth more than 50 billion rupees ($1.14 billion). Jayalalitha has said police had "shocking but solid" evidence to prove the cleric's direct involvement in Sankararaman's murder. Police have said the aide was stabbed to death by killers hired for money.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2004 9:05:08 PM ||
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Like the man said: "Nice work if you can stomach it."
#2
Sankararaman had alleged financial irregularities at the spiritual institution headed by Saraswathi that controls assets worth more than 50 billion rupees.
A popular holy man dipping his hand in the till, gee, like that's never happened before.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/09/2004 8:43 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
All of John Kerry's one-time rivals in the Democratic presidential primary eventually lined up to support him as the nominee, but only one got paid for it — 
In Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Tiny Tim delivers one of the famed lines in literature: "God bless us, every one!" Along with "Bah, humbug," it's the story's signature. There's the Christmas setting along with some allusions to Christian ideals, but Tiny Tim's blessing is the tale's most overt reference to religion. Yet that was too much for Lake Washington High School in Kirkland. Students were to see a staging of Dickens' story on Dec. 17, but the principal has canceled it, in part because it raised the issue of religion in the public schools. Ah, it's that special time of year, when the spirit of the season is more about offending no one than celebrating anything. 
