Ordinary Galoot

NO BLOOD FOR BERKELEY
NO BLOOD FOR OAKLAND
NO BLOOD FOR SAN FRANCISCO

Islam: The Jessica Hahn of Religion

Remember Jessica Hahn? She's the chick that posed for Playboy to prove she wasn't a bimbo (probably not nsfw, but I didn't hang around to find out).

Islam. I'm tellin' ya. Everytime somone suggests Islam is riddled with violence, islamists start rioting and killing and threatening to prove, apparently, that Islam is not riddled with violence.

Nut jobs.

Auntie Persnickety's Advice Column

Reduce clutter around the home by making use of multi-purpose items. For instance, magnetic jewelry also makes decorative and useful refrigerator magnets.

The Supreme Court SUCKS.

First the Supreme Court okays the McCain-Feingold Bi-partisan tyrant act of 2002, making me a potential criminal, and then they grant rights to some guys that want to kill me. Sweet.

The question has been raised on various blogs, including the old Kim Du Toit blog and The Smallest Minority . . at what point should US Citizens rise up in arms and overthrow the government? hate to say it, but that point was reached and passed in 2002, for those who love liberty and justice in the spirit of the original constitution. But the moment has passed, aand the support isn't there. One can't, alone, overthrow and start anew. & facts have to be faced - the current crop of US citizenz wants a dictatorship. For pity's sake, look at seat-belt laws. We are so eager to boss around our neighbors for their own good that we're willing to toss them in jail over a fucking seat belt. We no longer have the courage to allow our neighbors their freedom.

Yes, I do think seat belts are good for most people. Yes, I do wear a seat belt. But that's none of your business, just as it's none of my business whether or not you wear one.

For the 14 or so Americans who are still Christians, here's a bible verse for you:

"But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters."

That's from I Peter, chapter 4, verse 15.

That's what Peter, the rock upon whom Christ built his church, had to say about poking your nose into other people's business - & if ensuring your neighbor gets a fine for not wearing a seatbelt isn't nosy - as all in favor of seat belt laws do - , I don't know what it.

Anyway, I'm blue about the state of the red white & blue. There are bunch of US citizens in the 50 states, but I think lately there are more Americans-in-spirit in Poland and the Czech Republic than here.



o well. Change happens, and the US is falling from splendor. I suppose it had to happen sooner or later - that's just the way of the world.

Essay question: In the year 2033, when the US Government has finally toppled under its own weight, which countr(ies) will be the superpower(s), and what effect will this have on the remaining countries?

Cast of Characters:

Alison: minimum 18 years old, possibly more. Slightly arthritic, borderline diabetic, none of which drastically interferes with her daily life. Loves her human, spits at her son. Alison has been in the household since 1995. Occasionally vomits inside, never goes to the bathroom inside except in the litterbox. Likes to carry shoes around the house.

Smokey: 16 years old. Possible thyroid problem indicated by low weight and some hair loss. Does not drastically interfere with his daily life. Loves his human, tolerates his mother, Alison. Smokey has also been in the household since 1995. He and Alison were a package deal. Occasionally vomits inside, never goes to the bathroom inside except in the litterbox.

Straycat: about 7 weeks old. Found last week under a rosebush. Sweet, loving, healthy. Learns quickly - she only had to be hit with the water pistol once to stop climbing screens. Usual kitten tendencies but understands and uses the litterbox.

So you've probably figured it out - Alison and Smokey are established cats, Straycat is the new kid on the block. I have tried to find a home for Straycat - no luck. I tried the no-kill shelter. They're full and not taking any more. I put up signs around the neighborhood and have been checking the local paper. Nada. I think Straycat is as sweet as apple pie, but Smokey and Alison disagree. Smokey hisses and hunts, but stops with a hit from the squirtgun. Alison hunts and attacks, and doesn't stop for nothin', nobody, nohow, no way. She has to be bodily removed. Straycat wants to be friends with whatever creature she sees, is getting more neurotic by the minute, thanks primarily to Alison.

Do not tell me "they'll work it out." I know cats; they'll work it out when Alison has killed Straycat. Smokey and Straycat, yeah maybe. Alison and Straycat? Not gonna happen.

I, too, am getting more neurotic by the minute. I can't spend every second of my day chasing cats. At some point, I need to work, eat, and sleep. Something's gotta give, or more accurately, some one's gotta go.

If I take Alison to the pound, she is too old to be adopted. Straycat's chances aren't much better, only 10%. Realistically, odds are that whoever goes will be put down.

Alison is old and will probably die in a few years anyway, while Straycat has her life ahead of her.

Alison is trained and well-behaved. Straycat is a kitten and will need discipline.

If Alison dies, Smokey's chances of following her to the pound are probably 50/50. If Straycat dies, Smokey's ok.

Alison is the aggressor here. Straycat is blameless.

Alison probably feels that Straycat is an interloper in Alison's territory. I have news for Alison and for all you bunny-huggers out there: it's my territory. Alison (and Smokey and Straycat) are here by my goodwill.

So which cat would you take to the pound?

Shari'a comes to Oakland

Oakland, California surrenders to The Muslim Temperance Union.

Two liquor stores trashed. One set on fire. One owner kidnapped and the Ass. Press doesn't think such kidnapping worthy of any additional details.

"

They just wanted to leave a message"

coos AP writer Justin Norton. Hello? Did they never hear of postcards, letters and sticky notes?

"But the recent attack . . . have injected religion into the debate."

Religion, mind you. Not violence. Not facsism. Not oppression. o no. Religion.

"The elder Bey was accused of raping young women. . .lauded for providing . .. guidance to young black men

."

ho-kay.

So here it is, boys and girls. The tone of the Oakland (cough, cough) leadership, and of the article, is cringing, crawling and craven, and nearly as disgusting as the actions of Oakland's laudable Black Muslim Community. Both the AP writer and the Oakland leaders quoted turn against the liquor stores with nary a word against the actual, genuine dyed-in-the-wool thugs.


Annie, get your gun - or get your burkha. If we don't cut this molly-coddling crap out, those are the only choices the future will hold.

While we ponder between blue steel and black burlap, raise a glass (of lemonade) to great-great Aunt Mariette, a die-hard member of the Women's Temperance Union, who spent her life working to get Prohibition enacted, thus ensuring the rise of the Mafia.




Mariette ended her days refusing to eat any cooked food. She dined on raw corn and raw hamburger.

She was a nutjob, and so are the proprietors of Your Black Muslim Bakery and others of their ilk.

It is not safe to continue pampering thugs. Is this not obvious? Do I really have to say this?

Judging by the words of AP crawler Justin Norton I guess I do. You need to say it to.

Kill 'em with Kindness

I understand and appreciate that liberals constantly strive to understand ‘root causes,’ and that liberals believe ‘there are no enemies, only friends we don’t understand yet.’ In support of those sentiments, and on the off-chance that a liberal will accidentally wander onto this site, permit me to take a few moments of your time, gentle reader, and introduce you to the root causes behind what some perceive as a blaming the victim mentality with respect to Hurricane Katrina.

First, you need to understand the worldview of those you perceive to be evil. Here are some commonly held precepts:

1. Bureaucracies and committees are inefficient and cowardly.
2. Governments are essentially composed of either a strong but usually vile single leader (dictatorship), or a herd of bureaucracies and committees.
3. Money is power. The more money you give to government, the more power it has. The more power it has, the less power you have.
4. A large group can do more damage than a single individual.
5. We are all human, and therefore fallible.
6. We are all human, and therefore capable of rising to great heights, if the need and motivation are present.
   

Put all the above into a pot and let it stew for a while. When it’s done cooking, one inevitably reaches the conclusion that relying on a government is iffy at best. Even if a particular government organization has great processes and 50% super-duper people, the not-so-super-duper will be afraid to act or incapable of acting promptly and efficiently, whilst the super-duper will have conflicting ideas about how to act. Research, analysis, and consensus-building all take time and tact.

On the other hand, each individual knows his own situation and is (or should be) in control of his own actions.

When you see us screaming at the TV "Where is your food? Don’t you know how to purify water with bleach? Why didn’t you leave?" we are not saying "chump. Serves you right." We’re saying "We want you to live! Why didn’t you want you to live?!"

Seeing people in pain and knowing that their pain wouldn’t have been quite so painful if only they too had been a bunch of redneck, survivalist nutjobs hurts.

The lack of preparation is also a reproach1. Among the 90,000 competing thoughts that scramble for attention when watching the devastation, one thought emerges repeatedly:

"I am a moron."

Two days before Katrina, I’m in Wal-Mart looking at the camping equipment. "Oh, a snake bite kit. Maybe I’ll add one to my hurricane kit next year."

1969, 500 people in Louisiana died of snake bite after the hurricane. I have still not purchased a snake bite kit. I am in Florida, with diamond-back rattlesnakes and pygmy rattlesnakes and water moccasins and coral snakes. Maybe this weekend . . .

"That could be me."

I don’t have anything to poop in, for pete’s squeak.

Will my water purification tablets take care of things like pesticide? I don’t know, but one day my life may depend on it.

Will my wind-up weather radio with the cell phone re-charger actually work? I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.

Will connectivity be available? Probably not.

If I could get in touch with anyone, could they reach me to help me? Probably not.

& so I get angry, on a primeval level, at all the evidence Katrina and her victims present to me, reminding me that I am human and fallible. Maybe if they’d done what I’d done, they’d be okay and I wouldn’t have to be reminded of my own mortality.

I’ve seen some comments and posts that imply we should not ‘blame the victim.’ But it is a mistaken kindness, and a false sentiment, that confuses ‘blaming the victim’ with ‘stating the facts.’ It is a fact that some people would still be alive today if they had been better prepared.

It is necessary to state that fact if we don’t want more people to die in future hurricanes. There are three hurricanes in the Eastern Atlantic right now. There are more hurricane seasons to come, one each year, and many more years to come, pray God.

When we holler "Why didn’t they . . .?" we are trying to help future hurricane victims. Maybe the LLLs, with their super-sensitivity, can help us re-phrase it, but do not try to shut us up or close your eyes to the value of the content. If you succeed, the life you fail to save by utilizing the expanded knowledge and increased personal responsibility of hard-hearted, evil right wingnuts may be your own.

Person A’s life trumps Person B’s feelings. There is an ever-widening gulf between the worldviews of an LLL and a conservative/libertarian/whatever I am, but surely we can all agree on that?

Yes?

1 Incidentally, when Christians talk about natural disasters being a warning, reproach, or punishment from God, they are generally meaning it in this sense. Those of us who escaped are to take it as a 'warning ticket' from God, that we need to behave ourselves in the future, look to our souls and also use the good sense that the Good Lord gave us.