Archive for the ‘Society’ Category
Featured in Human Events
W. Thomas Smith, Jr. asked a few folks (including me) what kind of weapons they carry in a piece today in Human Events‘ Guns and Patriots section.
In: Society · Tagged with: Human Events, W. Thomas Smith Jr.
One soldier’s Veteran’s Day thoughts
Veteran’s Day is tomorrow, November 11th. Veteran’s Day was originally held every November 11th, however, it was changed to fall on the weekday closest to the 11th. It was first incorporated by President Wilson as Armistice Day in 1919 to commemorate the armistice of WWI. In 1938 it became an official American Holiday, but after WWII, citizens felt that the day should honor all Veterans. In 1954 Congress changed the name from Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day and it celebrates the roughly 2.9 million Veterans in the U.S. today.
Many people know a Veteran, whether that be a friend or family member. It’s actually quite surprising considering that today our military constitutes less than five percent of the Unites States population. So few people who are able to accomplish so much. So few people who have sacrificed more than the other 95% can ever realize. Missed birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s, Anniversaries, Births, Deaths, Weddings, Graduations, etc… and not just one year, but many miss these very common events which are a part of our everyday lives that are often taken for granted.
I once overheard an OSHA Safety Officer’s briefing regarding violence in the workplace. In this briefing it was stated that, along with other criteria, that the profile of someone who is more likely to commit murder in the workplace has “military background”. One employee spoke up to voice her malcontent with Veterans, saying that they always act like they’re owed something and have bad attitudes in general. Personally, I think she had some personal beef with Veterans or perhaps a particular Veteran. This isn’t the first time I’ve overheard conversation which led to an overall group bashing session against Veterans. People have complained about Veteran’s healthcare benefits, Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits for college, and retirement pay. What is truly sad is that I overheard today, the day before Veteran’s day.
I would like to look at some of the things that were covered and some of the griefs that were put forward by different people over the years that I’ve run into. I’d like to address them from a different point of view.
In: Military, Society · Tagged with: Veteran's Day
SPLC intel report casts wide net for ‘extremists’
A politically-skewed activist organization has warned law enforcement officials nationwide of the threat posed by the so-called “Patriot movement.” The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)’s Fall, 2009, issue of the “Intelligence Report” expands those designated as extremists, with alarmist language artificially combining a disparate group. The report said, “Militiamen, white supremacists, anti-Semites, nativists, tax protesters and a range of other activists of the radical right are cross-pollinating and may even be coalescing.” On the SPLC website, one report claims, “anti-government rhetoric spills into the Mainstream,” listing conservative celebrities like Sean Hannity and Red State’s Erick Erickson as purveyors of “white-hot antigovernment rhetoric.” Where did SPLC get the data for that assumption? None other than the leftwingers at Media Matters, where bloggers dismiss every major study on media bias and claim the media favors the right.
Tax protesters and white supremacists have united? Whites and minorities alike who are upset with out-of-control government spending would be shocked to find out that they are “coalescing” with the Ku Klux Klan.
As to the “range of other activists,” the report primarily focuses its ire on the Oath Keepers, an association of military members, veterans, law enforcement officers, and firefighters who reaffirm the oath they took to support and defend the Constitution. If the Constitution is the basis of our government, how does swearing an oath to the Constitution and pledging not to follow unconstitutional orders make one “anti-government?”
The article goes on to paint the patriotic movement as a fearful group of militia members, racists, and terrorists – who even reap “illegal fortunes.”
The article also states that “there has been a remarkable rash of domestic terrorist incidents since Obama’s election.” What does the SPLC consider to be “domestic terrorist incidents,” town hall protests? Predictably, the SPLC article joins Democrat politicians and members of the media in portraying opposition to the president’s agenda as racist.
In: Society · Tagged with: Constitution, free speech, Minuteman Project, Oath Keepers, Southern Poverty Law Center, Tea Party
The racism you won’t hear about
At the Al-Quds day rally in Washington D.C., a speaker named Afeef Khan made a crude racist* attack on Barack Obama for not destroying Israel:
“And that the head politician on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – who of us has the courage to say to this politician that are you a regular house negro or are you the quintessential house negro? Who of us has the courage when we couch our presentation in suggesting that the problem can be solved by the dismemberment of the State of Israel and the support that state receives from the United States?”
Khan is an associate of terrorist supporter Imam Mohammed Al-Asi.
The Investigative Project on Terrorism has more on the event, including video here.
* I forgot what real racism was. For a while, I thought it was opposing Democrats.
In: Society · Tagged with: Barack Obama, Islam, racism
Obama inauguration vs. 9/12 protest
Which event with a million-plus in attendance cost millions to clean up after? (h/t Casey)
Here is a picture of the National Mall following Obama’s inauguration in January:
Here is a picture of the National Mall after the 9-12 protests:
In: Society · Tagged with: 9/12 Protest, Tea Party
Great video on our Right to Bear Arms
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Or you can visit JPFO’s website here
In: Society · Tagged with: 2nd Amendment, gun rights
Pelosi: Town Hall Protests are ‘Un-American’
Back in 2006, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she was a “fan of disruptors.”
If that is true (truth has proven to be quite elusive to Speaker Pelosi), she should have much to cheer for: It appears that “disruptors” have forced the hand of Washington to take a step back from Obama’s socialized healthcare program – or at the least come up with a more misleading plan.
But the truth is that Democrats like Pelosi only favor “disruptions” when they are to the benefit of the Democrat Party.
Case in point: Pelosi has called the town hall protests “un-American” and “an ugly campaign… to misrepresent health insurance reform legislation” and to “disrupt civil dialogue.”
Naked Emperor News has a great video here showing the hypocrisy of Nancy Pelosi when it comes to free speech.
In: Society · Tagged with: Democrats, free speech, Nancy Pelosi, town hall protests
Un-Ed-ucated
MSNBC commentator Ed Schultz (whom I have never heard of previously) took to insulting Americans opposed to Obama’s socialist healthcare policy (video here).
ED SCHULTZ: Oh, there’s a lot going on. Tonight: it’s an uprising! Angry old white folks are storming into town halls all across the country spewing lies about health care reform. Let me set the record straight early on: these folks, I think, they’re dumber than Joe the Plumber.
. . .SCHULTZ: Mr. President, you have the people behind you. I’ve done enough of these [town halls] to know that there’s a fraction of Americans out there who are, you know, the old right wing, they’re playing on the old, angry white uneducated misinformed Americans to go out there and carry the torch in the Republican party right now. To shake it up to defeat. That’s why they use “failure.” This is how they’re trying to generate it!
We must be pretty effective if they are attacking us in this manner.
Can you imagine the fallout if Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck talked about liberal protesters (think ACORN) in this manner? Networks would be apologizing, pressure would be put on advertisers to pull from the shows (and a few always seem to), and in Rush’s case, Congress would get involved.
If a Fox News host said that “poor angry black folks with ACORN are once again using mob-style tactics and spewing their lies…” the program would end right there, and so would the career of the host. There might be race riots. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it would be the end of Fox thanks to government action. But this Schultz clown gets away with insulting people who exercise their constitutional right to assemble peaceably?
Specifically what “lies” are we “old, angry white uneducated misinformed Americans” spewing, Schultz? Always attacking the messenger, but never the message.
In: Media, Society · Tagged with: media bias, MSNBC
Defending our principles in the 1920s
In a speech commemorating the 150th anniversary of our nation’s founding, president Calvin Coolidge defended our founding principles against progressives who challenged the wisdom of the founders:
“It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning cannot be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people.”
In: Society · Tagged with: conservatism
Radio host Michael Savage banned from UK
Britain Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has attacked free speech again. This time, Smith banned U.S. talk show host Michael Savage and 15 others for “fomenting hatred”. Smith decided to release the list of people banned by the British government since October from entering the country.
In her defense, she has banned some notable bad guys, including Samir Kuntar – the now-released Hezbollah child murderer, also banned were a Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, a neo-nazi, and a HAMAS MP. Madeleine Gruen has more on the banned at the Counterterrorism Blog.
But this comes from the same Home Secretary who banned Dutch PM Geert Wilders for releasing the film Fitna the same time as she allowed the editor of Hezbollah’s newspaper to conduct a national speaking tour. Not exactly what I would call consistent.
“I think it’s important that people understand the sorts of values and sorts of standards that we have here, the fact that it’s a privilege to come and the sort of things that mean you won’t be welcome in this country,” Smith told GMTV in an interview.
Exactly what values and standards did Savage violate? Understandably the KKK and HAMAS have extreme views, but what are Savage’s? I listen to Savage from time to time, and trust me – if there was hatred fomented, I would not waste my time.
In: Politics, Religion, Society · Tagged with: free speech, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islam, Jacqui Smith, KKK, Michael Savage, UK
