Month: July 2008
Terrorists Infiltrate the Military
Posted on July 30, 2008 in Scoundrels Terrorism War
If you’d asked Donald Rumsfeld two years ago, he would have denied that there was any problem of racist extremists infiltrating the military for the purpose of learning terrorist soldiering skills. A new report adds to my suspicion that the Bush administration is fully aware that right wing fanatics are preparing for a new war against America and using the armed forces as a training ground:
The report, titled “White Supremacist Recruitment of Military Personnel since 9/11,” compiles statistics from hundreds of FBI cases from October 2001 to May 2008. It finds that U.S. military experience “is found throughout the white supremacist extremist movement.” It adds: “FBI reporting indicates extremist leaders have historically favored recruiting active and former military personnel for their knowledge of firearms, explosives, and tactical skills and their access to weapons and intelligence in preparation for an anticipated war against the federal government, Jews, and people of color.”
And it’s not just veterans who are drawn to the cause. “FBI cases also document instances of active duty military personnel having volunteered their professional resources to white supremacist causes,” the report states. The FBI finds that “an estimated 19 veterans (approximately 9 percent of the 203) have verified or unverified service in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Calls for zero-tolerance of racial extremism in the military have come from both sides of the aisle. Hatewatch reports that Republican Senator Richard Shelby wrote: “Military extremists present an elevated threat to both their fellow servicemembers and the public. We witnessed with Timothy McVeigh that today’s racist extremist may become tomorrow’s domestic terrorist.”
The eye of the nation needs to be upon some of those reputedly sent to defend us lest they become our attackers.
[tags]terrorism, racism, racial extremism, domestic extremism, domestic terrorism, military[/tags]
Terrorism in Knoxville
Posted on July 30, 2008 in Liberals & Progressives Terrorism
Jim D. Adkisson wanted to send a message: be a liberal and die. That was the motive behind the Unitarian church shooting this past Sunday. And I am with Huffington Post’s correspondent Joe Lauria when he describes it as an act of terrorism:
An act of terrorism is violence by a civilian or civilians against unarmed civilians for a political motive. Al-Qaeda attacking US servicemen in the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, or in the USS Cole, or in Iraq or even in Fort Dix, New Jersey is not terrorism. It is a guerilla attack. Al-Qaeda attacking civilians in US embassies in Africa or at the World Trade Center is indeed terrorism.
Right on the money there. So what is Bush going to do about the incipient right wing terrorism in this country? Nothing, I bet. So far he has been silent, failing to comfort the victims or their families. Like his father, he allows the terrorist right to stock up their armaments until they are needed to strike fear into the hearts of voters who might be inclined to vote liberal.
Likewise, John MCCain has been spending more time pumping out attack ads (which might well be part of the mileau that influenced Adkisson to kill) than speaking out against Americans killing other Americans because of their political beliefs. You can bet Obama would have spoken up if the killer had been a liberal gunning down fundamentalists.
We need to do three things: vote for the middle and left side of the road. Then press newspapers, radio, and television outlets that feature hate pundits such as Coulter and Limbaugh who regularly suggest that liberals ought to be killed to drop these shows and columns. And insist that our leaders put a stop to homegrown terrorist organizations in part by necessary police actions and part by listening to the economic concerns of those who might be tempted to join their ranks.
[tags]terrorism, right wing terrorists, unitarians, unitarian shooting, Knoxville, Tennessee[/tags]
Earthquake
Posted on July 29, 2008 in Earthquakes
It was loud: buzzing through the timbers of our condominium up to the roof. I confess that I was still asleep, but it woke me. Not enough time to run for the doorway and I wasn’t sure how strong it was. Perhaps a stupid move on my part, but I was curious as to how big it was going to be. The vibration raced through the ceiling before petering out.
Doggy and the cats didn’t freak, but everyone is now following me around the house. This was nowhere near as exciting as the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake but there’s the possibility that this was a foreshock to something greater.
Here’s the official USGS website for the quake complete with maps (yes, they are fast.)
And here is what it looked like on the seismograph.
Cal Tech has this cool video representation of the shaking. Frankly, it makes it look worse than it was.
I expect the usual “Oh, I couldn’t live in California because I am so afraid of the earthquakes” litany, but I’ll retort as usual that I’d rather have earthquakes than tornados or hurricanes.
[tags]earthquake, earthquakes, Carbon Canyon, Southern California, Greater Los Angeles[/tags]
Obama Rides the Unicorn
Posted on July 26, 2008 in Campaign 2008
I have to say that I enjoy the jibes in this nonpartisan piece….
894th in his class of 899
Posted on July 21, 2008 in Campaign 2008
Can one be a hero while at the same time being a dick? The answer, as McCain has shown, is: yes.
Check out his article at Dickipedia.org.
Still Think McCain is Better than Bush?
Posted on July 18, 2008 in Campaign 2008 Violence
Here’s a joke he told last week:
“Did you hear the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, ‘Where is that marvelous ape?'”
Get it? Being raped and beaten is fun. Not something the media will make a fuss about, but you’ll doubtlessly be hearing more about this.
Bush the Sausage Maker*
Posted on July 13, 2008 in Accountability
Dubya says that history may yet treat his administration kindly, but a poll of historians thinks his is the worst presidency ever.
The greatest president, I dare say, is the one who can fix this mess.
Doggy
Posted on July 2, 2008 in Cats Dogs
We now have a [[Boston Terrier]], a sad-eyed gentleman with a [[brindle]] coat who very quickly learned that the cats outranked him. Fiona showed him by slapping him on the nose when he tried to lick her which cat and dog owners know to heinous. Later he snuffed up one of her cat treats which led to yet another disciplining. Boadicea took her time in approaching him, but now seeks to go nose to nose which Drake does not permit: he turns away and shakes when she stretches toward him. Overall, he’s a nice guy but more Lynn’s pet than mine. The cats have sovereignty over my lap.
Genius and Mediocrity
Posted on July 1, 2008 in Originality & Creativity
Romantics often tell the story of creators who went against their parents’ wishes and undertook the life of an artist. Greatness, we are told, often comes from this sort of adversity. What the art pundits do not speak about is the origin of mediocrity. It lies in enduring the attentions of superficially supportive parents who ridicule. This may be impossible to overcome.
