Shane MacGowan, musical genius



I found this interesting, if only in a weird and heartbreaking sort of way.



I've loved the Pogues for at least 15 years. How could I not, with lyrics like this:



I dreamt we were standing
By the banks of the Thames
Where the cold grey waters ripple
In the misty morning light
Held a match to your cigarette Watched the smoke curl in the mist
Your eyes, blue as the ocean between us

Smiling at me



From Misty Morning, Albert Bridge, off Peace and Love.



I wish you'd take care of yourself, Shane. Your music means something.

Peace.

Just who are the modern Nazis?

I found this online. This one's worth passing around because "Nazi" and "fascist" seem to be labels applied to any non-liberal.

"Letter to the Editor
6/7/95 - Arlington, Washington Times

During the past several months in the American press, the Democrats have frequently denounced the Republicans as Nazis due to their attempts to control runaway federal spending. How very ironic. I remember the Nazis. Let me share a little about them and recall some of their exploits.

First of all, “Nazi” was gutter slang for the verb “to nationalize”. The Bider-Mienhoff gang gave themselves this moniker during their early struggles. The official title of the Nazi Party was “The National Socialist Workers Party of Germany”. Hitler and the Brownshirts advocated the nationalization of education, health care, transportation, national resources, manufacturing, distribution and law enforcement.

Hitler came to power by turning the working class, unemployed, and academic elite against the conservative republic. After der fuhrer’s election ceased being a political conspiracy and was transformed into a fashionable social phenomenon, party membership was especially popular with educators, bureaucrats, and the press. Being a Nazi was politically correct. They called themselves “The Children of the New Age of World Order” and looked down their noses at everyone else. As Hitler accrued more power, he referred to his critics as “The Dark Forces of Anarchy and Hatred”. Anyone who questioned Nazi high-handedness in the German press was branded a “Conservative Reactionary”. Joseph Goebbels, minister of communications, proclaimed a “New World Order”.

The Nazi reign of terror began with false news reports on the Jews, Bohemians and Gypses who were said to be arming themselves to overthrow the “New World Order” and Hitler demanded that all good people register their guns so that they wouldn’t fall into the hands of “terrorists and madmen”. Right wing fanatics of the “Old Order” who protested firearms registration were arrested by the S.S. and put in jail for “fomenting hatred against the Government of the German people”.

Then the Reichstag (government building) was blown up and Hitler ram-rodded an “Emergency Anti-Terrorist Act” through Parliament that gave the Gestapo extraordinary powers. The leader then declared that for the well-being of the German people, all private firearms were to be confiscated by the Gestapo and the Wermotten (federal law enforcement and military). German citizens who refused to surrender their guns when the “jack-boots” (Gestapo) came calling, were murdered in their homes. By the way, the Gestapo were the federal marshals’ service of the Third Reich. The S.W.A.T. team was invented and perfected by the Gestapo to break into the homes of the enemies of the German people.

When the Policia Bewakken, or local police, refused to take away guns from townsfolk, they themselves were disarmed and dragged out into the street and shot to death by the S.A. and the S.S. Those were Nazi versions of the B.A.T.F. When several local ministers spoke out against these atrocities, they were imprisoned and never seen again.

The Gestapo began to confiscate and seize the homes, businesses, bank accounts, and personal belongings of wealthy conservative citizes who had prospered in the old Republic. Pamphleteers who urged revolt against the Nazis were shot on site by national law enforcement and the military. Gypsies and Jews were detained and sent to labor camps. Mountain roads throughout central Europe were closed to prevent the escape of fugitives into the wilderness, and to prevent the movement and concealment of partisan resistance fighters.

Public schools rewrote history and Hitler youth groups taught the children to report their parents to their teachers for anti-Nazi remarks. Such parents disappeared. Pagan animism became the state religion of the Third Reich and Christians were widely condemned as “right wing fanatics”.

Millions of books were burned first and then people. Millions of them burned in huge ovens after they were first gassed to death. Unmarried women were paid large sums of money to have babies out of wedlock and then given medals for it. Evil was declared as being good, and good was condemned as being evil. World Order was coming and the German people were going to be the “peacekeepers”.

Yes, indeed, I remember the Nazis and they weren’t Republicans, or “right wing”, or “patriots” or “militias”. They were Socialist monsters.

Thomas Colton Ruthford"

Peace and love.

Scotland tops list of world's most violent countries

Here's some highlights for those of you with dial-up:

"A UNITED Nations report has labelled Scotland the most violent country in the developed world, with people three times more likely to be assaulted than in America.
England and Wales recorded the second highest number of violent assaults while Northern Ireland recorded the fewest."

Interesting.

"Violent crime has doubled in Scotland over the past 20 years and levels, per head of population, are now comparable with cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg and Tbilisi."

I have no idea how this can be. Legal firearms are almost completely unavailable in Scotland. I wasn't really looking for another reason to be thankful my ancestors left that country, but OK.

Peace

I'm sick of Iowa



Kim du Toit sums it up nicely.



My final threshold was breached the other day whilst listening to NPR. They interviewed a woman who couldn't decide between Ron Paul and Hillary Clinton. She liked what Paul had to say, but if he was unelectable she would go with Hillary because she probably knew the job best, being first lady and all.


She never addressed the fact that Ron Paul and Hillary Clinton have ideals that are mutually exclusive. Evidently she's unaware that Ron Paul is a goofy isolationist, and Clinton is a goofy socialist. An imbecile on one side or the other could like one, but both? This makes even less sense when I note that these people caucusing are the activists. These fools with nothing better to do should be out varmint hunting.

This Iowa business makes all Midwesterners look bad.

Peace and love!

Passing on opinion as fact

Why can't I get paid for waxing fanatical about my personal issues and hang-ups? Take this clown from the NY Daily News:

"So rabid are the believers that more than a few argued yesterday that Cho Sueng-hui's rampage could have been cut short if only Virginia Tech did not bar students from carrying guns on campus. But that's the way Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday lived. That's the way Abe Reles and Legs Diamond lived. That not the way civilized human beings live."

Please define civilized. I'd wager a month's salary that one could expect much more refined manners in the Old West than in your typical, modern college bar. The uber-jock frat boys are typically unarmed, but they do tend to exhibit intoxication, swagger, strength in numbers, intimidation, disrespect and misogyny. Yes, this is all so civilized. Tell you what, Hoss, I'll take my chances with the rednecks.

"The more sensible answer is not to arm ourselves daily against whatever Cho Sueng-huis might come mumbling and muttering along. The answer is to do whatever can be done to keep the Cho Sueng-huis from laying hands on guns more easily than on driver's licenses."

Good point. Nobody can get a bag of weed anywhere because the government really makes it so hard.

"But so potent a political force are the fanatics that they have managed to bend to their will even Rudy Giuliani, who said yesterday, "People have the right to keep and bear arms, and the Constitution says this right will not be infringed." And they have such a firm grip on Washington that Congress won't even bring itself to ban private ownership of military-grade assault weapons, much less regulate side arms."

I get it. I'm a fanatic because I believe in the whole constitution, and you're an intellectual because you believe in only part of the constitution. Gee, your thesis doesn't sound all that coherent when I break it down like that does it?

What are these military-grade assault weapons of which you speak? They are already under control. If you actually did research, rather that flailing at the keyboard like a rhesus monkey on crank, you'd understand that the boomsticks used by the .Mil have features mine does not.

OK, at this point, propaganda like this serves to amuse, rather than anger me. I'm only concerned that lies, repeated often enough, will bee eventually taken as truth.

Happiness!

The policeman is your friend, except when he isn't

To think that some people want to give the cops a monopoly on the possession and use of weapons... Let me not think upon it.

"Minn. man shoots cops after SWAT team kicks down wrong door"

"A Minneapolis police SWAT team kicked in the wrong door yesterday during an early morning raid, prompting the man of the house to grab his gun and open fire on the officers who entered the house."

"Police haven't decided whether they'll try to charge Khang with a crime. KMSP-TV says the Khang family is consulting with a civil attorney."

If he is charged, I want to contribute to his legal defense fund.

This is what the Minneapolis Starr and Tribune had to say.

"On Monday, Dolan met with members of the Hmong community and family elders. His meeting today with homeowner Vang Khang, his wife, Vee Moua, and extended family was considered a positive step in the healing process, Lo said."

This is typical Minnesota. What does Khang's ethnic background have to do anything. He's a householder whose home was violated due to police incompetence. What is it with liberals in my state trying to bring race into anything. Seriously, the only person more hung up on race than a Minnesota liberal shot himself in a bunker with his girlfriend in 1945.

Perhaps I'm being harsh. What is the Star and Tribune supposed to fill space with? They certainly can't address the fact that it is impossible for the police to protect everyone and that they sometimes make really impressive mistakes. That would lead to the conclusion that personal safety and security is ultimately up to individuals.

We know that's crazy talk.

Happiness!

In the wake of the shooting in Omaha...


Many people who don't really like guns may think, "enough is enough" and favor some more restrictions. of course, I disagree with this.


Individuals may commit horrible acts of barbarity from time to time, but these pale in comparison to the acts of governments.


I am very French in the way that I can hold 2 conflicting opinions in my head at once. I can respect the reasoning behind even those views with which I disagree. Still, nothing convinces me that governments should have a monopoly on the use of arms.

The American Gun Culture, which is so universally reviled in liberal circles is a powerful presence. Don't kid yourselves. There are people in this country who force their worldview down our throats by force. There is ANSWER, the KKK and all manner of groups in between. They are all afraid of the Citizen and his/her gun.

Laura's back!

I've got no problem with a difference of opinion, but I expect adults to speak from a place of logic.

"The gun carnage in America may soon overtake the maelstrom in Iraq. Every day, pop, pop, pop, and another victim is condemned to the nightmarish plague of handguns gone wild"

How can the gun-haters even take her seriously? She's like a parody of a gun control advocate.

"These days they are all pandering to the People of the Gun. "It's a beautiful day in paradise," chortled Fred Thompson recently as he paraded his law-and-order ministry through the aisles at the Land of the Sky Gun Show in South Carolina."

She must not be aware that she's inspired the website http://peopleofthegun.com/. OK, on with more of her hysterical nuttiness:

"You might recall that last year his house was raided by police, who reportedly found six guns and 500 rounds of ammunition -- with two young children present."

I get it already, Laura. You hate guns. But would you be ranting and raving like a loony on the back of a city bus if this guy had left his swimming pool uncovered with the kids around? Would we have to ban pools then? Please Ma'am, come up with a workable solution.

"A gun in the home is 22 times more likely to be used in an unintentional shooting than to injure or kill in self-defense, according to a 1998 study published in the Journal of Trauma, a medical journal."

That study has been discredited long ago. I'm almost expecting you to tell your readers that the Glock pistol is made of plastic and can be smuggled through a metal detector (another myth from like, 1978).

"I'm more worried about children getting hold of guns in the home than encounters with lead paint on Thomas the Tank Engine toys. Let's get real and get our priorities straight."

Explain to me why gun laws have never effectively reduced crime for any state, province or country. You may point out that pistol-free England has fewer murders per year than the U.S., but I'll remind you that England has had much more gun crime since they banned handguns. Never has the violent crime rate in the U.K. dipped below the pre-gun ban level. The Brits banned guns in order to feel safe, and their country has been less safe than ever.

What will Laura write about next?

Remembering the Clintons

My father made the following comment about Bill Clinton, "He took the china on his way out of the White House. That's all you need to know."

There's some wisdom there. Of course, I know there are more than a few Republicans whose behavior has been reprehensible, so the liberal trolls can just keep their mouths shut. I know this and I'm ashamed. However, the fact that Larry Craig is a pervert and GWB is corrupt does not change the fact that Bill and Hill are abject crooks.

I found this via cargosquid:

"As one who shares Mr. Clinton's ethnic background, and whose family was not afforded the opportunity for higher education until this generation, it is irritating beyond words to see commentators repeatedly refer to his actions as "redneck" or typical of "white trash" behavior. Rednecks might hang a velvet picture of Elvis on their living room wall, but precious few would tolerate any sort of conduct that might demean the greatness of their country, much less take part in it. "

For this, cargosquid's page deserves a link.

Peace and love.

Why can't I get paid to write emotionally charged misinformation?


In the immortal words of my friend Hal, "some people need to keep their mouths shut."


That goes especially for this clown.


"The Supreme Court will decide next year whether the District of Columbia can restrict handguns in a city with a big murder rate problem. Don't be surprised if the court doesn't go along with gun zealots and declare the ban unconstitutional."


I'm a zealot because I believe in the Constitution, and you're a liberal intellectual because you believe in only certain parts off the Constitution. OK, I understand now.



"The National Rifle Association is euphoric that the court has decided to hear the case. The NRA and its fellow travelers want to make sure that there are guns, guns, and more guns on America's streets, in D.C. and elsewhere."



And D.C. is ever-so-safe with their gun ban. Please. If everything was hunky-dory in the District, its gentle citizens wouldn't want guns. The people are scared, because gun laws don't work anywhere.



"Allow me a personal note. One of my mother's brothers literally shot the leg off an older brother in a hunting accident in North Dakota, where shooting pheasants is a time-honored tradition. He thought the safety catch was on and never got over causing the amputation of a sibling's leg.


So I was raised to fear weapons. It wasn't until my service in the Army that I learned to respect, rather than fear, weapons."


Allow me a personal note. One of my friends was killed in a car accident my junior year. It would have been impractical for me to eschew motorized vehicles, so I put the blame on operator error and poor decision-making. Why don't you ban swimming pools? Drowning takes more lives per year than gunfire. Your argument is ridiculous.

Peace!

Yeah, what he said.

This from Dennis Prager is making a world tour of the blogoshere.

"There is another obvious argument against the belief that the world hates America: Many millions of people would rather live in America than in any other country. How does the left explain this? Why would people want to come to a country they loathe? Why don't people want to live in Sweden or France as much as they wish to live in America? Those are rich and free countries, too.

The answer is that most people know there is no country in the world more accepting of strangers as is America. After three generations, people who have emigrated to Germany or France or Sweden do not feel -- and are not regarded as -- fully German, French or Swedish. Yet, anyone of any color from any country is regarded as American the moment he or she identifies as one. The country that the left routinely calls "xenophobic" and "racist" is in fact the least racist and xenophobic country in the world.

Given that it is the left and the institutions it dominates -- universities, media (other than talk radio in America) and unions -- that hate America, two questions remain: Why does the left hate America, and does the American left, too, hate America?The answer to the first question is that America and especially the most hated parts of America -- conservatives, religious conservatives in particular -- are the greatest obstacles to leftist dominance. "

Please click the link above and read the whole thing. I'm not a exactly a Dennis Prager fanboy, but he drove the spike home on this one.

Peace.