Those who are personally acquainted with this writer are aware that Bloody Nib Manor is within shouting distance of the Mexican border. There was a time, during your faithful correspondent's youth, that it was not unusual for a person from the Southern California to travel to Tijuana (or Tia Juana or TiaJuana or just TJ) to have one's car re-upholstered, buy cheap junk like flocked ceramic bull figurines or velvet paintings of Mexican banditos, busty putas or Elvis, or look for a little under-aged drinking or to have one's photo taken sitting on a zebra-striped burro while wearing a comical sombrero.
Those days have long passed and the drug wars in Old Mexico have taken their toll on the cheap wallet/belt and strip show market in TJ. The finding of headless bodies in town squares and school yards tends to put a bit of cold water on the tourist trade.
Here's a link to a blog that keeps track of the Mexican Drug Wars: Blog of the Gods
If you do not think that the Mexican Drug Wars have anything to do with you keep in mind that the kidnappings and killings have moved north of the border.
There are some who claim that what Mexico needs to get the situation under control is a strong man on a white horse. Your faithful correspondent is of another opinion. What Mexico needs is nothing less than a moral and religious reformation. This is not to say that this writer thinks that Protestantism will save Mexico from anarchy. But the Mexican people will have to take their Christianity seriously and abandon the quasi-paganism that many of them practice.
We don't think of Russia much anymore except when Putin does something silly. But be aware that Russia and Eurasia are of concern to the US. Check this out and keep informed: WindowonEurasia
There is more to worry about than your shrinking 401(k). We have enemies within who are enemies because of their greed. But we also have enemies without who do not want us to be poor. they do not want us to be.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Indians Do Something that Liberal Americans Won't Do
Liberal Americans often, when they feel that their rights have been transgressed, ask "Where's the outrage?" Examples are such things are the rejection of homosexual marriage by the voters of California or "man-made global warming." Their interests are very insular and they seem to see themselves as not a part of the larger American culture. They expressed a bit of outrage for about two weeks after September 11, 2001, but it wasn't long before they started calling for the understanding of the terrorists' grievances. In other words, they seem to be bound and determined to commit slow motion cultural suicide. This is the result of people who feel guilty of their comfortable lives and one often wishes that the wealthy and comfortable would take the same stance as European aristocrats in regarding foreigners and other cultures as charming as long as they stay where they are.
During the Thanksgiving weekend a group of Muslim men wrought havoc in Mumbai (nee Bombay), and the Indian elite were not slow in condemning the action. They, and the government, named the men as Muslims and did not try to parse words by calling them "evil doers."
In this way the Indians have shown themselves to be much more men with chests than the average craven American politician. There's something wrong here. The American political and social elite have become so soft and so caring that they are useless for the maintenance of the nation. Everything goes as long as the Muslim hordes don't pee in their pool while the rest of us are subjected to law-fare from CAIR for proclaiming our traditional Judeo-Christian values.
But to get to the point, a group of Indians and Indian-Americans have protested in front of that cancerous institution known as the United Nations against the Muslims involved in the Mumbai massacre.
Atlas Shrugs: INDIA: Protesting Jihad at the UN
Note the placards pointing out the murders of the Chabad rabbi and his wife. And while looking at it ask yourself when was the last time you heard about Leonardo Di Caprio or Peter Coyote protesting the murder of innocents by radical Muslims? There are bastards by intention and bastards by default. American liberals fall into the latter category. They care more for a snail darter or an invert than they do for a family man or woman working an honest eight at a crappy job.
The reader may not care for country music, but there is something in old country music that speaks of the traditional American soul. Here's Granpa Jones singing a song that is more American than anything by Bruce Springsteen or any of the current crop of political singers because it addresses the American love of dogs (which Muslims hate) in an American style: YouTube - Grandpa Jones Old Rattler
The nation has, according to the media elite, become a nation that cares more for the feelings of our enemies than our dogs. That's not right. Our enemies are not only less than dogs. They are less than termites. And they are just as dangerous.
During the Thanksgiving weekend a group of Muslim men wrought havoc in Mumbai (nee Bombay), and the Indian elite were not slow in condemning the action. They, and the government, named the men as Muslims and did not try to parse words by calling them "evil doers."
In this way the Indians have shown themselves to be much more men with chests than the average craven American politician. There's something wrong here. The American political and social elite have become so soft and so caring that they are useless for the maintenance of the nation. Everything goes as long as the Muslim hordes don't pee in their pool while the rest of us are subjected to law-fare from CAIR for proclaiming our traditional Judeo-Christian values.
But to get to the point, a group of Indians and Indian-Americans have protested in front of that cancerous institution known as the United Nations against the Muslims involved in the Mumbai massacre.
Atlas Shrugs: INDIA: Protesting Jihad at the UN
Note the placards pointing out the murders of the Chabad rabbi and his wife. And while looking at it ask yourself when was the last time you heard about Leonardo Di Caprio or Peter Coyote protesting the murder of innocents by radical Muslims? There are bastards by intention and bastards by default. American liberals fall into the latter category. They care more for a snail darter or an invert than they do for a family man or woman working an honest eight at a crappy job.
The reader may not care for country music, but there is something in old country music that speaks of the traditional American soul. Here's Granpa Jones singing a song that is more American than anything by Bruce Springsteen or any of the current crop of political singers because it addresses the American love of dogs (which Muslims hate) in an American style: YouTube - Grandpa Jones Old Rattler
The nation has, according to the media elite, become a nation that cares more for the feelings of our enemies than our dogs. That's not right. Our enemies are not only less than dogs. They are less than termites. And they are just as dangerous.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Scatter Shooting (Hoping to Hit Something)
As those who are familiar with us here at Nib Manor may be aware, we have always been Christians of the Protestant sort. Specifically, this writer is a hard shell Baptist and the ever lovely Lady Nib leans more toward the Evangelical Anglican version of Christianity.
This has not always been the case. A a young man your faithful correspondent was a member of the United Methodist Church. There was a time when the Methodist Church, in the United States, was a very conservative and Protestant church. They had no truck with Roman Catholic liturgies or Roman Catholic practice. The displaying of images of saints or members of what Catholics call the Holy Family (Baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary) on anything but lawn displays during Christmas or on Christmas cards, were considered as indications of idolatry.
Over the years things have changed. The United Methodist Church, in an effort to stem the flowing away of their members to other denominations, has decided to take a stand by not taking a stand. They have decided that sodomy is not such a bad thing, that divorce is just a part of marriage, that abortion is pretty much okay and that Jesus Christ is more of a role model than God Incarnate.
The UMC has also made an effort to attract Latin American immigrants to the denomination has undertaken to change the traditional Protestant Methodist practices to those of a more Latin American Catholic bent. In other words, the UMC is beginning to move toward a "Catholic Lite" theology and practice to attract Latin Americans instead of pointing out the traditional theology of the Reformation and its truth in Spanish. One wonders if the leaders of the UMC think that Latinos are not capable of understanding the Three Solas. Or perhaps the UMC is, in certain geographical ares, sailing under false colors.
What brings this up is that the church that this writer used to attend is now offering a La Posada celebration for its Spanish speaking members. La Posada is a uniquely Latino Roman Catholic celebration. It has never been part of Protestantism.
There used to be a joke that Methodists aspired to be Anglicans once they made enough money to buy a pew. Now it seems that they want to be Latino Catholics without the Pope. One wonders what Wesley and Fletcher would make of it.
Earlier this week a Marine Corps F18 jet fighter, while on practice maneuvers off the coast of San Diego, crashed into a residential neighborhood killing a woman, her mother and her two infants children. It was a tragedy, to say the least. The woman's husband made a public statement that he did not blame the Marine Corps for what happened; it was an accident. The two Senators from California, on the other hand called for an immediate and fast investigation of the incident in order to affix blame.
Here's the problem. Do these two women, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, not think that the Marines will not investigate the causes of the crash without their urging? And do they think that a fast investigation will be better than a thorough investigation? Is there a point at which a politician will not stop grandstanding?
Finally, today an Iraqi journalist threw a pair of shoes at President Bush. The throwing of shoes, in Iraq, is considered a grave insult. Mr. Bush handles the incident well and went as far as to joke that he thought the shoes were size 10. One wonders what Mr. Obama's reaction, as well as the American press' reaction, would be in the same situation. But this writer forgets: no one would throw a shoe at The One.
This has not always been the case. A a young man your faithful correspondent was a member of the United Methodist Church. There was a time when the Methodist Church, in the United States, was a very conservative and Protestant church. They had no truck with Roman Catholic liturgies or Roman Catholic practice. The displaying of images of saints or members of what Catholics call the Holy Family (Baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary) on anything but lawn displays during Christmas or on Christmas cards, were considered as indications of idolatry.
Over the years things have changed. The United Methodist Church, in an effort to stem the flowing away of their members to other denominations, has decided to take a stand by not taking a stand. They have decided that sodomy is not such a bad thing, that divorce is just a part of marriage, that abortion is pretty much okay and that Jesus Christ is more of a role model than God Incarnate.
The UMC has also made an effort to attract Latin American immigrants to the denomination has undertaken to change the traditional Protestant Methodist practices to those of a more Latin American Catholic bent. In other words, the UMC is beginning to move toward a "Catholic Lite" theology and practice to attract Latin Americans instead of pointing out the traditional theology of the Reformation and its truth in Spanish. One wonders if the leaders of the UMC think that Latinos are not capable of understanding the Three Solas. Or perhaps the UMC is, in certain geographical ares, sailing under false colors.
What brings this up is that the church that this writer used to attend is now offering a La Posada celebration for its Spanish speaking members. La Posada is a uniquely Latino Roman Catholic celebration. It has never been part of Protestantism.
There used to be a joke that Methodists aspired to be Anglicans once they made enough money to buy a pew. Now it seems that they want to be Latino Catholics without the Pope. One wonders what Wesley and Fletcher would make of it.
Earlier this week a Marine Corps F18 jet fighter, while on practice maneuvers off the coast of San Diego, crashed into a residential neighborhood killing a woman, her mother and her two infants children. It was a tragedy, to say the least. The woman's husband made a public statement that he did not blame the Marine Corps for what happened; it was an accident. The two Senators from California, on the other hand called for an immediate and fast investigation of the incident in order to affix blame.
Here's the problem. Do these two women, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, not think that the Marines will not investigate the causes of the crash without their urging? And do they think that a fast investigation will be better than a thorough investigation? Is there a point at which a politician will not stop grandstanding?
Finally, today an Iraqi journalist threw a pair of shoes at President Bush. The throwing of shoes, in Iraq, is considered a grave insult. Mr. Bush handles the incident well and went as far as to joke that he thought the shoes were size 10. One wonders what Mr. Obama's reaction, as well as the American press' reaction, would be in the same situation. But this writer forgets: no one would throw a shoe at The One.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Dishonor and distopia
Let's assume for a few moments that you are a member of a gentleman's club. By gentleman's club this writer does not refer to such places as Spearmint Rhino or Boobs Galore where scantily clad women perform pole-dancing routines while men drink over-priced beer and howl like coyotes on the trail of a clutch of three legged rabbits.
Here, "gentleman's club" refers to the classic English club organized and joined by classic English gentlemen such as The Atheneaum or White's (or if one is in a lighter mood The Drone's Club).
Now assume that one, while playing billiards or whist or reading in the library, is "cut" by another member. Said member has said something negative regarding one's (or one's family's) honor. One has two courses of action.
One can either ignore the insult, and thus reap the rewards of showing one's self as a man not concerned about his reputation. Or one can challenge the bounder in one way or another (ranging from pistols at dawn to throwing biscuits into top hats).
What one does not do is start a slanging match that eventually results in one and the insulter sitting down and breaking bread and talking about how much one and the other like and respect one another. One has one's honor to defend or ignore. But one can not honorably sit down with the person who "cut" one (see the Oxford English Dictionary for the definition of "cut" used in this context) and be best mates. To do so is to show one's self as a lickspittle or sickeningly ambitious (both the same things, really).
Honor, in the old sense, in these days seems quaint among a certain segment of the population. But this segment is the same segment that hides the fact that their daughters are slatterns by paying for numerous abortions, allows their under-aged children to get tattoos from a "celebrity" tattooist, and has no problem spilling the most intimate details of one's personal life to a fat black woman or or bald fat white man on national television to get attention and perhaps make a shilling or two.
This past week (or perhaps the week before) Barack Obama and John McCain got together for lunch and afterwards praised one another to no end. Not more than a month ago both men were describing one another as agents of the demise of the Great Republic, idiots, fools and just dumb. But, no that the election is over and the Chosen One has been chosen, they are best buddies.
What changed? Nothing. Then way this sudden love-fest between two men who "cut" one another repeatedly? Who Knows? Perhaps it's a game for them.
This writer has noticed that politics seems to mean much more to the electorate than to the elected. To us it is serious business that effects the fate of the Great Republic. To them it's a job interview. And if they fail the interview they can pick up a higher paying job as a lobbyist.
There's something wrong with this.
Those in the know are aware that Nib Manor is in California and that during the last election the citizens of the Golden State voted to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman instead of a man and a man , a woman and a woman, or a freak and a cow.
The reaction among the homosexual crowd (this writer refuses to use the words "gay" and out of a sense of propriety the words "sodomite" or "invert")has been that of spoiled children denied their second bowl of ice cream at 11:00 P.M. There have been mass demonstrations outside Mormon churches (and oddly enough not outside Catholic churches despite the fact that the official Catholic position is against homosexual marriage, or black churches despite the fact that blacks voted overwhelmingly for heterosexual marriage) with a lot of heat and not much light. The word "hate" was bandied about freely and boycotts were called against businesses that had supported exclusively heterosexual marriage.
The homosexual community is outraged, but people who are wrong are often outraged. Outrage is not a logical, or even decent argument. This writer was outraged years ago when his parents would not give him a Vincent Black Shadow for his sixteenth birthday.
The people, through the initiative process (as questionable as that process may be), and if the vote had gone the other way the homosexual crowd would be crowing about the validity of the popular vote. Since they lost they are angry. There is really nothing new there. Every loser is angry that he lost. Just spend a few minutes at the tables at the Luxor and one can see that.
But here's the real story about the whole thing. Our homosexual friends, relatives and strangers are really angry because the passing of the the Yes vote on Proposition 8 reveals to them that homosexuals and homosexuality is not as popular among the populace of the state as they had assumed. In other words, and to make it short, most people in the state would prefer that homosexuals would just go away to someplace else like New York or Boston or Amsterdam.
The passage of Proposition 8 hurt their feelings and that's what gets them so angry.
And the reason that they've gone after the Mormons instead of the Catholics, the black churches, or even the Scientologists, is because the Mormons are seen, by the majority of the population as somewhat hickey (are they really Christians?); they are easy to beat up on because they are outside the mainstream. Their neglect of the Scientologists is due to, this writer thinks, the Hubbardists fondness for lawsuits. The Catholics and black churches, being accepted in society are considered part of American society and are, despite being minorities, are in the mainstream of society. And they might fight back.
Years ago this writer read the opinion of another writer that the homosexual lobby was working on a progressive plan. First the lobby would call for tolerance. Once the concept of tolerance was established the lobby would call for acceptance of homosexuality. And once the acceptance of homosexuality was established in a society was established then the lobby would call for mandatory homosexuality for a period of time for young people (perhaps a semester in high school). The passing of Proposition 8 has shown that the voters in the state are not willing to go beyond the first the first step.
Here, "gentleman's club" refers to the classic English club organized and joined by classic English gentlemen such as The Atheneaum or White's (or if one is in a lighter mood The Drone's Club).
Now assume that one, while playing billiards or whist or reading in the library, is "cut" by another member. Said member has said something negative regarding one's (or one's family's) honor. One has two courses of action.
One can either ignore the insult, and thus reap the rewards of showing one's self as a man not concerned about his reputation. Or one can challenge the bounder in one way or another (ranging from pistols at dawn to throwing biscuits into top hats).
What one does not do is start a slanging match that eventually results in one and the insulter sitting down and breaking bread and talking about how much one and the other like and respect one another. One has one's honor to defend or ignore. But one can not honorably sit down with the person who "cut" one (see the Oxford English Dictionary for the definition of "cut" used in this context) and be best mates. To do so is to show one's self as a lickspittle or sickeningly ambitious (both the same things, really).
Honor, in the old sense, in these days seems quaint among a certain segment of the population. But this segment is the same segment that hides the fact that their daughters are slatterns by paying for numerous abortions, allows their under-aged children to get tattoos from a "celebrity" tattooist, and has no problem spilling the most intimate details of one's personal life to a fat black woman or or bald fat white man on national television to get attention and perhaps make a shilling or two.
This past week (or perhaps the week before) Barack Obama and John McCain got together for lunch and afterwards praised one another to no end. Not more than a month ago both men were describing one another as agents of the demise of the Great Republic, idiots, fools and just dumb. But, no that the election is over and the Chosen One has been chosen, they are best buddies.
What changed? Nothing. Then way this sudden love-fest between two men who "cut" one another repeatedly? Who Knows? Perhaps it's a game for them.
This writer has noticed that politics seems to mean much more to the electorate than to the elected. To us it is serious business that effects the fate of the Great Republic. To them it's a job interview. And if they fail the interview they can pick up a higher paying job as a lobbyist.
There's something wrong with this.
Those in the know are aware that Nib Manor is in California and that during the last election the citizens of the Golden State voted to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman instead of a man and a man , a woman and a woman, or a freak and a cow.
The reaction among the homosexual crowd (this writer refuses to use the words "gay" and out of a sense of propriety the words "sodomite" or "invert")has been that of spoiled children denied their second bowl of ice cream at 11:00 P.M. There have been mass demonstrations outside Mormon churches (and oddly enough not outside Catholic churches despite the fact that the official Catholic position is against homosexual marriage, or black churches despite the fact that blacks voted overwhelmingly for heterosexual marriage) with a lot of heat and not much light. The word "hate" was bandied about freely and boycotts were called against businesses that had supported exclusively heterosexual marriage.
The homosexual community is outraged, but people who are wrong are often outraged. Outrage is not a logical, or even decent argument. This writer was outraged years ago when his parents would not give him a Vincent Black Shadow for his sixteenth birthday.
The people, through the initiative process (as questionable as that process may be), and if the vote had gone the other way the homosexual crowd would be crowing about the validity of the popular vote. Since they lost they are angry. There is really nothing new there. Every loser is angry that he lost. Just spend a few minutes at the tables at the Luxor and one can see that.
But here's the real story about the whole thing. Our homosexual friends, relatives and strangers are really angry because the passing of the the Yes vote on Proposition 8 reveals to them that homosexuals and homosexuality is not as popular among the populace of the state as they had assumed. In other words, and to make it short, most people in the state would prefer that homosexuals would just go away to someplace else like New York or Boston or Amsterdam.
The passage of Proposition 8 hurt their feelings and that's what gets them so angry.
And the reason that they've gone after the Mormons instead of the Catholics, the black churches, or even the Scientologists, is because the Mormons are seen, by the majority of the population as somewhat hickey (are they really Christians?); they are easy to beat up on because they are outside the mainstream. Their neglect of the Scientologists is due to, this writer thinks, the Hubbardists fondness for lawsuits. The Catholics and black churches, being accepted in society are considered part of American society and are, despite being minorities, are in the mainstream of society. And they might fight back.
Years ago this writer read the opinion of another writer that the homosexual lobby was working on a progressive plan. First the lobby would call for tolerance. Once the concept of tolerance was established the lobby would call for acceptance of homosexuality. And once the acceptance of homosexuality was established in a society was established then the lobby would call for mandatory homosexuality for a period of time for young people (perhaps a semester in high school). The passing of Proposition 8 has shown that the voters in the state are not willing to go beyond the first the first step.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Baby Talk
How many times have you found yourself sitting in front of the television set on a late afternoon or late night waiting for a ball game, the news or your favorite needlepoint or gardening show only to find yourself watching some nonsensical program like Access Hollywood or TMZ because you're just too damn lazy and comfortable to take the effort to punch a button on the remote control. And then, before you know it some "reporter" specializing in celebrities, such as Mary Hart, appears on screen to breathlessly announce that a female actress, singer or celebutard is showing a "baby bump" which means that said woman is with child, pregnant or, to use the current patois, "preggers."
If you are anything like your faithful correspondent the use of the term "baby bump" is like dragging a nail across a blackboard when the term is not used while speaking to children ("No, honey. Maria is not gotten fat. She has a baby bump.") or by children ("Mommy? Is that lady going to have a baby? She has a baby bump." "No, Junior. That old cow just has a beer belly.")or by people who seem somewhat retarded or just trying to be cute. The same goes for the word "preggers." The word "preggers" is a term best used, and should be only used, by adolescents in describing their schoolmates who are about to drop out of school and go on welfare and become regular customers of the local WIC center.
To hear a person in the media, who apparently is an adult with a college education, use the term "baby bump" and the word "preggers" is not unlike when this writer was a callow youth hearing the local gray-haired news reader use the word "groovy." It was just silly and made the user sound and look silly. It was tantamount with one's father, a veteran of the Marines in the Pacific during World War Two, wearing paisley shirts and bell-bottomed Levis to church because he wanted to be "with it." Just embarrassing. Thank God that Baron Nib never did any such silly thing. He was always a proper gentleman in his behavior and dress.
This writer has noticed an infantilization of the spoken and written word that he finds disturbing. It goes beyond "baby bump" and "preggers." All too many times he has heard a person on television or radio, or read articles in the newspaper in which the reporter describes a frightening incident as "scary." In the old days such incidents were described as "frightening", "terrifying", "horrifying" or "disturbing." The word "scary" was a children's word that could be used of anything from falling off a skateboard to fighting off an ax murderer or watching a horror movie. It seems that a certain segment of society has not progressed from grade school descriptions of emotions because they have neither matured or they feel that the viewers are rather stupid.
If one listens or reads the outpourings from the news media and popular culture one can find many instances of baby-talk put forth by people, who by their educations alone, should know and (one would hope)desire to speak and write in an adult manner. And these people seem to show no embarrassment about using terms and words that were heretofore used exclusively by children. It's a wonder.
Other words or terms that have come into common usage in the media are "poo" instead of feces or offal (one wonders when Katie Couric will break new ground by saying "poo-poo","poopy" or "do-do"; "doing the nasty" instead of making love, mating or fornicating; "bad guy" instead of criminal, enemy, jerk or idiot. The list goes on and on.
Language changes over the years and centuries, but usually it becomes more sophisticated instead of degraded and infantile. This writer would suggest that news writer and reporters, before using words that they feel might be somewhat suspect (and they DO know unless they are complete idiots) that they look in a Roget's Thesaurus, the King James Bible or Shakespeare to find an adult word to replace the baby talk that they have been babbling to us for the past twenty years.
One shudders to think of what the next twenty years hold for the language. Perhaps a spoken form of text messaging. CN U DG IT?
If you are anything like your faithful correspondent the use of the term "baby bump" is like dragging a nail across a blackboard when the term is not used while speaking to children ("No, honey. Maria is not gotten fat. She has a baby bump.") or by children ("Mommy? Is that lady going to have a baby? She has a baby bump." "No, Junior. That old cow just has a beer belly.")or by people who seem somewhat retarded or just trying to be cute. The same goes for the word "preggers." The word "preggers" is a term best used, and should be only used, by adolescents in describing their schoolmates who are about to drop out of school and go on welfare and become regular customers of the local WIC center.
To hear a person in the media, who apparently is an adult with a college education, use the term "baby bump" and the word "preggers" is not unlike when this writer was a callow youth hearing the local gray-haired news reader use the word "groovy." It was just silly and made the user sound and look silly. It was tantamount with one's father, a veteran of the Marines in the Pacific during World War Two, wearing paisley shirts and bell-bottomed Levis to church because he wanted to be "with it." Just embarrassing. Thank God that Baron Nib never did any such silly thing. He was always a proper gentleman in his behavior and dress.
This writer has noticed an infantilization of the spoken and written word that he finds disturbing. It goes beyond "baby bump" and "preggers." All too many times he has heard a person on television or radio, or read articles in the newspaper in which the reporter describes a frightening incident as "scary." In the old days such incidents were described as "frightening", "terrifying", "horrifying" or "disturbing." The word "scary" was a children's word that could be used of anything from falling off a skateboard to fighting off an ax murderer or watching a horror movie. It seems that a certain segment of society has not progressed from grade school descriptions of emotions because they have neither matured or they feel that the viewers are rather stupid.
If one listens or reads the outpourings from the news media and popular culture one can find many instances of baby-talk put forth by people, who by their educations alone, should know and (one would hope)desire to speak and write in an adult manner. And these people seem to show no embarrassment about using terms and words that were heretofore used exclusively by children. It's a wonder.
Other words or terms that have come into common usage in the media are "poo" instead of feces or offal (one wonders when Katie Couric will break new ground by saying "poo-poo","poopy" or "do-do"; "doing the nasty" instead of making love, mating or fornicating; "bad guy" instead of criminal, enemy, jerk or idiot. The list goes on and on.
Language changes over the years and centuries, but usually it becomes more sophisticated instead of degraded and infantile. This writer would suggest that news writer and reporters, before using words that they feel might be somewhat suspect (and they DO know unless they are complete idiots) that they look in a Roget's Thesaurus, the King James Bible or Shakespeare to find an adult word to replace the baby talk that they have been babbling to us for the past twenty years.
One shudders to think of what the next twenty years hold for the language. Perhaps a spoken form of text messaging. CN U DG IT?
Sunday, October 12, 2008
We're All Socialists Now
We here at the Manor have always made it a point to play by the rules.
We never built up mountains of debt, tried to pay for our cars with cash and have managed to pay off the mortgage and pay help without taking out a second mortgage. We have tried to save as much money as we can.
When we were young the very idea of taking out a loan of any size was considered shameful. One was expected, except in the case of the most dire emergency, to be self reliant as much as possible. One would borrow money from family members before going to the bank.
Now, due to the current financial "crisis" we find that the federal government is bound an determined to bail out everydamnbody who behaved in a less than wise financial manner. In other words, the government is bound and determined not to allow people fail who really should fail. It is like the indulgent mother of a gang member who has been arrested for shooting a slug from another gang crying, "My boy is a good boy" while the cops take the gun from the woman's son's hand and toss him into the squad car.
In other words, in the name of national interest the government has decided to institute what are, in fact, socialist measures to prevent the possibility of a "meltdown." Those who have behaved badly will be saved and those who have behaved responsibly will have to pay for it.
This writer fell asleep one night in a capitalist nation and woke up in a socialist one. And he never heard a shot fired or saw a ballot cast.
We never built up mountains of debt, tried to pay for our cars with cash and have managed to pay off the mortgage and pay help without taking out a second mortgage. We have tried to save as much money as we can.
When we were young the very idea of taking out a loan of any size was considered shameful. One was expected, except in the case of the most dire emergency, to be self reliant as much as possible. One would borrow money from family members before going to the bank.
Now, due to the current financial "crisis" we find that the federal government is bound an determined to bail out everydamnbody who behaved in a less than wise financial manner. In other words, the government is bound and determined not to allow people fail who really should fail. It is like the indulgent mother of a gang member who has been arrested for shooting a slug from another gang crying, "My boy is a good boy" while the cops take the gun from the woman's son's hand and toss him into the squad car.
In other words, in the name of national interest the government has decided to institute what are, in fact, socialist measures to prevent the possibility of a "meltdown." Those who have behaved badly will be saved and those who have behaved responsibly will have to pay for it.
This writer fell asleep one night in a capitalist nation and woke up in a socialist one. And he never heard a shot fired or saw a ballot cast.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Blame it on the Computer
Recently one of the judges for the Nobel Prize for Literature stated that he saw no chance for any American writers to be considered for the prize. The reason, he said, is that American writers are too "insular."
To be absolutely honest, this writer does not know exactly what he means considering the fact that the last American writer to receive a Nobel Prize for Literature was Toni Morrison; a woman who has made a career about writing exclusively about the lives of black people in America. There is nothing universal, despite what literature professors in Ivy League and Ivy League "wannabe" schools say in Morrison's writing.
But your faithful correspondent is in complete agreement that there is no American writer on the horizon, perhaps barring Joyce Carol Oates*, who deserves to even be nominated for the Prize. And the reason is simply this: contemporary American writers, even the literary ones, just can't write worth a damn. This is not to say that they cannot make themselves understood. But their writing is lacking in style and substance. It all seems to be cleaned up first drafts; the first expression of an idea is used without thought of using other words to make the thought deeper, funnier, sadder, more poignant, etc. But that may be their intention. We live in a world where first thoughts trump pondering and the exhibiting of raw emotion is considered being "real" while taking time to have a second thought is considered artifice.
Be that as it may, this writer blames much of the problem on the computer; specifically, the word processor. The use of a computer is the most artificial form of story telling. It verges on the writer almost becoming an android with the machine. Because of the ease of spell checking and the use of cut and paste features the machine becomes an assistant instead of a tool.
The best literary writing has been done by hand or by type writers. Compared to writing on a computer the use of pen or type writer are slow and messy. And it is the slowness and messiness that improve the writing. The hand writer and type writer have to constantly look over their work to fix spelling and grammatical errors, and in doing so they see how they can make their writing better by changing, adding or removing words, sentences or paragraphs. On a computer, on the other hand, the words are on a screen and with a press of a key all words can be properly spelled, and in some cases the grammar fixed, per style book rules. With a computer the writer depends on the machine to fix the flaws instead of going through pages, reading and re-reading, looking for and marking errors with pencil in preparation for typing up or writing the second draft. It is the reading and re-reading and re-reading again that makes the author ponder his or her story and writing. The computer makes the very act of writing too easy, and easy writing is not often good writing. There is no need to re-read and re-read the writing. The words magically appear on a screen and, in this age of television, what appears on a video screen must be good.
Your faithful correspondent has seen copies of first drafts by famous writers written by hand or on type writers and he has also seen what are called first drafts written by writers on computers. The difference is striking. The first drafts of the manual writers (hand and type writer) are marked up with spelling corrections, phrase, sentences and paragraphs marked out and hand written notes crammed into the margins. The computer based writers, on the other hand, change a word here or there and perhaps add a phrase. The manual writers bled over their work. The computer writers just tweak. The difference, to use a vulgar illustration is like that of a person building an engine for a top fuel rail based on a Chevy big block engine and tuning up the family SUV.
At this point you may be asking the following questions:
"But Lord Nib, how can you say such things? Do not writers in other nations not use computers to write their literature? And you yourself use a computer to write the Bloody Nib. Does that mean that the Bloody Nib is bad writing?"
This writer has the misfortune of being able to read only one language, and that language is English. The problem may hold true for other languages and probably does. Americans, Canadians and the English take to technological advances much faster than do other peoples and in taking to the technologies they sooner become dependent to them. It will soon become a flaw in the writings of non-English writing writers that writing becomes a co-operative effort between man and machine.
And yes, the writing on the Bloody Nib is bad writing. If this writer pounded out the entries on this blog on a typewriter as he once pounded out a monthly magazine on a typewriter the writing would be much better.
At the top of this post are photos of two writers, now deceased and much writers of much different style and substance who, each in his own way, were masters of unique styles that have yet to be matched.
On the left is William Faulkner, a writer of stately and ponderous prose who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949. He is, in the photo, working on a Royal desk type writer while wearing a collar and tie.
On the right Mickey Spillaine, the creator of the Mike Hammer novels, among other. Hard boiled, slangy and fast. His attire reflects his writing; casual and muscular. He is working on a Smith-Corona desk machine.
Neither man would have benefited from the use of a computer. In fact, a word processor would have probably ruined their writing because the word processor does not call for the sweat and blood that a type writer does.
There is another thing that has reduced the quality of American writing and that is the falling out of common knowledge of the Bible, Shakespeare and Homer not by the reader, but by the writer. These three sources have been, for centuries, the ground of literature, the sources of themes, phrases and ideas. Since they have fallen out of favor the ground has shifted and keeps shifting. There is no place to stand. And if there is no place to stand the is no place to locate a lever with which to move ideas.
For those who question this writer's presentation of the term "type writer" instead of "typewriter," please know that the original patent for the machine called the machine a "type writer."
And please know that this writer prefers the indented beginning to a paragraph to the current practice of starting the paragraph at the left hand margin.
*Joyce Carol Oates writes her novels longhand and then writes the final draft on an electric type writer.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Bail Out
Apparently our "leaders" have come to an agreement about how to handle a bail out of the misdeeds and idiocy of the Solons of Wall Street and the banking industry.
This writer does not claim to have any expertise about economic matters. His financial plan is based on the thoughts of John Wesley: Make as much as you can, save as much as you can and give as much as you can. But this writer thinks that the bail out plan is a bad idea simply because there is no Constitutional mandate for the federal government to bail out any one, let alone Wall Street and the bankers.
The speed with which this deal has been pushed through the halls of Congress reminds your faithful correspondent of the sale of a questionable used car. In other words, the salesman tells you that the car is great and if you don't buy it now someone else will be it and you'll be getting to work on the bus. Then, after you buy it, you find out that you have to spend as much as the car is worth or more to get the thing safely on the road.
Also, this writer is of the opinion that the businesses who partied at our expense have no business expecting us to suffer the hangover they caused.
Would the failure of the government to bail out the banks and investment houses result in a recession or depression? Perhaps. But that may be the very thing that we need to instill financial discipline on business and the populace.
This writer does not claim to have any expertise about economic matters. His financial plan is based on the thoughts of John Wesley: Make as much as you can, save as much as you can and give as much as you can. But this writer thinks that the bail out plan is a bad idea simply because there is no Constitutional mandate for the federal government to bail out any one, let alone Wall Street and the bankers.
The speed with which this deal has been pushed through the halls of Congress reminds your faithful correspondent of the sale of a questionable used car. In other words, the salesman tells you that the car is great and if you don't buy it now someone else will be it and you'll be getting to work on the bus. Then, after you buy it, you find out that you have to spend as much as the car is worth or more to get the thing safely on the road.
Also, this writer is of the opinion that the businesses who partied at our expense have no business expecting us to suffer the hangover they caused.
Would the failure of the government to bail out the banks and investment houses result in a recession or depression? Perhaps. But that may be the very thing that we need to instill financial discipline on business and the populace.
Calling All Screen Writers
Here's a story that hasn't gotten any attention from the television, radio or newspaper reporters: Mystery surrounds hijacked Iranian ship - The Long War Journal
One can almost look forward to the pulp novel based on this incident. Never mind the Robert Ludlam or Tom Clancy nonsense. This story deserves the Sax Rohmer ( writer of the Fu Manchu novels)or Maxwell Grant (writer of the Shadow novels). One can almost see a Republic Studios serial starring Clayton Moore in the story.
One can almost look forward to the pulp novel based on this incident. Never mind the Robert Ludlam or Tom Clancy nonsense. This story deserves the Sax Rohmer ( writer of the Fu Manchu novels)or Maxwell Grant (writer of the Shadow novels). One can almost see a Republic Studios serial starring Clayton Moore in the story.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Financial Crisis
Your faithful correspondent does not claim to know a whole lot about economics.
But he does know this:
If this writer conducted his financial affairs in the same way that the CEOs, CFOs and executives of the major banking, investment and insurance houses have he'd be living in a tent by the BNSF railroad tracks instead of softly descending with a golden parachute.
And this writer knows that no one would bail this writer out of his trouble except, maybe, his family. The federal government would give yours the big California "Howdy."
Socialism. Brought to you by Wall Street.
But he does know this:
If this writer conducted his financial affairs in the same way that the CEOs, CFOs and executives of the major banking, investment and insurance houses have he'd be living in a tent by the BNSF railroad tracks instead of softly descending with a golden parachute.
And this writer knows that no one would bail this writer out of his trouble except, maybe, his family. The federal government would give yours the big California "Howdy."
Socialism. Brought to you by Wall Street.
The Trouble With Tattoos
Those who know your faithful correspondent well are aware that he is a tattooed man. At one time he would have been considered a heavily tattooed man. At that time four tattoos or more on one person were considered to be the datum of a heavily tattooed person. Never mind how many tattoos this writer has because it is not to the point.
Let us just say that most people who know yours are not aware that he is tattooed at all. This is not due to any embarrassment on the part of this writer, but due more to discretion and the personal nature of said tattoos i.e., names, dates and symbols. The tattoos were not, not are not, for public consumption. They were and are personal images only of import to this writer and his loved ones.
But, in recent years, this writer has noticed that many young people seem to be using tattoos as fashion statements. They have become some sort of trend that the bearers may one day later grow to regret. Some, in fact, seem to be aspiring to get jobs with the circus sideshow as "Tattooed Men" while working as salesmen at Circuit City or preachers.
"Back in the day" tattoos were the purview of servicemen (usually sailors), roughnecks, bikers and anyone who, having drunk too much, wandered by a tattoo parlour thinking of "Mom." Tattooed people were a sub-culture who. Their tattoos were personal statements, not fashion statements.
And their tattoos made sense. They expressed sentiments or philosophies or experiences. They were not "tribal" or fashion. A hula girl or globe and anchor denoted memories of Hawaii or the Corps.
Nowadays it seems that every damn clerk at the local Wal-Mart or CVS is sporting some sort of "tribal" tattoos going from their shoulder to their wrist when the only tribe they ever belonged to was the generic white guy or gal. The tattoos mean no more to them than make up or tennis (or is it athletic?) shoes. What these young sprite do not seem to realize that one day they will be fifty years old with tattoos that reflect nothing more than a fashion. Does any young woman who has a "tramp stamp" tattooed on her lower back realize that one day she will be a granny hiding that thing from her dear little angel grandkids? Or does a future IBM executive realize that he will be wearing long sleeves at work until his retirement because he has a screaming skull in flames etched on his arm?
What has happened is that the youth of the middle and upper classes have taken over an art that has heretofore been the purview of the military, the working class and the lower class. They've, in effect, taken on something that is not theirs to present themselves as us. And they will one day regret their decision much to the delight of plastic surgeons. And they have made tattoos common and have made them less special to those who have had them for years.
Idiots.
Let us just say that most people who know yours are not aware that he is tattooed at all. This is not due to any embarrassment on the part of this writer, but due more to discretion and the personal nature of said tattoos i.e., names, dates and symbols. The tattoos were not, not are not, for public consumption. They were and are personal images only of import to this writer and his loved ones.
But, in recent years, this writer has noticed that many young people seem to be using tattoos as fashion statements. They have become some sort of trend that the bearers may one day later grow to regret. Some, in fact, seem to be aspiring to get jobs with the circus sideshow as "Tattooed Men" while working as salesmen at Circuit City or preachers.
"Back in the day" tattoos were the purview of servicemen (usually sailors), roughnecks, bikers and anyone who, having drunk too much, wandered by a tattoo parlour thinking of "Mom." Tattooed people were a sub-culture who. Their tattoos were personal statements, not fashion statements.
And their tattoos made sense. They expressed sentiments or philosophies or experiences. They were not "tribal" or fashion. A hula girl or globe and anchor denoted memories of Hawaii or the Corps.
Nowadays it seems that every damn clerk at the local Wal-Mart or CVS is sporting some sort of "tribal" tattoos going from their shoulder to their wrist when the only tribe they ever belonged to was the generic white guy or gal. The tattoos mean no more to them than make up or tennis (or is it athletic?) shoes. What these young sprite do not seem to realize that one day they will be fifty years old with tattoos that reflect nothing more than a fashion. Does any young woman who has a "tramp stamp" tattooed on her lower back realize that one day she will be a granny hiding that thing from her dear little angel grandkids? Or does a future IBM executive realize that he will be wearing long sleeves at work until his retirement because he has a screaming skull in flames etched on his arm?
What has happened is that the youth of the middle and upper classes have taken over an art that has heretofore been the purview of the military, the working class and the lower class. They've, in effect, taken on something that is not theirs to present themselves as us. And they will one day regret their decision much to the delight of plastic surgeons. And they have made tattoos common and have made them less special to those who have had them for years.
Idiots.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Celebrities Suck! But!
We here at the Manor have never had much use for celebrities. We have always felt that anyone who makes their living by posing or acting in front of a camera is a person who has no real life.
That is not to say that we think of actors/models/celebutards don't deserve privacy. Everyone, even if they shake their private parts as a business, deserves a modicum of privacy.
Ask yourself this question. "If I fell asleep on the lovely beach at Malibu while sunbathing would I appreciate it if a paparazzi was taking pictures of my crotch/open mouth/belly or boobs in the name of "freedom of the press?"
Perhaps you have experienced the same disconnect that your faithful correspondent has: after falling asleep on the chesterfield one suddenly awakes to find that the television is tuned to an episode of TNZ or Access Hollywood. And one has found out that (insert celebrutard's name here) has done something human and wondered, "What's the big deal?"
This is all nonsense. Celebrities are almost the least of humans. They contribute little too the civitas. And the paps and their employers are the least of humans.
The only thing for the average man or woman is to "paparazzi' the paparazzi and their masters. In other words, dog Harvey Levin every day and every minute and see how he likes it.
That is not to say that we think of actors/models/celebutards don't deserve privacy. Everyone, even if they shake their private parts as a business, deserves a modicum of privacy.
Ask yourself this question. "If I fell asleep on the lovely beach at Malibu while sunbathing would I appreciate it if a paparazzi was taking pictures of my crotch/open mouth/belly or boobs in the name of "freedom of the press?"
Perhaps you have experienced the same disconnect that your faithful correspondent has: after falling asleep on the chesterfield one suddenly awakes to find that the television is tuned to an episode of TNZ or Access Hollywood. And one has found out that (insert celebrutard's name here) has done something human and wondered, "What's the big deal?"
This is all nonsense. Celebrities are almost the least of humans. They contribute little too the civitas. And the paps and their employers are the least of humans.
The only thing for the average man or woman is to "paparazzi' the paparazzi and their masters. In other words, dog Harvey Levin every day and every minute and see how he likes it.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
There's sumpin' wrong here
Both of these are rather old stories by Internet standards. But as you read them compare and contrast:
Schoolboys punished with detention for refusing to kneel down and pray to Allah | Mail Online
Christian registrar who refused to marry gay couples reveals bullying ordeal at hands of politically correct colleagues | Mail Online
One wonders what would have transpired if the registrar had been a Muslim who had refused to marry gay couples. Would the multi-cultural nonsense trump the political correctness nonsense. Or would it be the other way around?
Once one reduces standards it seems that one is adrift.
Schoolboys punished with detention for refusing to kneel down and pray to Allah | Mail Online
Christian registrar who refused to marry gay couples reveals bullying ordeal at hands of politically correct colleagues | Mail Online
One wonders what would have transpired if the registrar had been a Muslim who had refused to marry gay couples. Would the multi-cultural nonsense trump the political correctness nonsense. Or would it be the other way around?
Once one reduces standards it seems that one is adrift.
These Are Our Leaders?!
As those in the know are aware, Bloody Nib Manor is in the state of California. This is an unfortunate state of affairs as we at the Manor would much rather be our own city-state.
But being in the Golden State we often find ourselves at the mercy of politicians who have the capability for logic as do three year old children. Two examples of Californian politicos thinking follow:
The governor of the state, a former body builder and B-movie actor, stated that the recent wildfires in the state were due to "global warming." The fires in question were caused by lightening strikes in forests and the fires spread because of bad forest management. The temperatures in the affected areas did not rise to 451 degrees before the fires broke out. And the fires burned so enthusiastically because there had been no clearing of brush by earlier fires for over fifty years. Redskin Indians had a better understanding of forestry management than this Austrian hillbilly. There are times when wildfires are the result of nature and should be allowed to burn. The problem is that the state allowed too much growth of forests and scrub. Not global warming.
The senior senator of the state, Dianne Feinstein ("I can have a concealed carry permit but you can't even if you live in a crime ridden neighborhood") recently stated that the water supply problem in the state was due to the fact that the original water supply system was designed when the state had a population of 16 million and now the population is over 30 million and that the residents of the state had better get damned used to using less water. This is the same woman who wanted, last year, to legalize a couple million illegal aliens in the state instead of deporting them. Apparently illegal aliens, in her mind, do not use water as she has yet to advocate the deportation of people who are here illegally and and partake of the state's water supply.
Perhaps it might be a good idea to require all elected officials, upon, election and re-election, take and pass a course in logic.
But being in the Golden State we often find ourselves at the mercy of politicians who have the capability for logic as do three year old children. Two examples of Californian politicos thinking follow:
The governor of the state, a former body builder and B-movie actor, stated that the recent wildfires in the state were due to "global warming." The fires in question were caused by lightening strikes in forests and the fires spread because of bad forest management. The temperatures in the affected areas did not rise to 451 degrees before the fires broke out. And the fires burned so enthusiastically because there had been no clearing of brush by earlier fires for over fifty years. Redskin Indians had a better understanding of forestry management than this Austrian hillbilly. There are times when wildfires are the result of nature and should be allowed to burn. The problem is that the state allowed too much growth of forests and scrub. Not global warming.
The senior senator of the state, Dianne Feinstein ("I can have a concealed carry permit but you can't even if you live in a crime ridden neighborhood") recently stated that the water supply problem in the state was due to the fact that the original water supply system was designed when the state had a population of 16 million and now the population is over 30 million and that the residents of the state had better get damned used to using less water. This is the same woman who wanted, last year, to legalize a couple million illegal aliens in the state instead of deporting them. Apparently illegal aliens, in her mind, do not use water as she has yet to advocate the deportation of people who are here illegally and and partake of the state's water supply.
Perhaps it might be a good idea to require all elected officials, upon, election and re-election, take and pass a course in logic.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Baseball!
Your faithful correspondent has not yet this year mentioned the great game of baseball.
As those in the know are aware, we here at the Manor are fans of the Anaheim Angels (now known as the Los Angeles Angels) despite the fact that the Angels are an American League team. When we are asked why we are Angels cranks, despite the fact that we find the DH rule loathsome, we reply, "Because they are not the Dodgers."
Lisa Fabrizio has written an interesting piece regarding the DH rule. It is worthy some consideration:
Intellectual Conservative Politics and Philosophy
As those in the know are aware, we here at the Manor are fans of the Anaheim Angels (now known as the Los Angeles Angels) despite the fact that the Angels are an American League team. When we are asked why we are Angels cranks, despite the fact that we find the DH rule loathsome, we reply, "Because they are not the Dodgers."
Lisa Fabrizio has written an interesting piece regarding the DH rule. It is worthy some consideration:
Intellectual Conservative Politics and Philosophy
Saturday, June 28, 2008
It's a Pretty Sad Day
While at the local office supply store (previously known as "stationer'") your faithful correspondent happened to pick up a box or Dixon Ticonderoga pencils and noticed two things: the box lacked the rendition of Ethan Allen as was the norm in days gone by, and that the pencils were made in China,
When this writer was a wee laddie Ticonderoga pencils were THE pencil for writing. Drafting and engineering pencils were another thing left best to the professionals. Those pencils were usually German, and thus suspect. But Ticonderoga pencil, especially the 2.5, were what pencil writing was all about. And they were, up until recently, made in the US.
Now this writer finds that "The World's Best Pencil" is made in China.
The question arises: Why? Pencil making is pretty much an automated process and one finds oneself wondering if the cost of labor and shipping from China of the pencils is really so much cheaper than the manufacture of pencils in the US.
Up until now your faithful correspondent has been an enthusiastic, indeed, a champion, of Ticonderoga pencils. But no more. This writer refuses to rely on, or pay, an oppressive regime to write his daily missives and calculations. Instead, being unable to buy a decent writing pencil made in the US, he will pay his custom to either Mars-Staedler or Koh-I-Noor. They may be German, but they don't rely on slave labor.
When this writer was a wee laddie Ticonderoga pencils were THE pencil for writing. Drafting and engineering pencils were another thing left best to the professionals. Those pencils were usually German, and thus suspect. But Ticonderoga pencil, especially the 2.5, were what pencil writing was all about. And they were, up until recently, made in the US.
Now this writer finds that "The World's Best Pencil" is made in China.
The question arises: Why? Pencil making is pretty much an automated process and one finds oneself wondering if the cost of labor and shipping from China of the pencils is really so much cheaper than the manufacture of pencils in the US.
Up until now your faithful correspondent has been an enthusiastic, indeed, a champion, of Ticonderoga pencils. But no more. This writer refuses to rely on, or pay, an oppressive regime to write his daily missives and calculations. Instead, being unable to buy a decent writing pencil made in the US, he will pay his custom to either Mars-Staedler or Koh-I-Noor. They may be German, but they don't rely on slave labor.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
No Endorsement
The few readers of this blog have asked your faithful correspondent who. between Barack Obama and John McCain he intends to support and cast his vote for as president of the United States.
To be short, the answer is neither.
To choose either is to make a choice between Laural and Hardy or Abbot and Costello.
This year is one of those years that occasionally appears in the history of the Great Republic in which one has to make a choice between between bad and badder. The question is which is bad and which is badder..
So, until November, this writer will not write on things of the domestic political nature.
To be short, the answer is neither.
To choose either is to make a choice between Laural and Hardy or Abbot and Costello.
This year is one of those years that occasionally appears in the history of the Great Republic in which one has to make a choice between between bad and badder. The question is which is bad and which is badder..
So, until November, this writer will not write on things of the domestic political nature.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day
Today the Baroness, the ever lovely Lady Nib and your faithful correspondent visited the internment site of the Baron at the Riverside National Cemetery.
Being Memorial Day, there was a lot of traffic on the road to the cemetery and within the cemetery. Small flags were placed over the grave sites and many people had come to pay tribute to their loved ones who had served in the various wars that the United States has waged to preserve its own independence, as well as the freedoms enjoyed in other nations.
While in the cemetery this writer noted that there were many visitors riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles and that there were no visitors driver Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Lexus cars. Almost all the automobiles that this writer saw were of the work-a-day type driven by people who work for others type. And this observation made this writer wonder if it were not a true thing that the people who appreciate the sacrifices of those who have gone before really appreciate their freedoms more than those who see the nation as a money generating machine.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Men in Hats
It's been a while since this writer has added to the Men in Hats series.
To the left is the British actor Patrick Malahide portraying the character Inspector Roderick Allyn in the series The Inspector Allyn Mysteries, which were based on the novels by Ngaio Marsh.
As can be seen, Mr Malahide is wearing a homberg hat (not this writer's favorite form of head gear), and he is wearing it well and with a bit of dash. Note the slight tilt of the brim. The knowledgeable hat wearer will always wear a hat somewhat tilted. It denotes an attitude of savior faire without being outre'.
And while it is not evident in the photo, Mr. Malahide, in the television program, wore his suits extremely well. Only Tom Wolfe wore a suit better.
A Blast From the Past
Back in the days before political correctness was even an embryonic concept in the mind of a guilt ridden Westerner, it was not unusual for Americans and Europeans to consider the rest of the world as benighted by superstition, savagery and paganism. This was an attitude especially held toward the Near and Middle East and Africa, The Far East was considered a little iffy savage wise. And to hold those views was not considered to be a bad thing. The only thing that was considered to be of any use out of the Islamic world was algebra -- a science of questionable worth since it has little practical application. Otherwise Muslims were considered heretics whose religion fed off of Judaism and Christianity.
Winston Churchill, in his account of the River Wars, said something that no American politician will say: Winston Churchill On Islam
Meanwhile, our president has deigned it proper to to meet with the Saudi leadership, ask for more oil production and have his request rejected and then tell the Saudis that the US will help them build their nuclear power industry while not pushing for the same thing of our Congress.
Something is really wrong.
Winston Churchill, in his account of the River Wars, said something that no American politician will say: Winston Churchill On Islam
Meanwhile, our president has deigned it proper to to meet with the Saudi leadership, ask for more oil production and have his request rejected and then tell the Saudis that the US will help them build their nuclear power industry while not pushing for the same thing of our Congress.
Something is really wrong.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Oprah the Great
We here at the Manor are Christians of the Protestant, rock ribbed Puritan sort. We believe the Bible is the Word of God and we try conform to the dictates of the Scriptures. We believe that Christianity is the only true religion and that salvation is found only through Christ alone.
In this viewpoint we are not alone. Christianity, in a form, is America's default religion despite the whining of your local Muslim that Islam is misunderstood. The reason that Islam is "misunderstood" is because Islam is a false religion as are Hinduism, Buddhism and Scientology, among others. Judaism is a religion that has been cut short. Jews are half right. But being half right is the same as being wrong.
But to get to the point.
Oprah Winfrey has decided that she is a religious leader. Thirty years ago her babbling would have been laughable. But, like a termite, she has burrowed herself into the body of society with touchy-feeling nonsense before springing her new religion.
Ms. Winfrey has hooked her wagon to a yuk name Eckert Tolle who spouts the usual New Age nonsense. And, as we say here at the Manor, New Age is the same as the old bull corn. Some years ago Ms. Winfrey championed Maryanne Williamson, another purveyor of bull corn.
One would say that Ms. Winfrey is dangerous. But let's face the fact. Anyone who gets their religion from a television talk show host deserves a television talk show religion. She seems to be separating the sheep from the goats. And there seem to be a lot of goats.
In this viewpoint we are not alone. Christianity, in a form, is America's default religion despite the whining of your local Muslim that Islam is misunderstood. The reason that Islam is "misunderstood" is because Islam is a false religion as are Hinduism, Buddhism and Scientology, among others. Judaism is a religion that has been cut short. Jews are half right. But being half right is the same as being wrong.
But to get to the point.
Oprah Winfrey has decided that she is a religious leader. Thirty years ago her babbling would have been laughable. But, like a termite, she has burrowed herself into the body of society with touchy-feeling nonsense before springing her new religion.
Ms. Winfrey has hooked her wagon to a yuk name Eckert Tolle who spouts the usual New Age nonsense. And, as we say here at the Manor, New Age is the same as the old bull corn. Some years ago Ms. Winfrey championed Maryanne Williamson, another purveyor of bull corn.
One would say that Ms. Winfrey is dangerous. But let's face the fact. Anyone who gets their religion from a television talk show host deserves a television talk show religion. She seems to be separating the sheep from the goats. And there seem to be a lot of goats.
What The Hell?
Those in the know are aware that Bloody Nib Manor is in the state of California. The Manor was established in in the Golden State back in the 1930s when the Baroness moved here from Misery. We consider ourselves as Prunies and we remember when the state and the population of the state was uninfected by the East Coast sensibility that has since the 1960s.
Well, to get to the point, the Supreme Court of the State of California has declared that a state measure voted upon the populace to ban gay marriage is unconstitutional. The result of the Court's declaration was a bunch of public prancing and dancing by gays and women gays (why call them lesbians when heterosexual woman are called heterosexuals, as are straight men, instead of being referred to as, oh I don't know, Penelopeists {read Homer's Odyssey if you're clueless}) saying that they'll get "married" when they have the first chance.
The mayor of Los Angeles, has always seemed to be a little light on his feet, if you know what this writer means, says that he will perform gay "weddings" when he gets the first chance.
This is the mayor of a city where the streets are almost undrivable in places due to pot holes on the street, one is hesitant to venture into certain neighborhoods for fear of being mugged or shot and the city is so far into debt that any respectable man would shoot himself in the head from the shame that his incompetence has wrought.
Is there a problem with priorities here?
Meanwhile, the Governor of the state, a bad actor in both the movies and as a governor, has stated that he will work against any new proposition to ban gay "marriage." He states that there are more important problems in the state than gay "marriage." This doesn't make any sense. The proposition that will appear on the November ballot will be voted on by the citizens of the state. The governor not assembly nor state senate has any voice in the matter beyond their "influence" with the voters. If the state has more important matters to address than gay "marriage" why is Conan the Barbarian talking about it? Why is he not addressing the budget deficit? And he just doesn't seem to get the fact that if gay "marriage" is legalized in the state the state will receive fewer tax dollars simply because a number of homosexuals, of whatever flavour,, will be filing jointly instead of as individuals. In other words. gays being "married" results in fewer tax dollars, let alone the undermining of the moral fabric of the society.
Ain't identity politics great?
Well, to get to the point, the Supreme Court of the State of California has declared that a state measure voted upon the populace to ban gay marriage is unconstitutional. The result of the Court's declaration was a bunch of public prancing and dancing by gays and women gays (why call them lesbians when heterosexual woman are called heterosexuals, as are straight men, instead of being referred to as, oh I don't know, Penelopeists {read Homer's Odyssey if you're clueless}) saying that they'll get "married" when they have the first chance.
The mayor of Los Angeles, has always seemed to be a little light on his feet, if you know what this writer means, says that he will perform gay "weddings" when he gets the first chance.
This is the mayor of a city where the streets are almost undrivable in places due to pot holes on the street, one is hesitant to venture into certain neighborhoods for fear of being mugged or shot and the city is so far into debt that any respectable man would shoot himself in the head from the shame that his incompetence has wrought.
Is there a problem with priorities here?
Meanwhile, the Governor of the state, a bad actor in both the movies and as a governor, has stated that he will work against any new proposition to ban gay "marriage." He states that there are more important problems in the state than gay "marriage." This doesn't make any sense. The proposition that will appear on the November ballot will be voted on by the citizens of the state. The governor not assembly nor state senate has any voice in the matter beyond their "influence" with the voters. If the state has more important matters to address than gay "marriage" why is Conan the Barbarian talking about it? Why is he not addressing the budget deficit? And he just doesn't seem to get the fact that if gay "marriage" is legalized in the state the state will receive fewer tax dollars simply because a number of homosexuals, of whatever flavour,, will be filing jointly instead of as individuals. In other words. gays being "married" results in fewer tax dollars, let alone the undermining of the moral fabric of the society.
Ain't identity politics great?
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Some Pigs
This past week the American populace managed to survive the Pennsylvania primary without falling apart or going into the vapours despite the worrying of the media.
The whole thing is ridiculous. In a classical American world the choosing of a president would have little effect on the lives of the average American. It used to be that the average Yank spent most of his or her time, when dealing with the government, dealing with the state and local government. Washington, D.C. was "out there." It was, unless there was a declared war on, a concept more than a reality. The Federal government was an idea that was meant to guarantee the rights of the individual instead of playing the part of the "Sugar Daddy" bailing one out of bad mortgage deals or bad behaviour.
Now we have three potential candidates for the office of the President who, in reality, are really not that much different, in the Constitutional sense, from one another. They all see the Federal government as the end all and be all of the governance of the populace. And they all are elitists. They know more than we do. They want to run and control our lives and behaviours.
This correspondent foresees the day when your paycheck will be given directly to the Federal government and then the Federal government will pay you rent or mortgage, decide what you will buy at the grocery store (always healthy food), and allow the citizen a minimal amount of disposable income to use for movies, golf and gas.
Our Overloads, no matter what party, have decided that they know what is best for us. We'll be riding city and Greyhound buses while they fly in private jets.
It's enough to make one wonder if Jefferson was not correct in his statement that a revolution every generation is required to keep Americans free.
The whole thing is ridiculous. In a classical American world the choosing of a president would have little effect on the lives of the average American. It used to be that the average Yank spent most of his or her time, when dealing with the government, dealing with the state and local government. Washington, D.C. was "out there." It was, unless there was a declared war on, a concept more than a reality. The Federal government was an idea that was meant to guarantee the rights of the individual instead of playing the part of the "Sugar Daddy" bailing one out of bad mortgage deals or bad behaviour.
Now we have three potential candidates for the office of the President who, in reality, are really not that much different, in the Constitutional sense, from one another. They all see the Federal government as the end all and be all of the governance of the populace. And they all are elitists. They know more than we do. They want to run and control our lives and behaviours.
This correspondent foresees the day when your paycheck will be given directly to the Federal government and then the Federal government will pay you rent or mortgage, decide what you will buy at the grocery store (always healthy food), and allow the citizen a minimal amount of disposable income to use for movies, golf and gas.
Our Overloads, no matter what party, have decided that they know what is best for us. We'll be riding city and Greyhound buses while they fly in private jets.
It's enough to make one wonder if Jefferson was not correct in his statement that a revolution every generation is required to keep Americans free.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Enough to gag a maggot
We here at the Manor have not paid close attention to the present presidential race. Since the race has come down to McCaine, Obama and Clinton we have come to the conclusion that choosing among the three is like trying to decide which of the Three Stooges was the smartest. Homer Simpson, the cartoon character, once stated of the Stooges, that "Moe is their leader." The question is, which one of the three candidates is Moe?
But occasionally the candidates say something either so stupid or clueless that we are forced to take our minds off our plans for the upcoming fox hunt.
A case in point is the latest Obama kefuffle: Ben Smith's Blog - Politico.com. The odd thing is that we at the Manor are bitter about the government. And we own a gun or two, go to church and don't like illegal aliens. But we are bitter because our elected Overlords do not seem to be capable of minding their own damn business and keeping their nose out of ours. Any man or woman who expects the government to look after them, save them or care about them should probably move to the poor farm or Sweden. Sweden is a nice place -- if you don't live there.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Clinton seems to feel that she has to show herself a "regular guy." She was co-opted on the bowling gag by Obambi, so she went to a bar in Crown Point, Indiana where she downed a Boilermaker consisting of a shot of Crown Royal and cheap beer. The thought of the image is comical. But no one has pointed out that Mrs. Clinton drank a shot of Canadian whisky and not bourbon or Jack Daniels. Using the "logic" of your average college professor one could say that in gulping Crown Royal instead of Maker's Mark Mrs. Clinton was professing her allegiance to the Canadian style of governance.
Before we here at the Manor are accused of hypocrisy, let it be known that our favored whiskey is Scotch. But we're not running for federal office and we're not trying to prove that we are "regular guys."
But occasionally the candidates say something either so stupid or clueless that we are forced to take our minds off our plans for the upcoming fox hunt.
A case in point is the latest Obama kefuffle: Ben Smith's Blog - Politico.com. The odd thing is that we at the Manor are bitter about the government. And we own a gun or two, go to church and don't like illegal aliens. But we are bitter because our elected Overlords do not seem to be capable of minding their own damn business and keeping their nose out of ours. Any man or woman who expects the government to look after them, save them or care about them should probably move to the poor farm or Sweden. Sweden is a nice place -- if you don't live there.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Clinton seems to feel that she has to show herself a "regular guy." She was co-opted on the bowling gag by Obambi, so she went to a bar in Crown Point, Indiana where she downed a Boilermaker consisting of a shot of Crown Royal and cheap beer. The thought of the image is comical. But no one has pointed out that Mrs. Clinton drank a shot of Canadian whisky and not bourbon or Jack Daniels. Using the "logic" of your average college professor one could say that in gulping Crown Royal instead of Maker's Mark Mrs. Clinton was professing her allegiance to the Canadian style of governance.
Before we here at the Manor are accused of hypocrisy, let it be known that our favored whiskey is Scotch. But we're not running for federal office and we're not trying to prove that we are "regular guys."
Sunday, April 06, 2008
The Passing of a Friend
We here at the Manor have been blessed to have shared our time and space with a little cocker spaniel named Jip. She was buff colored and goofy and very sweet. She was adopted from the local animal shelter when she was about three years old. When your faithful correspondent brought her home from the shelter she sat on his lap while he was driving her to the Manor. Jip chose to live at the Manor as much as we at the Manor chose her. And we feel that we were honored and privileged to know and love her.
Jip passed away this week. There is no obituary that this correspondent can write that does justice to her. We've lived with many dogs, but Jip was a special friend. She was the kind of dog that makes one wonder if one is a good enough a man to have such a dog.
She is dearly missed by many. She is the friend by which other friends will be measured.
RIP
Jip passed away this week. There is no obituary that this correspondent can write that does justice to her. We've lived with many dogs, but Jip was a special friend. She was the kind of dog that makes one wonder if one is a good enough a man to have such a dog.
She is dearly missed by many. She is the friend by which other friends will be measured.
RIP
Islam is a Losing Proposition
In the past your faithful correspondent has ranted about the evils of Islam and Islamism. And in the future he will continue to do so.
But this writer may have given the impression that those who have been born into the Islamic religion are irrevocably lost to the truth that is found in Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not true. Those who God has deigned to be saved will be saved. And among those who have been chosen are a good number of number of Muslims who have seen the Light of the World.
This article gives information about Ex-Muslims who have found Christ: Pajamas Media » Blog Archive » Muslims Leaving Islam in Droves If one can believe the statements made in the article there are many more "secret Christians" in traditionally Muslim lands than we know. To think that the conversion rate among Muslims to Christianity is much greater than that among Christians converting to Islam is a cause for rejoicing. Secret Christians will raise other secret Christians and before long secret Christians will be able to, without fear, come into the open and declare their faith due to their sheer numbers. These Christians deserve our prayers and support. They are the hope of the Middle East. Islam has no hope for its adherents.
This link: A Muslim Journey to Hope features video testimonies by Muslims who have come to faith in Christ. Please note the sacrifices these brothers and sister have made to publicly proclaim their adherence to the Truth.
But this writer may have given the impression that those who have been born into the Islamic religion are irrevocably lost to the truth that is found in Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not true. Those who God has deigned to be saved will be saved. And among those who have been chosen are a good number of number of Muslims who have seen the Light of the World.
This article gives information about Ex-Muslims who have found Christ: Pajamas Media » Blog Archive » Muslims Leaving Islam in Droves If one can believe the statements made in the article there are many more "secret Christians" in traditionally Muslim lands than we know. To think that the conversion rate among Muslims to Christianity is much greater than that among Christians converting to Islam is a cause for rejoicing. Secret Christians will raise other secret Christians and before long secret Christians will be able to, without fear, come into the open and declare their faith due to their sheer numbers. These Christians deserve our prayers and support. They are the hope of the Middle East. Islam has no hope for its adherents.
This link: A Muslim Journey to Hope features video testimonies by Muslims who have come to faith in Christ. Please note the sacrifices these brothers and sister have made to publicly proclaim their adherence to the Truth.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others
Some people in the Western world seem to have a desire to commit suicide by allowing others to pull the trigger. Or, on the other hand, they may feel that those coming from the benighted lands where Islam is the default religion, are allowed bad behavior because said Muslims are invincably ignorant. In other words, the average Bangladeshi is so damn dumb that even after he immigrates to a Western society he is unable to comprehend that in the West it is expected that, as long as babies, women, sheep or oxen are not sacrificed on an altar, one is pretty much free to practice one's own religion and it is expected that one shoild let other practice their own religion.
But there seem to be people in Great Britain who do not seem to understand the concept: Vicar attacked for 'being a Christian' after hate campaign by yobs who claimed his church 'should be a mosque' | the Daily Mail .
There are two disturbing things about this story. The first is that members of a minority religion would feel free to attack a member of the majority religion. The second is that it is not a bigger story. If a mosque had been defaced by vandals with cans of spray paint there would have been cries of "racism" and "hate crime" and calls for special police protection of the mosque. But, in this case it's a case of, "Nothing to see. Move along." The police claim that they are investigating the assault as a "faith hate" crime. But you can be sure that they are doing a lot less than they would be doing if the local imam had complained about being flipped off after running a red light.
And the Western press wonders why the Orcs think we're weak.
On another front,a Roman Catholic bishop has finally gotten around to taking a stand: STLtoday - News - Religion . As is well known, only men are allowed to be priests in the Roman Catholic Church. While we here at Nib Manor are Protestants of the conservative sort, we appreciate the restricting. Speaking personally, your faithful correspondent has yet to hear a decent sermon delivered by a woman pastor. But there are a number of women in the Roman Catholic Church who are bound and determined to wear a dog collar. The same thing happened in the Anglican Church and the result was the silliness exhibited by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Episcopal Church in the United States.
Here's a question for women who feel that it is their right to be ordained priests in the Roman Catholic Church despite the findings of Canon law. Why don't you start your own church using the rituals and liturgies of the Roman church?If the Roman Catholic Church is wrong about the ordination of women could it not be wrong about other things? And if the teachings of the Church true then the ordination of women is wrong. Live in the house or build a house. Don't be a termite.
But there seem to be people in Great Britain who do not seem to understand the concept: Vicar attacked for 'being a Christian' after hate campaign by yobs who claimed his church 'should be a mosque' | the Daily Mail .
There are two disturbing things about this story. The first is that members of a minority religion would feel free to attack a member of the majority religion. The second is that it is not a bigger story. If a mosque had been defaced by vandals with cans of spray paint there would have been cries of "racism" and "hate crime" and calls for special police protection of the mosque. But, in this case it's a case of, "Nothing to see. Move along." The police claim that they are investigating the assault as a "faith hate" crime. But you can be sure that they are doing a lot less than they would be doing if the local imam had complained about being flipped off after running a red light.
And the Western press wonders why the Orcs think we're weak.
On another front,a Roman Catholic bishop has finally gotten around to taking a stand: STLtoday - News - Religion . As is well known, only men are allowed to be priests in the Roman Catholic Church. While we here at Nib Manor are Protestants of the conservative sort, we appreciate the restricting. Speaking personally, your faithful correspondent has yet to hear a decent sermon delivered by a woman pastor. But there are a number of women in the Roman Catholic Church who are bound and determined to wear a dog collar. The same thing happened in the Anglican Church and the result was the silliness exhibited by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Episcopal Church in the United States.
Here's a question for women who feel that it is their right to be ordained priests in the Roman Catholic Church despite the findings of Canon law. Why don't you start your own church using the rituals and liturgies of the Roman church?If the Roman Catholic Church is wrong about the ordination of women could it not be wrong about other things? And if the teachings of the Church true then the ordination of women is wrong. Live in the house or build a house. Don't be a termite.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Clowns in the Moonlight
A recent study in England among the youth found that the youth are afraid of clowns: Don't send in the clowns Oddly Enough Reuters.
The silent movie star, Lon Chaney, the star of such classics as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera once said something to the effect of, "There is nothing more frightening than a clown in the moonlight."
Well, this coming Tuesday is the primary election in the state of California. There are four people running for the nomination of their respective parties.
Four clowns. In the moonlight.
Be afraid.
The silent movie star, Lon Chaney, the star of such classics as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera once said something to the effect of, "There is nothing more frightening than a clown in the moonlight."
Well, this coming Tuesday is the primary election in the state of California. There are four people running for the nomination of their respective parties.
Four clowns. In the moonlight.
Be afraid.
When They Came for the Smokers...
Some years ago the anti-smoker movement started. The movement first started with teh idea that the anti-smokers were saving the smokers from themselves. When the success of that idea came a cropper the hypothesis of second-hand smoke killing non-smokers was started despite the fact that the science of the hypothesis was, and is, shaky. At the time, the wiser heads among us stated that the banning of smoking and the demonization of smokers was just the beginning of a health fascism. The do-ggoders laughed it off and said that it would stop with smoking.
Well, the piper is demanding to be paid: Mississippi Pols Seek To Ban Fats - February 1, 2008 Please note that the "fats" referred to in the story are not inanimate fats like lard or trans-fats. Here "fats" means fat people, i.e. the chubby, the portly, the overweight, the plump.
The proposed law claims that the law is just good for the fat. It is a way to make them slim down. But it won;t be long before some researcher in search of a federally funded grant will develop a hypothesis of second-hand fat. It will be based on the idea that people eating watching other people eating to "excess" will be tempted to over-indulge.
Instead of the creeping health fascism that has been chopping off our freedoms inch by inch, why do the politicians not cut to the chase? Instead of us shopping and cooking for ourselves or eating what we want why do they not start a goverment program to shut down all food stores and resturants and instead provide us all daily, via government vans, with the food that they deem healthy in both portion and content? We'll all stand outside at eight in the morning waiting for the van to bring us our prepackaged and prepared three daily meals of soy protein, vegetables and grains. And then they can pass a law requiring compulsory exercise so that we can all be fit and healthy and bitchy. And the insurance companies can make a lot more money.
Well, the piper is demanding to be paid: Mississippi Pols Seek To Ban Fats - February 1, 2008 Please note that the "fats" referred to in the story are not inanimate fats like lard or trans-fats. Here "fats" means fat people, i.e. the chubby, the portly, the overweight, the plump.
The proposed law claims that the law is just good for the fat. It is a way to make them slim down. But it won;t be long before some researcher in search of a federally funded grant will develop a hypothesis of second-hand fat. It will be based on the idea that people eating watching other people eating to "excess" will be tempted to over-indulge.
Instead of the creeping health fascism that has been chopping off our freedoms inch by inch, why do the politicians not cut to the chase? Instead of us shopping and cooking for ourselves or eating what we want why do they not start a goverment program to shut down all food stores and resturants and instead provide us all daily, via government vans, with the food that they deem healthy in both portion and content? We'll all stand outside at eight in the morning waiting for the van to bring us our prepackaged and prepared three daily meals of soy protein, vegetables and grains. And then they can pass a law requiring compulsory exercise so that we can all be fit and healthy and bitchy. And the insurance companies can make a lot more money.
England. Where No Christian Dare Go
In a previous post your faithful correspondent offered a link to a story about the Bishop of Rochester saying that there were places in England where it would not be wise for a non-Muslim to go. Now the reaction has come in regarding the Rt. Rev. Nazir-Ali's comments and it shows that the religion of peace is, as suspected, the religion of pieces: Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, faces death threats -Times Online.
And if you should have the misfortune of going to a hospital or having a loved one go to a hospital and want to go to the hospital chapel or meditation room to pray, well, if you are not an Islamo-orc, you might want to consider finding another place to perform your devotions: Hospital porter fired in crucifix row - News - Manchester Evening News Apparently, in England, being a Christian is an act of hate while being an Islamo-orc strikes the fear of God into the infidels.
Isn't multiculturalism a great thing?
And if you should have the misfortune of going to a hospital or having a loved one go to a hospital and want to go to the hospital chapel or meditation room to pray, well, if you are not an Islamo-orc, you might want to consider finding another place to perform your devotions: Hospital porter fired in crucifix row - News - Manchester Evening News Apparently, in England, being a Christian is an act of hate while being an Islamo-orc strikes the fear of God into the infidels.
Isn't multiculturalism a great thing?
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Bad Guys and Eggheads
Maureen Faulkner, the widow of Officer Daniel Faulkner, along with Michael Smerconish has recently written a book about the killing of Officer Faulkner by Mumia Abu Jamal in Philadelphia in 1981. Your faithful correspondent does not remember the title of the book, but it can be easily found by checking Amazon.com.
The former Mrs. Faulkner (she has since re-married and moved to California) has been interviewed several times on the more reputable talk radio programs and it brought to this writer's mind the travesty of the elite's support for the evil Abu Jamal.
Those who have a memory for such things, will remember that Jamal was originally sentenced to death in Pennsylvania. He claims to be a victim of institutional racism. The details are here: :: Justice for Daniel Faulkner :: (an admittedly biased website, but one can read the transcripts of the trial). The usual suspects i.e. Mike Farrell, Susan Sarandon, Ed Asner, et al, have championed this monster's cause without not knowing a damn thing about what happened when Faulkner was killed. They see an "oppressed' black man with some writing and radio talent who, because he's not a knuckle dragging thug a' la Moose Malone, must be a victim of "the man."
A search engine look at the term Mumia Abu Jamal will find site after site in support of the man: Educators for Jamal, Journalists for Jamal, Knuckleheads for Jamal. It is not unusual to go to the local Starbucks (what's the difference between Starbucks and McDonald's besides the fact that one can't get fries at Starbucks?) and see some kid wearing a Free Mumia t-shirt. The French renamed a street in Paris for the guy (but the French, go figger). And there is a movement to rename a street in New York City after this guy. Oddly, there has been no movement to rename a street in Philadelphia (where most of the populace knows a killer when it sees one) after Jamal.
It's all ridiculous and stupid and just plain silly. There is an element among the elite (those who think they know better than the man in the street and the first ones to be hanged if a real working class revolt were to take place) who think that if a man or woman can write more than one sentence without making a grammatical error that person cannot be a criminal. Note that such persons do not volunteer to take said "victim" into their own homes to decompress. They want the "victim" to live in your neighborhood just in case the "victim" is really as bad as the legal system and real victims say that he or she is.
Talent in writing, speaking or singing does not mean that the writer, speaker or singer is not a criminal. The Marquis De Sade wrote well in French, but he was a criminal and pervert. Bob Tilton and Benny Hinn can talk the birds out of the trees, but they are both crooks who would make Elmer Gantry blush. Spade Cooley was a great western swing fiddler, but it doesn't cancel the fact that he killed his wife. Talent and goodness are two different things. To have talent does not mean that one is not a bad person.
Jamal was a member of the then moribund MOVE movement. Those old enough to remember recall the movement as a black racist political movement and cult. The then mayor of Philly made the mistake of making MOVE more than a bunch of nuts by pretty much bombing MOVE headquarters back in the 1980s. For the radical fringe the bombing of the MOVE HQ made the members of MOVE martyrs, when, in actuality, they were crooks, violent revolutionaries and racists. And as often happens, the thoughts of the radical fringe bled into the "progressive" movement and then the liberal media. Liberals are always looking for new causes to champion whether it be federally funded health care or black radicalism. A man who was a member of MOVE and who woke up to the truth of the movement has a website about what the lie MOVE was: The Anti-MOVE/Mumia Blog.
The whole thing reminds me of the Jack Abbott affair. Jack Abbott was a career criminal who was championed by Norman Mailer and friends. Abbott had writing talent. He wrote a book called In the Belly of the Beast in which he recounted his "victimization" by society and the judicial system. Mailer. Susan Sarandon (again!), Christopher Walken, and others, pressured the justice system to grant this hero of arts and letters parole. Six weeks out of the stir Abbott killed a man. The elites were proved wrong at the expense of a man's life and Abbott went back home. A short version of the affair is here: Jack Abbott - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Of course, Wikipedia is always suspect, but it gets the story substantially right. One thing that is interesting about the Wikipedia entry is the emphasis on Abbott's rotten childhood. A rotten childhood is no excuse for immoral behaviour. Your faithful correspondent has know more than a few individuals who have had bad childhoods, had been members of Hitler Youth or had grown up in Imperial Japan. None of them became criminals, none of them beat up Jews because of the propaganda under which they were raised, none of them tortured Chinese of Koreans for fun.
There are people in the world who are evil. The elites like to proclaim that evil is a social construct instead of a fact. That is, until someone holds a knife to their throats and takes their wallets of pulls down their knickers to claim the promise they've been offering on screen.
The whole thing is enough to make one want to drink cheap gin straight from the bottle.
The former Mrs. Faulkner (she has since re-married and moved to California) has been interviewed several times on the more reputable talk radio programs and it brought to this writer's mind the travesty of the elite's support for the evil Abu Jamal.
Those who have a memory for such things, will remember that Jamal was originally sentenced to death in Pennsylvania. He claims to be a victim of institutional racism. The details are here: :: Justice for Daniel Faulkner :: (an admittedly biased website, but one can read the transcripts of the trial). The usual suspects i.e. Mike Farrell, Susan Sarandon, Ed Asner, et al, have championed this monster's cause without not knowing a damn thing about what happened when Faulkner was killed. They see an "oppressed' black man with some writing and radio talent who, because he's not a knuckle dragging thug a' la Moose Malone, must be a victim of "the man."
A search engine look at the term Mumia Abu Jamal will find site after site in support of the man: Educators for Jamal, Journalists for Jamal, Knuckleheads for Jamal. It is not unusual to go to the local Starbucks (what's the difference between Starbucks and McDonald's besides the fact that one can't get fries at Starbucks?) and see some kid wearing a Free Mumia t-shirt. The French renamed a street in Paris for the guy (but the French, go figger). And there is a movement to rename a street in New York City after this guy. Oddly, there has been no movement to rename a street in Philadelphia (where most of the populace knows a killer when it sees one) after Jamal.
It's all ridiculous and stupid and just plain silly. There is an element among the elite (those who think they know better than the man in the street and the first ones to be hanged if a real working class revolt were to take place) who think that if a man or woman can write more than one sentence without making a grammatical error that person cannot be a criminal. Note that such persons do not volunteer to take said "victim" into their own homes to decompress. They want the "victim" to live in your neighborhood just in case the "victim" is really as bad as the legal system and real victims say that he or she is.
Talent in writing, speaking or singing does not mean that the writer, speaker or singer is not a criminal. The Marquis De Sade wrote well in French, but he was a criminal and pervert. Bob Tilton and Benny Hinn can talk the birds out of the trees, but they are both crooks who would make Elmer Gantry blush. Spade Cooley was a great western swing fiddler, but it doesn't cancel the fact that he killed his wife. Talent and goodness are two different things. To have talent does not mean that one is not a bad person.
Jamal was a member of the then moribund MOVE movement. Those old enough to remember recall the movement as a black racist political movement and cult. The then mayor of Philly made the mistake of making MOVE more than a bunch of nuts by pretty much bombing MOVE headquarters back in the 1980s. For the radical fringe the bombing of the MOVE HQ made the members of MOVE martyrs, when, in actuality, they were crooks, violent revolutionaries and racists. And as often happens, the thoughts of the radical fringe bled into the "progressive" movement and then the liberal media. Liberals are always looking for new causes to champion whether it be federally funded health care or black radicalism. A man who was a member of MOVE and who woke up to the truth of the movement has a website about what the lie MOVE was: The Anti-MOVE/Mumia Blog.
The whole thing reminds me of the Jack Abbott affair. Jack Abbott was a career criminal who was championed by Norman Mailer and friends. Abbott had writing talent. He wrote a book called In the Belly of the Beast in which he recounted his "victimization" by society and the judicial system. Mailer. Susan Sarandon (again!), Christopher Walken, and others, pressured the justice system to grant this hero of arts and letters parole. Six weeks out of the stir Abbott killed a man. The elites were proved wrong at the expense of a man's life and Abbott went back home. A short version of the affair is here: Jack Abbott - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Of course, Wikipedia is always suspect, but it gets the story substantially right. One thing that is interesting about the Wikipedia entry is the emphasis on Abbott's rotten childhood. A rotten childhood is no excuse for immoral behaviour. Your faithful correspondent has know more than a few individuals who have had bad childhoods, had been members of Hitler Youth or had grown up in Imperial Japan. None of them became criminals, none of them beat up Jews because of the propaganda under which they were raised, none of them tortured Chinese of Koreans for fun.
There are people in the world who are evil. The elites like to proclaim that evil is a social construct instead of a fact. That is, until someone holds a knife to their throats and takes their wallets of pulls down their knickers to claim the promise they've been offering on screen.
The whole thing is enough to make one want to drink cheap gin straight from the bottle.
Hate Crime?
The publisher of the Canadian publication, The Western Standard, was brought before the Alberta Commission on Human Rights recently. His crime? Publishing the now famous Mohammad cartoons. The charges were brought by a Saudi trained cleric and a head of an Islamic organization. Here are three video clips of his testimony and questioning: lgf: Outrage of the Week: Canadian Publisher Persecuted for Mindcrime .
Please note that he did not fold and even questioned the authority of the government to express his opinion. Would that the publisher of the L.A. Times had such courage and a dedication to the freedom of speech and of the press.
Those in the know are aware that we here at the Manor of Christians (of the Protestant type) and while we often find the statements made by "thinkers" in the press and on film regarding Our Lord and or faith, we recognize the right of such fools to make them. There are rights that are given by God. The government is supposed to protect them. The government does not give rights. It can only deny them.
On a somewhat similar note, several weeks ago your faithful corrrespondent linked to a story about an ethnic Pakistani bishop of the Church of England who claimed that there were certain areas in Great Britain that were "no-go" zones for non-Muslims. As can be expected, a Quisling bishop of the same organization, an ethnic Briton, has found joy in the fact that his church is dying and is being replaced by Orcism: Dhimmi Watch: UK: Bishop "very happy" with Muslim prayer call. There's nothing that does the heart so good as to hear the caterwauling and ululations of an ignorant Muslim on a Friday instead of church bells on a Sunday. It makes one want to mount speakers on one's car and throw New Testaments out the window to pedestrians while yelling "Tolle lege!"
Wile never considered a great thinker and not a graduate of a seminary (probably a good thing), Brigitte Bardot, long ago recognized the threat of Muslim immigrants to France and the French tendency to fold under pressure: BBC News SHOWBIZ Bardot racism conviction upheld The woman has been convicted and fined three times for stating the truth and not the politically correct line. Now that "disenfranchised" Muslim youth have made it a sport to burn cars as a sport our French friends may wake up to what the divine Bardot said many years ago.
Please note that he did not fold and even questioned the authority of the government to express his opinion. Would that the publisher of the L.A. Times had such courage and a dedication to the freedom of speech and of the press.
Those in the know are aware that we here at the Manor of Christians (of the Protestant type) and while we often find the statements made by "thinkers" in the press and on film regarding Our Lord and or faith, we recognize the right of such fools to make them. There are rights that are given by God. The government is supposed to protect them. The government does not give rights. It can only deny them.
On a somewhat similar note, several weeks ago your faithful corrrespondent linked to a story about an ethnic Pakistani bishop of the Church of England who claimed that there were certain areas in Great Britain that were "no-go" zones for non-Muslims. As can be expected, a Quisling bishop of the same organization, an ethnic Briton, has found joy in the fact that his church is dying and is being replaced by Orcism: Dhimmi Watch: UK: Bishop "very happy" with Muslim prayer call. There's nothing that does the heart so good as to hear the caterwauling and ululations of an ignorant Muslim on a Friday instead of church bells on a Sunday. It makes one want to mount speakers on one's car and throw New Testaments out the window to pedestrians while yelling "Tolle lege!"
Wile never considered a great thinker and not a graduate of a seminary (probably a good thing), Brigitte Bardot, long ago recognized the threat of Muslim immigrants to France and the French tendency to fold under pressure: BBC News SHOWBIZ Bardot racism conviction upheld The woman has been convicted and fined three times for stating the truth and not the politically correct line. Now that "disenfranchised" Muslim youth have made it a sport to burn cars as a sport our French friends may wake up to what the divine Bardot said many years ago.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Makes You Wish for the Benny/Allen Feud
Those of a certain age (those who have an AARP card in their wallet) or fans of the Golden Age of Radio, recall the "feud" between Jack Benny and Fred Allen.
Simply put, the "feud" was manufactured by Benny and Allen and the network they worked for to boost ratings. The idea was that people who occasionally tuned in either Benny's or Allen's shows would tune in every week to hear what crack or slam one man would make against the other. Magazines published photos of Benny and Allen facing off with clinched fists as if they were going to go to the mat with the "feud." It was a clever gag and it worked, and it was all in good fun.
This week the opening salvo of a real feud between a former radio host and a radio station, and specifically a talk radio team, was fired and it isn't in good fun. It's an example of what much of talk radio has become and all of the principals in the matter are looking pretty muddy and thin skinned and self serving.
The radio station is question is KFI 640 AM in Los Angeles: www.kfi640.com . The angry former talk radio host and former employee of KFI is John Ziegler: www.johnziegler.com . The two particular objects of his wrath are John Kobylt and Ken Champeau: www.johnandkenshow.com . Ziegler's slam against the radio station and the hosts is here: www.therealkfi.com - The Real KFI
In a nutshell, Ziegler worked for KFI as an evening talk show host for several years. Your faithful correspondent listened to his program occasionally and found it occasionally interesting, but was put off by Ziegler's stridency and constant references to his life and personal problems. One was never sure whether the program was about current affairs or John Ziegler's life. Ziegler and KFI parted ways in late 2007. It was evident before Ziegler left KFI's employ that there was stress between Ziegler and John and Ken.
Your faithful correspondent has also listened to the John and Ken Show and considers it one of the talk shows that is akin to professional wrestling. In other words, little of what either host says can be taken as the host's true feelings or opinions. It's all about ratings for them and they do a good job of pulling the number. That's their real job and they do it well.
Without going into Ziegler's claims against KFI and Kobylt and Champeau, let it be known that this writer is willing to take Ziegler's charges at face value. BUT, to be honest, Ziegler sounds like a child whose lollipop has been knocked out of his hand and into the dirt by the neighborhood bully and instead of slugging the little brat on sight goes home and cries to Mommy. In other words, instead of fighting back when the fighting was good, he complains about being mistreated and/or shunned.
The management of KFI may be jerks. Most management is. Kobylt and Champeau are probably thin skinned self servers. But 90% of the American population works under such conditions. There are two things to be done. Quit. Or grit one's teeth and fight back as well as possible. Instead Ziegler hides behind the skirts of his former news woman, Leah Brandon, as an excuse not to give the fig to those who "abused" him. And he waits until such a time that he cannot be fired to level his blast.
Ziegler's screed may be true, but he sounds like he wants some cheese with that whine. The thing that makes Ziegler's pity party distasteful is the mentioning of family members not involved in the feud, the claim that someone as gay who has not said that he is gay, and the scattershot approach to his problem. Ziegler is one of those people one occasionally runs across who seems not to have any sense of discretion in his attacks or comments. Everything is public with him. The sign of a man of his time.
We here at the Manor call for a pox on both houses. We don't like whiners and we don't like fakes. This story is full of both. One can only hope that like in the old (politically incorrect) story of Little Black Sambo these tigers (in actuality yakking termites) keep chasing one another around the tree until they turn into butter.
Simply put, the "feud" was manufactured by Benny and Allen and the network they worked for to boost ratings. The idea was that people who occasionally tuned in either Benny's or Allen's shows would tune in every week to hear what crack or slam one man would make against the other. Magazines published photos of Benny and Allen facing off with clinched fists as if they were going to go to the mat with the "feud." It was a clever gag and it worked, and it was all in good fun.
This week the opening salvo of a real feud between a former radio host and a radio station, and specifically a talk radio team, was fired and it isn't in good fun. It's an example of what much of talk radio has become and all of the principals in the matter are looking pretty muddy and thin skinned and self serving.
The radio station is question is KFI 640 AM in Los Angeles: www.kfi640.com . The angry former talk radio host and former employee of KFI is John Ziegler: www.johnziegler.com . The two particular objects of his wrath are John Kobylt and Ken Champeau: www.johnandkenshow.com . Ziegler's slam against the radio station and the hosts is here: www.therealkfi.com - The Real KFI
In a nutshell, Ziegler worked for KFI as an evening talk show host for several years. Your faithful correspondent listened to his program occasionally and found it occasionally interesting, but was put off by Ziegler's stridency and constant references to his life and personal problems. One was never sure whether the program was about current affairs or John Ziegler's life. Ziegler and KFI parted ways in late 2007. It was evident before Ziegler left KFI's employ that there was stress between Ziegler and John and Ken.
Your faithful correspondent has also listened to the John and Ken Show and considers it one of the talk shows that is akin to professional wrestling. In other words, little of what either host says can be taken as the host's true feelings or opinions. It's all about ratings for them and they do a good job of pulling the number. That's their real job and they do it well.
Without going into Ziegler's claims against KFI and Kobylt and Champeau, let it be known that this writer is willing to take Ziegler's charges at face value. BUT, to be honest, Ziegler sounds like a child whose lollipop has been knocked out of his hand and into the dirt by the neighborhood bully and instead of slugging the little brat on sight goes home and cries to Mommy. In other words, instead of fighting back when the fighting was good, he complains about being mistreated and/or shunned.
The management of KFI may be jerks. Most management is. Kobylt and Champeau are probably thin skinned self servers. But 90% of the American population works under such conditions. There are two things to be done. Quit. Or grit one's teeth and fight back as well as possible. Instead Ziegler hides behind the skirts of his former news woman, Leah Brandon, as an excuse not to give the fig to those who "abused" him. And he waits until such a time that he cannot be fired to level his blast.
Ziegler's screed may be true, but he sounds like he wants some cheese with that whine. The thing that makes Ziegler's pity party distasteful is the mentioning of family members not involved in the feud, the claim that someone as gay who has not said that he is gay, and the scattershot approach to his problem. Ziegler is one of those people one occasionally runs across who seems not to have any sense of discretion in his attacks or comments. Everything is public with him. The sign of a man of his time.
We here at the Manor call for a pox on both houses. We don't like whiners and we don't like fakes. This story is full of both. One can only hope that like in the old (politically incorrect) story of Little Black Sambo these tigers (in actuality yakking termites) keep chasing one another around the tree until they turn into butter.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Don't Go There!
It's been a while since we here at the Manor have addressed the bad behaviour of the Orcs living among us. It sometimes feels as if we have been playing King Canute in commanding the tide not come in/ But, of course, much of the current problem has to do with those who have the power to build a dike as so damn stupid as not to realized that their boots are full of water while telling the rest of us that the land is suited to the planting of pear blossom cactuses.
A case in point would be the firing of the Pentagon's specialist in Islamo-Fascism at the behest of Orcs working at the center of the Department of Defense: Jihad Watch: Pentagon fires key specialist on Islamic law and jihad after comp Or the refusal of police authorities in Texas to admit that the killing of two Arab-American girls by their father is related to the Muslim sense of honor: Hot Air » Blog Archive » A pair of “honor killings” in Texas Updated: The girl. The secular authorities always know better than what the average Yankee church-goer knows. But, of course, the average Yankee church-goer answers to a Higher Authority than the average politician or civil servant, who answers to political correctness.
But we here at the Manor, from the ever lovely Lady Nib down to the boot black realize that the average decision-making bureaucrat is not so much an idiot as much as a man or woman wanting to keep his or her job until retirement. Selling one's birthright for a mass of pottage, as bad as such an action is, is more excusable than selling one's soul for applause from one's enemies.
Certain "leaders" in the Christian world have been falling over themselves to show their fundaments to the West while they squat in prayer toward Mecca and its minions. These leaders are of the theologically liberal taint. A theological liberal of the late 20th and early 21st century is a Unitarian of the 19th century. In other words, are they not only heretical, but they are in the trailing edge of modern heresies. They cower behind the cutting edge waiting to see if anything collapses. If nothing collapses they run to the front and proclaim how brave they are in their thinking. In another fifty years they will be crowing about a "new" Christian atheism that somehow reconciles the idea that there is no God and expecting you to put money in the plate to worship Him properly. The French did the same thing during the French Revolution and did it much more honestly.
The liberal Christian leaders see Orcism as the rising power and they want to be sure to be there to lick the boots of the first jihadist who enters their church, cathedral, fellowship. They'll get a pat on the noggin, avoid getting their throat cut, and might get a new doe-eyed piece of action to take the place of the old ball and chain sitting at home brewing tea and setting out biscuits while wearing her brogues and twenty year old twin set
Rowen Williamson is the best internationally known example of this creature. He's a Christian, he's a druid, he's a lover of Orcs, he's sympathetic to Buddhist, whether Tibetan, Mahayana, Theraveda or Zen. He's okay, you're okay. they're okay. Okay? The problem is not with the actions of Muslims. The problem is with Christians who actually believe the Bible. Christians are so odious to this man that for a Christian to express disapproval at the acts of honor killing or female genital mutilation is tantamount to blasting Orcs with death rays.
Williamson is not the only useful idiot. He is just the best known. Any mainstream Protestant denomination in the US or Canada is full of such termites.
Well, to get to the point, a bishop in Great Britain, a man who knows a lot more about the threat of the Orcs than Williamson and his cronies will ever know, has something interesting to say about the Orcs among us: Bishop warns of no-go zones for non-Muslims - Telegraph
Ain't life grand?
A case in point would be the firing of the Pentagon's specialist in Islamo-Fascism at the behest of Orcs working at the center of the Department of Defense: Jihad Watch: Pentagon fires key specialist on Islamic law and jihad after comp Or the refusal of police authorities in Texas to admit that the killing of two Arab-American girls by their father is related to the Muslim sense of honor: Hot Air » Blog Archive » A pair of “honor killings” in Texas Updated: The girl. The secular authorities always know better than what the average Yankee church-goer knows. But, of course, the average Yankee church-goer answers to a Higher Authority than the average politician or civil servant, who answers to political correctness.
But we here at the Manor, from the ever lovely Lady Nib down to the boot black realize that the average decision-making bureaucrat is not so much an idiot as much as a man or woman wanting to keep his or her job until retirement. Selling one's birthright for a mass of pottage, as bad as such an action is, is more excusable than selling one's soul for applause from one's enemies.
Certain "leaders" in the Christian world have been falling over themselves to show their fundaments to the West while they squat in prayer toward Mecca and its minions. These leaders are of the theologically liberal taint. A theological liberal of the late 20th and early 21st century is a Unitarian of the 19th century. In other words, are they not only heretical, but they are in the trailing edge of modern heresies. They cower behind the cutting edge waiting to see if anything collapses. If nothing collapses they run to the front and proclaim how brave they are in their thinking. In another fifty years they will be crowing about a "new" Christian atheism that somehow reconciles the idea that there is no God and expecting you to put money in the plate to worship Him properly. The French did the same thing during the French Revolution and did it much more honestly.
The liberal Christian leaders see Orcism as the rising power and they want to be sure to be there to lick the boots of the first jihadist who enters their church, cathedral, fellowship. They'll get a pat on the noggin, avoid getting their throat cut, and might get a new doe-eyed piece of action to take the place of the old ball and chain sitting at home brewing tea and setting out biscuits while wearing her brogues and twenty year old twin set
Rowen Williamson is the best internationally known example of this creature. He's a Christian, he's a druid, he's a lover of Orcs, he's sympathetic to Buddhist, whether Tibetan, Mahayana, Theraveda or Zen. He's okay, you're okay. they're okay. Okay? The problem is not with the actions of Muslims. The problem is with Christians who actually believe the Bible. Christians are so odious to this man that for a Christian to express disapproval at the acts of honor killing or female genital mutilation is tantamount to blasting Orcs with death rays.
Williamson is not the only useful idiot. He is just the best known. Any mainstream Protestant denomination in the US or Canada is full of such termites.
Well, to get to the point, a bishop in Great Britain, a man who knows a lot more about the threat of the Orcs than Williamson and his cronies will ever know, has something interesting to say about the Orcs among us: Bishop warns of no-go zones for non-Muslims - Telegraph
Ain't life grand?
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