Some sensibility coming out of Laredo

AP via Yahoo News has a story I have been following regarding a homeowner who shot and killed an intruder during a break in to his home. From the story:

It took the jury of eight men and four women three hours Friday to find Jose Luis Gonzalez, 63, not guilty of murdering Francisco Anguiano, who was 13 when he and three friends broke into Gonzalez's trailer to rummage for snacks and soda one night in July 2007.

So let us start with a little correcting. Who cares why Anguiano and his friends broke into the trailer. Like it should be ok since they were just looking for 'snacks'. So what should Gonzalez have done - point them to the pantry and said "help yourselves to some Twinkies"? Anguiano was a thief and broke into Gonzalez's trailer to steal..isn't that all that needs to be known?

The story also states that "Texas law allows homeowners to use deadly force to protect themselves and their property". I better check the laws here in Massachusetts as I wonder why that is only a Texas law - that should be a US law...but I digress.

So the Attorney General (Uriel Druker) believed that this was a case of vigilantism. He is quoted in the story as stating "A 13-year-old boy was killed because a man was enraged." Again, this is actually not true. A 13-year old boy was killed because he decided to break into a private residence and steal. Cause and effect?

We should have the right to protect and defend private property. If we don't then it really isn't private and we are noy the country that the founders built.

OS

TV continuing to weird me out

Catching up on my reading and I see Brent Bozell's column over at Townhall.com has a particularly horrifying subject with his usual spot on commentary. It seems that the show America's Next Top Model has as a contestant a transgender which is a person who diverges from the normal gender role (i.e. a man dressing up and acting like a woman). The contestant "Isis" can be seen on the show's website here - http://www.cwtv.com/shows/americas-next-top-model11/cast/isis

Bozell writes:

Us magazine is treating "Isis" like some sort of courageous pioneer for civil rights, as if she was the Martin Luther King of cross-dressing, or perhaps the new Rosa Parks of castration. (The "girl" still has male genitalia.) They asked, "Will she be a role model?" The contestant would only promise: "I like to help people, but I'm here to follow my dreams."

Bozell is spot on but there is more to this story. What happens when (my prediction) she/he (?) doesn't win? I am sure there will be charges of bias and some sort of phobia and how America is so backward that it can't accept a transgendered person as its (supposedly) next top model. I have no experience with transgendered folks but it seems to me that we are continuing to shave off any specific differences between the genders and between roles and forget about asking if we have gone too far..I am worried about what is the next cultural violation TV will foist upon an unexpecting public - who watches this crap anyway?

Just like Obama will lose because of his policies (not because of his race) "Isis" will lose not because of transphobia but because deep down he looks wierd. Men were not made to be women and vice versa. If this show really looks for the potential models to "...demonstrate both inner and outer beauty as they learn to master complicated catwalks, intense physical fitness, fashion photo shoots and perfect publicity skills..." I just can't believe that a man can compete on the same level as "real" women who I would guess have no small amount of (at least) physical beauty - which after all is what sells the product these models are shilling for in the first place right?

Sadly (not really) I will not be following "Isis's" journey but unfortunately too many other people will. And they say there is nothing good on TV anymore...

OS

Duke case - again

Fox News is reporting that the woman who accused (falsely) three Duke Lacrosse players of raping her is writing a memoir.

The story quotes from the official release:

The press release for the memoir says that Crystal Gail Mangum has been "called an exotic dancer and a prostitute, and the public was led to believe she wanted to frame some 'good college students' from Duke and put them in jail. ...

Uhh - didn't she accuse three innocent students of rape? What was her intention? Wasn't she an exotic dancer (the reason she was at the Duke Lacrosse party to begin with)? This really takes gall to come out now and tell this story.

The press release (that you can see up at Free Republic) states that 'she never spoke publicly, that is until now. ' and why is that? Why would someone stand on the sidelines and let three innocent students get pilloried in the press, get attacked by professors at Duke and forced to defend themselves against bogus charges?

The press release notes that "Crystal Magnum is donating one dollar from the purchase of each book to help battered women. " How about donating the money she makes to the three students who suffered because of her? Too harsh? How about donating the money she makes to the police who had to handle her bogus claims rather than pursue real crime? Again, too harsh? How about donating the money to Duke University so it could run a seminar on how not to "pre-judge" just because the accuser is black and the defendants are white. I suppose I am beating a dead horse here.

The real crime of this issue is that it is off the front page but we have learned nothing from it.

OS

Follow up to California Gay Marriage ruling.

In my last post on the California Supreme Court overturning the voter approved ban on Gay Marriage I noted how really huge a cultural shift this is. Well Dennis Prager (as usual) says it better than I did over at Townhall.com.

Prager writes:

"Nothing imaginable -- leftward or rightward -- would constitute as radical a change in the way society is structured as this redefining of marriage for the first time in history: ... And what is particularly amazing is that virtually none of those who support this decision -- let alone the four compassionate justices -- acknowledge this ... This lack of acknowledgment -- or even awareness -- of how society-changing is this redefinition of marriage is one reason the decision was made."

"Another reason for this decision is arrogance. First, the arrogance of four individuals to impose their understanding of what is right and wrong on the rest of society. And second is the arrogance of the four compassionate ones in assuming that all thinkers, theologians, philosophers, religions and moral systems in history were wrong, while they and their supporters have seen a moral light never seen before. Not a single religion or moral philosophical system -- East or West -- since antiquity ever defined marriage as between members of the same sex."

This is required reading and as always, Prager is spot on. This is not about gay marriage or being anti-gay. It is about the price generations of our children and future generations will have to pay for what amounts to judicial arrogance, hubris and general tunnel vision and stupidity dealing with what is not a simple subject.

The full article can be found at Townhall.com.

OS

Jail is too tough - I want the current presidential candidates to chime in on this.

Yahoo News has a story that everyone should be concerned about. The story speaks to the deplorable conditions in our jails as apparently the jails are starving the inmates.

The story (from the AP) is entitled "300-pound inmate complains Ark. jail doesn't feed him well"

An inmate awaiting trial on a murder charge is suing the county, complaining he has lost more than 100 pounds because of the jailhouse menu.

Broderick Lloyd Laswell says he isn't happy that he's down to 308 pounds after eight months in the Benton County jail. He has filed a federal lawsuit complaining the jail doesn't provide inmates with enough food.

So note that the inmate (in jail on a murder charge) is complaining that he has lost weight in jail while stating that he is not participating in "little vigorous activity". How cruel can this country be that we do not supply our inmates with enough food to keep their 400+ body weight? I for one can't bear the thought of this criminal (note I did not use the term inmate - how judgmental of me). The criminal's complaint continues:

"On several occasions I have started to do some exercising and my vision went blurry and I felt like I was going to pass out," ... "About an hour after each meal my stomach starts to hurt and growl. I feel hungry again."

Note that the prison in question is in Arkansas. Obama should jump on this and show feigned outrage that the Clinton's (first family of Arkansas in 1978 and again in 1982) discriminate against heavy inmates! We need to change this - Obama - man of the people (including heavy criminals). If only Chris Wallace had asked Obama about this on yesterday's Fox News Sunday. A missed opportunity to be sure.

One more thing - prison is supposed to be tough. That is why it is assigned as punishment.

OS

A Rant about Patriots Day

Happy Patriots Day to you and yours coming from a scribe living in the heart of America's fight for Independence and of course (in my opinion) the cradle of liberty (aka Boston). I guess that is also why things are so screwed up around here as the residents of this fine state may have gotten a little sloppy when it comes to what the Constitution actually says and permits that Government to do.

As a transplanted New Yorker I had no idea what Patriots Day was but in researching it on Wikipedia I learned that it "is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War". It is also the day that the Boston Marathon is run so it has that going for it as well.

So I attended a parade and watched the Regulars and the Colonists and the Marching Bands and the Shriner's clowns and all that and of course there was a large military contingent on hand to march in the parade. Active Duty as well as Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for short.

How appropriate that a day such as Patriots Day would also honor those men and women that gave their sacred honor in pursuit of a cause no less worthy and no less costly than our own Revolution. So now for the rant - WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND STAND AND SHOW THESE ANCIENT WARRIORS A LITTLE RESPECT AS THEY PASS YOU BY.

I was amazed that I was only one of the few people that actually stood to honor these men and women who had seen so much and done so much and heeded the call of their country. I was actually ashamed by the people I was with not realizing the honor that they had in seeing these men and women in the flesh and missing their chance to stand and be counted as people who appreciate those that sacrificed so much for us, the living and the dead.

What are we teaching our young these days? Parents, you should be encouraging your kids to appreciate and honor as best they can those Soldiers, Airman, Sailors, Marines that have done so much for this country and asked for little in return. We owe them a lot and the least we can do is to show them the proper respect when they come walking by in a parade honoring our Patriots. We may not be able to shake Paul Revere's hand, or tell George Washington what a great commander and 1st President he was. But we can reach out to the Veteran and thank them for their service and demonstrate a little (yes a little) gratitude for their past endeavors.

OS

Be careful what you advertise.

This is an old story but I have had it on my to do list for some time so no time like the present. ABC News had a story from 14 February 2008 that went something like this:

Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus apologized on Wednesday for being filmed in the back seat of a car with his daughter Miley, who plays Hannah Montana in the hit Disney series, without wearing seat belts.

Cyrus had to apologize (had to?) because his faux pas was reported by Consumer Reports also noted in the ABC News story:

Consumer Reports said Cyrus and his 15-year-old daughter were filmed riding in a Range Rover on the way to rehearsal for the concert tour and neither was wearing a seat belt.

The magazine said in a blog posting that movie and TV shows did influence how children and adults acted in daily life.

"Simply put, not wearing seat belts while riding in the rear seat of a vehicle is dangerous," said the blog posting.

Ok, fair enough. I find it hard to get my head around a magazine that has time to note the most minute infractions of a star's life but ok. What's next, setting up unofficial speed traps to report which stars from Hollywood are speeding and what a bad example they are setting for the youth of today.

Continuing with ABC News, in their health section on 28 Feb 2008 there was a blow up (no pun intended) about the energy drink entitled "Blow". The story explains the controversy this way:

Worried that Blow and similar products are glorifying drug use, the Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to the makers of the energy drink mix last month, threatening legal action if the company does not rehab its image.

Named after the well-known street name for cocaine, Blow comes under scrutiny for being packaged and marketed as an alternative to cocaine, as well as for not complying with federal drug laws.

Again, ok I got this. The FDA is concerned with drug use being glorified. I guess (is this a stretch) if you portray something as glamorous or "cool" that is harmful to the body or person, the FDA (Government) or some watchdog magazine (Consumer Reports) jumps in and gives the offender (Country Star or stupid energy drink) a whack upside the head. Disney made a similar decision last year to to ban depictions of smoking in Disney-branded films. Ron Meyer, president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios stated that "We feel it's important to use our influence to help stem a serious health problem in the United States and around the world".

So there you have it. The culture police are out there ensuring everyone has a seatbelt on, no one sees anyone smoking and dangerous behavior is not encouraged, especially from products that are "Disney Branded". One final note on this discussion. Yahoo has an interesting story that falls into this "topic". Entitled "Study finds 1 in 4 US teens has a STD" the article has some pretty scary facts (besides the obvious one from the title):

The overall STD rate among the 838 girls in the study was 26 percent, which translates to more than 3 million girls nationwide, researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. They released the results Tuesday at an STD prevention conference in Chicago.

Also the story quotes the president of Planned Parenthood as blaming abstinence only education. Yeah right, the problem with all the STDs is that the United States is promoting abstinence. Why don't we apply the same line of reasoning as we did to smoking in movies or calling energy drinks by slang terms for cocaine? Does anyone think that the sewer that is the current state of our media (TV and Movies) which has an incredible saturation of all kinds of sexual imagery and visual depictions is to blame for any of this? When we show kids having sex and having no responsibility the "day after", advertise the "be young, be free" message that carries with it no moral code, highlight the stars having all kinds of sex and being cool does send a message to the youth of today. The message is just as if these same stars are not using their seat belt or taking a drag from their Marlboro's. But we won't attack the sex in movies as that would make us appear to be prudes and not hip like the Hollywood in crowd. But let's make national news about a country singer not wearing a seat belt?

What about violence in the movies - should we be at least as worried about the kill count in some of these movies with their horrible depictions of violence as we would if Brad Pitt lights up a cigarette? Case in point a movie called Hostel which has a scene were a European business man pays for the pleasure of torturing and murdering a young American, all graphically shown in the theatrical release. Should we be as worried about depictions of torture and murder and its potential impact to the viewing public at least as the name of a drink that is loaded with caffeine?

Where the hell are our priorities? The problem with this crap is the minute you cast a discerning eye on the actual filth that Hollywood is putting out you are called all kinds of names, the fascists that support this "art" cry censorship and the director and/or writer are seen as martyrs to the all powerful 1st Amendment.

At least everyone will wear their seatbelt or get a nasty blog mention in Consumer Reports. This country has lost its balls and the inmates are apparently in charge.

OS

Global Warming equals Giant Burmese Pythons colonizing the US?

Hat tip to the great Newsbusters site for this one. Newsbusters is reporting a USA Today story that touts that "Global Warming Will Cause Giant Snakes to Take Over America". Now I know that the climate change folks are really trying to stir up cataclysmic repercussions but now we have to worry about a python invasion in the lower US states?

USA Today's story found on their website states:

As climate change warms the nation, giant Burmese pythons could colonize one-third of the USA, from San Francisco across the Southwest, Texas and the South and up north along the Virginia coast, according to U.S. Geological Survey maps released Wednesday.

To quote Indiana Jones "I hate snakes..." and I can't find this news to be more unwelcome but come on - Climate change? Thanks to Noel Sheppard over at Newsbusters, you find out that the real culprit is not climate change but people "...dumping pythons they don't want in the wild". Seems like a good place to start to prevent this great catastrophe is to work to stop this illegal dumping (can you imagine if the owners were smoking while they were getting rid of the unwanted reptiles - then we would have a the full power of the federal government brought down on these lawbreakers). What a hoot.

Read Noel Sheppard's post on Newsbusters here.

OS

What is the State of the Black Union?

It is time to go back to talking about Culture and the craziness that currently passes for race relations. There really is no winning this one currently as there are too many people who benefit from promoting racial discord. I had an excellent post on this about Katrina a while back here (in my humble opinion at least). If Obama gets the nomination for the Democratic candidate for Presidency and doesn't win, the analysis from CNN, MSNBC and the Boston Globe will be that he lost because of his race (America wasn't ready for a black president, etc.) not that the American people rejected his extreme liberal positions on the issues facing America and his empty rhetoric (Change for change's sake and all that).

So I was reading CNN's website and saw the following story - "Obama takes heat for skipping State of the Black Union". So what is the State of the Black Union. Well thanks to Google I found out that the State of the Black Union is is an annual event which is held in a selected city in the United States (2008 found the conference in Post-Katrina New Orleans) and focuses on topics close to the African American community. The topic this year was "Reclaiming Our Democracy, Deciding Our Future", the website can be found here. The obvious question has to be - what would be the uproar if there was a state of the White Union (I checked Google and Wikipedia - no such event is planned).

The continued emphasis on defining some people by the color of their skin and allowing "issues" that are only of a concern for a segment of the population (Gay issues, Black issues, Hispanic issues, etc.) will continue the disunity and balkanization that apparently is still accepted as the norm by so many in this country (note the story I quoted from was CNN). The issue with Obama not going to this conference is small compared to the sad state of affairs that a conference like this reveals about the current climate of race relations in America. Read the Covenant with Black America (http://www.covenantwithblackamerica.com/) and replace many of the "covenants" with a different race - Education, Health Care, Economic Prosperity - aren't these issues of concern to all races?

The Covenant with Black America states on its website:

The Covenant with Black America is a national plan of action to address the primary concerns of African Americans today -- from health to housing, from crime to criminal justice, from education to economic parity. The frustration and angst felt by Black Americans post-Hurricane Katrina, from California to the Carolinas, is palpable. As we move toward the national elections of 2006 and 2008, Black Americans are entitled to have questions answered and visions shared of where our leaders want to take this country and a blueprint for how we get there.

I would add that any American is entitled to have questions answered and visions shared with the leaders of this country regardless of race. It is a shame that the supporters or members of this Covenant feel that the focus always come from a racial perspective. Why don't other ethnicities feel the need for a conference such as this (State of the Asian Union, State of the Hispanic Union?).

Until we can move away from issues that are "Black" or "White" or Purple, the original vision of the United States seems distant. Does this bother anyone else?

OS

Harry Reid has guts – but not in a good way

Ok so I already blogged about Rush Limbaugh’s comment on phony soldiers. What makes this story more interesting is that the Democrats in Congress actually sent a letter to Mark P. Mays, president of Clear Channel, the parent company of Limbaugh’s radio broadcast which said in part “We call on you to publicly repudiate these comments that call into question their (the “phony soldiers”) service and sacrifice and to ask Mr. Limbaugh to apologize for his comments”. You can see the actual letter here.

So Limbaugh puts this letter on Ebay for auction with the money going to a charity for the children of fallen Marines and the letter nets a cool $2.1 Million, which Limbaugh matched for a total donation of $4.2 Million to the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation. Story from Fox News here.

Harry Reid, Democrat Senator from Nevada actually had the nerve to say:

“Never did we think that this letter would bring money of this nature... I don’t know what we could do more important than helping to ensure that children of our fallen soldiers and police officers who have fallen in the line of duty have the opportunity for their children to have a good education.”

First off Mr. Reid, you have some gall taking credit for this at all as Limbaugh is the one who raised the money to help the “children”. Why the hell isn’t some network news anchor smacking this guy verbally upside the head for having the balls to say something like this? He (Reid) is giving him and his anti-first amendment cronies a verbal pat on the back for doing something so “important” when he should be hiding his head in shame (like that will happen) for actually using the supposed power of Congress against a private individual. And the left thinks the Republicans abuse power.

Secondly, I didn’t see Reid acknowledge the generous contribution that Limbaugh gave to this “important” cause for the children of fallen soldiers and police officers. Limbaugh donated $2.1 Million of his own money to this charity and has done pledge drives during his syndicated show annually. Certainly if Reid is looking for credit shouldn’t he also acknowledge Limbaugh as well? Quick – I need a pic of Harry Reid with a dumb look on his face.

Final thoughts about this issue. Limbaugh raised (and continues to raise) money for a charity supporting the children of our real heroes. What was Reid’s financial contribution to this cause or any Democrat for that matter? I guess the self congratulations are the only thing that they can muster and quite frankly do nothing to help the children regardless of how well the issue is spun in the media. The only thing they should be congratulated on is their shameless exploitation of someone else’s success.

Well done Rush. Senator Reid - please go away and take your "phony" senators with you.

Outspoken Roman

What about Free Speech?

Isn’t one of the sacred cows to the Left the idea of Free Speech? Doesn’t Rush Limbaugh had the “right” to call anyone he wants to phony? Doesn’t Bill O’Reilly have the “right” to offer an opinion on some restaurant in Harlem? I mean it is ok to call President Bush a liar and it is apparently ok to imply Republicans are racists for not attending a debate on minority issues but opinions can’t be offered on fake soldiers and fine dining in Harlem?

The left uses free speech to defend all manner of ridiculous crap since they claim it is “protected speech” but seem to forget that in the words of the ACLU “How much we value the right of free speech is put to its severest test when the speaker is someone we disagree with most.” And in judging from the Left’s apoplectic fit over O’Reilly and Limbaugh exercising their First Amendment rights, they do not value free speech at all.

So then I see this story about Moveon.Org suing a T-shirt maker because the owner is selling among other things, T-Shirts that state “General Petraeus has done more for this country than MoveOn.org.” or “MoveOn.org, the worst friend a Democrat could have! Move Away from Move On!” Apparently their General “Betray Us” ad in the New York Times ticked too many people off and MoveOn is feeling the backlash which is ever so sweet. Uhh what about free speech you pinheads!!!!

I guess that is one of those selective rights that only apply to the left. I knew that the left was pro-choice but I thought that was only with regard to Abortion, not the Bill of Rights as well. Live and learn I guess.

A Presidential Debate in Spanish?

For all the folks that thought I was picking on gays and lesbians with my post and thoughts on the Democrat debate that focused on gay and lesbian issues, I see that the Democrats held a debate at the University of Miami where the responses were translated into Spanish. I think this is wrong as well and for many of the same reasons but there is actually something a little more insidious with this debate format.

This clearly sends a wrong message to all those potential Hispanic voters out there who either want to hear the response in their supposed native tongue or can’t understand English. As hateful as it sounds, this country runs on English and most of the business that is transacted is in English and instead or prostrating themselves to Hispanic voters, the candidates should be encouraging those same “voters” to learn English and access all that America has to offer.

Do any of the Hispanic voters really think they deserve some sort of special conciliation due to their makeup of the country (15% according to the AFP story). But we see the fight for the newest voting demographic – the Hispanic vote. The debate will translated for the live broadcast on the Univision network and there was an interested quote early on in the AFP story attributed to Maria Elena Salinas, who was a co-moderator of the debate. She states that "The candidates will be speaking to the fastest-growing segment of American society. It's a sign of respect.." Uh no – it is a sign of decay in American Culture and a sign of political pandering and lastly it is a sign of disrespect for a segment of American population who should be getting a different message rather than one of divisiveness and balkanization. What I wouldn’t give for Bill Richardson, one of the Spanish speaking candidates to encourage everyone listening to learn English to improve their lot in life. He is a good example of what they should be hoping to achieve.

Final thought on respect – how many of those potential viewers respect the laws of our country and are here legally vice those that are here illegally? I would love the answer to that question as well.

Outspoken Roman out.

What did she say?

This is too easy. WND is reporting that Lauren Caitlin Upton, Miss Teen South Carolina in the Miss Teen USA Pageant was asked the following question. "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the United States on a world map. Why do you think this is?" So in my mind, a number of different answers come to mind, including a culture that is more obsessed with celebrity gossip and who is sleeping with/divorcing/married to/adopting children with/fighting with who. Why else would we care about Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan and the ever popular Britney Spears? We have a generation of young girls who idolize these human waste products and actually try and emulate them in speech, manner and career path choices usually to the detriment of their personal and professional lives.

So Ms. Upton responded to the question with this answer.

“I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don't have maps, and, uh, I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and, uh, the Iraq everywhere like, such as and I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., er, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children.

I wonder who Lauren Caitlin Upton’s idols are?

Don’t believe me? YouTube has the video right here and below. Like I said, this is too easy.

Florida gets it right

Yahoo News is reporting that Jessica Lunsford's killer has received a death sentence for his kidnap, rape and burying alive of the 9 year old girl. This bastard was a convicted sex offender and should be banished to one of Dante’s 9 circles of Hell for his crimes. What really frosts me is that the 2 of the jurors voted against the death penalty. Yeah let’s keep this piece of human debris alive so he can feed off the system for awhile and watch his free HBO in prison while he recalls what he did to young Jessica and who knows what else. I can only hope and pray that the appeal process is swift (and denied) and justice (yes justice!) is swifter.

This slimeball buried this little girl alive. I applaud Florida and the Jurors involved in this Jury for getting this right and making it a tiny bit safer for all the little kids out there who will never had to deal with this filth again. And yes I am avoiding mentioning his name. He is already dead to me and I hope soon to society as well.

Justice and Elvira Arellano

I already mentioned this story here but it continues to drive a lot of interest in the media. So to start Elvira Arellano was an illegal immigrant who was arrested and deported last week leaving behind an 8 year old son who is an American citizen. Why the heck are people upset that the United States upheld its own laws? Not only was she an illegal immigrant (i.e. a criminal) she was originally ordered to leave the US back in 1997 but still found her way back to the US (where the hell is that Border Fence that we were supposed to have?) and even got convicted of using a phony Social Security card.

So I came across this article from a Socialist Website noting that (in part) that ““All women’s rights are under attack…whether it’s abortion rights, the right to raise children if that’s our choice—with everything they need for a decent life”. This was part of a talk by Kris Hamel of the Detroit Action Network for Reproductive Rights. Apparently this group has a bone to pick with the US because of Elvira’s deportation.

Where is it in the Constitution that all American Citizens are owed “everything they need for a decent life”? If you said “Nowhere” you would be correct. Instead socialists like Workers World jump onto any cause celeb that they feel will either further their cause directly or help unite disparate groups against the ‘establishment’ indirectly. Why is an abortion rights group aligned with socialists? Elvira Arellano was a criminal and she deserved to be deported regardless of whether or not her cause becomes fodder for people who have not clue what the American Government and Constitution are about. What does the struggle of Elvira Arellano have to do with justice unless the implication is she is owed something just because of her location. This country was not established to give everyone an equal outcome but equal opportunity. Elvira Arellano got what she deserved and everyone’s time would be better served working on the real problems this country has rather than the perceived problems various disgruntled groups have. True justice was sending Elvira back where she came from.

Final thought – I always here about the extreme right wing of the Republican party. Will Newsweek or Nightline or Time or 60 Minutes feature any stories on the extreme wing of the Democrat Party? Worker’s World would be a good start.

Ann Coulter’s great column on this is out and should be required reading.

One of the problems with the Left and the Military

This is too broad of a topic to cover completely but there is a point that needs to be made, especially given recent news as reported in the Chicago Tribune and other media outlets. To set the stage, on 15 November 2005, it was alleged that US Marines had killed a number of civilians (at least 15). 8 US Marines were charged in the incident. Never missing a chance to slam our military, John Murtha (Congressman from Pennsylvania) was quoted at a news conference as saying “Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” Yep, that is the Left in America, never waiting to report some bad news that casts this country and its military in a bad light. Never mind the whole “innocent until proven guilty” idea or withholding judgment until all the facts are in, lets get out to the news hounds and get a negative sound bit out in time for the nightly news casts so Murtha (and others like him) can continue to undermine any sort of support for the Iraq War and President Bush.

The only problem is it is being reported that the charges are being dropped against 2 of the US Marines involved. The other Marines are still waiting hearings on their cases. So I checked Murtha’s website and I don’t see any sort of apology from Murtha on this. I suppose since the story came out on 9 August 2007 that I am expecting too much from him. Of course how quickly would Murtha would respond to the guilty verdict of these 2 Marines? Food for thought.The Left will continue to be seen as “anti-military” when they are quick to highlight the negative, especially when the other party is in power. What is sad is I don’t really believe that Democrats want to lose or be perceived that way. Unfortunately they have Leftist leaders who grab headlines and say explosive things and then move on, never considering the real implications of their words. Or maybe (sadly) they are trusting on a society made up of sheep to never hold them accountable.

Dan Proft notes in an online Letter to the Editor on Dailysouthtown.com that “The only thing truly clear from Haditha is that sometimes the casualties of war come home alive.” I encourage these Marines to sue Murtha for defamation of character. If Don Imus can be sued for his asinine comments why not Murtha?

Random News

One of my favorite programs has made a hiring decision that makes me uneasy. Apparently Janeane Garofalo has joined the cast of the show “24”. Drudge has a link to a story here. What happened to the radio show on Air America? I guess it didn’t work out. But interesting that a right-leaning show would take on such a leftist in its cast and I wonder how many lefties would do the same? I am also wondering if Joel Surnow (pal to Rush Limbaugh and reportedly a right winger) will discuss politics and how he personally disagrees with her views but how the show is above right/left. My guess is he will not and keep himself above the fray as he seems like decent folk. I wonder if Janeane will do the same? The Ouspoken Roman guesses not. I wonder where this show is going (it has already been reported that the US President will be a woman) and would hate for it to lose its conservative edge (not a political perspective (i.e. against abortion or for limited government)) but its strong national defense perspective) in favor of some sort of social engineering platform. Next up, the main villain in the next season of 24 will be some extreme right-wingers who make up part of the Aryan nation.

Yahoo News is reporting via an AP story that Michael Vick is going to plead guilty in the dogfighting case. Is there any reason why this guy should ever be welcome on a football field again? I am sick and tired of organizations not judging people within the organization making it seem like it is such an enlightened position. Recall Michael Irvin (another buddy of Rush Limbaugh) plagued with drug problems back in 1996. Even after pleading no contest he still was welcome back on the Dallas Cowboys and then was welcome onto ESPN as an NFL Analyst. Why? They should have never hired this guy. Further, Irvin seems to be a bit of a racist. And this guy is in the hall of fame. Yes I think we should evaluate the total person, not just what they do on a football field. Who cares if isn’t fair.

If Democrats don’t vote for Barack Obama, are they racist? According to Elton John, they are if we apply his American Idol standards.

Hillary’s cleavage is news. During the great Mark Levin’s show a caller said that he had seen better cleavage on a plumber. That is a great quote. Who cares what she is showing? Can’t we do better than recycling politician’s families? All we need is for Jeb Bush to run for President again. Seeing the schedule of Hollywood remakes maybe there is no originality out there. Although see my book review of The Ruins. I am so glad that it will be made into a movie. Please don’t screw it up.

Why the hell is anyone involved with the new OJ book (“If I did it”)? Here is a news flash: Yes you did it and yes you got off on the murder charge. Yes race played a part in the decision and yes you are a despicable human being. Props to Barnes and Noble (a chain I really support) who are not stocking the OJ book (story here). In my opinion any money generated from this book is blood money and OJ should be dispatched to the dustbin of American history. I wonder how OJ’s hunt for the real murderer is going? Maybe we can get him involved in the Natalee Holloway disappearance as well?

This is not surprising.

ABC News is reporting that Rutgers player Kia Vaughn is suing Dom Imus (and others) for defamation of character. First off, given this litigious society this is not unexpected but I can only imagine why only one player is suing. Don’t they realize that is what we do these days when we have been offended? This is a disgrace in my opinion (just as Imus’ rant against them was) and I think this case should be thrown out. The blood money has been paid with Imus being unceremoniously dismissed from his radio show and MSNBC. AP is reporting though that there has been some settlement between CBS and Imus to derail Imus’ threatened lawsuit for $120 Million, story is here so I am sure Imus is not hurting financially, although his image has been tarnished, especially when many of his high-profile friends were not around to defend him in the media onslaught after his remarks.

In light of this, Roland Martin, a commentator on CNN’s website states that some good has come from Don Imus’ firing, namely that Paula Madison was named to a position dedicated to diversity (Executive Vice President of Diversity). Why? Mr. Martin writes that “The importance of making a critical decision to fully embrace diversity really was a smart one by Capus because it showed that the network was listening to those who questioned some of its moves with respect to Imus.” Additionally the Imus firing sparked a national debate on derogatory language that is found in hip hop music. Where is this national debate going to go? Is there going to be a change in hip hop music that specific terms such as the ones Imus’ used be banned and not used? What are the penalties if this “ban” gets broken by 50 Cent or Ludacris? What about free speech? Isn’t speech (especially speech that we disagree with) protected? Imus’ commentary on the Rutgers women has been universally condemned which is not surprising given how quickly he was shown the door after the Imus Apology Tour, appearing on Al Sharpton’s show for example, taking his lumps. I didn’t hear though the free speech absolutists defend Imus (where was the ACLU) and I thought that was odd.

Moreover, this focus on diversity is extremely troubling. The implication being that a person of a specific color can only be related to by someone of the same color. NBC wasn’t diverse enough which was said to be the real problem there. This is nonsense. To say someone of Asian descent cannot find stories or report on stories that I as a white person would care about is actually quite racist. Is that why Katie Couric’s newscast is doing so terrible as she is not appealing to men? Heaven forbid blame falls either on bad programming decisions or an individual? Why would the strength of MSNBC news be increased if there is renewed increase on diversity? Would the World Champion New England Patriots (topical reference) have a stronger team if Bill Belichick were not white but rather some other race? Of course not. Focusing on diversity sounds very good and will placate those that are satisfied with such meaningless positions. It will not in my opinion, improve anything over at MSNBC. Diversity will not solve the next Imus.

Lastly, how will the Kia Vaughn’s lawsuit turn out? Well that settlement Imus got from CBS should be a nice start.

Update: Kia Vaughn's lawsuit was dropped in September. The Associated Press reported that Vaughn was pressured by Rutgers Coach C. Vivian Stringer to drop the suit but this was denied by Vaughn.

Bikers are human too?

In the face of the Democratic debate last night that was specifically held to address gay and lesbian issues (story here) I wanted to rant about something that really riles me. First off, I don’t understand why a certain segment of our society feels the need to have a debate ‘catered’ just to them but if the Dems want to do it, I guess they should have at it. The questions were interesting (“Is homosexuality immoral”, “Is homosexuality a choice or is it biological”, “Are you comfortable around gay and lesbian folks”) but I thought once again, we as a society are continuing to see each other as part of these competing groups that need to have their needs specifically addressed, not as part of the larger community that we live in but as that behavior or activity or gender, etc. that we choose to define ourselves. I am sure gays and lesbians are concerned about the Iraq War, Health Care, National Security, Public Education, our country’s infrastructure, etc. but those seem to get lost in the shuffle when it comes to the issues that make the headlines.

So I really wanted to talk about bikers (people on bicycles – not motorcycles). What really gets me is the arrogance of these silly helmet and spandex folks on their Cannondales that forget that they need to obey the rules of the road. For example, if you are on a bike and you come to a red light, I believe it is the law of Massachusetts that you need to stop at the light, not just go through it, trusting in the grace of the motorists that have the green light that they will stop or avoid hitting the biker right where they deserve it. Every weekend bikers folk to the streets and back roads to ride incredible distances for exercise or to see the country and I wish they would be more respectful of the other folks on the road, namely those of us in large SUVs that are actually obeying the laws. This is not to indict all bikers, just those that think that they are above the law and everyone else should defer to them. In my opinion, in a contest between a Ford Expedition and a Guru Road bike, the helmet will wind up wearing the biker rather than the other way around.

Maybe the bikers should have their own Presidential debate as well to address issues important to their community?

Congrats to Barry Bonds?

As everyone probably knows, Barry Bonds (playing at home in San Francisco) hit his 756th Home Run, breaking Hank Aaron’s record. Story at Yahoo right here.So, should we be celebrating? It is a momentous achievement but we know that this event is also tainted by the specter of Steroid use. Dan Wetzel, writing in his column available on Yahoo states that today’s sports is “…an era of sports where rule-breaking is rampant and honest heroes such as Henry Aaron are in the shortest of supplies.” Is Barry Bonds a hero in the vein of Hank Aaron given the background of both players? Moreover is the accomplishment comparable?

My view is that the sport has changed since Hank Aaron accomplished his feat and although Barry’s record is an “achievement”, it is comparing two different sports. With the rampant use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, the ‘record’ that Bonds now has will forever have an asterisk next to it that indicates there is another dimension to this story (i.e. steroid use) and Bond’s record will never be told standalone, instead will have a rider attached to it with the reference to the performance drug issue. It is not unlike how President Clinton and his presidency will always be told with the Monica addendum to it. The two issues are inseparable and quite frankly should be.Dan Wetzel’s column can be found at Yahoo Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AkEKdf_ry1Z8rnwOSlRJdrIRvLYF?slug=dw-756bonds080707&prov=yhoo&type=lgns