COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Monday, February 27, 2017

Facing the Reality of Islamic Death Cults



We Muslims Must Confront the Death Cult in Our Societies


With each atrocity perpetrated in the name of Islam, our religion becomes even more associated with barbarism. We need to reconnect Muslim thinking with its original respect for life, openness and equality.



Writing about the need for Islamic Reform in Haaretz will probably discredit this argument in the eyes of many of my fellow Muslims, despite the fact that no less than a quarter of Israelis share our faith. So be it.

With each new atrocity perpetrated in the name of Islam, our religion becomes associated a little more with a barbarism that ends up appearing inherent to it. This is most unfortunate but, in light of the insanity many individuals, organizations, and governments invoking Islam show themselves capable of, sadly comprehensible. To be taken seriously by non-Muslims, the first thing we need to recognize as Muslims is that this negative connotation attached to our faith in contemporary collective consciousness is quite understandable.

Ironically, much of the conservatism associated with Islam today actually comes from pre-Islamic Bedouin practices that our Prophet spent his entire life challenging or from local cultural habits that actually have nothing to do with the Islamic faith. On the contrary, what characterizes the Quranic revelation is its innovating nature and spiritual, ethical, even epic dynamism, which is actually far from being normative and prescriptive. 

Unfortunately, the vast majority of Muslim institutions in the world are currently distilling and condoning obsolete ideas and values. The claim found all over social networks after each attack that violent acts of terror have "nothing to do with Islam," often backed by excerpts from the Quran, needs to be contrasted with the reverence that our most distinguished and respected scholars and universities show for such books as Min Haj el Talibin by the renowned jurist consul Araf el dine el Nawawi, which recommends stoning adulterers; Es sarim el maslul ala chatim el rasul by Ibn Taymiyya or Taqi al-Din al-Subki's Es seyf el maslul ala men sabba al rasul, which both can be translated roughly as "The sword is drawn against that one who speaks ill of the Prophet." 

The very precise prescriptions they contain regarding how to punish blasphemy, apostasy or adultery is the basis not just for ISIS’s claim that their brand of Islam is nothing more than a vigorous one, but for that of many mainstream conservative Muslim states. At the turn of the twentieth century, the French 'intellectual' Joseph de Gobineau's essay on the inequality of human races was considered "science" by many a conservative in Europe. It has since made its way to the 'history' or 'anthropology' shelves of libraries. It is time significant portions of classic Islamic curricula follow the same path.

Simultaneously, Islamic tradition needs to reconnect with its original innovative spirit; not by transformation or reinvention, but rather by refocusing on the original ends of the Quranic revelation:

- The primacy of knowledge, education, science, aesthetics and the principles of fundamental freedom, social justice, and respect of the law. The binary division of all things and actions between halal and haram, which the practice of contemporary Islam is mired in, is profoundly in contradiction with this spirit. The structural impoverishment of Islamic thought and the absence of recourse to the elementary and salutary ijtihad, the personal effort of interpretation, are directly linked to the lack of freedom observed in Muslim majority societies.
- The openness to the world and otherness, especially religious otherness. It is shocking that even the most prestigious centers of learning in the Islamic world do not further the knowledge of the foundations of other religious traditions and provide their students with a solid understanding of them. 

- The respect and the celebration of life. It is time to replace the sacralization of death and the morbid cult, omnipresent in a great number of Muslim majority societies, with a healthy and salutary biophilia. 

- Ontological equality between men and women, which would compel us to break with the deranged phallocracy characterizing our societies and allow women to take back their rightful place in society and to put an end to the religious and secular discrimination and marginalization imposed upon them. 

As Muslim citizens in the twenty-first century, we should set ourselves three main objectives: 

First, it is time we question the legitimacy and overbearing influence of certain politically and socially backward countries in deciding what is Islamic and what is not, who is a good Muslim and who is not. Let us convene somewhere in 2016 to define the contours of a progressive interpretation of Islam firmly grounded in the 21st century, giving a particularly important role to Asian Islam for elementary reasons of demography and democratic representation, but also to Muslims from sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Secondly, it is time we stop projecting cultural parochialisms onto religious dogma: Muslims around the world should be able to understand much more clearly where Islam ends and where indigenous cultural practice begins. A properly advertised website would be a good place to start teaching our kids those limits.

Thirdly, let us elaborate a charter reflecting the principles set out above that mosques and Islamic institutions throughout the world may chose or not to adopt. 
As we contemplate the dizzying path ahead of us in the wake of the November 13 attacks on Paris, may our determination be unshakable.

Felix Marquardt is the co-founder of the Al-Kawakibi Foundation and of the think tank Youthonomics. Follow him on Twitter: @feleaks

112 comments:

  1. There is no point in arguing that Islamic Death Cults are a small minority. They may be, but they also are a human nightmare yet still tolerated by significantly large groups of Muslims.

    Why is that?

    A Migration expert from the Netherlands claims that around 50 million Muslims from around the world are in favor of violence and terror.

    The Daily Mail reports that according to Dutch professor Ruud Koopmans, 500 million Muslims from various countries are “attached to an arch-conservative Islam which places little worth on the rights of women, homosexuals, and people of other faiths.” He also said that about 50 million of these Muslims are liable to encourage terrorist actions by Jihadist groups.

    The professor further said that the number of this type of Muslim might even surpass the already alarming initial estimate.

    He also discussed his theory with representatives of the EU on Monday, warning them not to allow entry to Muslim refugees who cannot be vetted.

    In an interview with RP-Online, Koopmans stated: “We should therefore be much more cautious about letting everyone come to Europe.” He also referred to existing studies on Muslims living in the west that reveals disturbing levels of support for violence inspired by religion.

    He adds that, “In the Netherlands, the study ‘Salafisme in Nederland’ was published in 2010. Eleven percent of the Dutch Muslims agreed with the statement, ‘There are situations where it is acceptable for me, from the point of view of my religion, that I use violence.’”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://newsline.com/dutch-migration-expert-believes-over-50-million-muslims-encourage-terrorism/

      Delete
    2. Far larger numbers are in favor of having Sharia law and other atrocities associated with the faith.

      Delete
    3. Why go to the mosque, why call yourself a muzzie, if you don't favor Sharia Law ?

      It's the heart of the beast.

      Woman = 1/2 man

      Delete
  2. AN INDONESIAN man collapsed while being publicly caned Monday for having sex outside of marriage.

    Herizal bin Yunus, 27, fainted after being caned eight times in front of a crowd in Aceh, the only province of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country that imposes sharia law.

    ...

    Aceh, on the island of Sumatra, began implementing sharia law after being granted special autonomy in 2001, an attempt by the central government in Jakarta to quell a long-running separatist insurgency.

    Islamic laws have been strengthened since the province struck a peace deal with Jakarta in 2005.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Other threats to humanity:

    The Celebrity Cult

    The bean-counter who blundered: Cornell-educated accountant and 'Matt Damon lookalike' father-of-three who loves selfies with celebrities is revealed as man who caused the biggest mistake in Oscar history

    Brian Cullinan, 57, is the PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant who handed off the wrong envelope to Warren Beatty at Sunday night's Oscar ceremony

    He was stationed at the stage right entrance to the Dolby Theater and handed Beatty the envelope for Best Actress in a Leading Role instead of Picture

    Beatty later appeared to be having a stern word with Cullinan on the stage after co-presenter Faye Dunaway announced La La Land as the winner

    Cullinan bragged about meeting Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn in a recent interview with his alumni magazine

    He also frequently posts photos of the press and television appearances he does as part of the Oscar ballot team

    Cullinan lives with his wife Andrea, 52, in a 4,100 square feet Malibu home with Pacific views worth $2.9 million. They have two sons and a daughter all over 20
    He is a US Board Member at PwC and Managing Partner for the Southern California, Nevada and Arizona Markets.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4265340/Accountant-caused-biggest-blunder-Oscar-

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In the past four years, Cullinan has managed to snap photos with a number of A-list celebrities at the Oscars, and happily shares the photos on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

      Among the celebs he has posed with are Oprah Winfrey, Matt Damon, Chrissy Teigen.
      Cullinan has also taken backstage shots of a number of stars, including Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara and Kate Winslet at the 2016 ceremony.

      Cullinan spoke about his job in an interview with his Cornell alumni magazine a few years back, raving about the celebrity access it affords him and telling a story about how Samuel L. Jackson has a photo of him on his cell phone.

      'Everyone who goes out [on stage], you're hanging out with right before,' said Cullinan.

      'I was standing next to and chit-chatting—it's mostly small talk—with Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Bette Midler, Matthew McConaughey. To see all those people in the course of about an hour—it's a unique spot to be in.'


      Delete
    2. 2 pictures with Beatty, 1 is classic.

      He said of his job back in 2015 when Martha Ruiz joined him as a member of the two-person Oscar team: 'The Oscars balloting process is a symbol of PwC’s culture of integrity and trust.
      'Each year, the Oscars serve as an immense source of pride for the people of PwC. This year, I look forward to working closely with Martha, and, on behalf of PwC and the Academy, thank Rick Rosas for his 14 years of impeccable service.'
      In that same press release, Dawn Hudson, the CEO of the Academy, said: 'The foundation of our long-standing relationship with PwC is based on integrity and trust. We look forward to working with Martha, Brian and PwC for many years to come.'
      Just before the ceremony, Cullinan also gave an interview to The Huffington Post about the possibility of something going wrong during the ceremony.
      He was quick to point out before answering however that a mistake had never happened at that point in the 88-year history of the Oscars.
      'We would make sure that the correct person was known very quickly,' said Cullinan.
      'Whether that entails stopping the show, us walking onstage, us signaling to the stage manager - that’s really a game-time decision, if something like that were to happen. Again, it’s so unlikely.'
      Ruiz meanwhile does not seem the least bit worried about the incident, having not been the person who handed off the incorrect envelope on Sunday.
      In fact, she even posted another celebrity photo on Monday after the outcry that featured and Cullinan with Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan.

      Delete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. He sounds like one A-grade king-size wanker. Hanging out with a bunch of A-grade king-size wankers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exchanging and distributing wanker selfies.

      Delete
  6. samMon Feb 27, 10:18:00 PM EST
    Who the fuck is Wayne?


    DougMon Feb 27, 10:39:00 PM EST
    WTF is Wayne?


    Idaho BobTue Feb 28, 01:30:00 AM EST
    Wayne is a pure Swede farmer and cattle rancher out in my area. Have know that family all my life, my father and grandfather before were close to their family.

    Wayne looks down on me as I'm only half Swede.

    None of the Waynefolk or Bobfolk going back all the way have ever blown anything up except some stumps when clearing land, nor have any of us ever misused a gun, knife or hand.

    Wayne is a Democrat and I even voted for his wife when she recently ran for County something or other.

    She won, too.

    We both call our wives "our better half".

    Wayne has pictures of the Canadian wolves in our area.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Real Swedes invite Muzzies to their farms.

      Delete
  7. Giant Dog
    https://twitter.com/AlyshaTsuji/status/836268697115205632

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She's lovely, and the mutt is more attractive than Quirk.

      Delete
  8. One wonder how humanity can go so wrong -


    Female ISIS Terrorist Lashes Muslim Woman 300 Times For Showing Eyes
    By Cheryl Chumley - on February 27, 2017
    ISLAMISIS female terrorists


    A female ISIS terrorist from Morocco fighting in Iraq reportedly ordered a Muslim woman who was already dressed in a burka and concealed from head to toe to also cover her eyes – and when the woman didn’t, she ordered her arrested and lashed.

    So much for solidarity sisters.


    The women terrorists of ISIS are reportedly just as brutal, if not more so, than the male terrorists, various media report.

    This, from the Sputnik News blog:

    “According to the source, the Moroccan-born “vice policewoman” ordered the Syrian woman to cover her “too expressive eyes” even though the woman was wearing a strict Muslim burqa covering her entire body and hair.

    “Enraged by the rudely-worded command, the woman from Al-Bukamal, a town on the Iraqi border, told the jihadist to ‘get back to Morocco,’ adding that ‘people living around here are faithful Muslims.’

    “‘Hearing this, the jihadist ‘policewoman’ called a prison truck and arrested the woman and her son. The woman was sentenced to 300 lashes in public.”

    The female ISIS terrorist kept saying “this will serve as a lesson for all women of the caliphate,” while the woman was being whipped, the news blog reported.

    Again, from Sputnik News:

    “Daesh [ISIS] women fighters are notorious for their crimes against civilians, with reports about their atrocities regularly coming from Syria’s Anbar Province and the remaining jihadist strongholds in the north of the country.

    “Witnesses say that Daesh women fighters behave even worse than the men. They torture, kill and otherwise abuse slave girls and children born to them.

    “There have been numerous cases of Yazidi children being poisoned to death by Daesh women.

    “Until recently, the women in Daesh were viewed mainly as misguided teenagers overly active on social media, or volunteers destined to produce fighters for the caliphate and play the role of housewife.

    “But a spate of terrorist attacks and other crimes committed by Daesh women drove home the fact that the female component of this terrorist organization is every bit as dangerous as its male contingent.”

    http://pamelageller.com/2017/02/female-isis-terrorist-lashes-muslim-woman-300-times-showing-eyes.html/

    ReplyDelete
  9. HORROR WITCH OF THE DAY


    'Illegal immigrant,' 69, who killed two young men by blowing up a supermarket and bombed a British consulate wants to organize the 'next women's march' in a day of 'anti-capitalist feminism' across the US

    Rasmea Yousef Odeh is one of 8 calling for a US-wide female strike on March 8
    Odeh was convicted in 1970 of planting four bombs in Israel; two detonated
    One killed two men, 21 and 22, in a shop; another damaged the British Consulate
    The Palestinian woman served 10 years before being released in a prisoner swap
    In 1995 she arrived in the US, and did not admit to having been convicted before
    Nine years on she applied for US citizenship; again she didn't mention conviction
    In 2013 she was put on trial for immigration fraud in Detroit, Michigan
    She claimed she didn't know she had to admit to international convictions too
    She was found guilty in 2015 but after an appeal she is being tried again


    By DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER
    PUBLISHED: 18:07 GMT, 26 February 2017 | UPDATED: 19:18 GMT, 26 February 2017

    One of the organizers of 'the next women's march' is fighting deportation from America because she lied about having been convicted of terrorism, it has emerged.

    In an open letter printed in The Guardian, several authors including 'Rasmea Yousef Odeh' called on women across the US to take part in 'striking, marching, blocking roads' and other activities in a day of 'grassroots, anti-capitalist feminism'.

    But what the letter doesn't say is that Odeh, 69, was convicted of killing two young men after bombing an Israeli supermarket and now faces deportation from the US for lying about it in her citizenship application.....



    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4261654/Illegal-immigrant-terrorist-organize-women-s-strike.html#ixzz4ZxrCwsuK


    Pics of HORROR WITCH included in article above

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EVEN BETTER pic of HORROR WITCH in the following article....yuck -

      THE TERRORIST LEADER OF THE 'WOMEN'S STRIKE'

      From helping to kill Israeli students to advocating militant resistance in the streets of the U.S.A.
      February 28, 2017 Joseph Klein


      The call from the Left is to “resist” a “Fascist America,” which is supposedly the direction the United States is taking under President Trump. Among other things, leftists regularly accuse President Trump and members of his administration of anti-Semitism. Yet one of the leaders of the “resistance” movement, and a co-organizer of the next women’s protest on March 8th is Rasmea Yousef Odeh, a convicted Palestinian terrorist. Odeh had participated in bombings in Israel nearly 50 years ago, one of which resulted in the killing of two Israeli students. Now she is advocating militant resistance in the streets of the United States. For Palestinians, “resistance” is often used as a rationalization for acts of terrorism. Odeh has not explicitly advocated the use of violence - at least not yet. However, Odeh and her co-organizers have called for the March 8th protest to include blocking roads, bridges, and squares. We have seen such uncivil acts of disobedience lead to violence in the past.

      Odeh has joined with several other militants as co-authors of a manifesto for a new, more radical form of feminism. Odeh’s co-authors include Angela Davis, who supported the Black Panthers and was a former leader of the Communist Party USA, and Tithi Bhattacharya, a Maoist supporter. The manifesto heralded what its authors called an international “anti-capitalist” feminist movement that is “at once anti-racist, anti-imperialist, anti-heterosexist and anti-neoliberal.” So-called “lean-in” or “other variants of corporate feminism” are not “feminism for the 99%,” according to the manifesto’s co-authors.

      Move over, Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren. Leftists have found new radical feminist heroines to embrace. According to Workers’ World, “Progressive women in the U.S. eagerly responded to the call. Posted on womenstrikeus.org is the strike platform: ‘In a spirit of solidarity and internationalism, in the United States, March 8 will be a day of action organized by and for women who have been marginalized and silenced by decades of neoliberalism directed toward working women, women of color, Native women, disabled women, immigrant women, Muslim women, lesbian, queer and trans women. … [We are organizing] resistance not just against Trump and his misogynist policies, but also against the conditions that produced Trump, namely the decades-long economic inequality, racial and sexual violence, and imperial wars abroad.’" In other words, a whole potpourri of favorite leftwing causes.

      Rasmea Yousef Odeh is particularly beloved in Muslim and leftwing circles. “She's an icon, actually, across the country amongst Arab and Muslim organizations, around civil liberties organizations, among women's empowerment organizations,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a member of Chicago's Arab-American community where Odeh was active as an organizer.

      Angela Davis participated in an event in 2015 with Odeh, co-organized by the Chicago chapter of Black Lives Matter, entitled "Freedom Beyond Occupation & Incarceration – An Afternoon with Angela Davis and Rasmea Odeh." According to a report in Ebony, “Davis and Odeh discussed the importance of Black-Palestinian solidarity, political imprisonment in the US and Israel, as well as the need for the abolition of prisons and ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”

      Odeh praised the Black liberation movement. “I now more fully understand the prison-industrial-complex that sister Angela Davis so eloquently talks and writes about,” Odeh remarked, “and the reason that she discusses the need for the abolition of prisons and not simply reform.” Angela Davis returned the praise, and said that the federal government was targeting Odeh as “part of the broader struggle against political imprisonment in the US.”

      Delete
    2. Actually, the federal government targeted Odeh because she was a convicted terrorist whom should not have even been in the United States in the first place. Years after her release from Israeli prison, she came to the United States in 1995. In 2004, she became a U.S. citizen after concealing her terrorist background. Odeh answered “No” to questions in the naturalization questionnaire regarding whether she had “EVER” been arrested, charged, convicted or imprisoned. In 2014, ten years after becoming a U.S. citizen based on false pretenses, Odeh was convicted for unlawful procurement of naturalization. But Odeh, with a variety of leftwing and Islamist advocates rallying to her side, managed to avoid serving a prison sentence and eventual deportation, at least for the time being. An appeals court granted her the right to a new trial so that she could present evidence of her supposed post-traumatic stress disorder allegedly suffered while in Israeli captivity. It seems that this “disorder,” which she claimed was brought about by acts of rape and torture committed by her Israeli interrogators, confused Odeh when she was filling out the naturalization questionnaire. She interpreted the word "EVER," which was capitalized on the original questionnaire, to mean only the time she resided in the United States.

      Odeh continues to play the part of a Palestinian victim of Israeli “oppression” and “political imprisonment,” when it was she who was responsible for the deaths of two innocent Israeli students. She then conveniently forgot all about her terrorist background in order to slip through naturalization screening.

      Members of the “fake news” mainstream media seem to have forgotten as well. For example, in an article appearing on New York Times.com, writers from Women in the World identified Yousef Odeh simply as an associate director of the Arab American Action Network.

      The Huffington Post published an article by Black activist Marc Lamont Hill, who uncritically accepted Odeh’s narrative of being unfairly convicted by an Israeli military court on the basis of a coerced confession. He ignored the fact that there was corroborating evidence of her complicity in the terrorist acts, independent of her confession. Moreover, Odeh’s trial was witnessed by an observer from the International Red Cross, who determined it was fair. However, facts mean little as far as radical ideologues are concerned. They resist the truth, and are provided a platform in the mainstream media to promote their false narratives.

      “Like many Palestinian freedom fighters,” Marc Lamont Hill wrote, “Odeh’s story should resonate with Blacks here in the United States. She is the victim of a criminal military court system in Israel, much like many Black people are victims of a criminal racist justice system in the U.S. Odeh’s is an important story. A story of Palestine. A story of refugees, of military occupation and torture, of political imprisonment, of women’s rights organizing, of freedom. But Odeh’s must also be understood as a Black story. A story of global resistance to colonial power. A story of challenging unjust government action. A story of solidarity.”

      Rasmea Yousef Odeh does indeed have a story. But it is not the story that Odeh and her supporters would want us to believe. To the contrary, it is a story of a convicted terrorist who lied her way into the United States and now seeks to radicalize it with her leftwing allies through acts of “resistance.” We can only hope that Odeh’s story will end with her new trial scheduled to begin on May 16, 2017 and a verdict of guilty that will ultimately lead to her deportation.

      https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/265948/terrorist-leader-womens-strike-joseph-klein

      Truly, truly, she's Authentic Halloween Stuff.

      Delete
    3. She's teamed up with Angela Davis, still ticking after all these years.

      Angela was given a Professorship to shut her up but it didn't work out.

      Abolish Prisons: Free The Killers And Rapists is her cry now.

      Delete
    4. (This isn't going to work out either)

      Delete
  10. February 28, 2017
    Is Islam a Religion of Peace? Let’s ask the OIC
    By John Ellis


    ....Do we have the right to insist on a ruling by the OIC? Of course we do, because the question how the relevant passages of the Quran should be read has a serious impact on our lives. We are regularly subjected to vicious terrorist attacks by Muslims who read them as fully relevant to the modern world. Bloody civil wars are either caused or exacerbated by that reading, and we are impacted by the resulting refugee crisis.

    But in any case, the Muslim world itself badly needs a ruling, which is long overdue. Polls show that a clear majority of those who live in Muslim-majority countries believe that the Quran requires jihad against non-believers in general, and the West in particular. The 2009 World Public Opinion poll found this even for 62% of Jordanians and 61% of Egyptians, hardly the most virulently anti-Western of Muslim countries. A 2015 Al-Jazeera poll found that 81% of all Muslims support the Islamic State. It’s certainly possible that one or more of these polls is unreliable, but at the very least they show that sharply different understandings of the Quran exist, and that therefore guidance by the OIC is needed.

    There are three possible outcomes of a request for a ruling. OIC might rule that the relevant passages of the Quran indeed apply only to the 7th century context; or that they are timeless in their applicability; or it might refuse to give a ruling. Let us take these one by one.

    The first would represent an authoritative ruling that the Quran is misread by jihadis and their numerous sympathizers. However, that ruling would be pointless unless the OIC took steps to enforce it. It would need to instruct the faithful everywhere that they must all now live at peace with other faiths, and that killing people whose only crime is being non-Muslim will earn them not 72 virgins, but a place in hell.

    Enforcing the ruling would certainly require taking steps to ban the militant reading of the Quran that is taught to children in many schools across the Islamic world. Enforcement would also have to include sweeping away any customs that are visibly relics of a “conquest” phase. For example, if the faithful are to live at peace with other religions, the practice of those faiths cannot be made a criminal offence, as in Saudi Arabia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But what if the OIC were to rule instead that everything in the Quran is valid for all time -- even those parts of it that call for violence against and/or subjugation of non-believers? If the OIC were to rule in this way, it would follow that Islam was a religion unlike any other. We usually think of a religion as a set of beliefs and values, together with the rituals that express them. But this hypothetical ruling would mean that Islam was much more than a religion as we understand that word. To the extent that jihad against unbelievers were an essential part of modern Islam it would also embody a conspiracy to murder, and to the extent that it aimed eventually to subject all non-Muslims to Sharia law it would represent a conspiracy to overthrow the Constitution of the United States. Religions, as we understand that term, are protected by our Constitution, but conspiracies to murder and to overthrow our Constitution are not.

      If the OIC were ever to rule in this way, it would follow from that ruling that every Muslim would become a party to those conspiracies. Speaker Paul Ryan famously said that we can’t impose a religious test for immigration, because “that is not who we are.” But we are also not a foolish people. No prudent society could neglect to screen immigrants for a possible membership in organizations that advocate and practice criminal violence and sedition, regardless of whether they also have a religious basis.

      The third possibility is that the OIC could refuse to issue a ruling. But since the OIC is naturally well aware of the violence being done by so many Muslims in the name of Islam, a refusal to offer guidance as to how to read the Quran’s calls for violence against unbelievers could only mean that the militant reading will stand. That would give tacit blessing to the violence. Clearly, we should have to regard this third possible outcome as a variant of the second. A true religion of peace would want to resolve any ambiguity about its nature, once and for all, and it would surely want to outlaw violent jihad.

      A ruling by the OIC would represent a crucial decision by Islam. Depending on what that ruling might be, violent jihadis will either have been excommunicated or accepted. And consequently, Islam would either deserve and get the same protection that any other religion deserves under US law, or it would not.

      John M Ellis is a Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Chairman of the California Association of Scholars


      Delete
    2. http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/02/is_islam_a_religion_of_peace_lets_ask_the_oic.html

      Why go to all this trouble ?

      Why not read muzzie history ?

      Such reading makes it crystal clear what Islam really is, if your daily newspaper hasn't convinced one yet.

      I was impressed by learning the muzzies had slain 80,000,000 Hindus in one 250 year period alone, for instance.

      Delete
    3. Though I admit that as a tactic asking the OIC to clear up the matter is quite crafty.

      Delete
  11. Spain appoints SEX TSAR to encourage couples to have more nookie to boost country's 'catastrophically' low birth rate

    Faced with an impending population crisis, the government has tasked senator Edelmira Barreira with sorting out the problem

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/spain-appoints-sex-tsar-encourage-9928801

    It may be a hard exhausting task, but I can think of a candidate from here at the Bar that would be up to it.

    ReplyDelete

  12. GW Bush has criticized Trump more in 6 weeks than he did Obama in 8 years.

    The country would be better off without the whole damn family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Read or view the entire interview with that jackass Matt Lauer. Overall, in my opinion, GWB was actually agreeable with most of what Trump is doing. Even with Lauers baiting questions.

      Delete
    2. More fake news by the MSM as they continue to vilify Trump. I find it ironic that the left wingers are clinging to Bush's comments to support their continuous criticism of Trump, when they have done nothing but blame EVERYTHING bad that has happened in the last 16 years on Bush.

      Delete
  13. February 28, 2017
    Why accusations about Trump and the Russians will go nowhere
    By Monica Showalter

    The recent controversy surrounding President Trump and his supposed ties to Moscow has always been a non-starter for me. We are supposed to believe the word of unnamed intelligence officials ensconced in the Beltway suburbs without a drop of firsthand experience, busy leaking to reporters because they are upset about the result of the last election? Already there's a motivation problem right there.

    But I have my own experience that makes me think the whole thing is nonsense except as a partisan setup.


    The latest news is that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R.-Calif.) has stated that there is no evidence the Trump camp had any significant contact or coordination with the Russians during the election campaign or shortly after, and he warned against a 'witch hunt' over it.

    He's right and I believe him.

    Know why? Because as a longtime journalist, I've talked to Nunes and his staff, usually in the context of California's mismanaged water situation and how it affects California's farmers, the hardest-hit of whom are Nunes' constituents. But I've also talked to his staff, not just on water, but on Russia. What did I find? The most hard-nosed, give-no-quarter, highly knowledgeable people this side of Russia itself. People with advanced degrees in Russian area studies. It's not been widely reported, but I can say with certainty Nunes' staff are extremely sharp on Russia, and well aware of every questionable act from that country. Nothing gets past them, and they have no naivete. If anything, they seem too harsh, but it is likely they have access to intelligence I do not.

    If people known to be this hard-nosed are going to say they have no intelligence on Russian shenanigans with the Trump camp, you can bet there is nothing going on. Given their inclinations and expertise, they would have found it and put it out there.

    Here's the other part: As a journalist, I also have contact with Russian sources, the official kind, the pro-Putin loyalists, and more than one from whom I have gotten perspective from for writing news stories. Over the summer, I heard one important thing from all of them, by way of complaint: They were unable to make contact with anyone in the Trump camp. They wanted to learn what they could about Trump's positions, they were all interested, and they certainly tried, via official channels. None of it seemed nefarious. But they still said they got no cooperation. They said making contact with the Hillary Clinton camp was actually a little easier, but not much. They forecasted a Clinton win and paid more attention to Clinton's positions in any case. But even with a secondary focus on Trump, the Trump camp was a complete dead end to them.

    Put the two together and it adds up to a picture that the Trump-Russia "narrative," so obsessed about on the left, will come to absolutely nothing. I certainly do not know everything about what happened and like Nunes, think it's right to keep an open mind. But the reality to so far show is that there's no there there, from either side of the equation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/02/why_accusations_about_trump_and_the_russians_will_go_nowhere.html

      Delete
    2. .

      What bullshit?

      The latest news is that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R.-Calif.) has stated that there is no evidence the Trump camp had any significant contact or coordination with the Russians during the election campaign or shortly after, and he warned against a 'witch hunt' over it

      He's right and I believe him.

      Know why? Because as a longtime journalist...


      Trust me, I'm a professional?

      We are supposed to believe the word of unnamed intelligence officials...

      But I've also talked to his [Nunes'] staff [unnamed], not just on water, but on Russia...

      There we have the reality of the situation as presented by a Trumpette.


      samMon Feb 27, 06:04:00 PM EST

      House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said he has not yet seen any evidence of coordination, but did not rule out the possibility. But Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, said, "The committee has reached no conclusion on whether the Trump campaign has colluded with Russia."

      ...

      "We're very interested in figuring out who those people were because they have questions to answer as to what laws did they use to decide to unmask Gen. Flynn," Nunes said.

      Schiff said he agreed to investigate the leaks but did not want that to be the main focus of the committee's work.


      The reality, both sides are trying to press their case in the media to sway public opinion. The puff piece by Ms. Monica Showalter another example of the bubblegum and bullshit passed out by those who call themselves 'journalists'.

      Also the reality...

      At this point, ALL of the investigation into the Trump/Russia connection if any has been done by the FBI. The intelligence Committee hasn't even started their investigation into the specifics as they are waiting for details of the FBI investigation.

      Nunes wants to shift the emphasis of the investigation to leaks. Shiff wants the emphasis to be any possible Trump/Russian connection.

      Ms. Showalter, after spending an entire article whining about 'unnamed sources' in the intelligence community and telling us about all of her hardnosed, expert 'unnamed sources' working for Nunes who disagrees finally admits that fact in the last sentence of the article though even there it has a partisan bias.

      Anyone who actually watched the Nunes and Shiff interviews would know all this.

      .

      Delete
    3. .

      ...who disagree...

      To avoid the picayune comments of the Bar's two schoolmarms.

      .

      .

      Delete
  14. .

    Have know that family all my life

    It must be nice to have know that family all your life.


    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, yes I dropped the 'n', and did notice, and almost took it down, but then thought why bother, I am so far ahead of Quirk at this game....besides Doug had intervened.

      And I thought Quirk will mention it, and here you are!.... right on time like a Swiss watch.

      One point for Quirk.

      Delete
    2. .

      I'll remind you again, you started this silly game, old timer.

      Not sure if you think it is funny or that you think by trying to make someone look small it makes you look more clever. Let me disabuse you of either thought.

      On the first, there might have been a glint of humor the first time you or Doug played the schoolmarm, but after all this time it has become rather old and stale. Time to get some new material. [And preferably take your act on the road.]

      If your motivation is the second, you place false hope in 'anything' making you look more clever.

      .

      .

      Delete
    3. YOU started it, Mr. Senescence.

      YOU !

      But hang around.

      You have more to contribute.

      And I need an easy target.

      I do find you lend a little something to the place though I find it impossible to say exactly what that something is....

      You've always been a revisionist, and that's OK, everyone backs and fills a bit. You take it to such excessive lengths it is hard to keep up though.

      On another note, a sanctimonious son of a bitch has died.

      My wife's brother has kicked the bucket.

      My wife has done her mourning already, before I even got up.

      They never did get along, and in the end I took her point of view, after he stole the river boat wheel right out from her house, from right over the fireplace,after their papa had died.....'for safekeeping'.

      She never saw it again, and she was to get the house all 'all the contents'.

      Says she mourned a lot more for Calico the Cat, a noble animal.

      He was always talking about God as if they two were best buds, and everybody else wasn't best buds with God.

      I have a hunch his wife must be relieved.

      That, that's that.

      The Lord took him home.

      You, Quirk, are not a sanctimonious son of a bitch, I will say that, and that is, after all, something....

      :O)

      Delete
    4. she was to get the house and 'all the contents'

      Delete
    5. DRIVEL

      Crossing the Bar
      BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

      Sunset and evening star,
      And one clear call for me!
      And may there be no moaning of the bar,
      When I put out to sea,

      But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
      Too full for sound and foam,
      When that which drew from out the boundless deep
      Turns again home.

      Twilight and evening bell,
      And after that the dark!
      And may there be no sadness of farewell,
      When I embark;

      For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
      The flood may bear me far,
      I hope to see my Pilot face to face
      When I have crost the bar.

      Delete
  15. North Korea has taken to executing folks with anti-aircraft guns.

    Seems an expensive way to do it for a country on the dole.

    ReplyDelete
  16. .

    It will be interesting to see what Trump has to say tonight in his address to a joint session of Congress.

    Will he finally give us a clear vision of what we can expect in his upcoming budget? If so, what level of detail? If not, it will likely just be another waste of time watching Trump being Trump.

    Areas to look at...

    - the overall budget, will it cut spending or increase it?
    - what growth assumptions will Trump use and do they make sense?
    - the size of the deficit and how deficit hawks in the GOP react to it?
    - the military budget increase and its rationale, that is, why do we need an increase when we already spend more than the next 8 or 10 largest spending countries combined and we just got an IG report DOD was trying to squelch that shows DOD wasted $125 billion over the past 5 years?
    - the budget cuts, who takes it in the ass?
    - the big infrastructure plan, whatever happened to that one?
    - healthcare, we have been waiting for 25 years for the GOP to quit complaining and actually present us with an alternative healthcare plan, where is it, will this be the year?
    - the tax cuts, who gets what?
    - how do we pay for the increased spending? Please don't give us unrealistic growth projections or say that we will pay for the increases by eliminating 'fraud and waste'. We have heard that line too many times before especially in light of the fact that the IGs report we have been wasting $125 billion a year even before the latest fiasco with DOD was reported.

    It will be interesting to see where Trump comes down. Will his budget reflect his promises to the public or will it reflect the same supply side, corporatist bullshit that has divided this country?

    We will see.

    [Well, probably not if recent history is any guide.]


    .
    -

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .


      Truth is, it's a lot easier to say you are going to do something than to actually do it.

      Mr. Trump may get an unwelcome lesson on herding cats.

      .

      Delete
    2. YOU'VE actually learned THAT lesson ?

      Amazing !!!!

      Delete
    3. That is NOT Advertising Dogma.

      Delete
    4. (see all the advertising lose weight fast painlessly scams out there these days)

      Delete
  17. jeeze louise... Trump installs a whole bunch of generals in jobs and then he comes up with a budget that tosses all kinds of money at the military. Gotta win more wars dontchya know? putz!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Under JFK the military got 10% of the federal budget.

      Today, after O'bozo the military share is something under 3%.

      Defending the country is the main job of the feds.

      Time to arm up again.

      The muzz are on the march. Not to mention the Rooskie and the Chinamen !

      Delete
    2. Our funds for defending Canada are depleted.

      We must do our duty.

      Protect the helpless !

      Delete
    3. .


      Idaho BobTue Feb 28, 01:56:00 PM EST

      Under JFK the military got 10% of the federal budget.

      Today, after O'bozo the military share is something under 3%



      Are you nutz? No wonder these dolts can pass this shit while the sheeple stand by and salute.


      .

      Delete
    4. What are your figures, then ?

      Delete
    5. I'll have to rely on Fox, then, you having crapped out so far, and as I can't find anything going back past 1990.

      I expect your answer on my desk when I get back.

      Ciao

      Delete
    6. Trump can take all the money from foreign aid and use it on beefing up the military. Wouldn't that be interesting watching WiO's head explode as Trump reverses Obama's Israel money.

      Delete
    7. .

      I'll have to rely on Fox...

      Good lord.


      Obama's 2017 Budget in Pictures

      In pictures.

      I'm trying to make this as easy as possible on you.

      .

      Delete
    8. Fox is bad enough but Fox as filtered by the brain of Bob - yikes!

      Delete
    9. .

      Saw a young congressman (didn't catch his name) on Fox today. He was a veteran and was politicking for increased military spending. His argument was, 'because of global threats, we definitely need increased military spending because of the problems and delays on key programs like the F-35 fighter'.

      Programs like the F-35 fighter are exactly the reason we don't need an increase in military sending. It represents the absolute worst in the military procurement process in this country, the cost plus process that with apparently few controls adds $ tens of billions in overruns as well as years to launch time for systems that end up being sub-optimal.

      Don't even mention the $25 billion annual cost of the fraud and waste the IG uncovered at DOD.

      .

      Delete
    10. Relax, bozo.

      The Donald is all over the F-35 program.

      And was before you ever heard of it.

      Delete
    11. Hey, bozo, I don't care to read O'bozo's budget, or even look at pictograms of it, which, I gather, is the only way you can comprehend it.

      I want figures of JFK's military spending over against those of O'bozo, in percentages, bozo.

      Usted comprende ?

      Delete
    12. .

      Why?

      You dumb shit, are you saying the percentage you put up for JFK was also wrong?

      I knew the Obama percentage was wrong because I just mentioned the correct percentage yesterday. Look up the JFK percentage yourself.

      Lord love a duck. You are clueless.

      .

      Delete
  18. Everyone here is fucked up, especially SMIRK'n'QUIRK -

    5 new brain disorders caused by digital obsession....DRUDGE

    ReplyDelete
  19. Yes, some non-citizens were found to be voting in Ohio
    Feb 28, 2017 12:01 PM by Jazz Shaw

    Not very many, but how many did they actually check?

    http://hotair.com/archives/2017/02/28/yes-some-non-citizens-were-found-to-be-voting-in-ohio/

    ReplyDelete
  20. Latest outrageous outrage: Couchgate
    POSTED AT 12:31 PM ON FEBRUARY 28, 2017 BY ED MORRISSEY

    http://hotair.com/archives/2017/02/28/latest-outrageous-outrage-couchgate/

    KellyAnne relaxing.

    Pic

    What's wrong with that ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. .

      She didn't even take her shoes off. A five year old would get her bottom paddled for that.

      Besides, why is she tweeting during the president's meeting with leaders of black colleges.

      What is she tweeting about, 'Hi mom. I'm here in the Oval Office with President Trump and a bunch of black guys. Kind of boring but still way cool. Guys are snapping pictures. I plan on using one of them for this year's Christmas card. #Big Girl Time#Sitting on top of the world#Way Cool.

      .

      Delete
    3. How do you know she didn't take her shoes off ?

      I can't even see her feet in the pic.

      Are YOU'RE shoes always off when you are squatted on YOU'RE couch ?

      Ciao

      Delete
    4. .

      You numbskull.

      Don't you even bother to read the links you put up here? Never mind. That was a silly question.

      .

      Delete
    5. Don't you even bother to read the links you put up here? Never mind. That was a silly question.

      Bob to bozo, Bob to bozo:

      A picture is worth a thousand words

      Delete
    6. (heh heh heh....that'll shut bozo up)

      Delete
    7. .

      You are right. I need to take a couple days away from talking to you. You are so friggin dense it gives me a headache trying to talk to you.


      .

      Delete
  21. Is it down.com still down

    http://www.isitdownrightnow.com/

    ReplyDelete
  22. Denzel Washington appeared disgusted by Kimmel's stupid enlisting him to "marry" two strangers.
    Seemed pretty denigrating to me, but now he must really be pissed:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4266554/Oscars-Gary-Chicago-served-20-years-prison.html

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sure the ballot guy is a giant Wanker, but as with so many things today SHODDY DESIGN played a part:

    Barely Legible: http://akns-images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2017126/rs_1024x759-170226221942-1024.Warren-Beatty-Twitter.kg.022617.jpg

    Years past: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-et-envelope-design-20170227-story.html

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2017/02/28/forget-pwc-redesigned-oscars-envelopes-responsible-la-la-land/

    ReplyDelete
  24. David Cassidy on the thrills of dementia:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4268520/David-Cassidy-opens-early-stages-dementia.html

    ReplyDelete
  25. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  26. The obituary has been found on FaceBook, and read.

    No mention of my wife.

    But, the deceased loved Jesus all his life with all his heart, mind, and soul.

    No mention of the indweeling spirit however.

    I am advocating we now push for the return of the river ship's steering wheel, the deceased being in no position to 'safekeep' it any longer.

    Hell of a wheel, I will say that.

    Fine wood, spokes, huge....used back when the Ohio River was free running, and the Captain had to know the river, and its changes....or die.

    My wife is saying:

    Fuck it

    I take this as a veto.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What about the wheel from the ship that inflicted the Swedes on the USA?

      Delete
  27. For those of you not as obsessed by this as I, this pretty well sums up The Wanker's performance in a nutshell:

    Oscars accountant was too starstruck to stop Best Picture blunder:

    Time stamps show celeb-obsessed bean counter tweeted illicit Emma Stone pic at the SAME MINUTE Warren Beatty opened envelope with wrong winner

    PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant Brian Cullinan took a photo of Emma Stone and posted it to Twitter on Sunday night at 9:05pm

    Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway took the stage holding the wrong envelope at 9:03pm to introduce the Best Picture clip package

    At 9:05pm Beatty opened the envelope to announce the Best Picture winner, but was delayed in revealing the winner because of his confusion

    He handed the envelope over to Faye Dunaway, who declared La La Land the winner of the Academy Award at 9:07pm

    Oscars producer Debbie Williams revealed that Cullinan screamed out: 'It’s the wrong answer, it’s the wrong answer, it’s not that movie'

    He did not run out on stage to try and remedy the situation until 9:10pm though and Moonlight was not declared the winner until 9:13pm


    An individual who was working backstage at the Oscars told DailyMail.com that all workers are asked to not take picture of celebrities or post on social media

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4266392/All-access-footage-shows-chaos-Oscars-blunder.html#ixzz4a1KZNtjZ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I almost feinted dead away, my whole world collapsing.

      Delete
    2. Statingthefacts, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 35 minutes ago

      "Why are they analysing this like it was the lead up to 9/11.. the man was given the wrong envelope..End of.. move on people..

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4266392/All-access-footage-shows-chaos-Oscars-blunder.html#ixzz4a1QY7SXe
      Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook"

      Delete
    3. Turkey to surpass California in Raisin production:

      http://www.marketwatch.com/video/california-grape-farmers-rip-up-vines/C3C945C0-A124-4BA3-97DB-5CDD91B2C597.html

      Delete
  28. Hey, bozo, lookie here:

    http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/defense_spending



    Lookie at 1960 and NOW, bozo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why'd we spend so damn much in the Forties?

      Delete
    2. I have no damn idea.

      What a damn military/industrial complex waste.

      Delete
    3. Ask Quirk.

      He'll know.

      He knows everything.

      Delete
    4. You might ask Ash, but he's not really as bright as Quirk.

      Ash wanted to know how the USA could be charged with war crimes when the Congress hasn't declared war.

      Quirk would never ask such an idiotic question.

      Delete
    5. Too dam many rocks: (Video)

      http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article135422349.html

      Delete
    6. .

      Damn, Bob, here is the quote we were talking about...

      Idaho BobTue Feb 28, 01:56:00 PM EST

      Under JFK the military got 10% of the federal budget.

      Today, after O'bozo the military share is something under 3%


      This is what you just put up...

      Hey, bozo, lookie here:

      http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/defense_spending



      Do you see the difference in what's being measured?

      This is a test.


      Hint: You are now making the same argument Rufus was making for years. It was wrong then and its wrong now.

      Think about it. If you start getting a headache, back off, step away, and try again later.

      Encouraging note: This is not difficult.

      We await your answer.

      .





      Delete
    7. Find the figures for the % of the Federal Spending then, and not the GDP.

      Want to give us you're estimate of the difference right now ?

      I'll help you.

      Here:


      Defense as Share of Federal Spending
      Since WWII defense has steadily reduced its share of federal spending.

      Chart 2.35: Defense Share of Federal Spending
      Defense spending along at 20 percent share of federal spending in the late 1930s, but then soared to a peak share of 88 percent of federal spending in 1945. Defense spending declined to about 60 percent share in the late 1940s, but then increased to a 72 percent share of federal spending in 1952 during the Korean War.

      The Cold War saw a steady decline in defense spending as a share of federal spending, down to a 52 percent share in 1969. But when the Vietnam War wound down defense share dropped rapidly, and bottomed at 28.5 percent share in 1979-80.

      In the early 1980s defense spending recovered a larger share of federal spending, reaching 32 percent in 1987. Then it declined to 20 percent share by the late 1990s.

      The War on Terror of the 2000s saw an increase in defense spending share, peaking at 24.5 percent share in 2010. Defense share of federal spending is expected to decline to 21.6 percent share in 2015 and 17.4 percent share by 2020.

      http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/defense_spending

      By either measure, your fucked.

      Delete
    8. .


      Well this is a little embarrassing...Sorry, folks doesn't seem like we've got that answer yet...

      Always on the Run

      .

      Delete
    9. .

      I'm fucked?

      You dumb shit, you started out saying defense as a percentage of the budget was 3% under Obama, not even close to the Obama actual of 15%.

      Then you say the same measure under JFK was 10%, off just as much in the opposite direction. Kennedy's was 19.4%.

      https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=FZunxtxc&id=9A276015FEF3EC18BC40FF5FAA63387DFD8F5FA5&q=us+budget+breakdown+under+jfk+in+1962&simid=608000871786678420&selectedIndex=4&qpvt=us+budget+breakdown+under+jfk+in+1962&ajaxhist=0

      And my comment was 'Are you nutz?' How can you deny it's true?

      The question still applies.

      I assume you are somehow trying to draw some clumsy comparison between defense spending then and now but ignoring the differences between that period and now.

      You seem to forget we were in the middle of the cold war at the time. Remember the Bay of Pigs? In the middle of wasting trillions trying to outspend the USSR. And the Vietnam War was ramping up and we were preparing to fight in Southeast Asia.

      Today, we are chasing a bunch of ragheads around the dessert in drones. The only reason we are not ready to confront China and Russia is the incompetence, corruption, and lack of accountability in our military. And you dolts want to throw more money after bad like the $ billions that simply disappeared in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like the $25 billion lost to fraud and waste every year as reported by the IG at DOD. What's the money going to be spent on? Are we going to send more pallets of walking around money over there for the generals to hand out as they see fit?

      You make me laugh. You want to cancel every social program out there (well, except for the ones you collect on) for reported fraud and abuse. You complain about cutting the Education budget because it is just 'throwing good money after bad' but when it comes to the Defense Department and the MIC you suffer it willingly. Hell, we are already spending more than the next 8 or 10 largest spending countries COMBINED. And we need more? Maybe we need to weed out the corruption and duplication in the process and spend less. We probably spend more money on STORING inactive and obsolete equipment than many countries spend on their entire defense budgets. What don't you get about this being a scam of epic proportions?

      One telling figure is the change between the Office of Veteran's Affairs in the Kennedy and Obama budgets. Between the two administrations, it has doubled from 2% under Kennedy to 4% under Obama. That's a figure you can write in blood as it reflects the dead and wounded in every shitty little war of choice we have seen in the years between the two administrations.

      .

      Delete
    10. .

      Since WWII defense has steadily reduced its share of federal spending.

      Gosh, you're kidding.

      Maybe, that's why they called it World War II.

      .

      Delete
    11. .

      The DOD ad the MIC that supports it are ruled by the following dictums...

      1. If you are allocated money in the budget, you must spend it. (If you don't you might not get more next year, hell, you might even get less.) This rule applies to most bureaucracies.

      2. If you spend it on anything you need to use that anything. This of course means a broader footprint, entering or starting more wars of which in turn results in a new revised arsenal. Reference number one above.

      3. Since the tools of war, unlike an assembly line, or a mold, or die, has no real productive value beyond killing, it is disposable, sometimes to the level of a single use so you can say it is the ultimate in designed obsolescence even to the point where t is cheaper to just leave it on the country you are fighting in rather than bringing it home and storing it, the ultimate in designed obsolescence.

      4. You can always get more. that's the point.

      5. Hell, it's not your money anyway.

      .

      Delete
  29. Never thought I'd be saying this, but, hell, Rufus has more brains than you do, and you more than Ash.

    So, The Hierarchy of the Troika, as of now, is:

    Rufus
    Quirk
    Smirk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      You should have stopped after the first two words, Never thought..

      It would have made more sense.

      .

      Delete
    2. The Hierarchy of the Troika. Amended

      Rufus
      Smirk
      Quirk

      Delete
  30. I am now focused on THE BIG SPEECH coming up soon....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So far no promise to break The Cycle Of Quirkian Stupidity, which is the big one, the promise I have been waiting and longing for....without which we can never Make America Great Again.

      Delete
    2. Good enough speech but no mention, much less policy proposal, on how to deal with our nation's Quirkian Stupidity problem.

      Perhaps this is best.

      For as Rufus once said:

      You can't fix stupid

      Delete
    3. He did say:

      The time for small thinking is over

      Delete
  31. A BUMBLING sniper charged with protecting French President Francois Hollande has accidentally fired his gun during a speech, injuring two people.

    ...

    The regional prefect, speaking to journalists near the scene of the incident, said the gendarme, or military police officer, was located on a high spot, “his regular position,” when his weapon was fired.

    ReplyDelete
  32. The President did a sterling job tonite. Wow.

    ReplyDelete
  33. The Democrats made asses of themselves.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Pierre N’Gahane said the incident occurred while Hollande was inaugurating a new fast train line in the western town of Villognon.

    ...

    Mr N’Gahane said that President Hollande spoke briefly to the two injured guests before departing and that a judicial probe has been launched under the supervision of the local prosecutor. An administrative inquiry will also be carried out, and the gendarme will have to give an account of what happened, he said.

    ReplyDelete
  35. The speech was masterful.

    Trump may not have broken the back of the media with this one, but he sure inflamed their sciatica down through their ass.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unique way of thinking of it....:)

      Delete
    2. Fired up the Vagus nerve, perhaps....

      Vagus nerve
      From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
      Vagus nerve
      Gray791.png
      Plan of the upper portions of the glossopharyngeal, vagus, and accessory nerves.
      Gray793.png
      Course and distribution of the glossopharyngeal, vagus, and accessory nerves.
      Details
      Innervates Levator veli palatini, Salpingopharyngeus, Palatoglossus, Palatopharyngeus, Superior pharyngeal constrictor, Middle pharyngeal constrictor, Inferior pharyngeal constrictor, visceratyppi Middle pharyngeal constrictor, Inferior pharyngeal constrictor, viscera rass
      Identifiers
      Latin nervus vagus
      MeSH A08.800.800.122.901
      TA A14.2.01.153
      FMA 5731
      Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy
      [edit on Wikidata]
      Cranial nerves
      CN 0 – Terminal
      CN I – Olfactory
      CN II – Optic
      CN III – Oculomotor
      CN IV – Trochlear
      CN V – Trigeminal
      CN VI – Abducens
      CN VII – Facial
      CN VIII – Vestibulocochlear
      CN IX – Glossopharyngeal
      CN X – Vagus
      CN XI – Accessory
      CN XII – Hypoglossal
      Overview Table
      v t e


      The vagus nerve (/ˈveɪɡəs/ vay-gəs), historically cited as the pneumogastric nerve, is the tenth cranial nerve or CN X, and interfaces with parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs and digestive tract. The vagus nerves are paired; however, they are normally referred to in the singular. It is the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system in the human body. The vagus nerve also has a sympathetic function via the peripheral chemoreceptors. Peripheral chemoreceptors are activated primarily due to hypoxemia. When stimulated, these chemoreceptors relay impulses throughout the vagus nerves in order to enable a vasoconstrictor response and increase blood pressure.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagus_nerve


      Fire that sucker up big time is a real bitch.

      I know.

      If my wife hadn't been around I might still by laying on the bathroom floor.....without that 'help, I've fallen' button that ol' man Quirk keeps around his neck.

      Delete
  36. IF YOU’RE worried about how much you pack, rest easy.

    Nothing could come close to the extravagance of Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz.
    His Royal Highness packed an estimated 460 metric tonnes — yes, you read that correctly — of luggage ahead of a nine-day visit to Indonesia.

    ...

    The King will visit Brunei, Japan, China, the Maldives and Jordan over the next few weeks, in a bid to create stronger economic ties in the region.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Culinary Cult Jihad
    Rules For Fine Dining
    Cannibalism In Classrooms



    Islamic State teaching its jihadis to eat non-Muslims

    FEBRUARY 28, 2017 10:53 AM BY CHRISTINE WILLIAMS

    Many thought that nothing could match the repugnance of the Islamic State blowing up a baby in an explosives training session; now comes grisly news that the Islamic State is teaching its jihad fighters to eat infidels:

    ISIS chiefs even give advice on what parts of the body to eat and how to prepare them and comes after a sickening report a mother was fed the remains of her own son when she was told by the terrorists it was meat and rice.

    Perhaps even more troubling is that while the Islamic State is routinely dismissed as hideously extreme, the same practice of cannibalism was reportedly taught to youngsters at the highly prestigious Al Alzhar university in Cairo. High school aged youth were instructed that “they can kill and eat apostates, as long as they don’t cook them.”

    …there have been similar Fatwas on cannibalism before, and they involve eating human flesh when you are truly hungry, as implied by “necessary condition.”

    But according to Pope Francis, “Muslim terrorism does not exist.”



    “ISIS CANNIBALS: Terror group are teaching their fighters to EAT non-Muslims”, by Gareth Davies, UK Daily Mail, February 27, 2017:

    Islamic State terrorists are teaching their fighters to eat non-Muslims, it has emerged.

    A handbook found in the terror group’s training school has been found by a British counter-extremism think tank, revealing the horrifying new stance of the jihadis.

    ISIS chiefs even give advice on what parts of the body to eat and how to prepare them and comes after a sickening report a mother was fed the remains of her own son when she was told by the terrorists it was meat and rice….

    He said if there are no food supplies available during what they describe as a time of jihad, terrorists were encouraged to kill non-Muslims or Muslims who do not share their version of Islam for food.Practicing Muslim Mr Rafiq said he found the discovery utterly revolting, and that their most horrific finding was that cannibalism was being taught in classrooms….

    https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/02/islamic-state-teaching-its-jihadis-to-eat-non-muslims

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