Archive for February, 2011

Wishful thinking from the Ahmadiyya Muslims

Posted: February 7, 2011 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
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I’ve mentioned the Ahmadiyya Muslims on my blog before, they have a mosque on main street Fitchburg and march regularly in our 4th of July parade. They are good people and they certainly mean well with this effort:

“Our hope is to emphasize to our fellow Americans,” Sayed said, “that it is the religious duty of a Muslim to be loyal to the country where he resides…Number two that there are negative influences being exerted — upon especially the Muslim youth in the United States — by people like al Awlaki on the Internet and third the press pays attention to violent acts that people commit in the name of Islam….If we just sit by, more and more these extremists will take hold the banner of Islam and say this is what Islam is.”

I’m torn by this. It’s a worthy effort and a necessary one, and Islam needs reforms from within. Unfortunately many Muslims consider the Ahmadiyya’s a breakaway sect, they have been targets of terror and murder for their peaceful views. I don’t know if western support would simply marginalize them further within greater Islam.

So as I applaud their efforts I don’t have a lot of hope that we will see more of their point of view and less of this:

An Afghan physiotherapist will be executed within three days for converting to Christianity.

Said Musa, 45, has been held for eight months in a Kabul prison

and remember this is not Pakistan, this is Afghanistan!

He claims he was visited by a judge who told him he would be hanged within days unless he converted back to Islam.

But he remains defiant and said he would be willing to die for his faith.

He told the Sunday Times: ‘My body is theirs to do what they want with.

‘Only God can decide if my spirit goes to hell.’

Defence lawyers have refused to represent him, while others have dropped the case after receiving death threats.

As long as Islam is generating these headlines it will be a tough sell.

Do you know who I am? The Military vs John Kerry

Posted: February 7, 2011 by datechguy in oddities
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I know the Valerie Jarrett mistaking the 2nd highest ranking man in the US army for a waiter story is an old one, but there are two things worth noting about it.

The first is as Glenn Reynolds pointed out, the difference in how the MSM is playing it:

It’s a good thing Sarah Palin didn’t make this mistake. Because if she did, it would be a univerally reported indicator that she’s an idiot and should never be allowed anywhere near issues of public policy. Luckily, since it was Valerie Jarrett, it’s all in good fun.

This is so axiomatic that it’s almost not worth saying but we’re going to KEEP saying it to make the lie out of the “Sarah Palin stupid” , “Sarah Palin ignorant”, “Sarah Palin evil” nonsense that we are bombarded by regularly that one has to call them on it.

The second it the part of the story that nobody is talking about. The class of the general, Four-star Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli, to wit:

“The guy dutifully went up and got her a glass of wine, and then came back and gave it to her and took a seat at the table,”

No objections, no ranting about rank, not even an: “Excuse me I’m not a waiter but I’ll find you one.” By going and getting the wine for Ms Jarrett not only did the General act with humility but he deliberately acted in such a way to keep from embarrassing Ms Jarrett.

Imagine just for a moment if we replaced General Peter Chiarelli with John Kerry? Let’s quote an old Howie Carr piece:

One off the surest ways to get the phones ringing on any Massachusetts talk-radio show is to ask people to call in and tell their John Kerry stories. The phone lines are soon filled, and most of the stories have a common theme: our junior senator pulling rank on one of his constituents, breaking in line, demanding to pay less (or nothing) or ducking out before the bill arrives.

The tales often have one other common thread. Most end with Sen. Kerry inquiring of the lesser mortal: “Do you know who I am?”

I’ll never forget one of my most embarrassing moments. I was at a dinner with a bunch of military and ex military a couple of years ago. I was sitting at a table with two genuine heroes, one from WW 2 and one from Vietnam. It came up in conversation that the gentleman from Vietnam had earned 3 purple hearts in his tour, I absent-mindedly said “Just like John Kerry”. You could have heard a pin drop, his wife coldly commented: “No not like John Kerry”. I felt a real fool, particularly being one who never served.

It is that humility that makes the military one of the most respected institutions in the nation and the congress and the white house not.

DaTechGuy on DaRadio with Dan Collins and Congresswoman Renee Ellmers now available

Posted: February 7, 2011 by datechguy in blogs, congress, DaTechGuy on DaRadio, special events
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If you missed our first 2 hour show, live from the 2011 Republican Growing Grassroots Convention, it is now available here

We had a great lineup. Dan Collins of POWIP was kind enough to sub for Lorie Byrd who took ill, Roxeanne DeLuca was late (as usual) but make it though wet and icy roads to co-host. Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R) NC-2 new chairwoman of the subcommittee on health and technology graciously joined us for two segments in the first hour, former congressional candidate Mike Stopa was with us in the first hour and for part of our blogger issues panel. And Tom Bowler of Libertarian Leanings and Justin Brooks of the Twin City Tea Party rounded out our 2nd hour panel dealing with the issues of the week, and Brownies.

Next week I will be at CPAC, we will have live reports from there and a few taped interviews with CPAC folks mixed in. Remember we will be at our NEW TIME 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. And don’t forget till the end of the month our show will be replayed at our old time of 9-11 p.m. Saturday nights.

So don’t miss us on AM 830 WCRN 50,000 Watts of True Talk for all of New England every saturday and remember starting Feb 12th we have a whole morning lineup of conservative talk starting with the Wesley and Weston Review at 6 a.m. conservatively speaking at 7, a new conservative show at 9 p.m. and then me from 10-noon.

Oh and if you want to advertise on a blogger show that gets sitting congressional subcommittee chairwoman as guests, our rates are here.

Just remember AOL owning it is OWNING IT 

Posted: February 7, 2011 by datechguy in blogs, business, internet/free speech
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We see that Arianna Huffington has made her blog pay off:

I got an email from Tim Armstrong (AOL Chairman and CEO), saying he had something he wanted to discuss with me, and asking when we could meet. We arranged to have lunch at my home in LA later that week. The day before the lunch, Tim emailed and asked if it would be okay if he brought Artie Minson, AOL’s CFO, with him. I told him of course and asked if there was anything they didn’t eat. “I’ll eat anything but mushrooms,” he said.

The next day, he and Artie arrived, and, before the first course was served — with an energy and enthusiasm I’d soon come to know is his default operating position — Tim said he wanted to buy The Huffington Post and put all of AOL’s content under a newly formed Huffington Post Media Group, with me as its president and editor-in-chief.

As a person who pays his mortgage one knock on a strange door at a time I must congratulate Arianna on making her site pay off. Granted she was already doing good personally but it’s always nice to see someone do OK.

There is one side thought that instantly comes to mind however. When you are buying something like the HuffPo you are not only buying the structure and the “writers” so to speak, you are also buying the commentators.

It’s axiomatic that you can’t hold a blogger responsible for the comments of individuals on a site and most people simply don’t have the time to police comments to the degree that is necessary for proper decorum, but AOL is a large company. A VERY large company with a fair amount of employees and the manpower to stay on top of that kind of thing.

There have been cases when the Huffpo has made it a point to keep comments closed to make sure some of their more, shall we say enthusiastic leftists don’t embarrass them. With “civility” now the code word of the left and with AOL brand at stake, they will now find themselves of necessity diligently policing the site, and if they don’t well I’m sure there are bloggers on the right with a lot more time on their hands than me who regularly read the Huffpo who will take the time to find this kind of stuff and helpfully point it out to the new owners at AOL.

So AOL I hope you like your purchase, but now remember you OWN it, all of it.

Update: Stacy notes the relative value of his blog. No word on what DaTechGuy on DaRadio might be worth, but then again I’m just looking to make enough to pay the bills every week.

Ace links. I actually think its the first time AOSHQ has linked here. Welcome Ace readers, take a peek around, we have interviews from the GOP Growing Grassroots convention this weekend in Milford Mass. and check out radio show on WCRN AM 830 (50,000 Watts of true talk) you can listen to the latest one featuring bloggers such as Dan Collins of POWIP, Roxeanne De Luca of Haemet, Tom Bowler of Libertarian Leanings and this week we had Congresswoman Renee Ellmers chairwoman of the House Sub Committee on health and technology.

You can listen live to last weeks show here and remember we will be on at our new time 10 a.m. to noon starting Saturday Feb 12th from CPAC!

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