…is a horrible vacation spot which requires fossil fueled travel for other people causing the seas to rise, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is American Power, with a post on #BlackLivesMatter looking to hijack legacy of MLK, Jr.
Read: If All You See… »
I actually have a bunch of “climate change” articles saved to Pocket, but this article, via Hot Air headlines, intrigued me
(UK Guardian) Four out of ten French people want the press to avoid publishing further cartoons that will upset the Muslim community, according to a poll published on Sunday.
While supporting the idea of freedom of expression, 42% of those quizzed in the Ifop poll for Le Journal du Dimanche said cartoons that made Muslims feel injured or threatened should be avoided.
However, a majority – 57% of those asked – said magazines and papers should be free to continue publishing cartoons whatever the reaction.
Traditional media was treated slightly more favourably than new media by those asked: 50% said there should be limits put on the freedom of expression on the internet, while 49% said there should be no restrictions.
Here’s the thing: should media and other outlets avoid publishing material that upsets others? Not just Muslims, but the targeted group? We’re not talking about forced censorship, but personal censorship. Civility. Respect. Responsibility. In Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein wrote
“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.â€
Regardless of it being a science fiction book, that always made quite a bit of sense to me. Too often people are willing to forgo civility. With free speech comes responsibility. Much of the world has forgotten this as an attitude that makes everything not just about “me me me”, but infused with an attitude that everyone else is simply an ant. What does that mean? Do you think about all the ants and bugs you step on? No. You almost never notice them. You’re just doing your own thing without regard to the bugs. This is the way so many people think today. When they’re driving along and cut people off, it’s more than just selfishness, it’s a complete lack of regard for what can happen to other people. The fender bender behind them is of no regard as they drive off without knowing they are responsible for causing that accident.
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Was it appropriate when cartoonists were penning cartoons portraying Condi Rice in a horribly racist manner, many which were published in major American newspapers, such as the Washington Post and NY Times. When we do, we should be responsible for doing, be it speech, actions, the pen. We may not be to blame, we we can bear responsibility.
Read: 42% Of French Say Cartoons That Upset Muslims Shouldn’t Be Published »
They also expect bitter confrontations. I’m not quite sure what would make them think that, you guys!
(Washington Times) House and Senate Republicans came away from their joint retreat in Hershey, Pennsylvania, this weekend bracing for bitter confrontations with President Obama and skeptical that the president is willing to make deals even on the handful of policies where the executive and legislative branches could find agreement.
Republicans insisted that they could stake out common ground with Mr. Obama on trade deals, tax code reforms, infrastructure projects and cybersecurity measures, yet they repeatedly raised doubts about the president’s inclination to negotiate with lawmakers and break the gridlock that has stymied Washington for six years.
“So far, what we’ve seen is the president and the White House have expressed an interest in tax reform. But when push comes to shove, he’s not really engaging with the Congress on tax reforms,†Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, told reporters at the retreat.
There are certainly issues where there could be common ground and/or compromise, yet, Obama’s history shows that he prefers to create strife rather than deals. In those few times where compromise happened, Obama found a way to demand more and scuttle the deal (the shutdown over the budget is one incident). He barely worked with his own party over the last 6 years. He barely talked to elected Democrats. Those same elected Dems did all they could to support him, and what did they get? Historic losses
“We’re not feeling overly optimistic that the president has gotten the message from the last election,†said Rep. Jeb Hensarling, Texas Republican and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
Obama has not given a damn over Congressional Democrats through the years. Don’t forget, it hasn’t just been losses for Dems in Congress. There have been record losses in State government for Dems, as well.
“I’m the guy born with the glass half full, and I believe hope springs eternal,†said House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican. “The American people want us to find a way to address their concerns. That was the big message out of the election. You hear it from our members on both sides of the Capitol. I’m hopeful the president heard the same message.â€
Obama listens to no one but Obama and the like-minded folks he surrounds himself with. Things must be done Obama’s way or no way, and he is what would be termed a bad faith negotiator in the private sector. If he was in the private sector, no one would want to work with him, because of his extreme views, extreme manners, and predilection to create strife.
Read: Surprise: Republicans Doubt Obama’s Willingness To Negotiate »
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Back in 2007, the NYPD compiled a report regarding home grown Islamist terrorists, which was the blue print for monitoring mosques and Muslim groups to attempt to stop terrorist attacks and the home grown Islamists. This made Muslims very upset that law enforcement would dare to go where Muslims are radicalized, so they sued. Now the NY Post learns
In top-secret talks to settle federal lawsuits against the NYPD for monitoring mosques, the city is weighing a demand that it scrub from its Web site a report on Islamic terrorists, The Post has learned.
The groundbreaking, 92-page report, titled “Radicalization in the West: The Homegrown Threat,†angers critics who say it promotes “religious profiling†and discrimination against Muslims. But law-enforcement sources say removing the report now would come at the worst time — after mounting terror attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris, Boston, Sydney and Ottawa.
That is one of the main sticking points in settling the lawsuit with the Muslims.
“The harm is that it sends the message that the NYPD is Âgoing to back down on its counterterrorism effort in the name of political correctness,†said a former NYPD official. “Shame on the NYPD if they do.â€
If the NYPD was doing this to Whites, Christians, and/or Conservative groups, no one would be batting an eye. However, in our PC world, certain groups must never be surveilled. What’s more disturbing than removing the report is this next bit
Also on the table are demands that the NYPD halt any ongoing surveillance in the Muslim community and that records of prior monitoring be expunged, sources said.
It’s not like a homegrown jihadi attacked NYPD officers with a hatchet last April. Sadly, Mosques and Islamic schools are some of the prime recruiting grounds around the world for Muslim radicalization. No, most will not become jihadis. They won’t engage in violence. But, if you have a profile of a suspect, you use that profile to look for the suspect. But, in today’s PC world, certain groups are off-limits.
Liberals will, of course, throw out the word “Islamophobia”. Well, yeah. Phobias are often called “irrational”. Yet, spiders can harm you. So can snakes. So can falling. Surely, not all Muslims are radicalized. Yet, where are they? So few refuse to speak up. Few get involved in things like the Paris march last week. Why? Well, one reason is that they’re afraid of being attacked by the radicals. Think on that.
(The DiploMad 2.0) Let’s look around the world, and ask “Who is not an Islamophobe?” The world is full to the rafters with Islamophobes. I wonder if the people slaughtered at Charlie Hebdo and in the kosher market had a bout of Islamophobia just before the AK rounds put an end to those thoughts? What about the people in the Westgate Mall in Nairobi or in the villages of Nigeria? Guess what? Huge numbers of Islamophobes live lives of utter misery and horror in the Islamic world. I lived for years in Muslim countries, and met countless Muslims terrified of Islam, especially women and budding intellectuals. Let us not forget that in the long and bloody history of the Religion of Peace, the greatest number, by far, of Islam’s victims have come from the ranks of Muslims. Nobody massacres Muslims as frequently and as copiously as do other Muslims following the dictates of Islam.
Liberals are more than happy to equate every action by a Christian, Jew, Conservative, White, with the group as a whole, even when the perpetrator is performing actions/saying things that are completely contradictory to the belief set of the group. Yet, in Liberal World, the same never applies when an Islamist does something while claiming it is the name of Mohammed and/or Allah.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: Appeasement: Muslims Want NYPD Terrorism Report Scrubbed »
Of course, at the end of the day, it matters little whether 2014 was the hottest during…um, yeah, a weak Holocene warm period,which had been preceded by a big cool period, and a strong warm period. Why? Because we should expect warming during a warm period. The argument is over causation. Anyhow, the computer modelers, er, excuse me, climate scientists, made an interesting admission
(UK Daily Mail) The Nasa climate scientists who claimed 2014 set a new record for global warmth last night admitted they were only 38 per cent sure this was true.
In a press release on Friday, Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) claimed its analysis of world temperatures showed ‘2014 was the warmest year on record’.
The claim made headlines around the world, but yesterday it emerged that GISS’s analysis – based on readings from more than 3,000 measuring stations worldwide – is subject to a margin of error. Nasa admits this means it is far from certain that 2014 set a record at all.
Yet the Nasa press release failed to mention this, as well as the fact that the alleged ‘record’ amounted to an increase over 2010, the previous ‘warmest year’, of just two-hundredths of a degree – or 0.02C. The margin of error is said by scientists to be approximately 0.1C – several times as much.
Seriously, even if it was, does a hundredth of a degree C make a difference?
Of course, it helps the narrative when the data is changed on a constant basis.
Read: Whoops: “Scientists” Only 38% Sure 2014 Was Warmest Year Evah! »
…is a horrible wood fire polluting the atmosphere with carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Independent Sentinel, with a post on why Muslims don’t speak out.
Read: If All You See… »
Happy Sunday! Another wonderful day in America. Though I am getting really tired of the commercials for candy crush style game apps. I’ve already seen at least 8 9 of them since I got up at 730. Anyhow, this pinup is by Bill Randall, with a wee bit of help.
What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15
As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page. While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your “Pinups for Vets†calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me
Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. (BTW, since someone asked, the reason I leave links for the previous week up (or you might see a *) is because they are place holders for later in the day or for next weeks. Easier than rewriting all the time. Also, the listing order has to do with how they are added over time, not how good a post is. I just copy and paste from the previous week, then edit. If you see one of the *’s, go ahead and check out the blog anyhow, see if there is an update. I cannot update with my Android during the day.
Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »
Last time he tried this, all his rich buddies, who were making massive donations to Obama’s campaign, along with other Democrats, Democrat groups, and outside Democrat groups, felt this was great. They were like “yeah, raise my income tax.” I doubt they’ll be so enthusiastic this time
(Huffington Post) During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Barack Obama will lay out a plan to extend tax credits to the middle class by hiking taxes on wealthier Americans and big banks, according to senior administration officials.
Under the plan, the capital gains tax for couples with income over $500,000 per year would be raised from its current level of 23.8 percent up to 28. The plan would also strip a tax break, known as a “step-up,” that allows heirs to avoid capital gains taxes on large inheritances.
In addition, the plan would institute a new tax on the biggest financial institutions, basing the fee on liabilities in order to discourage risky borrowing. The administration says the fee would hit the roughly 100 banks that have assets of $50 billion or more.
So many of those rich folks, such as Warren Buffett, would not have been affected much by an income tax increase. Raising the capital gains rate, along with several of the others Obama is trotting out, will have a big effect on The Rich. This has zero chance of passing the Republican Congress. Not that Obama will actually do more than give a speech, as no one actually expects Obama to do anything as pedestrian as sending legislation over to Congress.
The president’s plan would use revenues from those tax code changes to finance credits aimed at the middle class, officials said. That includes extending the earned income tax credits to families without children, which would benefit an estimated 13 million low-income workers, while also tripling the maximum tax credits for child care in low- and middle-income homes.
This part could happen, I’d suspect the GOP Congress could jump on reducing taxes on the mid-low income citizens. Of Course, Team Obama partially portrays the entire thing as somehow helping make the economy run better. They never explain how, nor do they explain why they didn’t do this anytime over the last 6 years, particularly during his first two years when Congress was in the hands of Democrats. The other reason?
“This proposal is probably the most impactful way we can address the manifest unfairness in our tax system,” an administration official said.
Of course. Redistribution of wealth. Class warfare. The same ol’ same ol’ schtick. Of course, the tax code is in fact unfair, in that it fails to provide equal treatment under the law, having different rates for different earners. Having different breaks that only some people are eligible for.
In addition to the tax credits, the president’s proposals will also include a plan to give more workers access to retirement accounts. Employers with at least 10 workers who don’t currently offer their employees a 401(k) would have to enroll them in what’s known as an automatic IRA, a plan that Obama has included in previous budgets he’s proposed.
While it’s nice for companies to offer 401(k)’s, is it government’s job to force companies to offer them? No. No it isn’t.
Another reason for doing this?
(Fox News) Obama’s call for higher taxes on the wealthy is likely to further antagonize Republicans who are already angry with the president over his vows to veto several of the party’s priorities, including legislation to approve construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, make changes to the president’s signature health care legislation and block his executive actions on immigration.
Obama wants to pick a fight. It’s what he does. He knows that the tax increases won’t get through Congress, and he’ll assault and impugn Congress over the tax decreases which they will most likely support during the SOTU speech. This is the reason the plan was released early, to make sure Congress will have had time to read and hear about it: he can denigrate Republicans for not taking action immediately. Like Monday and Tuesday.
Expect this to be a very dry and very boring State Of The Union address, with even more people tuning out.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: Semi-Retired President To Propose Tax Increases On The Rich »
…is wonderful primitive living which Everyone Else should try, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Rhymes With Right, with a post on protecting blasphemous utterances.
Why is this horrific story not more widely disseminated?
(UK Daily Mail) Two men were hurled from the top of a tower block, two more were crucified in front of a baying crowd and a woman was stoned to death in the latest series of horrific executions by ISIS.
The men were thrown from the roof down to the crowd below in the brutal punishment for being gay.
Charges found against the accused were announced by a masked Islamic State fighter, using a small handheld radio. Reading from a list, he declares the men are guilty of engaging in homosexual activities and should be punished by death, in accordance with Islamic State’s radical interpretation of Sharia law.
The horrific punishment was reportedly carried out in the Iraqi province of al-Furat. The victim’s broken body is photographed on the dirty road, lying outside the steps of the orange patterned building. Two other men were also crucified for alleged rape crimes. Their bodies are shown lying tied up to the railings of a nearby fence.
The woman was accused of adultery.
Woman stoned to death & Men thrown from rooftops. All in a days work for #ISIS in #Mosul. #ISIL pic.twitter.com/jN5Oa38puZ
— London Times (@SlemaniTimes) January 16, 2015
One has to wonder when, or even if, Liberals/Leftists/Progressives will turn on radical Islam, which constantly treats gays and women in horrific manners. There are competing interests within the LLP community in wanting to show their support for gays and women but also to be tolerant of all Muslims, a kind of generic Islam, which leads to their constant defense of the hardcores, known as Islamists in truly unique and blindingly stupid ways. LLPs are mostly incapable of condemning the Islamists, and call any criticism “Islamophobia”, in their insane multiculturalism/diversity worldview.
All posts here are my views. None represent my employer. If ye can prove me wrong, so be it. Ye can rant and rave at me, but be mostly polite to any other commentors. I will put up with quite a bit, but be mostly respectful to others.
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