January 03, 2011

What Is Going On In Arkansas?

I read the other day of the deaths of a thousand blackbirds that fell dead out of the sky in Arkansas. The original claim by "experts" was that there must have been some sort of cloud-to-cloud lighting that lit up the flock, but now that the total is over 5,000 birds, that theory just doesn't seem to hold water. And speaking of water, at least 100,000 drum (the freshwater fish, not the saltwater game fish, or the musical instrument) have died in an Arkansas river, and the toll may go into the hundreds of thousands. disease is suspected instead of pollution since only one species was killed (other native fish seem to be unaffected), but when you have two bizarre die-offs within days and within fairly close proximity, you have to start wondering if this is a coincidence, or if the die-offs are somehow tied together to the same biological organism.

There is no word yet an whether or not if any of the fish and fowl have come back from the dead with a dietary preference for brains, but we'll keep a look-out, just in case.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:42 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Erik Scott Case, Update 9: Mindset and Mutiny

Webster-Merriam defines “Mutiny” as “forcible or passive resistance to lawful authority.” The threatened mutiny of Las Vegas Police against lawful authority is the primary subject of this update. But first, a list of sources:

(1) Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) dealing with Coroners may be accessed here.
(2) NRS dealing with Peace Officers may be accessed here.
(3) Kevin Scott’s (brother of Erik Scott) letter to the Clark County Commission (CCC) may be accessed here.
(4) Bill Scott’s (Erik’s father) letter to the CCC may be accessed here.
(5) A LV Review-Journal Story on Metro recruit training may be accessed here.
(6) A LV Sun story on threatened Police mutiny may be accessed here.
(7) A LV R-J story on threatened Police mutiny may be accessed here.
( A LV R-J story on a citizen killed by police tasers may be accessed here.

“Someone’s gonna have to get killed before they do anything.” So goes the common citizen’s refrain about intransigent, uncaring government, and like most such aphorisms, it is often true because it reflects a significant, unpleasant truth about human nature: We tend to ignore injustice and danger until the threat of personal consequences becomes too great to ignore.

And so it has been in Las Vegas for decades, but it didn’t take someone getting killed. It took a great many someones getting killed by the police--some 200 since 1976--and finally, one particular someone: Erik Scott, killed by three Metro officers on July 10, 2010. Although his death was the starting point for the process of change, even that wasn’t enough to force glacially slow local politicians to take the smallest steps toward correcting decades of injustice.

Posted by: MikeM at 02:54 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

January 01, 2011

UFC 125 Tonight

I owe a shout-out to Stephan in the previous post for pointing out that UFC 125 is tonight. Frankie Edgar is defending his lightweight title against Gray Maynard, the TUF 5 alum that is the only person to have been beaten Edgar in his 14 pro fights. I checked out the sports betting news by BetUS and was mildly shocked to see that Edgar is the odds on favorite to retain his title. I disagree with the pros, and expect Maynard to decisively out-point Edgar to take the title. The conventional wisdom is that you can't take the title on points in a close fight, but I think Maynard simply has Edgar's number. Actual Result: Draw

Edgar-Maynard may be the headliner, but the fight I'm most interested in seeing is between two of my favorite fighters, the bad boy Chris Leben versus the Marine officer and combat hero, Brian Stann. Both fighters are tough strikers with knockout power, but Stann's almost purely a puncher, while Leben has serious ground game, even through he prefers to stand and trade punches. I'd kind of like to see Stann win this one, but doubt he will unless he is one of the few people that can find a soft spot in Leben's chin. I predict the Crippler takes out the Silver Star recipient in the first or second round by strikes or submission. If it goes to the third round, I think the odds swing back to even, giving Stann's cardio a chance to pull out a victory. Actual Result:Stann KOs Leben, 1st Round

For some reason, I just can't seem to bring myself to care about the Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva fight. If Vera can get his knees going he has a shot, but I'm predicting Silva grounds and pounds him after following a staggering punch in mid-to-late in the first round. Actual Result:Silva by decision

Further down the ladder, I'm predicting:

• Diaz over Kim (submission) Actual Result: Kim by decision
• Gomi over Guida (split decision) Actual Result:Guida by submission
• Davis over Stephens (submission) Actual Result: Stephens by KO
• Poirier over Grispi (strikes) Actual Resultoirier by decision
• Tavares over Barone (strikes) Actual Result: Tavares by KO, Round 1
• Brown over Nunes (submission) Actual Result: Nunes by split decision
• Soto over Roberts (decision) Actual Result: Roberts by submission, Round 1
• Volkmann over McKee (strikes) Actual Result: Volkmann by split decision

Keep in my that I suck at guessing the winner of any given fight, and in any given slate of fighters there always seems to be at least one significant upset.

Update: Added results.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 05:06 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

And Now, the Bowls That Matter

Remember college bowl season as a kid? There were just a handful of bowls, and only the very best teams got a post-season bid. It's a far cry from the scene of today, where any empty stadium that can find a sponsor and a pair of teams without a losing record suddenly has a "bowl game" from a matchup that would only draw regional television otherwise. I'm sure the folks at gambling sites see a benefit to this, and the universities pick up a little more money for their athletic programs and some advertising for their recruiting efforts, but lets face it: unless we're watching top-ten teams or a real playoff system, it's just fluff.

That said, most of the fluff games are over. The New Year is here, heads are pounding, eyes are bleary, and the bowls that matter are just around the corner.

I'm ready for some football; just as a soon as I put away this Christmas tree...

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:44 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

December 31, 2010

"Grandmother" of Obama's Socialist Philosophy Calls for Violent Revolution Against Capitalism

I saw yesterday that Ron Radosh had uncovered a recent rant from leftist agitator Frances Fox Piven in the pages of the the radical left The Nation. Piven and her husband Richard Cloward had formulated the so-called "Cloward-Piven" strategy to overwhelm the welfare system and collapse capitalism in a prior article in The Nation in 1966, and the strategy has been a focus of leftist ideologues for more than four decades, including ACORN and it's most famous community organizer, Barack Hussein Obama.

The Blaze wades back into the newer article again today, noting:

She's considered by many as the grandmother of using the American welfare state to implement revolution. Make people dependent on the government, overload the government rolls, and once government services become unsustainable, the people will rise up, overthrow the oppressive capitalist system, and finally create income equality. Collapse the system and create a new one. That's the simplified version of Frances Fox Piven's philosophy originally put forth in the pages of The Nation in the 60s.

Now, as the new year ball drops, Piven is at it again, ringing in 2011 with renewed calls for revolution.

In a chilling and almost unbelievable editorial again in The Nation ("Mobilizing the Jobless," January 10/17, 2011 edition), she calls on the jobless to rise up in a violent show of solidarity and force. As before, those calls are dripping with language of class struggle. Language she and her late husband Richard Cloward made popular in the 60s.

Americans well aware of Barack Obama's influences have always regarded him as a potential threat to the Republic, and when his Administration's "accomplishments" are viewed through the prism of Cloward-Piven, and that suspicion seems well-grounded.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 07:34 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

New Years Looking Back - Road Trips

First inkling. If I had to look back to where the lure of some far off place beckoned, it would be to the thought of blue. Not the blue of a night sky, but the light blue of a well traveled station wagon. The blue was the color of ocean meeting sky, catching the sun like water, reflecting upwards the glint of the day off abundant chrome, as we set out for yet another weekend or vacation drive. As children we were highly embarrassed by this car, but I could see Dad's point, it was paid for, it was in good running order and it wasn't so pristine that anyone would panic if there was a dent or a spill .

Posted by: Brigid at 09:40 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Quick Takes: December 30, 2010

Welcome to the last Quick Takes of 2010. On to the fun:

ITEM: According to the U.S.Treasury, the national debt, as of December 22, stands at $13.859 trillion dollars. That represents $44,886.57 for every man, women and child in America. Another way to put it is that the 111th Congress racked up more national debt than did the first 100 congresses combined. Something to remember in 2012.

ITEM: It’s difficult to stop talking about Barack Obama, if for no reason other than that he is constantly sticking his nose into matters that aren’t the business of any president, constitutionally or otherwise. Mr. Obama, on Dec. 28, called Jeffrey, Lurie, owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, to congratulate him for hiring animal abusing felon Michael Vick. Whatever one believes regarding redemption for felons, this is just one more example of Mr. Obama debasing and lowering the office of POTUS, though it’s hard to imagine how he could harm the office more than he has in his first two years. Has to be some kind of record.

ITEM: The Good Guys Win One. The Ohio Supreme Court struck down an “assault-weapon” ban and handgun registration requirements imposed by Cleveland, ruling that the state law on such matters preempts local ordinances. Yet again is the brilliance of the urban elites who would rule us for our own good exposed as so much bovine flatulence.

ITEM: Barack Obama, arguably the most vacationed president in memory, currently suffering the unimaginable horrors of Hawaii for all of us, has announced that he is planning to extend his vacation at least another day due to the stresses of the extended lame duck session of Congress which delayed his vacation so that he could more effectively and extensively damage American national security and the economy. This has to be some kind of record.

ITEM: Union workers--at least some have a conscience--have confessed to a NYC Alderman and other that their union purposely conducted a “slow down” during the recent NYC blizzard as a crude power play protesting potential budget cuts. This sabotage is responsible for at least two known deaths. Mayor Bloomberg says he doesn’t think the Union would do anything like that, but he’ll look into it. Big of him. Surely no labor union would do anything like that? Engage in thuggish, dangerous tactics that endanger the lives of others for the purpose of enriching themselves? Nah. Manslaughter charges anyone?

ITEM: It is, from time to time, good to recall what those who would rule us actually think of us. Recall, please Mr. Obama’s explanation of most Americans to a group of self-imagined elite San Franciscans as the incomprehensible and dangerous who cling to God and guns and who have antipathy for those who are not like them. Remember too, please, Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor who believes that a “wise Latina,” is uniquely qualified to sit on the Supreme Court. Have either of them done anything that would tend to make us believe that they think otherwise? What’s the definition? A gaffe is when a politician accidentally tells the truth? That’s it.

ITEM: He did it again. Mr. Obama, and his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, both recently claimed that Gitmo is the number one Jihadist recruitment tool. Why would they say this? What could they be planning? They must truly believe that Americans are irredeemably stupid. In this, as in much else, common sense is generally sufficient, but for those who would appreciate a quick brush up on the facts, read Karl Rove’s recent addressing of this self-inflicted wound to the foot before it disappears in someone’s mouth.

ITEM: Lisa Murkowski is now legally certified to the Senate from Alaska. Harry Reid won reelection from Nevada. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is considering a pardon for Billy the Kid for the murder of a sheriff. Can entire states actually go temporarily insane?

ITEM: Food For Thought Department: Recent zero tolerance idiocy by local school officials has, as usual, renewed conservative calls for school vouchers. Question: Why do conservatives rightly abhor governmental interference in local control, and reject public handouts in every area but this? Shouldn’t conservatives merely redouble their efforts to fix local problems through their elected school boards, who are, after all, their neighbors? Wouldn't we all be better served by removing incompetent school officials, one nitwit at a time?

That’s all for now until next time. Stay warm!

Posted by: MikeM at 12:42 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

December 30, 2010

The New McCarthyism

An arresting poster making the rounds of the Internet depicts American soldiers shielding an Afghan man and child above the legend “HONOR” (view it here). The point being that the dishonorable make others involuntary human shields while the honorable voluntarily make themselves human shields. This concept is apparently far too common and crude for the elite who imagine themselves, in the exclusive company of like-minded souls, to be the epitome of courage for denigrating the truly honorable.

Comes now Colman McCarthy, billed as ”a former Post columnist” who “directs the Center for Teaching Peace in Washington and teaches courses on nonviolence at four area universities and two high schools,” writing in the Washington Post what he and those like him no doubt consider a very courageous denunciation of ROTC, apparently in the hope of establishing new, compelling justifications for keeping ROTC at arm’s length. McCarthy’s article may be accessed here.

Mr. McCarthy opens with a charming tale of lunch with Father Theodore Hesburgh who served as Notre Dame’s president for 35 years. Fr. Hesburgh, in McCarthy’s telling, was proud of Notre Dame’s long relationship with ROTC, with patriotism, and with the university’s role in preparing capable, Christian officers for service in the military. McCarthy is clearly one of those progressives who is absolutely certain of their intellectual and moral superiority, and he boldly flounces in where angels fear to tread. To wit:

Posted by: MikeM at 11:20 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Ezra Klein Less Well-Educated Than Thought

Twitter users have been ripping Ezra Klein apart for his dim-witted televised pronouncement that the Constitution is too difficult to understand because the document was written "more than 100 years ago."

The thing is that Klein isn't nearly done on displaying his ignorance of the Constitution, baring his ignorance for all to see in print as well.

My friends on the right don't like to hear this, but the Constitution is not a clear document. Written more than 200 years ago, when America had 13 states and very different problems, it rarely speaks directly to the questions we ask it. The Second Amendment, for instance, says nothing about keeping a gun in the home if you've not signed up with a "well-regulated militia," but interpreting the Second Amendment broadly has been important to those who want to bear arms. And so they've done it.

The contextual ignorance Klein puts on display in this one simple paragraph is stunning.

Anyone with a decent classical education would know that "well-regulated" in this context has nothing to do with a legislation. When something is "regulated," it is brought into a state of uniformity. Something that is "well-regulated" is in proper working order, or in colloquial terms "well-oiled." It functions smoothly.

The purpose of the Founders, easily reinforced by the their own writing, was to assure that the civilian militias could function effectively in their military role. They wanted America's citizens to shoot, and shoot well. They wanted us to be able to fight, defending both our rights and our communities.

That Klein—a supposed intellectual—is dim to this rather common definition simply lends credence to the theory that a "liberal" education involves very little actual education at all.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 02:05 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Another Kind of Death, From Another Kind of Death Panel

We've watched Obamacare become the poster child for death panel socialism, but that is hardly the only venue that leftists are using to destroy America.

Investors Business Daily has a very disturbing article on how left wing environmentalists are in the process of destroying the most fertile farmland in the nation—and forcing people to go hungry—in order to save a nonviable species of minnow:

Fresno is the agricultural capital of America. More food per acre in more variety can be grown in the fertile Central Valley surrounding this community than on any other land in America — perhaps in the world.

Yet far from being a paradise, Fresno is starting to resemble Zimbabwe or 1930s Ukraine, a victim of a famine machine that is entirely man-made, not by red communists this time, but by greens.

State and federal officials, driven by the agenda of environmental extremists, have made it extremely difficult for the valley's farms, introducing costly environmental regulations and cutting off critical water supplies to save the Delta smelt, a bait fish. It's all driving the economy to collapse.

This isn't really about saving a forgettable species that contributes little to it's own ecosystem. It's purely about human's attempting to exert power and control over other humans. More to the point it is about evil humans subjugating their fellow man to economic ruin and starvation in order to assert their own political agenda.

I suppose it could be worse. Those responsible for this debacle could wall off the region they are starving and put up a gate that glibly suggests "work will set you free," putting aside all pretense of being representative of a "free" society.

Frankly, I'm surprised that dams and irrigation-restricting controls haven't mysteriously started experiencing malfunctions or outright failures.

Perhaps the starving farmers in Fresno aren't feeling the pangs of hunger severely enough to take direct charge of their own futures. Or perhaps like far too many citizens of California, they've simply lost their sense of self worth, and lack the will to exist.

(h/t Hot Air)

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:26 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Lucid HD7 Review

I've been trying (with varying amounts of success) to confine my gun-related blogging to my new-ish gun blog, but I figure it's fine to may exceptions for special occasions.

I've joined Shooting Illustrated to write about guns and gear, and have my first article, a review of the Lucid HD7 red-dot optic, posted now.

The staff I've worked with so far have been excellent, and I'm hoping that we team up for a long an fruitful relationship both online and in the print magazine.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 01:34 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

December 29, 2010

R. Lee Ermy Rips into the Obama Administration

I'm starting to think the character of Gunny Hartman wasn't that much of a stretch to play. He's no fan of the Socialist-in-Chief, and flat out states that Obama's goal is to bankrupt the country.

"...We should all rise up and stop this administration from what they're doing because they're destroying this country. They're driving us into bankruptcy so they can impose socialism."

I'm not sure where he's raising troops, but listening to the crowd, he's still one hell of a recruiter.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:01 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sorry, Gun Owners: Chris Christie No Better Than a Liberal Democrat

New Jersey Chris Christie commuted Brian Aitkens. Too bad he supports every idiotic left-wing gun law that put him in jail. So much for "President Christie."

My latest post is up at Pajamas Media.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:41 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

December 28, 2010

Choices

I've always believed, and experience has born out, that the true test of character is not how one behaves when life is easy, but when life is hard, when choices have to be made, choices that pit personal comfort and security against what is best for others.

Bob and I have been delighted and honored with the presence of our co-blogger, Brigid. She also blogs at her own blog, Home On The Range, which is very much worth your time on a regular basis. I recommend her most recent post which is not only intensely personal, but compelling and revealing of the kind of character of which I speak. It also proves that happy endings are still possible, even if they take a long time.

The story can be accessed here.

Posted by: MikeM at 07:46 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Is America Worth Defending

Recent developments in the domestic and international arenas have raised several important questions. Among the most important is: Does Barack Obama believe America is worth defending? My most recent article at Pajamas Media seeks to answer that, and other pertinent questions. The article can be read here.

Posted by: MikeM at 07:01 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

December 27, 2010

The Road to Mecca

My latest post on Pajama Media is about a middle school teacher who asked for three weeks off during December to attend the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca observant Muslims are expected to make once in their life, if possible. When her principal sensibly refused, she took offense, decided to sue, and found an ally that, for the first 232 years of America's existence, would have been most improbable.

The article can be accessed here.

Posted by: MikeM at 10:44 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

It's ReVolting

Life comes at us fast, as the commercial tag goes, and change is ubiquitous. In our fast paced, ever-changing lives, we can take occasional comfort in the fact that some things never change. We can rely on death, taxes, McDonald’s, the fecklessness and narcissism of Barack Obama, and above all the obsequious New York Times.

Yes, the NYT has, once again, lived down to expectations. Thus comes Lawrence Ulrich, on the Times website, with a review of the much-ballyhooed Chevy Volt, a review that could not be more fawning if it was named “Bambi.” In fact, “Volt” could easily be replaced with “Obama” in much of the review and it would yield yet another Obama puff piece for which the NYT has become justly infamous. That review, entitled “Loaded with Baggage and Planning to Go Far,” may be accessed here. My original take on the Volt may be accessed here. Oh, and about the title...I couldn’t help myself. Stop me before I pun again!

Posted by: MikeM at 09:59 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Racing the Wind - a Story of a Hunt

I remember what it felt like to jump off the ledge. That was the best part, the part where I was just a little afraid. The swimming hole. Out West there were multitudes of rivers and streams in which we could swim, many with ledges that looked down on deep pools in which the braver kids would jump.

First steps, first leaps. Over the years it became a car, then an airplane, then marriage. All attempted with the luminosity of not knowing any better, each a new journey, some ending better than others.

Posted by: Brigid at 12:28 AM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

December 26, 2010

American Gunned Down, Framed by Mexican Troops

Remember folks: it's American gun dealers that are the cause of violence in Mexico, not rampant Mexican corruption:

Joseph Proctor told his girlfriend he was popping out to the convenience store in the quiet Mexican beach town where the couple had just moved, intending to start a new life.

The next morning, the 32-year-old New York native was dead inside his crashed van on a road outside Acapulco. He had multiple bullet wounds. An AR-15 rifle lay in his hands.

His distraught girlfriend, Liliana Gil Vargas, was summoned to police headquarters, where she was told Proctor had died in a gunbattle with an army patrol. They claimed Proctor — whose green van had a for-sale sign and his cell phone number spray-painted on the windows — had attacked the troops. They showed her the gun.

His mother, Donna Proctor, devastated and incredulous, has been fighting through Mexico's secretive military justice system ever since to learn what really happened on the night of Aug. 22.

It took weeks of pressuring U.S. diplomats and congressmen for help, but she finally got an answer, which she shared with The Associated Press.

Three soldiers have been charged with killing her son. Two have been charged with planting the assault rifle in his hands and claiming falsely that he fired first, according to a Mexican Defense Department document sent to her through the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

It is at least the third case this year in which soldiers, locked in a brutal battle with drug cartels, have been accused of killing innocent civilians and faking evidence in cover-ups.

A ban of non-commercial travel and mined border would go a long way towards minimizing this and other problems, including illegal immigration, terrorist infiltration, and drug smuggling.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:02 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Snow Makes Concealed Carry Illegal in North Carolina

It is difficult to hold the intellect of politicians in the proper disdain. As citizens, we hope that our elected officials are the best of us, or at the minimum, are as intelligent as we are.

Here in North Carolina, that is decidedly not the case. We've awoken to a rare covering of snow, and can expect a half-foot or more of it across much of the state. As a result of the winter wonderland, hundreds of thousands of our most law-abiding citizens are now potential felons.

North Carolinians have been plagued with Democrats in our state legislature for far too long, and one of the more ignorant bits of legislation they've passed is a law making it illegal for concealed carry permit holders to carry their firearms during any state of emergency declared by our elected officials.

It is an absurd law, by any measure. A coating of snow or ice or does not revoke the God-given rights recognized in our federal or state Constitutions, and yet the dim representatives of year's past have attempted to usurp these natural rights.

The 2010 elections have swept a Republican legislature into office, and gun owners in our fair state are determined that these an other restrictive laws passed by anti-gun Democrats are defeated. Freedom is not a weather-related phenomenon.

It's too bad past legislators lacked the common sense to understand that.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 11:23 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

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