November 28, 2010

The Post-Muslim Presidency of Barack Hussein Obama

A recent article in the Arab News (available here), linked at the fine PowerLine blog (available here) on November 26 has, once again, raised an interesting and persistent question: Is Barack Hussein Obama, the President of the United States, a Muslim? The article quotes Obama’s paternal grandmother, 88 year old Haja Sarah Omar as saying “I prayed for my grandson Barack to convert to Islam.” Omar was interviewed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia while on the Haj, the journey all observant Muslims are expected to perform once in their lives to Mecca, the most holy city of Islam.

John Hinderaker of PowerLine was not impressed. “President Obama is NOT a Muslim, whatever else he may be. But he needs this kind of story [linked to the Arab News story] like a hole in the head.” Hinderaker concluded his post: “ In principle, the fact that a substantial part of Obama's family is Muslim is neither here nor there. If Obama were a successful President, no one would care. But given that many millions of Americans view him as a kind of alien presence as a result of the policies he has tried to impose, Obama must wish his Kenyan relatives would fade quietly away for the balance of his term in office.”

Posted by: MikeM at 11:52 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

NPR, or the Onion?

Taxpayers should not be subsidizing NPR's second-rate liberal commentary or slanted news... we have for-profit corporations for that.

Neither should we be paying for absurd satire... and I sure hope this was satire.

The president played basketball yesterday with some friends in the gym of the Fort McNair Army Base, and reportedly took an elbow in the mouth from an opposing player who went up for a shot.

It took 12 stitches to close The First Fat Lip, if you please. I'm not sure that Joe Frazier needed 12 stitches after the Thrilla in Manila, though the White House stressed that a smaller filament was used, which increases the number of stitches, but leaves a smaller scar.

I wonder if having a larger scar wouldn't actually fortify President Obama's profile, as he contends with Kim Jong Il, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Vladimir Putin. Imagine a president with a gnarly, vivid scar telling the rulers of China, "Nice country ya' got here. I'd hate to see something happen to it if you didn't stop foolin' around with the value of your currency. Know what I mean?"

The problem is that in politics or in basketball Obama is a comically overrated amateur, and that never intimidates anyone.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 11:24 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 26, 2010

Something I'm Thankful For

I was on the road or at relative's homes yesterday soaking up good food and conversation, and didn't quite manage to get up a Thanksgiving post.

Had I been able to find the time to get online, I would have told you--and will tell you now--just how fortunate I am to have two so very talented, intelligent and fun co-bloggers here at CY, not to mention all the wonderful readers that continue to frequent the site.

You are all very much a blessing in my life, and I am continually thankful for your company.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 01:10 PM | Comments (25) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

I've got a Bad Feeling About This...

Han Solo must have been an East Carolina football fan.

My alma mater of ECU is up against Southern Methodist today in a CUSA game. Both enter with identical records 6-5 (5-2 CUSA), but there the similarities end.

The defending CUSA champion Pirates under first-year head coach Ruffin McNeal have been dazzling at times, with a high-octane offense that is capable of putting up astronomical numbers. Unfortunately, they've also been cursed with a young and undersized defense that is giving up the kind of points normally seen in basketball games, including a humiliating 62 points given up against a sub-par Rice team last week.

SMU, however, is a team on the rise, hoping to contend for their first CUSA championship

local sports reporters is picking SMU, 56-42.

I'm not into sports betting (primarily because I stink at that and just about every other form of gambling) but if I was putting money on the game, I'd have to give the game to SMU by a touchdown or more.

I'd really love to munch Thanksgiving leftovers while watching my Pirates win, but I don't think it's in the cards in their regular season finale.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:58 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 24, 2010

The Erik Scott Case: Update 8.2: Training, Corruption, Confusion and (More) Coincidence

A press release on the business relationship between the Metro Police and Las Vegas Valley Locking Systems (LVVLS) can be found here.

On Thursday, November 13, Phillip Ransom of Kansas City ran out of luck. His old van, the van he drove every day in his janitorial business, broke down with a series of backfires, just before 6 PM, about a block from his home. But his luck quickly became worse. Someone called the Kansas City Police and reported hearing shots. Worried about his old van catching on fire, Ransom stepped out at about the time two officers arrived and immediately opened fire, shooting repeatedly at Ransom and the van. Ransom stood by the van, his empty hands up, shouting that he wasn’t shooting. “I guess they couldn’t hear me,” he said. Ransom didn’t know how many rounds were fired: “I wasn’t counting, but it sounded like a lot.” When the smoke finally cleared, Ransom and the officers were unharmed, but Ransom’s van was hit at least three times, and the officers also shot out several windows of their patrol car. The local media story of this incident can be found here.

Posted by: MikeM at 01:28 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Goldberg (Dull) File

Whoopi Goldberg, she of the manufactured pseudo-righteous outrage at Bill O’Reilly’s entirely factual assertion that Muslims attacked America on 9-11, appeared on the O’Reilly Factor on Fox on November 23rd. While Goldberg might be accorded some degree of acknowledgement for merely appearing on O’Reilly’s show, she revealed, in convenient capsule form, much that is wrong with the contemporary left.

Goldberg’s argument seemed to be that when O’Reilly said that America was attacked by Muslims--an incontestable fact--he was actually saying that all Muslims attacked America and that all Muslims want to attack America and that all Muslims are bad, hate adorable puppies (wait, they do hate adorable puppies)...or something like that. She also took exception with the assertion that the Japanese attacked America at Pearl Harbor (yes, she actually did).

Posted by: MikeM at 02:55 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 23, 2010

Great Moments In Marital Bliss #257

Yesterday while in the checkout line at a local sporting goods/gun store, my wife, observing the purchases of others, turned to me and said, "Don't ever buy me a pink gun case...or a pink gun."

Yes Dear.

Posted by: MikeM at 06:15 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 22, 2010

Gun Control Advocate to Head BATF

Barack Obama has been shy of acting on his radical anti-gun tendencies since he jumped on the campaign trail, but he has found someone with a similar agenda to run the BATF. Read about the nightmare that is Andrew Traver in my latest post at Pajamas Media.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:15 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 21, 2010

Me? Own A Gun? Article 2: Is Killing Justified?

The first article of this series ended with this paragraph:

“But let us assume that this article has, at least, persuaded you to the point that you are willing to tentatively concede that an individual, inalienable right of self defense is probably necessary. What then? The next installment of the series explores the legal, moral and spiritual issues revolving around taking the life of another, legally and illegally.”

Posted by: MikeM at 11:13 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 20, 2010

The Outcome Is...Trying

Eric Holder and Barack Obama are, in many ways, alike. Men of few actual accomplishments but unlimited, astronomical self-regard, they have been elevated far past their abilities, living examples of the Peter Principle, people rising to and greatly surpassing their own level of incompetence. Despite having little prosecutorial experience and having less experience in management, Mr. Holder was elevated to the office of the Attorney General, apparently on the strength of his slavish devotion to leftist philosophy.

Posted by: MikeM at 11:27 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Anybody Watching the Fights Tonight?

So I let it slip during the dog days of July that I am an avid mixed marital arts fan. There are few individual sports that require as much technical proficiency, raw power, and heart as this modern combat sport, which has evolved to be the domain of an incredible new breed of hybrid fighter.

Unlike the early days of MMA when pure practitioners of various martial arts stepped into the cage with the mastery of one style, today's athletes cross-train as wrestlers, Brazilian jujitsu submission artists, kick-boxers, and brawlers.

That is part of what makes tonight's UFC fight between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida interesting to me.

Rampage is a hotheaded brawler with a wrestling background that tends to be best on his feet, but who has decent submission defense. He's powerful and emotional and simply pours it out in an a rush, but isn't a technician, despite his championship belts. He's just a tough son-of-a-gun, without much quit in him, who prefers to push forward. Detroit seems to be pulling for him, as well, making this a"hometown" fight for him, of sorts.

Machida, on the other hand is one of the more disciplined martial artists in modern MMA, using Brazilian jujitsu, Shotokan karate, and even Sumo in an elusive, counter-punching style.

Those of you interested in sports gambling are going to have a tough choice to make tonight as Rampage and The Dragon face off.

My pick? I'm guessing Machida on points in a unanimous decision after three rounds, with Machida not really hurting Jackson but frustrating him as he points his way to a win.

UFC 123's other big fight is the rubber match between legends BJ Penn and Matt Hughes. I'd like ot talk this up, but I can't. Penn is slower and less flexible and doesn't seem to have the heart he used to, while Hughes is recharged and evolving.

Hughes by submission early in round 2.

Update: Penn destroyed Hughes in seconds, and Rampage outpointed Machida to a split decision. Did I mention that the unpredictability of the sport is another thing that fascinates me?

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:24 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

New Co-Blogger Coming Soon

Fair warning, folks: we have a lady in the house, or at least we will soon. She'll introduce herself when she's ready (and after I get her account set up). I think you'll be very impressed with her, just as you were when Mike joined up.

Best,

Bob

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:20 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 19, 2010

Heavy Metal Moves to the 'Stan

There is a steady escalation of force occurring in Afghanistan, though it seems few in this country realize the pressure being brought to bear. The volume of precision air-delivered munitions has been steadily increasing. The Army has now brought in a handful of futuristic XM25 25mm grenade launchers for field (combat) testing, and if they perform as well as hoped, additional XM25s are assured for wider deployment. On top of that, the Army is introducing a company of M1 Abrams main battle tanks to the conflict for the first time in the nice-year war, with the goal of using the 120mm main gun to crack open Taliban safe houses and fighting positions.

The Abrams will likely excel in Afghanistan as it has in the other environments in which it has been used, but the mil-geek in me wonders if the Stryker-variants armed with 120mm mortars (which have seen use in Iraq, but I don't know about Afghanistan) or the 105mm Mobile Gun variant (still in testing?) wouldn't be a better option for many Afghan missions because of their relative stealth and mobility advantages.

In any event, it appears the Taliban are in for a vicious fight.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:52 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 18, 2010

Advice

Brigid is really good at it, or really bad at it, depending on your point of view.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 08:41 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 17, 2010

Profiteering from the Sheep

Joshua Rhett Miller has made a rather disgusting display of bad journalism on FoxNews.com today, in an article about the TSA's invasive news passenger screening program that either irradiates passengers or results in their sexual assault by TSA employees.

In an apparent effort to buttress the TSA position, Miller goes to Carie Lemack and Mary and Frank Fetchet for their opinions. None of the three are air security professionals, bomb techs or terrorism experts. Their only uniting thread is that they had relatives killed as passengers on planes on 9/11.

This is nothing more or less than a false appeal to authority, as if traumatic loss granted security expertise or insights. The Fetchets and LeMack have no special knowledge. Their opinions are no more relevant to a discussion of air security than is a Kalahari bushman's.

We're plagued by incompetence in Homeland Security, and journalists like Miller are clouding the issue by asking the unqualified for advice.

Neither the millimeter-wave or backscatter X-ray technologies increase security for air passengers, anymore than does taking off your shoes, surrendering corkscrews or nail files, or reducing the size of your mouthwash bottles. All of these are gimmicks developed to give the impression that authorities are making us safer, even as the real gaping holes in air security remain as wide-open as they always have been.

Anyone could walk through the most advanced millimeter-wave or backscatter X-ray machines on the market with enough explosives to down an airliner. This isn't up for debate. It is an unassailable fact.

Homeland Security is spending hundreds of millions of dollars because Janet Napolitano likes to pretend she is worth her salary, while former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff turns a tidy profit from the machines themselves. It isn't about your safety. It's about profiting from your fear, and with something around 80% buying the government's claims, it appears they are succeeding.

Baa. Baa. Baa.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 05:07 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Really... This is News?

It's hardly surprising that TMZ has jumped at the chance to embarrass Willow Palin for calling another teenager names. It is also tediously predictable that gay progressives immediately savaged her for using the exact same pejoratives and slurs that they themselves used at that age, and which many of them still utter now in their own fits of rage, or for other Very Important Reasons, like someone giving them a dirty look.

Human beings are imperfect. Hormone- and judgement-challenged teens (i.e., all of them) even more so. They use harsh language to attack one another.

Big effing deal.

The simple fact of the matter is that the legion of the easily offended who are now going after this teenager for, well, being a teenager, are generally far more offensive, hateful, and vicious than the child they attack. Teenagers use such language as they off-gas raw emotion without a filter. The savages who attack her, however, are calculating in their assaults, and more chronologically mature, if nothing else.

They revel their own intolerance and viscous evil, and then are dim enough to think it is intolerance of their sexuality that leads to them being shunned.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:21 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 16, 2010

Happy Birthday, Pajamas Media

Five years already?

My, how time flies. Pajamas has always been a great organization to work with, and Roger, Aaron and the other editors and executives I've worked with have always been straight-shooters. As Roger notes, there have been mistakes, but there have been solid scores as well, both in terms of content and personalities, which seems to have spread over to PJTV as well. It's been a great ride so far, and I' love writing for them.

In related news, progressives are going to war with themselves over the success of the Huffington Post, and I suspect it will get nasty.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 08:16 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 15, 2010

Tomorrow We Honor a Hero

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Sal Giunta will be presented with the Medal of Honor tomorrow.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 02:04 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 14, 2010

If You Build It, They Will Charge--UPDATED!

UPDATE 11-16-10:

Chevrolet has announced that the Motor Trend Car of the Year for 2011, beating out such strong contenders as the much anticipated Ford Fiesta, is...Maestro, drum roll please!...The Chevy volt! The Chevrolet Volt pseudo-semi-electric car is Motor Trend magazine's 2011 car of the year. According to the AP:

"Motor Trend says the Volt has some of the most advanced engineering ever seen in an American car. The Volt can run up to 50 miles in pure electric mode before a backup gas engine kicks in to give it more range. Motor Trend also said Tuesday that the car is a great value. It costs $33,500 with a federal tax credit, but will likely be cheaper to run than a traditional hybrid. The Volt goes on sale next month."

The EPA has yet to announce a mileage estimate for the Volt (it can't go on sale without it) and Chevy expects that to happen anytime now. Apparently Motor trend has now upped the Volt's range by 10 miles over Chevrolet estimates and is somehow seeing amazing value in a compact car that costs $33,500.00, but only with a $7500.00 tax credit. Oh well. Motor Trend also made the Chevy Vega its car of the year back in the 70's. The more hopeful you get, the less things change.

The ways of American automobile companies are mysterious indeed. Recent evidence would seem to suggest that the three remaining American manufacturers have abandoned any and all knowledge of how to successfully do business in a capitalist democracy, if, that is, they ever truly knew. There was a time when the “Big Three” as they were once known, all but completely owned the domestic market. But then came the 70’s, Jimmy Carter, long gas lines, and the Japanese, who did learn how to do business in a capitalist democracy from--wait for it--us! Patiently, over time, they improved their products and quality, and always offered high mileage, reasonably priced vehicles, vehicles that slowly but surely began to gain market share.

Posted by: MikeM at 09:12 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 12, 2010

Expert Opinion: The "Felon With a Gun" Photo Is Real

I asked you yesterday whether or not you thought the purported photo of a felon holding a gun was real.

Those of you who responded, either in the comments or via email were convinced that the photo is real... and according to an expert I've contacted you are most likely correct.

Bob,

I have reviewed the photo you sent me showing two men win one apparently holding a pistol in each hand.

It is my opinion that there are no picture elements or artifacts consistent with manipulation of the photo in the area of the arms, hands, and pistols. The shadow patterns on the clothing are consistent with shadows produced by the pistols and they are consistent with the shadows on the ground. The light reflecting from the pistol surfaces are consistent with the scene illumination.

The photo does not appear to have been manipulated. The pistols appear to have been in the man's hands when the photo was taken.

Alexander Jason, CSCSA, CFPH
Senior Certified Crime Scene Analyst
Certified Forensic Photographer
www.alexanderjason.com

This analysis by Mr. Jason validates the two eyewitness accounts from the photographer and the other man in the photo, who claimed to have gone shooting with Lee Booth in a range near the North Carolina/South Carolina border.

BATF Supervisory Special Agent Earl Woodham told me last week on the phone that BATF managers had reviewed all the claims about Booth made in the Pajamas Media article, and that the were "not interested" in pressing charges again him.

I somehow suspect that something more is going on here than a felon holding a gun.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:11 AM | Comments (20) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

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