Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Beware the Writing on the Street Steyns of Doom!

A great read.

I'd be laughing if I wasn't crying.

Actually, I'm not even crying-I'm weeping into some astonishingly average, Canadian goat cheese that is truly not arousing stirring my taste buds.

Steyn: 

"Americans, so zealous in defense of their liberties when it comes to guns, are cheese-surrendering eating-monkeys when it comes to dairy products. On the roads, on the cheese board, in health care, in banking privacy, and in a zillion other areas of life, many Europeans now have more freedom than Americans. For the record, I'm consistent in these matters — I want it all: assault weapons and unpasteurized Camembert, guns and butter. Certainly, cheese makes a poor attitudinal rallying cry."

OH MAH GAWD that's gotta hurt!

(Has Jonah Goldberg seen that yet?)

But seriously, cheese is a perfectly reasonable rallying cry.

And I rather like that freedom checklist:

Guns!

Incredibly rich and fattening French cheese-especially the ones with the rind, fresh butter, contraband farm eggs, dry red wine, picnics on red and white checkered cotton picnic blankets-thread count, oh-who knows, but with those nice large wicker baskets-and perhaps a baguette, oh-cloth napkins, you know those lovely colourful fabrics from Provence, maybe some olives...

Moderately rousing arousing!



Sorry what were we talking about?



Ummm....right-whatever....

Beware the Writing on the Street Steyns of Doom!

Read the whole thing!

(PS: America, you're wonderful, but "American cheese" is not cheese, it's well...gosh darn it...it's plastic!)





Feel Good Story of the Day

Nicely played, Chris and Colin Weir of England. 

It has to be said:

Welcome to socialized medicine-where private individuals who win the lottery have to buy regular citizens the good prosthetic legs.

Wow-Just Wow.

Did you hear about the latest plagiarism "scandal" to hit the Interwebz?

Long history of faking it: 

"Only last month, Mr. Lehrer had publicly apologized for taking some of his previous work from The Wall Street Journal, Wired and other publications and recycling it in blog posts for The New Yorker, acts of recycling that his editor called “a mistake.”

Acts of recycling? Like that idiotic thing I do with boxes and cans at home?

Umm...writers don't get to "recycle" other people's stuff.

You can be inspired, pay homage, etc...but copying is not just lazy it's really stupid, too.

Apparently, this guy studied neuroscience!

Meaning-he is supposed to know something about the human brain.

So, if he ostensibly knew something about the human brain, why coudn't his human brain process the difference between one's own thoughts, stuff someone else already thought of and published and then factored in the risk of trying to pass off the later as the previous? Perhaps he should have studied Risk Management?

"Mr. Lehrer, who majored in neuroscience at Columbia, rose to prominence writing about science in the mold of Malcolm Gladwell or David Brooks through his blog on Wired.com, which then moved to The New Yorker, and quickly became a popular paid speaker at conferences."

[Ed note: Both Gladwell and Brooks are highly overrated and boring writers.]

I guess the money and the fawning was good, but the neuroscience brain from Columbia university (didn't POTUS go there, too-and wasn't Ahmedinejad there recently...weird...) could not handle the difference between original material and "recycled". Or he knew it, and decided it was worth the risk even in the digital age.

Oh well. Another one bites the dust.

VDH: The Muddle East

An excellent overview of the current "Muddle" East by historian Victor Davis Hanson at NRO. 

"...where does the ongoing Middle East mess leave America? We should restore close relations with an Israel that is becoming wealthier and stronger all the time, and is the only consistently pro-American, democratic nation in the entire region. The Obama administration has demonstrated that any hint of daylight between the U.S. and Israel does not win over the Arab world, but only persuades it that Israel is more vulnerable."

Correct.

"The wisest course will be to depersonalize our Middle East policy and simply state that the U.S., to the extent that it weighs in on the turmoil, supports constitutional government (rather than plebiscites): To the degree that a society is transparent, respects human rights, and remains consensual, we support it; to the degree that it does not, we are more likely to oppose it. In fact, that would soon place us at odds with most of the theocratic movements that are slowly strangling their secularist counterparts."

I sure hope Mitt Romney is reading VDH (I bet he is). Mitt's doing a great job so far. I think the trip to the UK, Israel and Poland was a beautiful message to voters-'it's going to be different'. What better message to send than a trip abroad to America's most undervalued traditional allies-the countries that have been trashed by the Obama administration.

Well played, Mitt Romney. Plus-extra points for making the Palestinians screech and howl about racism when confronted with the rather benign but totally accurate observation that they have an uproductive culture of death.


The Higher Education Bubble

Saw this article earlier today and I thought it was interesting. 

Apparently, the student aid fund/money pot in America is about $160 billion dollars. There are a lot of individuals and institutions who want access to that cash.

However, there is precious little accountability about what makes an institution worthy of accreditation. The information was never made public up to now!

To wit:

"That’s why the recent announcement from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), one of the country’s six regional higher education accrediting bodies, that it will regularly make all of its accreditation reports available to the public is so important."

"To those familiar with financial markets, product safety, environmental protection or a host of other sectors where public reporting is a given, it may seem puzzling that such an announcement is considered innovative. But when it comes to our colleges and universities, WASC’s initiative is downright revolutionary."

This is totally stunning: all accredited schools bear the same seal of approval, whether they have a sterling record of success or a troubled history.
Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, writes a lot about the Higher Education bubble, and I think he has rightly identified a bubble so big, that will cause such economic turmoil when it pops, that it may in fact make the housing and mortgage bubble pale in comparison.

Here's a piece he posted today, an update from California.

Also interesting: the only part of campus life that has super secret protection that makes it bullet proof against budget cuts. Guess what?

Behold, the Living, Breathing Diversity Bureaucracy!

(Remember, as per Kate-'What's the opposite of diversity? University!)

Monday, July 30, 2012

Finally: Hollywood Stars Aging With Grace

Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc look fantastic-natural and happy.

Finally, a Hollywood woman who doesn't look like a stretched, psychotic cat in a windstorm.

LeBlanc looks amazing grey actually. Men who dye their hair look ridiculous.

Women like salt and pepper-JUST SAYIN.....

Holy Crap This is Depressing!

California-big debts, no whammies!

Is it actually possible to recover from such feckless spending and Democratic-public union bloating?

Good grief.

How is it possible?

Mitt Romney Captures Jerusalem

Very smart Jew Barry Rubin discusses all of the implications of Romney's speech in Jerusalem, and it's got all the stuff that you won't read in the Mainstream Media.

Fantastic!

"Much of the rest of the speech discussed the threats to Israel, the common interests of the two countries, and other staples of such occasions. Israel, Romney stated, exports technology, not tyranny and terrorism."

"What was especially interesting was Romney’s list of five factors that brought together the United States and Israel: democracy, the rule of law, a belief in universal rights granted by our Creator (a reference to the Declaration of Independence and a subtle rebuke to Obama’s frequent omission of that divine attribution), free enterprise, and freedom of expression."

"And then Romney added something that might become one of his most important lines in the months to come: Capitalism was the only economic system in history to raise people from poverty and create a huge middle class."

Read the whole thing...

(Tough talk! Moderately arousing!)

BONUS: It's about the culture, stupid. 

(Palestinians cry raaaaaaacism...)

RELATED HEARTACHE!

Dennis Ross breaks up with Obama!

"It's not me, it's you!!"

Awesome: Those Shocking Bourgeois Values

A great piece from Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit!

Look, ma-I'm transgressive!!!

"In today’s culture of immediate reward, a work ethic centering on self-discipline and the ability to defer gratification is almost, to use a favorite term of the avant-garde, transgressive. Hmm: With so much of our economy and politics now based on the absence of those characteristics, maybe it really is a bit transgressive."

 

Oh Lordy Lordy: Vindication is Sweet

I once left a male friend speechless when I told him that shoes could be a make it or break it attraction thing for me.

(My husband wore nice shoes and still has nice shoes-don't worry...)

He could not believe what I was saying. I said that shoes tell a great deal of information about people-as do watches (but not as much as shoes).

Thank you researchers for the vindication!!

Happy day!!!

As it was put by Clinton Kelly from TV's "What Not to Wear"-I'm paraphrasing slightly: shoes make or break the outfit, that's the reason why strippers wear the shoes they do, and nuns wear the shoes they do.

And no-this is not shallow.

What you message "out" to the world in appearance and attitude says a lot about you. That's the way it is.

Evil JOOOOOOOOS

Cut off Latvian boy's hand and eat it for breakfast with shakshuka and charif!!

WHOOPS. Sorry-got the story wrong.

Click me!

In Praise of Male Heroes

In case you missed this touching piece by Mona Charen, do read it all. 

"We've pretty thoroughly devalued the traits that have traditionally been considered manly virtues -- protectiveness, responsibility, courage. In what we like to think of as our highly civilized culture, such traits are regarded as primitive and/or obsolete."

"But as studies on family structure demonstrate, men aren't just useful to have around in an emergency. Stopping bullets is not the only thing they are for."

"When men cease to perform their roles as husbands and fathers (because they've been invited not to by the feminist movement), the result is social decline. Children are clearly worse off when they grow up without a dad at home. Every social pathology is more pronounced in the children of single mothers than in two-parent homes. But women, too, have paid a steep price."

"Women are not as happy as they used to be."

The Jewish Vote Finds A Home on the Right

My latest for the National Post.

"Due to strong fiscal leadership, conservative banking and mortgage regulations, Canada has emerged relatively unscathed by the crushing economic pressures currently being faced by the United States and much of Europe. Yet there is another, less discussed Made-In-Canada phenomenon that may have equally notable political ramifications come the November elections in the United States — the political migration of Jews in Canada from the political left to the political right."

Sunday, July 29, 2012

It's the Demography, Stupid

Oooh.

How do you say "hubba hubba" in Farsi???

Iranians instructed to MAKE BABIES-STAT!!!


First They Came for the Disabled Children

Elimination of the inferior specimens, etc..

Swiss Eugenics Watch.

We Remember You

The fast of Tisha B'Av is over. It's a hard day, not as hard, I find as Yom Kippur but still the history of the Jewish people, and the terrible things that have happened to the Jewish people right on Tisha B'Av during history weigh heavily on the mind during the day.

The destruction of the Jewish Temple has its roots in a concept called "Sinat Chinam", which means baseless hatred. It's funny though because "chinam" in Hebrew also means free. But that makes sense also-there are unlimited quantities of hatred, it's a cheap, ample product.

Anyway, the concept of memory is an important one. Collective memory, family memory. And then I saw this article, about the ongoing Herculean efforts underway right now in Europe to find missing US servicemen who are still recorded as missing in action. 

This paragraph sums it up:

"We make a promise to our service members never to leave a fallen comrade behind," says JPAC public affairs officer Lee Tucker, who is also on site. "That can't be an empty promise, and this is an extension of that."

No empty promises. It's a simple promise, but a powerful one. We won't leave you, we won't forget you. G-d bless the men and women who died fighting for our freedom, G-d bless their memories and bless those looking for their remains today.

Related: Bodies of WW2 Airmen recovered in Quebec waters. 

How to Write

Some good ideas in here. 

I think most writers don't ever remember a point when they didn't feel the need to write things down. Notes, poems, thoughts. I always remember having a little notebook to write down ideas, words that I learned, and descriptions of people that I saw walking around.

I write down phrases, ideas, conversations that I have had-little anecdotes that I've witnessed-the works.Nothing like a notebook and a pen to keep me busy for hours, a computer with internet access is icing on the cake. 

Not A Joke

Just when you thought America had all the bureaucracy it needed...

BEHOLD: The New Federal Office for Black Students.

Romney On, and In Jerusalem

Not exactly like Obama!

The visit coinciding with Tisha B'Av was pretty nifty.

Speaking of Tisha B'Av, I'm fasting. If you want to read more about Tisha B'Av please check out this link.

Only three more hours to go.

More here from smart Jew Jonathan Tobin. 

I think I'll break the fast with carrot cake and a coffee. And I've decided that carrot cake counts as a veggie, and the cream cheese icing counts for dairy products.

I'll hit the gym tomorrow.

UPDATE: VIDEO HERE!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Just a Reminder-Our Jerusalem, Our Capital, Our Temple Mount

"They say that there are three religions in Jerusalem, but there are actually four. The fourth religion is the true Religion of Peace, the one that demands constant blood sacrifices to make peace possible, that insists that there will be peace when the Jews have been expelled from Judea and Samaria, driven out of their homes in Jerusalem, and made into wanderers and beggars once again. Oddly enough this religion's name isn't even Islam-- it's diplomacy."

Matchmaker, Matchmaker...

Break me a neck...

WHOOPS. That's not really how the song goes!

The UK is Screwed

Totally and utterly.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Oh Mah Gawd!

Why, why oh why?!?!?

Mark Steyn made me think of Rahm Emmanuel in a tutu and Muppets in compromising positions! 

GAH!!!!

What's worse???

Do read: Don't Cross the Forces of Tolerance 

"The forces of "tolerance" and "diversity" are ever more intolerant of anything less than total ideological homogeneity"

Related Response to Chicken Controversy:

Live Tweeting Eating Chicken-HAHAHAHAHA!

PS: I'm sending my shrink bill to Mr. Steyn.

MUSICAL SELECTION OF THE EVENING:


All Cultures Are Not Equal

Some cultures have barbaric features. 

“You can buy highly concentrated chemicals like those used on me in most markets for less than 50 rupees a bottle,” says Sonali.

You know how much that is? Less than a dollar.

For less than a dollar, men are disfiguring women beyond repair.

Where are the Western feminists? Still chillaxing at the local SlutWalk? 

For 50 rupees or less, this is the result: 

“This is enough to ruin a woman’s life. They may not have killed me, but I might as well be dead.”

Why Do "Child Care" Workers in Saskatchewan Hate Children?

Why?

Why do they send them purposely to their deaths? 

Canada sucks.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Three Strikes You're Out?


I’m not a climate scientist, a lawyer or even an academic, but I do understand a few things about public relations and about universities and university fundraising.

(Full disclosure: I think Mark Steyn is pretty nifty.)

Anyway, I was looking at some of the updated articles about the Mann versus Steyn kerfuffle, from Politico here and Mark Steyn’s update here


Why should I care? 

Well, I’m finding the story interesting, and it’s my blog so I get to talk about what I find interesting.

So, here’s what I think-and this is purely from a public/media relations perspective-and these are things that I’m rather good at. 

I think that another massive PR disaster is the last thing that anyone within a 100 mile radius working inside or next door to the Penn State campus wants or needs. 

I think that every Penn State alumnus with a shred of decency, every alumni donor, every parent with a kid at that school, every kid on the football team and their families and friends, and every current student and faculty member and administrator with even the most minimal sophistication with respect to public relations understand that another PR hit on the magnitude of “Climategate” or Sandusky could ultimately lead to the financial bankruptcy and complete belly up of an institution whose complete moral bankruptcy already set the precedent. 
 
If you look at the Penn State home page, you will find no comment about the current brouhaha though it is all over the internet. What you will see is an item leading to the official reaction to the Louis Freech report on the Sandusky affair. 

Here’s an interesting paragraph: 

“The report, released after an eight-month investigation, indicates that University leaders in key positions failed to report suspicions of child abuse to proper authorities, and states that they concealed Sandusky’s actions from the Board of Trustees and the University community, as well as authorities.”

Then: 

“The Board of Trustees, Freeh’s report states, failed in its oversight duties by not inquiring more extensively about University matters and not creating an environment where senior officials considered themselves accountable.”

Then: 

This marks a new era for Penn State. With a mixture of humility and steadfastness we pledge to work closely and cooperatively with the administration in diligently facilitating open communication across all departments and levels of the University for the benefit of children on our campus and for the benefit of every part of the university,” Frazier added.

“The University leaders said that the Penn State community will come together to improve and remain a top university.”

“We are rightly proud of the many significant accomplishments of our faculty, staff, students and alumni,” Erickson said. “Penn State is a leading institution of higher education in the world. That will remain unchanged. With the help of our students, faculty, staff and alumni, Penn State will emerge from this as an even stronger and better institution.”

How inclined, do you think, is the university administration to face another high profile lawsuit, and take another massive PR hit on behalf of a senior administrator or faculty member? 

 
This document is from February 2010.

I looked at page 5:

Allegation 1: Did you engage in, or participate in, directly or indirectly, any actions with the intent to suppress or falsify data?

Finding 1. After careful consideration of all the evidence and relevant materials, the inquiry committee finding is that there exists no credible evidence that Dr. Mann had or has ever engaged in, or participated in, directly or indirectly, any actions with an intent to suppress or to falsify data. While a perception has been created in the weeks after the CRU emails were made public that Dr. Mann has engaged in the suppression or falsification of data, there is no credible evidence that he ever did so, and certainly not while at Penn State. In fact to the contrary, in instances that have been focused upon by some as indicating falsification of data, for example in the use of a “trick” to manipulate the data, this is explained as a discussion among Dr. Jones and others including Dr. Mann about how best to put together a graph for a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report. They were not falsifying data; they were trying to construct an understandable graph for those who were not experts in the field. The so-called “trick”1 was nothing more than a statistical method used to bring two or more different kinds of data sets together in a legitimate fashion by a technique that has been reviewed by a broad array of peers in the field.

Decision 1. As there is no substance to this allegation, there is no basis for further examination of this allegation in the context of an investigation in the second phase of RA-10

Read that carefully. 

Then note the delightful footnote at the bottom of the page: 

1 The word trick as used in this email has stirred some suspicion. However, trick is often used in context to describe a mathematical insight that solves the problem. For example, see in a classic text on quantum mechanics by David Parks: "The foregoing explanation of the velocity paradox involves no new assumptions; the basic trick, the representation of a modulated wave as the superposition of two (or more) unmodulated ones, has already been used to explain interference phenomena..." pg. 21, Introduction to Quantum Theory, David Parks, Third Edition, Dover 1992  

On page 6: 

“…when one does due diligence on this matter, and asks about what papers were involved, one finds that enormous confusion has been caused by interpretations of the emails and their content.”

On page 7:

“It is the case that there has been a public outcry from some quarters that Dr. Mann and his colleagues did deviate from what some observers claim to be standard academic practice. All disciplines and scientific fields work within broad bounds of “accepted scientific” practice that apply to all researchers. However, within different disciplines of science there are additional elements of accepted practice that may be specific to those disciplines and therefore are different from those of other disciplines and fields. For example, accepted practices in a field of pure mathematics, such as number theory, may differ markedly from those in a field such as socio-biology. This is axiomatic. That said, the committee could not make a definitive finding on this allegation for reasons that follow.”

These past hits should be considered case studies in higher education media and public relations crises. 

From my perspective, Penn State really can’t afford another one. 

This does not, by the way, mean that there aren’t other institutions-educational, religious, private businesses, governments and politicians in North America, and throughout the world busy burying scurrilous activities, and furiously trying to spin their way out of craptastic behaviour, actions and statements. There are-look at the growing backlash to President Obama’s “You Didn’t Build That” reveal (and it was a reveal, and not a “gaffe”) and the legions of fart-catchers and message massagers who are in 24/7 damage control mode, trying to walk it backwards.

It’s impossible to make these PR disasters go away. 

The more sensible strategy is to try to avoid them completely. 

But Penn State has had two rather robust public strikes against it, and a third strike and well, you know-they could be out.

UPDATE: "Victim 2" to sue.
 

Another Reason for Jews Not to Vote for Obama

Carney cannot bring himself to admit that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. 

All nuanced and stuff!

The capital city that dare not speak its name!!!

Hope and Change!

Print More Money!

STAT!!!

Europe is screwed.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Christian Left: Hot For China

In this insipid piece, the Christian Science Monitor fawns over China and bashes America. 

Yes, certainly America has a lot to learn from Chinese communists, like how to create a gendercide, how to force abortions on women, how to manufacture toxic baby formula and pollute the earth. How to excecute political prisoners and charge their families for the bullets. How to quash religious freedom and how to persecute dissidents and kill student protestors.

DISGRACE.

The Love Story on Wheels

OK. I am totally verkelmpt.

The mascara-everywhere. You must watch this video. Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu is a lovely place, a religious kibbutz in the Jordan Valley. I was there once. Talk about a loving, Torah-infused environment. Talk about a life-affirming spirit.

Mazel tov to the beautiful couple. May you enjoy many long, healthy years together.

The Hebrew title of the clip is "If You Thought the Sky Was the Limit".


Funny Jew!


"BBC, I'm the capital of your mom!"

OH mah goodness...funnnnay!

"Fortunately, Mark Regev, spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office, sent a letter to the BBC demanding that it correct the mistake. However, I have to question his choice of communication in a world where a message can be delivered faster than you can say “epic fail.” Mr. Regev, let me help you out. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take over 140 characters to say “@BBC, f*** you, a-holes. #suckit.”

In Which Jewish Democratic Heads Explode

Moderately arousing! 

"A Republican group backed by casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has unleashed a new campaign in battleground states to "convert" Jewish voters who have been life-long Democrats and who it is thought can be convinced to turn their backs on US President Barack Obama in favor of US Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, according to a New York Times report published on Wednesday."

"Adelson has vowed to invest as much as $100 million to help Romney win the election."

The New York Times article here: 



To which I advise: Lefty Obama-bot Jews: fetcheth thy weeping schmattas! 

This will resonate with some Jews who have some seichel.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Meal Ticket

Family of Amy Winehouse marks one year anniversary of her death. 

These people put her in a Harrod's bag. 

Really low class. 

Reminder: Posing with ashes. 

Remember: Jewish people are forbidden to cremate.

A terrible waste.

 

Penn State Only Shows Gleanings of Real Regret When Hit in the Pocketbook

There are dozens of articles today about the "harsh" punishment dished out by the NCAA to Penn as a result of their turning a blind eye to the sexual molestation of young children.

For years and years, it was all about protecting the brand and not protecting the children. Now, all of the sudden-"remorse" now that they are feeling it in the pocketbook.

To me, it rings completely hollow and is almost as disgusting as the sinister, protracted cover up.

In fact, I would go as far as to suggest that the worship of this sport, and the worship of the key players and the worship of this school was idolatrous. Haven't we been warned before not to create false gods? Not to create golden calves to elevate to supernatural status?

People cry "shame on them". But the administrators clearly had no shame.

They are now only expressing shame because they are going to have to figure out ways to pay for their colossal moral failing, and the economic implications of course will have a much wider reach than just the immediate campus.

No amount of money though can reverse history. No sum of money can compensate children for the terror of being sexually violated. No sum of money can ensure that given the same idolatrous circumstances, it wouldn't happen again. 

How can you shame people who have no shame?

The hand-wringing by students ("why should we all be punished for the actions of a few") demonstrate that many of these young people have no concept of what is at stake-no interest in the damage that has been done to young lives, and the families that were destroyed. 

Sometimes, there is no "fix" to a problem. Rotting structures cannot always be propped up by support beams. Nor should they. Sometimes, the entire edifice must be torn down and built anew.




Most Excellent Supermodel Ever? But EVAH?

Absolutely lovely.

Sowell: News Versus Propaganda

 Probably the smartest comment on the Colorado shootings that I have seen so far.

"The real problem, both in discussions of mass shootings and in discussions of gun control, is that too many people are too committed to a vision to allow mere facts to interfere with their beliefs, and the sense of superiority that those beliefs give them."

"Any discussion of facts is futile when directed at such people. All anyone can do is warn others about the propaganda."

What's the Opposite of Diversity?

As per Kate...

University!

A must read about a modern witch hunt. 

"But something bigger is at stake: The very integrity of the social-science research process is threatened by the public smearing and vigilante media attacks we have seen in this case. Sociology's progressive orthodoxy and the semicovert activism it prompts threaten the intellectual vitality of the discipline, the quality of undergraduate education, and public trust in academe. Reasonable people cannot allow social-science scholarship to be policed and selectively punished by the forces of activist ideology and politics, from any political quarter. University leaders must resist the manipulation of research review committees by nonacademic culture warriors who happen not to like certain findings."

"Science already has its own ways to deal with controversial research results. Studies should be replicated. Data sets should be made public and reanalyzed. And new and better studies should be conducted. Eventually the truth comes out. By those means, Regnerus might be shown to have been wrong or perhaps be vindicated. That is how science is supposed to work."

"By contrast, political attacks like those on Regnerus are contemptible and hurt everyone in the long run, including progressives. Everybody—especially officials at the University of Texas at Austin—needs to be vigilant in protecting scholars and their research against those inside and outside of academe who seek to silence scholars whose research runs counter to the current orthodoxy."

Thank you, Christian Smith for having the moral fortitude and courage to discuss this.

How Political Correctness is Transforming British Education

Otherwise known as "The UK is Screwed".

Who Cares About the Murder of Pregnant Jews?

The right question, asks my favourite living Italian. 

"A sour rain is falling, once again, on our heads. And as history has taught us, while it begins with Jews, it doesn't end with them."

"My 91-Year Old Grandfather Helped Blow Up the King David Hotel"

Awesome story about a fighting Jew from his very proud grandson. 

Comments predictably bringing out snot-faced anti-semites who can seriously kiss our Zionist tucheses.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Oh Mah Gawd

Apparently, an American academic dealing with issues of "climate change" is not the biggest Mark Steyn fan. Imagine my surprise.

Steyn does not appear terribly bothered.

Kathy says: Please, please, Mr. Mann-please sue Mark Steyn.

Jay Currie has made popcorn.

Tangling with Mark Steyn usually does not end well for any members of the Church of the Exquisitely Offended and Perpetually Aggrieved.

The lawyers have been scrambled!

The armour is being polished! War rations ordered.

I imagine red lines are being drawn! Big guns (verbal of course) are being readied for battle.

Word processors are firing up...engines are being revved, men will be in court with very nice suits-freshly pressed white button-down shirts, stylish briefcases, ties, nice socks that add a dash of je ne sais quoi to the outfit, with fountain pens perhaps, leather briefcases-Brooks Brothers? Hugo Boss? Saville Row?

OH SORRY WAIT I DIGRESS....DID IT JUST GET WARM IN HERE?

MUST BE THAT CLIMATE CHANGE GLOBAL WARMING WEATHER THING.

Yeah, that's it.

Will post more links as the story develops...






Nuke It

Irredeemable culture/place.

Barbarians.

Administration of Thugs

Ten Things We Learn and Should Have Learned From David Maraniss's book, Barack Obama: The Story.

Worth your time. 

Related: 

"It's good to be the king." 

Imperial presidency, etc...

Related: 

What happens when you get on the President's sh&t list?  

This happens. 

(via Weasel  Zippers)

How's That Hope N' Change Working Out For You

US poverty highest since 1960s. 

Nothing to see here...carry on....

Related: 

July-another record-breaking month for workers on disability in America.

"The 8,753,935 workers who took federal disability insurance payments in July exceeded the population of 39 of the 50 states. Only 11 states—California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina and New Jersey—had more people in them than the number of workers on the federal disability insurance rolls in July."

NYC Women Fleeing City Metrosexuals, Prowl Suburbs for Actual Men

This is pretty funny and pathetic at the same time. 

“Ugly guys in Manhattan, they think they’re hot stuff,” said Robyn Kassner, a 35-year-old owner of branding firm Haute PR who lives on the Upper East Side."

“In Connecticut, they’re just very normal, very sweet, very unassuming. They don’t have game. [Ed note: doubt that VERY much. The women just don't notice the obvious, proper roles that each are assuming.] They’re steak-and-potatoes American. They don’t care about fashion, they’re not metrosexual,”.

For women, 35 years old is getting to the cusp of where you can reasonably expect to find suitors your own age and to the upper edge of relative ease with fertility issues.

Another observation:

“Guys in New York City are constantly emasculated when they have to buy a bottle to get into a club or they take a girl back to their apartment that they share with five other guys,” she said."

Artifice, artifice and more artifice.

Women wanting to get married should be looking for men who are as close to complete independence as possible. In most cases that means men who are not living with their parents and have a job (or a business).

What have they committed to in the past?

Anything?

These are important signs in our broader culture. In more religiously conservative communities, it is not unusual for kids to go from their parents' home to getting married-however, this is usually at a much younger age than the North American average. And these couples have children earlier, and manage their educational plans along with having a family.

Anyway, this is an interesting piece.

The big picture message-women like (real) men. Men like women.

However, if I was a man, I would also be justifiably wary of a woman who was getting up to her mid-thirties and still prowling around clubs. This often indicates some wear and tear.

RELATED: Kathy asks: "What part of 'bite me' don't you understand?"
 

The Thought Police on Campus

Good grief!

Like Kate says: What's the opposite of diversity?

University.

Related recommended read:

Just finishing "Political Correctness: A History of Semantics and Culture" by Geoffrey Hughes (Wiley-Blackwell: 2010).

Very funny, interesting with a zillion tid bits about language, the history of various insults and "incorrect" speech. Well worth reading!

Who Says There Are No Great Scientific Innovations From the Muslim World?

Meet the light up prayer carpet. 


Sunday, July 22, 2012

Feel Good Story of the Day

I can go to sleep happily.

What a great story:

"Everyone should contribute what he or she can. This is our country, and everyone who is still hesitating can take a look at me." 

So Good To Know: Why Do Scents Bring Back Memories

This is so good to know!

Haven't all of us smelled something that reminded us of good or bad times, a special person, a different time, a particular stage in our lives?

I think women generally have a more highly developed sense of smell than men. I'm very sensitive to smell. I can also think of at least a half a dozen very specific smells-both good and bad that if I close my eyes and think about that particular place or even, I can smell it, kind of 'in my brain'.

The worst one is the smell of the maternity ward at the Toronto hospital where my special needs son was born. The neo-natal intensive care was on the same floor as the regular nursery. So many nightmares there. I don't often let myself think back to that time, but when I do, I can smell the soap, the disinfected, the stuff they used on the floors, the smell of the paper towel-everything.

The good ones-the fresh lake air at camp in northern Ontario. The baby lotion on my babies after their baths. Even further back, the hot bagels in the car, on my way to my grandparent's for brunch on Sundays, the cream that my other grandmother put on her skin. The smell of coffee reminds me growing up when my Dad got up first and put a fresh pot of coffee on and the list goes on.


Child Abuse

One day, we will look back at these children and wonder why this incredible abuse and mutilation was allowed to be perpetrated by the medical establishment in collusion with mentally disturbed, abusive parents.

Who Cares About A Minute of Silence At the Olympics

Not me. 

I couldn't care less. Now-I should also say that I don't care much for the Olympics either.

But a one minute, forced, fake tribute to dead Jews also does not do it for me. This idea, like Anne Frank's tree should be shut down/burned down.

Who needs fake sentimentality about dead Jews?

I would rather have sincere actions and uses of force that protect living Jews, rather than any expression of momentary upset about murdered Jews.

The activists gunning for a minute of silence have their hearts (perhaps) in the right place, but are misguided and naive.

A minute of silence won't bring anyone back, won't provide any comfort to the families or provide any let up in anti-Semitism.

Dead Jews bring out the momentary weeping and misty eyes. Live Jews, especially fighting Jews, Jews with guns, bring out the venom of the Jew-haters.

They're just Jews! Who cares?

UCHHHH. UPPITY WHINING LIVE JEWS!!

That's also the reason that I haven't commented on the terrorist attacks in Bulgaria. There are a few moments of crocodile tears from various world "leaders". But who really cares?

Every day that goes by without a murderous attack on Jews is a miracle.

But how can we Jews complain that nobody cares about our lives, or that Jewish lives are cheap-when we ourselves make deals with the devil, when we ourselves do not value our own lives enough ? 

The terrorist in Bulgaria was 100% Hizballah, no matter what his passport says.

He was released in a prisoner swap. He had been arrested in Israel and imprisoned and then let go.

We Jews need more of a take NO prisoners stance.

Jewish life is not cheap, but there are plenty of Jews who cheapen it with their feckless excuse for leadership.

They sign agreements in Jewish blood-the only real question is which Jewish family will be affected and in what country.




The One and Only Iowahawk: You Didn't Build That

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA

Must read, funny, funny stuff.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

The UK is Screwed

Looks like they need their very own Jason Kenney.

Questions About Huma Abedin

In which Andrew McCarthy discusses the very reasonable reasons why Huma Abedin, Hilary Clinton and the Obama administration might just be ever so over-sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Worth a read.

It's definitely worth knowing a few facts about the situation rather, than some alleged 'conservatives', who shriek that this is all bogus and that she's just a nice lady from a nice family.

Good link here from Jihad Watch. Listen!

Friday, July 20, 2012

We Need A New Vocabulary

I have been reading a book about "political correctness" lately. It was written by a professor of history (emeritus) and I'm finding it very interesting.

I have also been thinking about how intellectually unsatisfying the terms "liberal" and "conservative" are in current political discourse. The words have lost their meaning, and do not convey reality.

For example, why should it be considered "conservative" to be married, have children, work, be religious, pro-life, and interested in fostering in my kids a commitment to life, to Judaism, a positive work ethos and Western values? What is "conservative" about it?

Similarly, "liberal" and "liberalism" are also terms that have been corrupted. Today's "liberals" do not resemble, or have views that are actually in line with traditional and historical definitions of liberalism, going back to the Enlightenment.

"Conservative" is a dirty word. Why?

Mark Steyn, when he talks about free speech always says it's not a left/right thing, but a free/un-free thing.

So, I wonder if Mark Steyn's definition of "free" and "not free" or maybe "anti-freedom" are more accurate terms to use. Or perhaps people should be categorized as "statists" or "non-statists". I know that borrows from Hayek, but those terms seem to convey more of the mindset of people's relationship to government and individual liberty and therefore much more about their politics and general outlook on life.

I just think that when we use these terms, we are giving the political, and extreme left an additional victory-that is owning the language, and therefore owning the terms of the debate. Whoever frames the parameters of language pretty much owns the debate.

This all started with a conversation with Kathy Shaidle, talking about how the actor Jon Lovitz seems to be going all Dennis Miller, and she suggested that perhaps the trigger was owning your own business. She also mentioned that Adam Corrolla said yesterday on his show, to Jonah Goldberg, that much as he hates the label, he agrees with conservatives-so that essentially makes him a conservative.

We also agree that the term "politically correct" needs a complete anhiliation. This also frames the debate using a leftist framework even though it is used as a mocking term, or used sarcastically quite frequently nowadays.

I suggest we stop using that term-entirely.

I think we need a term, a phrase, that indicates that the intention is to completely and utterly shut down the discussion of reality and observed phenomenon. It's a way of saying-hey, we know what reality is, but don't trust your lying eyes, listen and live and spout the narrative that WE say is the reality. The wishful thinking.

So I say bullocks.

What do you think about "reality censors"? Something like that? Maybe the "reality police"?

Just like Ezra Levant has coined "The Media Party" (devastating), so too, do we need to find a substitute term for "politically correct" that blows it out of the water and indicates exactly what it is.

Any suggestions?

Oh My!

A CBC poll goes horribly wrong!

Nothing to See Here

Welcome to London.

Olympic fun!


Steyn: Obama Builds Roadblocks, Not Roads

Mark Steyn turns his attention to President Barack "You Didn't Build That" Obama and the results are predictable: devastating.

"Instead of roads and bridges, Obama-sized government funds stasis and sclerosis: The Hoover Dam of regulatory obstruction, the Golden Gateway to dependency. Last month, 80,000 Americans signed on to new jobs, but 85,000 Americans signed on for Social Security disability checks. Most of these people are not "disabled" as that term is generally understood. Rather, it's the U.S. economy that's disabled, and thus Obama incentivizes dependency. What Big Government is doing to those 85,000 "disabled" is profoundly wicked. Let me quote a guy called Mark Steyn, from his last book:"

"The evil of such a system is not the waste of money but the waste of people. Tony Blair's ministry discovered it was politically helpful to reclassify a chunk of the unemployed as 'disabled.' A fit, able-bodied 40-year-old who has been on disability allowance for a decade understands somewhere at the back of his mind that he is living a lie, and that not just the government but his family and his friends are colluding in that lie."

In keeping with this piece, I would urge you to read this piece from the American Thinker blog. I read it earlier, before the Steyn piece and highly recommend you read the whole thing: Infantilizing Leftist Morality.

It contains a number of thoughts that I have felt instinctively, but never articulated in writing. The kind of things that I have had conversations about, but never put down in words.

If you don't have American Thinker on your list of daily reads, you should. I always find something interesting in it, and the linked content is very helpful and just as interesting as the opinion pieces are. It is a perfect complement to Steyn's piece:

Some excerpts: 

"...whereas the beneficiaries of public charity used to feel a certain kind of shame, such feelings are now regarded as inappropriate, on the grounds that it is "unjust" to regard people as "disgraced" for requiring public assistance.  But contrary to leftist pop-psychology, that old-fashioned sense of shame, far from indicating an unhealthily diminished "self-esteem," was actally a sign of good character.  People who wish to be self-reliant are loath to confess a need for help."

"Their "shame" at receiving it grows from their anger at being temporarily unable to live up to the standards of adult citizenship.  We respect them all the more, and regard them as all the more worthy of our help, for feeling "ashamed" in this way.  Their shame, and the pride it reveals, proves to us that their need is real, and that, with a little help, they will likely elevate themselves again soon."
 
"Taking the shame -- and along with it the pride and self-reliance -- out of the arena of "public charity" has been a primary means of leftist societal corruption."  

So that's what the November elections are about in America. It's a battle bigger than Republican versus Democrat. It's really about a vision of America, and whether most Americans are inclined to continue on their road to serfdom or veer back onto the road leading to liberty, individual freedom and increased prosperity, primarily marked by small government and a weaning off of government dependency writ large. 

First the Saturday People

Then the Sunday people.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Hats Off To Bristol Palin

THIS is the spirit of America.

What a stunning idea. Good on you, Bristol Palin.

The pictures and stories are amazing.

What an uplifting response to a loathsome leader.

Amazing.

Hat tip: Small Dead Animals

Romney Campaign: Picking Up Momentum?

This is a good first start.


And, I just saw a very good article in the New York Post about other small business owners from the New York area who are pretty pissed about this as well.

Read this one as well. 

I think this is a pretty typical reaction and the Romney campaign should capitalize on all of these stories.

Canadians Are Now Richer Than Americans

Hope and Change really working out well. 

Sigh.




The Greatest Loss

"I asked God to take my life and save his."

Horrible. I pray that her other sons live long, healthy lives.

This mother tried to keep her son off the streets.  What an absolute nightmare.

 

zombie wins the internet today

The Ultimate Takedown of "You Didn't Build That'

*bows*

MUST READ. 

In my view, this was a watershed moment in the campaign. If the Republicans don't use this to the max, then they are not just morons, but America will once again, be getting the POTUS that it deserves.

Furthermore:

Possible antidote slogan:

"I Got Me Here"

RELATED: 

How "You Didn't Build That" Became "He Didn't Say That"

"With "You didn't build that," which his campaign has made no effort to clarify or redirect, the president has drawn a line in the sand."

"There is no nebulousness here."

"Beyond the paragraph quoted above, Obama calls government spending "the investments that grow our economy." He ridicules the tendency of Americans to brag about being hard workers with a variant of "So's your old man." ("Let me tell you something -- there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.") He instinctively names "a great teacher" when looking for somebody to credit for causing success in the working world. The president has boldly presented his view on how an economy works. His supporters should give him the respect of taking his words seriously."

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

OH MAH GAWD!!!

Most farbrente shvesters EVAR????

BUT EVAH EVAH EVAH????

I'm literally laughing my Zionist tuches off.

This has got to be the most pathetic Jew-hating folk song ever.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!




Fetcheth the Official Jew-Hating Weeping Shmatah for my eyes watereth!!!!

I weepeth for horrendously ugly, earnest, folky, faux-sopranos who burn and yearn for Pallyyyystoin. 

Hat tip: Small Dead Animals


Lorrie Goldstein: Roots of gang crime-Absentee black fathers

An honest, thoughtful assessment of the roots of crime and the racism behind the willful blindness.

Well done, Lorrie Goldstein:

"But even if we dramatically increased the rate of incarceration of gang members, that won’t curtail the next generation coming up behind them, because of the breakdown of the black nuclear family.
I’d invest public funding not into any more academic studies of the problem — we know what the problem is — but into black, socially conservative, evangelical Christian churches who preach and teach the real remedies to black crime."

"Sexual restraint. Fidelity. Delayed gratification. Self esteem. Family and financial planning."

"Many of these churches provide these programs on their own, but lack the necessary resources to make a societal difference."

"Black preachers know what their communities need, and are unafraid to say it, because they’re the ones who have to deliver the funeral eulogies for the gangsters and their victims. The rest of us need to stop pretending racism plays no part in this crisis, because it does."


(Adam Carolla on the problems facing the black community-NSFW!! Adam Carolla is a total dude, thanks Kathy Shaidle for turning me onto him-not literally, sort of-whatever!!!)


Please read the comments, there are some incredibly honest and inspiring comments from a black commenter "15th squad", who shares his story:

"This is a very hot topic. As a 19 year old black male, hear my point of view. I was raised by my mother and father. They were very critical of me and weren't very supportive throughout my high school years. I ended up getting involved with the 'wrong crowd' and my grades eventually dropped to the 50's and 60's area in grade 10. It was only until I realized where my life was heading, and what I wanted for my future, I started to make an improvement. Police officers I developed close relations too were the first people in my life that actually made me believe in myself and made me see the potential I had within. Long story short, I turned my life around and graduated on the honour roll from high school."

He further notes:

"My suggestion with Toronto is for them to slow down on building basketball court and etc. and spend more money on youth outreach workers to work with kids that are of 'high priority'"

"In my area, we have many basketball courts and other things to do. The kids that were causing s h i t in my neighbourhood never utilized any of the services we had here. They needed special attention, whether it be counselling, mentoring, or just a positive role model, not a basketball!"

And from the Globe & Mail, Margaret Wente: The Broken Families Behind the Violence

Almost 700 comments on this article so far-it's also well stated.

Broken family boys turn to guns and violence, broken family girls turn to promiscuity and baby-making to feel important and significant.

The comments as always, reflect the hard-nosed reality.

If I Had a Son, He'd Look Like Trayvon

But, if I had a bunch of off-shore billionaire fart-catchers and bundlers, they would look more like my grandma's side.

You Didn't Build That!

The glorious state built everything! Did you see Jon Lovitz's tweet? 

I did one of my own as well.  Do you like it?

Gah! Mind-numbing stupidity!

Here's a good editorial on the subject: 

"...the existence of public infrastructure does not explain the difference between successful entrepreneurs and failed ones. The difference is born from the very thing President Obama attempts to downplay almost to the point of denying it — the hard work, resourcefulness, creativity and ingenuity of those who persist until they succeed."

"Under Obama’s formulation — “You didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” — All private success is nonexistent. There is only the glory of the state, as expressed through collective action. The ditch digger and social worker share equally in the success of the small-business owner and the tycoon. Therefore, they deserve an equal, or at least much larger, share of the fruits of the entrepreneurs’ labor. "

If this isn't socialism-what is? 


"Behind its smiley we’re-all-in-it-together façade is a frank demand: You owe us."

"For that most American figure of the self-made man, exemplified most famously by Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, President Obama wants to substitute the figure of the guy who happened to get lucky while not paying his fair share in taxes. What a dreary and pinched view of human endeavor. What a telling insight into his animating philosophy."


"The thing is, he does not know how to create a productive job that adds value because he never built a business.  He never filed the corporate-compliance documents, was never posed with obligations to leap through endless hoops of government red tape to sell a product.  He does not know. "

"He never built a factory, never went to a fabricator to have manufacturing machines built to specifications."

"The only fabrication he knows is falsifying his life story -- one cannot call such novels a "biography" or an "autobiography," but only a "life story."  So he can fabricate facts in his life story.  He can fabricate claims against Romney that fly against the truth.  But he does not know how to fabricate a machine.  Someone else made that happen."

"Obama is the bane of capitalHe does not understand it.  He does not understand the risk of capital, the possibility of capital, the magic of how America opened possibilities never before imaginable because it liberated capital for private enterprise."
"And it would be a delight to see how he got into those schools."

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Random Summer Advice for the World At Large

Yes. It's hot!

It's summer.

Summer is good.

Sunshine is good. But sometimes the good weather makes people do bad, bad things.

So here, in no particular order are some random thoughts from a summer day.

I would characterize them as commandments if I was less modest, but let's just say they are STRONG suggestions for now. And I mean business.

1. NO ARMPIT HAIR SHOULD BE SEEN IN PUBLIC UNLESS AT A PLACE WITH WATER LIKE A POOL OR A LAKE OR BEACH. 

I'm serious. I do not wish to see one single folicle of armpit hair on any living creature out in public. That means that ladies must shave their armpits regularly and men should not wear any upper body garment that does not cover their armpits. In the privacy of your own home, feel free to wear those disgusting undershirts or that mesh tank top from 1974 or from the AC/DC concert.

2. DO NOT USE YOUR TOES TO INDICATE YOU HAVE TOO MUCH BLOODY TIME ON YOUR HANDS.

Pedicures-yes, very nice-very fun. Bejeweled toe nails-no. If you have enough time or money to bejewel your toenails, you cannot possibly have a meaningful life. If you paint every one of your toenails a different colour, the same goes. But all toes and feet that are exposed to the world, in public should not be gangly and disgusting. Toes are VERY UGLY CRITTERS to begin with. Please do your best to make yours look as nice as possible because we civilized folks have NO CHOICE but to look at yours from about May to the end of September.

3. LADIES: PICK ONE SEXY AREA OUT OF THREE. 

Women wear less clothing in summer-yes they do. Women have three areas to show off, not including arms. There is the chest area, there are the legs and there is the midriff. Normal women who are not bound by religious expectations of increased modesty in clothing should go by the following: exposing one out of the three areas-and not full exposure (I don't actually need, or want to see that tattoo on your breast, Miss Subway Cup Runneth Over Lady) can be sexy. Exposing two out of three is excessive and overdone and three out of three is clownish and street-walky.

4. THIS IS CANADA WE HAVE LOTS OF WATER HERE

We have lots of water and cheap soap in Canada. Showers are your friend. 'Nuff said.

5. PERFUME DOES NOT COVER FAT SMELL. NOT EVER. EVAH EVAH EVAH.

Please use that perfume and big hair money for a gym membership.

6. MIDDLE AGED LADIES, PUT DOWN THE "FIFTY SHADES OF GREY" WHEN YOU GO SHOE SHOPPING

Women who are over 35, and especially over 35 and chunky must refrain from choosing bondage-inspired footwear. It just doesn't work. You look like a randy stupid person. Skirts likewise must be closer to the knee than to the butt. Those are the rules BECAUSE I SAID SO.

Thank you. You may now go back to your regularly scheduled enjoyment of summer.




How the Democratic Media Spin the News

Here's a great piece from Powerline. 

John Sununu is really emerging as a conservative media star. He takes no prisoners. Mitt's campaign could take a few lessons from Mr. Sununu.

There was a discussion with several business owners who were outraged about the President's recent comments that business people didn't build their businesses on their owns. The old "who built the roads" meme was heavily in force.

These people get it. Read the whole thing.

"David Napier owns a catering business in Richmond. He noted that Obama doesn’t seem to understand that 100% of the government’s revenue comes from business activity. Who does he think paid for all of those roads and bridges? Government is entirely dependent on business, not the other way around."

Amen.

"The last small business person was Renee Amoore, who owns a health care and business consulting firm in Pennsylvania. She was white-hot, her voice quivering with anger. Where did Obama get his comments, she asked. She is blessed, but she is blessed because she has sacrificed. "

"Obama’s statement is reprehensible, he doesn’t know what is going on. He doesn’t understand business or the economy. Romney understands business because he has lived it. People think that because I am an African-American woman I am supposed to vote for Obama, she said."

"Well, I have been an African-American woman for a long time, and I’m not voting for him. 23 million Americans are out of work and incomes are falling. I’m working hard, Obama isn’t. He doesn’t know what hard work is. \"

"Her husband suffers from ALS, and she is her family’s sole support."

"I need Mitt Romney, she said. \"

"Hope and change? I’m hoping for a change. "

The article is excellent, these business owners are insightful and rightfully outraged.

And of course-you likely will not see any of this on the news, unless it can be mulched into a pro-Obama talking point by his many mainstream media accomplices.


Meet the New Sweden and the Old-New France

Slightly different from the old Sweden.

"In the New Sweden we need armed police officers at our hospitals because rivaling families fight each other in the hospital rooms. They gun each other down in open streets and they rob and beat old people up. The crime rate grows by the minute, but the Swedish politicians and journalists tell us that it has absolutely nothing to do with immigration. The fact that our prisons are full of foreign people is just a coincidence or is explained by socio-economic factors."

Imagine that!

Furthermore:

"The situation in Sweden is far worse than in Denmark. In Sweden NOBODY talks about immigration problems, the death of the multiculti project or the Islamisation/Arabisation of Europe. If you do, you will immediately be called a racist, an Islamophobe or a Nazi. That is what I have been called since I founded the Free Press Society in Sweden. My name has been dragged through the dirt in big newspapers like Sydsvenskan, Svenska Dagbladet and even my own union paper, The Journalist."

Can Sweden be "taken back"?

I'm pessimistic.

Meanwhile: Plus Ca Change in France.

France sucks. 

Monday, July 16, 2012

My Idiot People: American Election Edition


I have written countless times about how many North American Jews are liberals first and foremost but just happened to have been born Jewish. This is really the primary explanation for why so many Jews vote Democrat in the US and Liberal in Canada.

I also believe that assimilation (and assimilating into the religion of liberalism) is today’s Jewish utopianism. Instead of facing the hard and harsh realities of anti-Semitism, looking squarely at where it is now coming from and being realistic about how to deal with it, most left-leaning Jews prefer to bury themselves in a cloak of assimilation. It’s Joseph and His Multicoloured Multicultural Dreamcoat. And it is a dream-more like a fantasy that will always end up in a nightmare.

No matter how much Jews assimilate, Jew-haters will still see them as Jewish first. Many try to buy and assimilate their way out of their Jewish identities but it never really works. Even when Jewish nationhood is at risk, and when the Jewish state and the Jewish people face repeated existential threats, they defer to their liberalism, rather than their Jewish roots.

Here is an example of a Jew deferring to the Holy Grail of liberalism (abortion), Debbie Wasserman Schultz who cannot find a single reason for Jews to support Obama, other than the abortion issue.

I do not think for a moment that vast numbers of Jews are going to abandon the Democratic party and liberalism completely, or even partially. However, there are some interesting things happening with respect to Jews and politics in America, and clearly, I’m not the only person noticing them.

This is a very interesting piece by Lawrence Solomon in the National Post that suggests that Jews are getting miffed with Obama for publicly villainizing the wealthy, yet wanting and still expecting a steady stream of Jewish wealth to flow into his re-election coffers. (The Obama wedding registry has apparently been a bust.) 

It should not surprise anyone that this is a more polarizing issue for these Jews than Obama’s disdain for Israel. Most liberal “solutions” require vast amounts of other people’s money to “fix”.

Unfortunately, the Obama campaign cannot even spell “Israel” correctly.

Now this article also deserves your attention. The Pritzker family is forsaking Obama

This is quite a significant development. No mention of Israel in the article, but I suspect this might be an issue for the philanthropic family.

Lastly, I would urge you to read this very thoughtful piece by Rabbi Dov Fischer. It is absolutely excellent.
He asks: So why do so many American Jews not get it?

(He answers the question, too.)

I actually can’t pick out my favourite nugget because the whole piece is excellent. 

But here’s one good one:

Centuries of anti-Semitism bred in many Jews a desperate need to find ways to escape the hate -- or just to escape their Jewishness. The kind of irrational hate that sees a person targeted from the moment of birth, no matter what he does or believes the rest of his life, leads to many reasonable and many other strange strategies aiming at just being left alone. One painful approach that gained sway among children of the American Jewish immigrants a century ago was to assimilate into America's "melting pot," to move away from authentic Jewish teaching and practice, the ways of Torah life, and to try hiding among the greater population.”

Exactly.

Here’s one of the best summaries and de-bunking of the “Jews loyal the Democrats because of FDR” memes that I have ever seen:

Through a quirk of modern history, American Jews mistakenly misinterpreted an historical coincidence as reflecting that Roosevelt was their friend. Because Adolph Hitler was elected Germany's Chancellor in March 1933, only months after Roosevelt led a liberal sweep of the White House when he won his first term in November 1932, a false coincidental perception arose among the large body of uninformed American Jewish immigrants that the liberal FDR was a freedom fighter courageously leading the war against the Jew-hater HitlerIn reality, FDR was nothing of the sort."

“However, he just-so-happened to be President on December 7, 1941 when Japan hit Pearl Harbor nine years after his first election, and he consequently was left with no choice but to defend America militarily against the Japan-Mussolini-Hitler axis. So a quirk of history convinced the unsophisticated that liberals are the bulwarks against tyrannical Jew-haters.”

Once liberalism had set in among American Jews, they naively passed their liberalism down to their kids...”

The good Rabbi thinks the tides are changing. I hope he’s right. There is certainly an interesting ebb and flow in the news nowadays about the Jews, politics and the upcoming American elections.

We’ll see how things play out.

Stay tuned.