Archive for the ‘opinion/news’ Category

Fidel Castro and Pappy McDaniel

Posted: September 7, 2010 by datechguy in media, opinion/news
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In 1941 Governor Lee “Pappy” McDaniel ran in a special election for an open Senate seat created by the death of Senator John Sheppard (an interesting fact is that a son of Sam Houston the 1st president of Texas born in 1793 was appointed as a “placeholder” senator during the time between the death and the election). His primary opponent was Lyndon Johnson then a congressman from the 10th district. The two primary candidates fought it out and both were involved in some underhanded tactics however at the end of the day it looked like Johnson had the game won until (According to Robert Caro in his book The Years of Lyndon Johnson the Path to Power) O’Daniel’s enemies contrived to steal the election FOR him to get him out of the governors office.

It turned out that Pappy although corrupt had one “virtue” and that was dislike for alcohol. Convinced it was the devil’s brew he was prepared to keep “dry” zones around military bases and his foes in the liquor industry wanted him out.

I thought of Pappy O’Daniel when I read this surprising quote from Jeffrey Goldberg’s interview with Fidel Castro:

Over the course of this first, five-hour discussion, Castro repeatedly returned to his excoriation of anti-Semitism. He criticized Ahmadinejad for denying the Holocaust and explained why the Iranian government would better serve the cause of peace by acknowledging the “unique” history of anti-Semitism and trying to understand why Israelis fear for their existence.

It was quite a shock to hear one of the monsters of the 20th century excoriating a modern monster for antisemitism and going on about the long history of Jewish suffering, that’s when I remembered Pappy.

Pappy was an opponent of the dangers of drinking, but it didn’t make him any less a corrupt pol.

Castro if this interview is to be believed believes that antisemitism is a centuries long disgrace and that Israel has a right to exist, that doesn’t make him any less of a murderous thug. I’m not going to fall for his pap any more that the Babliu blog guys will.

As the Doctor once told Margaret the Slitheen it doesn’t matter, you can oppress millions because every now and again you can speak up against an injustice that has nothing to do with you.

memeorandum thread here

What hath Jones Wrought?

Posted: September 7, 2010 by datechguy in opinion/news
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The Answer is at the Corner:

…as Pastor Jones and his congregation of Dove World Outreach Church sing “Hallelujah!” while burning Qurans, my staff of 30 Christian Pakistani workers spread across the nation, as well as every Christian in Pakistan are put at greater risk and danger through the proposed actions of Pastor Jones and his church. Instead of building bridges to reach Muslims with the Gospel message, we will now have to travel with armed security and be burdened by heightened threats because of his “carnal actions”.

I will not be grateful to Pastor Jones and his theologically deranged church, as I make a trip to the city of Quetta on the Afghanistan border in October to hold a regional pastor seminar; instead I will be watching my back by the heightened risk posed by this so-called “Defender of the Faith”!

You know there is a difference between a comedy show that makes fun of everyone else cowering and a Christian ministry whose goal is supposedly to convert souls being trying to incite. Yes it is important to fight Sharia Law, Yes it is proper to point out the weaknesses in the Koran, but it’s hard to get people to listen to your message of faith if you are kicking them in the groin.

How many persuadable souls worldwide will not be converted thanks to this idiocy?

Eyes on the prize guys, eyes on the prize.

And there is a lot of competition out there

Posted: September 7, 2010 by datechguy in media, opinion/news
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Victor Davis Hanson is a bit of a scholar so how bad does an article have to be for him to say this:

I know it’s commonplace to read in the latest issue of Time or Newsweek that Obama is a god, that Islamophobic Americans are collectively prejudiced against Muslims, that the response after 9/11 was overblown and unnecessary (over 30 subsequent terrorist plots have been foiled, and, for some reason, renditions, tribunals, Guantanamo, Predators, intercepts, etc., have all been embraced by the Obama administration), but the recent Time piece on Israel by a Karl Vick is probably the most anti-Semitic essay I have ever read in a mainstream publication.

And it’s not like there is no competition out there. I’m presuming he is referring to the full article but would like to know if that’s the case.

All that’s missing is “I’ll have my bond“.

Hey Victor I sent a Resume to Time maybe they’ll hire a conservative blogger or two and then change their ways….sometime before the next century.

“Past performance is not an indicator of future performance”

Posted: September 7, 2010 by datechguy in fun, opinion/news
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Just a thought, since democrats keep talking about new spending as an “investment” does that mean they should have to run that warning whenever they talk about spending?

I think so.

Speaking of things that deserve a big warning label:

So, like Stimulus I, which was initially intended to put infrastructure spending first, but evolved into a multi-purpose slush fund that put infrastructure last, the “infrastructure bank” envisioned by progressives on Capitol Hill would be “looking at a broader base” to finance “green energy” and “other large-scale works” based on “social benefits” determined by a panel appointed by the president.

What could go wrong?

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