Bruce The Psychic Guy

10:44pm: tracking with closeups / night gallery

Politics making you crazy? At my Flickr site, you'll find new Hans photos, plus updated Sketchbook action, to take your mind off the madness. Why not drop by for a visit?

And while you're at it, check out the latest rant at my website. It's fine reading for bathroom breaks, dull classes, or any thirsty old time.

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2:02pm: the happening world / in memoriam

In Memoriam

José Cuauhtemoc “Bill” Meléndez
November 15, 1916 — September 1, 2008

Obit

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1:48pm: Writer's Block: Ramadan anyone?

MASSIVE PORK CONSUMPTION

1:55am: continuity / summer images

Big new update over at my Flickr site, including new pix of Yuki, Hans and the cats. Give it a gander if you like.

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9:56pm: special / sing out!: epilog

I'd like to thank all of you who posted in reply to yesterday's Bitpig entry. Your answers to the question "Why am I going to vote for Barack Obama? " were enlightening.

I will be posting as little as possible on the subject of politics from now until Election Day — partly because there's just no point to it, but also because I'm honestly just sick and tired of the whole sad circus. I find the American political process to be tiresome, frustrating, and, in general a tremendous pain in the ass, and I welcome the chance to have the election done with.

As I've said before, no matter which loser wins, Team Bitpig loses. My focus now is on strategies to enable us to survive the next four years with our family's life, liberty, and property as intact as possible. It won't be easy. In some seventy-two days, we will elect as president either a doddering, compromised fool or an ideologue backed by a cult-of-personality. Gosh, I can't wait.

I blame You and Me. Every pirate and con artist in Washington was sent there at our wish; we have no one to blame but ourselves for electing them. As a monarchist, I do not believe in representative government. In my opinion, the vast majority of people are neither intellectually nor morally equipped to make the kind of judgments involved in governing a nation (I include myself in this category), and the spectacular string of criminals, perverts, con men, and straight-up psychopaths we have elected over the years is proof of that. In every country, people tend to get the government they deserve: bad people, bad government. Our only hope, then, is to concentrate on becoming good people.

But until then, we're stuck playing the same old game. Politics in a democracy is like a poker hand in which the deck is stacked with Jacks and bereft of Kings and Queens; unfortunately, it looks like we still have a few hands more to play before the whole house of cards comes down. And then the Ace of Spades will come out to trump everything.

Anyway, thanks again for participating in "Sing Out!" As a token of my appreciation, I offer you all a bit of antique video charm for your entertainment.

***

LATE NEWS:

Whether Obama's douchebag heartland surge will ultimately succeed remains to be determined, but longtime political analyst and What's the Matter With Kansas? author Thomas Frank thinks the basic strategy is sound.

"Unfortunately this election comes down to winning the hearts and minds of whitebread, middlebrow, middle-class, middle-Americans," says Frank."This effort shows that Obama troops are willing to reach out and condescend to them, one-on-one, no matter how pathetic and stupid they are."

Source

(Yes, I know it's a joke. Still, it's awfully close to reality...)

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LATER NEWS: It's Biden.

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9:02pm: special / sing out!

Dear Readers:

I'd like to ask your help. It's about politics. Specifically, it's about Senator Barack Muad'dib Obama (D-Arrakis). The DNC convention is coming up in a few days, and already the crap is flying. Some idiot or idiots mailed a threat letter (complete with unidentified white powder) to the McCain campaign office in Denver today; meanwhile, the police in that city are gearing up for Chicago '68-style riots surrounding the convention center. The mainstream media, talk radio, and the Internets are all bubbling over about the candidate, with rumor, innuendo, and general talk about Sen. Obama at a full, rolling boil.

What I'm trying to figure out is: why? What is it about this man that has captured the imaginations of so many people? Objectively speaking, he's not much of a candidate. He has less than three months of actual political experience under his belt. He keeps company with racists, terrorists, and other Bad Guys. He's for killing babies. Even his wife is weird.

And yet you love him. Yes, I mean, you, my dear friends; almost all of you who bother to vote are voting for him, and a good many of the people I know in other circles are as well.

But why?

That's what I want to find out. To do so, I'm asking for your help. What I'd like for you to do is to reply to this message with a simple answer to this question: Why am I going to vote for Barack Obama? The answer can be as simple or as detailed as you like, but please be as specific as possible if you do choose to answer. Hopefully, by reading your answers, I can make some progress in figuring out just why the world is so ga-ga over this guy.

Don't worry. This isn't a trap. I promise that this is not a troll. I really, honestly want to know why — why, exactly — that you want to see Sen. Obama in the White House. If you post in reply, I further promise that I will not attempt to argue you out of that position, criticize your logic, or even correct any misstatements of fact you might make, In fact, I will not respond at all to any reply to this message. This is an honest attempt to gather data, not a baiting session.

If you wish to post anonymously, you may.

For the record: I am not a member of any political party or group. I am not a professional polltaker or political operative. I do not support the candidacy of Sen. Obama or Sen. John McCain. Your answers are for my use alone and will not be shared with any other person or group except for those who read my LJ.

I hope you all will take a few minutes and explain to me why you intend to vote for Sen. Obama for president in November. Thank you.

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4:40pm: the happening world / kill it with fire

Pope Benedict XVI, 14 August 2008:

“Amidst the difficulties of a sometimes hostile environment from the lack of immediate and spectacular results, or faced with the insufficiency of human means, I invite you not to be overcome by fear, weighed down by discouragement or dragged along by inertia. The present time is a providential occasion for listening again with simplicity, purity of heart and fidelity to how Christ reminds us that we are not servants but friends.

“He instructs us in order that we might remain in his love without molding ourselves to the messages of this world. Let us not be deaf to his Word. Let us learn from Him. Let us imitate his way of life. Let us be sowers of the Word. In this way, with all of our lives, with the joy of knowing we are loved by Jesus, who we can call brother, we will be valid instruments for Him to continue drawing everyone to Himself with the mercy that flows from his Cross...

"[S]hare this treasure with others, as there is no greater treasure than to enjoy the friendship of Christ and walk by his side." Source

Beautiful. I love our pope.

***

TOLERANCE ALERT! It's time for another toe-tapping trip onto the hit list of Tolerance courtesy of the Religion Of Peace®. Topping the charts today is the latest from sizzlin' Saudi Arablia, a smash single with the title

Muslim father burns Christian daughter alive
Man slices out girl's tongue, ignites her after 'heated debate on religion'

A Saudi Arabian Muslim father cut out his daughter's tongue and lit her on fire upon learning that she had become a Christian. The child became curious about Jesus Christ after she read Christian material online, the Gulf News reported.

Her father read of her Internet conversation, detached her tongue and burned her to death "following a heated debate on religion," according to an International Christian Concern report.

The father is employed by the muwateen, or Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The muwateen are police tasked by the government with enforcing religious purity. The man has been taken into custody, and his identity has not been released.

Source 1

Source 2

Hot stuff, huh? Remember, Tolerance fans — all religions are equal, and we have nothing to fear from Islam! Until next time, keep on toleratin', y'all!

***

Some good news from Europe:

Poland finally agreed on Thursday to host elements of U.S. global anti-missile system on its territory after Washington improved the terms of the deal amid the Georgia crisis. The preliminary deal was signed by deputy Polish Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer and U.S. chief negotiator John Rood. It still needs to be endorsed by the Polish parliament. The signing comes after Prime Minister Donald Tusk had been holding out for enhanced military cooperation with the United States in return for consent to host 10 interceptor rockets at a base in northern Poland.

Washington says the interceptors and a radar in the Czech Republic would form part of a global "missile shield" protecting the United States and its allies from long range missiles that could in the future be fired by Iran or groups such as al-Qaeda.

"We have crossed the Rubicon," Tusk said just before the deal was signed. "We have finally got understanding of our point of view that Poland, being a crucial partner in NATO and an important friend and ally of the United States, must also be safe."

Officials said the deal included a U.S. declaration that it will aid Poland militarily in case of a threat from a third country and that it would establish a permanent U.S. base on Polish soil in a symbolic gesture underlining the alliance. Source

Congratulations to the Poles, our good allies. That ought to piss off Putin.

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5:54pm: the happening world / necessary evil

THE WHITE HOUSE
Washington, D.C.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- August 6, 1945

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important Japanese Army base. That bomb had more power than 20,000 tons of T.N.T. It had more than two thousand times the blast power of the British "Grand Slam" which is the largest bomb ever yet used in the history of warfare.

It is an atomic bomb. It is a harnessing of the basic power of the universe. The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East.

We are now prepared to obliterate more rapidly and completely every productive enterprise the Japanese have above ground in any city. We shall destroy their docks, their factories, and their communications. Let there be no mistake; we shall completely destroy Japan's power to make war.

It was to spare the Japanese people from utter destruction that the ultimatum of July 26 was issued at Potsdam. Their leaders promptly rejected that ultimatum. If they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.

The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. They have been repaid many fold.( complete text )

***

WEITER

11:57am: the happening world / always prepared

Here's to the men and women of the United States Coast Guard,
218 years old today.

TOLERANCE ALERT! Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends — tolerance!Today, we peek in on the home of all tolerance, Saudi Arabia, where the fun never stops:

On Friday, April 25, twelve Saudi Arabian police raided a house where 16 Christians were holding a prayer meeting. The first officer to enter the house after breaking down the main gate pointed a pistol at the Christians and ordered them to hand over their resident permits and mobile phones. The other 11 police followed quickly and started searching the entire house. They confiscated an electronic drum set, an offering box with 500 Saudi Riyal in it ($130), 20 bibles, and a few Christian books.

The police initially accused the Christians of preaching the Bible and singing. They later changed the charge to holding a "dance party" and collecting money to support terrorism. Source

Gotta love that tolerance, huh, kids?

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5:43pm: the happening world / adieu, ivan denisovich

"[S]hould someone ask me whether I would indicate the West such as it is today as a model to my country, frankly I would have to answer negatively. No, I could not recommend your society in its present state as an ideal for the transformation of ours. .."( Read more... )

He was right.

I see no need to say more.


In Memoriam
Алексaндр Исaевич Солженицын
11 декабря 1918 — 3 августа 2008


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12:14am: the happening world / cue the manifestations of the terpsichorean muse

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

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9:22pm: the happening world / bonzer

TOLERANCE ALERT! Believe it or not, today's Tolerance Alert is actually a genuine example of tolerance. I give you this report from today's zenit.org feed as evidence:

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils is praying for peace and harmony among all people of good will during the World Youth Day activities in Sydney.

President Ikebal Patel sent out a statement this week in which he extended "sincere greetings to the Catholic community of Australia on behalf of the Muslims of Australia."

He continued, "I take this opportunity on behalf of the Muslims of Australia to also extend our good wishes to all Australians of all faiths on this auspicious occasion of World Youth Day and pray for peace, harmony and goodwill among all Australians and peoples all over the world.

"We also take this occasion as Australian Muslims to welcome His Holiness Pope Benedict as well as all other pilgrims to Australia."

Patel also mentioned that he is "particularly proud" that the Catholic Church accepted the offer of the Malek Fahd Islamic School in Sydney to host 350 pilgrims during the festivities.

Some Muslim school students will take part in serving the pilgrims, and the school will hold an interfaith event during the week.

On Thursday, Benedict will meet with 40 representatives of other faiths including Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu leaders.

More than 340,000 Muslims reside in Australia.

Father Mark Podesta, a World Youth Day spokesman, said the involvement of Islamic schools "is an opportunity to show the rest of the world that people of different backgrounds and different beliefs can live alongside one another in peace and goodwill and harmony."

I hope with all my heart that he's right.

May our Catholic youth be shining example of Christian charity to Ozzie Muslims, and everyone else Down Under as well.

***

Video: Portrait of a bank run, Los Angeles, 2008.

Not good, folks. Not good at all. The days when banking customers could count on George Bailey handing out his honeymoon money at the teller window are long gone, Keep an eye on your own bank.

***

The Jesse Jackson story just gets better and better. Jonathan Martin at politico.com serves up a tasty, tasty tidbit of news in an entry today:

It turns out Jesse Jackson whispered something even worse than his desire to cut off Barack Obama’s manhood.

On an unaired portion of the tape, Jackson uses a vile racial epithet.

It turns out that what he actually said was: “See, Barack been, um, talking down to black people on this faith-based – I wanna cut his nuts out. … Barack – he’s talking down to black people -- telling n[igger]s how to behave.”

The longer exchange was first reported by TVNewser.com.

Mmm, rich racist goodness — and from the mouth of Mr. Hymietown himself! It is so delicious to watch these Crow-Jim race haters out themselves. Preach on, Rev. Jackson — only you have a right to be "telling niggers how to behave"!

WEITER

11:52am: the happening world / man, ph--k yo' phyrigian cap

219 years ago today, on 14 July 1789, the original terrorists — the Revolutionaries of France — initiated their diabolical democratic movement with the storming of the Bastille. So many of the ills of the world since then began then and there.

But the Revolution will fall. Heaven is a Kingdom, not a republic, and Christ is King, not president. As above, so may it be below.

Down with the Revolution! Long live the once and future Christian Kingdom of France!

***

Two new posts (of which the above is one) over at brucelewis.com today.

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WEITER

10:52pm: the happening world / cut his what off?

The Rev. Jesse Jackson (D-Black America) had a few choice words regarding Sen. Barack Muad'dib Obama (D-IL) on TV's Fox & Friends this morning. Unfortunately for the Rev, he didn't know that his mic was hot when he said them. Lulz ensued as Jackson shared his true feelings about Muad'dib with the entire Fox viewing audience.

(YooTube video clip, with subtitles)

If a white person had said the same words, the FBI Party Van would have swooped down and unleashed the Hate Crime Patrol on his or her raciss cracker ass. But because this was a black-on-black thoughtcrime, Jackson was allowed to apologize. I guess all is forgiven when you're a member of the same country club.

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9:21pm: the happening world / but they seemed so normal

Today is the sixty-first anniversary of the Roswell UFO incident — you know, the one that never quite seems to go away no matter how the Air Force "explains" it. Was it a weather balloon? A lost Soviet satellite? Crash test dummies? Hell, I dunno. Whatever it was that really happened out there in 1947, however, the one thing I do know is that the Roswell Incident has provided me with two decades of peerless entertainment. Here's to the truth — whatever it is. Watch the skies!

***

TOLERANCE ALERT! The evil, biased Republican propaganda machine at the Fox News affiliate in Atlanta reports on the latest incident of Folks Just Like You 'N' Me™ murdering their kids:

A Georgia man appeared in court Monday on charges he killed his own daughter for disgracing his family.

Chaudhry Rashid, wearing a red jumpsuit and shackles around his ankles, went before Chief Judge Daphne Walker at the Clayton County Magistrate Court where he was arraigned on a murder charge. [ ... ] The 25-year-old victim, Sandeela Kanwal, was wed in Pakistan in an arranged marriage. Police said Kanwal hadn't seen her husband, who lives in Chicago, for months.

According to police, there was "friction between father and victim" in the weeks leading up to the killing. Rashid had not spoken to his daughter in more than two months. Police said Rashid was so angered that his daughter planned to divorce her husband that he killed her after a heated argument at the family's home...

Police who arrived at the scene said they found Rashid's two sons at the end of the driveway and their father sitting behind a car smoking a cigarette. Officers said that Rashid appeared "distraught and possibly mournful" and told police "my daughter is dead" when they arrived.

After entering the home, Kanwal's body was discovered in the doorway of a bedroom, cold to the touch, officials said.

A police report said that there were possible "ligature marks" indicating strangulation on the victim and noted that an iron and cord had been found near her body. A necklace was also found on a table downstairs, according to the report.

Rashid was taken to the Clayton County jail where he reportedly confessed to strangling Kanwal.

Hmmm, now what major religion is known for its "honor killings"? Could be be the Quakers? The Unitarians? The Rastafarians? Or could it be The Faith That Must Not Be Named®?

Keep looking the other way, America. The Bad Guys will go away if you just refuse to look at them.

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WEITER

3:07am: the happening world / Thomas M. Disch (2 February 1940 – 4 July 2008)

Thomas M. Disch, science fiction writer and poet, committed suicide on July 4 in New York. He was sixty-eight years old.

Obit (Personal)

Obit (Locus)

334

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4:27am: special / reaching the spacious skies

Happy birthday, America!

***

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3:25am: the happening world / je ne sais qua en français

Apollo 19 (the bitpig computer) is now about 95% restored, thanks to software assistance and advice from Cousin Donnie. I apologize for the delay in getting back online.

***

One of the main reasons that I love manga is the adaptability of the artform. Besides being pure entertainment, manga can and are produced for use as textbooks, instruction manuals, and propaganda. One example of the last-mentioned (in a benevolent sense) is a new manga published by (believe it or not) the United States Navy. The manga, entitled Manga CVN 73, is a light-hearted look at daily operations aboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73), the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that is replacing USS KITTY HAWK (CV-63) as America's forward-deployed carrier at our base in Yokosuka, Japan. The story in the manga is an easy and fun read about an American sailor of Japanese ancestry who makes his first visit to Japan as a member of the GW's crew. The "propaganda" angle of the book really more like public relations, being less about the mission and combat capabilities of the ship and more along the lines of "look, folks, nothing to be afraid of here". (GEORGE WASHINGTON is the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be homeported in Japan, and, as such, has become something of a magnet for controversy — hence the manga.) The military function of the ship is definitely soft-pedaled; the action in the story is limited to flight ops, firefighting, and the like, with the bulk of the story centering on the daily lives of the Japanese-American hero character, his black buddy, and their winsome blonde sempai. (As a former carrier sailor, I can attest to the general accuracy of the book's depiction of life at sea; unlike the ship in the CVN 73 manga, however, we had no hot babes aboard the good old ENTERPRISE — the Navy had a "no chicks at sea" rule back in those days.) Published by Commander, Naval Forces Japan (CFNJ), Manga CVN 73 clocks in at a respectable 200 pages, and is aimed at the 10-30 year old Japanese audience. I have no idea how to get a paper copy, but the manga is available online in both English and Japanese (pdf) for free.

***

I've posted a crapload of new photos on my Flickr site. Included are updates to Hans Pictures, Lewis Life, B-chan Sketchbook, and Miscellany. Feel free to kill an odd minute or two viewing them.

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Xorsyst.com has published a list of the Top 10 Japanese gravure idols (gravure = cheesecake pinups). Other than the sublime Ourei Harada, who literally made me feel faint the first time I saw a photo of her, I find these girls to be cute, but not especially hot. Of course, the fact that they are all pretty much young enough to be my daughters may have something to do with my lack of interest! Man, I'm gettiing old...

***

I'm still looking for a day job. Having applied for a really groovy position in Japan, I ask all of you to pray that I get it (or one of the other positions for which I've applied) if it be God's will. I wouldn't mind living in Japan for a few years, that's for sure, but right now I'd pretty much take any reasonably-paying gig.

***

Baby McBaby had his sixteen-month checkup today. He's in the 95th percentile for height and the 70th percentile for weight, has excellent blood iron, and is generally strong and above average in every way. He's into everything. is starting to talk, and Lord knows he eats enough. Thank you, God, for a healthy and happy baby.

***

Speaking of my kids, Child Zero, the inimitable Exchange Daughter Yuki, checked in via Skype yesterday. All is well as her takeover of Japan continues; she's doing well in school, has started her own personal-service business (foot massage, ladies only), and is still working part time as a tour guide at the shrines in Kyoto where she lives and goes to college. She's also in good health, and sends her greetings to all of you readers who knew her during her time with us here in Texas. Ol' bitpig is extremely proud of her.

***

Again, sorry for the delay in updates. We're off to the backwoods of Oklahoma for our family reunion for the weekend, but I'll be back with more unimportant crap for you come Monday. Have a great Independence Day weekend!

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5:15pm: the happening world / bismillah, no

TOLERANCE ALERT! Great news for all Pedobear fans: Allah sez it's okay to have sex with nine-year-olds! The folks over at MEMRI fill us in on the details:

Marriage is actually two things: First we are talking about the marriage contract itself. This is one thing, while consummating the marriage – having sex with the wife for the first time – is another thing. There is no minimal age for entering marriage. You can have a marriage contract even with a one-year-old girl, not to mention a girl of nine, seven, or eight. This is merely a contract [indicating] consent. The guardian in such a case must be the father, because the father's opinion is obligatory. Thus, the girl becomes a wife... But is the girl ready for sex or not? What is the appropriate age for having sex for the first time? This varies according to environment and traditions. In Yemen, girls are married off at nine, ten, eleven, eight, or thirteen, while in other countries, they are married off at 16. Some countries have legislated laws forbidding having sex before the girl is eighteen. [...] The Prophet Muhammad is the model we follow. He took 'Aisha to be his wife when she was six, but he had sex with her only when she was nine. [ ... ] He married her at the age of six, and he consummated the marriage, by having sex with her for the first time, when she was nine. We consider the Prophet Muhammad to be our model. -- Dr. Ahmad Al-Mu'bi, Saudi marriage officiant, interviewed on LBC TV on June 19, 2008

Please keep in mind that Dr. Ahmad Al-Pedophile is a mainstream Islamic cleric, not some Wahabi nutcase. Boy, I sure am glad our tolerant society considers Islam equal with Christianity and Judaism!

All I know is that if any Muzi ever "marries" a nine-year-old in my neighborhood, he's going to find himself the target of a one-man Crusade.

***

Program Note: Due to a massive system crash on my home Mac, I'm temporarily computerless. Since I'm limited to the use of one of our family business' lame PCs, expect Bitpig updates to be few and far between until I'm back up at home. Sorry for any inconvenience.

ENDE

4:34am: special / pain!

GONE TO JAFAX

SEE YOU ON 24 JUNE!

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11:04am: the happening world / the boys in blue are beating on you

Reason #4,586,221 That People Don't Like Cops comes from WMC-TV news in Memphis TN:

Exclusive video obtained by Action News 5 shows a Memphis police officer beating a suspect at 201 Poplar in an apparent case of police brutality.

The video, recorded February 12th, shows Duanna Johnson in the booking area at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center after an arrest for prostitution. The tape clearly shows a Memphis police officer walk over to Johnson - a transsexual - and hit her in the face several times.

"Actually he was trying to get me to come over to where he was, and I responded by telling him that wasn't my name - that my mother didn't name me a 'faggot' or a 'he-she,' so he got upset and approached me. And that's when it started," Johnson said.

Johnson said the officer was attempting to call her over to be fingerprinted. She said she chose not respond to the derogatory name the officer called her.

"He said, 'I'm telling you, I'm giving you one more chance to get up.' So I'm looking at him, and he started putting his gloves on, and seen him take out a pair of handcuffs," Johnson said.

The officer hit Johnson several times with the handcuffs wrapped around his knuckles. In the video, you can see the flash of the metal. The tape shows another officer holding Johnson's shoulders as she tries to protect herself. Source / video

Yes, these two cops are beating this poor person up because she's a trannie. I don't "get" transsexualism myself, but I don't have to: it's a free country, after all, and none of my beeswax. I'm not aware of any law against being a transsexual; last I heard, people are free to express their sexual nature in any lawful way they choose. Besides, the cops have no right to beat any suspect, especially not one that is seated and unarmed.

Of course, the transsexuality is just a side issue here. The real reason they're kicking this person's ass is because she "difrefpected dem in dey own howse". The cops in most cities are nothing more than a legally-sanctioned street gang — and, as do all gangsters, gangster cops infist on being "refpected". Any perceived "diss" is grounds for a good, old-fashioned lesson in Who's The Boss.

However. unlike real street thugs, the cops have badges and the legal authority to beat, gas, and kill you.

Don't get me wrong. I'm strictly a Law & Order kind of guy. The society I'd prefer to live in would be more like Singapore, complete with floggings and the noose for wrongdoers. However, in my opinion many American police officers are obstacles to law and order rather than its preservers. I have seen (and experienced) cops acting this way far too often during my own life — and I know many people who have seen and experienced bad cop behavior as well.

It's not that I'm a cop hater. A good cop is as close to a real-life superhero as you'll ever find. But for every selfless Sheriff Andy Taylor out there "protecting and serving" the public, there are a hundred fuckup Barney Fifes roaming the streets looking to prove what a badass they are by using their shirt-pocket bullet on you.

We do not need police as they currently exist. The Blue Gangs of ex-high-school bullies and 'roided-out psycho jocks we have now hurt the people more than they help. Instead, we need an unarmed civilian neighborhood watch à la Sir Bobby Peel, backed up by a professionalized, semi-military gendarmerie. By keeping civilian cops unarmed, and by restricting the use of force to professionally trained officers under UCMJ-like military discipline, we can hope to curtail crime — both street crime and the crimes committed by the police themselves.

***

TOLERANCE ALERT! Charlotte Gill of the London [UK] Daily Mail, 18th June 2008:

Two youths were seen wearing niqab-style [Muslim] face masks and wielding a sword after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed, locals have claimed.

One was heard to say 'I'm going to kill him' as the pair walked calmly down a residential street chatting at about midday yesterday. The schoolboy was knifed in the chest just yards away at 5pm on Tuesday. He collapsed in a pool of blood in front of drinkers outside a pub as they enjoyed an after work pint.

A terrified local, who saw the sword-wielding teens but did not want to be named, said: 'I saw two boys wearing Muslim women's headgear but normal clothes otherwise and you could see only their eyes. 'One of them was carrying a sword with a huge blade over a foot long which looked like something you would use to gut a lamb. 'I saw them and my heart was gone. I've never been so terrified. 'Although I could only see their eyes I could see their hands as well and they were two black boys, tall, probably about six feet and I would guess they were 16 or 17 years old.'

They were less than 50 yards from the Tabard Garden Estate in Southwark, South East London, when the boy was attacked after a row among teenagers on an astro-turf football pitch in a park. The pair were spotted by a number of locals going into a block of flats right by the scene of the stabbing. Another local who did not wish to be named said: 'They were just walking up the street calmly chatting in the middle of the day while they wearing masks and openly carrying a blade.

'I heard one say to the other "I'm going to kill him." It was completely unbelievable, I've never seen anything like it, what is this country coming to?

'I've lived in this area for years and have always felt safe, but not anymore. The government has to do something about this, they need to take some tough action because things are getting worse.'

Sorry, ma'am. The government is going to do nothing to protect you. They're afraid of being called racists.

It can't happen here, of course.


***

We're off to JAFAX. See y'all next week.

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10:30pm: the happening world / let us now praise chimpy mcbushitler

New sketches are up at my Flickr site. Drop by for hours of family fun!

***

Reason #1,001,001 I Love Japan: Ordinarily I'm against the death penalty except in cases where the plea was "guilty" — it's too easy to make a mistake and kill the wrong guy. But I'm happy today because Japan still has the death penalty and has used it to rid the human race of one of the lowest pieces of shit that ever existed: Tsutomo Miyazaki, the "killer Otaku". Agence France-Presse gives us the details:

Japan on Tuesday executed three people including notorious serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki, a fetishist convicted of murdering four little girls and eating some of their bodies, officials said.

Miyazaki, 45, was nicknamed the "killer nerd" for his obsession with sexual cartoons and pornography. But defence lawyers contended he was mentally ill and could not be held fully responsible for his actions.

Japan is the only major industrialised nation other than the United States to apply the death penalty and has been stepping up the pace of executions, which enjoy wide public support.

"We are carrying out executions by selecting the people whom we can execute with a feeling of confidence and responsibility," Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama told a news conference. Source

In Japan, they don't fuck around with all that kinder- gentler lethal injection bullshit. When they execute you in Japan, they HANG YOUR ASS.　おめでとう、日本！ And keep up the good work.

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Hey, kids! You can make your own ULTRA-KOOL Obama posters online! Here are mine: Poster 1 Poster 2 Poster 3


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I'm not what you'd call a fan of Ann Coulter — although I do admire her pugnacity and her long, blonde hair — but her June 11, 2008 blog was too sweet not to quote:

BUSH'S AMERICA: 100 PERCENT AL-QAIDA FREE SINCE 2001

In a conversation recently, I mentioned as an aside what a great president George Bush has been and my friend was surprised. I was surprised that he was surprised [ ... ] the man responsible for keeping Americans safe from another terrorist attack on American soil for nearly seven years now will go down in history as one of America's greatest presidents. [ ... ] Merely taking out Saddam Hussein and his winsome sons Uday and Qusay (Hussein family slogan: "We're the Rape Room People!") constitutes a greater humanitarian accomplishment than anything Bill Clinton ever did -- and I'm including remembering Monica's name on the sixth sexual encounter.

[ ... ]

It is unquestionable that Bush has made this country safe by keeping Islamic lunatics pinned down fighting our troops in Iraq. In the past few years, our brave troops have killed more than 20,000 al-Qaida and other Islamic militants in Iraq alone. That's 20,000 terrorists who will never board a plane headed for JFK -- or a landmark building, for that matter.

We are, in fact, fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them at, say, the corner of 72nd and Columbus in Manhattan -- the mere mention of which never fails to enrage liberals, which is why you should say it as often as possible.

The Iraq war has been a stunning success [ ... ] The Iraqis have a democracy -- a miracle on the order of flush toilets in that godforsaken region of the world. Despite its newness, Iraq's democracy appears to be no more dysfunctional than one that would condemn a man who has kept the nation safe for seven years while deifying a man who has accomplished absolutely nothing in his entire life except to give speeches about "change."

[ ... ]

Monthly casualties in Iraq now come in slightly lower than a weekend with Anna Nicole Smith. According to a CNN report last week, for the entire month of May, there were only 19 troop deaths in Iraq. (Last year, five people on average were shot every day in Chicago.) With Iraqi deaths at an all-time low, Iraq is safer than Detroit -- although the Middle Eastern food is still better in Detroit.

Al-Qaida is virtually destroyed, surprising even the CIA [ ... ] Just this week, The New York Times reported that al-Qaida and other terrorist groups in Southeast Asia have all but disappeared, starved of money and support.

[ ... ]

But no one notices when 9/11 doesn't happen. Indeed, if we had somehow stopped the 9/11 attack, we'd all be watching Mohammed Atta being interviewed on MSNBC, explaining his lawsuit against the Bush administration. Maureen Dowd would be writing columns describing Khalid Sheik Mohammed as a "wannabe" terrorist being treated like Genghis Khan by an excitable Bush administration. [ ... ] But liberals have only blind hatred for Bush -- and for those brute American interrogators who do not supply extra helpings of béarnaise sauce to the little darlings at Guantanamo with sufficient alacrity.

The sheer repetition of lies about Bush is wearing people down. There is not a liberal in this country worthy of kissing Bush's rear end, but the weakest members of the herd run from Bush. Compared to the lickspittles denying and attacking him, Bush is a moral giant -- if that's not damning with faint praise. John McCain should be so lucky as to be running for Bush's third term. Then he might have a chance.

Now, most of you know I'm not the President's biggest fan — but thank God he was the president when the Muzis hit New York. Can you imagine what the world would be like today if Al Gore had been in the driver's seat that September day instead of a grownup? Fort Worth would probably be a radioactive crater by now. Brrrr.

Anyway: President Bush and I have had our differences over the years, but I'll give him this: he's kept the bastards from flying any more G--D--- planes into any more G--D--- buildings. For that alone he deserves our appreciation.

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I got to converse with Exchange Daughter Yuki today via Skype. Holy cow, it was good to hear her voice. We all still miss her a great deal and I think about her every day. Hans is Child #1 but Big Sister Yuki will always be Child 0 -- our first 'little one".

And, by the way, Skype rocks.

ENDE

6:56pm: the happening world / glad to be a dad

OBAMA WATCH! Father's day wisdom from the candidate:

Barack Obama celebrated Father's Day by calling on black fathers, who he said are "missing from too many lives and too many homes," to become active in raising their children. Black fathers are "missing from too many lives and too many homes," Barack Obama said Sunday. "They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it," the Democratic presidential candidate said Sunday at a largely black church in his hometown. [...] "We can't simply write these problems off to past injustices," Obama said Sunday. "Those injustices are real. There's a reason our families are in disrepair ... but we can't keep using that as an excuse." Source

Bravo, Sen. Obama. Bravo. On this issue, you are precisely right.

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9:49pm: the happening world / more election-related bullshit, please!

The American Thinker, 11 June:

Our beloved country, freedom's last redoubt, civilization's only power capable of resisting the advancing tide of barbarism, keep of Castle Earth, is seriously contemplating elevating to the presidency Barack Obama, an effete academic weakling, a messianic soothsayer, perfervid followers in tow, who believes America's collective soul is broken and that He has been called to mend it, a caricature Euro Statist whose voting record and public utterances reflect passionate belief in all the discredited far leftist critiques of America (and their attendant fixes), a dreamy naïf with a permanently adolescent world view born of lifelong refusal to work in the real world, a thinly disguised leftist revolutionary who for decades eagerly immersed himself in a vile crowd of crypto-Marxists, quislings, racists, domestic terrorists, and antisemites, and who now simply says, calm as you please, he never really shared their views, a twenty-eight carat tyro whose resume of accomplishments would fit neatly on the back of a Visa card, a man whose scary wife (whom the candidate himself seems to fear) dislikes the country that has showered her with great good fortune. Sorry. I know that sentence exceeded its grammatical carrying capacity, if not its potential content.

Barack Obama, measured by his chosen life experiences, closest associations, voting record, and pre-presidential campaign utterances, is, in personality and experience, the least qualified, and, in philosophy and program, most radically left candidate ever offered for the presidency by the Democratic Party. By comparison, George McGovern, Michael Dukakis, Walter Mondale, Al Gore and John Kerry seem the very embodiment of presidential readiness and political moderation.

At least George McGovern was a real war hero.

For the record: despite his own war-hero status, I don't think John McCain is any good for the country either.

No matter who wins in November, I'm boned.

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New sketches and miscellaneous graphics are up at my Flickr site. Please drop by if you have a minute.

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4:10pm: the happening world / welcome back kaffir

TOLERANCE ALERT! Osama bin Laden is one thing, but moderate Muslims from Anytown USA would never buy into the whole Islamic Jihad thing. right?

Right?

Textbooks at a private Islamic school in McLean [Virginia] teach students that it is permissible for Muslims to kill adulterers and converts from Islam, according to the findings of a federal investigation released Wednesday.

Other passages in the school's textbooks state that "the Jews conspired against Islam and its people" and that Muslims are permitted to take the lives and property of those deemed "polytheists" - a designation some extremists apply to members of virtually every other religion.

The passages were found in selected textbooks used during the 2007-08 school year by the Islamic Saudi Academy, which teaches 900 students in grades K-12 at two campuses in Alexandria and Fairfax and receives much of its funding from the Saudi government. [ ... ] The texts did appear to contain numerous revisions, including pages that were removed or passages that were whited out, but numerous troubling passages remain, according to the panel:

*The authors of a 12th-grade text on monotheism write that "[m]ajor polytheism makes blood and wealth permissible," meaning that a Muslim can take with impunity the life and property of someone thought guilty of polytheism.

*A social studies text offers the view that Jews are responsible for the split between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims: "The cause of the discord: The Jews conspired against Islam and its people. A sly, wicked person who sinfully and deceitfully professed Islam infiltrated [the Muslims]." Source

Yeah, those all-American moderate Muslims — gotta love 'em. Keep in mind, though, that if they're teaching the kids jihad in McLean, Virginia, they're probably doing it in your town, too.

If Franklin D. Roosevelt were president today, every Muslim in America would be behind barbed wire right now.

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Hate crime: five white kids attack and kill a black man on the subway in Boston.

( The rest of the story )

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