Saturday, January 3, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
God wasn't willing
The day before a powerful blast sent his headless body flying out of his Gaza home on Thursday, senior Hamas leader Nizar Rayan predicted that the Islamist movement would defeat Israel.
"God willing, Hamas will win," Rayan said in a vitriol-laden speech that the movement's television broadcast just after he, his four wives and 10 of his children were killed in the Israeli blitz of the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Rayan, 51, was among the top ranked leaders in Hamas and was its most senior figure to have been killed since Israel unleashed a massive bombardment on Saturday in response to persistent rocket fire from the enclave.
Israeli F-16 jets fired two missiles at Rayan's five-storey house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. The powerful explosion hurled his decapitated body out into the street, according to witnesses. More here:
"God willing, Hamas will win," Rayan said in a vitriol-laden speech that the movement's television broadcast just after he, his four wives and 10 of his children were killed in the Israeli blitz of the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Rayan, 51, was among the top ranked leaders in Hamas and was its most senior figure to have been killed since Israel unleashed a massive bombardment on Saturday in response to persistent rocket fire from the enclave.
Israeli F-16 jets fired two missiles at Rayan's five-storey house in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. The powerful explosion hurled his decapitated body out into the street, according to witnesses. More here:
Ayers rewrites history - with media help
Remember, during the presidential campaign, when the New York Times published an editorial from Obama but refused to publish John McCain's? Well, it appears they've used their awesome journalistic judgement again.
Excerpts: the rest here:
On December 5, the New York Times afforded former domestic terrorist Bill Ayers a chance to publish an op-ed, in which he defends himself from various charges made during the 2008 presidential campaign. Perhaps even more extraordinary, however, is that the Times allowed Ayers to publish obvious lies about his terrorist past and rejected a rebuttal by the former FBI informant who lived through the history Ayers tried to rewrite.
I decided to go ahead and read the editorial that was rejected by the New York Times. If you're interested, you can read it here. Just remember though, it might take you ten minutes -- so, if you're a lib, that's probably too much effort.
Thanks to Little Green Footballs:
Ha ha - dumbasses
CHICAGO (AP) - The sheriff's office in Chicago has arrested more than 60 fugitives with a net of holiday cheer. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said Sunday that the suspects were invited to take a retailers' survey for holiday shoppers at a hotel earlier this month.
Participants who brought along a scratch-off card that was included with the survey were promised at least $500.
Those who showed up were taken into custody. One man who arrived with marijuana in his pocket was charged with possession on top of his previous charges.
The fugitives had warrants for crimes including forgery and aggravated battery.
Participants who brought along a scratch-off card that was included with the survey were promised at least $500.
Those who showed up were taken into custody. One man who arrived with marijuana in his pocket was charged with possession on top of his previous charges.
The fugitives had warrants for crimes including forgery and aggravated battery.
Metaphorical phrases
I've heard these phrases many times and I know what they mean but I didn't know WHY. Now I know and so do you.
PIPE DREAM:
The allusion is to the dreams experienced by smokers of opium pipes. More here:
The allusion is to the dreams experienced by smokers of opium pipes. More here:
IN THE TANK:
The expression is related to the concept of a corrupt prizefighter being "in the tank," meaning that he's been paid ahead of the fight to pretend that the other fighter knocked him out. Such an act is called "taking a dive," a metaphor related to swimming. And "tank," as Safire and others observe, is ancient slang for swimming pool.
GOODY TWO SHOES:
It comes from the title of a rather twee and moralistic nursery tale called "The History of Goody Two Shoes," which is thought to have been written by Oliver Goldsmith, and which was published in 1765 by John Newbery, one of the earliest London publishers of children's stories. Goody owned only one shoe. When she was given a pair of them, she was so pleased that she showed them to everybody, saying "Two shoes". The phrase now refers to a self-righteous, smugly virtuous person.
FACE THE MUSIC:
To accept the inevitable. Originates from the British Military practice of playing the drums when someone was court marshaled.
SAVED BY THE BELL / GRAVEYARD SHIFT
England is old and small. When they started running out of places to bury people they would dig up coffins after so many years and reuse the graves. In reopening these coffins about 1 in 25 were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realised they had been burying people alive. So they tied a string on the decease's wrist and led it through the coffin lid and up through the ground and tied it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night and listen for the bell. 'Graveyard shift' also refers to the practice of sitting there overnight to guard against the grave robbers digging up the bodies!
BEAT IT / BEAT A HASTY RETREAT
Many people now would say 'beat a retreat' but originally it was 'beat the retreat'. A retreat wasn't just a generalised withdrawal but a specific military procedure established by the British Army. Back in the 16th century war may have been a brutal hand-to-hand affair but it was conducted under rules of engagement that seem now somewhat quaint. These were laid out in some detail by the British Army's "Rules and Ordynaunces for the Warre", dated 1554, and also by Robert Barrett in his "Theorike and Practice of Moderne Warres", dated 1598.
One of the niceties that present-day combatants don't enjoy is the custom that, at sunset, all hostilities ceased and the soldiery went back to their camps to bed. The signal for this was a pattern of drum beats known as The Retreat. So, a retreat wasn't a signal to fall back and give up occupied land as it is now but a signal to retire to bed.
When I was in the service they played retreat at the end of each day (while they took the flag down.) You had to stop what you were doing (even if you were driving) and face towards the headquarters and salute until retreat finished playing. This is what it sounds like.
There are a lot of metaphorical phrases like this. Everyone uses them all the time but they often don't understand the origin.
Who could have foreseen this tragedy?
RUBIDOUX, Calif. -- A Rubidoux man was attacked and killed Friday by his family's two pit bulls, a sheriff's sergeant said.
The attack was reported at 12:10 p.m., according to sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez."It appears at this time it is a very tragic accident," Gutierrez said. "Of course this family is very distraught, right before the holidays."About noon, the grandfather of the house, located at 5787 Kenwood Place, stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. The animals attacked the man unprovoked.
One relative was home at the time of the attack and was unable to stop the dogs. The man died inside the home before paramedics could render any aid.The dogs were captured and will be euthanized, Gutierrez said.
And since Sister Klown is such a sad individual with no life, she predicts that the peeps were selling drugs, thus the Pit Bulls. Of course, Sister Klown COULD be wrong. Too bad we'll never know.
From here:
The attack was reported at 12:10 p.m., according to sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez."It appears at this time it is a very tragic accident," Gutierrez said. "Of course this family is very distraught, right before the holidays."About noon, the grandfather of the house, located at 5787 Kenwood Place, stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. The animals attacked the man unprovoked.
One relative was home at the time of the attack and was unable to stop the dogs. The man died inside the home before paramedics could render any aid.The dogs were captured and will be euthanized, Gutierrez said.
And since Sister Klown is such a sad individual with no life, she predicts that the peeps were selling drugs, thus the Pit Bulls. Of course, Sister Klown COULD be wrong. Too bad we'll never know.
From here:
Happy New (old?) Constitution
Constitution for the New Deal
by H. L. Mencken
THIS SATIRICAL PIECE FIRST APPEARED IN The American Mercury,, 41 (June 1937), 129-36, and was reprinted in condensed form by The Reader's Digest, 31 (July 1937), 27-29. In order to indicate what reached the widest audience, the condensed version appears here.
The principal cause of the uproar in Washington is a conflict between the swift- moving idealism of the New Deal and the unyielding hunkerousness of the Constitution of 1788. What is needed, obviously, is a wholly new Constitution, drawn up with enough boldness and imagination to cover the whole program of the More Abundant Life, now and hereafter.
That is what I presume to offer here. The Constitution that follows is not my invention, and in more than. one detail I have unhappy doubts of its wisdom. But I believe that it sets forth with reasonable accuracy the plan of government that the More Abundant Life wizards have sought to substitute for the plan of the Fathers. They have themselves argued at one time or another, by word or deed, for everything contained herein:
PREAMBLE
We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish social justice, draw the fangs of privilege, effect the redistribution of property, remove the burden of liberty from ourselves and our posterity, and insure the continuance of the New Deal, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
ARTICLE I
The Executive
All governmental power of whatever sort shall be vested in a President of the United States. He shall hold office during a series of terms of four years each, and shall take the following oath: "I do solemnly swear that I will (in so far as I deem it feasible and convenient) faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will (to the best of my recollection and in the light of experiment and second thought) carry out the pledges made by me during my campaign for election (or such of them as I may select)."
The President shall be commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy, and of the militia, Boy Scouts, C.I.O., People's Front, and other armed forces of the nation.
The President shall have the power: To lay and collect taxes, and to expend the income of the United States in such manner as he may deem to be to their or his advantage;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States, and to provide for its repayment on such terms as he may fix;
To regulate all commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and within them; to license all persons engaged or proposing to engage in business; to regulate their affairs; to limit their profits by proclamation from time to time; and to fix wages, prices and hours of work;
To coin money, regulate the content and value thereof, and of foreign coin, and to amend or repudiate any contract requiring the payment by the United States, or by any private person, of coin of a given weight or fineness;
To repeal or amend, in his discretion, any so-called natural law, including Gresham's law, the law of diminishing returns, and the law of gravitation.
The President shall be assisted by a Cabinet of eight or more persons, whose duties shall be to make speeches whenever so instructed and to expend the public funds in such manner as to guarantee the President's continuance in office.
The President may establish such executive agencies as he deems necessary, and clothe them with such powers as he sees fit. No person shall be a member to any such bureau who has had any practical experience of the matters he is appointed to deal with.
One of the members of the Cabinet shall be an Attorney General. It shall be his duty to provide legal opinions certifying to the constitutionality of all measures undertaken by the President, and to gather evidence of the senility of judges.
ARTICLE II
The Legislature
The legislature of the United States shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Every bill shall be prepared under the direction of the President, and transmitted to the two Houses at his order by their presiding officers. No member shall propose any amendment to a bill without permission in writing from the President or one of his authorized agents. In case any member shall doubt the wisdom of a bill he may apply to the President for light upon it, and thereafter he shall be counted as voting aye. In all cases a majority of members shall be counted as voting aye.
Both Houses may appoint special committees to investigate the business practices, political views, and private lives of any persons known to be inimical to the President; and such committees shall publish at public cost any evidence discovered that appears to be damaging to the persons investigated.
Members of both Houses shall be agents of the President in the distribution of public offices, federal appropriations, and other gratuities in their several states, and shall be rewarded in ratio to their fidelity to his ideals and commands.
ARTICLE III
The Judiciary
The judges of the Supreme Court and of all inferior courts shall be appointed by the President, and shall hold their offices until he determines by proclamation that they have become senile. The number of judges appointed to the Supreme Court shall be prescribed by the President, and may be changed at his discretion. All decisions of the Supreme Court shall be unanimous.
The jurisdiction and powers of all courts shall he determined by the President. No act that he has approved shall be declared unconstitutional by any court.
ARTICLE IV
Bill of Rights
There shall be complete freedom of speech and of the press – subject to such regulations as the President or his agents may from time to time promulgate.
The freedom of communication by radio shall not be abridged; but the President and such persons as he may designate shall have the first call on the time of all stations.
In disputes between capital and labor, all the arbitrators shall be representatives of labor.
Every person whose annual income fans below a minimum to be fixed by the President shall receive from the public funds an amount sufficient to bring it up to that minimum.
No labor union shall be incorporated and no officer or member thereof shall be accountable for loss of life or damage to person or property during a strike.
All powers not delegated herein to the President are reserved to him, to be used at his discretion.
by H. L. Mencken
THIS SATIRICAL PIECE FIRST APPEARED IN The American Mercury,, 41 (June 1937), 129-36, and was reprinted in condensed form by The Reader's Digest, 31 (July 1937), 27-29. In order to indicate what reached the widest audience, the condensed version appears here.
The principal cause of the uproar in Washington is a conflict between the swift- moving idealism of the New Deal and the unyielding hunkerousness of the Constitution of 1788. What is needed, obviously, is a wholly new Constitution, drawn up with enough boldness and imagination to cover the whole program of the More Abundant Life, now and hereafter.
That is what I presume to offer here. The Constitution that follows is not my invention, and in more than. one detail I have unhappy doubts of its wisdom. But I believe that it sets forth with reasonable accuracy the plan of government that the More Abundant Life wizards have sought to substitute for the plan of the Fathers. They have themselves argued at one time or another, by word or deed, for everything contained herein:
PREAMBLE
We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish social justice, draw the fangs of privilege, effect the redistribution of property, remove the burden of liberty from ourselves and our posterity, and insure the continuance of the New Deal, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
ARTICLE I
The Executive
All governmental power of whatever sort shall be vested in a President of the United States. He shall hold office during a series of terms of four years each, and shall take the following oath: "I do solemnly swear that I will (in so far as I deem it feasible and convenient) faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will (to the best of my recollection and in the light of experiment and second thought) carry out the pledges made by me during my campaign for election (or such of them as I may select)."
The President shall be commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy, and of the militia, Boy Scouts, C.I.O., People's Front, and other armed forces of the nation.
The President shall have the power: To lay and collect taxes, and to expend the income of the United States in such manner as he may deem to be to their or his advantage;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States, and to provide for its repayment on such terms as he may fix;
To regulate all commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and within them; to license all persons engaged or proposing to engage in business; to regulate their affairs; to limit their profits by proclamation from time to time; and to fix wages, prices and hours of work;
To coin money, regulate the content and value thereof, and of foreign coin, and to amend or repudiate any contract requiring the payment by the United States, or by any private person, of coin of a given weight or fineness;
To repeal or amend, in his discretion, any so-called natural law, including Gresham's law, the law of diminishing returns, and the law of gravitation.
The President shall be assisted by a Cabinet of eight or more persons, whose duties shall be to make speeches whenever so instructed and to expend the public funds in such manner as to guarantee the President's continuance in office.
The President may establish such executive agencies as he deems necessary, and clothe them with such powers as he sees fit. No person shall be a member to any such bureau who has had any practical experience of the matters he is appointed to deal with.
One of the members of the Cabinet shall be an Attorney General. It shall be his duty to provide legal opinions certifying to the constitutionality of all measures undertaken by the President, and to gather evidence of the senility of judges.
ARTICLE II
The Legislature
The legislature of the United States shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Every bill shall be prepared under the direction of the President, and transmitted to the two Houses at his order by their presiding officers. No member shall propose any amendment to a bill without permission in writing from the President or one of his authorized agents. In case any member shall doubt the wisdom of a bill he may apply to the President for light upon it, and thereafter he shall be counted as voting aye. In all cases a majority of members shall be counted as voting aye.
Both Houses may appoint special committees to investigate the business practices, political views, and private lives of any persons known to be inimical to the President; and such committees shall publish at public cost any evidence discovered that appears to be damaging to the persons investigated.
Members of both Houses shall be agents of the President in the distribution of public offices, federal appropriations, and other gratuities in their several states, and shall be rewarded in ratio to their fidelity to his ideals and commands.
ARTICLE III
The Judiciary
The judges of the Supreme Court and of all inferior courts shall be appointed by the President, and shall hold their offices until he determines by proclamation that they have become senile. The number of judges appointed to the Supreme Court shall be prescribed by the President, and may be changed at his discretion. All decisions of the Supreme Court shall be unanimous.
The jurisdiction and powers of all courts shall he determined by the President. No act that he has approved shall be declared unconstitutional by any court.
ARTICLE IV
Bill of Rights
There shall be complete freedom of speech and of the press – subject to such regulations as the President or his agents may from time to time promulgate.
The freedom of communication by radio shall not be abridged; but the President and such persons as he may designate shall have the first call on the time of all stations.
In disputes between capital and labor, all the arbitrators shall be representatives of labor.
Every person whose annual income fans below a minimum to be fixed by the President shall receive from the public funds an amount sufficient to bring it up to that minimum.
No labor union shall be incorporated and no officer or member thereof shall be accountable for loss of life or damage to person or property during a strike.
All powers not delegated herein to the President are reserved to him, to be used at his discretion.
I don't know if H.L. Mencken actually wrote this but, for those of you who don't know H.L Menken, he also wrote:
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
Here's some more quotes from Mencken.
TV Truths & Lies
The Klown goes for 60%.
Now remember, before you rush off to take the quiz ... you're SUPPOSED to pick the BIG FAT LIE!
Take the quiz here:
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Hamas "Retaliates"
Beersheba experienced its second day on the front lines Wednesday as Hamas stepped up Grad-type rocket attacks, striking an open area and a high school - the second educational institution in the city to be hit since rockets began falling there Tuesday night.
A day earlier, a kindergarten was hit. More here:
A day earlier, a kindergarten was hit. More here:
The Klown wants to know ... if you fire rockets all the time anyway and then the other side strikes back ... if you fire more rockets, are you "retaliating" ... or are you just continuing your normal behavior? Also, is the UN condemning Hamas for these strikes?
The poor, innocent civilians in Gaaaaaza
This guy makes an interesting point. Somehow the Amercian media leaves this out. Accompanying short but important video at the link.
I think he meant "Joos"
A classic picture of numb-skulled hatred from the pro-Palestinian demonstration in Manhattan yesterday.
Found it at Little Green Footballs
The JOOS are killing civilians !!
The IDF has opened a channel on YouTube to post videos showing why they’re fighting Hamas; one of the most-viewed videos showed Hamas terrorists loading rockets into a truck in a residential neighborhood. And of course, Hamas supporters are using YouTube’s “flagging” features to get these videos removed:
What YouTube Doesn’t Want You to See.From Little Green Footballs:
Gaaaaa - commuter plane nightmare
The FBI is looking into a bizarre and frightening incident aboard a commercial jet heading from Houston to Omaha last Friday involving an unstable passenger.
It began with a middle-aged man leaving the plane's lavatory covered in his own feces. "Oh, it was awful. It was worse than that."
Stacey, from Houston, who asked that we not use her last name, says the small commuter jet had just one flight attendant in the cabin, a young man who moved the other passengers forward to empty seats and kept the unkept passenger in the back row.
"I heard all of this ruckus and yelling and I kind of turned around and the poor flight attendant is on his back and the guy is like punching him and I'm like, oh my gosh. It's almost like a scene out of a movie. There were two male passengers behind me that got up and kind of got the guy off of him. The poor steward, he's got a black eye, his eye's swelling. I felt sorry for him."
The injured attendant, with help from the passengers, got the unruly passenger buckled in and calmed down for landing at Eppley Airfield.
The U.S. attorney says the man was not arrested, but detained at the airport by authorities until picked up by trained professionals from a care facility in Iowa.
"Certainly there was a disturbance,” says U.S. Attorney Joe Stecher. “That disturbance was loud. It did get physical. It did get violent. We're glad it came to the conclusion that it did, but I can certainly understand anybody on that plane being upset by what they saw."
Stecher says proving criminal intent may be difficult because of the passenger's mental state. Why he was allowed to fly unsupervised may be a more important result of the FBI investigation.
Airlines are provided lists of people restricted from flying. The passenger's name was not on any of those lists. However, the U.S. attorney will look into what kind of mental treatment the man has been undergoing and whether that should have kept him from flying. From here:
It began with a middle-aged man leaving the plane's lavatory covered in his own feces. "Oh, it was awful. It was worse than that."
Stacey, from Houston, who asked that we not use her last name, says the small commuter jet had just one flight attendant in the cabin, a young man who moved the other passengers forward to empty seats and kept the unkept passenger in the back row.
"I heard all of this ruckus and yelling and I kind of turned around and the poor flight attendant is on his back and the guy is like punching him and I'm like, oh my gosh. It's almost like a scene out of a movie. There were two male passengers behind me that got up and kind of got the guy off of him. The poor steward, he's got a black eye, his eye's swelling. I felt sorry for him."
The injured attendant, with help from the passengers, got the unruly passenger buckled in and calmed down for landing at Eppley Airfield.
The U.S. attorney says the man was not arrested, but detained at the airport by authorities until picked up by trained professionals from a care facility in Iowa.
"Certainly there was a disturbance,” says U.S. Attorney Joe Stecher. “That disturbance was loud. It did get physical. It did get violent. We're glad it came to the conclusion that it did, but I can certainly understand anybody on that plane being upset by what they saw."
Stecher says proving criminal intent may be difficult because of the passenger's mental state. Why he was allowed to fly unsupervised may be a more important result of the FBI investigation.
Airlines are provided lists of people restricted from flying. The passenger's name was not on any of those lists. However, the U.S. attorney will look into what kind of mental treatment the man has been undergoing and whether that should have kept him from flying. From here:
The Klown figures it smelled like SHIT in that cabin.
Short story
A Knight and his men return to the castle after a long hard day of fighting.
"How are we faring?" asks the King.
"Sire," the Knight replies, " I have been robbing and pillaging on your behalf all day, burning the towns of your enemies in the west."
"What?" the King shrieks, "I don't have any enemies to the west!"
"Well, you do now," the Knight says.
You know this whole pillaging thing had to be a real hoot. You get a bunch of your good buddies toghether and go out a pillaging. Man that had to be fun. After pillaging was no longer permitted, men got together and started hunting as a sport. I enjoyed hunting, but would have liked to have tried the pillaging. I think Whiskey, would have helped in the pillaging, and made it more fun.
"How are we faring?" asks the King.
"Sire," the Knight replies, " I have been robbing and pillaging on your behalf all day, burning the towns of your enemies in the west."
"What?" the King shrieks, "I don't have any enemies to the west!"
"Well, you do now," the Knight says.
You know this whole pillaging thing had to be a real hoot. You get a bunch of your good buddies toghether and go out a pillaging. Man that had to be fun. After pillaging was no longer permitted, men got together and started hunting as a sport. I enjoyed hunting, but would have liked to have tried the pillaging. I think Whiskey, would have helped in the pillaging, and made it more fun.
A Change & Hope message
Israel/Hamas- What Obama Would Do
The New York Times reminds readers that while Barack Obama is deferring to President Bush on the Israeli/Hamas conflict at the moment, Obama's stance once he takes office, might not be very different than Bush's is right now.
The NYT points out to previous public statements made by Obama, which encouraged them to defend themselves, one of which was while he was visiting Sderot, a town that has been under constant rocket fire from Hamas in Gaza, where he said "If somebody was sending rockets into my house, where my two daughters sleep at night, I’m going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.”
Another hint regarding how Obama would deal with the situation comes from David Axelrod, on Sunday when speaking to CBS’s “Face the Nation”, where he said Obama will stand by his remarks about Israel, and he noted the special relationship between Israel and the United States.
Despite Arab protests, the fact is any country that is being attacked, on a weekly basis with rockets raining down on their civilian citizens, has the right, and the obligation to defend themselves and do what is needed to stop those attacks.
CNN reports that it is day three in those strikes against Gaza.
Found at Wake up America
The New York Times reminds readers that while Barack Obama is deferring to President Bush on the Israeli/Hamas conflict at the moment, Obama's stance once he takes office, might not be very different than Bush's is right now.
The NYT points out to previous public statements made by Obama, which encouraged them to defend themselves, one of which was while he was visiting Sderot, a town that has been under constant rocket fire from Hamas in Gaza, where he said "If somebody was sending rockets into my house, where my two daughters sleep at night, I’m going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.”
Another hint regarding how Obama would deal with the situation comes from David Axelrod, on Sunday when speaking to CBS’s “Face the Nation”, where he said Obama will stand by his remarks about Israel, and he noted the special relationship between Israel and the United States.
Despite Arab protests, the fact is any country that is being attacked, on a weekly basis with rockets raining down on their civilian citizens, has the right, and the obligation to defend themselves and do what is needed to stop those attacks.
CNN reports that it is day three in those strikes against Gaza.
Found at Wake up America
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