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Archive for category Opinion
This just in!
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Opinion on 29/Jul/2010 11:24
(We can always count on the Onion to provide a laugh.)
http://www.theonion.com/articles/arizona-high-schools-to-now-teach-spanish-entirely,17730/
Verdict’s In: Arizona Judge Lacks Good Reason
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Opinion on 29/Jul/2010 11:14
By John Lott
Protesters celebrate in Phoenix on Wednesday, hours after portions of Arizona's new immigration law were blocked by a federal judge. (Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press)
“Arizona’s immigration law supposedly “would impose a ‘distinct, unusual and extraordinary’ burden on legal resident aliens that only the federal government has the authority to impose.†So asserted Federal District Judge Susan Bolton in her injunction of the new Arizona immigration law on Wednesday.
“Given the large number of people who are technically ‘arrested’ but never booked into jail or perhaps even transported to a law enforcement facility, detention time for this category of arrestee will certainly be extended during an immigration status verification,†Ms. Bolton wrote in her decision.
But this reasoning makes little sense. Anyone — no matter what their accent or looks — who is “technically ‘arrested’” by police is required to show some type of ID. The minor exception is when the arrestee happens to be known to the police already. If unable to provide a basic ID, the police officer has no choice but to detain the individual until identification can be made.
This is very basic. Police can’t issue a ticket, even for a minor speeding offense, without being able to properly identify the person.
Despite the picture painted by Bolton, an immigration check for someone “technically ‘arrested’” imposes no more of a burden than the individual already faces. There are no more documents that are required or additional procedures under Arizona’s immigration law. Any regular ID will do: a driver’s license, a non-operating identification license, valid tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification, or “any valid United States federal, state, or local government issued identification.”
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s press release of July 28, 2010, about federal district Judge Susan Bolton’s order staying parts of SB 1070, Arizona’s illegal immigration law:
“I am disappointed by Judge Susan Bolton’s ruling enjoining several provisions of “The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act†— SB 1070; though I am heartened by some
findings – including the ban on sanctuary cities.“This fight is far from over. In fact, it is just the beginning, and at the end of what is certain to be a long legal struggle, Arizona will prevail in its right to protect our citizens. I am deeply grateful for the overwhelming support we have received from across our nation in our efforts to defend against the failures of the federal government.
“I have consulted with my legal counsel about our next steps. We will take a close look at every single element Judge Bolton removed from the law, and we will soon file an expedited appeal at the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
“For anyone willing to see it — the crisis is as clear as is the federal government’s failure to address it.
“The judge herself noted that the stash houses where smugglers hide immigrants from Mexico before bringing them into the country’s interior have become a fixture on the news in Arizona and that, ‘You can barely go a day without a location being found in Phoenix where there are numerous people being harbored.’â€
“When I signed the bill on April 23rd, I said, SB 1070 – represents another tool for our state to use as we work to address a crisis we did not create and the federal government has actively refused to fix. The law protects all of us, every Arizona citizen and everyone here in our state lawfully. And, it does so while ensuring that the constitutional rights of ALL in Arizona are undiminished – holding fast to the diversity that has made Arizona so great.
“I will battle all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary, for the right to protect the citizens of Arizona. Meanwhile, I also know we still have work to do in confronting the fear-mongers, those dealing in hate and lies and economic boycotts that seek to do Arizona harm.
“We have already made some progress in waking up Washington. But the question still remains: will Washington do its job, and put an end to the daily operations of smugglers in our nation, or will the delays and sidesteps continue? I believe that the defenders of the rule of law will ultimately succeed with us in our demand for action.â€
Ayn Rand on Egalitarianism
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Opinion on 28/Jul/2010 21:56
“To understand the meaning and motives of egalitarianism, project it into the field of medicine.
Suppose a doctor is called to help a man with a broken leg and, instead of setting it, proceeds to break the legs of ten other men, explaining that this would make the patient feel better; when all these men become crippled for life, the doctor advocates the passage of a law compelling everyone to walk on crutches—in order to make the cripples feel better and equalize the “unfairness†of nature.
If this is unspeakable, how does it acquire an aura of morality—or even the benefit of a moral doubt—when practiced in regard to man’s mind?”
– Ayn Rand
The “foremost†mission of America’s space exploration agency?
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Opinion on 28/Jul/2010 21:35
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told Al Jazeera that his “foremost†mission as the head of America’s space exploration agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world. No, this is not a story from The Onion.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden: “When I became the NASA administrator — or before I became the NASA administrator — he [Obama] charged me with three things.
One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science … and math and engineering,” Bolden said in the interview.”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/05/nasa-chief-frontier-better-relations-muslims/
Penn Jillette, Not Having the Courage to Confront Islam is Bullsh*t
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Opinion, Threat Watch on 28/Jul/2010 21:21
Illustration by Bosch Fawstin
by David Swindle
It’s always a sad day when someone you admire tremendously, who has entertained and challenged you for years lets you down and reveals themselves to really stand up only for themselves instead of the ideas of freedom they claim to support.
Reason Magazine highlights some deeply discouraging remarks from Penn Jillette, the libertarian co-host of the extraordinarily great Showtime show “Penn and Teller’s Bullsh*tâ€:
Reason Magazine: Are there any groups you won’t go after?
Penn: We haven’t tackled Scientology because Showtime doesn’t want us to. Maybe they have deals with individual Scientologists—I’m not sure. And we haven’t tackled Islam because we have families.
Reason Magazine: Meaning, you won’t attack Islam because you’re afraid it’ll attack back …
Penn: Right, and I think the worst thing you can say about a group in a free society is that you’re afraid to talk about it—I can’t think of anything more horrific.
Y’know there are a whole lot of prominent people — who do have families — who have had the courage to tell the truth about Islam. Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, Mark Steyn, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Geert Wilders… It’s actually a fairly long list with people who would be much more prominent targets than Penn and Teller.
When Jillette says things like he has here it accomplishes one thing: it empowers the enemy. It tells them to keep making threats and to keep killing people because ultimately it works because we in the West are too complacent, comfortable, and selfish to care.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who would be willing to put their lives on the line to hide and protect Jews in Nazi Germany, and those who looked the other way and lived comfortably as the Holocaust happened. The situation is pretty much the same in our age.”
“If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.†-George Orwell
“He who dares not offend cannot be honest.”
-Thomas Paine
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.â€
–Albert Einstein
‘To fear to face an issue is to believe that the worst is true.’
– Ayn Rand
“No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.” Winston Churchill on Islam
Don't get your hopes up. They only play brave people on TV.
Once a Muslim, now an Objectivist, Bosch Fawstin talks about Islam
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Opinion on 28/Jul/2010 21:10
The book is a collection of illustrations, cartoons & essays that serves as a preview for The Infidel, a story about twin brothers whose Muslim background comes to the forefront of their lives on 9/11. One responds by creating a counter-jihad superhero comic book called Pigman, as the other fully submits to Islam. Their separate paths inevitably brings them back together into an escalating conflict that is echoed by Pigman's battle against his arch enemy, SuperJihad.
From Mohammed to Ayn Rand
by David Swindle
“Whether it’s a religion or a political movement, the most effective critics are always those who were once believers. Whether it’s David Horowitz dissecting the American Left, Bart Ehrman challenging fundamentalist Christianity, or Ayaan Hirsi Ali critiquing Islam, those that have been on the inside can cut the deepest.
Not all critics write academic tomes. Ex-Muslim cum Objectivist Bosch Fawstin’s new book will contain several essays explaining his challenging, often controversial views on Islam and the War on Terror. But as a cartoonist, Fawstin is the ideal person to make the definitive anti-Jihad superhero: Pigman.
Bosch Fawstin: The enemy is Islam, the so-called moderate Islam of the West is not really true Islam at all.
BF: They say Islam, we say anything but Islam, leaving the troubling impression that the enemy’s religion is something other than Islam.
There is no “Political Islam” or “Totalitarian Islam” that is distinguishable from Islam itself.
Islam is normatively political and totalitarian. We have evaded the true meaning of Islam in the name of respect for religion. But we cannot avoid the consequences of doing so.
Mohammed was a Muslim and his religion was Islam; he was not an Islamist practicing Islamism. He was a Muslim who practiced Islam and engaged in its violent Jihad, forcing Islam into a world it failed to get into on merit.
And any Muslim who is peace-loving and tolerant is by implication condemning their violent, intolerant “prophet” and the means by which their religion was spread.
How Islam spread tells us exactly what Islam means. When the moral standard for an entire culture is a bad guy who crossed the line as a way of life, it explains why his most devout followers are the most violent among Muslims.
We can try our best to stay clear of Islam, but Muslims have proven that they will never keep Islam to themselves unless they are forced to.
It is a faith that sanctions any evil against those who are not part of it. Our not calling this evil by its name, Islam, is sanctioning it and leaving ourselves at the mercy of those who will stop at nothing to bury all we hold dear.”
http://www.islam-watch.org/ExMuslims/Mohammed-to-Ayn-Rand.htm
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.â€
–Albert Einstein
DISCLOSE Act: Warning from The National Association for Gun Rights
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Law, News, Opinion on 26/Jul/2010 18:00
Harry Reid
Dear gun rights ally,
The fate of free speech is being debated in the U.S. Senate RIGHT NOW.
Harry Reid’s midnight skulduggery has the DISCLOSE Act on the fast track to passage TOMORROW afternoon.
That’s right; Harry Reid and his anti-gun allies in the Senate are scheduled to shred the First Amendment tomorrow at 2:45pm EST.
And unless the American people stand up and say NO, they will succeed.
Please, call your senators and ask them to vote against and publicly oppose the DISCLOSE Act.
As you know, the DISCLOSE Act was written to protect the anti-gun Establishment in Washington, D.C.
If passed into law, it could silence virtually every state and national conservative organization in the country, including the National Association for Gun Rights and any state level gun rights organization you belong to.
The DISCLOSE Act is a direct attack on your First Amendment right to petition Congress and mention legislation or voting records during the election season.
You and I both know that election season is the best time to hold politicians accountable for their anti-gun votes.
The DISCLOSE Act is designed to silence grassroots activists LIKE YOU and protect the Establishment politicians in Washington.
The DISCLOSE Act will affect every political organization you belong to, on any and every issue.
To make matters even worse, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has joined an unholy cabal of liberal special interests like the Sierra Club, the AARP and countless labor unions.
Together they’ve managed to gain exemptions from the onerous restrictions the DISCLOSE Act would lay on the rest of us.
I strongly encourage you to contact the NRA at 800-672-3888 and demand that they stop the backroom deals and come out strongly in opposition to the DISCLOSE ACT.
In fact, Capitol insiders say that a special relationship between Harry Reid and the NRA may be the driving force behind their exemption.
Reid is facing a very tough re-election race in Nevada and is relying on the NRA to paint him as a pro-gun candidate. If he’s held accountable for his anti-gun votes, he will almost certainly lose.
So making a deal with the NRA while simultaneously silencing all of the pro-gun groups who would take him to task is Harry Reid’s perfect political move.
And it seems to be working. The NRA has all but endorsed him (see the June 2010 issue of the NRA magazine, with flattering pictures and flowery praise of Harry Reid) and he’s scheduled a final vote on DISCLOSE for tomorrow.
We are right in the middle of this battle! Reid’s pulled every trick in the book to ram through the DISCLOSE Act.
But there is a chance we can stop this monstrous violation of our Constitutional Rights — if you ACT right now.
Please, call your senators and ask them to vote against and publicly oppose the DISCLOSE Act.
Tell them that any vote to restrict free-speech will be considered a vote against gun owners.
– Dudley Brown
Comic Relief
There are always serious and terrible things happening around the world. Every now and then we need to have a laugh. From the web comic XKCD:
Nate Henn, American working with Uganda’s abducted “child soldiers”, killed in Uganda blast
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Opinion, Threat Watch on 17/Jul/2010 12:32
Nate Henn, 25, was killed in Uganda when simultaneous explosions tore through crowds watching the World Cup final at a rugby club and an Ethiopian restaurant.
“Nate Henn, a Wilmington, De., native who was working with Uganda’s child soldiers, died in the blast in Kampala Monday while watching the soccer match at an outdoor rugby field.
Dozens were killed at the rugby club, where revelers had gathered to watch the final on a large TV screen set up outside. Well over a dozen more people died in a separate blast at an Ethiopian restaurant in Kampala.
Henn, 25, was remembered as a tireless and devoted activist by the California-based aid group Invisible Children, which sponsored his work in Uganda.
“From traveling the United States without pay advocating for the freedom of abducted child soldiers … to raising thousands of dollars to put war-affected Ugandan students in school, Nate lived a life that demanded explanation,†the group said in a statement on its website.
“He sacrificed his comfort to live in the humble service of God and of a better world, and his is a life to be emulated.â€
Six missionaries from the Christ United Methodist Church in Selingsgrove, Pa., were injured in the blast: Lori Ssebulime, Emily and Joanne Kerstetter, Kris Sledge, and Pam and Thomas Kramer.
“Emily was rolling around in a pool of blood screaming,†said Ssebulime, who has helped bring in U.S. church groups since 2004. “Five minutes before it went off, Emily said she was going to cry so hard because she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay the rest of the summer here.â€
Blood and pieces of flesh littered the floor among overturned chairs at the scenes of the blasts, which went off as people watched the game between Spain and the Netherlands.
http://patdollard.com/2010/07/al-qaeda-bombers-kill-64-world-cup-fans-in-uganda/
Let me ask you: which seems more like a Religion of Peace? The one that inspires followers to blow up people watching a soccer game or the one that inspires followers to help kids who have been abducted and forced to become soldiers?
Jobless in Cuba? Communism faces the unthinkable
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Opinion on 16/Jul/2010 17:15
“Here, nearly everyone works for the state and official unemployment is minuscule, but pay is so low that Cubans like to joke that “the state pretends to pay us and we pretend to work.”
In his nationally televised speech in April, Castro … had harsh words for those who do little to deserve their salaries.
“Without people feeling the need to work to make a living, sheltered by state regulations that are excessively paternalistic and irrational, we will never stimulate a love for work,” he said.
… low pay means low productivity. On Obispo street, a state-run cafeteria sells heavily subsidized soft ice cream and pork sandwiches for the equivalent of a few American pennies — meaning wages and tips are so tiny that the staff is completely indifferent toward customers.
The state employs 95 percent of the official work force. Unemployment last year was 1.7 percent and hasn’t risen above 3 percent in eight years — but that ignores thousands of Cubans who aren’t looking for jobs that pay monthly salaries worth only $20 a month on average.”
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/07/16/4692062-jobless-in-cuba-communism-faces-the-unthinkable
More Guns, Less Crime?
John Stossel is the host of “Stossel” which airs each week on the Fox Buisness Channel.
Why does Socialism Fail?
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Opinion on 13/Jul/2010 01:26
Go out and get your own fish. Don't sit around expecting someone to hand it to you.
Socialism as an economic utility does not fail because of the rewards given to the masses for less work, effort, talent or ability.
Socialism fails because it refuses to accept the possibility of failure.
It does not punish the lazy or inept shiftless drones who refuse to act for their own benefit. Instead, it mandates all are equal legally (good) and thus equal monetarily, intellectually (bad).
The entire purpose of government and any economic system is to enable them to live as peaceably and fruitful as possible while being just.
It cannot be just to mandate tribute for the sake of someone else and then use force to defend this statute. A society cannot be considered peaceful if it’s citizens are under the constant threat of force.
Socialism fails not because it gives – it fails because it takes.
It will not matter how many nations submit to a socialized economic model, none of this can stop laziness and lethargy.
You want a brighter, leaner, more capable America? Stop taking from the deserving and giving to the undeserving.
Start demanding that people, like every other fucking organism on the planet, earn their happiness, their food, their livelihood.
– by titaniumten
http://www.reddit.com/r/Libertarian/comments/col21/why_socialism_fails/
Why does Socialism fail? Economics class experiment
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Opinion on 13/Jul/2010 01:20
An economics professor said he had never failed a single student before but had, once, failed an entire class.
That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism.
All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.
After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
But, as the second test rolled around, the students who studied only a little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too; so they studied less than what they had. The second test average was a D!
No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F.
The scores never increased as bickering, blame, name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great; but when government takes all the reward away; no one will try or want to succeed.
– by telephonecompany
http://www.reddit.com/r/Libertarian/comments/col21/why_socialism_fails/
The First Amendment takes a hit to placate Muslims? 4 Arrested in Dearbornistan, Michigan for talking to Muslims about Christianity.
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Law, News, Opinion on 12/Jul/2010 20:20
Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan. "The center is a symbol of the sharp growth and advancement of our Muslim community," - Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini, the spiritual leader of the Center
The four were passing out leaflets about Christianity in Dearborn, which has a large Muslim population. One of the missionaries was engaging in peaceful conversation with several Muslim youths, while the other three were videotaping the dialogue before they were all arrested on June 18.
Since their activities were carried out peacefully, State Representative Tom McMillin believes the missionaries were falsely arrested.
“This is the first step in a series of steps that the city of Dearborn is taking to placate the large Moslem population that they have there, and they don’t mind stepping on the constitutional rights of Christians to do that,” [McMillin said]
All four…plead not guilty today. They are represented by Robert Muise of the Thomas More Law Center, who points to the Constitution.
“If people are offended by the fact that they were preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to Muslims and trying to convert Muslims — well, guess what, we have a First Amendment,” Muise points out. “This is a free society. It’s not a police state.”
Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC): the missionaries’ free-speech rights were violated…no criminal laws were broken.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=1083036
The point of sharing this story is not to disparage Muslims – but to point out that there is a valuable lesson that Muslims in the US could learn. Maybe where you come from it’s OK to intimidate and threaten people into silence, so they are afraid to say anything that might upset or “insult” you. Here in the United States people are allowed to speak freely, even if we disagree with them.
That’s kind of important to us.
If you are here to genuinely become a part of our society, and are willing to respect our values, live by our laws in real peace, real tolerance, then you are welcome here – even if we totally disagree with your theology.
If you are here to dominate and intimidate – and you are teaching your children to do the same – then we have a problem. If you want to teach submission to Allah, that’s fine. If you are going to teach that America is evil and must be thrown down and replaced with a caliphate run according to Sharia law, then we have a problem.
Do not take advantage of our hospitality and openness. Do not mistake generosity for weakness. You came here as guests, do not be rude to your hosts. You think you have a better way? Fine, talk about it. Share your views. But don’t intimidate or bully people who disagree with you.
If you want to have an Arab Festival, share your culture, fine. But you don’t get to bully or stifle people who disagree with you. What am I talking about? This video is an example of the kind of disrespect and rudeness that offends US, the citizens of the United States. You came into OUR home and treated OUR people in a disrespectful, insulting, bullying manner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEPod-hxD7g
Oh, and by the way, this is not me expressing “hate” or “intolerance”, this is me saying, “If you are going to live in a civilized society, you need to behave in a civilized fashion.” If that is too difficult, if it offends your religious views, then please, go somewhere else – maybe to a place where others have those same religious views that clearly are very important to you. It will be a lot less stressful for you and quieter here for us.
Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini, “the spiritual leader” of the Center in Dearborn, said that a major goal of the new mosque will be to reach out to non-Muslims, to educate people about Islam. “There are many misconceptions existing in the minds of non-Muslims in this country about Islam, unfortunately.”
http://www.jafariyanews.com/2k5_news/may/15michigan_islamiccentre.htm
I would suggest there are also many misconceptions existing in the minds of Muslims in this country about Christianity, as well – but you will never break free from those misconceptions if you are unwilling to listen and discuss ideas with people who don’t agree with you.
Oh, yeah, and if Islam really is a religion of Peace and Tolerance – show us. Demonstrate that for us in the way you interact with us. (A good place to start might be for the Muslim leadership in Dearborn to encourage authorities to release these 4 people – or you could really impress us and invite them to share their beliefs at the Islamic Center. Now that would be an impressive display of tolerance.)
Also, the concern expressed here is not because Christians were insulted or treated unfairly – it is concern that the Constitution is being ignored and disrespected.
many British citizens are saying that the police are so worried about Muslim violence they are backing off enforcement of the country's laws.
You know how upset you feel when you think your Prophet (PBUH) has been treated with disrespect? Well, we get kind of bent out of shape when it looks like the Constitutional rights of our citizens get treated with disrespect – even when they are Christians. If it turns out that these 4 people were arrested because they exercised their right to freely express their views and it “upset” someone, then we have a problem.
To be clear: it’s not a Christian thing, it’s a Constitution thing. If you have trouble with that…maybe you’d be more comfortable in a country that is run by Sharia Law. And please, don’t waste our time whining about “religious bigotry”. This is the country that even allowed Scientology and followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Touched by His Noodly Appendage, a parody of The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo
Go ahead and follow your cherished beliefs – but play nice and don’t be rude or violent and show the courtesy of respecting our most deeply held values – one of them is the of freedom of expression without fear or threat of violence.
And one last thing: if you’re going to be staying on here in the United States, please do us all a favor and develop a sense of humor and somehow get a thicker skin. All this righteous indignation is getting tiresome. Every little thing offends you deeply and sparks an angry mob seething with outrage.
If the Lutherans and Baptists were like this we’d have riots every day over pot luck dinners gone wrong and deacons with hurt feelings.
“How dare you baptize by sprinkling!”
BOOM!
“How dare you baptize by dunking!”
Boom BOOM!
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