In the past few weeks a New York State Trooper, a City of Houston police officer, and a Florida deputy sheriff, were shot to death in the line of duty. These officers, and most officers killed in the line of duty, were not rookies. In fact, very few rookie officers ever get shot. It is the veteran officer who faces the greatest danger.
The New York State Trooper was ambushed by a jail escapee while he and his partner were staking out the residence of the escapee's former girlfriend. His partner was critically wounded. I have been on a lot of stake outs and they can sure get boring. After an hour or so, you can get really sleepy. To keep from falling asleep, you resort to bullshitting with your partner. Your attention span and alertness level decreases as the lenght of the stake out increases. Did these factors allow the killer to sneak up undetected on the officers?
The Houston police officer, on patrol by himself, was shot after a routine traffic stop. The killer was on his way home, accompanied by his young daughters. When he could not produce any identification, the officer arrested him instead of issuing a citation. A record check requested by the officer failed to show that, following an arrest on a charge of indecency with a child, the killer had been previously deported as an illegal immigrant.
The officer handcuffed the prisoner with his hands behind him, the standard handcuffing procedure. He patted the prisoner down for a weapon before placing him in the back of the patrol car. He had the little girls taken home before getting in the patrol car from which he called for a wrecker to tow the prisoner's car away. This was a "by the book" arrest procedure.
Unfortunately, the pat down did not reveal that the prisoner had a pistol tucked inside his waistband. Somehow, the prisoner was able to get hold of his gun, with which he shot the officer several times in the head. When other officers arrived, the prisoner was still handcuffed with his hands behind him. What started out as a routine traffic stop ended up as the tragic killing of a good veteran officer. Was the officer complacent because this was just one of many uneventful prior traffic stops? Was the faulty pat down the result of carelessness brought on by a "clean" record check. Did the officer feel that the prisoner posed no danger because he was accompanied by the little girls?
The Florida sheriff's deputy and a police dog were killed, and another deputy was wounded in a burst of gunfire following a traffic stop. Were the officers complacent because this was just another traffic stop? Did they get careless because there was more than one officer and they had a police dog with them?
None of the questions in these three cases are meant to criticize the slain officers. It is just a fact that in a matter of time police work becomes routine, leading its practitioners to become complacent and careless. It happens to the best of officers. A good example occurred a number of years ago when two experienced Houston narcotics officers prepared to arrest a drug dealer. One of the officers had already arrested the dealer a number of times without incident. They were friendly with each other and on a first name basis. The officers parked their car across the street from a bar where they believed the dealer to be. They entered the bar and informed him he was under arrest. They asked him to accompany them out of the bar. They did not handcuff or search him. He went along willingly, but when they were in the street, he pulled out a gun and killed the officer with whom he had been on a first name basis.
Rookie officers are less likely to be complacent or careless. They are still in a police academy training retention mode. They may not admit it, but they are a lot more fearful than their veteran colleagues. Fear is what makes them more careful and alert to life threatening situations as they go about their duties. That is why few rookie officers get killed. It is the veteran cops who are in the greatest danger and, more often not, they get killed by complacency and carelessness.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Saturday, September 30, 2006
SELF-DESTRUCTING WITH THE "N" WORD
Virginia Republican George Allen was considered a shoo-in to retain his U.S. Senate seat in the race against Democrat James Webb. With only two months to go before election day, Allen began to self-destruct. First, at a campaign stop, he pointed out one of Webb's volunteer workers, a 20 year-old Virginia-born college student of Indian descent, and called him MACACA. Then he responded to questions about the possible Jewish ancestry of his 83 year-old mother in less than stellar fashion. Finally, he was accused of having used the word "nigger" repeatedly some 30 years ago.
Macaca is the name of an Asian monkey and the word is also a racial slur used against native North Africans by persons of European ancestry. Allen's mother came from Tunisia where the word is a derogatory term. When asked what he meant by macaca, Allen replied that he did not know its meaning because he had just made the word up. Yeah, right - if you believe that Senator Allen made up the word macaca, I'll get the tooth fairy to leave a deed under your pillow for some ocean front property in Arizona.
Allen's mother was born into a (Jewish) Sephardic family in Tunisia. Apparently his mother never told Allen of her Jewishness before he was asked about her ancestry. He responded to the question by accusing his detractors of "making aspersions" in trying to cast him as a Jew. Aspersions? Used in that context, the term implies that Jewishness is unbecoming of a U.S. Senator. To compound matters, he made some inappropriate jokes about his eating ham sandwiches and his mother making good pork chops, to prove that they were not Jewish.
When accused of having used the "N" word repeatedly some 30 years ago, Allen denied these charges by claiming that he had NEVER used that derogatory racial slur. A few people, who appear to be credible, have come forward to say they often heard Allen use the "N" word, while others say they never heard him use any racial slurs. So, who are you going to believe? The O. J. Simpson murder trial comes to mind.
The Simpson defense strategy was to claim that physical evidence against O. J. was fabricated by racist LAPD homicide investigators. They focused on detective Mark Fuhrman who found the infamous glove next to one of the structures on the Simpson property. During Fuhrman's cross examination, F. Lee Bailey asked the detective if he had ever used the "N" word. When Fuhrman replied that he had never used the word, he not only self-destructed, but he also resurrected Bailey's career which had been in remission. The defense rebutted Fuhrman's denial with a witness who once worked with him on a book she was writing and who claimed he used the "N" word several times while he was helping her with the book.
From 1948 to 1993, I worked with hundreds of police officers, including a number of black officers, and I do not know of a single one who has never used the "N" word, and that includes me. Were any of these officers racist? Some were, but most were not. Was Fuhrman a racist? I do not believe he was. His closest friend was an African-American officer. Why would Fuhrman lie on the witness stand? I believe it was because he thought that if he admitted using racist slurs, he would be seen as a despicable racist in the eyes of a predominantly black jury, as well as by a nationwide television audience.
Bailey should never have been allowed to ask the question about the "N" word because it was not relevant to the finding of the glove. Marcia Clark and Chris Darden, the inept prosecutors, should have objected loudly. When they did not, Judge Lance Ito should have taken it on himself to stop Fuhrman from answering the question. Because Ito was star struck with the TV cameras on him, he allowed the trial to get out of hand time after time, the Fuhrman questioning being just one example. When Fuhrman perjured himself, he accomodated the predominently black jury that was predisposed to acquit Simpson, which they did after less than an hour of serious deliberation.
What has happened to Fuhrman since the Simpson trial? He retired from the Los Angeles Police Department and subsequently pled guilty to perjury, thus ending a notable career in disgrace. Since then he has successfully authored a number of books, the most prominent of which, MURDER IN GREENWICH, dealt with the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley in Greenwich, Connecticut. The case remained dormant until 1998, when the book called attention to evidence Fuhrman had uncovered that Michael Skakel, nephew of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, beat Moxley to death with a golf club. Fuhrman's book was instrumental in reopening the case and led to Skakel's murder trial and conviction.
What has happened to F. Lee Bailey? In 2001,he was disbarred in Florida on seven counts of misconduct involving the withholding of some assets belonging to a convicted drug dealer which had been ordered forfeited to the U.S. government. Massachusetts followed with a reciprocal disbarment in 2002.
What should Fuhrman and Allen have done when confronted with the "N" word allegations? They should have said, "Yes, on occasion I've used it. I know I should not have done that. It's something I don't normally do because I am not a racist." Had Fuhrman said something like that, he would have relegated Bailey to the slag heap of history and he would not have self-destructed. Allen could have put the "N" word controversy to rest, had he done so.
At the same time, one should never say, "Some of my best friends are black," or point out that black comedians like Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor frequently used the word "nigger" in their comedy routines, as do most of the current crop of black stand-up comics on HBO and Showtime. Nor should one call attention to the liberal use of "nigga" in the lyrics composed by many popular back rappers. Those are all common talking points for racists who want to mask their bigotry.
Senator Allen, son of a famous Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins coach, has an outstanding record in public service and was considered a front runner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. His aspirations for the presidency evaporated with his self-destructive gaffes. He has shown himself to be a stupid jerk in the way he responded to the macaca, Jewish heritage, and "N" word controversies. Is Allen a racist? In his many years of public service there has never been any indication that he is a racist. A month from now, the voters of Virginia will decide whether or not they want to return a stupid jerk to the U.S. Senate.
Macaca is the name of an Asian monkey and the word is also a racial slur used against native North Africans by persons of European ancestry. Allen's mother came from Tunisia where the word is a derogatory term. When asked what he meant by macaca, Allen replied that he did not know its meaning because he had just made the word up. Yeah, right - if you believe that Senator Allen made up the word macaca, I'll get the tooth fairy to leave a deed under your pillow for some ocean front property in Arizona.
Allen's mother was born into a (Jewish) Sephardic family in Tunisia. Apparently his mother never told Allen of her Jewishness before he was asked about her ancestry. He responded to the question by accusing his detractors of "making aspersions" in trying to cast him as a Jew. Aspersions? Used in that context, the term implies that Jewishness is unbecoming of a U.S. Senator. To compound matters, he made some inappropriate jokes about his eating ham sandwiches and his mother making good pork chops, to prove that they were not Jewish.
When accused of having used the "N" word repeatedly some 30 years ago, Allen denied these charges by claiming that he had NEVER used that derogatory racial slur. A few people, who appear to be credible, have come forward to say they often heard Allen use the "N" word, while others say they never heard him use any racial slurs. So, who are you going to believe? The O. J. Simpson murder trial comes to mind.
The Simpson defense strategy was to claim that physical evidence against O. J. was fabricated by racist LAPD homicide investigators. They focused on detective Mark Fuhrman who found the infamous glove next to one of the structures on the Simpson property. During Fuhrman's cross examination, F. Lee Bailey asked the detective if he had ever used the "N" word. When Fuhrman replied that he had never used the word, he not only self-destructed, but he also resurrected Bailey's career which had been in remission. The defense rebutted Fuhrman's denial with a witness who once worked with him on a book she was writing and who claimed he used the "N" word several times while he was helping her with the book.
From 1948 to 1993, I worked with hundreds of police officers, including a number of black officers, and I do not know of a single one who has never used the "N" word, and that includes me. Were any of these officers racist? Some were, but most were not. Was Fuhrman a racist? I do not believe he was. His closest friend was an African-American officer. Why would Fuhrman lie on the witness stand? I believe it was because he thought that if he admitted using racist slurs, he would be seen as a despicable racist in the eyes of a predominantly black jury, as well as by a nationwide television audience.
Bailey should never have been allowed to ask the question about the "N" word because it was not relevant to the finding of the glove. Marcia Clark and Chris Darden, the inept prosecutors, should have objected loudly. When they did not, Judge Lance Ito should have taken it on himself to stop Fuhrman from answering the question. Because Ito was star struck with the TV cameras on him, he allowed the trial to get out of hand time after time, the Fuhrman questioning being just one example. When Fuhrman perjured himself, he accomodated the predominently black jury that was predisposed to acquit Simpson, which they did after less than an hour of serious deliberation.
What has happened to Fuhrman since the Simpson trial? He retired from the Los Angeles Police Department and subsequently pled guilty to perjury, thus ending a notable career in disgrace. Since then he has successfully authored a number of books, the most prominent of which, MURDER IN GREENWICH, dealt with the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley in Greenwich, Connecticut. The case remained dormant until 1998, when the book called attention to evidence Fuhrman had uncovered that Michael Skakel, nephew of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, beat Moxley to death with a golf club. Fuhrman's book was instrumental in reopening the case and led to Skakel's murder trial and conviction.
What has happened to F. Lee Bailey? In 2001,he was disbarred in Florida on seven counts of misconduct involving the withholding of some assets belonging to a convicted drug dealer which had been ordered forfeited to the U.S. government. Massachusetts followed with a reciprocal disbarment in 2002.
What should Fuhrman and Allen have done when confronted with the "N" word allegations? They should have said, "Yes, on occasion I've used it. I know I should not have done that. It's something I don't normally do because I am not a racist." Had Fuhrman said something like that, he would have relegated Bailey to the slag heap of history and he would not have self-destructed. Allen could have put the "N" word controversy to rest, had he done so.
At the same time, one should never say, "Some of my best friends are black," or point out that black comedians like Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor frequently used the word "nigger" in their comedy routines, as do most of the current crop of black stand-up comics on HBO and Showtime. Nor should one call attention to the liberal use of "nigga" in the lyrics composed by many popular back rappers. Those are all common talking points for racists who want to mask their bigotry.
Senator Allen, son of a famous Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins coach, has an outstanding record in public service and was considered a front runner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. His aspirations for the presidency evaporated with his self-destructive gaffes. He has shown himself to be a stupid jerk in the way he responded to the macaca, Jewish heritage, and "N" word controversies. Is Allen a racist? In his many years of public service there has never been any indication that he is a racist. A month from now, the voters of Virginia will decide whether or not they want to return a stupid jerk to the U.S. Senate.
Monday, September 18, 2006
TRAGEDY STRIKES THE FAMILY OF A FORMER OUTSTANDING NARCOTICS OFFICER
During my professional career, I have known some really outstanding law enforcement officers who spent part or most of their careers as narcotic officers. Matt O'Connor was a California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement agent who also served as president of the California Narcotic Officers Association and as president of the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association. Al Stewart, a very dear friend of mine with the San Bernardino County (California) Sheriff's Department who also served as president of CNOA, and who was shot to death when, while off duty, he went to the aid of some officers who were under attack by gunfire.
There was John Nelson of the Los Angeles Police Department who, based on his former USMC elite Force Recon unit, founded this nation's first SWAT team, the model copied by the FBI and all the other agencies that formed SWAT teams. Charlie Jackson who was the director of a tri-state (New York-New Jersey-Connecticut) interagency narcotics task force and became Assistant Director of Security for the National Football League. Rick Sander of the Houston Police Department, one of the sharpest persons I've ever known, who created and taught the first officer survival training courses in Texas.
There was John Blackburn, my former partner when we were with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, who went on to become the director of a large multi-agency task force in Colorado, and later a professor at Arizona State University and full-time consultant to the Maricopa County District Attorney's office. John was also appointed by the Governor to head the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, a very prestigious position. Sheriff Ben Clark, our boss and close friend, who was a nationally recognized law enforcement innovator and inspired me to emphasize the human relations factor in my courses whenever appropriate.
And then there is Frank Miller, who served for over 34 years as a narcotics officer with the Houston Police Department. I first met Frank at a Texas Narocitc Officers Association meeting. Subsequently, he enrolled in some of my criminal justice courses. He was one of my most outstanding students ever. He gives me some undeserved credit as a teacher and I am honored that he considers me to be one of his mentors. The truth is that I learned much more from Frank than he learned from me. Frank spent the latter part of his career as an instructor with the HPD narcotics division, imparting his vast knowledge of drug enforcement investigations and tactics to officers within his agency, as well as to many officers from other police departments. Jeannine, Frank's lovely cancer-surviving wife, was also a Houston police officer, serving as a juvenile investigator for 25 years.
Why am I writing about Frank and Jeannine? Because a deep tragedy has struck their lives. Last week they were notified that Ryan, their 19 year old son, was killed in action on September 14th while on patrol in Barwanah, Iraq. Ryan, a third-generation Marine who planned to follow his parents' footsteps as a Houston police officer, lost his life just before his Marine Corps unit was scheduled to leave Iraq and return to the United States. Shit - what a bad roll of the dice. In their grief, Frank and Jeannine are very proud of Ryan, knowing that he made the supreme sacrifice while serving his country.
I am so sick and tired of hearing athletes, rock stars, and others referred to as heroes. Heroes are people who risk life and limb while trying to protect or save the lives of others. Public safety officers are heroes when they enter a burning building or confront a dangerous criminal. Even soldiers do not become heroes until they engage the enemy in combat. Heroes are made on the battlefield, not on the football field. Ryan Miller serves as a shining example of a true hero.
Despite their grief, and unlike Cindy Sheehan, Frank and Jeannine have not turned against their country. Cindy Sheehan has dishonored her son, another true hero, because her radical left-wing crusade has given aid and comfort to those who killed him and who also killed Ryan Miller. I did not personally know Ryan because I only saw him several times when he was a little boy. But like his parents, I too am very proud of Ryan. To hell with Cindy Sheehan and her ilk! God protect our troops and public safety officers!! God bless the Miller family - Frank, Jeannine, Meghan and Brandon!!!
There was John Nelson of the Los Angeles Police Department who, based on his former USMC elite Force Recon unit, founded this nation's first SWAT team, the model copied by the FBI and all the other agencies that formed SWAT teams. Charlie Jackson who was the director of a tri-state (New York-New Jersey-Connecticut) interagency narcotics task force and became Assistant Director of Security for the National Football League. Rick Sander of the Houston Police Department, one of the sharpest persons I've ever known, who created and taught the first officer survival training courses in Texas.
There was John Blackburn, my former partner when we were with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, who went on to become the director of a large multi-agency task force in Colorado, and later a professor at Arizona State University and full-time consultant to the Maricopa County District Attorney's office. John was also appointed by the Governor to head the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, a very prestigious position. Sheriff Ben Clark, our boss and close friend, who was a nationally recognized law enforcement innovator and inspired me to emphasize the human relations factor in my courses whenever appropriate.
And then there is Frank Miller, who served for over 34 years as a narcotics officer with the Houston Police Department. I first met Frank at a Texas Narocitc Officers Association meeting. Subsequently, he enrolled in some of my criminal justice courses. He was one of my most outstanding students ever. He gives me some undeserved credit as a teacher and I am honored that he considers me to be one of his mentors. The truth is that I learned much more from Frank than he learned from me. Frank spent the latter part of his career as an instructor with the HPD narcotics division, imparting his vast knowledge of drug enforcement investigations and tactics to officers within his agency, as well as to many officers from other police departments. Jeannine, Frank's lovely cancer-surviving wife, was also a Houston police officer, serving as a juvenile investigator for 25 years.
Why am I writing about Frank and Jeannine? Because a deep tragedy has struck their lives. Last week they were notified that Ryan, their 19 year old son, was killed in action on September 14th while on patrol in Barwanah, Iraq. Ryan, a third-generation Marine who planned to follow his parents' footsteps as a Houston police officer, lost his life just before his Marine Corps unit was scheduled to leave Iraq and return to the United States. Shit - what a bad roll of the dice. In their grief, Frank and Jeannine are very proud of Ryan, knowing that he made the supreme sacrifice while serving his country.
I am so sick and tired of hearing athletes, rock stars, and others referred to as heroes. Heroes are people who risk life and limb while trying to protect or save the lives of others. Public safety officers are heroes when they enter a burning building or confront a dangerous criminal. Even soldiers do not become heroes until they engage the enemy in combat. Heroes are made on the battlefield, not on the football field. Ryan Miller serves as a shining example of a true hero.
Despite their grief, and unlike Cindy Sheehan, Frank and Jeannine have not turned against their country. Cindy Sheehan has dishonored her son, another true hero, because her radical left-wing crusade has given aid and comfort to those who killed him and who also killed Ryan Miller. I did not personally know Ryan because I only saw him several times when he was a little boy. But like his parents, I too am very proud of Ryan. To hell with Cindy Sheehan and her ilk! God protect our troops and public safety officers!! God bless the Miller family - Frank, Jeannine, Meghan and Brandon!!!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
AN HONEST, BUT POLITICALLY INCORRECT POLICE CHIEF
Several hours before his subsequent capture on September 9th, fugitive murderer Rallph "Bucky" Phillips was spotted by a New York State canine trooper. When Phillips pointed a gun at him, the trooper fired a volley of shots, missing the fugitive who then fled into the woods. The morning after Bucky's capture, New York State Police Superintendent Wayne Bennett stated on the NBC Today Show that it was UNFORTUNATE the trooper's shots did not hit the fugitive. Oops - slip of the tongue - honest, but politically incorrect.
The bleeding hearts and civil libitarians are going to have a field day with this one. To those paragons of virtue, Supt. Bennett's statement came across loud and clear with only one meaning - he wanted Bucky dead, not alive! Let's be honest about it - so did every other police officer in this country. Why would police officers want Bucky brought back dead instead of alive?
Phillips, a habitual thief, escaped from a jail near Buffalo last April, shortly before he was due to be relaeased. In June, he shot and wounded a New York state trooper during a traffic stop. On August 31, he ambushed two state troopers who were staking out his former girlfriend's house, shooting them in the back. One of those troopers died, while the other is still in critical condition. Once, he promised to "splatter pig (police) meat all over Chautauqua County," and he let it be known that he would not allow himself to be taken alive.
When the police finally caught up to Bucky, he meekly surrendered. It is to the credit of the officers that they did not shoot him dowm, which they could have easily done with no witnesses around. I remember that many years ago, a couple of thugs murdered two New Jersey police officers. The killers were traced to a New York City tenement. A team of New York officers, not New Jersey officers, rushed their hideout with guns blazing, thereby executing the cop killers without giving them any chance to surrender. At the time, civil libitarians screamed like stuck pigs with accusations that those officers were a bunch of cold blooded murderers.
The police see themselves as a close knit family and whenever an officer is killed, no matter where, it is the same to them as the death of a brother or sister. So, it is natural for them to want retribution when someone takes the life of a fellow officer. Bucky not only killed one officer, but he tried to kill two others.
If Phillips is sentenced to death, he will probably sit on death row for about 10 years before the sentence is carried out, if it ever is. Even though he was politically incorrect, it was refreshing to hear Supt. Bennett's honest opinion that it was unfortunate the canine officer did not hit Phillips when he fired at him.
The bleeding hearts and civil libitarians are going to have a field day with this one. To those paragons of virtue, Supt. Bennett's statement came across loud and clear with only one meaning - he wanted Bucky dead, not alive! Let's be honest about it - so did every other police officer in this country. Why would police officers want Bucky brought back dead instead of alive?
Phillips, a habitual thief, escaped from a jail near Buffalo last April, shortly before he was due to be relaeased. In June, he shot and wounded a New York state trooper during a traffic stop. On August 31, he ambushed two state troopers who were staking out his former girlfriend's house, shooting them in the back. One of those troopers died, while the other is still in critical condition. Once, he promised to "splatter pig (police) meat all over Chautauqua County," and he let it be known that he would not allow himself to be taken alive.
When the police finally caught up to Bucky, he meekly surrendered. It is to the credit of the officers that they did not shoot him dowm, which they could have easily done with no witnesses around. I remember that many years ago, a couple of thugs murdered two New Jersey police officers. The killers were traced to a New York City tenement. A team of New York officers, not New Jersey officers, rushed their hideout with guns blazing, thereby executing the cop killers without giving them any chance to surrender. At the time, civil libitarians screamed like stuck pigs with accusations that those officers were a bunch of cold blooded murderers.
The police see themselves as a close knit family and whenever an officer is killed, no matter where, it is the same to them as the death of a brother or sister. So, it is natural for them to want retribution when someone takes the life of a fellow officer. Bucky not only killed one officer, but he tried to kill two others.
If Phillips is sentenced to death, he will probably sit on death row for about 10 years before the sentence is carried out, if it ever is. Even though he was politically incorrect, it was refreshing to hear Supt. Bennett's honest opinion that it was unfortunate the canine officer did not hit Phillips when he fired at him.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
BLACK ANTI-SEMITISM
Andrew Young, civil rights leader, former Mayor of Atlanta, and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has shown himself to be a racist, the same as his civil rights colleague, Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson. In his role as head of Working Families for Wal-Mart, Young was featured in the August 17 issue of the Los Angeles Sentinel, a weekly newspaper claiming to be the main voice of the local African-American community.
In the Sentinel article, Young made derogatory comments about ethnic inner-city grocers while responding to accusations that his employer, Wal-Mart, drove mom and pop stores out of business. He replied to those accusations by saying: "But you see, those are the people who have been overcharging us - selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs. Very few black people own those stores."
Well, at least Young did not blame just the Jews for selling spoiled groceries at inflated prices to black folks. If you recall, some years ago, Jesse Jackson referred to Jews as "Hymies" and to New York City as "Hymietown," implying that New York was overpopulated with and controlled by Jews. It is well known that the derogatory term "hymie" is just as offensive to Jews as the term "nigger" is to blacks. Both Young and Jackson, a couple of genuine hypocrites, claim to be friends of the Jews.
Over the years, numerous public opinion surveys have revealed that blacks generally have a very low opinion of Jews. Obviously influenced by anti-Semitic sterotyping, blacks are convinced that they have been exploited by greedy Jews. They believe that Jews are inner-city absentee landlords, and that Jewish "slum lords" charge blacks higher rents while neglecting the maintenance of rental properties.
Other beliefs held by blacks are: All Jews are rich, own all the banks and pawnshops, and exploit blacks to further enrich themselves. Jewish bankers refuse to lend blacks any money without charging them exorbitant interest rates, thus leaving them to the exploitation of Jewish pawnbrokers in black neighborhoods. Jewish store owners in black neighborhoods overcharge for poor quality merchandize. And of course the belief, as espoused by Andrew Young, that Jewish grocers sell blacks spoiled food at high prices.
It is ironic that blacks represent the largest anti-Semitic group in our country. Ordinary Jews, in large numbers, stood and marched side by side with blacks during the 1960s civil rights movement. Leaders of the Jewish community were among the most vocal and active supporters of black civil rights. Have blacks forgotten that of the three civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi in 1964, two were Jews? Andrew Goodwin and Michael Schwerner, two Jewish college students, along with James Chaney, were volunteers helping to register black voters when they were killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Throughout history, Jews have been the victims of bigotry and discrimination. There were the inquisitions in Spain and other Catholic countries. There were the pogroms in Poland which led to the formation of ghettos. There was the holocaust during which six million European Jews were exterminated. (All of my grandparents disappeared into Nazi concentration camps.) Jews have always been oppressed in Muslim countries. In every country, there have been many hate evoking anti-Semitic myths. Blood libels and The Protocols of Zion are two of the worst.
Blood libels, poisonous accusations that Jews sacrifice little children of gentiles to use their blood for religious rituals, have been around since the 12th century. Muslim clerics in Egypt and the Middle East still resort to blood libels to foment hatred of Jews. THE PROTOCOLS OF THE LEARNED ELDERS OF ZION is a vicious anti-Semitic forgery which details a Jewish plot to rule the whole world. Originally disseminated in 1905 by the Russian Czar's secret police, this hoax was also disseminated by Henry Ford and Adolf Hitler to justify their anti-Semitism. It is still used in this country by Christian Identity groups like the Aryan Nations and the KKK, and by Islamists throughout the Muslim world.
Contrary to a common myth, not all Jews in America are rich, with most belonging to the middle class, and some living in poverty. For years, Jews in this country were denied employment by banks, insurance companies, and other large corporations. The Fords and Rockefellers, among other prominent Americans, were openly anti-Semitic. The hatred of Jews by the KKK equals their hatred of blacks. Klan members have a favorite saying: "A Jew is nothing but a nigger turned inside out."
Because Jews themselves have suffered so much from bigotry, they feel compelled to fight against any discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. That is why they were so prominaent in the civil rights movement. And that is why they are so prominent in the American Civil Liberties Union. Jews believe that if they expect to be free of discrimination, it is their duty to fight discrimination in all its forms. That is why, despite the prevalence of black anti-Semitism, they continue to fight against racism directed at African-Americans.
While most blacks appear to harbor strong anti-Semitic views, Jews do have some good friends among African-Americans who are thankful for the active support of the Jewish community in their fight against racism. Unfortunately, such friends are few and far between. And, with black friends like Young and Jackson, Jews don't need any enemies.
In the Sentinel article, Young made derogatory comments about ethnic inner-city grocers while responding to accusations that his employer, Wal-Mart, drove mom and pop stores out of business. He replied to those accusations by saying: "But you see, those are the people who have been overcharging us - selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs. Very few black people own those stores."
Well, at least Young did not blame just the Jews for selling spoiled groceries at inflated prices to black folks. If you recall, some years ago, Jesse Jackson referred to Jews as "Hymies" and to New York City as "Hymietown," implying that New York was overpopulated with and controlled by Jews. It is well known that the derogatory term "hymie" is just as offensive to Jews as the term "nigger" is to blacks. Both Young and Jackson, a couple of genuine hypocrites, claim to be friends of the Jews.
Over the years, numerous public opinion surveys have revealed that blacks generally have a very low opinion of Jews. Obviously influenced by anti-Semitic sterotyping, blacks are convinced that they have been exploited by greedy Jews. They believe that Jews are inner-city absentee landlords, and that Jewish "slum lords" charge blacks higher rents while neglecting the maintenance of rental properties.
Other beliefs held by blacks are: All Jews are rich, own all the banks and pawnshops, and exploit blacks to further enrich themselves. Jewish bankers refuse to lend blacks any money without charging them exorbitant interest rates, thus leaving them to the exploitation of Jewish pawnbrokers in black neighborhoods. Jewish store owners in black neighborhoods overcharge for poor quality merchandize. And of course the belief, as espoused by Andrew Young, that Jewish grocers sell blacks spoiled food at high prices.
It is ironic that blacks represent the largest anti-Semitic group in our country. Ordinary Jews, in large numbers, stood and marched side by side with blacks during the 1960s civil rights movement. Leaders of the Jewish community were among the most vocal and active supporters of black civil rights. Have blacks forgotten that of the three civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi in 1964, two were Jews? Andrew Goodwin and Michael Schwerner, two Jewish college students, along with James Chaney, were volunteers helping to register black voters when they were killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Throughout history, Jews have been the victims of bigotry and discrimination. There were the inquisitions in Spain and other Catholic countries. There were the pogroms in Poland which led to the formation of ghettos. There was the holocaust during which six million European Jews were exterminated. (All of my grandparents disappeared into Nazi concentration camps.) Jews have always been oppressed in Muslim countries. In every country, there have been many hate evoking anti-Semitic myths. Blood libels and The Protocols of Zion are two of the worst.
Blood libels, poisonous accusations that Jews sacrifice little children of gentiles to use their blood for religious rituals, have been around since the 12th century. Muslim clerics in Egypt and the Middle East still resort to blood libels to foment hatred of Jews. THE PROTOCOLS OF THE LEARNED ELDERS OF ZION is a vicious anti-Semitic forgery which details a Jewish plot to rule the whole world. Originally disseminated in 1905 by the Russian Czar's secret police, this hoax was also disseminated by Henry Ford and Adolf Hitler to justify their anti-Semitism. It is still used in this country by Christian Identity groups like the Aryan Nations and the KKK, and by Islamists throughout the Muslim world.
Contrary to a common myth, not all Jews in America are rich, with most belonging to the middle class, and some living in poverty. For years, Jews in this country were denied employment by banks, insurance companies, and other large corporations. The Fords and Rockefellers, among other prominent Americans, were openly anti-Semitic. The hatred of Jews by the KKK equals their hatred of blacks. Klan members have a favorite saying: "A Jew is nothing but a nigger turned inside out."
Because Jews themselves have suffered so much from bigotry, they feel compelled to fight against any discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. That is why they were so prominaent in the civil rights movement. And that is why they are so prominent in the American Civil Liberties Union. Jews believe that if they expect to be free of discrimination, it is their duty to fight discrimination in all its forms. That is why, despite the prevalence of black anti-Semitism, they continue to fight against racism directed at African-Americans.
While most blacks appear to harbor strong anti-Semitic views, Jews do have some good friends among African-Americans who are thankful for the active support of the Jewish community in their fight against racism. Unfortunately, such friends are few and far between. And, with black friends like Young and Jackson, Jews don't need any enemies.
Monday, September 04, 2006
VIGILANTE JUSTICE
Within the past week, Connecticut lawyer Jonathon Edington,29, broke into a neighbor's house and stabbed Barry James,58, to death right after Edington's wife informed him their two-year old daughter said that James had molested her. James had once been arrested for DWI but had no other arrest record. No child molestation allegations were ever made against him. After the stabbing, the Edingtons claimed that James had exposed himself several times in front of his window. After Edington's release on $1,000,000 bail, his wife went to the police and filed a child mollestation complaint against the murder victim.
This is the latest example of vigilante justice - people taking the law into their own hands. In one case, a whole community seems to have been complicit in the murder of a town bully. In 1980, Ken Rex McElroy was shot to death by one or more persons while he was stitting unarmed in his truck. McElroy, a giant of a man, had intimidated and terrorized the people of Skidmore, Missouri, and the surrounding area for more than a decade. On one occasion, a Skidmore police officer was frightened off while attempting to arrest the bully. Despite many years of harassing people, McElroy was never brought to justice. His victims refused to cooperate with police and FBI investigators and the case remains unsolved to this day.
In 1984, Gary Plauche ambushed and shot Jeff Doucett in the head at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, airport while sheriff's deputies were returning Doucett from California for kidnapping and sexually abusing his ten-year old son. Plauche, who had been laying in wait, killed Doucett in front of television news cameras. Doucett, who was Jodie Plauche's karate instructor, had taken the child to California two years earlier. Gary Plauche received five years of probation for killing his son's kidnapper and molester.
Also in 1984, Bernhard Goetz, a victim of two previous muggings, shot four black youths who attempted to rob him on a New York subway. Then he walked up to one wounded mugger and told him "You don't look too bad, here's another," before shooting him again, thereby paralyzing the young man. Goetz claimed he acted in self-defense and was acquitted of attempted murder. The "Subway Vigilante" was convicted of a firearms possession charge and served eight-and-a-half months in jail. The paralyzed youth won a multi-million dollar judgement against Goetz in a subsequent civil trial.
Taking the law into one's own hands can never be justified, no matter what led to the vigilante act and no matter how lenient the courts are perceived to be with criminal defendants. In the Edington case, there is a big question - is a two-year old capable of telling her mother that she has been sexually molested? What if James did not molest the Edington child? In the "Subway Vigilante" case, a justifiable act of self-defense turmed into an unjustifiable act of vigilante justice when Goetz walked up and shot the wounded youth again.
In the Edington and Plauche cases, one can certainly understand the desire for revenge by a very angry father who believes his child has been molested. In the McElroy case, people finally took the law into their own hands after being terrorized for over ten years with no relief from the criminal justice system. After years of neglect, it is certainly understandable why nobody in Skidmore would cooperate with the criminal investigators. While all of us can empathize with Edington and Plauche, and while some of us can cheer for Goetz and the people of Skidmore, the truth is that all of these folks meeted out vigilante justice, thereby depriving James, McElroy, Doucett, and Goetz's victims of their day in court.
This is the latest example of vigilante justice - people taking the law into their own hands. In one case, a whole community seems to have been complicit in the murder of a town bully. In 1980, Ken Rex McElroy was shot to death by one or more persons while he was stitting unarmed in his truck. McElroy, a giant of a man, had intimidated and terrorized the people of Skidmore, Missouri, and the surrounding area for more than a decade. On one occasion, a Skidmore police officer was frightened off while attempting to arrest the bully. Despite many years of harassing people, McElroy was never brought to justice. His victims refused to cooperate with police and FBI investigators and the case remains unsolved to this day.
In 1984, Gary Plauche ambushed and shot Jeff Doucett in the head at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, airport while sheriff's deputies were returning Doucett from California for kidnapping and sexually abusing his ten-year old son. Plauche, who had been laying in wait, killed Doucett in front of television news cameras. Doucett, who was Jodie Plauche's karate instructor, had taken the child to California two years earlier. Gary Plauche received five years of probation for killing his son's kidnapper and molester.
Also in 1984, Bernhard Goetz, a victim of two previous muggings, shot four black youths who attempted to rob him on a New York subway. Then he walked up to one wounded mugger and told him "You don't look too bad, here's another," before shooting him again, thereby paralyzing the young man. Goetz claimed he acted in self-defense and was acquitted of attempted murder. The "Subway Vigilante" was convicted of a firearms possession charge and served eight-and-a-half months in jail. The paralyzed youth won a multi-million dollar judgement against Goetz in a subsequent civil trial.
Taking the law into one's own hands can never be justified, no matter what led to the vigilante act and no matter how lenient the courts are perceived to be with criminal defendants. In the Edington case, there is a big question - is a two-year old capable of telling her mother that she has been sexually molested? What if James did not molest the Edington child? In the "Subway Vigilante" case, a justifiable act of self-defense turmed into an unjustifiable act of vigilante justice when Goetz walked up and shot the wounded youth again.
In the Edington and Plauche cases, one can certainly understand the desire for revenge by a very angry father who believes his child has been molested. In the McElroy case, people finally took the law into their own hands after being terrorized for over ten years with no relief from the criminal justice system. After years of neglect, it is certainly understandable why nobody in Skidmore would cooperate with the criminal investigators. While all of us can empathize with Edington and Plauche, and while some of us can cheer for Goetz and the people of Skidmore, the truth is that all of these folks meeted out vigilante justice, thereby depriving James, McElroy, Doucett, and Goetz's victims of their day in court.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
DIXIE CHICKS VALIDATE DARWIN'S THEORY OF EVOLUTION
The controversy swirling around the Dixie Chicks centers on statements made by lead singer Natalie Maines while the trio was on concert tours in London. Since the other two members of the trio have not repudiated the statements made by Maines, it must be obvious that she is their designated spokesperson. With Maines, the Dixie Chicks have erased any doubts about the Theory of Evolution.
In March of 2003, while commenting on her opposition to the Iraq war, Maines said she was "ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." Her comments were praised in Europe. In this country, she was accused of being unpatriotic and many radio stations in the South boycotted the Dixie Chicks by refusing to play any of their records. Fans and civil libertarians immediately rushed to defend the trio by proclaiming that it is not un-American or unpatriotic to speak out against the war, and that the boycott amounted to an attempt at stifling free speech.
I beg to differ with those who have defended the Dixie Chicks. I do agree that it is not unpatriotic to speak out against the war in Iraq, but only as long as it is done here in Ameirca. Family members squabble with each other all the time, but they will not "wash their dirty linen" in front of outsiders because, when push comes to shove, FAMILY ALWAYS COMES FIRST! By making her remarks outside of the United States, Maines provided fodder to the majority in Europe who dislike America for one reason or another, and who express their dislike for this country by opposing our war with Iraq.
Among the many comments made on the statements by Maines, one said it best. "I am a Canadian citizen but born in England and I think it is disgusting that the 'Chicks' have chosen to voice their negative opinion of their president while outside their own country. Come on girls, get some balls and speak out politically in your own country not just to appease and please a crowd some where else in the world."
Maines apparently has come to realize that she was unpatriotic when she made her statement in London in 2003. This past June, while the Dixie Chicks were on another concert tour in London, Maines attacked patriotism itself in the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. "The entire country (US) may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism. Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country ... I don't see why people care about patriotism." Say what? Hmmmm - Stupid is as stupid does!
Maines' statement in the Telegraph validates Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Natural Selection, Darwin's process of evolution, has left Natalie Maines behind with the brains of a brilliant ape or, possibly, with the brains of a stupid Neanderthal. And the same goes for Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, the other members of the trio, since they have never repudiated their spokesperson's asinine statements. I could spend an hour commenting on the statement in the Telegraph, but I will limit myself to saying that NO COUNTRY CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT THE PATRIOTISM OF ITS CITIZENS. The Dixie Chicks are nothing more than a bunch of unpatriotic sorry-ass ingrates.
In March of 2003, while commenting on her opposition to the Iraq war, Maines said she was "ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." Her comments were praised in Europe. In this country, she was accused of being unpatriotic and many radio stations in the South boycotted the Dixie Chicks by refusing to play any of their records. Fans and civil libertarians immediately rushed to defend the trio by proclaiming that it is not un-American or unpatriotic to speak out against the war, and that the boycott amounted to an attempt at stifling free speech.
I beg to differ with those who have defended the Dixie Chicks. I do agree that it is not unpatriotic to speak out against the war in Iraq, but only as long as it is done here in Ameirca. Family members squabble with each other all the time, but they will not "wash their dirty linen" in front of outsiders because, when push comes to shove, FAMILY ALWAYS COMES FIRST! By making her remarks outside of the United States, Maines provided fodder to the majority in Europe who dislike America for one reason or another, and who express their dislike for this country by opposing our war with Iraq.
Among the many comments made on the statements by Maines, one said it best. "I am a Canadian citizen but born in England and I think it is disgusting that the 'Chicks' have chosen to voice their negative opinion of their president while outside their own country. Come on girls, get some balls and speak out politically in your own country not just to appease and please a crowd some where else in the world."
Maines apparently has come to realize that she was unpatriotic when she made her statement in London in 2003. This past June, while the Dixie Chicks were on another concert tour in London, Maines attacked patriotism itself in the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. "The entire country (US) may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism. Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country ... I don't see why people care about patriotism." Say what? Hmmmm - Stupid is as stupid does!
Maines' statement in the Telegraph validates Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Natural Selection, Darwin's process of evolution, has left Natalie Maines behind with the brains of a brilliant ape or, possibly, with the brains of a stupid Neanderthal. And the same goes for Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, the other members of the trio, since they have never repudiated their spokesperson's asinine statements. I could spend an hour commenting on the statement in the Telegraph, but I will limit myself to saying that NO COUNTRY CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT THE PATRIOTISM OF ITS CITIZENS. The Dixie Chicks are nothing more than a bunch of unpatriotic sorry-ass ingrates.
Monday, August 21, 2006
MEL GIBSON'S SENTENCING - ANTI-SEMITISM IS NOT AGAINST THE LAW
As I predicted in my blog on Mel Gibson's apologies, Gibson copped a plea in the case of his July 28th drunk driving arrest. He had been charged with (1) driving wihile having a 0.08 percent or higher blood-alcohol level, (2) driving under the influence of alcohol, and (3) driving with an open container of aclohol. Under California law, the first two charges are midemeanors and the open container charge is considered an infraction, rather than a crime. A defendant facing such charges is not required to appear in court for dispostion of his case.
On August 17, one of his attorneys appeared in Malibu Superior Court and plead Nolo Contendere (no contest) in Gibson's behalf. While technically not a guilty plea, its effect is the same, since by not contesting the charges, the defendant implies that he committed the offense(s) with which he has been charged.
There was no way that Gibson was going to go through a trial where the sordid facts attendant to his arrest would be rehashed in public and in the presence of a scandal-hungry media. Indeed, Gibson's attorney appeared in court unbeknownst to the media and entered the plea a month before his next scheduled court hearing. Thus, his case has been laid to rest with minimal public attention. And by appearing a month early with a prearranged plea bargain agreement, his attorney succeeded in avoiding the usual Superior Court oder for an investigation and sentencing recommendation by the Los Angeles County Probation Department.
The plea bargain called for the dismissal of the driving under the influence and the open container charges. On the remaining charge, Gibson was placed on three years of probation, fined $1,608, and had his driver license restricted for 90 days. As part of his probation, he was ordered to attend "self-help meetings" five times a week for four and a half months and three meetings per week for another seven and a half months. He was also required to complete a prescribed three month alcohol education and counseling program.
Was Gibson's sentence a mere slap on the wrist? Not at all. The sentence was fairly severe for a first-time drunk driving offender. The only thing missing is the usual community service part of a drunk driving sentence. In addition to the three month alcohol counseling program, Gibson is also required to attend a one year long self-help program. That does not leave much time for any community service. Of course, there is a very good chance that, at a later date, his attorney will succeed in having the self-help and alcohol counseling progams reduced to a much shorter period of time. It is also possible for the period of probation to be modified if Gibson remains on good behavior.
What about Gibson's tirade during his arrest? He threatened to make the arresting officer's life miserable, but since Gibson made no physical threats, his mouthing off is not against the law. He made some vitriolic remarks about Jews, but anti-Semitism is not against the law either. The courts have recognized angry expressions, such as those against the officer and Jews, as constitutional protected speech. The one year long self-help program part of the sentence appears to be the court's way of addressing Gibson's hatred of Jews.
If Gibson had been a rock star or a hip-hop star with a legion of rabid young fans, his hateful remarks would have led to a significant increase in anti-Semitism. Fortunately, instead of an idolized rock star, he is an aging Hollywood celebrity with a declining number of fans. Gibson has a deep hatred of Jews, but his fans are either already anti-Semites or, if not so, they are not likely to adopt his bigoted views.
Gibson's movie, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, which blamed Jews for Chirst's crucifixion, probably did lead to a rise in anti-Semitism. Ironically, the publicity for that movie was hyped in no small measure with the unintended help of Jewish community leaders in their public outrage against the film long before it opened in theaters. Those were some of the same Jewish leaders Gibson reached out to in the phony apology released by his publicist.
The fallout from Gibson's arrest and tirade is over. Now that the case is closed, you can bet that he is not going to seek the Jewish community's help in searching for the cause of his anti-Semitic outburst. After his murder trial, O. J. Simpson declared that he would spend the rest of his life searching for his wife's killer. Simpson's search is easy - all he has to do is look in the mirror. Mel Gibson's search for answers to his anti-Semitic tirade is much harder because he is in denial of his hatred for Jews.
On August 17, one of his attorneys appeared in Malibu Superior Court and plead Nolo Contendere (no contest) in Gibson's behalf. While technically not a guilty plea, its effect is the same, since by not contesting the charges, the defendant implies that he committed the offense(s) with which he has been charged.
There was no way that Gibson was going to go through a trial where the sordid facts attendant to his arrest would be rehashed in public and in the presence of a scandal-hungry media. Indeed, Gibson's attorney appeared in court unbeknownst to the media and entered the plea a month before his next scheduled court hearing. Thus, his case has been laid to rest with minimal public attention. And by appearing a month early with a prearranged plea bargain agreement, his attorney succeeded in avoiding the usual Superior Court oder for an investigation and sentencing recommendation by the Los Angeles County Probation Department.
The plea bargain called for the dismissal of the driving under the influence and the open container charges. On the remaining charge, Gibson was placed on three years of probation, fined $1,608, and had his driver license restricted for 90 days. As part of his probation, he was ordered to attend "self-help meetings" five times a week for four and a half months and three meetings per week for another seven and a half months. He was also required to complete a prescribed three month alcohol education and counseling program.
Was Gibson's sentence a mere slap on the wrist? Not at all. The sentence was fairly severe for a first-time drunk driving offender. The only thing missing is the usual community service part of a drunk driving sentence. In addition to the three month alcohol counseling program, Gibson is also required to attend a one year long self-help program. That does not leave much time for any community service. Of course, there is a very good chance that, at a later date, his attorney will succeed in having the self-help and alcohol counseling progams reduced to a much shorter period of time. It is also possible for the period of probation to be modified if Gibson remains on good behavior.
What about Gibson's tirade during his arrest? He threatened to make the arresting officer's life miserable, but since Gibson made no physical threats, his mouthing off is not against the law. He made some vitriolic remarks about Jews, but anti-Semitism is not against the law either. The courts have recognized angry expressions, such as those against the officer and Jews, as constitutional protected speech. The one year long self-help program part of the sentence appears to be the court's way of addressing Gibson's hatred of Jews.
If Gibson had been a rock star or a hip-hop star with a legion of rabid young fans, his hateful remarks would have led to a significant increase in anti-Semitism. Fortunately, instead of an idolized rock star, he is an aging Hollywood celebrity with a declining number of fans. Gibson has a deep hatred of Jews, but his fans are either already anti-Semites or, if not so, they are not likely to adopt his bigoted views.
Gibson's movie, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, which blamed Jews for Chirst's crucifixion, probably did lead to a rise in anti-Semitism. Ironically, the publicity for that movie was hyped in no small measure with the unintended help of Jewish community leaders in their public outrage against the film long before it opened in theaters. Those were some of the same Jewish leaders Gibson reached out to in the phony apology released by his publicist.
The fallout from Gibson's arrest and tirade is over. Now that the case is closed, you can bet that he is not going to seek the Jewish community's help in searching for the cause of his anti-Semitic outburst. After his murder trial, O. J. Simpson declared that he would spend the rest of his life searching for his wife's killer. Simpson's search is easy - all he has to do is look in the mirror. Mel Gibson's search for answers to his anti-Semitic tirade is much harder because he is in denial of his hatred for Jews.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
ISRAEL AND HEZBOLLAH - WINNERS AND LOSERS
Now that there is a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, it is a good time to reflect on the outcome of their 34 day war. Israel destroyed much of Lebanon's infrastructure and it will take well over a billion dollars to rebuild it. Israel claims to have killed over 500 Hezbollah fighters and admits that 118 of its soldiers were killed. Over a thousand Lebanese civilians were killed, including many women and children. Hezbollah fired more than 2,000 rockets into Northern Israel, causing considerable property damage and a number of civilian casualties. Who are the real winners and losers in this conflict?
Hezbollah, a guerilla militia, faught Israel's once mighty army to a standstill and that amounts to a victory. No other Arab force, or combination of such forces, have ever come close to beating the always outnumbered Israeli army. Hezbollah's prestige is now sky high and it has gained the adoration of the whole Muslim world. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, is now the most popular and revered person in the Muslim world. Even many non-Muslim Europeans now admire Hezbollah and its leader, Nasrallah. The Lebanese government has declared that its army will not disarm Hezbollah. There is every indication that the proposed international peace keeping force, once it is in place between Israel and the Litani River, will not forcibly disarm Hezbollah.
Considereing the differences in the size of their armies, the loss of 118 Israeli soldiers is equivalent to the loss of 11,800 American soldiers. With around 2,600 U.S. soldiers killed in nearly four years of fighting, the majority of Americans are clamoring for us to get out of Iraq now. How quickly would our troops have been pulled out of Iraq if 11,800 of our soldiers had been killed there within a 34 day period?
A significant number of Israeli tanks were destroyed or disabled by a guerilla militia using sophisticated hand held rocket propelled anti-tank grenades. Returning from combat, Israeli soldiers complained about reservists being ill prepared, inadequate equipment and supplies, acute shortages of drinking water, and serious delays in the evacuation of wounded comrades. Israel's devastating bombardment of Lebanon has gained it world-wide condemnation. It is now more isolated than ever, the United States being its one and only remaining friend.
The war started over the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. Israel has not gained the release of these soldiers and there is now talk among Israeli government leaders of a prisoner swap, which is exactly what Hezbollah wanted in the first place. The popularity of Ehud Olmert, the inept leader of Israel, is now at an alltime low, and the reputation of Israel's armed forces has been severely damaged. Hezbollah has shown that the land of Israel is very vulnerable to rocket strikes.
So, who are the real winners and losers in the war between Israel and Hezbollah? Israel wanted to get back its kidnapped soldiers and destroy Hezbollah, but it failed to achieve either objective. Even though it had every right to defend itself against attacks by its enemies, international condemnation for its devastation of Lebanon and homefront discontent over mounting casualties and incoming missle strikes forced Israel to abort its effort to destroy Hezbollah. For now, in this conflict, Israel is seen as a big loser, while Hezbollah is perceived as a big winner. However, stay tuned for the inevitable upcoming Round 2.
Hezbollah, a guerilla militia, faught Israel's once mighty army to a standstill and that amounts to a victory. No other Arab force, or combination of such forces, have ever come close to beating the always outnumbered Israeli army. Hezbollah's prestige is now sky high and it has gained the adoration of the whole Muslim world. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, is now the most popular and revered person in the Muslim world. Even many non-Muslim Europeans now admire Hezbollah and its leader, Nasrallah. The Lebanese government has declared that its army will not disarm Hezbollah. There is every indication that the proposed international peace keeping force, once it is in place between Israel and the Litani River, will not forcibly disarm Hezbollah.
Considereing the differences in the size of their armies, the loss of 118 Israeli soldiers is equivalent to the loss of 11,800 American soldiers. With around 2,600 U.S. soldiers killed in nearly four years of fighting, the majority of Americans are clamoring for us to get out of Iraq now. How quickly would our troops have been pulled out of Iraq if 11,800 of our soldiers had been killed there within a 34 day period?
A significant number of Israeli tanks were destroyed or disabled by a guerilla militia using sophisticated hand held rocket propelled anti-tank grenades. Returning from combat, Israeli soldiers complained about reservists being ill prepared, inadequate equipment and supplies, acute shortages of drinking water, and serious delays in the evacuation of wounded comrades. Israel's devastating bombardment of Lebanon has gained it world-wide condemnation. It is now more isolated than ever, the United States being its one and only remaining friend.
The war started over the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. Israel has not gained the release of these soldiers and there is now talk among Israeli government leaders of a prisoner swap, which is exactly what Hezbollah wanted in the first place. The popularity of Ehud Olmert, the inept leader of Israel, is now at an alltime low, and the reputation of Israel's armed forces has been severely damaged. Hezbollah has shown that the land of Israel is very vulnerable to rocket strikes.
So, who are the real winners and losers in the war between Israel and Hezbollah? Israel wanted to get back its kidnapped soldiers and destroy Hezbollah, but it failed to achieve either objective. Even though it had every right to defend itself against attacks by its enemies, international condemnation for its devastation of Lebanon and homefront discontent over mounting casualties and incoming missle strikes forced Israel to abort its effort to destroy Hezbollah. For now, in this conflict, Israel is seen as a big loser, while Hezbollah is perceived as a big winner. However, stay tuned for the inevitable upcoming Round 2.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR - A DANGEROUS NINJA THROWING STAR
Joe Foss , an 86 year old retired Marine Corps general and former Governor of South Dackota, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism during the battle for Guadalcanal. As a fighter pilot in World War II, Foss shot down 26 Japanese planes in one-on-one air-to-air combat. The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in combat that can be bestowed upon American military personnel.
On January 11th of this year, long before the current heightened security alert, Joe Foss was leaving his Arizona home for a trip to address the Corps of Cadets at West Point. He took his medal with him so he could show it to the cadets. When the security screeners at Phoenix International Airport found the medal in his jacket pocket, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND PARANOIA bells and whistles went off.
The screeners considered the Medal of Honor a suspicious five-pointed metal object similar to a HIRA SHUNKEN, the Japanese Ninja throwing star. These idiot security screeners, who are under the Transportation Security Administration branch of the Department of Homeland Paranoia (oops - I meant to say Department of Homeland Security), must have watched way too many Kung Fu movies. You would have to be pretty ignorant not to recognize that metal object for what it was.
After 45 minutes of being hassled and passed off from "nasty" screener to "nasty" screener, Foss was finally passed through security with his medal in hand. During that time, this 86 year old man was ordered three different times to remove his cowboy boots, his bolo tie, his cowboy belt, and his cowboy hat for inspection. When he was told to discard the medal so that it could be destroyed, he told the screeners that he would not give it up.
All of us should support the thorough screening of airline passengers and their baggage for any dangerous weapons and explosives. But subjecting an 86 year old man to three inspections of his boots, tie, belt and hat, over a 45 minute period is a bit too much, to put it mildly. And there is a world of difference between a medal for valor and a hira shunken. Dishonoring a genuine great American hero by threatening to confiscate and destroy his Congressional Medal of Honor is unbelievable and unforgivable.
On January 11th of this year, long before the current heightened security alert, Joe Foss was leaving his Arizona home for a trip to address the Corps of Cadets at West Point. He took his medal with him so he could show it to the cadets. When the security screeners at Phoenix International Airport found the medal in his jacket pocket, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND PARANOIA bells and whistles went off.
The screeners considered the Medal of Honor a suspicious five-pointed metal object similar to a HIRA SHUNKEN, the Japanese Ninja throwing star. These idiot security screeners, who are under the Transportation Security Administration branch of the Department of Homeland Paranoia (oops - I meant to say Department of Homeland Security), must have watched way too many Kung Fu movies. You would have to be pretty ignorant not to recognize that metal object for what it was.
After 45 minutes of being hassled and passed off from "nasty" screener to "nasty" screener, Foss was finally passed through security with his medal in hand. During that time, this 86 year old man was ordered three different times to remove his cowboy boots, his bolo tie, his cowboy belt, and his cowboy hat for inspection. When he was told to discard the medal so that it could be destroyed, he told the screeners that he would not give it up.
All of us should support the thorough screening of airline passengers and their baggage for any dangerous weapons and explosives. But subjecting an 86 year old man to three inspections of his boots, tie, belt and hat, over a 45 minute period is a bit too much, to put it mildly. And there is a world of difference between a medal for valor and a hira shunken. Dishonoring a genuine great American hero by threatening to confiscate and destroy his Congressional Medal of Honor is unbelievable and unforgivable.
Monday, August 07, 2006
ISRAEL'S EHUD OLMERT IS NOT THE MAN FOR THE JOB
On January 7, 2006, I published "Israel's Future Survival After Sharon," a blog concerning the aftermath of Prime Minister Sharon's debilitating stroke. One of the headings in that blog read, AFTER SHARON? ISRAEL NEEDS BENJAMIN NETANYAHU! I was concerned about Israel's survival in a sea of Arab hostility.
At the time, I wrote that neither former Prime Minister Shimon Peres nor Amir Peretz of the dovish left-wing Labor Party would be resolute enough to maintain Israel's long-term security. And, I wrote that Ehud Olmert, leader of the new Kadima Party formed by Sharon, would not ensure Israel's survival either. I believed that the outcome of the election between Kadima and the Likud party "is now in doubt." I wrote that "Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud is the best man for the job. He is a strong leader who will not allow Israel's security to be compromised."
Well, the people of Israel did not agree with me and Kadima won by a landslide. Olmert became the new Prime Minister. But, was I wrong about Olmert? I don't thinks so, On August 4, 2006, an op-ed column by Charles Krauthammer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist, supports my contention that Olmert was not the man for the job.
Krauthammer, commenting on the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, wrote that, "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has provided unsteady and uncertain leadership. Foolishly relying on air power alone, he denied his generals the ground offensive they wanted, only to reverse himself later. He has allowed his war Cabinet meetings to become fully public through the kind of leaks no serious wartime leadership would ever countenance. Divisive Cabinet debates are broadcast to the world as was Olmert's own complaint that 'I'm tired. I didn't sleep at all last night.' (Haaretz, July 28.) Hardly the stuff to instill Churchillian confidence."
Krauthammer continued. "His search for victory on the cheap has jeopardized not just the Lebanon operation, but America's confidence in Israel as well. That confidence - and the relationship it reinforces - is as important to Israel's survival as its own army. The tremulous Olmert seems not to have a clue."
If, at the beginning of its conflict with Hezbollah, Israel had launched a full-scale invasion of Southern Lebanon, its army would by now have reached the Litani River, some 18 miles north of the border. Such an invasion would have led to significant Israeli casualties, but it would have established a buffer zone to protect Israelis from Hezbollah's rocket attacks. It is clear that Israel's air strikes have not destroyed Hezbollah's military capabilities, but they have done serious damage to Lebanon's infrastructure and have led to world-wide condemnations of the Jewish State, and of America.
Hezbollah is now more popular than ever, while Israel's military prestige has been greatly damaged. I feel vindicated by Krauthammer's column. As I predicted, Olmert has not been up to the job. Benjamin Netanyahu would have launched a quick full-scale ground offensive across the Lebanese border in concert with the air strikes Israel has been conducting since the inception of this conflict. Olmert's limited incursion into Southern Lebanon was too little and too late. It is likely that, under Netanyahu's strong leadership, Hezbollah would have been significantly weakened, if not destroyed.
When all is said and done, Olmert will wilt under international pressure, fold his tent, and disengage prematurely, leaving a much hated Israel weakened, more isolated than ever, and back on square one. Does anyone really believe that an international force or the Lebanese army will take on Hezbollah and fight to disarm it? You can bet that, thanks to Olmert's ineptitude, Hezbollah's militia will survive to fight Israel another day.
At the time, I wrote that neither former Prime Minister Shimon Peres nor Amir Peretz of the dovish left-wing Labor Party would be resolute enough to maintain Israel's long-term security. And, I wrote that Ehud Olmert, leader of the new Kadima Party formed by Sharon, would not ensure Israel's survival either. I believed that the outcome of the election between Kadima and the Likud party "is now in doubt." I wrote that "Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud is the best man for the job. He is a strong leader who will not allow Israel's security to be compromised."
Well, the people of Israel did not agree with me and Kadima won by a landslide. Olmert became the new Prime Minister. But, was I wrong about Olmert? I don't thinks so, On August 4, 2006, an op-ed column by Charles Krauthammer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist, supports my contention that Olmert was not the man for the job.
Krauthammer, commenting on the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, wrote that, "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has provided unsteady and uncertain leadership. Foolishly relying on air power alone, he denied his generals the ground offensive they wanted, only to reverse himself later. He has allowed his war Cabinet meetings to become fully public through the kind of leaks no serious wartime leadership would ever countenance. Divisive Cabinet debates are broadcast to the world as was Olmert's own complaint that 'I'm tired. I didn't sleep at all last night.' (Haaretz, July 28.) Hardly the stuff to instill Churchillian confidence."
Krauthammer continued. "His search for victory on the cheap has jeopardized not just the Lebanon operation, but America's confidence in Israel as well. That confidence - and the relationship it reinforces - is as important to Israel's survival as its own army. The tremulous Olmert seems not to have a clue."
If, at the beginning of its conflict with Hezbollah, Israel had launched a full-scale invasion of Southern Lebanon, its army would by now have reached the Litani River, some 18 miles north of the border. Such an invasion would have led to significant Israeli casualties, but it would have established a buffer zone to protect Israelis from Hezbollah's rocket attacks. It is clear that Israel's air strikes have not destroyed Hezbollah's military capabilities, but they have done serious damage to Lebanon's infrastructure and have led to world-wide condemnations of the Jewish State, and of America.
Hezbollah is now more popular than ever, while Israel's military prestige has been greatly damaged. I feel vindicated by Krauthammer's column. As I predicted, Olmert has not been up to the job. Benjamin Netanyahu would have launched a quick full-scale ground offensive across the Lebanese border in concert with the air strikes Israel has been conducting since the inception of this conflict. Olmert's limited incursion into Southern Lebanon was too little and too late. It is likely that, under Netanyahu's strong leadership, Hezbollah would have been significantly weakened, if not destroyed.
When all is said and done, Olmert will wilt under international pressure, fold his tent, and disengage prematurely, leaving a much hated Israel weakened, more isolated than ever, and back on square one. Does anyone really believe that an international force or the Lebanese army will take on Hezbollah and fight to disarm it? You can bet that, thanks to Olmert's ineptitude, Hezbollah's militia will survive to fight Israel another day.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
MEL GIBSON'S APOLOGIES - THOSE ARE NOT HIS OWN WORDS
Mel Gibson's drunk driving arrest, at 2:30 AM on July 28th, revealed that he harbored deep-rooted anti-Semitic feelings. During the patrol car ride to the Malibu sheriff's station he let loose with a tirade of inflammatory statements, which included references to the "fucking Jews" and the statement that "the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." That statement has its foundation in the long-held anti-Semitic myth that Jews own and control everything.
When Gibson's ugly behavior first became public, he issued a statement in which he insisted that he was not anti-Semitic, and he attributed his inflammatory outbursts to alcohol doing the talking. He said that his religion, conservative Catholicism, did not allow him to bear any hatred toward others. When that did not calm down the uproar generated by his inflammatory remarks, his publicist released a statement in which Gibson apologized for his behavior to anyone he may have offended, but he left out any references to anti-Semitism. That omission only served to further fuel the controversy surrounding his arrest.
Finally, on August 1st, Gibson's publicist released a lenghty apologetic statement. In part it said, "I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words. Please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith. There will be many in that (Jewish) community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed." The statement also said that he wants to "meet with the leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one-on-one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing. I am in the process of understanding where those vicious words came from during that drunken display, and I am asking the Jewish community , whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery."
As a Jew, I have been subjected to a number of anti-Semitic slurs, and I have overheard many such slurs used in conversations which were not personally directed at me. These have always been offensive and hurtful to me. Was I offended by Gibson's anti-Semitic tirade? Somewhat, but his hateful words were not uttered in my presence. As a person with a number of years in law enforcement, I was much more offended by LASO's obvious attempt to cover up Gibson's anti-Semitism. Do I believe that Gibson's apology is sincere? Not really! All his apologies were issued by his publicist. It is obvious that these are not Gibson's own words. They were carefully crafted by his public relations people in an attempt at damage control. I would have been more impressed had Gibson held a press conference, admitting he was an anti-Semite and offering an unscripted off-the-cuff apology.
Gibson's most recent apology reveals that he is really in denial about his hatred of Jews. "Please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot." That's the problem - in his heart he is a bigot. His anti-Semitism is like any other addiction - there can be no cure until the addict admits that he is addicted to aclohol, to narcotic drugs, to gambling, to sex, or in Gibson's case, to anti-Semitism. Gibson was raised by an anti-Semitic father who believes the holocaust was a hoax. He was probably infected with bigotry long ago at the family's dining table.
A number of Gibson's Jewish friends have come to his defense, convinced through their friendship that he is not an anti-Semite. What fools they be! There will always be bigots who hate African-Americans, Latinos, Gays, or whichever group, who will have one or more friends from among the group they hate. Over the years, I've heard many an anti-Semite claim that "Some of my best friends are Jews," and some of them, undoubtably, were telling the truth. Gibson's Jewish friends would serve him better if they confronted him face to face with his anti-Semitism.
Gibson is a brilliant actor and director. Bigots can change, but not until they admit their bigotry. Because he is a big money maker, Gibson's career will not end. Hopefully he can overcome his addiction to hatred. He will never go to trial. He wil cop a plea. His attorneys are fighting to keep the video and audio tapes of his arrest from the public. He will probably be placed on probation, fined, and ordered to undergo counseling and to perform some type of community service.
I have a novel proposal which might help cure Gibson of his anti-Semitism. Instead of the usual community service, sentence him to live for 30 days with a working-class Orthodox Jewish family in New York. Since he has asked for the Jewish community's help, I am sure that the leaders of that community will be able to find an ordinary working-class Orthodox family in New York willing to take Gibson in for 30 days. That will either cure his anti-Semitism or it will drive him further to drink and reinforce his bigotry, but I believe that this unconventional approach is worth a try.
When Gibson's ugly behavior first became public, he issued a statement in which he insisted that he was not anti-Semitic, and he attributed his inflammatory outbursts to alcohol doing the talking. He said that his religion, conservative Catholicism, did not allow him to bear any hatred toward others. When that did not calm down the uproar generated by his inflammatory remarks, his publicist released a statement in which Gibson apologized for his behavior to anyone he may have offended, but he left out any references to anti-Semitism. That omission only served to further fuel the controversy surrounding his arrest.
Finally, on August 1st, Gibson's publicist released a lenghty apologetic statement. In part it said, "I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words. Please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith. There will be many in that (Jewish) community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed." The statement also said that he wants to "meet with the leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one-on-one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing. I am in the process of understanding where those vicious words came from during that drunken display, and I am asking the Jewish community , whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery."
As a Jew, I have been subjected to a number of anti-Semitic slurs, and I have overheard many such slurs used in conversations which were not personally directed at me. These have always been offensive and hurtful to me. Was I offended by Gibson's anti-Semitic tirade? Somewhat, but his hateful words were not uttered in my presence. As a person with a number of years in law enforcement, I was much more offended by LASO's obvious attempt to cover up Gibson's anti-Semitism. Do I believe that Gibson's apology is sincere? Not really! All his apologies were issued by his publicist. It is obvious that these are not Gibson's own words. They were carefully crafted by his public relations people in an attempt at damage control. I would have been more impressed had Gibson held a press conference, admitting he was an anti-Semite and offering an unscripted off-the-cuff apology.
Gibson's most recent apology reveals that he is really in denial about his hatred of Jews. "Please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot." That's the problem - in his heart he is a bigot. His anti-Semitism is like any other addiction - there can be no cure until the addict admits that he is addicted to aclohol, to narcotic drugs, to gambling, to sex, or in Gibson's case, to anti-Semitism. Gibson was raised by an anti-Semitic father who believes the holocaust was a hoax. He was probably infected with bigotry long ago at the family's dining table.
A number of Gibson's Jewish friends have come to his defense, convinced through their friendship that he is not an anti-Semite. What fools they be! There will always be bigots who hate African-Americans, Latinos, Gays, or whichever group, who will have one or more friends from among the group they hate. Over the years, I've heard many an anti-Semite claim that "Some of my best friends are Jews," and some of them, undoubtably, were telling the truth. Gibson's Jewish friends would serve him better if they confronted him face to face with his anti-Semitism.
Gibson is a brilliant actor and director. Bigots can change, but not until they admit their bigotry. Because he is a big money maker, Gibson's career will not end. Hopefully he can overcome his addiction to hatred. He will never go to trial. He wil cop a plea. His attorneys are fighting to keep the video and audio tapes of his arrest from the public. He will probably be placed on probation, fined, and ordered to undergo counseling and to perform some type of community service.
I have a novel proposal which might help cure Gibson of his anti-Semitism. Instead of the usual community service, sentence him to live for 30 days with a working-class Orthodox Jewish family in New York. Since he has asked for the Jewish community's help, I am sure that the leaders of that community will be able to find an ordinary working-class Orthodox family in New York willing to take Gibson in for 30 days. That will either cure his anti-Semitism or it will drive him further to drink and reinforce his bigotry, but I believe that this unconventional approach is worth a try.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
POLICE FAVORITISM - WHY DID LASO TRY TO COVER UP MEL GIBSON'S ANTI-SEMITISM ?
On March 20, 2006, I published "Is it Professional Courtesy or is it Professional Irresponsibility?," a blog concerning favoritism shown miscreant off-duty police officers when apprehended by on-duty officers. Several of my law enforcement buddies got pissed off at me for what I wrote in that blog. Now we have a different example of police favoritism, and this one really stinks!
Recently, Hollywood's "Lethal Weapon" star, Mel Gibson, was arrested at 2:30 AM in Malibu on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence. He had been observed crossing lanes at 87 mph in a 45 mph zone on a dangerous stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. After the stop, the arresting Los Angeles Sheriff's deputy walked Gibson back to his patrol car and offered to place him inside without cuffing him. At that point, Gibson bolted, and had to be chased down, subdued and cuffed, before being placed in the patrol car. A subsequent breathalyzer test showed Gibson with a blood-alcohol level of .12 , well above the .08 minimum level for intoxication.
On the way to the Malibu station, Gibson turned into "Mad Max" and let loose with a tirade against the arresting officer and against Jews. "You mother fucker, I'm going to fuck you," he shouted at the officer. He claimed to own Malibu and promised to make the deputy's life miserable. During the ride, he yelled something about "fucking Jews" and followed that up with "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Then he asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"
Before going any further, I want to pause and ask the question - is Mel Gibson anti-Semitic? My conclusion is - definitely yes! Why? No one is born a bigot. Bigotry is acquired from family and friends. Gibson, born and brought up in New Jersey before he moved with his family to Australia, was raised by an anit-Semitic father. Hutton Gibson has, publicly, made several anti-Semitic statements and claims that the Holocaust was a hoax. Gibson once responded to his father's Holocaust denial, by saying that some of his "best friends" had numbers on their arms, and that among the many millions killed in WWII, some Jews were killed in concentration camps. That is hardly a repudiation of his father's Holocaust denial. Gibson's drunken outburst about Jews, shows what is really in his heart and in his mind - a virulent hatred of Jews. He insists that he is not anti-Semitic, and that it was the alcohol talking. Gibson has issued several apologies, undoubtably scripted by his public relations people, but those apologies have a hollow ring to them.
What people say when they are drunk is considered by most to be a true expression of their feelings. However, according to Drew Pinsky, M.D., a board certified Internist and Addictionologist, drunks do not express their true feelings. Pinsky, better known as "Dr. Drew" for his popular radio talk show, was interviewed by Tucker Carlson (8-1-06) on the MSNBC program "Tucker." He defended Gibson by claiming that drunks and dopers are experiencing a severe dysfunction of the brain, causing them to behave in ways they would never do when sober, and say things they really don't mean and would never say when sober. Duh! Of course people are going to behave differently when drunk and most, especially celebreties, are not going to make inflammatory remarks when sober.
Pinsky is partially correct. Gibson was pissed off because he was under arrest. He did not mean and would never carry out the threats he made against the officer. That was the alcohol expressing his anger over the arrest. However, Pinsky is dead wrong about Gibson's hatred of Jews. What caused the angry anti-Semitic outbursts? Did the Jews get him drunk? Were the Jews behind his reckless driving? Did the Jews force the deputy to arrest Gibson? At the time, he had no reason to be pissed off at Jews. The alcohol loosened his tongue and he was expressing the feelings he harbored in his heart and mind. Come on Dr. Drew, wake up and smell the roses - when drunks lose their inhibitions, they are prone to express deep-rooted feelings, and that makes Gibson, like father, like son, an anti-Semite.
Now, continuing on with the police favoritism issue. After the arresting officer submitted his eight page detailed report, which described Gibson's attempt to flee, his threats against the officer, and the anti-Semitic outbursts, a captain called Sheriff Lee Baca who said he did not want the press to obtain any information from the report which might be damaging to Gibson's reputation. A lieutenant then ordered the deputy to re-write his report and eliminate all references to "Mad Max's" bad conduct and inflammatory remarks. When LASO notified the press of Gibson's DUI arrest, they announced that he had been arrested "without incident." That was before they became aware that the celebrity news Web site, TMZ.com, had obtained copies of four pages of the arresting officer's initial report.
When Harvey Levin, TMZ's managing editor, called the Sheriff's office to verify the information he already had, LASO denied that any of the inflammatory tirade took place, insisting that Gibson was arrested without incident. They denied "sanitizing" the DUI arrest report. Levin says LASO flat-out lied to him. When LASO learned that TMZ had copies of the initial report, their public relations unit went into overdrive.
First LASO said they had the deputy write a supplemntal report without the anti-Semitic tirade because they wanted to avoid a possible anti-Jewish backlash if the inflammatory remarks were released to the press at the time of the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. What a crock of shit! Then they said that LASO often submits a detailed report and a shorter supplemental report of the arrest to the District Attorney's office, leaving it up to that office to chose which report to use. Another crock of shit - supplemental reports are submitted only when additional information in an investigation has been obtained. All the time, LASO insisted than nothing would be "sanitized" and no information about the arrest would be withheld. They explained that "without incident" means there was no violence involved - more LASO horseshit!
Without incident - let's see. Gibson fled on foot and had to be forcibly subdued by the deputy. Once in the patrol car, he repeatedly banged himself against the seat. The deputy called for backup to meet him at the Malibu station. Upon arrival, Gibson called a female sergeant, "sugar tits." And, when he could not get a dial tone on a pay phone, he threw the receiver against the phone. Without incident - my ass!
Mel Gibson is a personal friend of Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca. Gibson has helped Baca raise money for LASO charities. He has made a number of public service commercials for LASO and he has been a strong supporter of law enforcement. Previously, he had been stopped on the same stretch of highway in Malibu for driving in excess of the posted 45 mph speed limit, once while driving 64 mph and another time while driving 74 mph. In both instances, he was let go without receiving any citation. Something does not pass the smell test here. Would the average Joe Sixpack have been treated the same way? Of course not!
Anyone who believes that LASO was not trying to protect Gibson from a bad press must still believe in the tooth fairy. Whoever provided TMZ with copies of the initial arrest report will be up to his ears in deep shit if LASO manages to find out who did it. You can bet that the investigation of that leak will be far more intense than the investigation of the whole Gibson affair. It would seem obvious that LASO attempted to cover up Gibson's anti-Semitism as payback for his past favors to Lee Baca and the department. The favoritism they tried to show Gibson after his arrest reflects badly on all of law enforcement.
Recently, Hollywood's "Lethal Weapon" star, Mel Gibson, was arrested at 2:30 AM in Malibu on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence. He had been observed crossing lanes at 87 mph in a 45 mph zone on a dangerous stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. After the stop, the arresting Los Angeles Sheriff's deputy walked Gibson back to his patrol car and offered to place him inside without cuffing him. At that point, Gibson bolted, and had to be chased down, subdued and cuffed, before being placed in the patrol car. A subsequent breathalyzer test showed Gibson with a blood-alcohol level of .12 , well above the .08 minimum level for intoxication.
On the way to the Malibu station, Gibson turned into "Mad Max" and let loose with a tirade against the arresting officer and against Jews. "You mother fucker, I'm going to fuck you," he shouted at the officer. He claimed to own Malibu and promised to make the deputy's life miserable. During the ride, he yelled something about "fucking Jews" and followed that up with "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Then he asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"
Before going any further, I want to pause and ask the question - is Mel Gibson anti-Semitic? My conclusion is - definitely yes! Why? No one is born a bigot. Bigotry is acquired from family and friends. Gibson, born and brought up in New Jersey before he moved with his family to Australia, was raised by an anit-Semitic father. Hutton Gibson has, publicly, made several anti-Semitic statements and claims that the Holocaust was a hoax. Gibson once responded to his father's Holocaust denial, by saying that some of his "best friends" had numbers on their arms, and that among the many millions killed in WWII, some Jews were killed in concentration camps. That is hardly a repudiation of his father's Holocaust denial. Gibson's drunken outburst about Jews, shows what is really in his heart and in his mind - a virulent hatred of Jews. He insists that he is not anti-Semitic, and that it was the alcohol talking. Gibson has issued several apologies, undoubtably scripted by his public relations people, but those apologies have a hollow ring to them.
What people say when they are drunk is considered by most to be a true expression of their feelings. However, according to Drew Pinsky, M.D., a board certified Internist and Addictionologist, drunks do not express their true feelings. Pinsky, better known as "Dr. Drew" for his popular radio talk show, was interviewed by Tucker Carlson (8-1-06) on the MSNBC program "Tucker." He defended Gibson by claiming that drunks and dopers are experiencing a severe dysfunction of the brain, causing them to behave in ways they would never do when sober, and say things they really don't mean and would never say when sober. Duh! Of course people are going to behave differently when drunk and most, especially celebreties, are not going to make inflammatory remarks when sober.
Pinsky is partially correct. Gibson was pissed off because he was under arrest. He did not mean and would never carry out the threats he made against the officer. That was the alcohol expressing his anger over the arrest. However, Pinsky is dead wrong about Gibson's hatred of Jews. What caused the angry anti-Semitic outbursts? Did the Jews get him drunk? Were the Jews behind his reckless driving? Did the Jews force the deputy to arrest Gibson? At the time, he had no reason to be pissed off at Jews. The alcohol loosened his tongue and he was expressing the feelings he harbored in his heart and mind. Come on Dr. Drew, wake up and smell the roses - when drunks lose their inhibitions, they are prone to express deep-rooted feelings, and that makes Gibson, like father, like son, an anti-Semite.
Now, continuing on with the police favoritism issue. After the arresting officer submitted his eight page detailed report, which described Gibson's attempt to flee, his threats against the officer, and the anti-Semitic outbursts, a captain called Sheriff Lee Baca who said he did not want the press to obtain any information from the report which might be damaging to Gibson's reputation. A lieutenant then ordered the deputy to re-write his report and eliminate all references to "Mad Max's" bad conduct and inflammatory remarks. When LASO notified the press of Gibson's DUI arrest, they announced that he had been arrested "without incident." That was before they became aware that the celebrity news Web site, TMZ.com, had obtained copies of four pages of the arresting officer's initial report.
When Harvey Levin, TMZ's managing editor, called the Sheriff's office to verify the information he already had, LASO denied that any of the inflammatory tirade took place, insisting that Gibson was arrested without incident. They denied "sanitizing" the DUI arrest report. Levin says LASO flat-out lied to him. When LASO learned that TMZ had copies of the initial report, their public relations unit went into overdrive.
First LASO said they had the deputy write a supplemntal report without the anti-Semitic tirade because they wanted to avoid a possible anti-Jewish backlash if the inflammatory remarks were released to the press at the time of the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. What a crock of shit! Then they said that LASO often submits a detailed report and a shorter supplemental report of the arrest to the District Attorney's office, leaving it up to that office to chose which report to use. Another crock of shit - supplemental reports are submitted only when additional information in an investigation has been obtained. All the time, LASO insisted than nothing would be "sanitized" and no information about the arrest would be withheld. They explained that "without incident" means there was no violence involved - more LASO horseshit!
Without incident - let's see. Gibson fled on foot and had to be forcibly subdued by the deputy. Once in the patrol car, he repeatedly banged himself against the seat. The deputy called for backup to meet him at the Malibu station. Upon arrival, Gibson called a female sergeant, "sugar tits." And, when he could not get a dial tone on a pay phone, he threw the receiver against the phone. Without incident - my ass!
Mel Gibson is a personal friend of Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca. Gibson has helped Baca raise money for LASO charities. He has made a number of public service commercials for LASO and he has been a strong supporter of law enforcement. Previously, he had been stopped on the same stretch of highway in Malibu for driving in excess of the posted 45 mph speed limit, once while driving 64 mph and another time while driving 74 mph. In both instances, he was let go without receiving any citation. Something does not pass the smell test here. Would the average Joe Sixpack have been treated the same way? Of course not!
Anyone who believes that LASO was not trying to protect Gibson from a bad press must still believe in the tooth fairy. Whoever provided TMZ with copies of the initial arrest report will be up to his ears in deep shit if LASO manages to find out who did it. You can bet that the investigation of that leak will be far more intense than the investigation of the whole Gibson affair. It would seem obvious that LASO attempted to cover up Gibson's anti-Semitism as payback for his past favors to Lee Baca and the department. The favoritism they tried to show Gibson after his arrest reflects badly on all of law enforcement.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
JUDICIAL WHORES - IT'S TIME TO CHANGE THE METHOD OF HIRING EXPERT WITNESSES
Expert witnesses in criminal trials are one of the best examples of the inequality in our criminal justice system. Criminal defendants who can afford to hire the best attorneys that money can buy can also afford to hire the best expert witnesses that money can buy. The vast majority of criminal defendants can neither afford a good attorney, nor an expert witness. In many instancs, the poor are flushed down the criminal justice system's toilet. In jurisdictions that fund a Public Defender system, the poor are likely to get a better defense than in a system of court appointed attorneys.
In cases where an expert witness could be helpful to a defendant, the Public Defender's office may not always have enough funds to obtain expert testimony. Except in capital cases, court appointed attorneys are notorious for providing only the most minimal defense allowed under the law. More often than not, they encourage their clients to accept a plea bargain, not because that is best for their client, but so they can get another appointment sooner. Worse yet, many court appointed attorneys are so inept that the only way these BOTTOM FEEDERS can make a living as lawyers is to hustle for such appointments.
Expert witnesses, in both criminal and civil trials, are often referred to as "Hired Guns" because they usually hire themselves out to the highest bidder in our adverserial judicial system. I prefer to call them JUDICIAL WHORES, because that is what they are. For criminal cases, there are established lists of experts who will testify favorably for the prosecution and lists of those who will testify favorably for the defemse. Of course, there are those who will testify for either side, depending on who offeres them the most money. These judicial whores do not come cheap, with many commanding more than $400 per hour, including research and preparation time in addition to time on the witness stand, plus all of their travel, lodging, and meal expenses.
There are many kinds of expert witnesses for both criminal and civil cases. Just to name a few, there are those in medicine, structural engineering, accident reconstruction, chemistry, physics, income loss, long-term care, etc.. In medicine alone, there are experts for every specialty, such as forensic pathologists, surgeons, Ob-Gyn physicans, neurologists, orthopedists, plastic surgeons, and of course, psychiatrists. In the O. J. Simpson trial, there was contradictory testimony given by prominent forensic pathologists and by prominent forensic scientists, depending on whether they were paid by the prosecution or by the defense.
The psychiatrists, as well as psychologists, are the worst of the judicial whores, testifying for the prosecution that the defendant is sane or testifying for the defense that he is insane. If medicine is an art, then PSYCHIATRY IS A FANTASY. When Sirhan Sirhan was tried for the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, there was so much conflicting testimony by the psychiatric experts, that the jury wanted it entered into the trial record that they were thoroughly disgusted by it and considered it absolutely worthless.
The Andrea Yates case is another example ot the psychiatric shenanigans perpetrated by these judical whores. During the first trial the defense presented several psychiatrists and psychologists, all of whom testified that Yates did not know right from wrong, the Texas standard for insanity, when she drowned her five children in a bathtub. The prosecution relied mostly on the testimony of Park Dietz, a California-based psychiatrist who has not practiced psychiatry for 25 years and who earns his living strictly by testifying as an expert witness for prosecutors. Dr. Dietz has testified for the prosecution in the trials of John Hinckley (for attempting to assassinate President Reagan), "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, as well as in many other headline-making trials.
In the first Yates trial, Dr. Dietz testfied that Andrea got the idea for killing her children, and how to get away with it, by watching a TV episode of "Law and Order" in which a mother was found not guilty by reason of insanity after drowning her children. The only problem with that testimony was that there never was any such episode. Because of Dr. Dietz's false testimony, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned her conviction and ordered a new trial. In the second trial, Dr. Dietz again testified that Yates knew that killing her children was wrong, contrary to the testimony given by the defendant's mental health experts. Ironically, in between the two Yates trials, Dr. Dietz testified at the trial of a nearly identical case in Northeast Texas.
In May 2003, Deanna Laney bludgeoned her children with a stone, killing her six and eight year old sons and critically injuring her 14 year old son. Both Yates and Laney had a long history of psychotic episodes prior to the killings. Both reported the killings to the police by calling "911." The only differences in the two cases were the method of killing and that Yates claimed the Devil told her to do it, while Laney claimed that God told her to do it. The Smith County District Attorney, knowing in advance how Dr. Dietz would testify, nevertheless called him to the witness stand where he testified that Laney was "crazy" because she did not know right from wrong. Apparently, Dr. Dietz believes you are sane if the Devil tells you to kill your children, but you are crazy if God tells you to do it.
In both Yates trials the prosecutors, unlike the District Attorney in Smith County, were hell-bent on obtaining a death sentence in the first trial and a life sentence in the second trial. (Since she was sentenced to life in the first trial, the prosecution was barred from seeking the death penalty in the second one.) In the second trial the prosecution again relied on Dr. Dietz's expert testimony, as well as that of Dr. Michael Weiner, a psychiatrist from New York. Dr Dietz was paid a total of $142,000 for his testimony in both trials.
It is alleged that Dr. Weiner first approached the defense and offered to testify that Yates was insane. When the defense refused to meet his price, he turned around and offered his services to the prosecution. Unaware of his overtures to the defense, the prosecution called Dr. Weiner to the stand where he testified that Yates knew the drownings were wrong and that she was motivated to kill the children by her selfish needs. If, as alleged, he solicited both sides in the Yates case, offering each the testimony he believed they wanted, Dr. Weiner is a shoo-in to win the RED LANTERN, my award for the JUDICIAL WHORE OF THE YEAR. Dr Weiner and his consulting firm were paid $242,966.74 for their work in the second trial.
Is there a way that we can level the playing field between the rich and the poor in our criminal justice system? One way would be to establish a Public Defender's office in every judicial jurisdiction, thereby eliminating the court appointed "bottom feeders." A Public Defender's office, like those in several states and that with the federal government, is funded in the same way as a District Attorney's office. Thus, the Public Defender's office would be staffed with conscientious attorneys and investigators, and be funded to hire expert witnesses which, except for capital cases, are not likely to be available for the defense of indigents under a system of court appointed attorneys.
In order to provide real equality in the criminal justice system, it is just as important to eliminate the present system of hiring expert witnesses. The state legislatures should pass a law to establish a STATE POOL of distinguished experts who are willing to serve if needed in criminal trials. This pool would be chosen by a commission appointed by the Governor, consisting of the Attorney General, a State Senator, a State Representative, a judge, a District Attorney, and a Public Defender or prominent defense attorney. The expert witnesses in the pool would be put on a generous annual retainer funded by the state. Their expenses for travel, lodging, and meals would be paid for by the court wherein they testified. They would receive no other compensation for testifying. Neither the prosecution nor the defense would be allowed to use their own expert witnesses.
With such a pool in place, if the judge trying a criminal case has been convinced that an outside expert witness is needed to interpret crime scene evidence and police laboratory analyses, he would select only one expert from each specialty, subject to the approval of both the prosecutor and the defense attorney. The jury would be advised that the court has determined that the case requires the services of an expert witness and that the expert is testifying for the court, and not for the prosecution or for the defense. This system would not only level the playing field, but it would free a jury of having to decide which contradictory expert testimony is correct, as is the case with the current "hired gun" system.
The jury in a criminal case should never be placed in the position of having to decide whether a defendant was sane or insane, based on the contradictory testimony given by mental health experts who were hired by each side in the trial. Nor should a jury of lay persons be subjected to conflicting scientific and technical testimony from experts paid by one side or the other. In criminal cases, equal justice for all would best be served by providing the poor with good attorneys and by eliminating the current practice of hiring the best experts that money can buy. It is high time for us to throw the Judicial Whores out of the Criminal Justice system.
In cases where an expert witness could be helpful to a defendant, the Public Defender's office may not always have enough funds to obtain expert testimony. Except in capital cases, court appointed attorneys are notorious for providing only the most minimal defense allowed under the law. More often than not, they encourage their clients to accept a plea bargain, not because that is best for their client, but so they can get another appointment sooner. Worse yet, many court appointed attorneys are so inept that the only way these BOTTOM FEEDERS can make a living as lawyers is to hustle for such appointments.
Expert witnesses, in both criminal and civil trials, are often referred to as "Hired Guns" because they usually hire themselves out to the highest bidder in our adverserial judicial system. I prefer to call them JUDICIAL WHORES, because that is what they are. For criminal cases, there are established lists of experts who will testify favorably for the prosecution and lists of those who will testify favorably for the defemse. Of course, there are those who will testify for either side, depending on who offeres them the most money. These judicial whores do not come cheap, with many commanding more than $400 per hour, including research and preparation time in addition to time on the witness stand, plus all of their travel, lodging, and meal expenses.
There are many kinds of expert witnesses for both criminal and civil cases. Just to name a few, there are those in medicine, structural engineering, accident reconstruction, chemistry, physics, income loss, long-term care, etc.. In medicine alone, there are experts for every specialty, such as forensic pathologists, surgeons, Ob-Gyn physicans, neurologists, orthopedists, plastic surgeons, and of course, psychiatrists. In the O. J. Simpson trial, there was contradictory testimony given by prominent forensic pathologists and by prominent forensic scientists, depending on whether they were paid by the prosecution or by the defense.
The psychiatrists, as well as psychologists, are the worst of the judicial whores, testifying for the prosecution that the defendant is sane or testifying for the defense that he is insane. If medicine is an art, then PSYCHIATRY IS A FANTASY. When Sirhan Sirhan was tried for the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, there was so much conflicting testimony by the psychiatric experts, that the jury wanted it entered into the trial record that they were thoroughly disgusted by it and considered it absolutely worthless.
The Andrea Yates case is another example ot the psychiatric shenanigans perpetrated by these judical whores. During the first trial the defense presented several psychiatrists and psychologists, all of whom testified that Yates did not know right from wrong, the Texas standard for insanity, when she drowned her five children in a bathtub. The prosecution relied mostly on the testimony of Park Dietz, a California-based psychiatrist who has not practiced psychiatry for 25 years and who earns his living strictly by testifying as an expert witness for prosecutors. Dr. Dietz has testified for the prosecution in the trials of John Hinckley (for attempting to assassinate President Reagan), "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, as well as in many other headline-making trials.
In the first Yates trial, Dr. Dietz testfied that Andrea got the idea for killing her children, and how to get away with it, by watching a TV episode of "Law and Order" in which a mother was found not guilty by reason of insanity after drowning her children. The only problem with that testimony was that there never was any such episode. Because of Dr. Dietz's false testimony, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned her conviction and ordered a new trial. In the second trial, Dr. Dietz again testified that Yates knew that killing her children was wrong, contrary to the testimony given by the defendant's mental health experts. Ironically, in between the two Yates trials, Dr. Dietz testified at the trial of a nearly identical case in Northeast Texas.
In May 2003, Deanna Laney bludgeoned her children with a stone, killing her six and eight year old sons and critically injuring her 14 year old son. Both Yates and Laney had a long history of psychotic episodes prior to the killings. Both reported the killings to the police by calling "911." The only differences in the two cases were the method of killing and that Yates claimed the Devil told her to do it, while Laney claimed that God told her to do it. The Smith County District Attorney, knowing in advance how Dr. Dietz would testify, nevertheless called him to the witness stand where he testified that Laney was "crazy" because she did not know right from wrong. Apparently, Dr. Dietz believes you are sane if the Devil tells you to kill your children, but you are crazy if God tells you to do it.
In both Yates trials the prosecutors, unlike the District Attorney in Smith County, were hell-bent on obtaining a death sentence in the first trial and a life sentence in the second trial. (Since she was sentenced to life in the first trial, the prosecution was barred from seeking the death penalty in the second one.) In the second trial the prosecution again relied on Dr. Dietz's expert testimony, as well as that of Dr. Michael Weiner, a psychiatrist from New York. Dr Dietz was paid a total of $142,000 for his testimony in both trials.
It is alleged that Dr. Weiner first approached the defense and offered to testify that Yates was insane. When the defense refused to meet his price, he turned around and offered his services to the prosecution. Unaware of his overtures to the defense, the prosecution called Dr. Weiner to the stand where he testified that Yates knew the drownings were wrong and that she was motivated to kill the children by her selfish needs. If, as alleged, he solicited both sides in the Yates case, offering each the testimony he believed they wanted, Dr. Weiner is a shoo-in to win the RED LANTERN, my award for the JUDICIAL WHORE OF THE YEAR. Dr Weiner and his consulting firm were paid $242,966.74 for their work in the second trial.
Is there a way that we can level the playing field between the rich and the poor in our criminal justice system? One way would be to establish a Public Defender's office in every judicial jurisdiction, thereby eliminating the court appointed "bottom feeders." A Public Defender's office, like those in several states and that with the federal government, is funded in the same way as a District Attorney's office. Thus, the Public Defender's office would be staffed with conscientious attorneys and investigators, and be funded to hire expert witnesses which, except for capital cases, are not likely to be available for the defense of indigents under a system of court appointed attorneys.
In order to provide real equality in the criminal justice system, it is just as important to eliminate the present system of hiring expert witnesses. The state legislatures should pass a law to establish a STATE POOL of distinguished experts who are willing to serve if needed in criminal trials. This pool would be chosen by a commission appointed by the Governor, consisting of the Attorney General, a State Senator, a State Representative, a judge, a District Attorney, and a Public Defender or prominent defense attorney. The expert witnesses in the pool would be put on a generous annual retainer funded by the state. Their expenses for travel, lodging, and meals would be paid for by the court wherein they testified. They would receive no other compensation for testifying. Neither the prosecution nor the defense would be allowed to use their own expert witnesses.
With such a pool in place, if the judge trying a criminal case has been convinced that an outside expert witness is needed to interpret crime scene evidence and police laboratory analyses, he would select only one expert from each specialty, subject to the approval of both the prosecutor and the defense attorney. The jury would be advised that the court has determined that the case requires the services of an expert witness and that the expert is testifying for the court, and not for the prosecution or for the defense. This system would not only level the playing field, but it would free a jury of having to decide which contradictory expert testimony is correct, as is the case with the current "hired gun" system.
The jury in a criminal case should never be placed in the position of having to decide whether a defendant was sane or insane, based on the contradictory testimony given by mental health experts who were hired by each side in the trial. Nor should a jury of lay persons be subjected to conflicting scientific and technical testimony from experts paid by one side or the other. In criminal cases, equal justice for all would best be served by providing the poor with good attorneys and by eliminating the current practice of hiring the best experts that money can buy. It is high time for us to throw the Judicial Whores out of the Criminal Justice system.
Monday, July 24, 2006
ISRAEL - DOOMED TO DISAPPEAR OFF THE MAP
Israel, a flyspeck on the global map. is slightly smaller than the State of New Jersey. It has a population of 7.1 million living within its pre-1967 borders of 8,550 square miles. Its "gooseneck," which borders the occupied West Bank and includes Tel Aviv (Israel's largest city), is less than nine miles wide. With the Mediterranean on one side, Israel is surrounded on three sides by hundreds-of-millions of Muslims who dream of pushing Israel and its Jews into the sea. The two largest Muslim sects, Sunni and Shiite, hate and kill each other, but both are united in their hatred of Jews and of Israel, which they prefer to call "The Zionist Entity."
Israel's war with Hezbollah in Lebanon has shown that the State of Israel is very vulnerable to destructive attacks. During the "Six Day War" of 1967, Israel's army defeated the combined armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and other Arab countries. Since then, Israel's military has been considered one of the best in the world for fighting a conventional war. However, Hezbollah - the Army of God - is a guerrilla force, not a conventional army. (The political wing of Hezbollah is the Party of God.) As we have learned from Viet Nam and from Iraq, you cannot defeat a guerrilla force by conventional war tactics. Guerrillas do not maintain definitive battle lines and they have the ablility to meld in and out of the local civilian population. Civilian casualties cannot be avoided whenever a military force engages in battle with a guerrilla group.
Hezbollah, a Shiite militia which was formed in the early 1980s, is highly disciplined, well trained, and well armed with anti-personnel and anti-tank weapons. During the 18 years that Israel occupied a 15-mile deep buffer zone in Southern Lebanon, Hezbollah was able to fight a war of attrition which resulted in Israel's withdrawal from that country in 2000. Because Lebanon's army is laughable, Hezbollah has been able to establish a state-within-a-state in Southern Lebanon, with its leadership ensconced in Southern Beirut. It has been funded by Iran and supplied with weapons by Iran and Syria. Israel's air force has destroyed much of Lebanon's infrastructure in an attempt to weaken Hezbollah. However, these air attacks cannot, by themselves, defeat Hezbollah. A full-scale invasion of Lebanon will be needed to defeat the Army of God, but the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States will not allow that.
Until now, Israel had to worry only about attacks by Palestinian Shuhada (suicide bombers) and by very inaccurate homemade Palestinian Qassam rockets, as well as occasional Katyusha rocket attacks by Hezbollah. While one Shahid (suicide bomber) can kill scores of innocent civilians, the Qassams and Katyushas cannot do that. They are short-range unguided missles without any accuracy and often fall harmlessly in areas unoccupied by civilians. They have no military value and their sole purpose is to terrorize the civilian population. Now, however, Hezbollah has been able to expose Israel's soft underbelly - an easy missle target with a population quick to panic and with its superior military forces failing to defeat a guerrilla militia.
During the first twelve days of Israel's war with Hezbollah, the guerrillas have been able to fire some 2,000 rockets, mostly Katyushas, into Israel. However, Hezbollah has also fired a number of mid-range Iranian FAJR-3 military missles which have been able to strike as far south as Haifa (Israel's third largest city) and Nazareth, both over 20 miles from the Lebanese border. While these rocket attacks have killed only around 35 civilians (during the first twelve days), they have created panic throughout Northern Israel, with some 300,000 plus Israelis fleeing to other parts of the country. The Israeli air force has been unable to destroy Hezbollah's mobile rocket launchers. Fortunately for Israel, Hezbollah does not appear to have any sophisticated guided missles and so, for now, it is immune from attacks by missles capable of causing severe damage and a high number of casualties.
Now, to the "Road Map to Peace," the plan for two states living side by side - Israel and Palestine - which was cooked up by the European Union, Russia, and the United States. This is really a "Road Map to the Destruction of Israel." That plan will serve only as a rest stop on the road to Israel's annihilation. Once a Palestinian state has been established, it will not be long before guided missles will find their way into that state. Those people, including "experts" on the MIddle East, who believe that "moderate" Muslims are willing to live in peace with Israel, are dreaming. Let's not forget that the Palestinians consider Israeli Jews to be living on land stolen from them. And, several analysts have noted that the Islamists want to kill all Christians and all Jews, whereas the moderate Muslims only want to kill all the Jews.
Even if Israel eventually neutralizes Hezbollah, the fierce resistance it has been meeting while trying to uproot that Shiite militia, and Hezbollah's ability to continue with its rocket strikes on Haifa and other Jewish towns while battling Israel's powerful army, will only embolden the multitudes who are intent on destroying "The Zionist Entity." When a Palestinian state is firmly in place, tiny Israel will be vulnerable to missle attacks from three sides, and the Muslim dream of driving the hated Zionists into the sea will become a reality. In all likelyhood, by the end of the next decade there will be Islamic nuclear bombs and that development will neutralize Israel's nuclear arsenal. When Islamists finally launch a massive attack on Israel with powerful sophisticated missles, only military intervention by the United Sates and the European Union will be able to save the Jewish state, and that will never happen. Thus, there is a good chance that by mid-century, a doomed Israel will have been wiped off the map.
Israel's war with Hezbollah in Lebanon has shown that the State of Israel is very vulnerable to destructive attacks. During the "Six Day War" of 1967, Israel's army defeated the combined armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and other Arab countries. Since then, Israel's military has been considered one of the best in the world for fighting a conventional war. However, Hezbollah - the Army of God - is a guerrilla force, not a conventional army. (The political wing of Hezbollah is the Party of God.) As we have learned from Viet Nam and from Iraq, you cannot defeat a guerrilla force by conventional war tactics. Guerrillas do not maintain definitive battle lines and they have the ablility to meld in and out of the local civilian population. Civilian casualties cannot be avoided whenever a military force engages in battle with a guerrilla group.
Hezbollah, a Shiite militia which was formed in the early 1980s, is highly disciplined, well trained, and well armed with anti-personnel and anti-tank weapons. During the 18 years that Israel occupied a 15-mile deep buffer zone in Southern Lebanon, Hezbollah was able to fight a war of attrition which resulted in Israel's withdrawal from that country in 2000. Because Lebanon's army is laughable, Hezbollah has been able to establish a state-within-a-state in Southern Lebanon, with its leadership ensconced in Southern Beirut. It has been funded by Iran and supplied with weapons by Iran and Syria. Israel's air force has destroyed much of Lebanon's infrastructure in an attempt to weaken Hezbollah. However, these air attacks cannot, by themselves, defeat Hezbollah. A full-scale invasion of Lebanon will be needed to defeat the Army of God, but the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States will not allow that.
Until now, Israel had to worry only about attacks by Palestinian Shuhada (suicide bombers) and by very inaccurate homemade Palestinian Qassam rockets, as well as occasional Katyusha rocket attacks by Hezbollah. While one Shahid (suicide bomber) can kill scores of innocent civilians, the Qassams and Katyushas cannot do that. They are short-range unguided missles without any accuracy and often fall harmlessly in areas unoccupied by civilians. They have no military value and their sole purpose is to terrorize the civilian population. Now, however, Hezbollah has been able to expose Israel's soft underbelly - an easy missle target with a population quick to panic and with its superior military forces failing to defeat a guerrilla militia.
During the first twelve days of Israel's war with Hezbollah, the guerrillas have been able to fire some 2,000 rockets, mostly Katyushas, into Israel. However, Hezbollah has also fired a number of mid-range Iranian FAJR-3 military missles which have been able to strike as far south as Haifa (Israel's third largest city) and Nazareth, both over 20 miles from the Lebanese border. While these rocket attacks have killed only around 35 civilians (during the first twelve days), they have created panic throughout Northern Israel, with some 300,000 plus Israelis fleeing to other parts of the country. The Israeli air force has been unable to destroy Hezbollah's mobile rocket launchers. Fortunately for Israel, Hezbollah does not appear to have any sophisticated guided missles and so, for now, it is immune from attacks by missles capable of causing severe damage and a high number of casualties.
Now, to the "Road Map to Peace," the plan for two states living side by side - Israel and Palestine - which was cooked up by the European Union, Russia, and the United States. This is really a "Road Map to the Destruction of Israel." That plan will serve only as a rest stop on the road to Israel's annihilation. Once a Palestinian state has been established, it will not be long before guided missles will find their way into that state. Those people, including "experts" on the MIddle East, who believe that "moderate" Muslims are willing to live in peace with Israel, are dreaming. Let's not forget that the Palestinians consider Israeli Jews to be living on land stolen from them. And, several analysts have noted that the Islamists want to kill all Christians and all Jews, whereas the moderate Muslims only want to kill all the Jews.
Even if Israel eventually neutralizes Hezbollah, the fierce resistance it has been meeting while trying to uproot that Shiite militia, and Hezbollah's ability to continue with its rocket strikes on Haifa and other Jewish towns while battling Israel's powerful army, will only embolden the multitudes who are intent on destroying "The Zionist Entity." When a Palestinian state is firmly in place, tiny Israel will be vulnerable to missle attacks from three sides, and the Muslim dream of driving the hated Zionists into the sea will become a reality. In all likelyhood, by the end of the next decade there will be Islamic nuclear bombs and that development will neutralize Israel's nuclear arsenal. When Islamists finally launch a massive attack on Israel with powerful sophisticated missles, only military intervention by the United Sates and the European Union will be able to save the Jewish state, and that will never happen. Thus, there is a good chance that by mid-century, a doomed Israel will have been wiped off the map.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
KEN LAY EULOGIZED AS A LYNCHED JESUS
Paraphrasing Shakespeare: "Friends, Houstonians, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to praise Enron's Caesar, not to bury his good name." And so it went, when public luminaries and family members spoke during Ken Lay's recent Houston memorial service.
The most ludicrous eulogy was given by the Rev. Bill Lawson, pastor emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Chruch, one of Houston's largest black churches. It must be noted that Ken Lay has contributed significant amounts of money to Rev. Lawson's church and to a charitable organization which the good reverend founded. Also, Rev. Lawson was often seen at Ken Lay's side during his fraud trial and accompanied him to hear the jury's verdict. His frequent appearances with Ken Lay during the trial and the eulogy he presented can only be seen for what they were - paybacks to his patron saint.
What did Rev. Lawson say during his eulogy? Well, for one thing, he compared Ken Lay to Jesus, to President John F. Kennedy, and to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., explaining that all had been villified during their lives only to be judged by History as great men. For another, he likened Ken Lay's trial to the lynching of James Byrd, the black victim of white racist thugs who tied him to their vehicle, drove off, and dragged him to his death. The good reverend said, "Ken Lay was neither black nor poor, as James Byrd was, but I'm angry because Ken was the victim of a lynching." During several subsequent television appearances, he explained that Lay was lynched because the trial judge refused to grant him a change of venue, refused to separate his trial from that of Jeff Skilling, and refused his lawyers' requests for more trial preparation time.
I'll say this for Rev. Lawson. By comparing them to Ken Lay, he trashed Jesus, JFK and MLK, demoting them from saints to crooks with a single stroke of the brush. As for the "lynching," Rev. Lawson should know better. James Byrd did not hire the best defense lawyers that money could buy, and he never received a jury trial. Lynching, which constitutes punishment absent of a trial, has a long history in Ameirca. In our early history many people were "tarred and feathered" for what was considered unacceptable behavior. In the Old Wild West, many miscreants were whipped or hanged without benefit of trial, or after a quick trial by a "kangaroo court." And, during the years from the Civil War to Dr. King's assassination, many blacks were beaten to death, shot, or hanged by white mobs, sometimes for crimes, but more often for the most innocuous of perceived offenses. Thus, by any conceivable measure, Ken Lay was not the victim of a lynching.
Ken Lay was a good man who turned bad. Consumed by greed, Enron's Caesar was instrumental in wiping out the life savings of his loyal employees, while defrauding Enron's investors out of 65 billion dollars. He touted Enron's stock to his employees and other investors, even after the impending collapse of Enron became apparent, while enriching himself by dumping his shares. Neither history nor Rev. Lawson will resurrect his reputation as a good man. Ken Lay's legacy will be that of a greedy corporate crook who was defiant and unrepentant to the bitter end. Sorry, Rev. Lawson, but there will be no second coming of your patron saint Ken's honorable reputation.
The most ludicrous eulogy was given by the Rev. Bill Lawson, pastor emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Chruch, one of Houston's largest black churches. It must be noted that Ken Lay has contributed significant amounts of money to Rev. Lawson's church and to a charitable organization which the good reverend founded. Also, Rev. Lawson was often seen at Ken Lay's side during his fraud trial and accompanied him to hear the jury's verdict. His frequent appearances with Ken Lay during the trial and the eulogy he presented can only be seen for what they were - paybacks to his patron saint.
What did Rev. Lawson say during his eulogy? Well, for one thing, he compared Ken Lay to Jesus, to President John F. Kennedy, and to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., explaining that all had been villified during their lives only to be judged by History as great men. For another, he likened Ken Lay's trial to the lynching of James Byrd, the black victim of white racist thugs who tied him to their vehicle, drove off, and dragged him to his death. The good reverend said, "Ken Lay was neither black nor poor, as James Byrd was, but I'm angry because Ken was the victim of a lynching." During several subsequent television appearances, he explained that Lay was lynched because the trial judge refused to grant him a change of venue, refused to separate his trial from that of Jeff Skilling, and refused his lawyers' requests for more trial preparation time.
I'll say this for Rev. Lawson. By comparing them to Ken Lay, he trashed Jesus, JFK and MLK, demoting them from saints to crooks with a single stroke of the brush. As for the "lynching," Rev. Lawson should know better. James Byrd did not hire the best defense lawyers that money could buy, and he never received a jury trial. Lynching, which constitutes punishment absent of a trial, has a long history in Ameirca. In our early history many people were "tarred and feathered" for what was considered unacceptable behavior. In the Old Wild West, many miscreants were whipped or hanged without benefit of trial, or after a quick trial by a "kangaroo court." And, during the years from the Civil War to Dr. King's assassination, many blacks were beaten to death, shot, or hanged by white mobs, sometimes for crimes, but more often for the most innocuous of perceived offenses. Thus, by any conceivable measure, Ken Lay was not the victim of a lynching.
Ken Lay was a good man who turned bad. Consumed by greed, Enron's Caesar was instrumental in wiping out the life savings of his loyal employees, while defrauding Enron's investors out of 65 billion dollars. He touted Enron's stock to his employees and other investors, even after the impending collapse of Enron became apparent, while enriching himself by dumping his shares. Neither history nor Rev. Lawson will resurrect his reputation as a good man. Ken Lay's legacy will be that of a greedy corporate crook who was defiant and unrepentant to the bitter end. Sorry, Rev. Lawson, but there will be no second coming of your patron saint Ken's honorable reputation.
Friday, July 14, 2006
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND PARANOIA - INTERNATIONAL TERRORISTS ARE TARGETING ICE CREAM PARLORS IN INDIANA
The Department of Homeland Security has released a database which lists more than 77,000 potential terrorist targets in the United States, including ice cream parlors, popcorn factories, children's petting zoos, and flea markets. Indiana is listed as the state with the most terrorist targets - 8,591 - as compared to New York with 5,687 and California with 3,212. Have the bureaucrats at Homeland Security lost their minds? Or, are these PARASITES ON THE PUBLIC PAYROLL merely trying to justify their jobs by coming up with this ridiculous list? Ice Cream parlors? Indiana with the most targets? Incredible! Come on - they've got to be kiddidng. If these people really believe that every gathering place for a handful of people is a target for international terrorism, they have got to be paranoid.
Most terrorism analysts agree that the primary objectives of internatioal terrorists are to disrupt the financial community of the United States in order to cripple, if not destroy our economy, and to disrupt the ability of our government to function. That is why the World Trade Center was attacked, not once, but twice. The 9/11 attack on the WTC was an attack on the financial center of the United States and, in addition to killing 3,000 innocent peoiple, it did cause great harm to our economy. The recent uncovered plot to destroy the tunnels between New York and New Jersey was clearly designed as another attack on this coujntry's financial center and, had it been carried out, would have created further economic havoc throughout the United States. The 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and the failed attack on Congress or the White House were clearly designed to disrupt the governance of our country. And recently, seventeen Muslim terrorists in Canada were arrested while planning to disrupt its government by blowing up Parliament and by beheading the Prime Minister.
The recent bombing of trains in Bombay was also designed to disrupt India's economy and, because that city is one of India's financial centers, it succeeded in its objective. The bombing of trains in Madrid and London had the same objective and succeeded in disrupting the economies of Spain and Britain. While civilian casualties may terrorize and demoralize people, a secondary objective of the bombings, they are seen only as collateral damage in the effort to destabalize the economy and government of the target nation. The bombing of ice cream parlors, popcorn factories, petting zoos, and flea markets will in no way achieve the objectives of internatioal terrorism. I'll probably catch a lot of flack for saying this, but if terrorists blew up the whole state of Indiana, it would not cause nearly as much harm to our econmy as did the 9/11 attacks on the WTC.
The Department of Homeland Security was formed to correct the pre-9/11 lack of cooperation between competing agencies by placing the CIA, the FBI and all other federal law enforcement agencies, the Coast Guard, and FEMA under one umbrella. It is just another feel-good government agency with a huge bureaucracy. It buried FEMA within its bowels to the extend that FEMA was ineffective in dealing with Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. While FEMA's former director, Michael Brown, was scapegoated for the Katrina debacle, the fault was really that of the Homeland Security administration.
The database of more than 77,000 targets was the determining factor in allocating the hundreds-of-millions of dollars in anti-terrorism funds to the states and cities of our country. Thus, Indiana received a disproportionate amount of funding, as did several cities in the Midwest, while New York and the District of Columbia lost 40 percent of their funding, and funds for other primary target sites were also reduced. One target was listed as an unamed "Beach at End of a Street." Wow ! Those bureaucrats have really earned their money. Some Arkansas hillbilly's outhouse seems to be the only target left off their list. If they actually believe that those listed are all potential targets, including that beach at the end of the street, then they have truly taken leave of their senses and we ought to rename that part of the President's Cabinet, the DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND PARANOIA.
Most terrorism analysts agree that the primary objectives of internatioal terrorists are to disrupt the financial community of the United States in order to cripple, if not destroy our economy, and to disrupt the ability of our government to function. That is why the World Trade Center was attacked, not once, but twice. The 9/11 attack on the WTC was an attack on the financial center of the United States and, in addition to killing 3,000 innocent peoiple, it did cause great harm to our economy. The recent uncovered plot to destroy the tunnels between New York and New Jersey was clearly designed as another attack on this coujntry's financial center and, had it been carried out, would have created further economic havoc throughout the United States. The 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and the failed attack on Congress or the White House were clearly designed to disrupt the governance of our country. And recently, seventeen Muslim terrorists in Canada were arrested while planning to disrupt its government by blowing up Parliament and by beheading the Prime Minister.
The recent bombing of trains in Bombay was also designed to disrupt India's economy and, because that city is one of India's financial centers, it succeeded in its objective. The bombing of trains in Madrid and London had the same objective and succeeded in disrupting the economies of Spain and Britain. While civilian casualties may terrorize and demoralize people, a secondary objective of the bombings, they are seen only as collateral damage in the effort to destabalize the economy and government of the target nation. The bombing of ice cream parlors, popcorn factories, petting zoos, and flea markets will in no way achieve the objectives of internatioal terrorism. I'll probably catch a lot of flack for saying this, but if terrorists blew up the whole state of Indiana, it would not cause nearly as much harm to our econmy as did the 9/11 attacks on the WTC.
The Department of Homeland Security was formed to correct the pre-9/11 lack of cooperation between competing agencies by placing the CIA, the FBI and all other federal law enforcement agencies, the Coast Guard, and FEMA under one umbrella. It is just another feel-good government agency with a huge bureaucracy. It buried FEMA within its bowels to the extend that FEMA was ineffective in dealing with Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. While FEMA's former director, Michael Brown, was scapegoated for the Katrina debacle, the fault was really that of the Homeland Security administration.
The database of more than 77,000 targets was the determining factor in allocating the hundreds-of-millions of dollars in anti-terrorism funds to the states and cities of our country. Thus, Indiana received a disproportionate amount of funding, as did several cities in the Midwest, while New York and the District of Columbia lost 40 percent of their funding, and funds for other primary target sites were also reduced. One target was listed as an unamed "Beach at End of a Street." Wow ! Those bureaucrats have really earned their money. Some Arkansas hillbilly's outhouse seems to be the only target left off their list. If they actually believe that those listed are all potential targets, including that beach at the end of the street, then they have truly taken leave of their senses and we ought to rename that part of the President's Cabinet, the DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND PARANOIA.
Friday, July 07, 2006
KEN LAY: DID HE CHEAT JUSTICE BY HIS DEATH?
Now, people are complaining that justice has been cheated by the death of Ken Lay because his conviction will be vacated and he will not be going to prison. Furthermore, his death has brought the conspiracy nuts out ot the woodwork. Some believe that he really did not die and that he used his wealth to fake his death and have another body substituted for his. Others believe that he committed suicide by ingesting some drugs to bring on a fatal heart attack, thereby preventing the government from seizing his wealth so that it would be preserved for his family. And then, there are those who believe he was murdered.
To begin with, Ken Lay's death has not cheated justice. Ken Lay has been a pillar of his community. He had been involved in a number of notable civic activities and has made many generous contributions to various charitable organizations. He appeared to be sincere in the practice of his religious faith. He was a loving family man - a husband, a father and a grandfather - and he was loved by his family. But all of his love and good works will be offset by his legacy as a GREEDY CORPORATE CROOK who brought about the demise of Enron, wiped out the life savings of Enron's employees, and defrauded Enron's investors out of 65 billion dollars.
Ken Lay is an example of a good person being consumed by greed. It happens all too often. There have been too many instances of corporate corruption in recent years. In some ways, our government encourages wrongdoing by corporations. There are loopholes in our tax codes which allow corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. By establishing bogus headquarters in foreign countries with extremely low tax rates, American corporations are able to legally evade billions of dollars in federal and state taxes.
With Ken Lay's history of heart disease, Enron's downfall, the long criminal trial, the guilty verdict, the numerous civil lawsuits, and the prospect of facing the rest of his life in prison, all together probably piled up enough stress to bring on his fatal heart attack. Ken Lay's uncharacteristic arrogant and angry demeanor on the witness stand was indicative of a deeply troubled stressed-out man. He brought all this stress on himself. He has been utterly disgraced and now he is dead.
Even Ken Lay's one-third of a page gushy glorifying obituary in the Houston Chronicle, which detailed his family, education, military and government service history, his good civic, culturual and charitable deeds, and his family's love for each other, all sprinkled with references to his Christian faith and a certainty that he has joined his Lord in Heaven, cannot restore his ruined reputation as it was designed to do, and led only to laughter or derision by all but his friends and family. Ken Lay paid the ultimate price and it would be preposterous to say that, by his death, he has managed to cheat justice.
To begin with, Ken Lay's death has not cheated justice. Ken Lay has been a pillar of his community. He had been involved in a number of notable civic activities and has made many generous contributions to various charitable organizations. He appeared to be sincere in the practice of his religious faith. He was a loving family man - a husband, a father and a grandfather - and he was loved by his family. But all of his love and good works will be offset by his legacy as a GREEDY CORPORATE CROOK who brought about the demise of Enron, wiped out the life savings of Enron's employees, and defrauded Enron's investors out of 65 billion dollars.
Ken Lay is an example of a good person being consumed by greed. It happens all too often. There have been too many instances of corporate corruption in recent years. In some ways, our government encourages wrongdoing by corporations. There are loopholes in our tax codes which allow corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. By establishing bogus headquarters in foreign countries with extremely low tax rates, American corporations are able to legally evade billions of dollars in federal and state taxes.
With Ken Lay's history of heart disease, Enron's downfall, the long criminal trial, the guilty verdict, the numerous civil lawsuits, and the prospect of facing the rest of his life in prison, all together probably piled up enough stress to bring on his fatal heart attack. Ken Lay's uncharacteristic arrogant and angry demeanor on the witness stand was indicative of a deeply troubled stressed-out man. He brought all this stress on himself. He has been utterly disgraced and now he is dead.
Even Ken Lay's one-third of a page gushy glorifying obituary in the Houston Chronicle, which detailed his family, education, military and government service history, his good civic, culturual and charitable deeds, and his family's love for each other, all sprinkled with references to his Christian faith and a certainty that he has joined his Lord in Heaven, cannot restore his ruined reputation as it was designed to do, and led only to laughter or derision by all but his friends and family. Ken Lay paid the ultimate price and it would be preposterous to say that, by his death, he has managed to cheat justice.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
GOD BLESS AMERICA - LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT !
As we celebrate this Fourth of July, our Independence Day and 230th birthday, it is a good time to reflect on how fortunate we are to live in such a great country with its freedoms and opportunities, and to never take these for granted. Back in the '60s, when we had a bunch of scruffy hippies and left-wing academics praising and supporting the North Vietnamese, those of us loyal to the United States coined the phrase LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT. That phrase quickly became politically incorrect.
Yesterday (July 3rd), Tucker Carlson, host of THE SITUATION on MSNBC, revived the phrase LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT. He was critical of those people in this country who constantly express their hatred for the United States and suggested they pack up and leave. To that I say AMEN !
For 23 years, until I retired in 1993, I had the unpleasant experience of having to teach at a good college with several avowed Marxist professors on its faculty who constantly berated our government and our free market economic system. These Marxists had, and still have a controlling influence over the college's administration. They have been successdul in electing their choice of candidates to the college's Board of Trustees with the help of the local labor unions. They try to INDOCTRINATE students by teaching them WHAT TO THINK, rather than educate students by teaching them how to think. They pervert the content of courses in American History, United States Government, Sociology, and Economics, by teaching their students that America exploits its workers, oppresses the masses, designs its foreign policy in order to enrich our oil companies and other conglomerates, and sponsors FACIST Israel's state terrorism against the Palestinians and other Arabs. They insist that America is an imperialistic and terrorist nation reponsible for millions of deaths in the Middle East and other parts of the world, and that we have only OURSELVES TO BLAME for the "9/11" attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The problem is that we have subversive Marxist and other ultra-leftist academics on most college and university faculties throughout this country. who constantly express their hatred for America to highly impressionable students. They resort to half-truths, inaccuracies, distortions, deliberate omissions of opposing facts, and cite only "authorities" favoring their viewpoints to the exclusion of those holding opposite viewpoints. They try to undermine support for our government by destroying patriotism and pride in our coudntry. These professors are guilty of intellectual deceit and dishonesty, and they are DISLOYAL if they refuse to pledge allegiance to our flag and country. The poisoning of young minds by this subversive "Fifth Column" of Marxist and other ultra-leftist academics constitutes a greater threat to the United States than international terrorism.
I would not object if colleges offered courses entitled "Corrupt Exploitative Capitalism," or "The Marvelous Workers Paradise of Marxism," or "Glorious Godless Communism," or "American Imperialism and Terrorism," or even "Evil Oppressive American History," because then students would know in advance what kind of courses they were enrolling in. However, colleges and universities do not have the guts to offer such entitled courses. Instead, they allow the Marxists and other ultra-leftists on their faculties to pervert the content of courses they teach which are required of all students seeking a degree, and they protect these subversives by proclaiming that, under the Principle of Academic Freedom, they have the right to do so. THAT IS PURE UNADULTERATED HOGWASH ! Those principles CLEARLY PROHIBIT professors from advocating a particular agenda.
Despite our history of slavery and discrimination against minorities, the corrupting influence of powerful special interest lobbyists, and the recent scandals of collusion between corrupt corporations and their crooked outside accountants, bankers and lawyers, this is still the greatest country in the world. The critics of capitalism conveniently overlook the fact that corruption has been endemic in every communist "workers paradise." We, and that includes Marxist academics, are free to criticize our government and its policies. We enjoy a free press. We are free to practice the religiion of our choice. While not everyone is wealthy, this is really the land of opportunity. The poor in this country are wealthy when compared to most of the people who live in Third World countries. That is why so many people throughout the world want to immigrate to America. And, what about the workers paradise? Well, there are only five communist countries remaining in the world - Cuba, China, Vietnam, Laos, and North Korea - and both China and Vietnam have started moving toward a free market economy.
As a grateful immigrant, a proud naturalized citizen, and a patriotic WWII veteran, I have an abiding love for this country. To those who have nothing good to say about this country and who express their hatred for the United States, I say GOD BLESS AMERICA - LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT !
Yesterday (July 3rd), Tucker Carlson, host of THE SITUATION on MSNBC, revived the phrase LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT. He was critical of those people in this country who constantly express their hatred for the United States and suggested they pack up and leave. To that I say AMEN !
For 23 years, until I retired in 1993, I had the unpleasant experience of having to teach at a good college with several avowed Marxist professors on its faculty who constantly berated our government and our free market economic system. These Marxists had, and still have a controlling influence over the college's administration. They have been successdul in electing their choice of candidates to the college's Board of Trustees with the help of the local labor unions. They try to INDOCTRINATE students by teaching them WHAT TO THINK, rather than educate students by teaching them how to think. They pervert the content of courses in American History, United States Government, Sociology, and Economics, by teaching their students that America exploits its workers, oppresses the masses, designs its foreign policy in order to enrich our oil companies and other conglomerates, and sponsors FACIST Israel's state terrorism against the Palestinians and other Arabs. They insist that America is an imperialistic and terrorist nation reponsible for millions of deaths in the Middle East and other parts of the world, and that we have only OURSELVES TO BLAME for the "9/11" attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The problem is that we have subversive Marxist and other ultra-leftist academics on most college and university faculties throughout this country. who constantly express their hatred for America to highly impressionable students. They resort to half-truths, inaccuracies, distortions, deliberate omissions of opposing facts, and cite only "authorities" favoring their viewpoints to the exclusion of those holding opposite viewpoints. They try to undermine support for our government by destroying patriotism and pride in our coudntry. These professors are guilty of intellectual deceit and dishonesty, and they are DISLOYAL if they refuse to pledge allegiance to our flag and country. The poisoning of young minds by this subversive "Fifth Column" of Marxist and other ultra-leftist academics constitutes a greater threat to the United States than international terrorism.
I would not object if colleges offered courses entitled "Corrupt Exploitative Capitalism," or "The Marvelous Workers Paradise of Marxism," or "Glorious Godless Communism," or "American Imperialism and Terrorism," or even "Evil Oppressive American History," because then students would know in advance what kind of courses they were enrolling in. However, colleges and universities do not have the guts to offer such entitled courses. Instead, they allow the Marxists and other ultra-leftists on their faculties to pervert the content of courses they teach which are required of all students seeking a degree, and they protect these subversives by proclaiming that, under the Principle of Academic Freedom, they have the right to do so. THAT IS PURE UNADULTERATED HOGWASH ! Those principles CLEARLY PROHIBIT professors from advocating a particular agenda.
Despite our history of slavery and discrimination against minorities, the corrupting influence of powerful special interest lobbyists, and the recent scandals of collusion between corrupt corporations and their crooked outside accountants, bankers and lawyers, this is still the greatest country in the world. The critics of capitalism conveniently overlook the fact that corruption has been endemic in every communist "workers paradise." We, and that includes Marxist academics, are free to criticize our government and its policies. We enjoy a free press. We are free to practice the religiion of our choice. While not everyone is wealthy, this is really the land of opportunity. The poor in this country are wealthy when compared to most of the people who live in Third World countries. That is why so many people throughout the world want to immigrate to America. And, what about the workers paradise? Well, there are only five communist countries remaining in the world - Cuba, China, Vietnam, Laos, and North Korea - and both China and Vietnam have started moving toward a free market economy.
As a grateful immigrant, a proud naturalized citizen, and a patriotic WWII veteran, I have an abiding love for this country. To those who have nothing good to say about this country and who express their hatred for the United States, I say GOD BLESS AMERICA - LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT !
Saturday, July 01, 2006
LIMBAUGH'S DITTOHEADS IN SERIOUS NEED OF HELP
Hey, Dittoheads! Now is the time for "you people" to admit yourselves to a hospital for a long overdue treatment of your Limbaugh addiction. When are you going to wake up and realize that you have been conned by your hero, that pompous buffoon of a blowhard? Considering his oxycontin and Viagra escapades, you are really in need of help if you continue to believe in that clown.
Dittoheads are like professional wrestling fans. I used to live in the same Times Square area hotel where pro wrestlers stayed while in New York. The hotel had a small gym where I watched them rehearse for their coming matches. There is no way anyone will ever convince rabid pro wrestling fans that the matches in their favorite sport are nothing more than well rehearsed theater, starring very good athletic actors who, on occasion, may experience a real, but accidental injury. Likewise, there is no way anyone will ever convince Limbaugh's rabid fans that their hero's broadcasts are really nothing more than theater, starring a good four-flushing phony actor.
Let's start with the latest episode, in which he was detained at the Palm Beach International Airport when he was found in possession of Viagra pills without a prescription. He laughs it off by saying that "I got my blue M&Ms at the Clinton Library gift shop." Ha, ha, ha! But, that's really no laughing matter. While Rush Limbaugh may not have violated any Florida laws, the laws in many states make it a crime to be in posession of prescription drugs which have been prescribed to another patient and they make it a crime for a doctor to facilitate such prescriptions. Most certainly, the possession of Viagra in another patient's name and a doctor's complicity in this scam constitute unethical behavior, even though those acts are not illegal in Florida.
Now lets go back to the oxycontin episode. Oxycontin, a controlled substance, is a powerful narcotic which is known on the streets as "hillbilly heroin." Limbaugh, who claims to have been addicted to this drug for years, was initially prescribed oxycontin to treat a recurring pain problem. However, once he became addicted, he started committing "doctor shopping" felonies by fraudulently obtaining amounts of oxycontin and other narcotics far in excess of that which would be prescribed to treat his pain problem. Limbaugh, who was arrested and charged with several felonies, avoided a trial by accepting placement in a pretrial diversion program, which requires him to adhere to a number of conditions, including the completion of a drug addict treatment program. If he successfully completes the terms of his pretrial diversion program, the felony charges will be dismissed.
I don't have a problem with Limbaugh being placed in a non-punitive pretrial diversion program and I do wish him well in any effort he makes to overcome his drug addiction. What I do have a problem with is that this strong law and order advocate obviously believes that laws exist for everyone but Rush Limbaugh, and that he considers himself to be above the law.
For a long time I enjoyed listening to Limbaugh on the radio. However, after a while I discovered that he often played loose with the facts. Because many of his factual presentations were simply incorrect, I tuned him out and thereby, thankfully, avoided becoming a Dittohead Limbaugh addict. It makes just as much sense, if not more, to listen to that foul-mouthed, but non-pretentious shock-jock, Howard Stern. Shame on the Republicans for pandering to Limbaugh's legions by continuing to invite this charlatan to address their conferences. If "Roach Limburger" (oops, my mistake) is representative of conservatives, then I will have to call myself - ugh, God forbid - a liberal.
As for the Dittoheads, "you people" better seek treatment for your Limbaugh addiction before it is too late. If "you people" still believe in this loud-mouthed jerk, you obviously don't know it, but some of you are very stupid, while most of you are sick and in serious need of help!
Dittoheads are like professional wrestling fans. I used to live in the same Times Square area hotel where pro wrestlers stayed while in New York. The hotel had a small gym where I watched them rehearse for their coming matches. There is no way anyone will ever convince rabid pro wrestling fans that the matches in their favorite sport are nothing more than well rehearsed theater, starring very good athletic actors who, on occasion, may experience a real, but accidental injury. Likewise, there is no way anyone will ever convince Limbaugh's rabid fans that their hero's broadcasts are really nothing more than theater, starring a good four-flushing phony actor.
Let's start with the latest episode, in which he was detained at the Palm Beach International Airport when he was found in possession of Viagra pills without a prescription. He laughs it off by saying that "I got my blue M&Ms at the Clinton Library gift shop." Ha, ha, ha! But, that's really no laughing matter. While Rush Limbaugh may not have violated any Florida laws, the laws in many states make it a crime to be in posession of prescription drugs which have been prescribed to another patient and they make it a crime for a doctor to facilitate such prescriptions. Most certainly, the possession of Viagra in another patient's name and a doctor's complicity in this scam constitute unethical behavior, even though those acts are not illegal in Florida.
Now lets go back to the oxycontin episode. Oxycontin, a controlled substance, is a powerful narcotic which is known on the streets as "hillbilly heroin." Limbaugh, who claims to have been addicted to this drug for years, was initially prescribed oxycontin to treat a recurring pain problem. However, once he became addicted, he started committing "doctor shopping" felonies by fraudulently obtaining amounts of oxycontin and other narcotics far in excess of that which would be prescribed to treat his pain problem. Limbaugh, who was arrested and charged with several felonies, avoided a trial by accepting placement in a pretrial diversion program, which requires him to adhere to a number of conditions, including the completion of a drug addict treatment program. If he successfully completes the terms of his pretrial diversion program, the felony charges will be dismissed.
I don't have a problem with Limbaugh being placed in a non-punitive pretrial diversion program and I do wish him well in any effort he makes to overcome his drug addiction. What I do have a problem with is that this strong law and order advocate obviously believes that laws exist for everyone but Rush Limbaugh, and that he considers himself to be above the law.
For a long time I enjoyed listening to Limbaugh on the radio. However, after a while I discovered that he often played loose with the facts. Because many of his factual presentations were simply incorrect, I tuned him out and thereby, thankfully, avoided becoming a Dittohead Limbaugh addict. It makes just as much sense, if not more, to listen to that foul-mouthed, but non-pretentious shock-jock, Howard Stern. Shame on the Republicans for pandering to Limbaugh's legions by continuing to invite this charlatan to address their conferences. If "Roach Limburger" (oops, my mistake) is representative of conservatives, then I will have to call myself - ugh, God forbid - a liberal.
As for the Dittoheads, "you people" better seek treatment for your Limbaugh addiction before it is too late. If "you people" still believe in this loud-mouthed jerk, you obviously don't know it, but some of you are very stupid, while most of you are sick and in serious need of help!
Friday, June 16, 2006
MILITANT MUSLIMS: EXTREMISTS OR TRUE BELIEVERS?
So, the Canadian authorities have arrested seventeen homegrown terrorists, intent on blowing up several landmarks in Ontario Province, including Parliament and other government buildings in Ottawa, beheading the Prime Minister, random shootings of innocent people, and other acts of terror. During a sting operation, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) provided them with three tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer which when mixed with diesel fuel forms a very powerful explosive. This amount was three times what was used in 1995 to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. They had also accumulated a large cache of weapons. Those arrested, twelve mostly young adults and five minors, all militant Muslims from middle class Canadian Muslim families, had also established a terrorist training camp which was attended by at least two Americans, Muslims attending college in Georgia.
The politically correct crowd has already come out with their mantra that 99.99 percent of all Muslims in Canada and the United States are good law abiding citizens who are opposed to all forms of terrorism. What a crock! One cannot lump all Muslims into one group anymore than you can lump all Christians or all Jews into one group.
There are many Christian denominations, ranging all the way from The Assemblies of God and the Pentecostal evangelicals, who interpret the bible literally, to ultra-liberal Unitarians. In between you have what the media refers to as "mainstream Christians" and which I call "convenience Christians" (Catholics excepted), whose followers interpret the bible to suit their spiritual needs as members of a secular society. And, in each denomination there are backsliders like those who go to church every Sunday, but get drunk during the week or cheat on their spouses, and those Catholics who are "pro-choice" instead of "pro-life," or who engage in sex for pleasure instead of only for procreation, and who do not go to confession. Who then are the true believers among Christians? That dpends on who you ask, as each group would insist that they are the true believers.
Among Jews, there are three denominations - Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Orthodox Jews are fundamentalists who live according to the scriptures in the Talmud and the Torah, keeping strict kosher households, practicing daily prayer rituals and the required woship in synagogues, and obeying mandatory restrictions on their activities during the sabbbath and during religious holidays. All prayers and religious ceremonies are conducted strictly in Hebrew. Orthodox men cannot shave and must cover their heads at all times, while ultra-Orthodox Jews also wear a distinctive style of clothing. Orthodox women are subserviant to Orthodox men and must worship in a segregated section of the synagogue. Orthodox Jews are required to observe a total of 613 such commandments.
The Conservative movement started in Western Europe because many Jews wanted a more liberal lifestyle than the one required of Orthodox Jews. Reform Judaism was founded in the United States by Jews who wanted to assimilate into American society. Reform Jews do not keep kosher and the men do not cover their heads during worship. While some prayers are conducted in Hebrew, most worship takes place in the language of the host country. Women can become rabbis. Most Jews in the United States belong to Reform congregations. Orthodox Jews do not recognize or tolerate the Conservative and Reform movements, and they sneer at Reform Jews by calling them "Christians without Christ." I prefer to think of Reform Jews as "pick and choose Jews" because they pick and choose only enough beliefs of the jewish faith which will allow them to maintain a jewish identity. Among Reform Jews, interfaith marriages with Christians have led to a steady decline in the number of those who identify themselves as Jews. Who among Jews are the true believers? That is an easy question, and the answer is: Orthodox Jews.
Among Muslims, there are also a number of different sects. Because of the strife in Iraq, Westerners know that two of those sects are the Shiites and Sunnis. Wahhabis (Muwahhids), the most fundamental Islamists, adhere to a literal interpretation of the Quran and require strict obedience to Sharia (Islamic religious law). Women are subserviant to men and their lives are severely restricted. The puritanical Wahhabis believe that Muslims who have embraced Western culture are infidels and they have established Madrassahs (religious schools) throughout the world. The Taliban in Afghanistan are students of Madrassahs. Textbooks issued by the Saudis, who are Wahhabis, to boys enrolled in Saudi Arabia's government schools, refer to Christians and Jews as enemies of Muslims, equate Christians to swine and Jews to apes, and urge the faithful to spread the faith by waging jihad (holy war) against Christians and Jews..
Whenever there is an Islamic act of terrorism, there is always a rush to describe militant Muslims as a small number of radicals or extremists who have misinterpreted and perverted the teachings of the Quran. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are a number of passages in the Quran advocating the forced conversion of infidels throughout the world and which call for "death to the infidels," particularly those considered enemies of Islam. Those who die while engaged in a jihad are rewarded with martyrdom, which gives them a special place in paradise where each martyr will be gratified by 72 virgins.
Most Muslims in the world live in abject poverty and ignorance, obtaining what little education is available in Madrassahs. These followers of Islam are thus more likely to belong to fundamentalist militant Muslim sects, those which Westerners keep calling radical, extreme, and terrorist. In fact, what these religious zealots are doing in waging jihad is following the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran. Most Muslims in the United States, Canada and Europe are part of the well-educated middle class, and even though they may pray five times each day on their prayer rugs while facing toward Mecca, they have embraced modern ways and do not adhere to the fundamentalism of the masses which constitute their ignorant impoverished Islamic brethren. Nevertheless, as was the case with the " Toronto Seventeen," any number of middle class youths may be drawn to militant Muslim fundamentalism through worshiping in Islamist mosques, attending Madrassahs run by Wahhabi clerics, and by visiting any of the many websites run by Imams preaching hatred of and advocating jihad against the enemies of Islam, infidels who follow the ways of Western civilization.
Muhammad commanded the faithful to spread Islam "by the sword." At this time, Islamists are waging jihads in the Caucasus, Thailand, Nepal, the Philippines, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and several African nations. How did Islam spread from Arabia throughout North and Sub-Sahara Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus and other parts of the former Soviet Union, parts of China, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines? Islamists did it through bloody conquests, slaughtering those infidels who resisted conversion to Islam. Now, some will say that Christians did the same thing in Latin America. That is not true. The Spanish and Portuguese explorers set out to conquer and colonize the New World, not to Christianize it. They killed Indians only when they met armed resistance. The Conquistadors were always accompanied by priests who established missions and converted the indigenous people to Catholicism by peaceful means. However, it should be noted that the eight Crusades (1096 - 1270) were Christianity's version of jihad and the Spanish Inquisition (beginning in 1478) was its version of death to the infidels (Muslims and Jews).
We are always quick to label those we don't like. We called Lybia's Muammar Gaddafi and North Korea's Kim Jong Il and his father Kim Il-sung crazy, and we call jihadists extremists. While we see jihadists as terrorists, most Muslims view them as holy warriors. We see Palestinian suicide bombers as terrorists, but Muslims view them as freedom fighters. We consider most Muslims who live in America as moderates, while Islamists view all Muslims who have adopted the lifestyle of Western culture as extremists. This begs the question - in Islam, who are the true believers? This is also an easy question, and the answeer is: Fundamentalist militant Muslims who live according to the literal interpretation of the Quran, who demand strict enforcement of Sharia, and who wage jihad against Western culture.
The politically correct crowd has already come out with their mantra that 99.99 percent of all Muslims in Canada and the United States are good law abiding citizens who are opposed to all forms of terrorism. What a crock! One cannot lump all Muslims into one group anymore than you can lump all Christians or all Jews into one group.
There are many Christian denominations, ranging all the way from The Assemblies of God and the Pentecostal evangelicals, who interpret the bible literally, to ultra-liberal Unitarians. In between you have what the media refers to as "mainstream Christians" and which I call "convenience Christians" (Catholics excepted), whose followers interpret the bible to suit their spiritual needs as members of a secular society. And, in each denomination there are backsliders like those who go to church every Sunday, but get drunk during the week or cheat on their spouses, and those Catholics who are "pro-choice" instead of "pro-life," or who engage in sex for pleasure instead of only for procreation, and who do not go to confession. Who then are the true believers among Christians? That dpends on who you ask, as each group would insist that they are the true believers.
Among Jews, there are three denominations - Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Orthodox Jews are fundamentalists who live according to the scriptures in the Talmud and the Torah, keeping strict kosher households, practicing daily prayer rituals and the required woship in synagogues, and obeying mandatory restrictions on their activities during the sabbbath and during religious holidays. All prayers and religious ceremonies are conducted strictly in Hebrew. Orthodox men cannot shave and must cover their heads at all times, while ultra-Orthodox Jews also wear a distinctive style of clothing. Orthodox women are subserviant to Orthodox men and must worship in a segregated section of the synagogue. Orthodox Jews are required to observe a total of 613 such commandments.
The Conservative movement started in Western Europe because many Jews wanted a more liberal lifestyle than the one required of Orthodox Jews. Reform Judaism was founded in the United States by Jews who wanted to assimilate into American society. Reform Jews do not keep kosher and the men do not cover their heads during worship. While some prayers are conducted in Hebrew, most worship takes place in the language of the host country. Women can become rabbis. Most Jews in the United States belong to Reform congregations. Orthodox Jews do not recognize or tolerate the Conservative and Reform movements, and they sneer at Reform Jews by calling them "Christians without Christ." I prefer to think of Reform Jews as "pick and choose Jews" because they pick and choose only enough beliefs of the jewish faith which will allow them to maintain a jewish identity. Among Reform Jews, interfaith marriages with Christians have led to a steady decline in the number of those who identify themselves as Jews. Who among Jews are the true believers? That is an easy question, and the answer is: Orthodox Jews.
Among Muslims, there are also a number of different sects. Because of the strife in Iraq, Westerners know that two of those sects are the Shiites and Sunnis. Wahhabis (Muwahhids), the most fundamental Islamists, adhere to a literal interpretation of the Quran and require strict obedience to Sharia (Islamic religious law). Women are subserviant to men and their lives are severely restricted. The puritanical Wahhabis believe that Muslims who have embraced Western culture are infidels and they have established Madrassahs (religious schools) throughout the world. The Taliban in Afghanistan are students of Madrassahs. Textbooks issued by the Saudis, who are Wahhabis, to boys enrolled in Saudi Arabia's government schools, refer to Christians and Jews as enemies of Muslims, equate Christians to swine and Jews to apes, and urge the faithful to spread the faith by waging jihad (holy war) against Christians and Jews..
Whenever there is an Islamic act of terrorism, there is always a rush to describe militant Muslims as a small number of radicals or extremists who have misinterpreted and perverted the teachings of the Quran. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are a number of passages in the Quran advocating the forced conversion of infidels throughout the world and which call for "death to the infidels," particularly those considered enemies of Islam. Those who die while engaged in a jihad are rewarded with martyrdom, which gives them a special place in paradise where each martyr will be gratified by 72 virgins.
Most Muslims in the world live in abject poverty and ignorance, obtaining what little education is available in Madrassahs. These followers of Islam are thus more likely to belong to fundamentalist militant Muslim sects, those which Westerners keep calling radical, extreme, and terrorist. In fact, what these religious zealots are doing in waging jihad is following the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran. Most Muslims in the United States, Canada and Europe are part of the well-educated middle class, and even though they may pray five times each day on their prayer rugs while facing toward Mecca, they have embraced modern ways and do not adhere to the fundamentalism of the masses which constitute their ignorant impoverished Islamic brethren. Nevertheless, as was the case with the " Toronto Seventeen," any number of middle class youths may be drawn to militant Muslim fundamentalism through worshiping in Islamist mosques, attending Madrassahs run by Wahhabi clerics, and by visiting any of the many websites run by Imams preaching hatred of and advocating jihad against the enemies of Islam, infidels who follow the ways of Western civilization.
Muhammad commanded the faithful to spread Islam "by the sword." At this time, Islamists are waging jihads in the Caucasus, Thailand, Nepal, the Philippines, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and several African nations. How did Islam spread from Arabia throughout North and Sub-Sahara Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus and other parts of the former Soviet Union, parts of China, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines? Islamists did it through bloody conquests, slaughtering those infidels who resisted conversion to Islam. Now, some will say that Christians did the same thing in Latin America. That is not true. The Spanish and Portuguese explorers set out to conquer and colonize the New World, not to Christianize it. They killed Indians only when they met armed resistance. The Conquistadors were always accompanied by priests who established missions and converted the indigenous people to Catholicism by peaceful means. However, it should be noted that the eight Crusades (1096 - 1270) were Christianity's version of jihad and the Spanish Inquisition (beginning in 1478) was its version of death to the infidels (Muslims and Jews).
We are always quick to label those we don't like. We called Lybia's Muammar Gaddafi and North Korea's Kim Jong Il and his father Kim Il-sung crazy, and we call jihadists extremists. While we see jihadists as terrorists, most Muslims view them as holy warriors. We see Palestinian suicide bombers as terrorists, but Muslims view them as freedom fighters. We consider most Muslims who live in America as moderates, while Islamists view all Muslims who have adopted the lifestyle of Western culture as extremists. This begs the question - in Islam, who are the true believers? This is also an easy question, and the answeer is: Fundamentalist militant Muslims who live according to the literal interpretation of the Quran, who demand strict enforcement of Sharia, and who wage jihad against Western culture.
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