The Literature Corner: A Day Off

Dear Readers: As I noted when I began the Literature Corner awhile back, I couldn't promise a piece every week. I'm taking Saturday off to give everyone a bit more time with the two new Jose Guerena pieces.

Thanks, and with any luck, I'll see you back here next Saturday for another piece!

The Guerena Shooting, Analysis 5.2

NOTE: This update concludes the analysis of the interview of Sgt. Krygier. I also include a summary analysis of updates 5 and 5.2, provide a working theory of the case, and add some final thoughts.

THE INTERVIEW CONTINUES:

KC: At his point in the transcript, the Detectives focus on what is obviously their developing narrative:

Farmer: “Okay. So let’s move back to the, to the briefing that you got real quick.
Krygier: “All Right.”

Farmer: “Um, you said that, you said that, uh, you were, you were briefed that the, the bad buy had involvements with home invasions, uh, narcotic and, and human smuggling, and those types of activities.”
Krygier: “Not necessarily human smuggling.”

Farmer: “Okay.”
Krygier: “But, uh, specifically a home invasion, uh, specifically a double homicide and specifically that he was, he would, uh.”

Tzystuck: “He’s with the cartel.”
Krygier: “Yeah, yeah.”

Farmer: “Drug, drug rips and stuff like that.”
Tzystuck: “Okay.”

Farmer: “And his involvement in the cartel.”
Krygier: “Uh-huh (yes).”

Farmer: “Is, are firearms and, and body armor and those types of things, things that you know through your, your training and experience to be involved in, in, you know, uh…”
Krygier: “The drug trade.”

Farmer: “…yes.”
Krygier: “Yes.”

Farmer: “Okay.”
Krygier: “Yes.”

[MC: This section of the transcript reads like the first read through of the script of a play by a particularly inexperienced high school cast. The Detectives obviously want to paint Jose as a dangerous cartel gunman and killer, but go over the top, suggesting that Jose was involved in human smuggling, an accusation that appears nowhere else in this case. Perhaps they were making things up; perhaps they were merely confused. Krygier does not entirely discount the human smuggling suggestion, likely because he doesn’t know what they know and doesn’t want to accidently step on their narrative, but he manages to repeat the idea that Jose was somehow involved with a double homicide. If so, have the police checked his firearms for ballistic matches with the weapons presumably used to kill the victims? There is no known indication of this, nor does Krygier say anything about the disposition of the weapons in the Guerena home.

NOTE: Remember that the search warrant affidavit said nothing about evidence of a double homicide, nor did it list such potential evidence or suggest that it could be found in Jose’s home. Therefore, the warrant authorized no search for any such evidence, which the police obviously did not expect to find there. Of course, there is no probable cause in the warrant at all; it was a fishing expedition from the beginning, a fishing expedition I remain amazed any judge would authorize.

The detectives get Krygier to say that Jose is involved in “the cartel,” but there is no discussion of which cartel, and Krygier is only repeating what he was told two days earlier. He obviously has no direct personal knowledge of Jose Guerena or anyone he knew.

Detective Farmer tries to get Krygier to say that body armor and guns and “those types of things” are the tools of cartel gunmen, but Krygier has to finish his question for him, which begins a round of agreement that reads like a parody.]

KT: As Krygier continues, he is prompted by the Detectives to describe what he was thinking and feeling as the "gunfight" began. Krygier says "the guy" said something, but confuses the issue by immediately saying that "the guys," then "the team," said something. His explanation is basically that with bullets flying, he took cover and really didn't see much of anything. He implies that the gunfight that wasn't a gunfight took from five to six seconds, but does not say it explicitly. He adds: ""I could tell that the majority of the rounds, most of the rounds now were ours."

Krygier said when the team retreated back to the armored vehicle, he checked to make sure none were injured and "I asked, did he shoot, um, someone said, I'm not sure. And a couple said, yeah, he shot at us. I mean I couldn't say specifically who, who made those statements, but I was told both things."

[MC: Again note the lack of precision. As a supervisor, he is supposed to be able to control events, yet he can't even recall who said something as important as whether they were fired upon. Of course, they were not. Krygier says that he knew the police were firing most rounds--a remarkable statement. How could he—how could anyone—make such a statement? Is Sgt. Krygier intimately familiar with the sound signature of each of his men's weapons? Why don't the Detectives clarify such an obviously odd assertion?]

KT: The Detectives ask:

Tzystuck: "Were you already in position? Were you already where you were gonna be standing during the breaching?"
Krygier: "Um, I may, I was, the door had already been breached. So basically what I was doing was I was through the threshold, as they took another step forward, I was gonna get right into the line of…"

Tzystuck: "Okay."
Krygier: "…what would be the line of fire, because I was gonna go ahead and make entry."

They spend a page getting Krygier to explain that he and his team were uniformed and that many police vehicles were around, asking ""And it's safe to say that if anybody looked out a window they would have seen some kind of vehicle that, that was marked as a Sheriff's Department. They would know that the police are out front, out in front of their house."

[MC: Krygier's answers are very much in line with the police video. There was no stack, no apparent organization. The SWAT team had no idea how or when they were going to enter, and Krygier was not prepared for their entry. He apparently intended to follow whoever went through the door in whatever order. Notice that he does not say that Officer Three would follow Officer Two who would follow Officer One, yet he was the co-planner of the assault.

Indeed the officers were uniformed and police vehicles were present, but as the Detectives observed, this would have been visible only if someone looked out not "a window" as they asserted, but out the front window, which—from available photographs—was the only window offering a view of the front yard. Remember that the Guerenas knew only that they were under attack by armed men. After being awakened, Jose sent Vanessa and their son into hiding—which despite the worst efforts of the police saved their lives—and had no time to take up even an effective defensive position let alone run to the front of his home and look out the window. It would not be unreasonable to believe that if he did, the police would have fired on him through the window.

The most important point to understand regarding the use of lights and siren, even the seven seconds of sort of yelling and knocking the police did before breaking in the front door is that during those scant seconds, Vanessa and her son were hiding in a closed closet in the back of the house, completely unable to hear or see anything going on in the front yard. Jose, awakened out of a sound sleep, wearing only boxer shorts because he had time only to hide his family as best he could and take up a weapon, was also in no position to see or hear anything the police said or did. And even if he understood Police were assaulting his home, he would not have had time to safely answer the door. Most likely, the door would have been smashed in as he was scant feet from it, and there is no guarantee that this particularly inept SWAT team would not have emptied their magazines out of the shock of finding him standing right in front of them.]

KT: The Detective's final exchange with Krygier is particularly interesting—and tragic:

Tzystuck: "I don't know if you've already said this, were you scared? Did you think you were gonna get shot? What was your thought process?"
Krygier: "Yeah, I, I was scared. Um, you know, there were, there, there was so many round being fired. Um, and again, I think I was mostly scared because I couldn't see what was happening and I was literally inches away from the gunfight. Um, I was behind some cover, uh, you know, some stucco, but if you look at the house, you see these bullets are flying right through everything. Um, yea, I was very scared actually. Uh, and uh, I just, then I was, then I was making sure all the guys were okay and wanted to get them out of there and behind cover, so we could see what was going on."

Tzystuck: "And because you made entry into the house, to secure it, to make sure there was no parties injured and you happened to see the deceased suspect."
Krygier: "Uh-huh (yes)."

Tzystuck: "Were there multiple spent rounds next to him or on the floor, in the area, did you kn--, happen to notice that?"
Krygier: "Yeah, there, there were all kinds of rounds. Um, there were rounds from the front door to him."

Tzystuck: "Okay."
Krygier: "Um, there were actually there was rounds, handgun rounds that appeared that had gone through something and didn't quite make it where they were going, but yes there were. There were holes in the wall, um, holes next to him, holes in the refrigerator, holes in the wall behind where he was. Uh, a lot of holes."

At this point, the Detectives stopped the interview.

[MC: A lot of expended brass and holes indeed. As I mentioned earlier, the Detectives stopped the interview for a very obvious reason: A recitation of Guerena's obscenely ventilated home is the last thing to which the police want to call attention.]

ANALYSIS:

Professional police officers will recognize this not as the statement of a professional police officer doing his best to ensure that all of the facts are on the record, but that of a man covering his posterior and that of his boss. It’s that plain.

This interview was clearly done for reasons having nothing to do with professional practice. Normally, interviews are done to collect every fact, to tie up all loose ends, to establish precise, unbreakable time frames and to solidify evidence. They are exhaustive and detectives ask precise, detailed questions, questions they have prepared ahead of time. This interview does none of this. During the interview, which takes 12 pages and ran only 29 minutes, the Detectives asked only about 30 questions, most of which were general in nature. Few referred to any specific aspect of the case; most were simple encouragement of Krygier—not actual or complete questions at all--an attempt to keep his rambling presentation on what is obviously their preferred narrative, some elements of which were already obvious to the police just a few hours after the assault.

This is particularly evident in the almost complete omission of a time frame. Time is a vital element in every investigation. Every second must be accounted for. Failing to do this can allow suspects to establish false alibis, can make it possible for the defense to have evidence thrown out, can make the police look incompetent, even cruel and indifferent, and can cause a host of other, damaging problems. Yet, apart from what appear to be a few inadvertent and incidental mentions of time by Sgt. Krygier, such as taking 20 minutes to search an attic, there is virtually no establishment of a time frame at all, this despite the fact that this is the interview of the on the scene supervisor who was a planner and supervisor of all aspects of the assault and its aftermath. Again, are we dealing with stunning incompetence, or are the police willing to appear to be incompetent because the alternative is much worse?

When one considers that these Detectives are investigating not only a police shooting, but a SWAT shooting involving five officers from four agencies and at least 71 rounds, many of which ventilated the surrounding neighborhood, the complete lack of interest in establishing a second by second time frame for events is particularly amazing. In all of my years as a detective, I would have had no doubt that my supervisors, reading a transcript like this, would have justifiably read me the riot act. Not only that, I would have had good reason to fear for my job.

On the other hand, the lack of a second by second time frame is to be expected. No doubt the Police realize that such a professionally reconstructed model of events would not be in the least favorable to them and would potentially open them to criminal prosecution to say nothing of civil suits.

How then can these Detectives get away with conducting a comically brief interview that is so bereft of the essential details any competent investigator would not fail to at least try to collect in such a case? The answer is as disturbing as is it obvious.

A THEORY OF THE CASE:

There is now sufficient information in the public domain—and I have not yet written about all information to which I have access—to propose a conditional theory of this case. Because I do not have access to every bit of information available to the police, it is entirely possible that I am making errors in matters small or large, and if that is so, I am more than willing to be persuaded by convincing evidence to the contrary and to make any necessary corrections. That said, here is what appears to have happened.

For whatever reason Jose Guerena's extended family, mostly by marriage, became known to the police. Over several years, they had several contacts with members of that family and their friends and acquaintances, including the most incidental contacts with Jose, such as the occasion when he happened to be a passenger in a truck carrying some plastic wrap, though no arrests were made on that occasion.

Again, for reasons currently unknown, the police took an interest in these people and spent more than a year trying to build a drug case. They conducted what appears to be spotty surveillance, certainly not the kind of surveillance that would be expected if a significant drug operation—a "mid-level drug ring"--was under investigation. There were no known controlled buys, no attempts to get inside the supposedly mid-level drug ring, no apparent development of the kind of intelligence that would support the legitimate expenditure of substantial manpower and money and which would yield sufficiently solid information about kinds and amounts of drugs, shipment and delivery schedules, accounting procedures, money trails, or webs of related criminals in all directions. In short, there appears to be no evidence of the kinds of basic, essential police procedures necessary to conduct a competent drug investigation, which would reasonably result in a significant seizure of drugs, criminals and related evidence.

Why then did the police decide to raid and search no less then four homes and every vehicle they could find? The search warrant affidavit is most revealing in what is absent: the actual probable cause necessary to conduct any search at all. The police even admitted that during the entire run of their investigation they had not seen any of their suspects in possession of drugs or even smoking so much as a single joint—in a drug case! Yet a judge issued a warrant giving the police carte blanche to search not only homes, but virtually every vehicle even remotely linked to the suspects despite no showing whatever of probable cause that any specific evidence of crime could be found there or anywhere.

The "evidence" the police did provide on the affidavit consisted almost entirely of supposition and innuendo. It described perfectly legal activity that might, in some circumstances, be what people engaged in the drug trade might do. It suggested that because some of those involved had several vehicles registered to them, they were obviously high-rolling drug criminals with no visible means of support. Yet the combined value of virtually every vehicle cited by the Police is less than the new cost of one of the kinds of vehicles drug criminals often drive. Amazingly the police could quote Blue Book prices for some vehicles, yet not for others despite being able to cite the makes, models and years. The quality of their evidence is essentially limited to what anyone driving past the suspect's homes could see by chance, except that in some cases, the Police are not that thorough.

Why would any judge issue a warrant with such an incredibly lame affidavit, an affidavit that clearly does not meet the minimum Constitutional standards for a lawful warrant? Perhaps he simply didn't read the affidavit closely. Perhaps he simply trusted the police too much. But he did issue a warrant for a virtually unlimited fishing expedition.

By this point, the detectives involved in the investigation were in a very bad position. They had already doubled down on a bad bet by pursuing what was obviously a dry hole for so long. At the time they applied for the search warrant, they did not have sufficient evidence to arrest anyone for the violation of any law; their affidavit makes that entirely clear. They had no informants. They had not a soul inside the "mid-level drug ring," none of the hallmarks of a competent drug investigation. The affidavit also makes clear that Jose Guerena was nothing special and was far from the primary target of the investigation. A hardened, cartel killing machine in death, Jose Guerena was not depicted as such in the affidavit submitted just a few days before his death.

If we are to believe that the detectives involved really thought that Jose was involved in a double homicide, was involved in armed robberies of drug criminals, was a member of a drug cartel and all that went along with such activity, and that they briefed the SWAT team in this way, everything they did before and after that briefing makes even less sense. Raiding the home of a stone cold drug gang killer would give any police officer pause and cause them to arrange every possible tactical advantage. In fact, the smartest thing to do would be to catch such a person on unfamiliar turf, to isolate and overwhelm them where they were separated from their most effective weapons, cover and support, yet this was not done. The next best option—though less than competent—would be to try to catch them unaware in their home. In this case, the only rational thing to do would be a no-knock warrant and the use of flash-bangs, yet this too was not done. Instead, the police obviously—as revealed by their own video—treated this as just another routine warrant service, and not a pressing or potentially dangerous warrant service at that.

Why would detectives hype this situation? Perhaps it was because they wanted to make it appear to their superiors and to the SWAT team that their case was deserving of such an enormous outlay of manpower and money. If the truth of their efforts and evidence was known, I can't imagine a competent SWAT commander who would not have had major questions prior to committing his people. However, when Detectives bearing an apparently valid warrant and tales of a vast criminal conspiracy arrive, what are their fellow SWAT officers to think? Whatever they thought, their actions on May 5 certainly did not indicate that they considered Jose Guerena to be a major threat. They didn't even bother to watch his home in the hours immediately before their raid. In fact, Sgt, Krygier made clear the fact that he took detectives along on the actual raid so that they would not make, at the last possible moment, the mistake of raiding the wrong house.

I'll not go into the specifics of the raid—the first four updates cover that in detail—but pick up the theory after the officers have retreated in a cloud of impenetrable smoke produced by their panicked bullet barrage, their weapons either empty or malfunctioning, dragging their shield man who has, for whatever reason, managed to fall down, leaving the team exposed to fire, fire that never actually existed.

The officers, in shock, began to slowly regain their senses. Some of the more tactically competent possibly reloaded their weapons. Certainly all began to ask each other what happened. Quickly it dawned on them: not a single operator could say with honest certainty that anyone actually fired on them. Some no doubt told others "well, I shot because you shot," and "I shot because I saw everybody else shooting," or "I shot because I saw Hector [the shield man] fall down and I thought he got shot." Some probably asked: "who fired the first shot?" A feeling of dread likely began to settle over them. Did they just empty their weapons into someone's house for no reason?

They had likely never before been caught in a classic "fatal funnel." They had certainly never before been involved in a firefight—which actually wasn't—where 71--or more—rounds were fired in a span of seconds. They had likely never been caught, their weapons empty or inoperative, their shield man—their protection—on the ground, stunned and standing in a thick cloud of their own gunsmoke, unable to see anything, with no idea what would happen next. This was almost certainly a situation for which they had never trained, and they had no idea what to do, except eventually to retreat, to abandon the assault and to take cover from non-existant danger.

Once they had abandoned their assault, once they had surrendered the initiative, it was a foregone conclusion that they would not reenter the home in anything resembling a timely manner. They knew that Jose's wife and at least one child were still inside, and focused on getting them out, a process that would have taken at least 20-30 minutes. They were even very hesitant to do that, eventually removing both only when they separately came to the front door on their own initiative.

So intimidated were they that Sgt. Krygier admitted that they intended to "rescue" the child from a back bedroom of the home, but if they did not immediately find him, despite being fully into the home with multiple operators, they would immediately turn tail and retreat, scurrying back through the entire depth of the home, surrendering all of the ground they secured only moments earlier! Despite the presence of the SWAT commander--Lt. Stuckey--they were not thinking tactically and clearly and were completely in a defensive, intimidated posture. Remember that they had the advantage of two robots—and the time to use them—to ensure that the home presented little or no danger, and could have used the robots to help ensure their safety when they reentered.

It's difficult to say that anyone actually planned to kill Jose Guerena by denying him medical aid, yet that is exactly what occurred. Finally, after visits by two separate robots which repeatedly poked and prodded Guerena's unmoving body, after a doctor declared him dead by long distance, after about an hour and a quarter, they very, very slowly cleared the home. That's when things really went to hell.

On entering, some must have surely noticed that they shot up the front of the house around the door. They must have realized that there would be no way to cover this up and that explaining it would be embarrassing, to say the least. The more gun savvy among them would have quickly realized that Guerena's gun was on safe, and moments later, that it almost certainly had not been fired. It would be difficult to adequately explain the intense sinking feeling of those officers when that realization swept over them. At that point, they would have feverishly focused on tearing the home apart to find some, any evidence of a crime, anything that would justify what they just did. They found none, and the "we screwed up factor" must have increased exponentially.

They surely must have realized that the sheer volume of fire, and its tragic-comic dispersion, could not possibly be explained or justified in any way. Imagine their thoughts when they found the Guerena home shredded from floor to ceiling and from wall to wall by errant rounds—their errant rounds.

At that point, Jose Guerena became one of most vicious criminals any police officer had ever faced, while simultaneously being so incompetent at weapon handling that he could not release the safety of an AR-15 despite being a Marine veteran of two recent combat tours. He had parts of police uniforms! He had all kinds of guns! He didn't answer our knocks within seven seconds! But the uniforms were nothing but a widely available baseball cap with a Border Patrol logo and a ballistic vest of some kind, probably his issued vest, which the Police were absolutely not going to particularly describe.

At this point, the SWAT team became above reproach, one of the finest in the nation, simply the best. Jose Guerena brought the entire thing on himself, and is a suspect in a double homicide. And the spin continues, as do thousands of potential hours of delicate future investigations.

WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED:

Based on the information in the public domain, the detectives pursuing these people should have been forced by their supervisors to either put up or shut up after no more than six months, likely less. They should have been required to produce real, positive evidence and results, or dropped their investigation. If the Police had any evidence that these people really were involved in a significant criminal enterprise, there can be no doubt that Sheriff Dupnik would be shouting if from the rooftops. Perhaps some members of the Guerena extended clan had some criminal involvement, perhaps even drug involvement, but there is certainly no evidence that they were involved in even a low-level drug ring—whatever that might be in the Tucson area. With real supervision, the case would have been quickly dropped, and Jose Guerena would be alive today, going to work every night in a copper mine, supporting his young family, and sleeping peacefully through the day.

Even if the case had progressed to the next step, any judge reading the affidavit submitted should have refused to authorize a warrant. He would have been more than justified in doing just that. If the judge had done his job, if he had upheld the Constitution, Jose Guerena would be alive today.

Even if the case continued to progress, the SWAT commanders should have reviewed the affidavit and refused to be involved. I know that this is extraordinarily unlikely. In the real world, police officers have to be able to trust each other. They have to believe that a Detective's judgment, accompanied by what appears to be a valid warrant, can be relied upon. If the commanders of this SWAT team have a brain between them, they will never again so freely trust those particular detectives, and perhaps no others. They will instead establish new review procedures for the involvement of their team. But if they had exercised that kind of caution, Jose Guerena would be alive today.

The SWAT commanders, rather than seeing every situation as a nail and the full commission of their team as a hammer, should have dedicated sufficient time to learning Jose's routine, so that a few officers could have safely approached him at his mailbox, when he stopped for coffee at his favorite 7-11 on the way to or from work, or in any similarly tactically advantageous way. They could have quickly and safely secured him and anyone at his home and taken their time searching his home. They could have even used the telephone to call him and have him come to the front door! If they had exercised that kind of rational thinking, Jose Guerena would be alive today.

If they truly believed Jose Guerena to be the danger in life that they have discovered in death, and they had absolutely no choice but to assault him in his home (this is of course, farcical; they had a multitude of far less dangerous choices), employing proper tactics, including proper surveillance, running a competent stack where every operator is assigned a specific zone of responsibility, and assaulting with speed, surprise, professional skill and restraint and overwhelming force, it is far more likely that Jose Guerena would be alive today.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Professional SWAT teams, after every mission, conduct an exhaustive after-action procedure, which commonly includes a full individual debriefing of each operator, and a group debriefing of the entire team. Every member of the team submits complete reports of their actions. These debriefings are supposed to be completely open and honest so that any mistakes or improper procedures can be identified and corrected. It would be interesting indeed to know whether this particular team actually does this, or if they did it in this case. Oh, to be a fly on the wall of that particular briefing room.

I have little doubt that some members of the extended Guerena family are less than angelic. The decidedly low-level arrest records of several of them would seem evidence of that. It is possible that Jose Guerena was involved in some illegal activity, or knew of illegal activity involving his relatives, though there is certainly scant evidence to support such a contention. There is no evidence to support the necessity of his death in a hail of panicky police gunfire.

This case is far from over, and future updates will be soon forthcoming. One would hope that the police officers involved, despite their official position, would recognize their errors and make the necessary changes in training, policy and thinking to prevent such a predictable future debacle. One would also hope that they realize that the only tactically capable person—as demonstrated by his actions rather than rhetoric--present at the Guerena residence that day was Jose Guerena. They are alive because he chose not to take his rifle off safe. They are alive because he was not the vicious criminal they claim him to be. If he were, their bodies would have been stacked like cordwood.

If they're smart, they'll give thanks that Jose Guerena was a Marine, a far more capable and experienced man than they. And if they're really smart, they'll ask for forgiveness from a far higher power than Clarence Dupnik.

Gunwalker Analysis: Where Walsh was Wrong

Via Instapundit comes a NY Post op-ed by Micheal Walsh that excoriates the Obama Adminstration's murderous gun-walking plot, but I think he draws an incorrect conclusion.

...calling "Fast and Furious" a cockamamie operation gone wrong just isn't going to cut it anymore.

There are two possible explanations. The first is that the anti-gun Obama administration deliberately wanted American guns planted in Mexico in order to demonize American firearms dealers and gun owners. The operation was manufacturing "evidence" for the president's false claim that we're to blame for the appalling levels of Mexican drug-war violence.

If this is true, then Holder & Co. have got to go -- and the trail needs to be followed no matter where it leads. For the federal government to seek to frame its own citizens is unconscionable.

A second notion is that the CIA was behind the whole thing, which accounts for all the desperate wagon-circling. Under this theory, the Agency feared the los Zetas drug cartel was becoming too powerful and might even mount a coup against the Mexican government. So some 2,000 weapons costing more than $1.25 million were deliberately channeled to the rival Sinaloa cartel, which operates along the American border, to keep the Zetas in check.

Of course, there's a third explanation -- that both scenarios are true, and that those in charge of Fast and Furious saw an opportunity to shoot two birds with one Romanian-made AK Draco pistol.

After months of following and writing about developments int his case, the only scenario that makes sense is the first one, that the Obama Administration provided weapons to the Sinaloa cartel in order to frame American gun owners and American gun dealers and support the President's oft-repeated "90-percent lie." Obama has been trying to undermine the Second Amendment since his days as a director of the Joyce Foundation doling out grants to anti-gun groups and subverting Second Amendment scholarship by gaming law reviews. It is utterly consistent with his radical views and training.

The second option and third options, that the Sinaloas were armed to counteract the Zetas, simply doesn't make sense.

If up-gunning the Sinaloa cartel to counteract the Zetas was the goal, the State Department would not have been arming the Zetas with military weapons, nor would there have been any reason to arm domestic criminal gangs in Indiana.

It would have been far cheaper and more effective to arm the Sinaloa cartel with untraceable automatic weapons from the black market.

No, the goal of the various Gunwalker plots is very clear. Elected officeholders and political appointees in the Obama Administration tried to frame American citizens in order to create the political opportunity to subvert the Bill of Rights. It will be up to a special prosecutor to determine the correct charges for such an heinous act, and determine if the actions of this corrupt government constitute an act worthy of a RICO prosecution, a prosecution for international terrorism as U.S. code seems to suggest, hundreds of counts of accessory to murder, arms export violations, or perhaps even treason.

No wonder the Obama Administration is fighting this investigation like their lives depend on it.

It very well may.

Quick Takes, September 29, 2011

ITEM: Ah, The Ironic Humor Of It All! Go here to Legal Insurrection for a link review of the follies and berserkery of the last year in the People's Republic of Wisconsin.

ITEM: Oh Yeah, He's All About Job Creation: Go here for one of the most bizarre articles I've seen in a long time. It's tempting to think it an Onion satire. CEO Peter Schiff explains how he was fined and punished by the Federal Government for the vile crime of hiring too many employees. I'm not kidding. We're living in a Twilight Zone rerun, aren't we? C'mon, you can tell me! I'm pretty sure I saw Rod Serling…

ITEM: Well, I Thought It Was Kind Of Cute…for about the first 15 seconds. Then I agreed that this is indeed the worst car commercial of all time. Talk about a car only an Italian could love…sheesh. These folks own Chrysler, by the way. Admit it: It's a uniquely ugly car. Discuss.

ITEM: Gibson Update: If you're in the Nashville area, there is a rally and concert to support Gibson coming up on October 8. Gibson, as you'll recall, is the iconic guitar maker recently raided by the Feds who were apparently enforcing the laws of the nation of India. Let's hope they don't start enforcing the laws of Obama's home planet. Lord only knows what they'd be seizing then. Go here for information.

ITEM: The Newest Obama Stimulus Couldn't Be A Cynical Lie, Could It? Go here to see what Keith Hennessey thinks. Bet you can't guess what I think. Discuss. Extra credit for the most creative swearing (not in print, please, this is an "ears only" event).

ITEM: So That's Why They Do It! That's right! Women are promiscuous to prevent inbreeding! I've always been a bit surprised at the bad rap promiscuous men have received. After all, they have to be promiscuous with somebody, presumably, female somebodies. Oh well. Stop by the Mail Online to see naked feet, and to read the story,

ITEM: By 2014, All American Kids Will, By Federal Law, Be Above Average! That's the mandate of No Child Left Behind, the bizarre genetic anomaly resulting from the union of George W. Bush and Teddy "the Submariner" Kennedy. But now comes Mr. Obama offering relief from NCLB in exchange for—wait for it—overweening government control of every facet of education by Executive Branch mandate! Who could have believed such a thing possible! After all, Mr. Obama is a class warrior for the middle class. He just said so he himself, so it must be true. Then again, if my grandmother had wheels, she could be a wagon. Go here for the story.

ITEM: Oh Dear. Imagine an American President standing before the United Nations and telling them just what they are—a passel of cowardly liars. The nearest we've come in recent years was George W. Bush telling those unworthies that they needed to step up or become irrelevant. Go here to read the speech of a real statesman. A shame he can't be our president.

ITEM: Too Big To Fail? Guess which enormously wealthy and powerful organization is in big trouble these days? The United Auto Workers, part owners of General Motors and Chrysler. Can you imagine the federal government bailing out a union? Oh, that's what it did when it nationalized GM and Chrysler? Well, yeah, but let's not pick nits. I mean if the union itself goes bankrupt, can you imagine the Obama Administration using taxpayer dollars to rescue it? Yeah, so can I. Go here for the story.

ITEM: So, It's All About Fairness? According to Charles Krauthammer, that's what motivates Mr. Obama's economic policies, such as they are. Rest assured that Mr. Obama's idea of fairness is not your idea of fairness. An interesting article indeed.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, I Can Pay Dead People Division. Yes gentle readers, our very own federal family—er, I mean the daddy part of the federal family, of course—is paying at least $120 million per year to federal retirees. Well, that doesn't sound so bad, you say. Only $120 million? In Obama terms, that's chicken feed! Normally, I'd agree with you, except the money is being paid to dead people. I'm shocked, shocked! Who could imagine the federal government being so incompetent?! Oh. You could? OK then. Anyway, go here, but take your blood pressure meds so you don't end up receiving federal payments after your demise. On the other hand, the dead always vote Democrat, so why shouldn't they get a bit of the boodle like all of the other pals of Mr. Obama and his merry thugs and thugettes?

ITEM: What?! Our Federal Officials and Scientists Lying? Never! Never! Well, OK. Pretty much always, then. Visit the Examiner for a great article about a federal judge taking such sanctimonious bureaucrats to task for lying and general poopy-facedness. You gotta love it. Maybe there still is some justice in the world after all.

ITEM: In A Rational World: Glug, Glug… Oh my. The Iranians are announcing their plans to send their naval vessels into American waters. Considering their plans to produce electromagnetic pulse weapons launched from ships—they have no missile platforms capable of otherwise reaching America—any rational president might ensure that these smarmy, uniformed jihadists sleep with the fishes. Of course, Mr. Obama will instead reach out the hand of understanding and smart diplomacy. Arrrr. Where are pirates when you really need them? Go here for the story, but take your blood pressure meds first.

ITEM: Oh Goodie! Department: Guess which country now has short range cruise missles? That's right, our good friends and perpetual negotiating partners, Iran! And of course, they're issuing the usual threats, lunatic claims, rancid rhetoric…sigh. Go here for the story.

ITEM: Australians Go Gonzo! Australia announced that it will soon allow women to serve in all front-line combat forces, including special forces. Interesting indeed. Any woman that can meet SAS standards will be OK by me. Discuss.

ITEM: Coming To An Airport Near You: Shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles, courtesy of our friends the Russians via Libya. That's right gentle readers, some 20,00 missiles are apparently missing from Libyan warehouses, warehouses guarded by our "rebel" allies who now seem to be, well, you know, kind of…jihadists. Ooops. More smart diplomacy. Go here for the article, and reconsider those travel plans.

BACKGROUND: Under Bill Clinton, the human intelligence capabilities of the CIA were all but destroyed. It has never recovered, leaving us at a severe disadvantage around the world. Another accomplishment of your friends, the Democrats, making the world safe for anyone that hates America and Americans.

ITEM: Your Gangster Government At Work, #2897: When Barack Obama nationalized 2/3 of the car industry, I immediately rid myself of my Dodge truck and car and have been the happy, satisfied owner of a Ford Fiesta and Escape since. I wondered how long it would take for the thugs in the White House, lead by the Thug-in-Chief, to stop by Ford headquarters and say "Nice little car company youse got dere. Be a shame was anyting to happen to it." I don't have to wonder any longer. Neither do you.

I seldom waste any emotional energy on politicians and functionaries that should be in jail, but this one really, really annoys me.

ITEM: What Should You Avoid In Men/Women? The Frisky (I just love the name of that blog!) has a concise article—with pictures!

ITEM: What's Your Gripe? He Promised To Create Jobs! Uh, but these 230,000 jobs are at the EPA, will cost 21 billion or so, and will be used to essentially shut down the economy and return us all to an 1800's standard of living. No, I'm not kidding. Put the dog outside and secure breakable objects before reading this one. Bonus: Notice the look on the face of the EPA administrator in the photo that accompanies the link. Notice the kindness and concern for the common man exuding from the page? Me neither.

ITEM: Oh, This Is Good! The Telegraph tells us about Germany's response to Mr. Obama's ideas for dealing with the EU's debt problems.

"I don't understand how anyone in the European Commission can have such a stupid idea. The result would be to endanger the AAA sovereign debt ratings of other member states. It makes no sense," the German Finance Minister said.

Yet another triumph for Obamanomics and Smart Diplomacy.

ITEM: But He's The Most Brilliant Human Who Has Ever Lived! And so is everyone who works for him. OK, so they can't tell Colorado from Wyoming, but those are both sparsely populated backwaters in flyover country where the natives are all inbred and vote for Republicans, so what do they care?

ITEM: OK, So Mr. Obama Is A Marxist Weenie, but what, exactly, is wrong with his latest "jobs" bill? Richard Epstein explains in eloquent detail here. I mean, of course, what's wrong other than creating no jobs, bankrupting us even more and faster, being a steaming basket of particularly smelly lies, that sort of thing.

ITEM: So Establishing New Jobs At About $20 Million Each Isn't A Good Thing? Good grief. The Department Of Energy under Dr. Steven Chu, the man who wants Americans to pay $10 a gallon or more for gas, recently approved a billion in federal loan guarantees for two green projects, which will create a whopping 52-55 permanent jobs! Well, at least they won't be absolutely federal jobs, just mostly federal jobs. That's about the best we can expect these days. Investor's Business Daily has the dirge.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award: Lying, Cheating Federal Bureaucrats Division. According to the good folks at Hot Air, the EPA, in pushing its lunatic greenhouse gas endangerment finding, ignored science and its own procedures. I'm shocked, shocked! It also seems that even the EPA has admitted that the regulations, which would essentially destroy the economy, will have no effect on the climate. I'm doubly shocked, shocked!

ITEM: He's Kidding, Right? Because if he's not, Barack Obama is far, far more delusional than I imagined. About what am I speaking? In a recent interview, Mr. Obama, the most over-exposed President in the history of the Republic, thinks that his problem is not his policies, but that he has not read his teleprompter at us nearly enough. Go here for the lunacy, but have an air sickness bag close at hand.

ITEM: Why Doesn't Anything Like This Happen Where I Live? Yes, it's the "Undie Run!" In, of all places, Salt Lake City. Apparently some locals ran in their underwear to encourage their Mormon state to, as one participant put it "loosen up." Well, OK. I guess that's as good a reason as any. Go here for the video.

And with those lovely images (some of these people look pretty good almost naked!), I must wish you a sad goodbye and once again urge you to drop by next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes!

Raleigh Television Station Doctors Perdue Quote Via Selective Editing

From our imagined betters at WRAL-TV:

"I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover," Perdue said.

"The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines," she continued. "You want people who don't worry about the next election."

Perdue's support of tyranny was edited by WRAL to make it more palatable.

Here is the full quote:

"You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines. It's a little bit more contentious now but it's not impossible to try to do what's right in this state. You want people who don't worry about the next election."

I bolded the very important sentence that WRAL edited out that shows just how serious our state's governor is in her call to usurp the power of the people to hold elected officials accountable.

Why, it's almost like the media is protecting her...

Ignoring the Scandal of the century

If circumstantial evidence, political speeches, and talking points from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and President Bush all suggested that the solitary goal of a gunwalking conspiracy was to put American weapons in the hands of criminals in hopes they would commit violent crimes in order to undermine the Constitution and Bill of Rights … the Washington Post columnists would call for impeachment and criminal prosecution each day.

But the outrage of the media is very selective indeed, as I explore in my latest Gunwalker post at Pajamas Media.

New Audio: Perdue Was Dead Serious About Cancelling Elections

Listen to the audio yourself.

"You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines. It's a little bit more contentious now but it's not impossible to try to do what's right in this state. You want people who don't worry about the next election."

The bolded text is mine. The treasonous sentiment is owned entirely by a governor that should be rode out of Raleigh on a high-speed rail.

Trial Balloons for Tyranny?

North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue's dead-serious suggestion suspend elections wasn't an isolated incident.

Only days ago, former Obama OMB director, Citigroup executive, and current Council on Foreign Relations fellow Peter Orszag published an article in The New Republic entitled "Too Much of a Good Thing: Why we need less democracy."

It is stunning to hear any politician so openly discuss the throttling of democracy and the open suspension of our Constitutional rights. To hear two politicians beholden to the same political party and president make the same suggestion, within days of one another, is no accident.

Gunwalker And The Law

The nice folks over at Gun Values Board have asked me to contribute now and then. My latest article for them regarding why Gunwalker cannot possibly be a legitimate law enforcement operation and why any legitimate law enforcement officer would know that, is now up

The Guerena Case, Analysis 5

Since the last update (#4) posted on June 19 there have been relatively few sensational developments. Those seeking the first four articles should visit our Guerena archive by taking this link, or simply by visiting the archive in the right hand column of the Confederate Yankee home page. In addition, a PDF of the police interview of Sgt. Krygier, the Pima County SWAT team supervisor involved in the Guerena assault is available here.

It has been my goal in this series to provide far more in-depth analysis than has been done elsewhere on the Net or in the traditional media. This is the first of a two part update which will hopefully provide greater insight into Jose Guerena's death.

WHAT'S NEW:

An Arizona Star article of August 5th noted that three (now four+) months after Jose Guerena's May 5th death, there have been no arrests related to the "mid-level drug ring" to which Sheriff Dupnik and his public relations officers claimed Guerena belonged after his death at the hands of Dupnik's SWAT team. No drugs, illegal items, or anything remotely related to crime was found in Guerena's home, however, according to Pima County authorities, "stolen cars, drugs, cash and weapons were found in another one of the four houses raided that May 5 morning…"

Sheriff Dupnik told the AZ Star that no arrests have been made because they are working on a "much bigger" homicide investigation. Dupnik said: "We could go out and make some arrests today, and we could've made some arrests some time ago, but we have two different investigations going on and the homicide is a priority, and we don't want to turn off the flow of certain information."

Regular readers will recall that Dupnik is referring to the March 2010 murders of Manuel and Cynthia Orozco. Cynthia was the daughter of Jose Celaya who owned one of the homes searched by Pima Co. on May 5. Sheriff Dupnik has suggested that Jose was, in some vague way, involved in the deaths of Manuel and Cynthia and has claimed that he was the enforcer for the drug ring involving several of his relatives. Dupnik is apparently still claiming that some of the people whose homes were searched are in some unspecified way still tied to the killings. Dupnik told the AZ Star: "This is extremely complicated and we need to be extremely careful about how we deal with certain issues. The drug case is very complicated because there are so many people involved."

The AZ Star noted: "For now, Dupnik said, detectives will continue working on the homicide case. It could take thousands more hours' work before any arrests are made, he said."

ANALYSIS:

It is unusual for there to be no arrests of any kind in a drug case brought to a conclusion by the service of search warrants, particularly warrants of multiple properties. However, virtually everything about the behavior of the police that caused Jose Guerena's death was unusual, to say the least. Consider:

(1) Despite keeping members of Jose's family under surveillance for many months, the police admitted in their affidavit for a search warrant that they had never seen any of them in possession of drugs, nor had they so much as seen anyone they suspected of involvement in a "mid-level drug ring" smoking a joint. The strongest "evidence" listed in the affidavit relating to Jose was, nine months earlier, he was a passenger in a truck that was carrying a cardboard box containing plastic wrap. They noted that people involved in drugs sometimes use plastic wrap. This is no evidence at all; it's not even probable cause. People involved in the drug trade sometimes use cardboard boxes too. The police had suspicions but no probable cause and no actual evidence. None.

(2) Despite being full of factual errors and contradictions, despite listing no actual probable cause to believe that a given person had committed a specific crime and that specific evidence of such crimes could be found at a specific place as required by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, a judge issued a warrant authorizing a massive fishing expedition.

(3) From what is currently known, it appears that the police found potential evidence of crime, which included a small, unspecified amount of marijuana, at only one of the four homes they searched on May 5. These are surprisingly unproductive results for multiple raids on those involved in a criminal enterprise of the size and scope that Sheriff Dupnik continues to claim.

(4) Police statements indicate that their surveillance of their suspects was an on-again, off-again affair, and was anything but comprehensive. In fact, Sheriff Dupnik said that they did not watch Jose Guerena's home at all in the hours prior to serving the search warrant and killing him because they were afraid it would tip off those they were trying to catch. This is, to put it kindly, utter nonsense. Failing to watch a home about to be searched for drugs before making the search is the worst kind of incompetence. For the sake of safety alone, it is mandatory that officers know exactly what is going on at such homes. Is anyone home? If so, who? How many? Where are they? What are they doing? Is there any indication that they suspect something? Is the case blown? Are they destroying evidence? We're not speaking of highly advanced SWAT techniques here, but of Basic Police Procedure 101. One need not be Sherlock Holmes to accomplish such a simple yet mandatory task.

(5) Search warrants are virtually never served in drug cases until the officers involved are ready to end the investigation, for once searches are done, anyone not immediately scooped up will make themselves scarce and bury any evidence of their relationship with those that have been arrested. Any evidence not seized by the police will immediately disappear. In drug cases, search warrants will not be contemplated until there is hard evidence of criminal involvement and the probability of seizing substantial quantities of drugs and related evidence. This will normally consist of controlled buys from dealers, information from informants who have actual access to the homes and vehicles of those involved in the drug trade, access that will produce information such as the kinds and amounts of drugs involved, the suspect's methods of packaging and distributing them, storage places and methods of transporting the drugs, what kind of weapons the police will face and complete backgrounds on everyone involved, delivery routes and schedules, and a variety of other vital information. None of this was done in the Guerena case. The search warrant affidavit contained no such information. As a result, the police found little or nothing for approximately a year of effort involving countless man-hours of police labor.

(6) The affidavit did not focus on Jose, nor did it suggest that he was in any way violent or dangerous. The police did not indicate that they feared they would be facing violent resistance, and they did not ask for a no-knock warrant which would be standard operating procedure if they feared potential violence or the probability that drug suspects would be trying to destroy evidence. In fact, Sheriff Dupnik indicated that they knew that Jose would probably be there and that his wife and perhaps some of their children would be present too. Almost certainly the police knew that Jose worked in a copper mine, they knew his shift and work schedule, and knew that he would probably be in bed when they conducted the search. If they didn't know these things, this would be yet another indicator of gross incompetence.

I suggested in Update 4 that it was possible that Sheriff Dupnik would claim that Jose Guerena was the killer in the Orozco case, despite the fact that there appears to be no known evidence of his involvement in this, or any other crime despite the best efforts of Dupnik's agency to pin something on him. It was only after his death under a hail of 71 police bullets that the police began to paint Jose as a highly dangerous drug ring enforcer and a murder suspect. Bizarrely, Sheriff Dupnik simultaneously painted Jose as a man who provoked his own death, claiming that the only reason Jose did not fire on the clueless SWAT operators that raided his home was because he was unable to manipulate the safety of his AR-15. Suggesting that a Marine veteran of two combat tours would be unable to manipulate the safety of an AR-15 reveals an extraordinary lack of intellect on the part of Sheriff Dupnik, and potentially an extraordinary amount of arrogance and disdain for the intelligence of the public.

What is most likely is that the police have no real evidence of any crimes. If they did, in fact, find a ledger of sorts with names and amounts near them, this could conceivably be suggestive of drug involvement, yet according to their own statements, they found none of the other kinds of materials, equipment or substances associated with the drug trade, and found only a small—unspecified--amount of marijuana. Such ledgers are used for a very wide variety of legitimate pursuits. They claim to have found a stolen vehicle—one vehicle, not “vehicles” as Sheriff Dupnik has claimed--yet no one has been charged and no information on the vehicle has apparently been released. Has it been returned to its owner? Did they actually find a stolen vehicle? They claim to have found more than 30 cell phones, but there is no information on them. How many were new and functional? Were some old, inactive phones? Were some prepackaged "burner" phones? Without such information, it's impossible to say that the fact that they were found—if they were found—is an indicator of criminal activity. They claim to have found $100,000 in cash, which might seem damning, but many people keep large amounts of cash on hand for a wide variety of perfectly legitimate reasons.

I do not ask these questions merely to throw suspicion on the police, but because they have had to backtrack on a wide variety of claims in this case and because they have made confusing and contradictory claims. They initially claimed that Jose fired on them first, provoking their panicky fusillade, but had to admit he never took his rifle off safe. They claimed that he had parts of police uniforms, but eventually had to admit that those parts of police uniforms were nothing more than one, possibly two pieces of unspecified body armor and a hat with a Border Patrol logo. All of these items are perfectly legal and widely available. They made a great deal of finding three or four firearms in Jose's home, but there is no evidence that any of them were illegally possessed or ever used in any crime. In addition tens of millions of Americans own far more firearms. They claimed that evidence indicates that Jose had to have been pointing his rifle at the SWAT team, yet it is impossible to know this from bullet or shrapnel damage to the rifle, particularly considering the volume of fire directed at Jose and its wildly inaccurate character (slashing Jose and his home from ceiling to floor).

Please remember that search warrants are simply not done in drug cases unless the police are sure they're going to interdict a substantial quantity of drugs, produce substantial related evidence and catch a substantial quantity of criminals, yet this case has yielded virtually nothing except the brutal death of an innocent man. Surely this is very embarrassing to the police—assuming they are capable of embarrassment. Sheriff Dupnik would obviously appear to be immune.

What would comprise a mid-level drug ring in Tucson, AZ? More than a handful of relatives and a small amount of marijuana would have to be involved in such a criminal enterprise, wouldn't it? Actual evidence of drug trafficking would not be hard to find, would it? The criminals involved would have lengthy records, particularly records relating to the drug trade, wouldn’t they? There would be substantial evidence of contact with other known drug criminals, yet none of that is the case here.

Enough is currently known to draw reasonable conclusions and to suggest a theory of this case, but I'll return to that theory at the end of this article. I turn now to another, very interesting and disturbing facet of this case: Officer statements.

THE SWAT SUPERVISOR SPEAKS:

On May 5 at about 1244, Sgt. Bob Krygier was interviewed by Detectives Farmer and Tzystuck of the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Krygier was the SWAT team supervisor of the Guerena assault. This interview was conducted less than four hours after the assault on Jose Guerena's home.

In Update 4 I included Sheriff Dupnik's comments about the SWAT team:

“But as far as the other criticisms, let me tell you that Pima County has a nationally-recognized SWAT team. As a matter of fact, one of our commanders goes all over the country instructing other organizations on SWAT techniques and protocol. We have one that's known internationally, Dr. Richard Carmona, who goes all over the world talking about SWAT. In my judgment, we have a premiere SWAT organization, and at this point I don't see any need to -- This was an unfortunate situation that was provoked by the person himself.”

The videotape of the assault, and Sgt. Krygier's 12 page interview transcript do not support the sheriff's assertions of professional competence and national preeminence. In fact, it stops rather abruptly, and for a rather obvious reason.

The transcript is as remarkable for what Sgt. Krygier says as for what he does not say. Despite being the supervisor on scene, no more than 25 feet from the door of the Guerena home, he claims to know virtually nothing about what happened. His statement provides even more evidence that the SWAT team had no idea what they were doing that morning. Their level of confusion and misunderstanding is truly remarkable. At one point, they claim to have mistaken Vanessa Guerena's call for help to be a neighbor telling them that someone in a nearby house was shot, leading them to break into several nearby homes before they realized that it was Vanessa trying to tell them that Jose had been shot—by them—and that he needed help.

I'll provide the substance and quotations from the transcript prefaced by KT (Krygier Transcript) interspersed with my comments enclosed in brackets, beginning with the initials MC (My Comments).

KT: Sgt. Krygier explains that he was the supervisor of the assault, but that he put Officer Jake Shumate of the Marana Police in functional command, saying "I kind of guided him through it so it was more of a mentoring thing…" Apparently Krygier and Shumate wrote the plan for the assault.

Krygier explains that he was briefed for the assault by detectives on Tuesday, two days before the assault. He said he and others "did a scout of [Guerena's] the house" on Tuesday. Krygier said he was told—presumably by a Detective Hess—that Guerena (he referred to Jose only as "the bad guy" or "the suspect" throughout the transcript) was directly involved with drug cartels and running drugs, and was "...associated with a homicide where a husband wife got killed and the daughter called, uh, for help."

Krygier said Jose was also "associated with three other properties that we were also serving warrants on today, uh, as well as, if not actively taking part in hiring out to do rip crews, uh, to steal other people's marijuana and perform home invasions, so that was kind of the tactical background on it."

Krygier also said that officers driving by the Guerena home were followed and that a vehicle registration inquiry was somehow done on the truck of one of the officers. Krygier characterized this as "…bad guys who are, know what they're doing and obviously, uh, you know, alert of what was going on around 'em."

[MC: It is difficult to know if Krygier was actually given that information on Tuesday, two days before the assault, or was filled in after the shooting of Jose and before his interview. If his statement can be taken at face value, how can the police explain the complete lack of such information in the search warrant affidavit? The affidavit, as I mentioned earlier, contains nothing more damning about Jose than the assertion that he was a passenger in a vehicle carrying plastic wrap some nine months earlier. No one in, or associated with, that vehicle was doing anything illegal.

If Sgt. Krygier is to be believed, the police believed Jose was associated with drug cartels, was conducting home invasions, robbing other drug criminals at gunpoint, involved in a double murder, and was a shooter for hire, yet the police mention none of this in the affidavit, do not request a no-knock warrant and do not bother to drive by the home the morning of the assault to see what is happening there to ensure their relative safety.

Even the most casual viewing of the 54 second police video of the assault on the Guerena home would not lead one to believe that the SWAT team expected to encounter such a highly dangerous criminal.]

KT: Sgt. Krygier reviewed the tactical plan with Lt. Stuckey, the commander for "the mission" as he terms it, at app. 0730 May 5. Lt. Stuckey approved the plan and Krygier briefed the team at about 0800. He takes pains to say that he took along detectives to ensure they had the right house, "…where the main bad guy is." He said: "And, and and we had even briefed that in our plan, that if something were going to happen, it was probably going to happen at Red Water" [Guerena's home].

[MC: Krygier says nothing about intelligence relating to the residents of the Guerena residence. Sheriff Dupnik claims reasonably specific knowledge about the residents, their habits and who was home that morning, but Sgt. Krygier says nothing at all about it.]

KT: Krygier was driving an armored vehicle, apparently the vehicle from which the videotape was taken. He parked behind Guerena's SUV, blocking it in. He said that most of the entry team had been standing on the "skids" of the armored vehicle so they could rapidly approach the door, and also suggested that others were getting out of the vehicle as he turned on overhead lights, and another officer turned on the siren while officers were approaching the door. Krygier says that as he got out of the armored vehicle, he had to tell an officer to turn off the siren: "As I got out of the, uh, the bear cat, uh, Almaraz, I think left the siren going to long, 'cause we don't wanna keep it going, because obviously then we can't hear. So I breached, I said, hey, turn that off, so he turned it off."

[MC: On one hand, the officers are standing on what are apparently running boards of the armored vehicle so they can rush the door, yet they don't have a no-knock warrant, so any rush to the door will, of necessity, be a "hurry up and wait" maneuver. They also used overhead lights and siren, but didn't want to leave the siren on long—it was activated only about 9 seconds with a brief interruption, perhaps when Krygier was telling the officer to shut it off—and apparently didn't realize that people inside a home, particularly if sleeping with all of the blinds shut, couldn't see the overhead lights operating in bright daylight—the lights were operating in front of the garage, not near a window--and couldn't hear the siren either. Remember that the video camera also recorded music playing in the armored vehicle. Sgt. Krygier does not—this is not surprising—mention this.]

KT: Krygier approaches the door where officers are knocking and identifying themselves in English and Spanish. Within seconds of his approach to the front door, Off. Shumate gives the command to break in the door. He said: "Um, no one had, no one had, uh, submitted to our authority, no one came to the front door, nobody opened it, there, there was no reply from inside." Krygier does not know who broke in the door, and he hung back, apparently around the front of the garage. He said that about 2-3 seconds after the door was broken in he began hearing gunfire.

[MC: The videotape indicates that from the first knocking on the door until the door is broken open, only seven seconds elapse. Particularly in a home where the residents may be sleeping, and where there could be a language issue—as illustrated by the Police use of English and Spanish—this is surely insufficient time for anyone to respond to the door.]

KT: Krygier heard someone say "grab Hector." Krygier identifies "Hector" as the officer handling the shield and says that he fell down, but does not explain how or why that happened. He says: "So, uh, and there was a lot of gunfire going on. I, I couldn't estimate the numbers, but know-, knowing how many people were there, probably 80, 100 rounds were fired. I can't say how many the bad guy fired, um, at us." Krygier says: "So we immediately retreated back to armor once we, uh, made sure everyone was okay. I came on the radio and advised, uh, that shots had been fired. We got back to the, the bear cat kind of tried to, tried to calm things down. Obviously, there was a lot of, uh, tension going on at that point. The adrenaline was pumping." Krygier notes that he had never actually seen inside the residence to this point.

[MC: The videotape, and earlier statements, including those of Krygier, indicate that the officers emptied their magazines—Hector’s handgun was reported to have malfunctioned after firing an unknown number of rounds--which brought all shooting to an abrupt stop. There was a two second pause, and an unidentified officer fired a final shot. The reason for that disconnected round remains unknown. They did not immediately return to cover, but stood there, stuck in the doorway of the home, apparently having no idea what to do. At some point after the video ended, they eventually abandoned the assault entirely and retreated to cover—if Sgt. Krygier can be believed, they had emptied their weapons in panic—but while the video was rolling, no attempt to reload, regroup, assault, or do anything but stand still in dumbfounded shock is visible.]

KT: Krygier notes that at this point, Lt. Stuckey arrived and he was informed that "…they saw a male figure down in the hallways, they, you know, into the house with a gun and he was shooting at us. Um, they obviously said they fired, they said they don't know what happened, because there was a lot of smoke and they couldn't really see through it after the, the shooting, but the shooting had stopped, so that's when we retreated."

[MC: As I noted in my initial post on this case which analyzed the video, from the first to the last shot, only ten seconds elapse. I can see three officers shooting from outside the home through the doorway and believe another was just inside the doorway shooting as well. The police have identified five shooters. Remember that the Guerena home was completely dark inside and had dark gray walls, all of which would be expected for people who sleep during the day. However, coming out of bright sunlight, the officer's vision would surely have been compromised. It's unlikely they saw more of Guerena than a dim silhouette, if they saw that much.

Modern gunpowder is known as "smokeless powder," but this is not entirely accurate. Gunfire does produce smoke from unburned powder. With the volume of fire blasted into the home in a very small area, and considering the dark interior, it's not at all hard to believe that they officers found their bolts and slides locking back, their weapons empty, in the midst of a thick cloud of smoke that completely obscured what little vision they had, though this is not visible on the video. Again, the officers do not immediately retreat. They stand essentially motionless for at least four seconds—an eternity in a fire fight--the amount of time the camera continues to record after the final shot is fired.

NOTE: At no time during the transcript does Sgt. Krygier say why the officers fired except the vague, second hand assertion that Guerena fired at them. It is not clear exactly when they learned that he did not fire a shot, but anyone with the kind of knowledge of firearms one would expect of one of the finest SWAT teams in the nation would be able to tell that Guerena’s weapon was on safe and unfired in very short order. Until it is known with certainty precisely when it was determined that Guerena had not fired and by who, Sgt. Krygier’s statements should not be taken as the last word.

The vague nature of this transcript is remarkable in that officers involved in shootings are commonly anxious to get on the record their justification for shooting, particularly if they believe the shooting to be fully justified. Are we to believe that the SWAT supervisor, the co-planner of the assault, the officer in charge on the scene, didn't ask what happened? That he did not ask for specific, to the second details? That he had no specific idea why the officers unleashed such a torrent of fire? Is this volume of fire in what appears to be an unremarkable assault common for this team?f]

KT: Krygier says he spent the next ten minutes or so on the armored vehicle's PA system trying to get Vanessa to come out, finally directing officers to rush and grab her when she appeared at the door a second time. He says that she primarily speaks Spanish and relays: "She says that her husband has been shot. He's inside. He, the last she saw he was breathing, but it was very, you know, labored and shallow. She also told us that a, uh, her four year old son was inside, in a back bedroom too scared to come out. So at this time, um, we're concerned mostly, our primary concern was with the four year old." He says Stuckey, Shumate and he make a "tactical plan" to "go rescue this kid." However, he says that if the kid wasn't in the back bedroom where he was supposed to be, they would abandon him and not search further. "We weren't gonna go through the house, 'cause we still have unknown threats. We don't know if there's there's other people in there." He notes that Vanessa told him of Jose and her four year old. As they are planning to enter, the four year old comes to the door and officers grab him. Krygier says: "So the plan then progresses. We're uh, you know, gonna start treating this as a barricaded subject, um, 'cause there's no known other victims or hostages inside. And, those plans start to go into, uh, into effect."

At this point, an odd exchange between the detectives conducting the interview and Krygier takes place.

Krygier: "Um, uh, how much further do you guys want me to go? Do you want me to…"

Farmer: "That's fine."

Tzystuck: "Yeah, and keep, you."

Farmer: "You deployed the robot, right?"

Krygier: "Yeah, exactly. Uh, if you want me to talk about deploying the robot."

Tzystuck: "Yeah."

[MC: This passage reveals the complete lack of experience and common sense employed by the officers. They have Vanessa and she has told them who is in the home. They can see Jose and he's obviously no threat. They must believe that as they have shown no concern whatever for his survival, either because their hasty retreat has intimidated them, because they care nothing for his survival, or because they believe him to be completely incapacitated or already dead. Even if they feared he might be feigning incapacitation, it would be a simple matter to properly cover and handcuff him while they completed a search. Yet they are going to "rescue" the child. Rescue from what threat? By seizing Vanessa, they have stranded him in his own home with his dying or dead father. They are the only people causing harm that morning. Seizing the child, they suddenly decide they have a barricaded subject. No doubt Vanessa told them there was no one else there, or perhaps they didn't think to ask, though even for a team as inept as this one, that's hard to imagine.

Some 10-15 minutes (at least) have already passed from the last shot and no further hostilities have occurred. Because they have failed to clear the house, because instead of pressing the entry instead of running away in shock, their weapons empty due to their lack of situational awareness and tactical sense, they have surrendered every tactical advantage they ever had. If there were, in fact, other gunmen in the house, they could have regrouped and picked off officers from the windows with ease. Krygier makes no mention of establishing a perimeter at any point in the transcript, so if others were present, they could have equally easily escaped. For whatever reason, incompetence, anger, or simply inexperience, Krygier has admitted that they have decided to deny Jose medical attention. They're going to allow him to bleed out and die.

NOTE: At no point in the transcript does Krygier clearly state that a perimeter was established and maintained nor do the detectives ask--a remarkable state of affairs.

At this point, the detectives prevent Krygier from going into greater detail about what happened and why they did not secure treatment for Jose by diverting him to the use of a robot, a change in direction Krygier seems only too happy to take.]

KT: Krygier notes that he had, by this time, assumed command—sort of—but that Officer Shumate "…was doing a great job. Outstanding job." He directs another officer who is operating a small robot and they find Jose and watch him for some time and see no respiration, so they run the robot into him and he does not respond.

At this point, Krygier makes an amazing admission. He says: "A little misinformation came out that, um, someone called from 71—and said they had been shot." Only the number "71" appears. One or two numbers following it have been blacked out for unknown reasons. Krygier led a team to the house across the street in front of Jose's home. Despite seeing no gunshot damage, they break in and find no one injured. Another team finally gets around to searching the home behind Jose's house. This home has taken gunshot damage and they break in, but find no one. Krygier is not providing time frames, but it's obvious all of this has taken some time. He eventually says that they finally realized that the caller was Vanessa who earlier called the police to get help for Jose. He says: "Um, so then we slow it down again."

The detectives ask if Krygier confirmed that "he is deceased inside the house...the suspect?" Krygier responds oddly indeed:

"Without going in. And through the robot, uh, we have paramedics that were on scene. They saw whatever they saw, I, I won't say what they saw, but what I saw was a man with a lot of blood, uh, not moving at all."

He adds that the officer/paramedic called the SWAT doctor, a Dr. Kastre, and “…she, uh, with whatever laws that she has was able to pronounce him dead.”

[MC: Krygier’s admission of running around the neighborhood breaking in doors is extraordinary. Clearly, these misadventures took valuable time, time for Jose to bleed out while denied medical care. There is no accounting for the time involved. Such an admission does not tend to make the police look terribly competent, but admitting incompetence to divert attention from something far worse—a conscious decision to allow a wounded man to bleed to death—is a common police tactic. What is also uncommon is a physician making a pronouncement of death, at a distance and without having actually examined the patient.

The transcript spends considerable time, with much prompting by the Detectives, to deal with this issue, which would tend to indicate that they understood the sensitivity of their decision to deny care to Jose only scant hours after the assault and were already working to minimize attention to it.]

KT: Kryger explains that they exercised extraordinary caution in finally clearing the house, assigning no less than two officers to keep Jose covered, despite having already had him declared dead from afar. He describes the gore surrounding Jose and says that he was sure he was dead. He claims that it took 20 minutes to clear an attic and ends that long statement with another extraordinary admission: “Um, since I’m not going to do a report, can I throw a few more things in that we saw?”

[MC: Police procedure requires all officers that actually have a role in a case to write their own unique report. The unique case report number is commonly assigned to the primary officer first assigned the call, and all others write supplementary reports using the same case number. For the man in charge of the assault to fail to write a report is an indication of a significant breach in normal procedure and is a very disturbing sign, which is commonly indicative of a cover up. Why else would the supervisory officer involved in a very serious case—and few are more serious than an officer-involved shooting, particularly one involving five officers from four law enforcement agencies firing at least 71 rounds--fail to file his own report?

The vague and non-specific nature of the transcript suggests the answer: mere hours after the assault, the police are already spinning, rigging reports and ensuring that discovery will be as difficult as possible. Police agencies should always take steps to protect themselves against unjust, unreasonable charges, but this is done by making sure that every detail is completely covered and that all procedural steps have been properly taken. The opposite appears to be happening here.]

KT: Krygier tells the Detectives that he saw five separate guns in the Guerena home. He also tells them that he found something “…uh, uh, or appeared to be body armor” in a hallway closet that in the garage he found a large plastic storage container that was “…full of body armor.” He also mentioned finding a Border Patrol hat in the garage.

He said: “So it, it appeared that he had, he was well armed, um, well armored, and, uh, you know, prepared for different types of things with the, uh, amount of body armor and weapons that we saw in there. The Detectives ask if Jose was wearing body armor and Krygier tells them that he was wearing only boxer briefs.

[MC: So a Marine combat veteran has a set of body armor in a plastic storage box in his garage, and he also owns five weapons, two of which were in a gun cabinet, and the others distributed in various places in his home, a home in Tucson, AZ, which has a high crime rate. I suspect that the body armor in the storage box was his military issue. Body armor is degraded by constant exposure to human sweat and body oils, so police agencies and the military do not reissue used body armor for that and sanitary concerns. The police have not described this armor in particular, but it is entirely possible this was Jose’s military issue and that he took it home with him when he left active duty. Despite official military policy, this sort of thing is quite common for entirely commonsensical reasons. The police are clearly trying to make the legal possession of body armor and of no more than five firearms look somehow sinister.]

NOTE: THE SECOND PART OF THIS UPDATE, OWING TO LENGTH, WILL RUN ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30.

Good News: When It's Time to Hang Tyrants, I Won't Have Far To Drive

I'll only have to go just up the road to the NC Governor's mansion, where they conveniently have some very nice oaks suitable for the kind of partisan zealot that would like to suspend elections in 2012.

"You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines. It's a little bit more contentious now but it's not impossible to try to do what's right in this state. You want people who don't worry about the next election."

Those were the words in support of tyranny uttered by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue to the Cary Rotary Club today.

Perdue's spokesperson is trying to write this off as hyperbole, but there was nothing in her delivery, nor in the context of her statements that suggested her words were anything but exactly what they appear to be.

North Carolina Republicans took control of the state legislature in 2010, the first time they've had control since 1898, and have created a powerful redistricting map that threatens to overturn the Democrat's dominance in state politics through a century's worth of gerrymandering.

Coincidentally, 1898 is infamous in North Carolina for another reason; the 1898 Wilmington Insurrection, in which the North Carolina Democratic Party and the Ku Klux Klan overthrew the Republican government of Wilmington, NC, killing dozens to perhaps as many as a hundred in the process. The Democratic governor Daniel Lindsay Russell effectively supported the violence, as did President William McKinley, who did nothing to bring the insurrectionists to justice. Josephus Daniels, editor of the Raleigh News and Observer (appropriately enough, the same news organ that brings us Perdue's comments) also was a champion of the insurrection, infamously the only successful coup d'etat in American history.

Is Perdue serious? Considering the history of North Carolina Democrats supporting tyranny and the destruction of the electoral process, it would be foolish to consider anything otherwise.

This is the Way the World Ends...

The world will not end with delusional self-indulgent B.S. like man-made global warming. It is far more likely that all but the least observant of us will miss it when a massive solar flare like AR1302 casts us back into the Dark Ages.

Very few would die as a direct result of a solar flare's massive electromagnetic blast, but the partial or full collapse of our electrical grid, most forms of machine-based transportation, and collapse of computer-controlled water treatment and pumping stations means that the vast majority of us would succumb to starvation and disease within the first three months.

Overnight, the Amish would become the most technologically-advanced population in the United States and one of the only sectors of our technology-driven society not directly affected. Not that they would last very long. Their desperate and starving neighbors would most likely overrun and pillage the pacifist community within weeks, meaning that Mormons and preppers may be the only subsets of society to survive.

I'm just full of sunshine and rainbows today, aren't I?

A Letter From The Teacher: The Transformative Power Of ARRRRRR!

Anytown High School, Any State, USA

To: Mrs. Williams
From: Mr. English Teacher
Re: The Transformative Power of ARRRRRRRR!

Dear Mrs. Williams:

I very much appreciate your attention to my monthly newsletter. I'll be glad to explain why we talk like pirates and why that's a wise thing to do in English Class.

International Talk Like A Pirate Day is September 19. I'll let Dave Barry explain the origins of the occasion because it was through this column that I first heard of it. I immediately thought it would be a fun and useful activity at the beginning of the school year and in the near-decade since, has proved to be just that.

Each of my seven classes has its own unique personality made of the personalities of all of the students. But every year I have one or two classes of kids who, as a class, are tentative and reserved. Of course, many kids are reluctant to perform, to stand before a class to read or act out a play. How to cure kids of their fears, to encourage them to participate, is always one of the most vexing problems any teacher faces.

In addition, the state mandates a long list of standards we must teach each year. Among them are grammar, drama, public speaking and various kinds of writing. Surprisingly, talking like pirates—and our preparation for it--fulfills all of these requirements and more. But I'll explain what we do before I tell you of the extraordinary results.

During the first week of school I tell the kids of Talk Like A Pirate Day and tell them that we'll all be talking like pirates. Some look confused, some are delighted, but it builds anticipation in all. The day before Talk Like A Pirate Day I explain the concept and show them a DVD I made with a principal. First we have a normal conversation:

Mr. English Teacher: "Good morning Mr. Principal. How are you?"

Mr. Principal: "I'm just fine Mr. English Teacher. How about you?

MET: "I'm fine as well, thanks. Say, have you noticed that Sally Student is doing better this year?"

MP: "Yes I have. I'm glad you're keeping an eye on her."

MET: "I'm glad to do it. Thanks."

MP: "You're Welcome."

Then we translate the conversation into Pirate while wearing hats, eye patches, hooks and other piratical goodies:

Mr. English Teacher: "Avast Cap'n! Be ye shipshape?"

Mr. Principal: "Arrrrr! I be tauter 'n a mainsail! Ye?"

MET: "Yearrrgggh! Me hatches be battened! Have ye spied the cut 'o Sally's jib?"

MP: "Aye, she be a sprightly wench! Step smartly and keep a weather eye out!"

MET: "Arrrrr.

MP: "Arrrrrrrrr."

This delights the kids, who always love to see their teachers being goofy. In a very real way, it gives them permission to have fun.

I hand out our "Semi-Official Pirate Sentence Generator," which is a list of pirate nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, phrases and sentences. "Arrrrr" is, of course, every part of speech. The kids work in small groups to write their scripts of original pirate conversations.

Without realizing it, they gladly throw themselves into interacting with others and have to think about parts of speech, sentence construction, rhythm, plot and theme. Because it's inherently silly and fun, they drop any resistance to school and have a great time merely speaking the phrases and sentences and making their own. In fact, they'll be spontaneously talking like pirates at home and around school for days.

When Talk Like A Pirate Day arrives, I'm always pleased and a little surprised to find that some kids have gone to the trouble to make their own sets and props in addition to the hats, eye patches, hooks, spyglasses and other piratical goodies I provide. Instead of having to pick groups as teachers usually do, I have only to relax as the kids can't wait to Arrrrrrrr their way through their skits.

And what skits! Some are mediocre, some average and others witty and delightful. And it is here that magic happens. Bright smiles on their faces, their un-patched eyes twinkling, they throw themselves into various accents and dialects: a British pirate here, an effete French pirate there, and other accents not easily identified. They laugh and fight epic battles with foam swords, dramatically dying when run through. And miracle of miracles, the other kids cheer them on, laughing freely and genuinely at the antics of their classmates. Many see their classmates in new, agreeable ways that would not have otherwise been possible. They are genuinely surprised at kids they've known for years.

I videotape their skits and lovingly edit them with fast and slow motion and other tricks into a DVD that I show at the end of the year. It serves to remind them not only of how very much they have grown and improved in a single short school year, but what great joy life holds if only they set aside their fears.

When Talk Like A Pirate Day ends, my reserved classes are transformed. They're far more lively and interested. It's apparent in their posture and in smiles much more freely given. For the remainder of the year, when it's time to real aloud or to stand before the class and act "Julius Caesar," there is no reluctance, no hesitation. The kids are conditioned, and without realizing how or when I did it, they gladly jump up and tackle the English of the late 1500s with a better ear for dialect, pacing and delivery.

In this simple, brief activity, we've dealt with many state standards and set important precedents that will last the year. The kids discover that words and language are fascinating and fun. Speaking and acting in front of others is no longer any big deal. And most importantly, the kids begin to actually look forward to coming to—of all things—English class!

I hope I've addressed your concerns to your satisfaction. If not, please let me know. You're always welcome in our classroom.

Arrrrrrrr!

Mr. English Teacher

Vanderboegh/Codrea Gunwalker Bombshell Supported by Congressional Documentation

Mike Vanderboegh and David Codrea have a letter that proves the ATF was arming cartels directly using taxpayer dollars. This means that the Obama Administration's claim that Operation Fast and Furious was a law enforcement operation gone wrong is a complete and utter lie if it can be corroborated.

I can corroborate that. Check out attachment one to the March 3 letter sent to Attorney General Eric Holder and then Acting ATF Director Ken Melson.

[note: wrong attachment image used earlier. This is the correct document. h/t David Codrea]

I hope they find a nice dark and dank prison cell for the Obama Administration officials involved, which, judging by the depth and breadth of the conspiracy this far, should be the majority of them.

President Raised in Muslim Country Rips Jews

It's like his teleprompter hates him:

If asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a Jew, uh, as a janitor makes me a warrior for the working class, I wear that with a badge of honor. I have no problem with that.

Fuel Follies

Did you know that about 70% of all the consumer goods purchased in America are transported by truck? Understanding this bit of economic reality, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the price of fuel is directly linked to all consumer prices. This is fortunate in that Mr. Obama has charged our real rocket scientists to spend their time trying to make Muslims feel good about the scientific accomplishments of their ancient ancestors.

But Mr. Obama has reiterated, for what is it--the twentieth time?--that creating jobs is his first priority with handling the deficit following close behind. For a bit of perspective, let's journey back to April 8th when Mr. Obama ran into a man with a large family at a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania. The poor fellow was concerned about high gasoline prices and suggested that Mr. Obama do something to lower them. Demonstrating the kind of common touch and concern for the little man for which he has become justly famous, Mr. Obama said:

"I know some of these big guys, they're all still driving their big SUVs. You know, they got their big monster trucks and everything. You're one of them? Well, now, here's my point. If you're complaining about the price of gas and you're only getting eight miles a gallon, you may have a big family, but it's probably not that big. How many you have? Ten kids, you say? Ten kids? Well, you definitely need a hybrid van then."

Yeow. Talk about foot in mouth disease. But Mr. Obama handled it in his usual style, even though off teleprompter:

"So, like I said, if you're getting eight miles a gallon you may want to think about a trade-in. You can get a great deal. I promise you, GM or Ford or Chrysler, they're going to be happy to give you a deal on something that gets you better gas mileage."

I'm sure a man with ten children can easily afford new vehicles at will. As you can see, Mr. Obama will not rest—except for rounds of golf and vacations costing more than a decade of most folk's annual salaries—until the middle class has some relief from high gas prices and the skyrocketing prices of frivolous consumer goods like food. He's our middle class warrior. He recently said so himself so it must be true. So let's all fast forward to the middle of August and a story by Jazz Shaw about Mr. Obama's newest effort on behalf of the middle class: That's right! CAFE standards for semi tractors!

Regular readers know that Mr. Obama is demanding a CAFE average of 54.5 MPG by 2025, but never before have the Feds meddled in the long haul trucking business in this way. Mr. Obama is now mandating that heavy-duty vehicles, work trucks and long-haul semis reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from between 9% to 23% by 2018.

Well now. Let's consider this for a moment. Truck owners and operators already know that their single largest fixed expense is fuel. They have every reason to buy the most fuel-efficient trucks they can afford and manufacturers have every reason to build such vehicles. The problem is that the laws of physics apply to semis just as they do to passenger cars. There are three primary ways to save fuel in motor vehicles: (1) More efficient engines and transmissions; (2) more aerodynamic vehicles; and (3) lighter vehicles.

Diesel engines are already quite efficient but some small progress can, and already is being made in increasing efficiency without sacrificing reliability and longevity. Transmissions are more problematic as manual transmissions are pretty much required and it is driving technique rather than the transmissions themselves that have the largest effect. However, in trucking time is money and driving more slowly is more costly. Aerodynamics and weight are closely intertwined because the only way to significantly increase mileage would be to make trucks smaller and lighter. Of course, doing this means smaller loads and more runs to transport the same amount of goods, all of which is reminiscent of Al Gore (this one, unlike the internet, really is his invention) mandating stingy toilets to save water, except that they flush so poorly that people often have to flush twice to finish the job, actually increasing rather then decreasing water use. Greenie types seem to have no understanding of the law of unintended consequences--not that they'd care if they did.

These new regulations can only greatly increase the costs of transporting the 70% of goods hauled by truck, which will directly increase all consumer costs, including gasoline costs—here comes the irony--because gasoline is virtually exclusively hauled by truck. Higher prices means lower hiring, more unemployment, less consumer spending, which means even less hiring, even more unemployment, even less consumer spending, which means…It's tempting to think that this—rather than what he says--is actually Mr. Obama's real policy. But he's the President of the United States. He wouldn't actually be trying to crash the economy. Would he?

And now for a final shot of outrage-fueled adrenalin to start the week: travel back with me to April for an article at MSN Money by Lynn Mucken. Ms. Mucken will explain to you why $4.00 a gallon—and more—gas is a good thing. I've no doubt Mr. Obama would agree, and he's the President, so we should do what he says. Shouldn't we?

After your blood pressure returns to normal, have a great rest of the week!

Obama Desperately Tries to Isolate, Polarize Blacks to Shore Up His Base

In one of the most transparently self-serving political addresses in U.S. Presidential history, a shameless Barack Obama attempted to isolate and polarize African-Americans in an attempt to shore up his crumbling base of support for his 2012 reelection campaign.

In a fiery summons to an important voting block, President Obama told blacks on Saturday to quit crying and complaining and "put on your marching shoes" to follow him into battle for jobs and opportunity.

And though he didn't say it directly, for a second term, too.

Obama’s speech to the annual awards dinner of the Congressional Black Caucus was his answer to increasingly vocal griping from black leaders that he's been giving away too much in talks with Republicans — and not doing enough to fight black unemployment, which is nearly double the national average at 16.7 percent.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Barack Obama is not an African-American except in the most technical sense of the word, and arguably knows less about the "black experience" than any partial minority in American politics. He grew up as a Pacific Islander in Hawaii and Indonesia, but did not spend time on the U.S. mainland until he was already in college. Once there, he immersed himself in a culture that was the province of radical, higher middle-class and rich leftist whites at Columbia and then Harvard, who absorbed the son of a radical west coast hippie mother and communist father with open arms and a self-satisfied nod towards diversity.

I have spent more time "in the hood" than Barack Obama, who relates to the "black experience" about as well as I relate to the cocktail party concern circus in which he's embedded himself his whole life. He is an utter and shameless veneer of an black man, a race-hustling pusher that uses his skin-deep physical appearance to push the agenda of Manhattan, and Cape Cod, Berkeley and Beverly Hills.

It makes me ill to watch Barack Obama try to use real African-Americans as self-indentured vote slaves. But try he shamelessly does.

"Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes," he said, his voice rising as applause and cheers mounted. "Shake it off. Stop complainin'. Stop grumblin'. Stop cryin'. We are going to press on. We have work to do."

Barack Obama has a long history of helping himself by using the black community that he was never really a part of. He's treated them as stepping stones and chumps as he's enriched himself beyond his expectations and his competence.

The question is, will he be able to do it again?

MIKE ADDS:

Once upon a time in those thrilling days of yesteryear, the Lone Ranger and Tonto found themselves in great peril:

Lone Ranger: "There are indians to the left of us; indians to the right of us; indians before and behind us! Tonto, what are we going to do?"

Tonto: What you mean 'we' white man?"

Despite not being the first black president--an honor claimed by Bill "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" Clinton--one would think

that the CBC would fully embrace Barack Obama, yet they do not. Their quarrel is not that Mr. Obama supports a society based on equality of opportunity; he absolutely does not. Many, perhaps most CBC members share that concept, being fully supportive instead of the Marxist goal of equality of outcome. Their quarrel is that Mr. Obama had not turned over a sufficiently large quantity of the property of others. He has not sufficiently coddled them and their version of the culture of victimhood.

Even so, some 90% of blacks will likely vote for Mr. Obama in 2012 in large part because he is black, if not in fact, at least in appearance and in the chosen cadences of certain teleprompter readings, such as those he employed when he most recently read to them. Bob is absolutely right: Mr. Obama's experience is far from that of most American blacks. Despite his literary claims to seek his black identity, he has steadfastly sought his inner Marxist, and has been remarkably successful in finding him. Despite the fact that most blacks are manifestly not Marxists, they will reflexively support a man who cares no more about them because of their skin color--and a racial heritage and culture he has never shared--than he does for any other American. He is above any identification with any particular nation. He is far more important than that.

Until black Americans can be content with being just Americans and can stop voting on skin color and the vain hope that black politicians will look out for some ill-defined set of monolithically "black" issues and concerns, they will never fully obtain the promise of America, access to which their parents and grandparents secured long ago.

Blacks hearing Mr. Obama's faux-black cadenced teleprompter readings might rightfully ask: "what do you mean 'we'?"

It's Punday!

In the pursuit of my English teaching day job I often come across various bit of fun with the mother tongue. This list of delightful puns came across my computer screen recently, unfortunately without attribution. I've found several other lists, some of which include some of these, but alas, no specific author for this particular group. If you should recognize the author, please let me know that I might give them proper credit.

I'll begin the list with one of my favorites:

Did you hear about the dyslexic existentialist? He spent his entire life pondering the meaning of dog.

A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.


Dijon vu - the same mustard as before.



Practice safe eating - always use condiments.



Shotgun wedding - A case of wife or death.



A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.



A hangover is the wrath of grapes.



Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.



Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?



Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.



Reading while sunbathing makes you well red.



When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.



A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two tired.



What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead give away.)



Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.



In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.



She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg but broke it off.



A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.



If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.



With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.



The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.



You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.



Local Area Network in Australia - the LAN down under.



Every calendar's days are numbered.



A lot of money is tainted - It taint yours and it taint mine.



A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.



He had a photographic memory that was never developed.



A midget fortune-teller who escapes from prison is a small medium at large.



Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.



Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.



Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.


Acupuncture is a jab well done.

The Literature Corner: Attack Of The Tree Cop

Local and Federal law enforcers are supposed to be on the same side, but they virtually always have an uneasy relationship at best. On one hand the Feds, particularly the FBI, tend to look down on locals, considering them to be barely capable of coherent speech without drooling, particularly when compared with their buttoned down preppy magnificence. On the other, if they overplay their hand, locals can make things difficult.

Sometimes they even have some fun at the expense of the Feds, like the time a local skateboarder skated up to several cops carrying a loaded H&K MP5 submachine gun he found sitting unattended on the roof of an unmarked FBI car in the local Federal Building parking garage. The fun we had with that one is another story.

This story is about the time I found myself in the sights of Smokey The Bear-Like park ranger.

Attack of the Tree Cop

“They what?!” I said.

“The tree cops wanted to arrest us,” Andrews replied, a sly grin on his face.

“You’re kidding? For what?”

Andrews broke up: "for running a parade without a permit in a national park!"

"What?!" I said in amazement. "You're kidding, right?"

“Nope,” he replied, struggling to get his laughter under control.

“Where did they get the idea that we ran a parade without a permit? We didn’t do a parade.”

“I know. Apparently the federal law he’s talking about refers to parades and any other kind of un-permitted activity in the park. I don’t have any idea where he got the idea. The tree cop wouldn’t tell me.”

“Incredible!” I said, amazed. “You told him it was just two sweaty cops, right?”

“Yeah, I had a hell of a time convincing him that we didn’t do a parade. I’m still not sure he’s convinced, but he went away,” Andrews said, shaking his head.

“When did this happen?” I asked, and he launched into the story.

“Sgt. Andrews, there’s a park ranger at the front desk to see you,” the chief’s secretary said, her voice tinny over the intercom.

“A park ranger? Do you know what he wants?” Andrews asked, confused.

“Something about staging an event without a permit I think,” she replied.

“OK, send him down and I’ll meet him at the elevator.”

“Right.”

Staging an event without a permit? Oh well; I better see what he wants.

Andrews left the Patrol Division’s secure office suite and was waiting in the hallway when the elevator opened. The ranger was wearing his green and gray ranger outfit replete with a Smokey Bear hat. Only the rangers who took themselves really seriously regularly wore Smokey Bear hats. Most of them were more concerned with function than appearance--baseball caps did the trick--but not this guy; he didn’t look happy.

“Sgt. Andrews?” He asked.

“That’s me,” Andrews replied.

“Tom Andrews?” He asked again. The guy was suspicious about everything.

What’s this guy after? “That’s still me.”

“Is there some place we can talk,” the ranger asked. He furrowed his brow and ominously intoned, “privately?”

“Sure. C’mon back to my office,” Andrews replied, gesturing toward the secure door down the hall. Hmmm. Maybe he wants to talk about some national forest secrets. They sat down and Andrews closed the door. “What can I do for you?”

“Sgt. Andrews, it has come to the attention of the United States Park Service that on or about August 4th of this year, you conducted a race without permit in Custer State Park,” the Tree Cop said, obviously hoping that his brilliantly worded, unexpected accusation would immediately force Andrews to confess.

“I what?” Andrews stuttered, completely confused.

“On or about August 4th of this year, you conducted a parade without permit in Custer State Park,” Tree Cop repeated, slightly grinning this time; he thought he had Andrews. A tearful CSI-quality confession was surely only moments away.

“When did you say this happened?” Andrews asked.

“On or about August 4th!”

“Of this year? A parade?”

“Yes. It happened this year,” Tree Cop said, losing a little of his grin and trying to look authoritative and imposing despite being dressed like Smokey Bear.

“Custer State Park? Wait a minute, let me look at my calendar. . . “ Andrews said and began to page backward through his desk calendar. “September, August--here it is, the 4th. . .the 4th?! But that was when we... " Andrews began to laugh out loud. Tree Cop was stunned. The rampant lawbreaker, the desecrator of the sanctity of the parks he had come to collar, was laughing at him--out loud!

“This is no laughing matter!” Tree Cop said, the back of his neck reddening. “This is a serious violation of federal law, and I...”

“No, no, I’m not laughing at you, you don’t understand; I just...” Andrews said, trying desperately to control himself.

“Well? What about the parade?” Tree Cop demanded, drawing himself up in his chair and summoning every ounce of stalwart authority he could muster. He was amazed when Andrews broke up again.

“Wait a minute,” Andrews wheezed, trying to gain control of himself, “I’ll explain.”

It started at the beginning of the summer when I discovered that Andrews was a runner. The Black Hills was a runner’s paradise. Rolling hills, mountains 6000+ feet high, beautiful scenery, a miles long concrete bike path that paralleled the creek that ran through the center of town, even a nearby desert made it a great place to run. The town of 50,000 even had a specialized runner’s shop--called, surprisingly enough, “The Runner’s Shop”--that sponsored a yearly marathon as well as many shorter races throughout the year.

One of the first things I did after coming to town was map out several courses through the community with known mileages, all beginning and ending at the Police Department. I put together a three mile out and back course for the occasions when I had little time, and a very nice four mile circular course that wound through an expensive area of town with a wide, grassy central island, almost like a park; it was pretty easy on the feet. But the most challenging course was a seven mile route over Skyline Drive.

Skyline Drive was a small, ridge-like mountain that divided the center of town. A winding, scenic road twisted along its spine and had since the early days of the community. The view from the road was spectacular and only within the last few decades had pricey homes begun to creep toward the top of the ridge on the east side (the west side was mostly too steep). Skyline was great for the serious runner. It offered ridiculously steep climbs in lengths ranging from several hundred yards to a mile or more. My seven-mile course ran up the east side to the south end and northbound all along the spine, eventually descending back on the north end.

I introduced Tom to each of the routes and we ran them regularly. It always helps to run with someone of similar ability. On the days when you don’t feel like running at all, you can encourage each other. Some days you can easily conquer any run, but your partner lags and vice versa. And some days, the run just kicks your butt, but it's always more fun with a little friendly support and competition.

Eventually, our in town runs weren’t enough. We wanted to come up with something more challenging, something to help promote fitness in the force. That is always a problem in police work. The hours are long and irregular and the work, while not usually physically demanding, is emotionally exhausting. When they’re done with their shifts, most cops just want to go home and crash. The idea of going for a run, particularly in bad weather, isn’t high on the list of things to do. As a result, too many cops jump on the excess cholesterol bandwagon. They end up overweight, suffering from hypertension, high blood pressure, and any number of stress related illnesses. That’s what really is hard on cops, not chases, fights or the sundry ailments that afflict fictional cops. The cop/donut stereotype has some basis in fact, but that’s mostly because donut shops--unlike most other eateries--tend to be open for business 24/7, just like cops.

Many law enforcement agencies establish semi annual or annual physical fitness testing. Officers have to pass minimum standards to be fit for duty. In reality, these things usually apply only to the patrol force. Detectives, administrators and support people have more “juice” and find ways to avoid it. Our department was reasonably serious about it.
We came up with the idea of the Triple Peaks Club. We’d choose three mountains in the Hills and run up and down them. We put up a classy plaque with the names of everyone who joined (Andrews and I were the charter members), and we established rules. To gain membership, one had to run up and down each of the three mountains during the course of a single summer. Each candidate had to be accompanied on each run by a current member, and had to actually run at least 80% of the way up and down.

We chose Crow Peak near Spearfish, Bear Butte outside Sturgis (yes, that Sturgis--where all the bikers come every August) and Harney Peak in Custer State Park, the highest point in South Dakota. Each run followed an established hiking trail, but each had unique challenges.

Bear Butte was the shortest run, but in some ways, the toughest. It had the least elevation of the three peaks, but had many sharp switchbacks, a trail that was dangerously narrow in many places, and was very steep. There was nowhere to catch your breath. From the moment you began, it was steeply uphill virtually all the way. It took less than an hour from top to bottom, but that was an hour of near sprinting intensity effort.

Crow Peak was the next most difficult. Unlike Bear Butte, which was within easy sight of Crow Peak, it was a genuine mountain and quite a bit taller than the Butte. The trail was wider, the drop-offs not as sharp, and there were even some slightly downhill sections in the continual climb to the top. It was almost possible to catch your breath here and there. It took just under an hour to make the assent.

It was Harney Peak that nearly sent us to a federal country club prison. It is an ancient, rugged granite mountain in Custer State Park in the southern Black Hills and is the highest point in South Dakota at 7,242 feet, which is actually higher than any of the Appalachians. Perched atop its windy summit is a rough rock ranger station built during the days of the Works Project Administration. It hasn’t been occupied by rangers for decades, but the view remains thrilling. On a clear day, six states are visible. The ascent is relatively easy in the early stages, with very wide, groomed trails, but as the summit looms closer, the going is much like Bear Butte and requires a virtual sprint for the last half-mile.

Harney Peak takes as much as three hours round trip. The Lakota Sioux consider the peak to be the center of the universe. In fact, the final, touching and mystical scene in "Black Elk Speaks" by John G. Neihardt, the story of Sioux medicine man Black Elk, takes place on the summit. A sandy area near the summit is still used for Sioux ceremonies. Similar ceremonies regularly take place at Bear Butte. We even came up with an idea for a “Moon Dance,” which was sort of like the Sioux Sun Dance immortalized in the film “A Man Called Horse.” We’d attach old tires to our Gluteus Maximus with Eagle claws at the end of leather thongs and drag them along on our runs. Even though Tom was Sioux, we wimped out on that one--just not manly enough, I guess.

And so it was that on August 4, Tom and I began our assent of Harney Peak, the final jewel in the crown of the Triple Peaks club. The trailhead is at the north side of Sylvan Lake, which is aptly named. If you've seen "National Treasure 2: Book Of Secrets," you've seen Sylvan Lake. That's where Nicholas Cage ends up when he finds another treasure. And oh yes, it's not near Mt. Rushmore as the movie leads one to believe.

It was a demanding but fun run. On the way down, we were pelted with a hard rain, and we had to resist the almost overwhelming temptation to shout “Bear! Run for your lives!” to tourists ascending the trail as we barreled headlong downhill past them. But we made it and the Triple Peaks Club became a reality. Not many others eventually joined the club, but those who did had a real sense of accomplishment gained while seeing some of the best scenery in the Black Hills up close and personal (particularly if they, like I did, tripped and plowed a bit of that scenery with their faces while descending Harney Peak), and of course, anyone who could make the trip could easily pass the physical fitness exam.

“So this tree cop wouldn’t tell you where he got the idea?” I asked.

“No. He was really closed mouthed about that,” Tom said, shaking his head.

“That’s odd,” I said. “Only people at the PD and our families knew what we were doing. Do you suppose someone was trying to play a practical joke?”

“Who knows?” Tom replied.

“Another mystery of the universe I guess,” I said.

“Right. You up for Skyline today?”

“No sweat. After shift?”

“You’re on," Tom said. “Just remember to get your parade permit before we go.”

“And remember: only you can prevent tree cops," I added.

A Fine Line Between Governance and Terrorism

Smuggling weapons--arms trafficking--has long been argued as an act of war or an act of terrorism, whether we're discussing Iran's various attempts to provide weapons of war to those fighting the U.S. and Israel, the German submarine U20's sinking of the Lusitania for smuggling 4.2 million rounds of small arms ammunition, or the Obama Administration's smuggling of thousands of weapons to drug cartels locked in a a mortal struggle with the government of Mexico.

As a matter of fact, U.S. federal law would seem to define Operation Fast and Furious as an act of international terrorism:

As used in this chapter—
(1) the term “international terrorism” means activities that—
  (A) involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State;
  (B) appear to be intended—
        (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
        (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
        (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
  (C) occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum;

Operation Fast and Furious seems to have violated multiple federal laws, including the Arms Export Control Act.

More to the point of terrorism, the gun-walking occurred within the United States and knowingly involved allowing weapons to transition an international border with Mexico in order to "intimidate or coerce" Mexico's embattled civilian population and civil government.

Another apparent goal was to influence the policy of U.S. gun laws by coercion (actual ATF implementation of multiple long-gun reporting, asserted attempt to create conditions for a U.S. weapons ban).

Last but not least, Operation Fast and Furious (and contemporary programs) seem designed to affect the conduct of the government of Mexico by providing mass destruction in the form of thousands of firearms used typically used for assassination and kidnapping, and the conduct of the government of the United States by lending anecdotal credence to President Obama's 90-percent lie and trump up support for attacks on the Second Amendment.

Governed by this definition provided in Title 18 of U.S. Code, there is every reason to state that Gunwalker is international terrorism sponsored from the highest levels of appointed and elected officials within the executive branch of the administration of President Barack Obama.

No wonder they want to close Gitmo. As terrorists, that is precisely where they belong.

I Question His Definition of "Is"

Think Progress quotes the liberal saint of stained dresses once again showing the kind of brilliance that comes from a man whose oxygenated bloodflow goes mostly below the waist.

Clinton: 'There Is Not A Single Solitary Example' Of A Country That Has Succeeded With A Tea Party Philosophy.

Really? I think the Founding Fathers might just disagree.

Love, Loyalty and Leadership

At a meeting of the American Historical Society at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner proposed the Turner Thesis: America is unique—as are Americans—because unlike every other nation, we had a West to conquer. This both revealed and forged our unique national character. It taught us the meaning—meaning unique to Americans—of love, loyalty and leadership.

Fast-forward to September 14, 2011, North Carolina State University at Raleigh, a venue friendly—to say the least—to President Barack Obama. Mr. Obama is demanding, like an endlessly looped, stuck recording, that Congress pass his latest, non-existent, half-trillion dollar retread jobs bill. "I love you, Barack," blurts a voice from the adoring crowd. "I love you back," he replies, "but if you love me, you've got to help me pass this bill!" Mr. Obama's love is apparently conditional: one must first accept and actively support ruinous, socialist fiscal policies. What is most remarkable about this bizarre morality play is that it is utterly unsurprising and unremarkable.

Let's return to the beginning, to May 14, 1787, the State House in Philadelphia, the Constitutional Convention. There is no question of the president of the Convention. George Washington serves his new nation yet again. There is no oxymoronic leading from behind. Washington scarcely utters a word throughout the Convention; his steady presence is more than sufficient.

When the Constitution is finally ratified in 1788 there is no question of America's first president. With reluctance, George Washington serves once more. As he rides to New York to take the oath of office, Americans turn out to wish him well all along the way and he is moved to tears by their sincere appreciation for his character and accomplishments, yet he is distinctly uncomfortable for he knows that his example will establish precedence for all time for all who follow him. The adulation, even worship of kings and potentates can never be allowed to take hold in America. Washington is determined that there be no cults of personality.

Washington serves honorably, but always looking to the day when he owes no more to the future. He knows that the presidency is his for life—a virtual kingship is his—yet he chooses to close that option, not only for himself, for all. Other presidents--notably Bill Clinton--will flirt with a lifetime presidency, but Americans have always rejected such narcissistic overtures.

The Bible tells us that there is no greater love than that a man lay down his life for another. Americans have always embodied and practiced this love without reservation, not only for friends, but foreign strangers. True love is reserved for family and for those few friends whose character and accomplishments render them worthy of such devotion. Our forefathers the pioneers took these lessons to heart and passed them down, for they understood through hard experience upon whom they could rely.

Love cannot be wasted on politicians, for such is the infatuation of the teenage girl for the rock star regardless of how momentarily intensely felt. Loyalty to such people is wasted, for it cannot be reciprocated. Their loyalty is only to themselves, for most recognize no one and nothing greater than themselves. Their fame and popularity, based on the fickle preferences of crowds, propaganda and craven media support are ephemeral--fleeting. We owe our elected representatives only deference for their positions. Respect must be earned, each and every day, and freely given in recognition of character, morality and accomplishment.

For Americans, personal loyalty must be carefully, selectively bestowed. Few politicians are worthy of the least bit of it. Above all, it is given willingly, without reservation and with justifiable pride in America, to the American idea and ideals, to our national faith in what Americans alone can accomplish for good. What politician that does not gladly give his loyalty to America is worthy of the loyalty of a single American? The ultimate loyalty of all Americans must never be invested in politicians, for all fail, all pass away, but only in America which must ever endure.

While common in our military, true leadership is hardly common in our presidents. Election to office does not a leader make, though some would point to the fact that they have managed to be elected to several offices as proof of accomplishment and leadership. Leadership arises out of steadfast character and genuine accomplishment. Washington, Lincoln, Truman, Reagan, all men of character and real accomplishment rose to the challenge of the office. Barack Obama, a man famous for being famous, accomplished for being elected, has not and cannot.

Conservative radio host Andrew Wilcow suggests that the Obama sycophant expressing their love for Mr. Obama in Raleigh may have been a plant. This is a possibility not to be discounted for a White House infamous for its shameless stage-managing of Mr. Obama's public appearances, and which may be smarting from accusations that without his teleprompter, Mr. Obama is stilted and clumsy.

In either case, spontaneous or scripted, love expressed for a politician reveals a fundamental disconnect, even a repudiation of America.

Politician love is utterly misplaced, the stuff of cult-of-personality dictatorships. It reveals a sickness of the individual and national soul. Prior to Barack Obama, newsmen calling any president a god, worshiping the creases of their trousers, expressing amazement and admiration for their fly-swatting abilities or serially depicting them as pseudo religious icons with halos would have been thought deranged, but where Mr. Obama is concerned, such lunacy has become daily fair, remarkable only in its most insanely outrageous manifestations. In its intention and intensity, it is anti American, it rejects the example of Washington and embraces the worst aspects of the narcissism and vanity of the world's despots.

Mr. Obama is not worthy of the respect of any American. His character and accomplishments before and after assuming the presidency reveal a hollow man, a man who has actually admitted that he is an empty vessel—tabula rasa—a blank slate upon which the hopes—even the fantasies--of anyone may be drawn. Being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, not for any accomplishment—his chair behind the Resolute Desk was hardly warm—but for being Barack Obama, for some possible future accomplishment--is a case in point. Mr. Obama admitted that he deserved it not, yet revealed the depth of his character by accepting it knowing it to partially represent a crude slap in the face of America. This is a man whose loyalty is always to self, never America, which he sees as unremarkable, just one of many nations. He is a man who proudly announces his leadership from behind, who proposes non-existent bills and demands they be immediately passed, and who seeks to address ruinous deficits of his creation by means of class warfare and by creating yet greater deficits. This is a man who tolerates his Vice President calling fellow Americans "terrorist" and "barbarian" for daring to embrace the Constitution and demand fiscal responsibility.

The presidency of Barack Obama is the embodiment of a national holiday from responsibility and history. It is a departure from traditional and necessary American understandings of love, loyalty and leadership and a perversion of those essential, noble ideals. That such publically expressed, fawning devotion to a politician, particularly one of such abysmal character and destructive, anti-American intentions and accomplishment seems unremarkable to so many must stand as an urgent warning. It is an unmistakable indicator of how far we have allowed ourselves to stray from the path of liberty so carefully established by George Washington and so lovingly, carefully maintained by many that have followed him. It is a warning we fail to heed at our peril.

Ar-15 Lower Blowout

$65 each for Templar stripped lowers.

That's almost theft.

Liberals Love Cop Killers, Especially Those in Power

Both John Hawkins and Ann Coulter excoriate the sociopathic left and their idolatry of cop killers after Troy Davis was executed last night.

At least they're consistent.

After all, these same liberals aren't raising a peep about the 200+ Mexicans and three U.S. federal agents shot with weapons "walked" to violent drug cartels by the Obama Administration.

Maybe if some more of the 2,020 guns of Fast and Furious, the 1,000 guns of Castaway, and the unknown number of guns walked from two unnamed Texas operations take a couple of more lives of cops on both sides of the border, they'll put up Holder, Napolitano, and Obama up for whatever passes for sainthood in their perverted little worlds.

"Leaky" No More

When the Iran-Contra scandal was just beginning to brew, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy strategically leaked an unclassified draft report on the Iran-Contra affair in order to ensure a press frenzy. He made the calculated assessment that leaking the report to damage the Reagan Presidency was worth his seat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Leahy has never (to my knowledge) made any comment on whether his goal was to simply cripple Reagan, or if he thought he had a real shot of seeing Reagan impeached. Either way, it was a calculated risk that paid off well for the Vermont Democrat.

We're hearing the words "Iran-Contra" again.

This time they are surfacing—along with Watergate—in comparison to the greatest political scandal of our age, a number of operations where agents acting on behalf of the executive branch "walked" thousands of weapons into the hands of drug cartels and domestic gangs. At the moment the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is focused like a laser on one federal operation based in Arizona that supplied 2,020 weapons to the Sinaloa cartel, but is aware of evidence of other operations in Florida, two operation in Texas, and another supplying domestic crimes in Indiana.

House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa is doing the bulk of the heavy lifting regarding Gunwalker, with some help in the House and a handful of Republican Senators.

The Senate Judiciary Committee should be running a parallel investigation into some of the most serious allegations ever made against a sitting Administration, a series of crimes that has implicated in a body count of at least 200 dead and two dead federal agents. But guess who is in charge of the Senate Judiciary Committee?

Yes, our good friend and loyal American Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

Scandals are to be aired when they serve the needs of the party, and to be covered up, regardless of how many innocents die, if that serves the needs of the party.

As Mike Vanderboegh points out, Leahy isn't interested in justice. He's only interested in protecting the political investment he made in President Obama.

It's too bad he lacks the guts to tell that to the widows and children left behind.

Quick Takes, September 22, 2011

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Career Ending Division: General William Shelton, commanding officer of the Air Force Space Command testified before Congress that he was pressured by the White House to change Congressional testimony to favor an Obama Crony. Congressmen universally said that they were shocked, shocked(!) and could not possibly imagine the most ethical, transparent administration in history doing such a thing. Thereafter, they went out for a drink with Elvis and a bit of hot tubbing with Bigfoot. Go here for the story.

ITEM: NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! According to Hot Air, Jimmy Carter said "I'm not taking a position, but I would be very pleased to see him win the Republican nomination." Romney Campaign spokesman disavowed any knowledge of anyone named "Jimmy" who may or may not have ever been President of the United States, and concluded their comment by loudly screaming "ARRGGGHHHHH!" and running from the room as if on fire. Go here for the horror, the horror…

ITEM: Patriotic Ceremony Marred By Appearance Of President Obama. Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer, who looks as though he has yet to graduate from high school became the first living Marine in 38 years to receive the Congressional Medal Of Honor on Sept. 15. His medal citation makes Rambo look like a Democrat Congressman. He is a true American hero.

I am truly saddened to have to observe that whenever Mr. Obama utters praise for our military or nation, it brings a torrent of disgust to my face. Never in my lifetime—with the exception of Bill Clinton—did I have good reason to doubt such comments from an American President. Meyer may feel the same way. Be sure to note how he handled the call from Mr. Obama.

ITEM: The Infrastructure Is Falling; The Infrastructure Is Falling! So sayeth Mr. Obama past and present. True, there were no shovel ready jobs in the first place, and true, the Stimulus (which word may no longer be spoken!) only stimulated Democrat cronies and assorted crooks, but that's no reason not to do a second stimulus—or whatever it's being called these days. Is it? See what Investors Business Daily has to say about the reality of American infrastructure.

ITEM: Wisconsin And The Rule Of Law: As in, there is no rule of law in Wisconsin, particularly where Democrats and unions are involved. Visit Legal Insurrection to see what appears to be a less then manly leftist admitting, on camera, to assaulting a Republican legislator. William A. Jacobson asks why such people have no fear about admitting to crimes against Republicans. You'll find the answer—if you don't already know it.

ITEM: I Knew That: Does the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press apply even to bloggers—disreputable and annoying lot that we are? Of course it does. Go here for an interesting article on some specifics. The article mentions the Emily Good case. I wrote about that case—and a more egregious Las Vegas case—not long ago for Pajamas Media. Give both a look. Who knows? You might one day find yourself using your cell phone camera to record something to which the authorities might object.

ITEM: We Can't Condone Hacking…But…sometimes a bit of mischief is inspired, as in the hacker who placed a harmless and humorous—if barbaric—biography at Trinity College, Dublin. Take a few minutes to "crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of the women." Extra credit points if you can identify the origin of that line.

ITEM: So The Union Has It's Own Union Which Is Represented By it's Own Union, Which…and so on and so on. I'm not kidding. Go here to see how ridiculous, and richly ironic, it is.

ITEM: Remember How Newsweek Announced it would become "a journal of elite liberal opinion?" Remember how it sold for a dollar shortly thereafter? Remember how it's editor called Barack Obama a god? Well, now NPR is doing the same. Anyone have a dollar? After the election, if federal funds are withdrawn, that may be all it takes. Wait a minute, why would I want to buy NPR?! Go here for the blasphemy.

ITEM: Are Republicans Dumb? Kathleen Parker at the Washington Post explores the issue and comes close to the point. What matters most to rational Americans of any political persuasion is not an Ivy League degree or cornpone populist street cred, but actual, demonstrated accomplishment and competence. Hey...could that be the problem with Mr. Obama or are we all just racists? Discuss.

ITEM: Unrelated Statistics and Unexpected Reality Department: According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, America experienced—unexpectedly of course—a 12% drop in violent crimes last year. They have no idea why. At the same time, a record number of people are carrying concealed weapons, acting on the reality of the best gun salesman of all time: Barack Obama. You don't suppose the two could be related, do you? Naaaaaaaah! Go here anyway.

ITEM: "The Vagina Is Becoming Big Business." So opens an AP article. Amalgamated Porn? Nope: Associated Press. Really. Geez. I always thought they were kind of a big deal, but I'm male, so what do I know? Did you know that pubic hair dye—in hot pink—is now available? It's $14.99. Live long enough and you learn amazing things. Go here to learn more.

ITEM: Third In Line: Why is it only the man third in line is able to tell America's friends from her enemies? Why can't #1 and #2 support Israel? Go here for the recent comments of Speaker John Boehner. Support for Israel is not only rational, practical and in America's interest, but if you believe in the Bible, it's never wise to be on the side of the enemies of Israel. God takes that one kind of personally.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Nuclear Proliferation Division: In a revelation that surely must have left intelligence analysts shocked, shocked (!), it was reported that Pakistan has been selling nuclear weapon technology to just about everyone except Kellogg's which reportedly wanted to include nucs as prizes in various breakfast cereals. OK, OK, so the bit about Kellogg's wasn’t exactly true, but go here to see what those merry Pakistani pranksters have been up to. They're our allies, you know.

ITEM: Feel Good Video Of The Week: Whenever I can combine a bit of patriotism with good old honest American emotion, I am one happy camper. Watch this. You'll be a happy camper too.

ITEM: Integrity In The Department of Justice: Ah yes, the Inspector General of the DOJ is conducting their own investigation into the Gunwalker debacle. Except that they're giving damning evidence to the actual suspects in the case, warning them before Congress can get to them! Surely this couldn't be happening in the most ethical, transparent administration in history? Yes it is, and don't call me Shirley. Go here for the story. We're being led by thugs and criminals. We elected them.

ITEM: Triumphs Of Smart Diplomacy, #2987: Mr. Obama spoke to the UN today and did the absolute minimum: he said the UN should not declare statehood for the Palestinians and that America will stand by Israel. Unfortunately, he continued his usual theme of moral equivalence, essentially equating our democratic ally Israel and a completely dysfunctional terrorist state bent on Israel's destruction. As usual, Mr. Obama stopped far short of demanding that the Palestinians recognize Israel's right to exist, saying only that Israelis must be assured of their security. I seriously doubt that the Israelis take comfort in such weak diplomatic tea, not only because such an assurance from the Palestinians would be worth approximately a bucket of warm spit, and particularly since Mr. Obama suggested that the Israelis and Palestinians "walk in each other's shoes."

Now there's a brilliant idea! Is he hoping that when the Israelis walk in the shoes of people who teach their children to hate and murder, who force women and the mentally retarded to blow themselves up to kill Jews, who live for genocide and who murder each other just for fun, they'll act like Palestinians? Boy wouldn't that middle East be fun then?!

Mr. Obama also issued what, for him, must have been the most aggressive of threats: "'This has been a remarkable year,' Obama said. 'Something's happening in our world. The way things have been is not the way they will be. ... Dictators are on notice.'" Yes, if they misbehave, we'll dither for months, just like we did in Libya and lead from behind. I'm sure the Iranians, Syrians and North Koreans are quaking with fear—or is that laughter?

Anyway, go here for the mess.

ITEM: "We Don't Need A President Who Apologizes For America." Indeed. Go here for Rick Perry's first TV ad.

ITEM: OH, So That's Why He Passed ObamaCare! Why? Because Mr. Obama is a class warrior—for the middle class! Oh yeah, he's absolutely watching out for me. Hey, was that a flying pig?! Go here to see truly galaxy class mendacity and lack of shame.

ITEM: NO! It Can't Be! Recent claims of mistreatment and marginalization of women in the Obama White House have the usual suspects on the defensive and scrambling for cover. Go here for the story (at Time, of all places!) and an interesting photo, but I just can't believe that Mr. Obama would allow such a thing. I mean good grief! Who could imagine that the most narcissistic, vain, petty, thin-skinned, intellectually rigid, quick-tempered and grossly over-sold President in American history could possibly see women as less than his equals? Not me. No sir!

ITEM: The Evil Of Westerners and Western Medicine. Operation Smile is an organization of plastic and reconstructive surgeons that does…well, go here for a video of what they do, this time in Brazil. I cried like a baby. Remember this the next time some smug, self-righteous idiot--like our President--dumps on western civilization. Thanks to Bookworm for the idea on this one.

And with that wonderful final thought for the week, I must bid you a reluctant goodbye and encourage you, once again, to return next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes!

Shameless Plug: Stop by next Tuesday too for a new edition of A Letter From the Teacher. The topic: Talk Like A Pirate Day and the miraculous transformative power of Arrrrrrrrr!

Corrupt as Hell: Acting DOJ Inspector General Tips Off Obama's Gunwalker Co-conspirators

Perhaps you've read about the audiotapes posted to CBS news, of a conversation between the gun dealer that sold many Fast and Furious guns and the ATF agent that was part of the operation.

Now we find out that those tapes came out after the acting Inspector General leaked them to the suspects in the case, jeopardizing the Oversight investigation.

In a letter released on Wednesday to Acting Justice Department Inspector General Cynthia Schnedar, they expressed deep concern over her decision to turn over to U.S. prosecutors in Arizona audio recordings obtained during her investigation.

Representative Darrell Issa, head of the House Oversight Committee, and Charles Grassley, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Schnedar apparently did not consider the significant harm caused by giving the recordings to those under investigation.

They criticized the move as potentially obstructing the congressional probe into the operation because potential witnesses may have colluded about what to tell investigators.

Schnedar needs to be fired, and if statutes allow it, charged for obstruction of justice and any related charges (aiding and abetting the enemy?).

This is mob-lawyer-level actions committed by a federal official in charge or one of the most important investigations in U.S. history... and considering the hundreds dead, I'm not overselling that at all.

Choi to Re-enlist

Good for him, and good for the country:

More than two years after former infantry officer Daniel Choi came out on a talk show as a gay service member – an event that led to his discharge - the Iraq war veteran says he will re-enlist in the U.S. Army following Tuesday's repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

"Going back to the military will be a vindication," Choi told POLITICO. [I'm] going back because I fought to go back. The seriousness of our claims was not just political theatre – it was really drawn from our lives. I sacrificed so much so I could go back."

I think anyone who is willing to make the sacrifices and serve their nation in the military should be able to, and that's about it. Gays have always been in the military, and I for one am proud to live in a nation where honorable men and women can now openly serve.

Mike Adds:

The problem with this, as well as similarly controversial social dilemmas occurs when people identify themselves primarily by their preferences rather than their duty or nationality. I have far less concern for a soldier who happens to be gay than for a gay soldier. I have no worries about a lawyer who happens to be black, female or gay, but I'm always concerned about a black lawyer or a feminist lawyer or a gay lawyer because they see the law as a means of forcing others to accept their preferences. Similarly, I'm glad to accept any American who happens to be Hispanic, Armenian, etc., but "Hispanic-Americans" or any other hyphenated type, tend to be worrisome.

A soldier who happens to be gay might reasonably never be known to be gay any more than a soldier fond of any other sexual practice. Spare me the "gayness is my identity" meme. If you enlist or accept a commission in the armed services, your identify is that of soldier, sailor, airman or marine. Everything else is secondary.

As Bob has suggested, gay people have indeed served honorably, but they have done so because they have served, first, foremost and always, as soldiers. Being gay was not an issue for them because they were wise enough not to make it an issue so as not to interfere with their--and the military's--mission.

Update (Bob): I should have research more on Choi before commenting on his reenlistment. To put it mildly, his behavior has been controversial and he apparently wasn't a good officer when he did serve.

That now understood, I affirm my support of those who serve... but really wonder if Choi himself should be allowed back in.

Gunwalker's Body Count Grows

I was on a conference call with Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, yesterday and was very impressed with his candor as we discussed Operation Fast and Furious. Quite frankly, the Congressman speaks with the confidence of a prosecutor who knows he has a solid case coming together.

I suspect we're going to see Obama Administration officials sent to prison when it is all said and done, but as I ask at the end of my newest Pajamas Media article, will that prison be in the United States or Mexico?

General Motors: American Jobs--For China?

The convoluted story of the Chevy Volt took another bizarre twist today with the publication of an Associated Press article detailing "cooperation" between General Motors and the Chinese government on electric vehicle technology, which inescapably means the Chevy Volt. It is, of course, the only electric vehicle (actually a ridiculously complex and expensive pseudo-hybrid) currently manufactured by GM, though an even more expensive version of the Volt is reportedly on Cadillac's drawing board and on the fast track for production.

The Volt's MSRP is approximately $41,000 and individual Volts have sold for up to $65,000. It's virtually certain that even fewer Volts would have sold without the $7500 government subsidy. Even with that generous subsidy—it's about double the cost of comparable conventional, high-mileage conventionally fueled compacts that actually get better mileage than the Volt—Volt sales have been abysmal (302 in August). But of course, the Volt isn't a product meant to survive in the free market, nor is it meant to turn a profit (GM probably loses money on every vehicle): it's an entirely political animal. It's difficult to imagine how much a Voltilac (Cadiolt?) will cost or precisely where the market for such a vehicle is. These days, Cadillac has become a brand built upon high performance, luxury and perceived prestige, none of which an even more ridiculously expensive Volt can possibly provide.

The AP story, as we’ll explore, dances around the reasons for this "cooperation." A Green Auto Blog story is more to the point, but for the moment, let's focus on the AP, which titled its story: "GM to Build Electric Cars in China, Protect Chevy Volt Technology."

The AP continues:

"General Motors Co. agreed Tuesday to deepen cooperation with its flagship
Chinese partner on development of electric vehicle knowhow amid pressure from
Beijing to hand over proprietary technology.

Investments and other details of the plan were not provided, and it was unclear if the agreement was the result of a renewed push by China to acquire advanced technology its own automakers still lack."

Right. It's unclear. But all is not smiles and fortune cookies:

"U.S. lawmakers have complained that China is shaking down GM to get the technology that drives the Chevrolet Volt electric car. GM plans to start selling the Volt in China by the end of the year, but its prospects are iffy because it doesn't qualify for a Chinese government subsidy that amounts to $19,000 per car. The government offers the subsidy only to electric cars made in China.

Lawmakers contend such requirements are unfair and may violate world trade rules."

Oh no! The Chinese Communists aren't playing fair! Who could possibly have imagined that? GM provides an unintentionally informative tidbit:

"But GM spokesman Jay Cooney in Detroit said the company has not been pressured by the Chinese government to share the Volt technology and has no plans to share it. He said GM is working with the Chinese government in an effort to get the subsidy for the Volt because it helps reach a government goal of getting more electric vehicles on the road.

The cooperation agreement was signed during a meeting of the U.S. automaker's board in Shanghai — a visit underscoring China's importance to the company's future. It was the GM board's first meeting outside of the U.S."

Hey, didn't the GM spokesman just say they have no plans to share Volt technology?

"'We can accomplish far more by working together than we can by working separately,' Tim Lee, president of GM International Operations, said as GM and state-owned partner Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp. signed an agreement on developing a next-generation electric vehicle platform.

The agreement 'to co-develop electric vehicle architecture is further proof of GM's and SAIC's plan to lead the auto industry in new energy vehicle technology," he said, describing the plan as a "very aggressive and challenging project.'

Cooney said the companies will work together to develop a new fully electric car. The Volt can travel about 35 miles on battery power, and a gas-powered generator kicks in to run the car when the batteries are depleted. The generator technology eliminates anxiety over whether a driver will run out of electricity."

Let's review:

(1) GM is going to "deepen cooperation with its flagship Chinese partner."

(2) GM's "flagship partner" is, in fact, the belligerent communist government of China, our undeclared enemy, the ally of our declared enemies (such as North Korea), a nation that reflexively works against American interests and is currently producing a massive military buildup obviously aimed at directly challenging American interests in Asia and the Pacific, and a nation whose generals and politicians often rattle their collective sabers at us. You know, those guys, our pals who flood our market with children's toys virtually dripping in lead-based paints.

(3) GM spokesman say they're not going to share EV technology with the Chinese.

(4) The Chinese are demanding that GM share EV technology or they'll do something absolutely horrible and unfair: Make Chinese peasants pay the full MSRP for Chevy Volts. Good grief! Even the evil running dog American capitalists don't do that! They're proletarian enough to provide a $7500 people's subsidy, and they're not even Marxists! OK, so having a Marxist president and government doesn't count.

(5) So GM is not going to share EV technology with the Chinese, except they're going "'to co-develop electric vehicle architecture," which is " further proof of GM's and SAIC's plan to lead the auto industry in new energy vehicle technology," all of which lack of cooperation and sharing with the Chinese will be a "very aggressive and challenging project."

(6) The primary method American diplomats use in negotiating with the Chinese, particularly under Democrat administrations, consists of the Chinese making outrageous, bellicose demands to which our diplomats respond by saying "OK."

What is the most unintentionally revealing part of the story? The Obama Administration, including Mr. Obama himself, has repeatedly said that they have no role, none whatsoever, in the day to day operation of General Motors, despite the taxpayer's continuing ownership of GM and GM's continuing loss of taxpayer money, the Volt being an excellent case in point.

As Americans have learned whenever Mr. Obama says "let me be clear," or in any way suggests that he's going to tell the truth, he's about to obfuscate and lie on a cosmic scale. While GM has, in recent years, demonstrated some familiarity with political lying –most notably it's "we paid off our government loans early by taking money from another government loan" ploy--Mr. Cooney does not seem to play in mendacity's big leagues.

Mr. Cooney's statement has an unclear pronoun antecedent. Does he mean to say that putting more EVs on the road is a goal of the American government or of the Chinese government? I suspect it's a Freudian slip. We know beyond any doubt that putting immature EV technology on American roads, regardless of whether Americans want it, is one of the foremost goals of the Obama Administration, which has made no secret of it. Mr. Cooney is merely confirming what those who have been paying attention to this debacle have long known: The Volt exists at the demand of the Obamites and their greenie bundlers and they will stop at nothing to promote it even if it again bankrupts GM, for real this time.

Green Auto Blog suggests a somewhat more pedestrian motivation for GM:

"As General Motors seeks to introduce the Chevrolet Volt to the Chinese market, it's counting on these subsidies to help make the car attractive to potential buyers. It could work, too, since the Chinese subsidies are large enough to essentially slice the Volt's MSRP in half."

Notice that if GM can get the communists to agree to extend their $19,300 per vehicle subsidy to the Volt, it would actually be affordable to American consumers, who, of course, won't be able to take advantage of it because, well, they're seriously disadvantaged by not being Chinese and living in America. It's difficult to believe that GM is making this deal—you know, the deal they're not making--for financial reasons. After all, no matter how large the government subsidy or which government pays it, GM is almost certainly losing money on each and every Volt that rolls out of the factory. There must be more pressing reasons for this non-agreement agreement. What could they be?

Mr. Cooney has provided the answer: The Obamites wants to put more electric vehicles on the road. Their green purity keeps them from realizing—or caring—about whether their EV flagship actually works, will sell in anything approaching fiscally rational numbers, or whether those EVs are on the road in America or China. The environmentalist virtue of displacing vehicles powered by evil carbon based fuels takes precedence over reality, politics, national security and certainly common sense. Let's not even try to bring rational business practices into this infernal mixture.

There is no doubt that GM will give away the EV technological farm to the Chinese—or the Chinese will steal it if they haven't already. There is also no doubt that whatever electronic technology they glean from this venture will be used to the maximum degree possible in military applications. Perhaps the Obamites have forgotten that the Chinese Military has its hand in every state-run business venture, and certainly controls all exchanges of technology with foreign states, particularly the United States. And have I mentioned that the Chinese are almost certainly behind a massive and ongoing cyber espionage and sabotage program against America?

On the other hand, the Obamites probably know all about it. No wonder they're behind this "very aggressive and challenging project."

I've long thought that if Mr. Obama loses his bid for office in 2012 that GM, which will almost certainly be thrown out into the cold, hard reality of existence in the free market, will dump the Volt like the economic albatross it is. The only way that the Volt could ever be profitable in America—absent unbelievable leaps in technology which could greatly extend its range and lower the price—is if manufacturing costs could be drastically lowered, and by drastically, I mean essentially cut in half. But of course, the only way to do that would be to outsource the production of the Volt, to move it to a country with very cheap labor costs, a country like—no! You don't suppose they're thinking about moving Volt production to China, do you?

A $20,000 Volt just might be at least marginally economically viable in the American market. But wouldn't that be a complete repudiation of Mr. Obama's serial promises to make American job creation his first priority? Wouldn't shipping the production of an entire model line of American vehicles to China be counterproductive to job creation in America? Wouldn't it in fact be strengthening an avowed, if not specifically declared, mortal enemy of America? OK, OK, maybe I'm exaggerating. After all, they probably only have several thousand nuclear warheads aimed at us. What's a few nucs between friends?

Surely Barack Obama wouldn't be un-American enough to benefit the Chinese communists at the expense not only of American labor, but national security, and all in the name of putting more EVs on the road? Why, that would be—unimaginable.

A Letter From The Teacher, #19: Wherefore SAT?

Anytown High School, Any State, USA

To: Bob, My Most Steamed Colleague
From: Mr. English Teacher
Re: Wherefore SAT?

Dear Bob:

Well, the moment we knew was coming has arrived: The SAT scores are down this year, but the ACT scores are up. To sum it up, minorities and the poor tend to do worse than white bread kids and the wealthy. Oh yes, and Asian kids are doing well and getting better. Who'da thunk it? Here's a link to an Inside Higher Education article, which has charts, so it must be good and authoritative! And here's a link to that interesting Charles Murray article you were looking for last week

Just like the eternally "unexpected" consequences and failures of socialistic government, the elite can't imagine why SAT scores have fallen. Simultaneously, some misguided conservatives see these temporary statistics (all statistics are temporary, aren't they?) as incontrovertible proof of the abject failure of the public schools, but then again, they see the incontrovertible failure of the public schools in sunshine, rain, Al Gore and Obama speeches. By the way, the IHE article actually notes that the best research shows high school GPA is the best indicator of first year success in college. Give that man a Louis Renault Award! I'm shocked, shocked!

Let me step off the rhetorical path for a moment to lambast those that have taken to calling our schools "government schools," as though it is the most objectionable of obscenities, demonstrating the kind of disgust when mouthing it generally reserved for Obama speeches. They're our schools; it's our government. If they're not responsive or failing we're to blame for our neglect and indifference. Runaway bureaucracy with delusions of grandeur and adequacy should be relentlessly –within the boundaries of the law—reminded of our displeasure with its utopian, socialistic ideas. Thus endeth the lesson for today. The choir shall now assemble for the mandatory preaching session.

Anyway, there are several obvious reasons for the SAT stats, I mean apart from the fact that a one-year movement in any direction is hardly a trend. Changing demographics, particularly those brought on by essentially uncontrolled illegal immigration, are surely a factor. Kids with no or limited English skills are hardly going to run up impressive SAT scores, yet in some school districts, these kids are a near majority or a majority. One's views on immigration are irrelevant to demographic reality, and that's a topic for another time.

The accountability fad is also a significant factor. Driven by mandatory, high stakes testing, far too many schools and school districts focus almost exclusively on teaching those specific tricks—and I do mean tricks—necessary to pass the test that will determine whether teachers and principals keep their jobs. This leaves little time for actual learning, and certainly no time to prepare for a SAT test. By the way, did you want to use the same benchmark test for the first quarter that we used last year? I know it will kill another entire day, but the Central Office is demanding we mirror the state test again. Can you let me know by Thursday?

Most people don't know what a wonderful scam the SAT is--for the publisher and related industries, I mean. It is a very particular type of test designed to measure very particular things, and inevitably a multi-billion dollar empire and industry has sprung up around it, promising higher scores which, of course, hint at success in college and in life beyond.

As you know, depending on enrollment demands, I often teach a SAT preparation course. I'll be doing one next semester, in fact. Using several of the best—and most expensive—SAT preparation books on the market, my students raise their SAT scores from 150 to 600 points. I'd like to think this is so because of my amazing abilities as a teacher, but the truth is it's primarily due to two factors: the SAT is a very particular, predictable type of test which requires very particular and predictable knowledge and skills. Therefore, drill and repetition—familiarization—can and will increase scores. Basically, I can increase scores by teaching the kids what to expect and various strategies for maximizing their scores on the test. Kids who don't take my class tend to score lower regardless of intellect or demonstrated academic competence. Imagine that. It almost makes you question the ultimate value of such tests, and an increasing number of colleges no longer require them for admission. Perhaps they have the same questions.

Another major contributor to lowered scores is the fact that far more kids are going to college--and failing after accumulating crushing tuition debt—than at any time in history. The egalitarian notion that college is for everyone and a degree will inevitably lead to higher salaries and greater opportunity is more and more being proved fallacious, yet colleges continue to frantically recruit and Mr. Obama compounds the lunacy by blathering that everyone should go to college and by nationalizing the college loan industry under the cover of, of all things, the ObamaCare bill! Of course, he's also taxing indoor tanning businesses under ObamaCare, so why not nationalize student loans too?

School districts, including ours, find themselves laboring under state mandates for "college preparation" or "college readiness" to prepare all students, whether they want to attend college or have a prayer of success or not. Many even pay the fees for kids taking the SAT, though with our socialist-inflicted economic woes, I suspect kids will be picking up their own tab this year and in the future. That will probably raise scores a bit.

Charles Murray, you may recall, wrote that interesting and important article wherein he convincingly argues that the minimum IQ necessary for actual academic success in a college with genuinely college level academic requirements is about 115, which translates to the top 10-15% of the population. Coincidentally, this is about the proportion of the population that, until recent years, attended and graduated from college.

But with affirmative action, diversity preferences, rampant grade inflation, the universal use of graduate students as instructors, the profit motive and the universal establishment of all-encompassing remedial programs in colleges everywhere, graduation now commonly takes from five to six years. Unsurprisingly, such changes have grossly devalued the bachelor's degree. No longer can anyone be assured that an undergraduate degree, even from the Ivy League, is a guarantee of the acquisition of a given body of knowledge, a given skill set, or even competence in written and oral expression. In too many cases, it's entirely possible to graduate from college with a major in various nebulous "studies" with a minor in waking up in unfamiliar environs in a pool of one's own vomit.

How did all of this happen? Did an evil invading army impose it on us? Can't we resist what we know to be foolish and ineffective?

We did it to ourselves, and through self-interest, inattention and neglect, allow it to continue. We allowed the SAT tail to wag the college dog. We allowed the testing industry to build sufficient money, influence and political clout to drive rather than serve the needs of education. We allowed state and federal politicians to build lucrative bureaucratic empires under the banner of accountability. We allowed publicly funded universities to become glorified and obscenely expensive high schools. We did it, or at the least, we didn't stop it.

It's pretty discouraging, Bob. I'm left wondering if we have the will to reestablish merit and fiscal sanity. Oh well. When the bell rings, shut the door and teach like your hair is on fire, as always. That's what I do.

Yours,

Mr. English Teacher

Should Obama Administration Officials Face Death Penalty?

Barack Obama's inept Presidency is coming under fire from all corners now, with his top problems now being scandals involving apparent corruption involving a massive loan to Solyndra that involves apparent political payoffs, and a similar bit of corruption that may have threatened national security when the White House attempted to rig the testimony of a general for their campaign donors at LightSquared.

The worst affront, however is Operation Fast and Furious and other suspected gun-walking operations that could not have functioned as a law enforcement endeavor and which only makes sense as an attempt to implement the radical Cloward-Piven strategy and destroy capitalism in America.

Taken in the aggregate with so many of the economic, regulatory, and political moves we've seen since January 20, 2009, it is hard to conclude that the goal of the Obama administration is anything but the intentional destruction of our government.

If this can be proven, should Obama Administration officials face extensive prison time, or do such crimes against the nation warrant the use of the rarely-used implementation of the federal death penalty?

This is not hyperbole by any stretch of the imagination. The details on the Lightsquared scandal are still coming out, but does appear to be at least a nominal threat to our national security and the safety of American servicemen in harm's way.

Gunwalker, in it's various incarnations, armed cartels and domestic criminal gangs with "walked" weapons and turned federal law enforcement agencies into a blocking force that actively kept gun smugglers and their contraband from being intercepted.

They not only armed this nation's enemies when they armed Mexican drug cartels, they ensured that the smugglers themselves would not face arrest during the duration of the operation.

This legally constitutes treason.

TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 115 > § 2381 > Treason

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

Ensuring that our enemies are delivered weapons constitutes levying war, adhering to our enemies, and giving them aid and comfort within the United States and elsewhere is treason, a crime punishable by death.

Barack Obama lauds himself for having so many "firsts" as a President. Considering his actions in office, he may also deserve becoming the first U.S President sent to death row, along with members of his blood-soaked Cabinet.

Top State Prosecutor in Mexico Holds Obama Administration's Gunwalker Responsible for Death of Her Brother, Thousands of Otherse

We can't get the mainstream media to do anything other than cover-up for "Teh Won," but south of the border they see the Administration's Gunwalker gorefest as the massive criminal conspiracy that it is.

Morales said she did not want to draw conclusions before the outcome of U.S. investigations, but that deliberately letting weapons "walk" into Mexico would represent a "betrayal" of a country enduring a drug war that has killed more than 40,000 people.

Concealment of the bloody toll of Fast and Furious took place despite official pronouncements of growing cooperation and intelligence-sharing in the fight against vicious Mexican drug-trafficking organizations. The secrecy also occurred as Mexican President Felipe Calderon and other senior Mexican officials complained bitterly, time and again, about the flow of weapons into Mexico from the U.S.

Patricia Gonzalez, the top state prosecutor in Chihuahua at the time of her brother's 2010 kidnapping, noted that she had worked closely with U.S. officials for years and was stunned that she did not learn until many months later, through media reports, about the link between his death and Fast and Furious weapons.

"The basic ineptitude of these officials (who ordered the Fast and Furious operation) caused the death of my brother and surely thousands more victims," Gonzalez said.

Operation Fast and Furious was just one of at least five alleged gun-walking operations that sent weapons not just to criminals along and over our southern border, but which also purposefully armed gangs in the Midwest.

As the corpses pile up, it seems more and more likely that the ultimate goal of Gunwalker was never law enforcement at all, but a criminal and perhaps treasonous attempt by political ideologues to wreck both the United States and Mexico to create the optimal conditions to achieve a radical leftist dream of destroying the way America works.

As an attempt to impose Cloward-Piven Strategy Gunwalker was almost successful, and if ATF line agents had not blown the whistle on the Administration, it may have stood a chance of succeeding.

It was a high-risk plot that should result in impeachment, resignations, and criminal charges, up to and including the textbook definition of treason for aiding and abetting the enemies of our nation, arming them with weapons used to cut down our own citizens.

We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail in our pursuit of this story.

Evil Exists: A Cautionary Tale For Our Times

I've been out of police work for more than a decade now. In many ways, it seems like only yesterday, yet I know better. Any policeman knows that even when absent from the job for a few weeks of vacation, an edge is lost and must be regained. I know there are many things I've forgotten, not big things, but nuances, insights, personal procedures that helped me to be sharp and effective in my specific duties. Other things, if not exactly forgotten, have faded to the back of my consciousness, painful things, particularly painful things that happened to others, things over which I had no control.

As well as teaching, I'm a professional singer. I'm not on the concert circuit, living out of a suitcase, constantly traveling, conducting master's classes, always hustling to promote myself while hoping against hope that the voice stays healthy. Rather I sing with a fine chorale that is the principal chorus of a fine symphony, and I'm also paid to sing with a metropolitan church choir that has a few hired choral guns, so to speak. This allows the church to do a higher level of music and more of it, which would not be possible by relying merely on volunteers. It's far from a huge amount of money, but it's nice to be paid for all of those years of rehearsal and effort and equally nice to work with nice people who appreciate my efforts.

So it was that in our warm-up rehearsal this morning, before the second service, one of the volunteer members of our choir delivered a painful reminder that in an instant took me back more than a decade. She and her husband are good people, personable folks anyone would like to know, and it was distinctly disturbing to hear her emotion-choked voice, a voice tinged with terror, as she related this cautionary tale.

Last week, one unremarkable morning, my friend's young daughter, the mother of a newborn, was home alone. Her husband was gone to work, when suddenly, the doorbell began insistently ringing and did not stop. Realizing something was very wrong and clutching her newborn to her chest, she peered through the peephole in the front door and saw two unfamiliar black men, one ringing the bell but being careful to lower his face, the other facing away from the door.

She called her young husband who told her to immediately call 911, and as she did, telling her story in a state of confusion and fright, she saw the burglars heading around the house, and she knew they were going to break into her home through the back door. Staying on the line with the police, she locked herself in her bathroom and taking her two small dogs with her, barricaded herself, the dogs and her baby, as best she could, in a closet in that bathroom.

Despite the barking of the dogs, she could hear the burglars breaking through the door. They rattled the doorknob of the bathroom, but did not enter. She heard them ransacking her bedroom and other portions of her home. The terror in my friend's voice as she relived the danger her daughter faced, the horror of what might have happened, was gripping and enraging. As I so often have throughout my police career and my life thereafter, I wished I had been there, for if I had, our community would have been short two predators one way or the other. But as usual, I wasn't there, and I could only listen in frustration.

The police, amazingly, were only about a block away, and in the meantime, my friend's son-in-law had called them and told them what was happening, so they and their son-in-law were racing the police. By the time they arrived, it was all over. Four police cars and four officers were present and they managed to capture the drugged juvenile getaway driver and his car, but the burglars, carrying most of the young couple's jewelry, had leapt the back fence and were long gone. Their TV set was unplugged and set aside for quick removal, but was still present. The young mother was unhurt but fundamentally changed--they all were.

They young parents have not returned to the house—their home—since that morning. They will return only to move their remaining property to another house elsewhere, a house they hope will be safe, a house that may once again become a home. The police told them that home invasion burglaries are an epidemic in their area. They're trying hard to stop them, but results are few and far between. The juvenile they caught will almost certainly lawyer up and say nothing, and because he's a juvenile, will experience no real punishment and will have no incentive to give up his pals.

My friends, their daughter and her husband are Christians. They know intellectually that evil exists. They read about it often and believe that through their Christian faith, they help to fight evil. But until that day, they did not know, did not believe in every fiber of their beings that evil could and would visit them, that it would actively seek them out in their home. They could not imagine that evil would imperil their lives and the life of their child. Certainly, they were aware of the depravity criminals inflict on others every day. They, like most people, shook their heads and sympathized with news accounts of innocent citizens, good people, who have been maimed, raped, even killed by two legged predators, but until last week, it was something that always happened to someone else. No longer.

Over the last year I wrote a five part series titled "Me? Own A Gun?" that explores the practical, ethical, moral and legal issues revolving around gun ownership. Here's how to access that series:

Go here for article 1
Go here for Article 2
Go here for Article 3
Go here for Article 4
Go here for Article 5

But don't go there, don't read that series, until you read the rest of this article after the break.

I didn't pat my friends on the back, nor did I console them. We had a church service to do, other things upon which to concentrate and for them, for all crime victims, that's a good thing. But there are things they need to consider, and I hope they will as they read this article. Many of these things are truisms, aphorisms self-styled elite, anti-gun, anti-freedom "activists" call clichés or mere anecdotes. But as any honest police officer can attest, these aphorisms, and millions of stories just like that of my friends, while anecdotes, are the very face of reality. Let's begin by becoming familiar with criminals, our own domestic terrorists.

THE ENEMY: Most criminals are young males between the ages of say 15 and 25. Fortunately, by the mid twenties, most young men realize that crime is a one-way ticket to jail, death or both and quit, but some never learn. Race depends on where one lives, but statistically, most criminals, particularly in urban areas, are Black or Hispanic, and some racial groups specialize in certain types of crimes.

Fortunately, most criminals aren't particularly smart. The criminal mastermind of TV and the movies is a rare commodity. However, one should not confuse book intelligence with animal cunning and determination, which can serve even dumb criminals well.

Burglars are opportunists. Most will only burglarize homes during the day when there is a substantially lower risk of running into a homeowner. Criminals fear armed homeowners far more than the police because the police are predictable and probably won't kill them unless they do something really stupid. A scared citizen might waste them accidentally, because they take things personally, or just for fun. Most burglars, if they suspect anyone is home, will simply go elsewhere, which greatly lessens their risk. Burglars who enter a home knowing someone is present are very dangerous. Those who will burglarize a home at night, particularly when they know people are present are often deadly.

Most burglars aren't armed with guns, but are almost always armed with knives or other burglary tools that can easily inflict deadly wounds. They may also arm themselves with weapons found in the home. However a growing number of burglars, particularly younger burglars, are carrying handguns, and out of fear, bravado, or simply because they're so wasted on various drugs they have no rational judgment, are willing to use them. Burglars who hit occupied homes at night should always be assumed to be armed with guns and willing, even eager, to use them.

The burglars who hit the young couple's home were practicing common daylight burglary techniques. Knock on the door or ring the bell to be sure no one is home, then sneak around the back where they can't be seen and break in. Even if the home has an alarm system, they can be in and out long before the police arrive, particularly if they're smart enough to use police scanners and/or lookouts. In their case, it's likely the burglars knew the young mother was home and chose to break in anyway despite the certain knowledge that she was calling the police and despite her frantically barking dogs. She is very, very lucky. That locked bathroom door would not have survived a determined assault more than a few seconds.

THE POLICE: There are a great many criminals, far, far more citizen/targets, and very few police. The aphorism is simple: "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away." Our young mother, frightened nearly to death, cowering in a closet, clutching her newborn, hearing two burglars rattling the locked but flimsy door of her bathroom knows that now. The truth of police response time is not something the police want most people to know.

In most communities in America, people would be amazed—and distressed--to learn how few officers are working the streets at any time of the day or night. The day shift is the least staffed of the three daily shifts. If the dispatcher receives your call in a timely manner, if he or she clearly understands what is happening and makes a clear, instructive and timely radio call, officers have a reasonable chance of getting to that call quickly. However, police lore is full of stories of dispatchers who never answered emergency calls, who assigned them a low response priority, or who simply forgot, leaving victims to be beaten, raped, maimed, even killed.

Even if the dispatcher handles your call properly and promptly, officers may not be available or anywhere near your home. Particularly in semi-rural or rural areas, police help can be a half hour or much more away. Even if the first officer arrives within five minutes of your call, he will still have to orient himself and decide what to do before acting. You're in the house; you know exactly what's going on. He may know only that a burglary in progress has been reported at your address. He may—and this is likely—choose to wait for other officers to arrive before acting. How much time did our young mother have?

Without a doubt, the police love to catch bad guys in the act. They love to be the hero. They love to put them away, but even if they caught the burglars invading the young couple's home, they'd probably be out on bond within days, and almost certainly committing other burglaries while awaiting trial. Some are bold enough to repeatedly hit the same homes over and over. What most people don't understand is that the police can't be held liable for failing to protect any given citizen. The law—which has gone all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court—is very clear on this. This may sound outrageous, but what community could afford a police department if it could be successfully sued whenever a criminal harms a citizen?

ALTERNATIVES: As my friends and their son-in-law raced to her aid, what were they prepared, intellectually and physically, to do? Were they armed, well trained and ready to use those arms? If unarmed, did they have any idea what they'd be facing if they confronted the burglars, drug-crazed, habitually violent and armed criminals willing to do anything to escape? They are fortunate in one thing: unlike most people, they now have no doubt about the issues I've raised in this article (and raise in much greater detail in the five-part series). They have no doubt that evil can and will visit them. Hopefully they realize that moving is not proof against future attacks.

When faced with aggression, there are three options: run away, fight, or throw yourself on the mercy of those cruel, stupid and evil enough to attack you without provocation in the first place. Running away is not always an option, as one still terrified young woman now knows. Throwing oneself on the mercy of criminals is the ultimate crap shoot. True, some burglars only want property and will grab and run, or simply run, if confronted. Others will, in a drug-induced rage, savage anyone in their way. Some, if they think they have the time, will engage in a bit of rape or torture, considering it an unanticipated bonus. Some few will kill anyone that sees them to avoid prison or simply because they like killing. Frivolous people often obsess about the motivations of vicious criminals. "Why did he do it?" They ask. "How did society fail them?" The simple truth is that a great many criminals, particularly the most cruel and brutal, do it simply because they like it. What greater motivation do they need?

The third and most effective alternative is firearms. Firearms truly are equalizers that can allow a slight young woman protecting an infant to overpower and stop two far larger, far more violent and determined thugs. With proper training in marksmanship and tactics, virtually anyone can prevail over even determined, armed criminals. In fact, firearms are used as often as two millions times every year in America to stop violent crime, usually without a shot being fired. The media doesn't want you to know that.

At this point, our young couple has choices to make. Why is she alive? Was God watching out for her? Perhaps, but if so, what do we make of all those victims of crime who were not so fortunate?

Some things are certain: Evil does exist and can and will wreak havoc upon anyone without warning. Good intentions and a good and virtuous life are not protection against evil. Practicing the "right" politics is meaningless. Depending on the good will of criminals for your safety is the very definition of insanity.

If you are unable to accept and act upon these simple realities of life, I sincerely wish you good luck. If you do accept reality and wish to be prepared, you have some additional reading to do.

The Horror and Hilarity of "Plan 9 From Outer Space."

At Confederate Yankee we don't do a great deal of literary or cinema criticism, but occasionally, something piques our interest like today's offering. There are some works in a given genre of artistic expression so outstanding that one can't be considered truly educated if they have not experienced and appreciated them. These works such as "The Creation" on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome, or Penny Marshall's "Awakenings" that are examples of the best mankind can produce. They feed the intellect and elevate the soul. Then there are some works so unintentionally wretched that one can't be considered truly amused and entertained unless they have been exposed—in the broadest sense of the word—to them. "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is such a work.

If it's so wretched, why should you see "Plan 9?" It is unintentionally hilarious. Made with the best intentions and with the hope of commercial and artistic success, "Plan 9" is a delightful example of everything that can be incorrectly done in the making of a movie from casting to editing and everything in between.

At the beginning of each school year, I introduce my students to the idea that there is such a thing as good art, as opposed to mere entertainment. Some things are simply so much better than others that they should be appreciated as the best mankind can do. The rest may be well made, technically accomplished, even enormously entertaining, but simply cannot measure up to good art. In many educational and artistic circles, merely making this suggestion is akin to heresy and immediately labels those making it as artistic barbarians. Relativism, you see, trumps all for such elite connoisseurs of the arts. Equally shocking to the elite is the idea that one might understand what is good art and what is mere entertainment by considering and analyzing easily understood criteria such as the screenplay, casting, acting, production values (props, sets, costumes, lighting, sound, makeup, etc.), music, continuity errors and others.

By seeing such obviously bad examples of all of these criteria, my students are able to identify them in good films where the criteria are more subtle and refined. After writing their first critique, they uniformly tell me that they are far better consumers of movies and are immediately aware of bad editing, continuity errors, poor casting, poor direction and all of the other factors that go into making a movie.

With that in mind allow me, gentle readers, to introduce you to the wonders—and horrors—of "Plan 9 From Outer Space."

“Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)” was written, produced and directed by Ed Wood Jr. It stars Bela Lugosi as the old man, Vampira as his dead wife, Tor Johnson as the Inspector and Gregory Walcott as the pilot. Ed Wood Jr. tried to combine science fiction and horror plots in a single film and shopped the result around Hollywood, but none of the studios would touch it.

Wood was an interesting character, and his life is chronicled in Tim Burton's delightful 1994 film "Ed Wood." Johnny Dep played Wood and Martin Landau, playing Bela Lugosi, won a well-deserved Academy Award for his role in that film. Among Wood's other accomplishments was the film (his first) "Glen Or Glenda?" which is the touching tale of a man who likes to wear women's clothing. Wood was obviously ahead of his time.

Desperate to make "Plan 9," Wood was able to convince a local church to put up money for the production, but there was a catch: The youth pastor—Walcott--would be cast as the pilot/hero.

“Plan 9” is about a race of aliens worried that Earth is about to discover an ultimate weapon—the Solarbonite--that will explode the very particles of sunlight and destroy the universe. The aliens plan (Plan 9) to stop the Earthlings by raising the dead, which they think will force humanity to acknowledge their existence.

The screenplay is ridiculous. The dialogue is silly and Wood is enamored of some words, like "there," often using them three of more times in a single sentence. At times when there should be dialogue there is none, such as when several policemen are knocked down by the exhaust of a passing flying saucer. They stand up and say nothing at all. During the climax of the film, several Earthlings confront two aliens in their flying saucer. The alien’s explanation for their actions—supposedly hi-tech science--makes no sense, and he tells the Earthlings they have “...stupid minds, stupid, stupid!”

The casting is a large part of the deranged charm of the film. Tor Johnson was a Swedish professional wrestler, but his accent made him very hard to understand. The only real actor in the cast was Bela Lugosi who originally played Dracula. But he died shortly after filming began, so Wood replaced him with a younger, taller actor who had more and lighter hair, who unsuccessfully tried to conceal his identity by holding his cape-covered arm in front of his face. Wood couldn't afford to reshoot Bela's footage, so for the rest of the film, the two Belas pop in and out of scenes in random order. The actor who played an Army Colonel had only one facial expression, particularly in the final, climactic scene. Vampira, a local late night TV horror movie hostess played Bela's dead wife. Wood also seems fond of drunks, showing two—one picking up a newspaper, and one swearing off booze—to no particular effect.

Ironically, the only two real actors in the film—Lugosi and Vampira—have not a single line between them. Vampira's entire role consisted of walking around zombie-like and shaking her fingers at people, somehow killing them. And even as Lugosi actually died shortly after filming began, his character is killed in the first 10 minutes of the film, but if the viewer isn't paying attention, it's entirely possible to miss it.

Perhaps the most eccentric performance in the film is the alien leader who seems perpetually about to fall asleep and moves and speaks in slow motion. But the best part of his performance is his obvious reading of his script from a desktop. At one point, he actually picks it up and reads from it.

The film’s production values are endlessly cheesy. The cockpit of the pilot’s airliner had a clock painted on a paper plate, cardboard steering yokes and a $1.98 plastic shower curtain separating the cockpit from the passengers. The graveyard, where much of the action takes place, is always dark and foggy, and the tombstones and single crypt are obviously made of cardboard. The graveyard set is so small actors have to walk at a snail's pace to avoid walking off the set entirely, and when running, are shown running through the same few feet of the set over and over again. The lighting is very poor because of the low budget; there are always heavy, dark shadows behind every actor. The aliens use wooden desks, 1950's radio equipment, office chairs, and even cardboard boxes.
The special effects are probably the funniest part of the film. The flying saucers are obviously made of pie plates, which constantly wobble when flying. The fishing lines that suspend them are often visible and they are always out of proportion to the setting and background. At the end of the movie, a flying saucer catches on fire and looks just like what it probably is: two pie plates doused in lighter fluid.

Wood's direction is a textbook example of movie mistakes. Most of the actors have no expressions on their faces, or only one expression no matter what is happening. Often, the camera switches, for no apparent reason, from a speaking actor to another stony faced, silent actor. The film is full of jump cuts, and there are so many continuity errors the film is essentially one large continuity error. A police Lieutenant is not exactly a poster boy for gun safety, scratching himself with the barrel of his revolver and pointing it at himself and everyone in sight at every opportunity.

Continuity errors occur primarily because movies aren't filmed in chronological sequence. An actor might forget to replace a washed off tattoo after lunch, which suddenly appears on his arm before the viewer's eyes, or a woman who falls in to a lake is dry seconds later. Good directors have people to watch for and eliminate these mistakes; Wood obviously didn't, no doubt due to his tiny budget (supposedly about $60,000).

In one scene, an all black police car departs for a crime scene in the dark. In the next few frames, it speeds to the scene of the crime in daylight and the car suddenly has two lights on the roof and is an entirely different model. A few frames later, when it arrives—again in the dark—it's an entirely different model with white doors and two lights and a siren on the roof. Only once in the film does a police car leave and arrive with the same emergency equipment. The movie flips from day to night and back throughout the film, yet every funeral save one takes place at night in a graveyard where all the vegetation is dead. Airborne, the flying saucers appear to be smoothly rounded, circular and shiny. But landed they are square, have sharp right angles, are dull gray, and have ladders that appear to go nowhere affixed to walls.

The music is of the loud, horn-intense kind common in 1950s horror movies. It's generally dark and dramatic, and the same music plays over and over throughout the film, even when nothing dark and dramatic is happening. At one point, a skeleton is revealed and there is a loud, momentary blast of dramatic music, but it wasn’t scary or dramatic at all. At another, the music dramatically blasts, and in the silence immediately following, a cardboard tombstone topples into an open grave only six inches deep.

In the climactic final scene, during a confrontation in a flying saucer, the saucer catches on fire, takes off and explodes. The aliens have mastered interstellar travel, but can't put out a fire. The explosion--which looks like a firecracker going off in a bundle of talcum powder--doesn’t solve anything. One flying saucer blew up, but the film showed many more and even a space station (which resembles a Dairy Queen sign), so nothing is resolved. The aliens are still around and can return whenever they want.

"Plan 9 From Outer Space" is a cult classic because it's an enormously campy, unintentionally funny film made by a man who did his best. It's not "The Creation," but it's an inexpensive and funny way to spend a bit of leisure time. In a way, Wood found the cinematic immortality he sought, just not as he intended. Life is funny that way.

The Literature Corner: It's Not A Good Day To Die

Police officers are often called upon to do things they know may not be the smartest thing to do. Duty compels them, and in doing what may appear to be the right thing, what appears to be a kindness, they may do the opposite.

This true story illustrates that eternal contradiction of police work, a contradiction brought on by the fact that they have to deal with the human race.

It’s Not a Good Day to Die

I came to a complete stop as I hit the intersection. Four lanes every direction--the light was against me and even with my lights flashing and siren blaring, people weren’t catching on. Smart cops don’t blast through intersections; they make eye contact with every driver in sight and crawl through, just in case. If you get into an accident you have to stop, and you don’t help anyone if you get creamed on the way to an emergency.

I could see him clearly from two blocks away. He was sitting on the ledge of the tallest building in town--the ledge of choice for suicide gestures: The Hilton. It was only eight stories high, but that was five or so more than enough to do the trick. Great, just great. Probably just a suicide gesture. He’s half way over the ledge. Most don’t go that far. Not good. His uncoordinated, jerky movement suggested that he was major league drunk.

My backup was still about a mile off when I arrived. A hotel security guy was waiting at the elevator. He was apologetic. There had been maintenance work on a rooftop air conditioning unit and someone forgot to lockout the elevator roof access. Is this elevator slower than usual? Will he still be there when I get to the top?

He was. And he was standing on the roof, leaning against the four-foot high ledge. I managed to get within about 25 feet before he spotted me and clumsily oozed back onto the ledge, facing inward toward me. Great. I was right; he’s drunk as hell. Looks familiar...

“Joe; Joe Black Wolf; is that you?”

“I’m gonna jump you sum’bish. I’m gonna do it. I wanna jump,” he slurred in an excited voice.

It’s Joe. What is this? His fifth suicide gesture so far this year?

I decided to play dumb. It was about 4:30 PM, dark and overcast. A numbing wind pulsed over the roof, creaking and whistling eerily in the thicket of antennas and machinery. I’ll pretend I can’t hear him; with the wind, he might buy it. I cupped my ears and shrugged whenever he said something.

“Joe, I can’t hear you,” I yelled. ‘It’s the wind. Listen Joe, I’m just gonna come close enough so I can hear you. I promise I won’t come any closer, OK?”

“I’m gonna do it! You ain’t stoppin’ me!” Joe yelled and clumsily swung his legs over the top of the ledge, letting one dangle on each side. I was still about 15 feet from him when he yelled something angry and unintelligible and swung both legs over the ledge.

Geez...not now! The toe of Joe’s left shoe caught the ledge, and he pitched forward. My mind was racing. Any good cop tries to stay in what firearm guru Jeff Cooper calls “condition yellow.” A relaxed alertness, it demands some degree of constant concentration and always thinking ahead. You take in everything around you and ask “what if?” What if that guy walking toward me with his hand in his coat pulls a gun? What if that car that’s swerving a little toward the centerline crosses it in the next few seconds? What will I do? Where can I go? What if Joe is so drunk he kills himself accidentally?

Damn! No way can I get to him in time if he goes over. Man, this doesn’t look good, he’s almost lost it… Without thinking, I hustled within six feet of him before he somehow stopped falling and slowly righted himself. God looks out for cops and drunks, I guess. It all took no more than three seconds.

He eyeballed me to see what I was doing. He didn’t like me being that close, but I lucked out, at least for a few minutes. His near fall shook him up. Given his past history of suicide gestures, and his present fear of falling, I thought I had a reasonable chance to talk him down.

“Sum’bish! I ain’t takin’ this no more! You get back! I’m gonna do it! I don’ care!” And to illustrate his point, he began pushing himself over the ledge until he was sitting only about halfway on the ledge and halfway into the great beyond. He was even more shaky, a massive jolt of adrenaline mixing with the booze and whatever else he’d sucked down.

My deaf act wouldn’t work anymore. “Joe, relax man, I’m not gonna grab you. I just want to listen, OK? I promise, no closer. We’ll just talk.” I held my arms open, palms toward him (body language counts), and gently edged toward the ledge, keeping the same relative distance between us. I could always back off if I had to, but I didn’t want to surrender any ground. If I could distract him with talk, he might forget how close I was. If I had to make a dive for him, I wanted to be against the edge for support. Maybe, just maybe, his falling 180+ pounds wouldn’t drag me over with him. Maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t have to release him to save myself. Maybe I wouldn’t watch him fall only to wake up in a gasping, soaking wet adrenaline rush, over and over for the rest of my life.

Another officer was trying to come up from behind Joe, but Joe had experience. He chose a part of the roof with a good view from all angles. There was no real cover for my partner. He glanced behind us and spotted the other cop. My heart leapt into my throat. Joe’s face got red, he began shaking and shifted his weight until just about all that kept him from doing a Superman was his shaky hands and the friction between the threadbare seat of his filthy jeans and the outside corner of the ledge. “You ain’t trickin’ me! I ain’t takin’ this! I’m gonna do it this time! I got nothin! I’m goin!”

“Joe! Listen to me!” He was seriously thinking about it. “Joe!” I shouted as loudly as I could in my most authoritative command voice. He winced and turned his head to look at me. “Joe, I’m gonna have him leave; look Joe. Watch; he’ll leave now.” I calmly but emphatically gestured for my partner to withdraw. He hesitated. Cops like to act, to be in control. If you’re not close enough to try to grab a jumper, you’ve got no control. He didn’t like what I was asking him to do, but he backed off.

“See Joe? He’s leaving. Like I said, I’m not going to grab you. Come on now, you’re awful close to falling. Come back on the ledge a little more. You can always jump later. What’s a little talk gonna hurt? Come on Joe, I’ve always been good to you, haven’t I?”

I barely knew Joe. I arrested him for having an open container about a year earlier. I treated him humanely, but we really had no relationship. I needed to try to create one, fast, even if it was only in his mind.

When my partner disappeared behind a huge air conditioner about 10 yards away, Joe turned his attention back to me and carefully, slowly, pulled himself back up until he was sitting fully on the ledge again. Another good sign. He was shaking like a palsied chicken. Not a good sign. He was so agitated and spastic he could go over accidentally.

“What’s up Joe? Why are you here?”

“I don’ care,” he slurred and sadly shook his head, mumbling incoherently.

“Joe, I care. What’s goin’ on?” Within the last few minutes, I managed, moving millimeters at a time, to ease within about five feet. I could jump him and stand a good chance of dumping him on the roof, flat on his back. Even if he did jump, I’d probably be able to grab enough of him or his clothing to hold him until my partner and the small crowd of security guys and hotel staff hovering at the rooftop door could get to me and help. Probably.

Joe started sobbing. Turns out his relatives had thrown him out. The Lakota have a tradition of taking care of their relatives, even distant relatives. If one shows up, drunk and sloppy at your door, it’s the worst kind of bad manners--maybe even a betrayal of your shared heritage--if you don’t give them a place to sleep and share what you have. Joe had even worn out that welcome, at least temporarily--quite an accomplishment.

I turned toward the ledge and appeared--to Joe--to be leaning on it, listening and nodding. Body language is important between men, and particularly to Indians. You don’t want to make too much eye contact, and you can’t expect every second to be filled with conversation. White folks get uncomfortable if the air between them isn’t thick with chat. Not so with Indians. So I waited, nodded, and appeared to be staring off into space, relaxed, comfortable. I could see him clearly out of the corner of my eye. My knees were slightly bent; I was ready to pounce on him.

Joe’s problems alternated between anger at his relatives for betraying their heritage and anger at himself for being a drunk. Joe didn’t like himself much, and he wasn’t doing any better with others. But as we talked, he swung one leg back over to the roof side of the ledge. Five minutes later, both legs were over the roof side.

He was facing me, and making more regular eye contact. I turned to face him, leaning on the ledge with my left elbow. To Joe, I was completely relaxed and no threat. Another few minutes, and Joe was standing on the roof, but both hands still clamped the ledge. He was letting me know that he was ready to climb back up. There was no way I’d allow that to happen, but he didn’t know it. I could have jumped him, wrestled him to the roof and ended it, but that wasn’t absolutely necessary. I had the time.

“Well Joe,” I asked, “whatcha wanna do?”

He was puzzled. I was giving him options. He had to think about that one awhile. “I dunno,” he finally said. He was looking for an out, a way to back down gracefully. I had to come up with one.

I don’t know why, but a line from the classic Dustin Hoffman western Little Big Man popped into my mind. I turned back toward the ledge and Joe did the same. People often unconsciously mimic each other’s body language. I gestured all around us at the overcast sky, the hazy Black Hills, and the growing swarm of evening traffic. “Joe, look at everything around you. The Hills, the sky; it’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

He nodded gravely.
;
“This is not a good day to die.”

Joe nodded emphatically and we turned away from the ledge together. Our minds were made up.

I took a step and put my left arm around his shoulders. Joe put his arm around my shoulders. He was big time relieved. In a traditional Western, we’d cut our thumbs, press them together, exchange some blood and become brothers for life. That was before AIDS--so much for brotherhood. “C’mon Joe. Let’s get outta here,” I said. Joe was smiling and nodded his assent.

I didn’t put my arm around him to be friendly. I wanted physical control in case he changed his mind. I could feel the slightest tension or change of intent. Without Joe feeling forced, I could gently guide him where I wanted him to go. And with my left side to him, my handgun was safely out of his reach. Cops always have to think about that.

We drove, conversing amiably, to the mental health lock up. Joe told me about the time his sister passed out in a low rent bar’s bathroom and nearly drowned before he found her and pulled her head out of the stool. Man! Them was good times, wasn’t they?

At the lockup I kept Joe occupied with chat and motion and coaxed him into removing everything he was wearing that might be dangerous. Then we sat together, cross-legged on the floor of his bare walled suicide watch cell, and I listened and nodded. It never hurts to build up some positive capital with your repeat customers. I was careful to sit just out of reach.

Thirty minutes later, Joe fell into a deep, boozy sleep, and I tucked him in--without a blanket--and left. He looked content--and deflated.

I did my job, but I felt no elation. Maybe I saved a life, but somehow I didn’t think I accomplished anything--postponed the inevitable, maybe.

Maybe it would have been a good day to die.

Gunwalker: Despite More Confirmed Deaths, Obama's DOJ Continues Ttying to Cover-Up the Conspiracy

My latest update on this treasonous Administration's plot to arm drug cartels and street gangs on both sides of the border is posted at Pajamas Media

Barack Obama: The Shocking Truth Finally Revealed!

NEWSFLASH: Barack Obama is a three-headed space alien from Alpha Centuri sent to Earth to kidnap women and the American economy because Alpha Centuri needs women and an economy! Confederate Yankee has done it again, breaking stories no sane blog will touch!

According to high ranking Administration sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, the stories about Mr. Obama’s ineligibility for office are true, but not as many have imagined. Rather than being merely foreign born, he was born—actually hatched--outside our solar system! “He has a personal concealment field that hides his true appearance and carries around ferocious space weasels in his trousers,” one source revealed to CY.

In another CY exclusive, another Administration source revealed a matter that has been vexing the public since NY Times' House Republican David Brooks' drooling article over Mr. Obama's pants creases: “They [the space weasels] maintain the creases Brooks drooled over, using unfathomable alien pant creasing technology."

Yet another female Administration source told CY: "You can’t imagine the havoc they’ve wreaked in the female staffer’s washroom. I mean they just pop out anywhere and women disappear!”

Rumors of missing female staffers have long swirled around the Obama White House. Another anonymous staffer provided this revealing e-mail. Written by a female staffer that has not been seen since the July 2nd date of the e-mail, it provides a chilling perspective on working in the White House:

From: Name Redacted
To: Jay Carney

Re: Ferocious Space Weasels

I can’t take it any more! Everywhere I go, I’m being pursued by these crazed weasels! I’m going through five pair of shredded pantyhose a week! And every time I see Mr. Obama, I swear he has three heads! And…wait a minute…what’s that noise…Oh, Mr. President, it’s you…what are you….AAIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE…..

Presidential Press Secretary Jay Carney spoke with CY by phone: “I’ve never heard of Miss Redacted, er, whatever her name was, and I have no comment about space weasels" Carney said. "As for Mr. Glorgscarch, er, I mean Mr. Obama, I…AAIIIIEEEEEEEEE…”

Repeated requests for comment from Mr. Obama have gone without reply amid growing rumors of odd, glowing spacecraft landing on the East Lawn of the White House at irregular intervals.

CY will continue to follow this shocking story and report developments as they become available.

Can I be reported to Mr. Obama’s People’s Block Committee site, “Attack Watch” now, pretty please? It’s your Socialist duty! Join the glorious people’s revolution and report your neighbor or your parents today! Support the wise and glorious leader of the people's revolution! Show him how much you love him!

DISCLAIMER: Mr. Obama is not actually a three-headed space alien with ferocious space weasels in his neatly creased trousers. As far as we know.

... Of a Miserable Failure

In 2007 and 2008 the signs were there and all too vivid for those who cared to look.

Unrepentant and continual contact with not one, but two of America's most infamous political terrorists. Ties to another mentor who was both an admitted child rapist and a radical. Befriending a radical priest that advocates lynching. Spending more than two decades in a radical church that is a blend of Marxist political theory and racial supremacy.

An short and undistinguished political career marked by radical positions, when he would even take a position at all. An incomplete, sometimes contradictory personal history and an unwillingness to divulge everything from his associates to his collegiate records. The padding of his resume.

But he was new, and charismatic. He was a handsome and gifted speech reader with a on-pitch delivery and a vague promise of "hope and change" at a time when much of the nation wanted to simply pretend everything that had happened from 9/11/01 onward was just a bad dream.

He wasn't a candidate.

He was an escapist fantasy for a nation worn down by protracted wars and deep domestic divisions. Looked at it objectively with the benefit of hindsight, it seems obvious that the Democratic Party could have run almost any fresh-faced candidate and won against the feeble and caustic old man offered up by Republicans.

Barack Obama was then, and always has been... a miserable failure (NSFW).

We all know that now.

Between arming drug cartels and street gangs with guns and grenades, and using his position to press for loans to campaign donors, Barack Obama will be lucky if his legacy is something other than a prison library.

We did this to ourselves and deserve every bit of what we're getting, America.

Perhaps you should research your candidates a little deeper next time, and cast your vote for someone with a proven track record of leadership, and not, as Obama has given us, "just words."

Quick Takes, September 15, 2011

ITEM: Can He Pull It Off? Can Rick Perry defeat Barack Obama? Josh Kraushaar at National Journal thinks he can, and his arguments are persuasive. See what you think. Discuss.

ITEM: Rational Information On Social Security: Go here to find out some essential, little-known facts about social Security and why we should be worried if our feckless politicians won't do anything about it and soon--very worried.

ITEM: The Majesty Of The Law and Progressive Justice: Remember the much bandied-about incident between Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices Ann Walsh Bradley (Progressive) and David Prosser (Conservative)? Bradley charged Prosser in a fury and then cried "victim," claiming that Prosser choked her. Go here to read about the police investigative report. It might give one reason to be seriously concerned for Bradley's mental health, if one lived in Wisconsin, except that just about every self-identified progressive thereabouts seems to be in the same tipsy boat these days. Rational WI attorney Ann Althouse's take is here. No, I don't mean there is any such place as "Rational, WI." I think that would probably be illegal in Wisconsin. I mean that Ms. Althouse is rational. You'll see.

ITEM: Bailout! When Barack Obama took over GM and Chrysler, I traded my nearly new Dodge in on a Ford Escape, and haven't regretted it for a second, philosophically or mechanically. I've since purchased another new Ford and it's simply a fine car. As long as our government has anything to do with GM and Chrysler, I won't so much as touch one of their products. Go here for a brief video that expresses similar sentiments, as well as a bit of patriotism.

ITEM: As The Weiner Turns: Wouldn't that be a great name for a soap opera set in a predominantly Democrat, Jewish Congressional district in New York City? It would be ruled by Democrats since 1922 until…September 13 when Republican businessman and political novice Bob Turner defeated the Democrat anointed to take Anthony Weiner's seven-term seat. Go here for the story. Oh yes, the White House tells us this win—by 8 points--and another Republican landslide in Nevada are not a referendum on Barack Obama. Of course not! Who would imagine such a thing?!

ITEM: The Very Definition of Chutzpah: DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (who happens to be Jewish), blathering about the Turner upset in NY-9, claimed that Barack Obama will always receive the Jewish vote because of his strong record on Israel. Do the Israelis know about this record? Aren't those guys--you know--Jews? And NY Dem. Senator Chuck Schumer (who also happens to be Jewish) blamed the loss on the fact that NY-9, the district he once represented, is just too darned--Jewish. Perhaps he ought to have a chat with Ms. Wasserman-Schultz to see about a bit of story synching. Go here for the hilarity. There has to be a "a Jew walked into a bar…" joke in this somewhere.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Agriculture Division: I was shocked, shocked(!) to discover that the EPA is now regulating farmers out of business. I know the geniuses at the EPA are trying to reduce us to a medieval standard of living (living?), but they do know we need to eat—don't they? Farmers are concerned. Go here to find out why.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Wasting $528 Million of Taxpayer Money Division: I was shocked, shocked(!) to learn that the Obama White House pressured government budget analysts who knew that solar panel maker Solyndra was in deep financial trouble to support that $528 million loan to Solyndra in time for a Joe Biden "ain't green grand?" photo op. As readers know, Solyndra recently went belly up. Ain't no sunshine when they gone. Go here to read the sad story.

ITEM: "Everyone Knew That The Plant Wouldn't Work: So says an ex-Solyndra employee who recently told Mark Levin that the company was producing such poor quality solar panels that at least $100,000 a day had to be thrown away. You don't suppose that sort of thing could, you know, over the long term, lead to bankruptcy, do you? Go here to find out.

ITEM: Surely They're Not Going To Do It Again? Not with the FBI and just about anyone else with a badge and gun investigating Solyndra? Yes they are, and don't call me Shirley. Go here to the beautiful and bright Michelle Malkin to learn, among other things, that the Obama Administration continues to dole out megabucks for green failure. They really can't learn from history, can they? Lord Acton was right.

ITEM: You Don't Say? "With South Carolina an early presidential primary state, many expect Republican hopefuls to hammer this issue as an example of this administration’s policies hampering job creation."

I'm referring, of course, to the NLRB's attempt to prevent Boeing from opening up its multi-billion dollar South Carolina plant at the behest of union machinists in Washington State. It seems South Carolina cruelly doesn't allow union bosses and thugs to run the state, so the NLRB is playing the heavy: "nice little state youse got dere. Be a shame if anyting was to happen to it." The House of Representatives is poised to go after the NLRB. The Dem-controlled Senate seems less interested (surprise!) Go here for the story.

Just a thought: With unions an ever-shrinking portion of the public sector, is behaving like particularly vicious and spoiled little thugs the way to make friends and influence people? Discuss.

ITEM: Remember The Good Old Days of Communism? You know, when citizens on every block were paid informers for the state? When every phone was tapped, every apartment was bugged, children were encouraged to turn in their parents, and everyone betrayed everyone? Remember the starvation, the alcoholism, the brutality, the dehumanization, the crushing, state imposed poverty of mind, body, spirit and bank account? Well happy days are here again! The Obama Campaign has established "Attack Watch" where all good socialists can inform on anyone daring to disagree with the Dear Leader, The One, His Most Majestic Highness, Barack H. Obama, Defender of the Faithless, Protector of the Holy Union Halls, Bard of the Teleprompter, to the glorious worker's revolution! Honey, where's my "Che" t-shirt?

ITEM: Oh Yeah, They Deserve This! Go here for a fine parody of Attack Watch! Let the laughter at these humorless and witless twits commence and never cease!

ITEM: Uh, the Dems Are Voting Against It?! It seems Mr. Obama's glorious Stimulus II which we must pass "right away" without reading it or knowing what's in it (it's the Obama way!) is already being shot full of holes by his own party (Uh-oh! I'm using such uncivil language. I must remember to chastise myself later). Hmm. Could losing NY-9, Mr. Obama's job approval in CA(!?) dropping to record lows and his overall approval going down in flames have anything to do with it? Ed Morrissey at Hot Air thinks so. Me too. Go here. See what you think.

ITEM: Fast And Furious—Again: It keeps getting better and better, unless of course you're a Mexican citizen being killed with guns our government shipped to Mexican drug cartels. Three more F & F guns have turned up in murders and related mayhem in Mexico. Go here for details. Remind me again why a special prosecutor hasn't already been appointed?

ITEM: Lawyer Becomes Stripper! No, it's not an Onion parody; it's the real thing. Go here for the interesting story about "Carla," drowning in law school debt, who turned her financial life around when no other options were possible. It's at once sad and heartening. At least this is a woman relying on her own resources to pay her bills rather than claiming victim status and taking a ride on the public gravy train. Food for thought.

ITEM: Has Obama Learned Anything? Peter Wehner at Commentary has an interesting, brief article by that name. He concludes:

" If you dig beneath the rationalizations and the excuses, the field of strawmen, and the barrage of attacks on the motives of his opponents, one can only wonder: In his quiet moments, during times of self-reflection, has Obama –an educated and literate man — learned much of anything from all this?"

Notice Wehner's careful parsing: "an educated and literate man." Mr. Obama presumably has the credentials of higher education, though no confirmation of his educational accomplishments is available. And as a result of all that exposure to educational opportunity--substantial evidence exists to indicate that he did not avail himself of that opportunity—he has presumably gained some degree of literacy as evidenced by his ability to swivel his neck like a deranged automaton while reading a teleprompter. What may be missing is any real evidence of intelligence—other than the kind of feral cunning necessary to survive in the snake pit of Chicago machine politics—and common sense. Without them, Mr. Obama has no chance to learn anything (I know; I'm assuming he might actually be open to learning anything. Can't be cynical 100% of the time.). Discuss.

ITEM: The Post-Foreign Policy Presidency: You must go here to read Ambassador John Bolton's most recent article on Mr. Obama's foreign policy fecklessness at National Review online. It's a rare opportunity to learn from an actual foreign policy expert who is not only capable of representing America, but can accurately identify America's friends, enemies, and her national interests 100% of the time. That's why the Dems opposed him at every turn. To paraphrase Mr. Obama, you must read this article, right away! Read this article! If you love me, you'll read this article!

ITEM: The Not Ready For Prime Time Presidency: Go here to my favorite Bookworm's site for a neat bit of exposure of the undeniable fact that Mr. Obama has no class—none at all. Come to think of it, he's lacking in compassion, decency, self-restraint, honesty, courage, humility, (add your category here) _______________...

ITEM: Up For A Bit Of High-Powered Satire? Go here for a great piece on our good friends on the Left by David Kahane.

ITEM: Life Goes On: For a charming reminder that for most other species, life goes on and self-reliance is the only option, visit Zoo Borns. Loads of "awwwww!" moments (particularly the baby gorilla) and a bit of fun in the middle of our daily bustle.

And with that bit of relaxation and a gentle reminder of our place in the universe, I'll thank you for stopping by, bid you a fond farewell, and encourage you to stop by again next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes! We'll leave the key under the mat.

Too Dumb to Check: Obama Has Clinical Depression?

His economy is depressed, his poll numbers are depressed, his agenda is depressing, so yeah, it fits.

Real-Time Animation Of Obama's Poll Numbers

Quick...someone report me to Stormfront Attackwatch!

EV Update for Sept. 14, 2011

It seems that reality is catching up to the electric vehicle scam after all. Oh, it’s not catching up quite quickly enough to prevent the Federal government from wasting untold millions buying thousands of Chevy Volts and all of their related charging paraphernalia, which, post-Obama (if we are very, very lucky, in 2012) will be worth less than the salvage value of their respective parts. At least Mr. Obama will have established yet another first: instead of the government buying cheap, stripped down vehicles, it will be buying expensive vehicles that work poorly, don’t deliver more than a fraction of the mileage promised, cost two arms and two legs to repair, and have the trade-in value of a used hamburger.

The economics of EV ownership continue to be terrible: vehicles like the Volt—which isn’t a true electric car but a very complex pseudo hybrid—and the Nissan Leaf—which is a true electric car—easily cost up to twice as much as comparable conventional vehicles. In fact, one could easily buy the most luxurious conventional analog possible and still have from $10,000 to $20,000 left in their pocket compared to the cost of a Volt or Leaf. As I’ve reported in the recent past (here), because of the huge outlay in initial purchase price, even if a Volt or Leaf owner actually realizes the ridiculously optimistic mileage guesses of the EPA and GM and Nissan, they will never break even on fuel costs alone over a comparable conventionally powered vehicle. All of the promised savings on fuel are, in effect, fairy dust and unicorn horns: wonderful to tell, but never actually seen.

Additional Links For This Article:

(1) Go here for a story about Costco in California removing EV charging stations.

(2) Go here for a Patrick Michaels story in Forbes on the ever-unfortunate economic realities of the Volt and of Mr. Obama's meddling in GM.

(3) Go here for Allah Pundit's update on quickly diminishing public interest in the Volt.

(4) Go here for a Fox News story, which speculates that the Volt is already, so to speak, out of gas.

(5) Go here to PACNW Righty where Rob has a similar take on the never-improving fortunes of the Volt.

No doubt, there are some who still want to buy such vehicles. But once we eliminate people who gaze wistfully at posters of Al Gore, environmentalist basket cases who seek rolling greenie street cred and the wealthy who can buy and discard the latest four wheeled techno-toy the way they change Rolexes, the market outlook for EVs is grim indeed, particularly considering the probability that not only does GM make no money on every Volt it sells, it is likely losing money. In a free-market economy, the Volt would never have been given the production nod. Only the age of Obama has made it possible, but even the awesome power of hopenchange can never make it economically viable.

Ah, but the charging infrastructure necessary to make EVs viable is being installed all over the nation! Not quite. Let’s travel (under gas power) to California where Costco is, to abuse a metaphor, pulling the plug on EVs. Despite having chargers available to the public for many years, even in greenie paradise, economic reality still holds sway and Costco is removing all of their EV chargers.

“Please be advised that this electric charger will be removed on August 15th, 2011. Sorry for the inconvenience," a note at a CA Costco said.

“'We were early supporters of electric cars, going back as far as 15 years. But nobody ever uses them,' said Dennis Hoover, the general manager for Costco in northern California… 'At our Folsom store, the manager said he hadn’t seen anybody using the E.V. charging in a full year. At our store in Vacaville, where we had six chargers, one person plugged in once a week.'”

"Mr. Hoover said that E.V. charging was 'very inefficient and not productive' for the retailer. 'The bottom line is that there are a lot of other ways to be green,' he said. 'We have five million members in the region, and just a handful of people are using these devices.'”

And the bad news just keeps coming. Patrick Michaels at Forbes notes:

"President Obama recently reminded General Motors‘ stockholders, all 311 million of us, that he’s calling the shots at America’s largest automaker, when he told an audience in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, that freedom to market was the price for the bailout: 'If we are going to help you [GM], then you have also got to change your ways'” And then he stated the ways: electric cars, and isn’t it great that jillions of taxpayer dollars are being thrown at battery manufacturers?"

"Never mind that no one has figured out how to produce a comfortable electric car at an affordable (non-subsidized) price that has enough range to be practical for the most of us."

"Carrying a $41,000 base MSRP and a $7,500 tax break, the Volt is either going to be the biggest bust since the Edsel, or a niche car with very modest sales. It is not, repeat, not the wave of the future. It’s just too impractical for a large number of everyday drivers."

Volt and Leaf sales remain at levels that would give rational auto executives heart attacks, and it is becoming apparent that the Volt can't even meet Mr. Obama's new CAFÉ standards. Michaels continues:

"Outside of that electric range, the Volt gets significantly worse gas mileage than a host of cars costing a lot less. Recently, Consumer Reports stated that the average mpg with the internal combustion engine on was a mere 29. Factor in that GM recommends high-test gas, and the effective mileage is down to 27. This will never sell a lot of Volts, especially as MPGs are increasing in conventional vehicles, but that’s the price of lugging around 400 pounds of batteries and multiple electric motors. Put another way, unless it is only used as a short-range commuter, the Volt will never meet the Obama Administration’s fuel economy standard of 54.5mpg in 2025."

Micheals concludes:

"GM’s CEO Dan Akerson has famously stated that the Volt “could be the future of GM”. Those of us with a stake in GM, and that’s all of us, should hope that the operative word is “could” –and that Akerson’s statement was just political dues required for GIC membership, where the Volt is the flagship."

Let's hope indeed, fellow shareholders in GM, that Mr. Obama's vaunted business sense and intellectual brilliance doesn't produce the same results produced with our collective investment in solar panel maker Solyndra. Allah Pundit at Hot Air outlined the badly flagging interest in the Volt:

"[A] new study by CNW marketing raises a red flag, finding that the potential buyers GM is most counting on are rapidly losing interest in the Volt. In March, 21% of so-called Early Adapters said they were “very likely” to consider buying a Volt, while 38.1% said they were 'likely' to do the same. That slipped to 14.6% saying 'very likely' in July, and 31.1% 'likely.' Among EV Enthusiasts, reports the CNW study, the number of those likely or very likely to consider Volt fell from a combined 71% to 51% during the same four-month period."

“'It’s way too early to tell, but the signs aren’t encouraging,' said CNW’s chief analyst Art Spinella. When it comes to mainstream consumers Volt has all but slipped off the radar screen, only about 3% of new car buyers likely to consider the Chevrolet Volt, the analyst added. The big problem is the plug-in’s price, CNW data indicate."

It's good to see that others are finally noticing what I've been writing for a very long time: The Volt makes no economic sense. Fox News is also concerned about the Volt's abysmal sales:

"Only 302 of the plug-in hybrids were delivered to customers [in August], up from 125 in July."

"Of the 2,395 cars that were produced in August, a GM spokesman tells FoxNews.com that a third are in transit and another 700 or so earmarked for dealers for use as demos as new markets for the car are added across the country. So, even with production up to steam, the supply chain isn’t quite at full speed.

Nevertheless, GM has repeatedly said that it will sell 10,000 Volts by the end of 2011, and reconfirmed that goal for this report. The total stands at approximately 3,772.
With over 7,500 built since production began in late 2010, many of which are tied up as demos, and production currently running at 150 cars a day, GM is certainly on track to build more than 10,000 cars by Christmas break, but are the customers there to buy them?"

Rob at PACNW Righty and I have been writing about this issue for some time, and I don't think there is any doubt that the customers are not and will not be there to buy them. The Volt is a creation of the Obama Administration's irrational policy preferences, preferences that have nothing whatever to do with the reality of the free market, and are, in fact, diametrically opposed to the dynamics of the free market.

Obamites start with what they believe everyone ought to drive and then try to mandate their policy into existence regardless of whether the technology exists or whether a market exists. In the case of the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf, the technology and the market do not exist. Isn't it ironic that Mr. Obama so browbeats the wealthy, yet they're essentially the only people what can support his EV pipe dreams? Absent breakthroughs in technology on the order of the Manhattan Project, both vehicles will almost certainly remain the four-wheeled techno-playthings of those whose pockets Mr. Obama lives to empty.

MAIG Strangely Silent on Gunwalker

Congress will be discussing the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 today, which, if passed, would allow concealed carry reciprocity in all states for a valid permit holder of any state.

The usual suspects are up in arms over the legislation, including Nanny Bloomburg and his anti-gun coalition called Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Isn't it interesting that Bloomberg and the largely Democratic MAIG have all the time in the world to disparage lawful citizens, but can't seem to come together to issue such much as a strongly worded statement again the Obama Administration, elements of which have walked more than 2,000 guns to drug cartels and allowed convicted felons to buy guns in the Midwest?

A Letter From The Teacher, #18: Who Gets The Blame?

Anytown High School, Any State, USA

To: Mrs. Collins
From: Mr. English Teacher
Re: Who Gets The Blame?

Dear Mrs. Collins:

Thanks so much for your donation of Kleenex! At this time of year, it's a lifesaver! Lauren's handwriting is improving. All she really needs to do is slow down a bit. As to your other question, I'll do my best. It's pretty complicated.

As you know, we're fortunate to have a good school and a good school district. Most American schools are solid institutions that provide a good to excellent educational opportunity. There are certainly bad schools and even bad school districts, yet despite what critics of public education would have us believe, they're in the minority.

Even so, we do have our problems and now it's time to pass out blame. Is it reasonable to blame teachers for our systemic problems? For the most part, no. Teachers have almost no authority to make policy and usually, very little influence over it. They don't hire or fire, they don't supervise, they don't determine how money is spent or how or when buildings or other facilities are built. In some districts they have virtually no say in the curriculum they teach.

But what about teacher's unions? As you know, we're a right to work state; we have no unions. In unionized states, there can be many problems related to the mere existence of unions, but remember that contracts are negotiated by union bosses and school boards. Union bosses care about money and political power above all. These days, unions are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Democrat party, or perhaps, vice versa. If a local school board gives away the farm to unions, teachers do get some small portion of the overall benefits at the expense of the kids and public, but again, they're not at fault. Teachers or the other lowly workers represented by unions are just about the last people union bosses consult or hear.

The people who deserve the most blame for everything wrong with public education are the public. I'm sorry, but even though I'm a member of the public, I can't blame myself. No one listens to teachers, and the fact that I'm a teacher makes me essentially a non-person to my bosses and school board where policy is concerned. In fact, some school boards consider teachers to be direct threats and treat them accordingly. Oh, I can speak up, and at best, I'll be ignored. At worst, people with the power to fire me will hold grudges. Such people tend to have few scruples and long memories, so the burden falls to you—to the non-teaching public.

Amazingly enough, school boards and school administrators in many places do fear and/or respect the public. They know that school board elections may be lost by a single vote or a handful of votes. They know that local word of mouth may be very swift, powerful and unforgiving. You see, in a very real sense, we get the schools we deserve because they are what we make them, on purpose or through neglect.

Consider, for example, that our local school board adopts a policy that prevents any child from being held back for a year in the lower grades. Perhaps they did it with the best intentions because they fear that children will become discouraged if held back, or perhaps they want to pretend that all of our kids are above average or that none of them ever fail. Regardless of the board's motivations, there are consequences to such policies, including kids who reach high school barely able to read or write on any level.

Say our school board adopts a 50% grading policy. For doing nothing at all, every kid will earn 50% on their report card when grades are due. Perhaps it was done because they worry that when kids fall behind by more than 50% it's impossible to catch up. Perhaps they want to encourage kids, to let them know they'll have a safety net. Perhaps they really don’t know that the kids will game the system and recognize that the policy will allow them to do nothing and to pass at the end of a grading period by simply doing a bare minimum of mediocre work at the last minute. Perhaps they don't want failing kids on the books—even though we always will have failing kids—and perhaps they want every kid to graduate from high school whether they've actually earned a diploma or not.

What if we spend huge, disproportionate amounts of money on athletics, particularly football, blathering on about how everyone reaps immense benefits when a group of about 30 high school boys is pampered like perfumed princes and subjected to ego stroking that might embarrass even Barack Obama? Surely athletics are worthwhile, particularly when the entire student body is actually involved, but primarily when athletics are treated as truly secondary to the educational mission of the school. When parents and other members of the public want luxurious stadiums for Friday night games and don't give a thought to the disruptions of teaching time caused by pep rallies, unannounced peppy visits to classrooms and the constant absences of student athletes and everyone involved with those programs, there are consequences.

"These programs are the only thing keeping some kids in school," athletic boosters claim. "If we don't have them, many kids will drop out." So teenagers are holding us hostage? "Give us multi million dollar football programs or we'll punish you by dropping out?" Well, don't allow the doorknob to abrade your polished posterior on the way out! When parents don't make kids go to school and achieve—for their own sake--when schools use such lame excuses to justify their preferences, or when they're naive enough to really believe that line of "reasoning," there are consequences.

When we allow all manner of outside organizations, no matter how potentially worthy, to take hour after hour, day after day of teaching time, who benefits? Kids love to get out of class; that's a given. But the real beneficiaries are the adults pushing abstinence only programs, traffic safety programs, anti-drug programs, sex-ed seminars, Christian strong man displays, anti-bullying programs, self-esteem programs, you name it programs. These people are probably well intentioned and believe they're providing a valuable service for teenagers, but the hour or day added to the hour or day of someone else's valuable program added to all of the other lost minutes and hours and days imposed within the school itself over the course of a year add up to a considerable and frankly shocking amount of lost teaching time.

Nothing is more important to teachers than their precious class time. Administrators are constantly—and properly--demanding that teachers plan and use every minute of instructional time, yet are constantly interrupting and taking away that time. They interrupt and steal those precious minutes for hundreds of well-intentioned reasons that they convince themselves are necessary, more necessary than learning. Sometimes it’s not their choice; their bosses impose programs. Johnny can't read as well as he should? Suzy didn't do very well on the mandatory high stakes test? Could it be that all of the absences and interruptions of the very opportunity Johnny and Suzy had to learn might have been a factor? Teaching time lost is never regained.

Believe me when I tell you that if the public were truly aware of all of the teaching time lost in a school year, they'd be appalled…or maybe they wouldn't. If the public doesn't stand up and speak out for the solid, educational values I've mentioned, if it doesn't demand that schools spend their scarce money where it best supports learning, if it doesn't demand that administrators stop wasting teaching time and encouraging kids to be lazy and irresponsible, is it unreasonable for teachers to conclude that the status quo, as sometimes trivial and wasteful as it can be, is exactly what the public really wants?

I used to truly believe that if most of the public knew what was wrong, they'd rise up in righteous anger and set things straight. Anymore, I'm less than sure of that. Too many people like sitting in that grand stadium, or don't want little Johnny held back a year for any reason. Too many people think having Christian strong men bend and break things for Jesus is more important than writing. Too many people think they have something to contribute that kids just can't do without and they don't give much thought to what the kids are missing when they get access to a captive audience. I'd like to think I'm wrong, that I'm just getting cynical, but the evidence is pretty strong.

Please don't get me wrong: I don't believe for a minute that teachers are uniformly virtuous superior beings. After all, we have to recruit from the human race. But for all our faults, remember that we have almost no say in the running of our schools, nor does anyone really listen to us.

The simple truth is, for better or worse, the public is responsible for school quality. If the public is too busy to pay attention, if it pulls students out to send them to private schools rather than fixing problems, does it have reasonable grounds to complain?

I hope I've adequately addressed your questions. Please let me know if I can be helpful in the future, and thanks again for the invaluable Kleenex!

Yours,

Mr. English Teacher

9-11's New Rallying Cry

On this hallowed day, I leave devotions to others. The Lord embraces his own; our concerns are, of necessity, more worldly. Perhaps the best way to honor those not lost, but murdered, ten years ago is to recognize the very real lessons of 9-11, lessons even more pressing today. Among them: Appeasement is disaster, medieval barbarians and contemporary despots fear only strength and we cannot afford Progressivism—we never could.

From Jimmy Carter's feckless encouragement of and mishandling of the Iranian hostage taking—an act of war—to Bill Clinton's dismantling of our human intelligence networks, to Barack Obama's continuing attempt to treat the world's most rabid terrorist murderers as common criminals, the evidence that progressives are as dangerous to our national security, to our very lives, is long-standing and unmistakable. We can't afford to ignore it any longer.

Mr. Obama's "smart diplomacy" has predictably made the world even more dangerous to freedom. Indeed, Mr. Obama has continued many Bush/Cheney policies, but this is not a result of his firm commitment to American Democracy and freedom, but because to do otherwise would have dissipated his political viability and even led to impeachment. We should waste not a single breath in praise of a politician doing the bare minimum any president should do.

Instead, let us remember and pay attention to these imminent threats:

1) Egypt now stands ready to take up Islamist rule and at the very least has abandoned its groundbreaking stance of non-aggression toward Israel. Unless Mr. Obama intends to abandon Israel in case of war—and this cannot be discounted (I'm sure this is much on the minds of Israelis)—heightened aggression toward Israel is heightened danger for us.

2) The "rebels" Mr. Obama supported with American air power in Libya are now revealed as Al Qaeda terrorists. This does not bode well for peace and democracy in North Africa, to say the least.

3) Iran's progress toward nuclear weapons proceeds at great speed. Iran continually swears that it will use nucs against Israel and us. We would be idiots not to take them at their word, yet "smart diplomats" are incapable of treating such unambiguously genocidal threats seriously.

4) Turkey is throwing off democracy in favor of Islamism and cutting its peaceful ties with Israel.

5) North Korea not only provides missile and nuclear technology to terrorist states, it is actively aggressive toward us and our allies, attacking at will. The Leaders of North Korea are easily deranged enough to use nucs or to provide them to terrorists.

6) China's aggression and military build up are a substantial threat not only to our allies and interests in the Pacific, but to our survival. Their serial cyber attacks on us are arguably acts of war.

7) The drug war in Mexico threatens to cause the failure of the Mexican state and to spill across the border in far more serious fashion than the relatively limited incursions we've already experienced. The Obama Administration responds by passing, through administrative fiat--bypassing the Congress and people--the DREAM act, and by using our law enforcement, diplomatic and national security apparatus to arm the cartels through the Gunwalker scandal.

These are far from the only threats facing us as a direct result of progressive policy and disdain for America. The media—a wholly owned arm of progressivism—has never shown the footage of innumerable Americans falling to their deaths from the Twin Towers, choosing a few final seconds of life and freedom rather than death by fire. They have withheld this footage not to spare our sensibilities, not out of concern for decency, but because they know that each and every falling body would only harden the resolve of Americans, would only pound terrible, final nails into the rotting coffin of Progressivism.

Honor those who died by restoring America, by restoring limited government, self-reliance, the work ethic, personal responsibility, and the unashamed, unreserved appreciation for all that America is and has done for the world. Take America back from those who deal with nuclear threats with repeated, weak threats of sanctions against terrorist despots that murder their own people. Take her back from those who see our defense budget as just another bargaining chip, from those who don't believe that America is in any way exceptional, from those who scorn and belittle Americans who believe in God and the Bill of Rights, calling them "barbarians" and "terrorists" and telling them to go to Hell. Restore it to those who will uphold America's sovereignty and who will restore and preserve her economic and moral might.

Our enemies have, for some time, been taking advantage of the perception of American weakness. If America is to survive in the brutal and endlessly perilous world Progressivism has so foolishly created, Americans must utterly and finally reject Progressivism beginning now, and in 2012. From this day forward, this should be 9-11's rallying cry that such an atrocity never be repeated on American soil.

Oh yes--we're actually at war against an enemy devoid of mercy. It might not be a bad idea to have a president who can actually say the word "war."

Let's Roll

Ten years ago today, Islamic zealots carried out the commandments of their twisted faith and murdered thousands of Americans.

Historically, this was not a unique or even an unusual act. Only the tactics were new. Islamic armies have carried out far worse massacres (check out how the Hindu Kush came to be named sometime) in support of their barbaric faith, which has been in a constant state of war around its fringes and with the societies and cultures they brush up against for almost 1,400 years.

Liberal apologists cravenly insist that all cultures and religions are equivalent... which is convenient for them, since they disdain all religions that don't have Che, Marx, or Al Gore as a prophet.

Mark Steyn and Mike Vanderboegh say it differently, but they each get to the truth that far too few want to address.

The terror attacks on 9/11 were our wake up call, first answered by the passengers of Flight 93. Their cockpit charge foiled the second attack on Washington, DC.

I mourn. I sometimes cry.

But I do not forgive, I will not whitewash, and I will not forget that as much as its apologists want to pretend otherwise, it was Islam that was the genesis for the wars we find ourselves in, Islam that is the root of so much barbarity in this world, and Islam that we must defeat.

It was followers of Islam, following the teachings of their prophet and their mullahs and their culture, that were responsible for the nearly three thousand deaths 10 years ago today, just some of the tens of millions caused by followers of a religion whose name demands "Submission."

As some Marines in this post 9/11 world are reported to have said, "forgiveness is God's job; ours is to arrange the meeting."

Let's roll.

FBI Hid Fast and Furious Gun, Spent $70K to Arm Cartels

Gunwalker just keeps getting worse.

At Pajamas Media.

Triumphs Of Smart Diplomacy: #28,764

Crowds of Egyptian "protestors" attacked and breached the Israeli Embassy in Cairo on Friday, forcing the ambassador, his family and other staff to flee to Israel.
Egyptian military police helped them evacuate safely, but the police did not impede those seizing and ransacking the embassy.

According to Fox News, President Obama told Israeli President Netanyahu that he was working "at all levels" and also expressed "great concern."

The seizure of the embassy of a foreign nation is normally considered an act of war.

ObamaCare, the Stimulus (which name may no longer be spoken), leading from behind, overseas contingency operations, "reeducation," Gunwalker, single-handedly dismantling the Arab-Israeli "peace process," allowing Iran to build nuclear weapons, and now expressing "great concern" over the seizure and sacking of the Israeli Embassy. Is there anything Mr. Obama cannot destroy within less than three years?

Israel will be fortunate to survive the Obama Administration. We may not be in much better shape.

The Literature Corner: Time Management

Cops will tell you that the hardest part of being a police officer, the part that produces the most stress, is not dealing with the public, or even dealing with criminals, but dealing with other police officers, particularly supervisors.

This edition of the Literature Corner focuses on one of my experiences with a pre-historic cop.

Time Management

Sgt. Mike Pulaski was a dinosaur. He was one of the old breed. He first became a cop when one might deal with a drunk by driving him 20 miles into the country and letting him walk home, if they didn’t beat him senseless for annoying them in the first place. Another alternative might be beating them senseless and leaving them in a dumpster. He was pre-Miranda, and long before the time that criminals would happily sue any cop who hurt their feelings. In Pulaski’s day, criminals figured that getting roughed up by the police was just part of the cost of doing business. After all, they were ripping off society, they were predatory scum; didn’t society deserve to get a few licks in? They thought so, the police thought so, and so did most citizens. Then the 60’s and liberal Supreme Courts happened.

Pulaski managed to restrain those tendencies over the years, but he never managed to catch up with modern policing techniques, and wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer in the first place, so of course, he was promoted to sergeant-- middle management.

In police work, people are often promoted for reasons that have little or nothing to do with their ability to do the job. Have an officer who is dangerous? Can’t do his job properly? Is he the Chief’s buddy? Is he a good old boy? Just feel sorry for him in general? Promote him! That way he can’t do any immediate harm. The Peter Principle--people rising to the level of their own incompetence--is alive and well in law enforcement.

Pulaski had been a supervisor in Detectives for many years, and finally, they had enough of him. In most police organizations, becoming a detective is a promotion relative to the patrol force. Detectives are considered to be sort of super cops, supreme beings whose abilities far outstrip those of normal mortals. As such, they have many special perks and privileges and freedoms not accorded the patrol troops. Unlimited coffee breaks, for example. Another of those perks is the juice to get rid of people they don’t want. And so it was that after many years in a comfortable, relatively work-free environment, Sgt. Mike Pulaski came to be a shift supervisor on my shift, working for a Lieutenant who was many years younger.

Pulaski’s reputation preceded him, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Most of the guys and girls were. It didn’t take long for us to figure out that the Detectives were wise indeed, and that we were in trouble.

Pulaski didn’t have a clue. He had no idea of patrol procedures, of safety tactics, of, well, just about everything necessary to be an effective cop, to say nothing of a capable supervisor of cops. At the same time, he wasn’t at all afraid to issue orders that were contrary to proper procedures or common sense. He wasn’t the slightest interested in learning anything either. He had two years to retirement, and he saw no point in changing the formulas that made him such a stunning success for his entire career.

It was at once frustrating, dangerous, comical and sad. You want an example? Shortly after he came to the shift it was evaluation time, and he and my other Sgt. and Lt. were conducting my evaluation. Toward the end of the chat, after he made a completely bizarre observation about my performance, so off the mark it was virtually in another language. We were all stunned. He somehow picked up on the silence, and said: “we’re aware of what we think we see.” He sat back, nodded, and crossed his arms in satisfaction. After a beat, the other Sgt. and the Lt. were staring, open mouthed at him, but I just grinned slightly, nodded politely and said, “of course you are.” No sense trying to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

Pulaski was also a pretty stern moralist, a fundamentalist Christian. Though he did radically alter those views after having an affair, getting caught, and getting divorced after decades of marriage. Patrol work does offer certain--opportunities--and Pulaski ended up taking advantage of them. He was far from alone.

Pulaski called me into his office one relatively slow Sunday night after he’d been on the shift about four months. “I think you might have a problem, but I’m not sure you have a problem. You might not have a problem at all, but I’d like your help in solving this problem that you might not have.”

I was momentarily unsure if he was kidding, but he wasn't. He was being very sincere and had no idea that he was making no sense at all--he never did. I decided to play along. “Uh, sure Sarge. No problem. What’s the--uh-- problem?” He was starting to make me do it!

He explained that he noticed (he was aware of what he thought he saw) that I had a great deal of overtime lately. That, to him, indicated that I had a “time management problem.” In his simplistic universe, I simply wasn’t getting my reports written on time, so I ended up having to write them after the shift was over, hence, overtime.

Overtime is a love/hate thing in police work. It’s a constant bane for everyone. Administrators can virtually never hire all the troops they need to really do the job, so police forces are always short handed. This can sometimes be dangerous, and it’s always annoying. The troops have to do far more work than is safe or reasonable to do, so they’re always racking up overtime, often writing the reports they didn’t have time to do during their shift, running from call to call, after the shift ended.

On one hand, the troops love the OT because getting one and a half times their normal pay really helps pad the paycheck. On the other hand, police work is very stressful and tiring, and most cops don’t like to hang around for additional shifts--not on a regular basis anyway--or to do paperwork. Most cops really hate paperwork.

Administrators have limited budgets and are always being pressured to keep overtime at a minimum by the same people who deny them enough bodies to do the job in the first place. So administrators are always running around complaining about all the overtime, issuing orders to their subordinates about eliminating unnecessary overtime, while at the same time knowing that they shouldn’t be complaining and they can’t really cut down on the overtime. They also fight about compensatory time--work extra today, get that time off tomorrow, or at some time in the future--because it’s even worse than overtime. How can you let someone off when that will make a shift even weaker, which will only increase overtime? Still, it was often done.

I pressed Pulaski a bit and found out that he noticed that on the previous shift, I had very little overtime, but on this shift--the afternoon shift--I had a great deal of overtime. I was amazed, but I just nodded and promised to do my best to deal with the problem I might not have. No sense annoying this particular pig.

What Pulaski was missing was the fundamental nature of police shift work. The day shift, from 6:00 AM until 2:00 PM, was not generally too busy. Even with a number of calls that required reports, the average officer usually had enough time to sit and write them in the field without generating much overtime. The afternoon shift, from 2:00 PM until 10:00 PM, was the busiest shift by far. Officers tended to literally dash from call to call with no time to write. Particularly if they took a report or made an arrest late in the shift, overtime was a foregone conclusion. Everyone knew they’d likely be hanging around after shift whether they wanted to or not. Finally, the midnight shift, from 10:00 PM until 6:00 AM, was busier than the day shift but commonly not as busy at the afternoon shift. Usually, after 3:00 AM, things quieted down a little and officers could get their reports done, but not always.

Pulaski was too dense to realize that it was only normal to have little overtime on the day shift--the shift we’d finished only a few weeks before--a great deal of overtime on the afternoon shift, and somewhat less overtime on the midnight shift, therefore I had a time management problem.

I chatted with my Lieutenant about it. “He said you had what?”

“A time management problem, but he wasn’t sure I had it and wanted my help in solving the problem I might not have at all.”

He broke up.

“Hey, it’s not THAT funny. He’s serious!”

“Yeah, I know,” the L-T said. “But you’ve got to admit, it’s original!”

“Original. Great. So what do you suggest I do?”

“Well,” he said, drying his eyes, “you’re not sucking up any illegitimate OT are you?”

“Nah. You know that.”

“OK then. Let’s just wait and see what happens, but keep me posted.”

“No sweat.”

“And watch that time management problem, will you?”

“Har, har.”

As I expected, my OT dropped off a bit on the midnight shift (we changed each month), and dropped to essentially nothing on the day shift. Pulaski called me in and congratulated me on solving my time management problem. I thanked him for the opportunity to improve myself. Oink, oink.

From that day forward, the L-T turned my "time management problem" into a department legend, one of those little things that crops up over and over for comic relief. Cops need a lot of that.

The World Turned Upside Down

The Associated Press nails Obama for lying about Son of Son of Stimulus, and the NY Times compliments Sarah Palin.

I think I need to lie down.

It's Muslim Day At Six Flags!

"Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities."
Winston Churchill

"The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them."
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

The Houston Bugle, Friday, September 2, 2011

SAN ANTONIO: As many as 4000 Catholics from around the state are expected to converge on Six Flags Rodeo Texas on Sunday for "Catholic Family Day," to spread the eternal truth of the Gospel and to assure Americans that Catholics are peaceful and mainstream.

Activities will include Catholic prayers and devotions, entertainment, socializing, and confessionals set up throughout the park. The event, which is open to the public, was organized by local chapters of the Knights of Columbus.

The interaction with the public at a popular, high-traffic amusement park will go far in reducing anxieties between Catholics and the larger community, said Steve O'Donnell, The KOC's local president.

"It's our community too, and we are mainstream just like anybody else," he said.

Local Baptist minister Paul Chilton observed: "the event is a sign of the gradual acceptance of local Catholics. After all, they're just like the rest of us, except for maybe the whole fish thing on Fridays."

Readers with a keen eye will recognize this "news" story as a parody of a recent story appearing on the Houston Chronicle's website titled "Muslim Family Day Will Spread Peace At Six Flags" (links at the end of the article) The event, reported with all of the diverse, culturally sensitive prose one might expect in such a story, reportedly went off without a hitch on Sunday, which is as it should be and less than surprising.

Why is this "event" news, and why should anyone care? Can't Six Flags, which took pains to note that it was not formally sponsoring Muslim Day, and which is a private, for-profit business have a Catholic day, or a Mormon day, a "celebrate little yapping, ankle-biting dogs day" or an "Aliens are coming to take us to Venus day"? Of course it can, and while most Americans would find devoting a day to a given faith a bit odd, most would shrug their shoulders and move on. Not so where Islam is involved, which is why the Houston Chronicle thought the event newsworthy and why CAIR sought to publicize it. Islam is indeed a special case, and with the annual approach of 9-11, now is a particularly good time to remember why.

Americans are a people who truly welcome all faiths and all peoples. As long as those peoples are willing to honor our Constitutionally established separation of church and state, they are welcome. Some might consider the practices of a given faith to be odd or perhaps even mildly sinister, but America has never been into the policing of thought, at least not too much thus far in the Age of Obama. Americans simply accept Muslims who are willing to assimilate. Such acceptance takes no conscious thought or action; it's merely taken for granted. Some, however, can't take "yes" for an answer and seek to stir the pot of intolerance. CAIR is among the most egregious pot-stirrers in America, and the Lamestream Media is not far behind.

In April of 2006, in an attempt to make, rather than report, the news, NBC sent men dressed in outlandishly Islamic clothing to a NASCAR race, hoping to record what they obviously hoped would be the intolerance and racism of the red-necked, gun and God clinging denizens of Flyover Country. NBC ended up with nothing to show for its clumsy efforts, which any NASCAR fan could have told them beforehand: Southerners—even NASCAR fans--tend to be polite people. NBC probably ended up with hours of tape of people of all races, genders and faiths saying "hello," "how are you," or "the men's room is down that way."

Americans, like Winston Churchill, are quite capable of understanding that most Muslims are not Jihadists and wish no one harm. However, most Americans are also aware that tens of millions of Muslims—even some in America--are Islamists and do wish not only to harm infidels but to subjugate the world. A global Caliphate will certainly not be compatible with amusement parks, just as prior to American intervention in Afghanistan, the punishment for kite flying could easily be death. Unfortunately, those Muslims who choose to assimilate are not following the literal dictates of their faith, in fact, they are commonly considered apostates by their more militant, scripturally adherent brethren who have no scruples about killing fellow Muslims who do not mirror their beliefs.

This is why CAIR promotes this, and similar events. CAIR, which has a long and well-documented history of support for Islamists and their goals, and its supporters surely understand that Muslims are universally accepted in American culture where people are judged by their character and actions rather than their faith. What CAIR seeks to do is to normalize Islamic practices as part of a long- term strategy toward its eventual goal: Islamic rule and the imposition of Sharia, or Islamic law. In essence, CAIR is hoping to gradually, subtly condition Americans to give them the unthinking acceptance and blindly ignorant tolerance necessary for Islam to prevail.

At a teacher, I find that one of the concepts with which my students struggle most is the idea that other cultures are not like Americans. They may wear blue jeans, listen to rock, eat at McDonald's and watch American movies, but they do not share our religious, political or cultural assumptions and beliefs. Islam admits no such thing as the separation of Church and State, which has been essential in establishing a nation where all faiths may practice freely. Islam is a complete scheme of theologically based government. It is anti-democratic—utterly incompatible with democracy and individual freedom--and is dedicated to enslaving the world and imposing Sharia.

Unfortunately, this global caliphate all good Islamists seek must be carried out by human beings who must, as best they can, try to divine the will of God, or Allah, as they prefer. Politicians are, of course, not fit to understand God's will (or even understand basic economics, particularly if Progressives), so only ministers may rule, and all law is based on the Islamic scripture and commentaries as interpreted by the minister/rulers. The Koran is quite clear about all of this, and even lays out precisely how war against the Infidels—that's all non-Muslims—must be waged.

When an Islamist terrorist leader issues a demand that a nation or people submit to Islam, he is not preaching repentance or engaging in mere rhetoric as Americans used to religious rhetoric would imagine, he is following the Islamic principles of war as outlined in the Koran. Muslims must first give an enemy an opportunity to convert, and if they refuse, may put them to the sword. Once conquered, Muslims may simply kill all of their enemies, or they may allow some to live. If they choose the latter course, they may institute Dhimmitude, allowing the conquered some measure of political, cultural and religious tolerance in exchange for the Jizyah, a tax which all Dhimmis must pay for the privilege. However, even in conquered people allowed this privilege, the fact that they are infidels always hangs over them like a sword of Damascus steel, for the fate of infidels and apostates in Islam is death and it may be imposed at any time.

It is particularly fascinating to find American politicians, ministers, gay activists, even feminists supporting Islamists and calling for "understanding" and "tolerance." Should Islam prevail, there will be no cultural or religious understanding or tolerance. There will be no Christian or other ministers, gays will be killed wherever they are found, politicians will be out of the job unless they are willing to convert to Islam and become Mullahs (Islamic ministers) and women will find themselves to be worse off than cattle, for in Islamic countries, cattle are often afforded more concern and care than women and girls. Genital mutilation, beatings, forced marriage, torture, the denial of even basic education, honor killings, and more are the fate of hundreds of millions of women in Islamic nations, particularly those with a more Islamist bent.

There is no need to publicize a Muslim Day at an amusement park any more than there is a need to publicize an Episcopalian day or a Lutheran day or an atheist day. All are accepted; all are unremarkable. All are, if not exactly mainstream, subject to the protections and legitimacy mandated by the Constitution. This goes beyond an earnest desire for acceptance and assimilation, yet it may provide a benefit CAIR could not anticipate.

Even as we remember those savagely murdered on 9-11, let us not forget that they died not as a result of an unfortunate accident, not in a tragedy, not as a result of an "overseas contingency operation," not because some felt aggrieved, not because of American domestic or foreign policy, but because we are, and have for decades been, engaged in a war for the very survival of Western civilization, a war we did not provoke, did not start, and would prefer not to have to fight.

Muslim Day at Six Flags in San Antonio, Texas was merely one small yet important propaganda effort in that war, a war we cannot afford to minimize, ignore or lose on any front.

Links For This Article:

http://www.chron.com/default/article/Muslim-Family-Day-will-spread-peace-at-Six-Flags-2153726.php

NASCAR: http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/opinion/04/06/cross.nbc.dateline/

CAIR Background: http://spectator.org/blog/2011/03/10/yes-cairs-terrorist-ties-are-r#

The Major Economic Salvation Speech

"Pass this bill." "Pass this bill." Pass this bill right now." "If you pass this bill…" "PASS THIS BILL RIGHT NOW!" And that—and more—was just the first 10 minutes of Mr. Obama's major economic salvation speech. It was like judging a round of beginning debaters, and very dim beginning debaters at that. And now we discover that there is, in fact, no actual—ahem—bill. Once again, Mr. Obama is expecting the CBO to score a speech. Obama uber-advisor Valerie Jarrett has admitted that the bill does not exist. They're still writing it, she tells us, and it will be delivered to Congress next week (maybe). Talk about a Pelosiesque "you'll have to pass it to find out what's in it," ploy!

And the way to promote job growth is for the Federal Government—you know, our "federal family"—to spend $450 billion dollars! That's roughly half the failed stimulis.

I was going to write about this monstrosity in some depth, but all you really need to know is that it was essentially Mr. Obama telling Congress and the American people about how smart and wonderful he is and how only partisan, barbarian (thanks Mr. Biden!) terrorists could possibly oppose anything Mr. Obama wants.

Mr. Obama condescending and lecturing, Congresswoman Waters telling us to go to hell, VP Biden calling us Barbarians (in comparison with union thugs—see Bob's article on the Longshoremen and Rob's article as well), and now they want conservatives to come together in peace and brotherhood to spend money we'll have to borrow to do essentially nothing to actually create jobs? For them, it really is a feature, not a bug.

Oh, and does anyone really believe that when the ink is dry—if that ever happens—the price tag will remain at a mere $450 billion?

They really do think that the American people are utter morons, particularly those of us in Flyover Country. And yes, gentle readers, they do think and talk just that way.

PS: Biggest, most bald-faced lie: It's all paid for. Uh…the Super Committee will have to figure out how to do it!

Drill Here, Drill Now

If memory serves, it was Jack Handy's Deep Thoughts that noted:

"The face of a child can say it all—especially the mouth part of the face."

I have proof.

My school is fortunate to have an excellent ROTC program run by two first rate men. As in any military unit, more senior soldiers are responsible for preparing and teaching less senior soldiers. And so it was that a senior cadet, whose younger sister had only recently joined the program proudly exclaimed to the ROTC commander today:

"I drilled my sister all night!"

Labor Union Terrorism Strikes WA State Port

Hundreds of Longshoremen stormed the Port of Longview early Thursday, overpowered and held security guards, damaged railroad cars, and dumped grain that is the center of a labor dispute, said Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha.

Six guards were held hostage for a couple of hours after 500 or more Longshoremen broke down gates about 4:30 a.m. and smashed windows in the guard shack, he said.

No one was hurt, and nobody has been arrested. Most of the protesters returned to their union hall after cutting brake lines and spilling grain from car at the EGT terminal, Duscha said.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union believes it has the right to work at the facility, but the company has hired a contractor that's staffing a workforce of other union laborers.

They committed multiple counts of kidnapping, assault with deadly weapon, assault on a police officer, vandalism, property damage, and God knows what else, because they feel they have the right to take the jobs away from other people.

Expect either a half-hearted response or not response at all from the Democratic Party, including the President.

You will not see a forceful response from Homeland Security.

You will not see a forceful response from the Department of Justice.

This is precisely the kind of violence that they condone, and why the labor union constituency that are the enforcers of the Democratic Party must not just be controlled, but utterly destroyed.

Update: Shockingly, it's co-ordinated and happening at other ports.

ILWU is claiming that the actions must be local, which would be much more credible if ILWU International President Robert McEllrath wasn't personally leading the Longview assault and union rags weren't triumphantly showing photos of him being arrested.

Obligatory, Next-Day Reagan Debate Commentary

Rick Perry may as well have walked on to a bullseye instead of a stage last night at the Reagan Library, with fellow Republican Presidential candidates and the moderators doing their level best to tear him apart.

Overall, Perry held his ground, which is all you must do as the front-runner. He got testy with Mitt Romney, which was expected, and with Ron Paul, which is unnecessary (you don't punch down, and you don't engage crazy).

Mitt Romney, was, well, Mitt Romney. Incredibly polished, impeccably Presidential in his bearing, and yet so slightly off-putting and almost imperceptibly insincere. He's like a more refined version of Joe Isuzu.

Newt Gingrich showed us all he is still a masterful debater and personality, and I hope they keep him around well into the primary season if for no other reason than to drop like a sack of hammers on badgering moderators like we saw last night. He will not be President or the Veep, but he is a brilliant man, and whoever the eventual candidate would be smart to find him a place in their administration.

Herman Cain gave the most direct answers of the night, and impressed me with his ability to stay on message. He didn't duck or weave like the professional politicians, and had the kind of confidence that comes from experiencing real success. He and he alone stands on the stage as the only candidate in either party with a legitimate claim as a job maker. I want to see him around until the end, and suspect he would be solid Vice Presidential pick for the eventual nominee, where he could be set loose to promote job growth for the next four years.

There was also another Mitt Romney in a orange face and yellow tie. I think they called him Jon something.

Michelle Bachmann, God bless her, was neutered last night, primarily by the moderators, who all but excluded her. I quipped on Twitter that I thought she must have left early, and of course, Politico thought I meant that literally, when I was actually a bit ticked at the way the moderators focused on trying to destroy Perry and Romney instead of trying to provide an actual forum people could learn from.

I think there were a couple of other candidates, but they don't matter.

And there you are.

Quick Takes, September 8, 2011

ITEM: Louis Renault Award: Illegal Labor Division. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has now extended the full protection of American labor laws to illegal immigrants. I'm shocked, shocked! Let's see if I have this right: They're in the country illegally. They're subject to immediate arrest and eventual deportation. Secretary Solis' actions violate many immigration and labor laws. Millions of Americans are unemployed and we're in serious economic trouble. Well of course! The first thing any rational person would want to do is to extend full labor protections to illegal immigrants! Go here, but be close to the bathroom in case of sudden nausea.

ITEM: Mr. Obama Has No Economic Clue? Who says so? Rep. Ron Johnson (R, WI), that's who. Go here to the Washington Times for an interesting article with what Mr. Obama always lacks: concrete, coherent proposals about what to do.

ITEM: Oh Dear! Look at this quote from an article by James Delingpole in The Telegraph:

“Green jobs” are a chimera. Though diverting taxpayers money into the renewable energy sector may indeed “create” jobs in the renewable energy sector, it will cost many more jobs in the broader economy."

When the British (the British?!) are recognizing that "green job" are unicorn horns and fairy dust, we had better get with the program. Go here for the whole article.

ITEM: The Romance And Beauty Of The Revolutionary Lifestyle. I didn't think it possible, but this article at The Mail almost—almost makes me feel a bit of pity for Jane Fonda. Why any woman could imagine that leftists care about women is beyond me.

ITEM: He Said WHAT?! I "pulled our country back from the brink." Does Mr. Obama have any idea what "brink" means? Heck, does he have any idea what "pulled" means? "Country?" I know he's on intimate terms with "I." Go here for the story.

ITEM: "Blustering, Opportunistic, Craven And Hopelessly Ineffective All At Once." Go here for the always insightful Michael Barone's commentary on Mr. Obama's recent failed attempt to force the Congress to listen to yet another "major speech" on his, rather than their, time frame.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Murderous Union Thug Division: On Labor Day, Teamster President Jim Hoffa fired up the faithful by encouraging them to "take these sons-of-a-bitches [the Tea Party] out." Knowing the modern labor movement, that was expected. But I was shocked, shocked(!) to discover Mr. Obama expressing his solidarity with Mr. Hoffa (here). Is this the new civility about which Mr. Obama has spoken?

ITEM: Isn't The Cold War Over? For America, it is, but in a very real sense, Israel has never had less than a hot war. And now, nuclear attack looms large. Read this brief but very informative article from the Jerusalem Post that explains the likely consequence of a nuclear attack. Does Mr. Obama care? Discuss.

ITEM: Media Backpedaling? Go here for an interesting Hot Air story about several prominent Lamestream Media reporters backing away from ObamaCare. Perhaps they have seen the handwriting on the wall for 2012 and don't want to seem to be entirely wrong when the fake Greek columns come crashing down? Discuss.

ITEM: Are Environmentalists Losing Enthusiasm For Wind Power? An interesting question being posed at the Volokh Conspiracy (here). My take: Not at all. They've never had any enthusiasm for power production of any kind and consistently practice bait and switch. We're absolutely against coal generated power, but we love windmills—until anyone actually tries to build any, and then they oppose those too, just as they oppose a solar power plant, in of all places, the Mojave Desert. Something about disturbing a lizard, I think.

ITEM: How Much Worse Can It Get? At The Truth About Guns, which, with CY has been much involved in keep the Gunwalker and related scandals alive, we discover that Federal prosecutors from California are now taking over all Gunwalker related cases in Arizona. That would be the 20 some cases of low level straw purchasers that have been the entire "catch" of the idiotically conceived and implemented debacle. By all means, scroll down a bit and take the link to Bob's latest PJM article on the topic (Gunwalking in---Indiana?). The hits just keep on comin'!

ITEM: Romney On The Ecomeney: John at Powerline has an interesting article on Mitt Romney's "day one" economic repair plan. It makes interesting reading and seems far more reasonable than anything we've seen in, well, 2.5 years, but by that measure, increasing the national debt by anything less than a trillion a year seems reasonable. I still have many reservations about Mr. Romney, with RomneyCare heading the list. Discuss.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Lamestream Media Division: I was shocked, shocked(!) to learn that John King of CNN interviewed Teamster President James Hoffa Labor Day evening, an interview begun with videotape of Hoffa's "let's take these sons of bitches out…" quote, yet did not so much as hint at Hoffa's lunatic rant. Considering that Hoffa was the opening act for Mr. Obama, and considering Mr. Obama's frequent hectoring about civility, one might be tempted to think that Hoffa's comments would be worth at least one question, but noooooooooo! I'm shocked, shocked!

ITEM: I Heard A Song The Reminded Me About The Way We Were. "What was it?" The Way We Were. Ah, remember those halcyon days of old when Barack Obama promised to get the federal investigation into Teamster corruption called off if he became President? Remember how that was one promise he kept? You don't suppose there's any connect…nah, of course not. Not with a Chicago machine politician in the White House. Michelle Malkin doesn't share my opinion (here). She's so smart and lovely, I'm not sure I share my opinion!

ITEM: The Redoubtable VDH Opines: "The White House is in danger not just of becoming far more polarizing than even Bush in his latter years, but of descending into such incompetence and petty spitefulness that it inhibits economic recovery at home and the very sense of American confidence abroad." I've always enjoyed Prof. Hanson's writing and has books, but I do have one small addition: To whatever degree Mr. Bush was "polarizing," it was due in large part to an incredibly hostile and activist media and Congress. With the media firmly in Mr. Obama's pocket and democrats, as always, shamelessly shilling for him, what's his excuse? Read the entire article and discuss.

ITEM: What's Noble Eagle? Go here to read about our military pilots responding to threats over America. It's good indeed to know they're there. The F-15 footage is also very cool indeed.

ITEM: "Barbarians?" Did He Actually Call Us "Barbarians?" Indeed he did. Vice President Joe "the Sheriff" Biden, speaking to an organized labor crowd on Labor Day said: "you are the only folks keeping the barbarians at the gate." So, those who oppose extortionate union contracts and lunatic, ruinous federal economic policies are "barbarians?" So be it! Honey, where's my loincloth and broadsword? Arrrrrrr!

ITEM: It's Official: Being Compared With Jimmy Carter Will Be A High Point of the Obama Administration. Go here for a brief and illuminating story about the massacre of the English language in the service of progressive policy.

ITEM: Moose Kisses! Awwwwww! If you're in the mood for cute, visit Zoo Borns for a substantial dose.

And with that calming influence, I'll thank you for visiting, and encourage you, once again, to stop by next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes!

They Do WHAT?!

Submitted for your approval: A federal regulatory agency that, lacking a legal mandate to impose its will, encourages radical pressure groups to sue it so that it can claim that it is being forced to do what it, and the radical pressure groups, want to do in the first place. And that's not all. The agency has also paid one of the pressure groups to produce a do-it-yourself guide to suing the agency, and routinely pays the legal bills of the pressure groups it encourages to sue it!

How could any federal bureaucracy be so out of control? Why is such a bureaucracy allowed to exist? Go here to my latest Pajamas Media article to find out. Take your blood pressure medications first. You might want to sit down first too.

IHOP Shooter Used the Same Kind of Rifle ATF/DOJ/DHS Walked into Mexico

Don't expect the network news or cable television pundits make the connection, but the two AK-pattern semi-automatic rifles recovered from the scene of the IHOP massacre in Carson City, NV yesterday are the same weapons that Eric Holder's Justice Department and Janet Reno's Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security allowed to be smuggled into Mexico by the thousands.

The bloodbath that had the local sheriff making comparisons to 9/11 is what happens in Mexico every single day, thanks to your government's criminal actions, actions that they are still desperately trying to cover-up.

The rifle used in the shooting was manufactured by Norinco and has not been imported into the United States since the early 1990s, but they are still commonly found on the market.

The Romarm Cugir found in his vehicle is the most popular weapon smuggled to the Sinaloa cartel under the protection of the federal law enforcement agencies involved in Operation Fast and Furious, and is commonly imported as the Century Arms WASR-10.

We do not know why Eduardo Sencion went on his rampage. All we know is that he had a history of mental illness, and was armed with the same weapons our government purposefully sent by the trunkload to murdering narco-terrorists.

That Game's a Killer

So we have violent rhetoric from the Hoffa that's still above water to "take these sons of bitches out," and a nice little Brooklyn liberal who created a video game so that progressives can get whet their eliminationist instincts by violently killing Fox News personalities and conservative politicians... all under a shallow veneer of being a zombie killing game.

Yeah, right. It's the joy of killing zombies that makes progressives happy, not the enabling of their fantasy to murder real-life, flesh-and-blood conservatives that they loathe without facing consequences. It's like being Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, without all the nasty side effects. Win!

I have another one Starving Eyes Advergaming could develop.

It's called the "OZombie Shooter."

In it the Executive branch ships guns and grenades to Mexico, everyone dies, and the media tries to cover it up.

Real damn funny, isn't it?

If only it were a game...

Obama Stealth Socialism And The EPA

As a nation breathlessly awaits Mr. Obama's upcoming homily on his certain economic salvation of the nation, it might be good to recall that President Obama recently directed the EPA to put on hold proposed regulations that would have substantially ramped up smog control controls relating to ozone. The regulations, if imposed, would have hit American businesses with as much as $90 billion dollars a year in compliance costs.

This move has been met with praise from some quarters. Even Conservatives, who tend to want to respect their leaders and who tend to want to seek the good in them, even to the extent of giving due credit to political enemies who have sworn ever-lasting enmity against them, have also given cautious praise to the President. Perhaps a few are wondering if, at long last, Mr. Obama might be seeing the light—compact fluorescent light, not incandescent light, of course.

However, many Progressives, including virtually all environmentalists, are wailing, gnashing their teeth and rending their garments in expressing their disappointment, even outrage at Mr. Obama's enviro-apostasy.

All are wrong.

Barack Obama remains what he always has been: A Marxist-indoctrinated stealth Socialist. However, extraordinary circumstances of Mr. Obama's own making have forced him to temporarily bow to reality, not for the sake of reality, but for a far more important consideration: the sake of his own reelection.

To better understand what is happening, it may be useful to consider three discrete time frames: the upcoming presidential campaign (for Mr. Obama, the campaign is eternal), the lame duck post election day period from early November until the inauguration in early January of 2013, and the next presidential term.

On September 2, Friday, the traditional Washington bad news dumping day, the Labor Department admitted that in August, not a single new job was created (or presumably, saved) for the first time since 1945, and that official unemployment remained at 9.1%. Adding to the economic bad news, the Obama Administration also admitted that unemployment would almost certainly remain at 9+% throughout 2012. Historically, no president has won reelection with unemployment at such an elevated level. In fact, Democrats ruthlessly excoriated President George W. Bush for unemployment in the 5% range, which videos will make for amusing viewing during the coming campaign.

No doubt Mr. Obama, at the behest of his more occasionally rational advisors, has realized that unless he creates at least the appearance of moderating his reflexively anti-American, anti-business, rabidly pro-labor union and environmentalist core beliefs, his electoral prospects are grim at best. So why not announce a roll back (which can be reinstated when the heat is off) of a juicy, politically charged regulation about to be imposed by a much-reviled agency? It's a perfect, and perfectly predictable, stealth Socialist ploy.

Mr. Obama's base will be allowed, even encouraged, to complain while giving independents the illusion that he has suddenly discovered rational policy. Even some conservatives might be tempted to partake of the Kool Aid for they, trusting souls (suckers!), seek the good in others and hope for their repentance and redemption. Simultaneously, the more rabid environmentalists are unleashed to express vitriolic disgust. All the while, however, the wiser of the Socialist base know that Mr. Obama is winking at them and that they can't lose.

If Mr. Obama wins a second term, even if Republicans control both houses of Congress, America will see a blizzard of executive orders and bureaucrat-imposed regulations that will take a generation to undo, if such undoing is even possible. If he loses, America will experience a two-month blizzard of executive orders, regulations and pardons that will make Bill Clinton's pardons of Puerto Rican terrorists and of Marc Rich seem paragons of wisdom and rectitude in the administration of justice by comparison. In both cases, Progressives know that many such mandates, once established, will never be fully overturned. Despite their hatred for Ronald Reagan, Progressives ironically give him credit through their actions for his aphorism that the closest thing to eternal life we will ever see on Earth is a government program.

Regardless of the outcome of the election, Mr. Obama's actions are merely a cynical continuation of his standard operating procedure: If it can't be obtained legislatively, accomplish it by means of executive order or bureaucracy. Like a bargain basement children's party magician, with his left hand he misdirects, rolling back or temporarily delaying a handful of ruinous regulations and mandates, while with his right he imposes thousands of new, far more destructive regulations.

More than 4200 new regulations enacted since his election have been put into effect or will soon be imposed. Unless it is fully repealed, the more than 100 new federal bureaucracies conjured by ObamaCare will add thousands of additional regulations even more expensive, economy-destroying and enervating than those already imposed or planned, for the full impact of ObamaCare is not in those regulations written in the thousands of pages of the law, for in those which will be created by unaccountable, unelected bureaucrats. Mr. Obama will surely do nothing to ward off this perfect storm of rule making and imposition by the Socialist administrative state he has worked so hard to create. This is Mr. Obama's only true accomplishment, and it is to America's detriment.

It is Socialist orthodoxy, not rational thought or concern for America that drives Mr. Obama. It forces him to continue to double down on obviously failed policies rational men would have long ago abandoned, for the Socialist truly believes only two things: Socialism cannot possibly be wrong, and Mr. Obama and his cadre of self-imagined elite Socialists will succeed where all Socialists before them have failed. This may seem self contradictory, but that's certainly not Socialist thinking.

Rational people behold the abject failure and obscene waste of the Stimulus and vow never to repeat such an idiotic mistake. Socialists believe it failed only temporarily and only because it was too small. They demand more and even bigger and more wasteful Stimuli; they want to do more and spend more. Rational people behold Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and realize that they will soon bankrupt the nation. They want to take affirmative steps to retain necessary social protections for the deserving while preventing disaster. Socialists ignore the washed out bridge over the looming fiscal abyss and pass, against the wishes of the American people, ObamaCare, an entitlement which will, by itself, bankrupt the nation, even cynically stealing a half trillion dollars from its lesser brethren to prop it up.

If a Socialistic program is floundering, this can only be because insufficient socialism has been applied. If more is applied but still avails nothing, this can only be because conservatives are allowed to exist to oppose it or because the program has not had sufficient time to work its transformative miracles. Socialism is always and in all ways unfalsifiable; it cannot fail; it cannot be wrong.

Has Mr. Obama truly seen the CFL light? Ask Texas. If a January 1 EPA rule regulating cross-state air pollution goes into effect, Texas—and a great many other states—will have to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to upgrade their coal-fired power plants. This despite the fact that even the EPA admits that Texas really doesn't contribute to the problem and has its own, stringent, pollution control laws. Mr. Obama, during the campaign, promised to essentially destroy the American coal industry and threatened to bankrupt coal-fired power producers.

The effects of such a regulation in Texas alone would be catastrophic. Texas, like most states, cannot do without a single megawatt of power. Any degradation in power production capacity would result in periodic blackouts in times of greatest demand, particularly during the summers, resulting in multiple deaths of the poor and infirm. Those of greater means will almost certainly install fossil-fueled generators, which will contribute to rather than reduce pollution, but Socialism cannot be wrong. Texas was never going to vote for Mr. Obama anyway, so why should he care?

Before the election, Mr. Obama earned the coveted title of the most leftist Senator in America, more left even than the sole self-identified Socialist. That title is surely richly deserved, unlike the Nobel Prize he won for being Barack Obama. Like all magicians, Mr. Obama deals only in illusion.

Gunwalker Hits the Midwest

Indiana this time. But you know, it's just an isolated incident.

My latest on this on-going scandal at Pajamas Media.

Obama's DOJ Let Cartel Bombmaker Walk

Jean Baptiste Kingery seems to be yet another thug that took advantage of the Obama Administration's criminal stimulus package for the southwest, building grenades and IEDs for the Sinaloa cartel.

So what did the Department of Justice do when they caught him. They released him free as a bird within hours.

Federal authorities are probing why the U.S. in 2010 let go an Arizona man accused of supplying grenades to a Mexican drug cartel, a case that played a role in the ouster last week of the nation's top firearms regulator and the U.S. attorney in Phoenix.

U.S. officials said missteps in the case, which hasn't been previously disclosed, are being investigated by the Justice Department and Congress. Federal agents in 2009-10 at the Phoenix office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the case against the suspect, who they believed was dealing grenades to cartels in Mexico. The case was overseen by prosecutors in the Arizona U.S. attorney's office, the U.S. officials said.

The Arizona U.S. attorney's office and the Phoenix ATF office are the Justice Department units behind another botched operation, called Fast and Furious, which has been the subject of intense congressional interest this year. The Fast and Furious program allowed suspected smugglers to buy about 2,000 firearms, some of which later turned up at drug-related crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S.

Apparently the Obama Administration didn't think they were causing enough damage just running guns to Mexico, and so they released a bomb-builder and—against the pleading of ATF officials—so that he could flee to Mexico and resume building explosives.

When Mexican police finally caught up to Kingery they found enough material to construct 500 hand grenades, the iconic Shepard Fairey Obama "Hope" poster thumb-tacked to the plaster wall over his workbench.

I may have made up that last part.

The sad thing is that is is utterly believable.

A Letter From The Teacher #17: Big Government vs. Big Government

Anytown High School, Any State, USA

To: Bob, My Most Esteemed Colleague
From: Mr. English Teacher
Re: Big Government vs. Big Government

Dear Bob:

I hope you have a bit of time to read and consider this and get back with me. I'd like to see what you have to say about the issues I'll raise.

Conservatives oppose big government. Most conservatives would agree with that statement without reservation. Perhaps they shouldn't, for many conservatives seem willing to embrace the stultifying power of government when it comes to educational issues such as mandatory, high-stakes tests or vouchers, among others.

"But these are truly important issues," they say. "We have to do it for the children," they say. Does that sound familiar? Aren't those statements exactly what leftists say to justify the unjustifiable?

Indiana has embraced the most ambitious voucher program in American history, and conservatives around the nation are enthusiastically applauding. They shouldn't. In many ways, they don't realize that they are supporting big government at its worst.

A good article at Cato.org (here) deals with a real problem that always crops up whenever government is involved in anything: Red tape and regulations that inevitably "fundamentally transform" what works into what doesn't. Go here to see a brief but disturbing summary of the rules and unfunded mandates being imposed on any Indiana private school accepting voucher money. Ronald Reagan was right. The most horrifying words in the English language are truly: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." By all means, read these brief articles and then return; I'll wait. Oh yes, and as you read, remember that Gov. Mitch Daniels is a Republican, ostensibly a conservative.

Do you see what I mean? One of the great advantages of private education has always been its freedom from governmental regulation. While there is no convincing, continuing evidence that private education is uniformly superior to public education, I can certainly understand its attraction. But if by accepting government money, private education becomes indistinguishable from public education, what's the point? Who doesn't understand that government money always comes with conditions, or do some just prefer not to notice in order to get their hands on taxpayer loot?

If the money for vouchers didn't come directly out of public education funds, I would still have concerns on philosophical grounds alone. I spend an average of $2000 a year on school supplies, and I'm sure you do about the same. I currently get a $250 federal tax credit, which is better than a poke in the eye with a pointed stick, but not that much. Due to the economy, our district has reduced the supply budget by 60% this year, but at least we don't have to lay anyone off—for now. Of course, that also means that we're not getting any raises in the foreseeable future, so I'm going to be spending more and making less. It's a good thing our state doesn't have a voucher program, for it if did, we'd surely be seeing mass layoffs with all of the problems that implies. I know that in your district as well as mine, "doing more with less" is nothing new; it's standard operating procedure day in and day out.

I've often written about how alarmists rattling on about the abject failure of the public schools are all too often taken at face value. Few stop to apply a bit of common sense, which should tell them that most schools are actually doing very well indeed. There are, of course, some individual schools and some entire school districts that are truly terrible, but those districts and schools tend to be in Democrat controlled enclaves such as California, Washington DC and Detroit. In such places, the condition of the schools is merely a symptom of the complete corruption of the political and social system that drags down everything and everyone.

It is these places—thankfully a minority—that are probably the strongest argument for public school alternatives. The citizens of these failed polities may be immune to constitutional government and free enterprise, their schools impervious to professional teaching, discipline and management that does not enrich cronies or support a political machine. Even actual (Detroit) or imminent (California) economic collapse cannot divert the members of such recipient, victim classes from their downward spiral. Yet, vouchers aren't the answer for them either.

It is our civic duty, where government ignores the consent of the governed, where it becomes a criminal enterprise, where it seizes powers it is not authorized to have to reform it. If a school doesn't work, fix it! That's the American way. Running away is for Monty Python.

I've always felt that the public schools exist, in part, because we need common, civic education. Our future adults need not only practical knowledge but a belief in the ideals of our democracy, of our unique and indispensable American culture based in the respect of the life of the individual and of his equality before the law. If we abandon even part of a generation, if they don't embrace American ideals, we ensure division and chaos.

Even in schools where a generally leftist philosophy controls the faculty, all is not lost. Even some leftists can teach professionally without constantly injecting socialism into the curriculum. But even in schools where socialism is an integral part of the curriculum, it's worthwhile to remember an old aphorism, attributed to a wide variety of sources: "One father is worth a hundred schoolmasters."

I see my students less than five hours a week for about 180 days—a part of one year of their lives. While I know I have a positive influence on many of them I have no doubt that compared with the influence of their parents, my influence is small indeed. This is particularly true where they have engaged, serious parents who accept their parental role rather than trying to be adult buddies to their children.

Engaged parents know that there is no such thing as a right never to be exposed to thoughts and ideas with which they might disagree. Where children are exposed to misguided ideas in school, where teachers cross the line between imparting the best professional information their discipline has to offer into political indoctrination, parents have a wonderful opportunity for discussion and the presentation of convincing ideas grounded in common sense and an appreciation for American democracy. Of course, this requires parents who see themselves—as I do—as the primary, life-long teachers of their children. I have my students on loan from their parents for a short time and for very specific purposes. I consider it an honor and a great responsibility, a sacred trust.

Conservatives should work to ensure the proper educational opportunity for all children. Isn't it self-styled elitists who send their children to "elite" private schools, caring nothing for the quality of education of others? Isn't this anti-democratic? Doesn't it contribute to civic division and discord? Does Mr. Obama, a product of elite private schools, support American values or the politics of class warfare and the abuse of his authority?

Private schools are expensive and vouchers cover only a fraction of the yearly tuition. If vouchers are truly a balm for educational failings, why not fully subsidize private education for all who might choose it? Conservatives understand, unlike leftists, that it would completely bankrupt the public schools, so vouchers remain a political token, which only wounds the public schools, allowing them to limp along.

Let's not forget the Constitution, for most private schools are religious schools, and whenever a sectarian school is involved, the Constitution is violated. Vouchers aren't for truly elite schools; they're for people who need not ask about the cost of tuition and who summer on Martha's Vineyard with the Obamas. Vouchers are for local private schools, most often sectarian schools, schools whose identity and practice is inescapably religious.

Some voucher proponents dishonestly work up various schemes whereby public money is given to citizens first, then to sectarian schools, claiming that since the money wasn't given directly to private schools, the Constitution isn't involved. Of course it is. Pretending otherwise is a leftist ploy in the grand tradition of Bill Clinton parsing the meaning of "is." It's fundamentally dishonest and conservatives should have no part of it. If conservatives truly support the Constitution, there can be no picking and choosing: isn't that what leftists do?

It is certainly harder to reform a troubled school or school district than leaving it, but that's what American ideals call us to do, unless we really want to create a two-tiered society of those steeped in American values and those indoctrinated in the culture of victimhood, eternal grievance, all-encompassing political correctness and absolute governmental control over every aspect of life. That's a recipe for conflict and the decline, perhaps even the fall, of America. And it all begins with something as simple and seemingly harmless, perhaps even positive, as vouchers.

Well, what do you think? There is no danger of our state going for vouchers in the foreseeable future, and I don't think that's true of yours either, but I'm looking forward to hearing about what you have to say. Take care and give your lovely wife my best.

Yours,

Mr. English Teacher

Liberal Academics Support Prejudices Against Conservatives

Specifically, a couple of college professors asked ambiguous questions and inferred racist intent from questions like these:

...Mr. Abramowitz also said they were more likely to harbor racial resentment, which he judged based on their answers to questions such as whether blacks could succeed as well as whites if they "would only try harder," and whether they agreed with the statement that Irish, Italians and Jews overcame prejudice and "blacks should do the same without any special favors."

Mr. Abramowitz said tea party supporters were substantially more likely than other voters to question how much effort black Americans are making to advance themselves, versus being held back by social factors.

You see, for liberal, often Marxist and truly racist academics, blacks are lesser humans, and they need subsidies, special treatment, and incentives. How else are they supposed to be "equal" unless we make them equal?

Tea Party supporters of every race view this as condescending rubbish with good reason; equality means everyone having the same opportunities, not ensuring that everyone has the same results.

In the eyes of the ignorati, however, such sentiments equal racism and bigotry because it doesn't embrace their belittling view of minorities.

Remind me again... who are the racists?

Fun With Vocabulary! Really!

At the beginning of each school year, I have a dilemma: How best to encourage seven separate sections of high school English students to enjoy and appreciate words? Building a large and flexible vocabulary is obviously important, but it's not so obvious to teenagers whose growing bodies are awash with love hormones and who often have the attention spans of gnats.

One of several methods I use is an unusual vocabulary quiz that illustrates the importance of knowing the denotations (definitions) and connotations (images and ideas associated with the word) of words. Because it's fun and provokes much delighted snickering (you'll see what I mean), the kids enjoy it, and it conditions them to do and even enjoy more traditional vocabulary work. We English teachers are sneaky that way (cue flashing lightning, thunder and maniacal laughter)!

So in honor of Labor Day—and hopefully you're resting from your labors—here's a bit of fun with vocabulary. The answers appear after the jump. Don't peek or you'll be looking at detention, little mister/missy!

Directions: Answer each question with a yes or no.

(1) It is a presidential election year. The candidate you intend to vote for, responding to a sensational news story, admits that he is a practicing HETEROSEXUAL. Should you vote for him?

(2) Your favorite minister, responding to persistent rumors, admits to the congregation that despite being married for 26 years, he has consistently practiced MONOGAMY. Should he be run off?

(3) You have had your eye on a guy/girl for some time. You’re sure that they will go out with you if you ask, but you learn that they are POLYDACTYL. Would it be medically safe to ask them out?

(4) Your favored candidate for the U.S. Senate delivers a speech wherein he announces his absolute support for FEDERALISM. Would it be un-American to vote for him?

(5) You are seriously considering voting for an obviously intelligent, capable candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives when you learn that he is a lifelong LIBERTARIAN. Would it be moral to vote for him?

(6) The President is running for reelection. He proudly states that he will aggressively pursue a FECKLESS foreign policy. Should he be reelected, particularly during wartime?

(7) Your favored candidate for the U.S. Senate is forced to admit that he once EXPECTORATED in the presence of women and children. Does this make him unfit for office?

(8) You are considering voting for a presidential candidate, but during a campaign speech, he says that he believes that all women must be ENFRANCHISED. Is he against women?

(9) The man/woman you intend to marry tells you that he/she is very serious about POSTERITY. Should you be worried?

(10) Your boy/girlfriend suddenly demands that you kiss them on their RICTUS. Do you run away?

(11) You are considering dating a very attractive guy/girl until a friend tells you they have a well-deserved reputation for TRUCULENCE. Should you date them?

(12) You are considering dating a very attractive guy/girl until a friend tells you that they are ODIFEROUS. Would it be fun to date them?

(13) The opponent of your favored presidential candidate delivers a passionate campaign speech wherein he accuses your candidate of MASTICATING at least three times a day. Should you be concerned about this?

(14) The opponent of your favored presidential candidate delivers another passionate campaign speech wherein he asserts that your candidate has led an IMMORTAL life. Is this a reasonable charge?

(15) The opponent of your favored presidential candidate delivers yet another passionate campaign speech wherein he claims that your candidate supports FLUORIDATION and has a distinctly COPERNICAN view of the Earth. Should you be concerned?

ANSWERS:

(1) HETEROSEXUAL: He is attracted to the opposite sex. So most Americans would have no problem voting for him. California is another thing entirely.

(2) MONOGAMY: Don't run him off! He has been faithful to his wife. For a minister, that's a good thing!

(3) POLYDACTYL: Medically safe? Yes. They have more than the usual number of fingers or toes. This one usually creeps out many of my kids.

(4) FEDERALISM: Considering that Federalism is our way of government, this one is OK. Yes, I know our current federal government doesn't recognize Federalism, but I'm just an English teacher. It's not my fault.

(5) LIBERTARIAN: It's moral to vote for him. Libertarians want maximum personal freedom and minimal government intrusion. Yes, I know our current federal government doesn't buy this either and it's still not my fault.

(6) FECKLESS: No, he should not be reelected as he plans to pursue a weak and ineffective foreign policy. Hey! That sounds familiar…

(7) EXPECTORATED: Unfit for office? Nah. He spat. If that's the worst he's done, he's a virtual saint compared to many of our politicians.

(8) ENFRANCHISED. No, he's not against women; he just wants them to be able to vote.

(9) POSTERITY: You should not be worried unless that is you don't want children. Posterity is future generations, your offspring. My kids snicker at this one as it reminds them of "posterior."

(10) RICTUS: Don't run away! They want a kiss on the mouth. Well, maybe run away… This one causes the kids to run around for a week or so asking everyone in sight for a kiss on the rictus.

(11) TRUCULENCE: Don't date them! They're nasty and aggressive—I mean, unless you like that sort of thing…

(12) ODIFEROUS: Fun? Well, considering they're smelly, it may not be so much fun, again, unless you like that sort of thing…

(13) MASTICATING: No, you shouldn't be concerned. He's being accused of chewing—essentially eating—three times a day. Oh yes, this one really has the kids snickering.

(14) IMMORTAL: Unless he's Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander, it's not a reasonable charge: he's being accused of living forever.

(15) FLUORIDATION/COPERNICAN: Concerned? Nah. He supports putting Fluoride in drinking water to protect tooth enamel (happens just about everywhere) and believes that the Earth orbits the Sun (which it does).

The Literature Corner: I Used To Be A Marine

“Car 3, two-two,” the dispatcher--radio call sign “two-two”--droned.

Without conscious thought, I lifted the microphone to my lips. “Car 3,” I replied.

“Stockman’s Bar; Omaha and Maple. Henry Running Elk needs to go to Detox.”

“Enroute,” I replied, almost simultaneously replacing the mic in its holder and turning the corner to reverse my track. All of the patrons of the Stockman’s were always incredibly drunk. Whew. If the Stockman’s wants Henry to go to Detox, he must be unbelievably blitzed. It wasn’t exactly a Parisian sidewalk cafe frequented by the wealthy and avant-garde. Its patrons were Bohemian in shabby dress and poverty only.

It was only 2230 on Sunday night. I hadn’t been on the street ten minutes and the cycle was already starting. My mini-Blazer didn’t smell good. Another semi-wild black haired regular on the way to Detox on the previous shift was gracious enough to empty the contents of his shriveled stomach in the back seat, and even though the officer/recipient of that little present did her best to clean it up, the odor--as always--lingered. Hmmm. Ripple Blanc, late June I should think. An amusing and delicate bouquet, yet not too pretentious. That’s what you get when you buy your wine in a gallon jug.

As I slid out of my car, I reached for my hat but decided to leave it. The Chief is a hat fanatic. The preservation of life itself pales in comparison to the wearing of hats. My wife thinks my hat makes me look like the Nazis in Casa Blanca. Besides, every time I have to run, or struggle with someone, the damned thing falls off and gets stomped into road kill.

I push the door open, and just like in a movie western, heads swivel and all eyes lock on me. My eyes adjust to the dim, smoky atmosphere. The bartender nods and points to the stool at the end of the bar. It’s a ritual we’ve performed hundreds of times. Henry has degenerated to the point that it’s hard to tell where he ends and the stool begins.

Henry’s pals, well on the way to oblivion, nod and smile. They’re all my regular customers. They know that I’ll be back for some of them later, and if not tonight, soon. We all know the drill, and mostly, they play by the rules with a sense of amiable detachment. They know I’m not there for them. They’re content.

They’re the staggering wounded. Tripped up by life, they’re just too pickled to die, at least not right away. Their average, everyday B.A.C must hover around 0.30--three times the legal limit for DUI. At that level they’re all numb smiles, but to the casual observer, normal, perhaps even sober.

“Henry,” I say softly, gently shaking him. No response. “Henry. C’mon Henry, we’re going to take a ride.” Nothing. He’s face down in a pool of his own saliva.

Geez, but he’s awfully still. He couldn’t be. . .? I check his carotid pulse. . .nah. Not dead, but he’s probably a 0.42. After awhile, most cops can judge B.A.C (Blood Alcohol Content) levels with a good degree of accuracy. For some reason, I’m very accurate--I win nearly all the hospital emergency room betting pools.

I try a pressure point at the jaw line under his right ear. For virtually anyone, it’s incredibly painful and compels them to move immediately. Henry doesn’t even flinch. I try my favorite wrist lock. Designed to make anyone pop to their tip toes and beg to do as you ask, it only provokes a mild, annoyed grunt. Henry raises his head just long enough to snort and rocket an asteroid-sized booger into the pool of saliva on the bar.

He’s another dragger. Most cops aren’t injured in shootouts or fights. They suffer back injuries hauling the Henrys of the world. I call for backup and when he arrives, all I have to do is nod toward Henry and he knows.

Henry was a big, strong guy once upon a time. A Marine. He always tells you that, and he was too. A few years back, one of the guys checked it out. He did three tours in Vietnam; got loads of decorations. He was a real high-speed, low-drag kind of guy. But that was then and this is now. Years of an all-alcohol diet have withered his body, maybe his soul.

Henry’s a particularly ripe dishrag as we slither him off the stool and carry/drag him out of the bar to the boozy cheers and applause of the onlookers. I smile, nod to acknowledge their appreciation of my work, and bid them adieu. It never hurts to build a little good will with your regulars.

Fresh air feels and smells good. We pour Henry into the back seat of my once-pristine Blazer and chat for a few minutes about how much Henry has deteriorated since we saw him last. Last week wasn’t it? I suggest that he’ll probably not survive to see next summer. My partner nods his agreement. We’ll meet at Detox. Henry will doubtless be limp as a dishrag there too.

I’m almost at Detox when the moist, warm stench of kidney- filtered cheap wine fills the truck. Thanks a bunch Henry. I’ll never get the smell out. I wonder if Henry will notice he wet himself when he wakes up, or is that--like being constantly drunk--just part of his everyday cycle of life?

We ease Henry onto the bench and call for the staff. While we’re waiting, Henry snorts and hacks to semi-consciousness and rises ponderously to his feet. Only one eye is even partially open, veins blazing fire engine red. Snot runs freely into his scraggly mustache, and drool hangs like a dirty icicle from his rubbery, numb lower lip.

Even before he moves, something in Henry’s posture tells me it’s coming, so I only have to shift my weight slightly to the side. He’s still pretty fast. I have the choice of dodging or catching, not both. Henry’s right hand, only partially a fist, wobbles past my head with all the intensity and grace of a Gooney bird on landing approach.

As momentum carries him past me and he falls, in the curiously disjointed slow motion of the lifelong alcoholic, toward the tile floor, Henry mumbles sadly. Unintelligible to anyone who hasn’t spent years hearing his language--the language of brains irretrievably damaged by booze--I get it. He hits face first, makes a wet, sloppy splat, and is down and out for the count.

“I know Henry,” I say softly, “You used to be a Marine.”

GunWalker Cover-Up Comes Apart At The Seams

It's starting to fall apart for Eric Holder's Justice Department and the Obama Administration, as you'll see in my latest article at Pajamas Media.

Media Matters has made their normal dysfunctional attempt to shield the Administration, in this case, the opinion of Michael Sullivan, a acting ATF director under the Bush Administration, as cited in an interview with Kelly Wright on Fox News.

KELLY WRIGHT (ANCHOR): The President says he knew nothing about the operation, but the Justice Department has been slow in responding. Do you think this will lead all the way to the White House being involved?

SULLIVAN: I would be surprised. From our experience at ATF, firearms trafficking cases were fairly routine in terms of the nature and scope of the investigations. They didn't require authorities outside of ATF, and for the purpose of initiating it. Could folks have been briefed up, considering the violence in Mexico and the violence on the border, about the strategy, that's clearly possible. But the project itself was well within the rights of the director to essentially approve or to reject.

Media Matters, of course, refuses to provide some key details about Fast and Furious, starting with the fact that no ATF director has the authority to approve a gun-walking program, just interdiction programs. Nor do they have the authority to authorize a program that spans international borders as Fast and Furious was designed to do from the outset.

The fact remains that multiple cabinet-level agencies—as many as four, including DOJ, DHS, Treasury, and State—colluded in Operation Fast and Furious had to work together, and the most logical nexus for such a high profile operation are political appointees in each of those organizations and the elected officials that appointed them.

That doesn't fit the narrative fiction Media Matters would like to propagate, but hey, they've aren't paid by a foreign felon to spread the truth.

I've Got A Bad Feeling About This

20 inches of rain, being deposited in a hole in a swamp surrounded by major bodies of water.

Fire up the buses this time, you morons.

The Eco-Aliens Are Coming! The Eco-Aliens Are Coming!

In July of 2010, newly appointed NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was proud to announce the new mission given him by President Obama, the mission he considered most important to NASA: To make Muslims feel good about the scientific accomplishments of their ancient ancestors. Even then, Mr. Obama exhibited an almost divine prescience, for a year later, NASA no longer had the ability to send men into space, so why not focus on more Earthly pursuits? Exhibiting the same spirit that once landed men on the Moon, NASA has done just that.

According to Ian Sample of The Guardian, NASA has turned its legendary scientific brilliance and can-do culture to conquering an entirely new—if not essentially debunked and disgraced—frontier: Global Warming. Wait a minute! NASA is the National Aeronautic and Space Administration. Where’s the aeronautics or space in that? It’s actually spacier than anyone could have imagined.

According to NASA scientists and Pennsylvania State University, we can forget all of that Climategate stuff, and all of the other evidence indicating that the UN and other climate doomsayers have been more or less making it all up. There is now a new and far more compelling reason to bankrupt the entire world even faster than was thought possible through ObamaCare. Using the unfathomable brainpower of NASA scientists and the tenured fecklessness of academia, NASA has determined that the gravest threat to Earth is: Greenie space aliens.

Among the scenarios posited by this galaxy-class brain trust is the idea that alien civilizations watching Earth from across the vast expanse of interstellar space will be compelled to destroy Earth because they detect a change in Earth’s atmosphere due to greenhouse gas emissions. Being just about as green as they come (who knew the little green men were literal and figurative?) these advanced alien intelligences will be terribly offended by what we have done to our planet, so they will, of course, have to obliterate mankind. The authors wrote:

"These scenarios give us reason to limit our growth and reduce our impact on global ecosystems. It would be particularly important for us to limit our emissions of greenhouse gases, since atmospheric composition can be observed from other planets."

This is not, by any means, NASA’s first foray out of rocket science and into crackpot science. Dr. James Hansen (who was just arrested while protesting a proposed oil pipeline) of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies has a long history of embarrassing NASA and reputable scientists with his global warming pronouncements, which have upon occasion forced NASA to disavow or walk back his alarmist claims. Even Hansen’s boss, after his retirement, stated that Hansen violated NASA’s official position on climate forecasting, and embarrassed the agency with his unsupportable claims of impending climate catastrophe.

Yet contact with extraterrestrial life is not beyond the realm of possibility, and responsible scientists have pondered it. Dr. Travis S. Taylor and Dr. Bob Boan published Alien Invasion: The Ultimate Survival Guide for the Ultimate Attack in 2011. The book was an outgrowth of a two-hour documentary produced for the National Geographic Channel in 2010. Taylor and Boan served as consultants for that effort. In the book (pp. 116-118) Taylor and Boan propose fourteen general reasons that might motivate an extraterrestrial visit, including a desire for conquest, food, resources, and a variety of other reasonable possibilities. Unsurprisingly, Earthlings being mean to Mother Earth thus sparking genocidal rage in a technologically advanced space-faring race is not among them.

No longer able to put men in space, reduced to begging the Russians for a lift on their 70s technology capsules for the short hop to the International Space Station and further reduced to serving as self-esteem coaches for cultures that are, for the most part, unable to design and manufacture toasters, NASA has fallen to trying to prop up Al Gore’s declining fortunes. Mr. Gore, obviously deranged as the global warming scam which provided such amenities as a 100 foot houseboat and a mansion that uses more electrical power in a week than most people use in a year collapses around his ears, dissolved into an obscenity-laced rant at an August 8 speech at the Aspen Institute. More recently, he branded as racists those who don't worship his AGW orthodoxy. Poor Al. People just aren't taking him seriously anymore.

It doesn’t take a doctorate in astrophysics to understand why this particular NASA rocket blew up on the launch pad, much like the August 24th launch of a Soviet resupply rocket. Let’s listen in on two alien scientists:

Alien Scientist #1: “Hey, look at this!”

AS#2: “What?”

AS#1: “Extreme range sensors indicate an infinitesimal increase in carbon dioxide concentration with a miniscule increase in global temperature on planet X-39822877B993XC988.1”

AS#2: “What! What are those maniacs doing to their planet! We must immediately rally a fleet and obliterate every sentient being on that planet that we may reduce carbon dioxide and the ambient temperature! We must…wait a minute; which planet did you say?”

AS#1: “Lemme check again…Yup, it’s X-39822877B993XC988.1 alright.”

AS#2: “How far away is that?”

AS#1: “Gimme a sec…uh, says here three trillion light years, give or take a billion or two.”

AS#2: “Three trillion…hmmmm, even at maximum glorg quotient, that's quite a ways…wait a minute, isn’t that the planet a deep space mission visited last clerch, you know, the one that sent back what the inhabitants call “television broadcasts?”

AS#1: “Now that you mention it, I think you’re right.”

AS#2: “Forget it. I’ve seen them. There’s no sentient life there.”

There are those who suggest that anything is possible, but they’re wrong. Monkeys are not going to fly out of my posterior. Barack Obama is not going to create jobs, Iran is not going to sue Israel for peace, and pigs aren’t going to achieve self-propelled flight. Of all of the potential alien visitation scenarios, this is probably one of the most far-fetched (apart from coming to Earth to get modest dressing tips from Lady GaGa), and besides, it’s a shameless rip off of a shameless rip off. One would expect rocket scientists to have a bit more imagination.

I refer, of course, to the classic 1951 classic SciFi film The Day The Earth Stood Still. At least the motivation of the alien visitor, Klatu, was remotely plausible. Alarmed at Earth’s nuclear weapon progress, his civilization, representing many alien races, delivered a warning: Expand Earth’s destructive tendencies beyond Earth, and face "obliteration."

Produced at the beginning of the Cold War, the film has a great deal of charm and delivers its message without Al Gorish condescension and pedantic hectoring. However, the idea that advanced aliens would take notice of a force as slight as a handful of low-yield nuclear weapons wielded by a barely advanced species requires a bit of suspension of disbelief. Why the aliens would be concerned about a species unable to travel even within its own solar system is an interesting question, as is why a race capable of obliterating entire planets via a single eight foot tall autonomous robot would be worried about a few miniscule nuclear explosives. But the film is well made and entertains 60 years later.

The first rip off was the 2008 Keanu Reeves vehicle of the same name. Reeves demonstrates his chops as an honor graduate of the Mt. Rushmore school of acting as an alien race comes to destroy Earth because we’re mean to it in a sort of vague, non-ecologically conscious sort of way, and probably because we eco-racists don’t listen to Al Gore anymore. Reeves is convinced to spare the planet by Jennifer Connelly, who could probably convince me that Al Gore actually won in 2000.

NASA’s rip off requires us to believe than an alien civilization sufficiently advanced to have mastered interstellar travel and with the power to obliterate an entire species on a given planet, ostensibly without harming any of the other flora or fauna, would even notice a completely unremarkable planet in a completely unremarkable star system in a completely unremarkable galaxy in a completely unremarkable corner of the universe. Such a species almost certainly wouldn’t notice if our sun went super nova, and we’re to think plausible that they’re measuring, across the unimaginable vastness of space/time--our global temperature and greenhouse gas concentrations as a sort of omniscient inter-galactic greenie police force?

To be fair, NASA has disavowed its own scientists involved in this scenario, much as it has done with Dr. Hansen from time to time, treating them all like the crazy uncle every family keeps locked in the attic. But perhaps all is not lost. If the alien greenie police do arrive to exterminate us, Mr. Obama can practice the smart diplomacy for which he is so famous. On second thought, maybe not: that would doom us for sure.

Five Questions the Media Won't Ask The Administration About Gunwalker

So far, the shuffling of employees--and some might argue, the buying of their silence--has been the only reaction to the Gunwalker scandal, in which various agencies of the federal government conspired to assure the success of straw purchasers and smugglers running guns to a violent Mexican drug cartel.

In the months since the scandal was revealed, the Department of Justice (DOJ) , BATF, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Division (IRS-CD), Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State, have conspired to stonewall and House and Senate investigations that have been launched to investigate a scandal that appears to be worse than Iran-Contra and Watergate combined.

The scandal is not complicated, and would be revealed by the answering of five simple questions that the media dare not demand answers to from this Administration.

1. Who came up with the idea of allowing guns to be purchased by straw purchasers and then "walked" across the border by smugglers?

2. Who authorized Operation Fast and Furious in the Department of Justice?

3. Who authorized Operation Fast and Furious in the Department of Homeland Security?

4. Is Operation Fast and Furious the only operation of its type, or were there similar operations in Texas, Florida, and other states as evidence suggests?

5.What, precisely, did Barack Obama, Eric Holder, and Janet Napolitano know about Operation Fast and Furious, and when did they know it?

Answering these five simple questions would go a long way towards revealing if Operation Fast and Furious was merely the most inept and bloody law enforcement operation in modern American history, or if it was--as logic and circumstantial evidence suggests--a criminal conspiracy intent on manufacturing evidence to justify gun control initiatives and further the Administration's political agenda at the cost of Mexican and American lives.