Here We Go Again

By now everyone should be aware of what happened in Dallas last Thursday.

Dallas Shooting Suspect, Micah Johnson, ‘Upset at White People’

A military veteran who said his goal was to kill white police officers opened fire Thursday night in downtown Dallas, leaving five officers dead and seven wounded...

Shortly thereafter, similar incidents followed.

Tennessee shooter targeted white victims, similar to Dallas ambush

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released the name of the suspect behind Thursday morning's random shooting in Bristol, TN that claimed the life of an area newspaper carrier and injured three others, including a local police officer.

The TBI says 37-year-old Lakeem Keon Scott was armed with at least two weapons, an automatic-style rifle, a pistol and a large amount of ammunition...

Preliminary findings indicate Scott may have targeted people and officers after being troubled by recent events involving African-Americans and law enforcement officers in other parts of the country.

Missouri Cop 'Fighting For His Life' After Being Shot in Traffic Stop

A police officer is "fighting for his life" after he was shot during a traffic stop this morning in Ballwin, Missouri...

The incident, which was caught on police dashcam, happened around 11 a.m. local time on Friday when an officer pulled over a vehicle for speeding...

After speaking with the driver, the officer went to his car to do paperwork ... the driver exited his vehicle, approached the officer's car, fired three shots, returned to his vehicle and fled.

The suspect, Antonio Taylor, a 31-year-old black man who was paroled in 2015 after serving time on a federal weapons charge, was charged with assault of a police officer, armed criminal action and a felon in possession of a firearm...

Gunfire strikes San Antonio Police headquarters

Multiple gunshots were fired at the San Antonio Police headquarters building Saturday night... There were no reports of injuries.

Bullet marks were found on the exterior wall of the building, and shell casings were discovered in a nearby alley...

This incident comes as police departments nationwide are on edge following the shooting of 12 police officers in Dallas.

I'm a data guy. My first professional career involved numbers, algorithms, and analytics. My second career relied heavily on data collection and analysis. So when I view the events of the past few days (the Dallas shootings and related aftermath), I get frustrated when so many use emotions in place of analysis and logic.

Here's some numbers to chew on.

Last year (2015) 990 people were shot and killed by police in this country. Approximately 50% were white, 26% were black, and the remainder were hispanic or 'other.' 9% were unarmed. 74% were shot while some sort of attack was in progress.

This year (2016) 512 people have been shot and killed by police to date. That's pretty much on track with last year's numbers. Approximately 47% were white, 24% were black, and the remainder were hispanic or 'other.' 7% were unarmed. Data was not provided regarding whether or not an attack was in progress.

Another piece of data was cited by Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke (who, BTW, is black).

"Forty percent of law enforcement officers in the country that are killed in the line of duty are killed by black men," Clarke said, pointing out that blacks only represent about fifteen percent of the population.

The data indicate that there is no epidemic of police shooting blacks. The numbers have remained steady.

What has changed is the use of social media to share and encourage emotional and illogical responses to these incidents. We also have grandstanding politicians and their enablers in the press who are busy spinning these tragedies to advance their narrative. For example, in a Facebook post last week obama had this to say.

"What's clear is that these fatal shootings are not isolated incidents. They are symptomatic of the broader challenges within our criminal justice system, the racial disparities that appear across the system year after year, and the resulting lack of trust that exists between law enforcement and too many of the communities they serve."

I guess barry can't be troubled to examine the facts.

He's not alone. Here's what some SJW had to say in the New York Times.

... this brand of tragedy has become routine… Law enforcement, militarized and indifferent to black lives, is the problem.

Of course, hillary had to chime in as well.

Speaking to a largely African-American audience at the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, (hillary said)... it was important to acknowledge the "implicit bias" in society and some police departments.

(Side note: hillary desperately needs the black vote to help her get elected, so it's not surprising that she's pandering to them. But some conspiracy theorists think there might be another, more sinister explanation.)

I don't doubt that some of the shootings may not have been justified. But there are a myriad of factors in play here - training, mental and emotional composure of the officers involved, experience, actions of the suspects, and yes, possibly even some racial bias. But to tag all shootings as racially motivated, and to paint all cops as indifferent or even hostile to blacks, is not only false and misleading, it is grossly irresponsible. It leads to incidents like the Dallas shootings, and other similar events.

There have also been reports of individual black people and police officers coming together and helping bridge the gap between both sides. Here's one example.

Click to embiggen.

Color me foolishly naive and optimistic, but I hope that the events of the past few days will open eyes on both sides. Regardless of my fetish for data, I realize that perception is important. And right now, rightly or wrongly, blacks perceive that cops represent a threat to them, and are responding accordingly. We have to hope that the police have a better grip on their emotions and don't push back, leading to a vicious cycle of tragedy upon tragedy. We also have to hope that calmer heads will prevail on the other side, and that, over time, a calm and reasonable dialogue will emerge.

Like I said, color me foolishly naive and optimistic...

In The News

I was browsing yesterday's news when I came across these two headlines.

GOP County Official: Hillary is Going to ‘Go Down Like Monica Lewinsky’ in Debate Against Trump

Bob Sutton, chairman of the Broward County Republican Executive Committee in Florida, told (the Washington Post) that Clinton would be easy to defeat, adding:

“I think when Donald Trump debates Hillary Clinton she’s going to go down like Monica Lewinsky.”

That'll certainly help with getting the female vote.

The next headline is not a laughing matter, but it was difficult to stifle a snort when I read it.

Dead Couple Found Killed

Those two got me to thinking about other unintentionally funny headlines. A little Google-Fu and Voilà!

Of course, if you really want a laugh, read what passes for journalism these days...

One Down, Many More To Go

Maybe there's hope for America after all. It seems that the propaganda outlet of islamic terrorism has failed in its attempt to brainwash people in this country.

After months riddled with troubles and controversy at cable news channel Al Jazeera America, the company has revealed it is shutting down operations as of April 30.

According to CNNMoney, it’s estimated that hundreds of staffers will lose their jobs as a result. The announcement came during a staff meeting Wednesday, leaving many — including executives — in tears.

Oh boo-friggin'-hoo...

To put it lightly, the past few months hasn’t been great for the media company that began just two and a half years ago. For instance, the New York Times busted the station’s general counsel for “not having a license practice law.”

That fits the general modus operandi of Al Jazeera. Their reporters and commentators don't have a license to practice journalism.

There have also been lawsuits from former employees alleging there’s a culture of sexism and anti-Semitism in the newsroom.

Really?!? Sexism and anti-Semitism in a muslim-friendly media outlet? What a surprise!

Amidst the understandable shock and heartache among employees after learning the news, some tell the New York Daily News they saw it coming:

“This is a mercy killing — it’s like having a manic depressive father because you never know what the f— you’re waking up to with this company.”

With morale seemingly low, that’s not the only thing that’s hanging on by a thread.

Al Jazeera’s ratings are a third less than other major news networks...

OMG - you mean they even beat MSNBC?

Well, maybe not. I'm not sure MSNBC quaalifies as a 'major news network.'

The company’s CEO, Al Antsey, says she’s proud to have worked with such “excellent” journalists, but blames the “economic landscape of media” for closing up shop.

Two misstatements lies in one sentence. No wonder the islamic mouthpiece is going belly-up.

Good riddance to bad rubbish...

Just The Facts, Ma'am

Here's a sad and troubling story from the weekend that hit a little close to home.

A University of North Texas student who was a designated driver on New Year’s Eve died Friday after being shot while behind the wheel, police said.

Sara Mutschlechner, 20, was taken off life support Friday evening at Denton Regional Medical Center, a police spokesman said.

The young lady - the victim - is the daughter of a friend of a friend. I don't know them, but I certainly feel for them. There are many similarities between Sara Mutschlechner and our daughter; about the same age, young women off at college, responsible and caring young people who do the right things, etc. But what I find troubling, aside from the tragic and senseless loss of life, is how the story was reported. Here's the rest of this particular version.

She was found by officers about 2 a.m. Friday in the 1700 block of North Elm St., lying outside the sedan she had been driving.

The car had crashed into an electric pole, said officer Shane Kizer, a police spokesman.

Witnesses told police that a black Lexus SUV occupied by “five or six black males” drove up next to the sedan and “several words were exchanged” between people in both vehicles, Kizer said. As the two vehicles crossed University Drive, someone in the SUV fired at Mutschlechner, police said.

She was struck in the head, and the car hit another vehicle before crashing. The SUV fled, police said.

Here's how the story was reported in several other news outlets (this particular one is from ABC 'News').

Denton police say the gunman was in a black Lexus SUV occupied by five or six men.

Notice what detail was left out.

From the first report: "a black Lexus SUV occupied by five or six black males..."

From other reports: "a black Lexus SUV occupied by five or six men..."

This isn't about racism. It's about reporting relevant facts that might help identify the perpetrators. The media reported the color of the SUV. Why is that fact relevant, but the color of the suspects not relevant? If we're going to neglect to report race, why don't we ignore gender as well?

"a black Lexus SUV occupied by five or six people..."

That's much better. It may not help police track down the suspects, but at least it won't offend anyone.

Have we become so scared of racial issues that we no longer have the courage to include the race of suspects in their descriptions?

I fear the answer is "Yes..."

The Year In Review - Sort Of

It's that time when all sorts of "Year in Review" articles and lists are published. I'm not going to post them here, because (1) they're just about everywhere you look, and (2) I'm lazy. But I will post one, because I found it especially amusing.

I've given up expecting any semblance of 'fair and balanced' reporting in today's media. But one would hope they could at the bare minimum get their facts right. And if they don't, they should publish a correction in a manner (prominence and location) similar to the original story. Everyone makes mistakes - God knows I make more than my share. But when I do, and when I find out about it, I try to make it right. Media outlets, however, are notorious for burying their 'corrections' in small print on an inside page, or somewhere else equally inconspicuous. As the following shows, maybe that's because the original mistake is so ridiculous they don't want to draw further attention to it.

So without further ado, here's my Top 10 list of all-time absurd media corrections.

What a difference an "n" makes.

“Reporter Amanda Hess, in a story published Monday, acknowledges she wrongly wrote that ‘one in three black men who have sex with me is HIV positive.’ In fact, the statistic applies to black men ‘who have sex with men.’” --- Washington Citypaper.

That's his second job.

“In the September profile of Chelsea Clinton, ‘Waiting in the Wings’ by Jonathan Van Meter, Dan Baer was mistakenly identified as an interior designer. He is deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. Department of State.” --- Vogue magazine.

I'd love to hear the story behind this story.

“A column by Glenn Garvin on Dec. 20 stated that the National Science Foundation ‘funded a study on Jell-O wrestling at the South Pole.’ That is incorrect. The event took place during off-duty hours without NSF permission and did not involve taxpayer funds.” --- Miami Herald.

What's 450 years among friends.

“Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified the number of years E.B. White wrote for The New Yorker. It was five decades, not centuries.” ---The New York Times.

Are you sure the first one is wrong?

“A Bloody Mary recipe…called for 12 ounces of vodka and 36 ounces of tomato juice. The recipe as printed incorrectly reversed the amounts, calling for 36 ounces of vodka and 12 ounces of tomato juice.” --- Wall Street Journal.

That's three beers more than it takes me.

“This post originally quoted photographer Tom Sanders as saying it takes him five years to get on the dance floor. It takes him five beers.” Slate magazine.

Must have been divine intervention.

“Karol Wojtyla was referred to in Saturday’s Credo column as “the first non-Catholic pope for 450 years”. This should, of course, have read “non-Italian pope.” ---London Times.

He'd have more credibility as an author of erotic novels.

“An article on Monday about a recall election facing Colorado lawmakers who supported gun-control legislation referred incorrectly to one of the Republican challengers expected to face John Morse, the State Senate president, on the ballot. The candidate, Bernie Herpin, is a former city councilman, not an author of erotic novels.” --- New York Times.

This error could be applied to the entire set of politicians.

“An Oct. 1 editorial referred to Washington state Rep. Cathy McMorris, R-Colville as a ‘classy candidate.’ This page regrets the error.” --- Lewiston Morning Tribune.

The next one is actually #11, but it's in a class of its own, so I felt is was appropriate to include it with a Top 10 list. If there is much of an outcry I'll publish a correction ... at some point ... in some format...

“The Ottawa Citizen and Southam News wish to apologize for our apology to Mark Steyn, published Oct. 22. In correcting the incorrect statements about Mr. Steyn published Oct. 15, we incorrectly published the incorrect correction. We accept and regret that our original regrets were unacceptable.” --- Ottawa Citizen and Southam News.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

To wrap things up, here's a classic typo in a photograph caption.

That must have been really painful.

Seriously?

This is a little dated, but it's well worth watching.

The bodies in San Bernardino were still warm when a leftist slime ball - with zero evidence - blamed the shootings on "anti-government militia."

This is so despicable it is beyond words.

Dateline Dec. 2, shortly after initial reports of the shootings:


I'm sure Tom Fuentes, the CNN 'correspondent,' and his handlers, made sure that their retraction and apologies reached as many viewers as their initial irresponsible report did.

Yeah, right...

Just The Facts, Ma'am

I don't know when journalism morphed from the "who-what-where-when-how" school of reporting facts to the current "write-your-opinion-as-if-it-is-true" mode, but here's a prime example of the latter.

Wonkette is a liberal/progressive website. To its credit, it doesn't claim to be an unbiased news source. It succeeds magnificently in its self-proclaimed mission to be vile, nasty, and snarky. It also succeeds magnificently in displaying its profound ignorance on many topics - in this particular case, on gun safety.

Ted Cruz Doesn’t Care If He ‘Accidentally’ Blows Off Someone’s Head With A Shotgun

Here’s something that is not even a tiny bit funny: Ted Cruz casually and negligently mishandling a deadly weapon ... demonstrating how to “accidentally” kill someone, maybe in that farmhouse not far behind him. Oops, bang bang, sorry, kid — you’re dead.

Cruz, who so loves his guns that he supposedly uses them to fry up his breakfast bacon, is demonstrating to the kids at home exactly how not to handle a gun. Anyone who has had even a second of firearm safety training can recite the rules for you, but in case you’re not one of those anyones, here they are:

    Treat all guns as if they are loaded.
    Never point a firearm at something you’re not willing to destroy.
    Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
    Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

So far, so good. We're all for gun safety. And the author did get the "Four Rules" correct.

These are the rules. At all times, these are the rules. Even if you think you know better. Even if you are a licensed firearm instructor. Even if you are so sure that gun isn’t loaded. Even if you are positive you’re the only living creature within a 100-mile radius. Even if you’re certain it’s set to safety. Even if you’ve been shooting guns since you were knee-high. Even if, always if, every single time.

No argument there. In fact, I pretty much agree with what's been said. So what's the problem? What egregious - and potentially deadly - mistake did Ted Cruz make? Here's a hint.

The muzzle of Ted Cruz’s break-action gun is pointing all over the place — at the buildings, at people who might be behind him, but he doesn’t know because he’s not looking over his shoulder — instead of at the ground, in front of him, where he can see it. That’s where you are supposed to point your gun, even if if if if and if. Always.

Did you catch it? The key phrase there is "break-action." Here's the picture that got the author so riled up.

People who are knowledgeable about firearms will note that the shotgun is in fact 'broken open' - that is, the weapon is a breech loader, the breech is open or 'broken,' and the weapon is unloaded. Cruz is employing what is known as the "shoulder carry" method of holding a shotgun - a perfectly safe and acceptable practice.

For a more informed commentary on how Cruz is carrying that shotgun, here's an excerpt from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's online hunter education course.

Shoulder Carry

The shoulder carry balances the rifle on your shoulder, controlling the firearm by a hand on the grip. Always keep your finger off the trigger and on the outside of the trigger guard. This is a good carry when walking beside or behind others. It is not a good carry if others are behind you.

As the picture of Cruz plainly shows, there is no one behind him. So what's the problem?

Guns in general, of course.

We can, and do, argue about how to reduce the number of gun deaths in America. Fewer guns, less accessible ammo, stricter background checks, stronger mental healthcare. All of the above.

I might be inclined to take the author's argument more seriously if she hadn't just demonstrated what an absolute moron she is. I guess it's too much to hope for that 'journalists' would have a basic understanding of what they write about...

Random Observations 2015.08.11

Following below, in no particular order, are several news stories that caught my eye today.

This is why I drink.

State of emergency called in Ferguson after gunfire mars protests

Protesters blocked rush-hour traffic in both directions on Interstate 70 near the Blanchette Bridge in Earth City Monday evening.

Aerial footage from a KTVI (Channel 2) helicopter showed lines of protesters joining hands to block the highway as drivers sat in their cars, or got out to watch and wait. Protesters also set out barricades to help block traffic. One driver nosed an SUV through the line of people, with a protester kicking at the vehicle's door as the SUV pushed against protesters.

"One driver nosed an SUV through the line of people..." - nosed, hell. I'd have put the pedal to the metal and run over the SOBs, then sued them for the damage to my vehicle. Protest all you want, but stay the f**k out of my way.

Meanwhile, St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger has declared a state of emergency and turned oversight of the Ferguson situation over to County Police Chief Jon Belmar, in the wake of at least three shooting incidents overnight Sunday.

Tell me again about the 'peaceful protesters.'

Earlier in the day, police arrested 57 protesters in St. Louis who were demanding the dissolution of the Ferguson Police Department.

"demanding the dissolution of the Ferguson Police Department" - Drug dealers, muggers, and break-in artists, no doubt.

Shortly before 1 p.m., more than 50 protesters climbed over the barricades that had been set up outside of the courthouse and sat down, locked arms and began singing and chanting.

United States Attorney Richard Callahan said in a statement that 57 people were arrested. He estimated the total number of protesters as being between one and two hundred protesters...

All this crap and publicity for "between one and two hundred protesters"?!? Talk about blowing things out of proportion.

On the other hand, the next two stories downplay what should be trumpeted from the rooftops.

Clinton Signs Court Statement That She's Turned Over Emails

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says in a sworn statement submitted to a federal judge on Monday that she has turned over all emails reflecting official government business.

Like anyone should believe what hillary says, sworn statement or not.

The statement, which carries her signature and was signed under penalty of perjury, echoes past public statements that Clinton has made in the last few months regarding her private email account.

Clinton has said she exchanged about 60,000 emails in her four years in the Obama administration, about half of which were personal and were discarded. She has said she turned over the other half to the State Department.

She's putting a lot of faith into the belief that those deleted emails can't be recovered. Jeez, I hope the tech weenies prove her wrong.

Next is a great example of how the mainstream media spins news stories.

What The Colorado Waste Water Spill Tells Us About Mining Contamination

Scientists grappled with the consequences of a spill of toxic wastewater on Monday, one day after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that an accident had led to 3 million gallons of mining runoff flowing into a river in Colorado used for drinking water. But researchers who study water resources in the region say the spill, while significant on its own, is just the latest example of the much broader problem of water contamination from mining processes.

Personally, I think it's the latest example of how the feds mismanage things and then coverup the mismanagement (see: abuse, IRS; Benghazi, State Dept., etc.) but what do I know.

Finally, we have an ironic but feel-good story that highlights the good that America can, and often does, do.

Marines Help With Typhoon Relief in Saipan

U.S. Marines and sailors have been helping local and federal agencies in Saipan with relief efforts since Aug. 7, after Typhoon Soudelor struck the island Aug. 2-3...

More than 48,000 people live on Saipan, the largest island of the 300-mile archipelago that makes up the Northern Mariana Islands...

Marines and sailors from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the USS Ashland, a forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship in the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group, have been working since they arrived in Saipan to distribute relief supplies there...

What makes this ironic is the history of the Marines and Saipan.

On June 15, 1944, during the Pacific Campaign of World War II (1939-45), U.S. Marines stormed the beaches of the strategically significant Japanese island of Saipan, with a goal of gaining a crucial air base from which the U.S. could launch its new long-range B-29 bombers directly at Japan’s home islands. Facing fierce Japanese resistance, Americans poured from their landing crafts to establish a beachhead, battle Japanese soldiers inland and force the Japanese army to retreat north. Fighting became especially brutal and prolonged around Mount Tapotchau, Saipan’s highest peak, and Marines gave battle sites in the area names such as “Death Valley” and “Purple Heart Ridge.” When the U.S. finally trapped the Japanese in the northern part of the island, Japanese soldiers launched a massive but futile banzai charge. On July 9, the U.S. flag was raised in victory over Saipan.

And that's just about the last time the U.S. flag was raised in victory.

Sigh...

The Chains Of Logic

Unless you've been living in a cave the past couple of weeks, you're aware of the ongoing debate over the Confederate flag.

Why? Because apparently that flag made a messed up white dude murder nine black people in a church.

Setting aside the lunacy that a piece of cloth (or for that matter, an inanimate lump of metal) can be responsible for killing anyone, let's follow where that belief leads a member of the mainstream media.

CNN host Ashleigh Banfield speculated, on the air, that it is time to think about removing the Jefferson Memorial from the National Mall in Washington D.C.

That's the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, not the Jefferson Davis memorial.

The reason: Thomas Jefferson owned slaves.

Thomas Jefferson–like a lot of people 270 years ago–owned slaves. He inherited them from his father. Jefferson gave away many of the estimated 170 slaves he owned after his death...

But Thomas Jefferson didn’t want to divorce from the union in order to preserve slavery. In fact, Jefferson wrote constantly and argued regularly about whether or not the founders should include the abolition of slavery in the Bill of Rights.

Using that 'reasoning' we should remove barack obama from office because his family owned slaves.

Obama’s great-great-great-great grandfather, George Washington Overall, owned two slaves who were recorded in the 1850 census in Nelson County, Ky., the Baltimore Sun reported in 2007, and Obama’s great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, Mary Duvall, also owned slaves.

Obama’s campaign team in 2008 did not dispute the information.

Leftists are currently purging the Confederate flag because its association with slavery, but given that “logic,” shouldn’t they also be calling for Obama’s resignation since he too has a historical link to slavery?

Makes sense to me...

Second Amendment Updates

For your enjoyment and enlightenment, here's a few Second Amendment related stories that have been in the news lately. Let's start off with misdirection, distortion, and outright lies by who else - barack obama and the mainstream media.

Obama’s Gun-Control Misfire - Before the 2014 election, the FBI claimed that mass shootings were up. False.

Last September the Obama administration produced an FBI report that said mass shooting attacks and deaths were up sharply—by an average annual rate of about 16% between 2000 and 2013. Moreover, the problem was worsening. “The findings establish an increasing frequency of incidents,” said the authors. “During the first 7 years included in the study, an average of 6.4 incidents occurred annually. In the last 7 years of the study, that average increased to 16.4 incidents annually.”

The White House could not possibly have been more pleased with the media reaction to these findings, which were prominently featured by the New York Times, USA Today, CNN, the Washington Post and other major outlets. The FBI report landed six weeks before the midterm elections, and the administration was hoping that the gun-control issue would help drive Democratic turnout.

But late last week, J. Pete Blair and M. Hunter Martaindale, two academics at Texas State University who co-authored the FBI report, acknowledged that “our data is imperfect.” They said that the news media “got it wrong” last year when they “mistakenly reported mass shootings were on the rise.”

... Over the past 40 years, there has been no statistically significant increase in mass shootings in the U.S.

Gee, distorted facts... inconsistent data sources... cherry-picked reporting periods... kind of reminds me of global warming climate change weather reports.

Of course, corrections of the 'mistaken' report were either buried or not even published by that same MSM.

On the other side of the country:

Rise in accidental gunshots by L.A. County deputies follows new firearm

Accidental gunshots by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies have more than doubled in two years, endangering bystanders and occasionally injuring deputies. The jump coincides with the department's move to a new handgun that lacks a safety lever and requires less pressure to pull the trigger.

Sheriff's officials say that the increase in accidental discharges — from 12 in 2012 to 30 last year — occurred because deputies were adjusting to the new gun. They expect the numbers to fall in the years ahead. So far this year, the department has recorded seven accidental discharges, five of which involved the new weapon.

But the problems may not be over, as more deputies switch to the Smith & Wesson M&P9. In response, department officials have imposed extra training requirements.

... The switch was prompted in part by the threat of a lawsuit by women who had failed the Sheriff's Academy.

Naturally. If a woman/minority/transgender fails something, it's obviously sexism/racism/whateverism. Therefore the only right thing to do is to change the standards.

Sigh...

But the sharp increase in accidental discharges has prompted an investigation by the Sheriff's Department's new inspector general. Critics say this type of semiautomatic, which is widespread in law enforcement and includes the Glock used by many agencies, is too easy to misfire.

For two decades, L.A. County sheriff's deputies carried the Beretta 92F, a heavy metal gun with a large grip.

People with small hands often have trouble flipping up the Beretta's safety as they prepare to fire. The first shot requires 12 to 15 pounds of pressure on the trigger, forcing some to use two fingers and reducing shooting accuracy for many. Subsequent shots take about 4 pounds of pressure.

The M&P is made of lightweight polymer, with a hand grip that comes in three sizes. Firing a round is as simple as pulling the trigger with a consistent 6 to 8 pounds of pressure.

L.A. County sheriff's deputies learning to shoot the Beretta were taught to rest a finger on the trigger as soon as they took aim. The mantra was "on target, on trigger."

With M&Ps and Glocks, the trigger finger should stay on the side of the gun until the last moment.

That's where it should be. If people heeded that dictum there would be far fewer 'accidental' discharges.

The M&P appears to have fulfilled its promise on one front: More women are making it into the department. The percentage of female recruits who failed the firearms test has plunged from 6.4% to less than 1%.

Pass rates are up across the board, not just for women. With the Beretta, more than 60% of trainees in one academy class needed extra firearms training. Ten out of 80 or so trainees in another class flunked because of the shooting test.

With the M&P, the class with the worst shooting results sent only 17% of trainees to remediation, and only three failed.

So riddle me this. If more people are passing the certification test, why are negligent discharges up? That seems to indicate the training is less rigorous...

...but the social goals are being achieved. That's what really matters.

For the record, I have no objection to 'reasonable accommodations' that recognize the undeniable physical differences between men and women. Case in point: different combat boots and tactical vests/body armor for male and female soldiers. What I do object to is the lowering of standards to inflate the number of women in a given role. Different boots are okay. Different forced march or load-carrying standards are not.

Meanwhile, closer to home:

Two controversial gun bills were signed Saturday by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Senate Bill 11 — otherwise known as “campus carry” — allows licensed gun owners to carry a concealed handgun in and around public college buildings and dorms. The bill includes a concession allowing schools to carve out “gun-free zones.” It takes effect August 1, 2016.

House Bill 910 — otherwise known as “open carry” — lifts a 140-year-old ban. It will allow licensed gun owners to openly carry a holstered handgun in any location that allows the carrying of a concealed gun. It takes effect January 1, 2016.

They're not perfect, but it's a start. Of course, the same old tired arguments were trotted out - it'll be the Wild West all over again; blood will be flowing in the streets; etc. etc. etc. Well, here's a little reality check.

When the Texas Concealed Handgun Law took effect in 1996, pundits and naysayers predicted anarchy. Any minute, there would surely be mass violence as armed Texas citizens began roving the streets settling arguments with gunfire. Certainly, several proclaimed, within a year there would be blood in the streets as Texas returned to the days of the Wild West.

Ten years later the facts paint a different picture. Texas under the Concealed Handgun Law isn’t the Wild West, but the Mild West. No recurrent shootouts at four-way stops, no blood in the streets. Quite the contrary, Texans are safer than before.

Since the passage of the Concealed Handgun Law, the FBI Uniform Crime Report shows an 18% drop in handgun murders, down from 838 in 1995 to 688 in 2004. And a 13% drop in handgun murders per 100,000 population, down from 4.5 murders per 100,000 Texans in 1995 to 3.95 per 100,000 in 2004.

In 2000, on the fifth anniversary of the Concealed Handgun Law, the National Center for Policy Analysis issued a report that indicated Texans with concealed carry permits are far less likely to commit a serious crime than the average citizen.

According to the report, the more than 200,000 Texans licensed to carry a concealed firearm are much more law-abiding than the average person.

The report illustrated that Texans who exercise their right to carry firearms are 5.7 times less likely to be arrested for a violent offense. They are 14 times less likely to be arrested for a non-violent offense.

More:

...the number of (Texas Concealed Handgun License) holders who commit murder or manslaughter is remarkably low. According to (Department of Public Safety) reports, the number of murder and manslaughter convictions for CHL holders has totaled 30 over the 16 years they’ve compiled the numbers . . .

... the ratio of CHL holder convictions for murder and manslaughter per 100,000 CHL holders per year (is) .70/100,000.

Yes, the decimal point is in the correct place. The rate of murder and manslaughter for the general population of Texas ... is 6.0/100,000.

Still, facts mean nothing to the anti-gunners...

Flaming Trousers

I have a friend who is a staunch conservative/libertarian. She went to see Bill Clinton speak as part of an industry-sponsored conference. I was somewhat taken aback when she posted the following.

I enjoyed hearing Bill Clinton speak a lot more than I thought I would... After listening to Bill speak, I believe that, no matter his faults, he does love his country and has faith that our problems can be solved if people will work together - traits that our current president is lacking.

No argument about the Clinton vs. obama  perspective. And I don't mean to question her insight. After all, she was there and I wasn't. Furthermore, there is no doubt that Bill Clinton is a captivating and persuasive speaker. But I found it interesting that the day after Slick Willie's speech this article was published.

Liars in High Places

You have to admire someone who can look you squarely in the eye, wag his index finger at you, and vociferously deny what is in fact the truth. But President Clinton may not have believed that he had actually lied. You see, “it depends on what the meaning of [sexual relations] is.” By Clinton’s lights, receiving oral sex isn’t sex. Who knew?

More than anyone else, it was Clinton who drove the Lewinsky scandal. Clinton’s lies and language games were what plunged the nation and the federal government into his sleazy swamp. And it was all unnecessary, because if his objective was to hang onto his job, Clinton didn’t need to lie. Indeed, he may have avoided impeachment altogether had he come out in the beginning and admitted to being the recipient of certain unsought-for attentions. Had he admitted upfront to a moment of weakness, the existence of a stained blue dress would have been assumed; it wouldn’t have had any power to damage. But no, Bubba had to lie.

And having lied, Clinton guaranteed his impeachment, as perjury in a grand jury is a felony, a high crime and therefore impeachable. The fellatio with an underling off the oval office was tawdry. But perjury, that’s big. Senators who might overlook the sex (or whatever you want to call it) weren’t going to overlook perjury...

But all that lying didn’t hurt Clinton too much with the public. And now he’s an elder “statesman,” the Big Dog; he’s Elvis, and all is forgiven...

For the political class, lying to the public is no big deal, as they’re rarely held accountable... The media seems to be trying to condition the American people into accepting lying by politicians in high places. (emphasis added)

It’s instructive to watch the Truth Revolt video of Clinton’s “that woman” press conference as it goes long enough to include the hearty standing ovation he was given by the nation’s journalists. The media can’t resist a bravura performance by a master liar.

During the Anthony Weiner scandal, MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell expressed incredulity that an elected official would have to resign because of lying. Given his position on lying, why believe O’Donnell about anything?

As for who is the more accomplished liar, Clinton or Obama, I’d have to give the gold medal to Obama. If you Google “Obama lies” with quotation marks, you’ll get thousands of hits, including Obama Lies. Obama even won PolitiFact’s 2013 Lie of the Year. Of course, neither one of them has any shame, but lying seems to come more naturally to Obama. Lying is Obama’s default position, his first refuge; it’s his go-to response: Don’t look here, there’s “not even a smidgeon of corruption”.

The problem for serial liars is that eventually they run out of an essential capital -- credibility. Once the liar’s credibility is used up, he’s done. The question for those who still support Barack Hussein Obama is why do they believe anything he says? If he lied about that, he’ll lie about this. Is it rational to believe Obama when he says Iran will not get nukes?

Recently, CNN’s Dana Bash asked Sen. Harry Reid about his 2012 lie concerning GOP candidate Mitt Romney. On the Senate floor, Reid had said: “Let him prove that he has paid taxes, because he hasn't.” Ms. Bash asked Reid if he had any regrets because “some people have even called it McCarthyite.” Reid answered: “Romney didn’t win, did he?”

Typical lying politician douche-bag. The truth or nothing else matters as long as your side wins.

I was raised to believe there is nothing lower than a liar. I believe that to this day. That's why I have nothing but contempt for lying politicians and their media enablers.

End Of An Error

Not only am I sick and tired of barry, I'm fed up with his whole damn family. They exhibit the same sense of entitlement that so many welfare leeches have, with absolutely no compassion or understanding for anyone else. They have no sense of duty, responsibility, or obligation that comes with being the First Family.

The latest example:

... just four weeks after returning from 17 days in Oahu the president headed to California for a weekend of golf and his wife and two daughters, for the fourth year in a row, headed to Aspen for a ski weekend.

That ski trip was kept pretty hush-hush, wasn't it? Didn't read anything about it or see it on the network news. I guess the obamas are getting a little sensitive to criticism of their extravagant vacations from us common folk.

... shortly after Americans witnessed a Jordanian pilot burned alive by ISIS, Obama flew to Rancho Mirage...  

Now, three days after the fact, we find out that after sending Dad packing for the weekend, Michelle and the girls quietly boarded an expensive Air Force jet and headed to the Tiehack home of the owners of the Aspen Skiing Co., Jim and Paula Crown.

As 21 Coptic Christians were being beheaded and 17 Kurds were being paraded around in cages with threats of being burned alive, and while radical Islamic terrorists shot up cafes and supermarkets, crucified children, and vowed to conquer Rome, an undeterred Mrs. Obama focused like a laser beam on Buttermilk Mountain.

Despite the Herculean efforts of their allies in the mainstream media, the story of mooch's ski vacation leaked out after the fact, thanks to a traffic accident. But even that gave us another example of the special treatment accorded michelle and her brood.

A police report from Sunday revealed that a motorcade carrying Michelle Obama and her girls was forced to stop when it came across a two car collision...

The road was closed for around 40 minutes - but not for the Obamas.

The presidential motorcade arrived at the scene and authorities let them 'sneak through while they waited on tow trucks,' said Police Chief Brian Olson.

I cannot wait until that asshole and his good for nothing relatives vacate the White House.

Liar Liar Pants On Fire

Remember the outrage regarding Benghazi and "Hillary lied - People died?"

Well, before that lie hillary lied about being shot at during the Bosnia war.

During an introduction to a foreign policy speech on Iraq on March 17, 2008, Sen. Hillary Clinton reminisced about her days as first lady and a trip to Tuzla, Bosnia, she made in March 1996.

"I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

But that's not what happened, as demonstrated by CBS News video that shows Clinton arriving on the tarmac under no visible duress, and greeting a child who offers her a copy of a poem. The Washington Post Factchecker also turned a skeptical eye on Clinton's comments, reporting that a review of more than 100 news stories from the time documented no security threats to the First Lady.

Now comes the news that clinton sycophant and NBC News anchor Brian Williams can tell just as big a whopper as either one of the clintons.

It's an unmitigated disaster for Brian Williams and NBC News.

The revelation that the NBC anchor had lied on air about being in a helicopter that was forced down after it was hit by enemy fire during the Iraq War is devastating.

It's hard to see how Williams gets past this, and how he survives as the face of NBC News.

An anchor's No. 1 requirement is that he or she has credibility. If we don't believe what an anchor tells us, what's the point?

I don't know about you, but I haven't believed a word that a mainstream news anchor said since Walter Cronkite lied about the Tet offensive.

So What Else Is New?

This is a somewhat rambling, stream of consciousness post, but please bear with me. There is a thread running through it that connects the dots (more or less...).

Our crackerjack mainstream media is doing its usual bang-up job of keeping the nation informed on significant stories that will have a major impact on our lives. Some examples:

Last week a story was quietly leaked revealing that despite the best efforts of racist Attorney General Eric Holder and raciist President barack hussein obama, no federal charges will be filed against former Ferguson, MO. police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of (alleged) 'gentle giant' Michael Brown.

In contrast to the riots that followed a similar decision by local authorities to not charge Wilson, there was little reaction from the professional victim SJW community.

No doubt this was due to the latest 'Storm of the Century' that has paralyzed much of the Northeast.

Oh, wait...

It’s official: Winter Storm Juno is a total dud.

Despite countless warnings from the National Weather Service (and non-stop coverage by network and cable news channels) and nearly every form of mass transit being shut down Monday night, the Blizzard of 2015 was anything but.

However, never let it be said that New Yorkers let an opportunity to indulge in booze and sex go to waste.

Faced with predictions of a snow-pocalypse, New Yorkers partied like there was no tomorrow, weathering the storm with booze-laden bar trips and snow-inspired hookups.

Fashion website Lyst said customers were clamoring for pric​e​y unmentionables just before the snowfall — with hits for Agent Provocateur lingerie and other sexy under-things increasing by more than 500 percent between the weekend and Monday.

Meanwhile the Z Deli in Hell’s Kitchen sold far more condoms than usual to snowbound city folk planning to get lucky.

Several people even took to Craigslist in hopes of hooking up with a blizzard snuggle buddy.

Now please excuse me. I have to go wade through a bunch of stories about how the Oscars are racist, not to mention watching barry be interviewed by YouTube morons.

President Obama was asked about his ‘first wife’ in a PR-disaster interview on Thursday after picking three of the most popular YouTube content creators to interview him.

GloZell Green, a popular YouTube fixture known for her extreme acts like eating a ladle full of cinnamon, offered the president three samples of her trademark green lipstick as gifts for his daughters – and for the woman she called Obama’s ‘first wife.’

Another YouTube star, 19-year-old Bethany Mota, asked the leader of the free world, ‘If you had any super power, what would it be?’

This is the creature named GloZell that obama spent time being interviewed by.

 And this is the guy who insists he is too busy to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

Which one would you prefer to be the leader of your country?

To recap:

• Clashes between Israelis and Palestinians are on the rise.

• Vast regions of Iraq and Syria are under control of Islamic extremists bent on establishing a retrograde caliphate.

• The death of King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia could cause ripples in the traditionally stable nation regarded as the heart and pocketbook of the Sunni Arab world.

• The capital of Yemen is under control of supposedly Iran-backed Shiite rebels while Iran itself – perhaps the biggest supporter of global terrorism – is widely believed to be mere months away from completing its first nuclear bomb.

These are, to paraphrase Michael Douglas in The American President, serious problems that need serious people to solve them.

And what is the actual American president doing? Sitting down for an “interview” with a comedian best known for wearing green lipstick.

When he’s not fielding softball questions from fawning B-list celebrities and pushing his redistributionist domestic policies, he’s busy snubbing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of America’s most steadfast ally in the Middle East. The White House said this week that Obama does not plan to meet with Netanyahu when the Israeli leader is in Washington on March 3 to address Congress.

Congress is weighing legislation to impose new sanctions on Iran if the administration’s flaccid negotiations fail to keep the rogue state from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

President Obama has said he’d veto any harsh sanctions, lest they derail his as-yet-unproductive attempts at diplomacy.

It’s beyond disappointing to see the commander-in-chief bending over backward to appease and mollify Tehran while giving the brush-off to the head of the region’s only democracy – the very democracy Iranian hardliners have, on more than one occasion, vowed to destroy.

And, by the way, it wasn’t even the White House who invited Netanyahu to the United States. It was House Speaker John Boehner. Hats off to him. Somebody should be reaching out to Israel, and it’s too bad it wasn’t our chief executive.

It’s as if the Obama administration is living in the comic-book Bizzaro World when it comes to foreign policy. Everything is backward. Friends are treated like enemies, enemies are treated like friends, and our president seems to put the interests of our adversaries ahead of our own.

The promised thread that connects the dots?

The failure of the mainstream media to impartially report the facts on issues that significantly impact our lives.

So what else is new?

Do Yourself A Favor

Read these two pieces.

The first is Dave Barry's annual Year in Review. It highlights, in hilarious fashion, the absurdity that abounded throughout 2014. Here's an excerpt.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, who oversaw the rollout of Obamacare, resigns from the Cabinet to take a position overseeing e-mail storage for the Internal Revenue Service.

On a more serious note, a man I respect greatly - Thomas Sowell - penned a scathing indictment of the media's increasing lynch-mob mentality directed towards anyone who gets in the way of the story they want to report, as opposed to the actual story. An excerpt:

... did you know that, during this same period when riots, looting, and arson have been raging, a black policeman in Alabama shot and killed an unarmed white teenager — and was cleared by a grand jury? Probably not, if you depend on the mainstream media for your news.

The media do not merely ignore facts, they suppress facts. Millions of people saw the videotape of the beating of Rodney King. But they saw only a fraction of that tape because the media left out the rest, which showed Rodney King — another huge man — resisting arrest and refusing to be handcuffed, so that he could be searched.

Television viewers did not get to see the other black men in the same vehicle that Rodney King was driving recklessly. Those other black men were not beaten. And the grand jury got to see the whole video, after which they acquitted the police — and the media then published the jurors’ home addresses.

I wish I could write half as well as either of those gentlemen.

I Report - You Decide

I don't have the time to do a lengthy detailed post on how the media has evolved to its present state of narrative journalism – "preconceived storylines that fit a particular agenda or political or ideological view, almost always progressive." But I did find this screen shot of CNN's home page instructive.

I was looking for more information on the sickening and cowardly killing of over 130 children by - who else? - islamic fundamentalists. Here's what CNN had to say about it.

Notice a few things. First, the story about the 'School Slaughter' shares top billing with a story that advances the CNN-approved narrative of police declaring war on black men.

Second, nowhere in the School Slaughter lead does it mention that the terrorists are islamic. In the linked story it does say that the killers are Taliban militants, but nowhere in that story do the words "islamist" or "muslim" appear. I guess CNN assumes we all know that the Taliban is an islamic fundamentalist political movement.

CNN, to its credit, doesn't mention in this blurb that the man killed by cops in the Walmart was black. But the linked story makes that quite clear. It also, IMO, takes a 'continue the narrative' slant when discussing the shooting and its immediate aftermath. (BTW, the shooting took place last August.)

But don't take my word for it. Unlike CNN ("CNN.com is among the world's leaders in online news and information delivery"), I just present the facts. You can make up your own mind.

In other words, 'I report. You decide.'

Political Correctness Run Amok - High School Version

Our public schools are sinking in a sea of political correctness. Here's a sample of the latest foolishness.

School bans 'offensive' Chick-fil-A sandwiches

Feathers have been ruffled at California’s Ventura High School, where the principal this week banned the football booster club from selling Chick-fil-A sandwiches over fears that people might be offended.

What, pray tell, could people find offensive about a plump juicy chicken breast tucked between two buttered buns?

“With their political stance on gay rights and because the students of Ventura High School and their parents would be at the event, I didn’t want them on campus,” (Principal Val) Wyatt told the Ventura County Star.

It was a sentiment supported by Trudy Tuttle Ariaga, superintendent of the Ventura Unified School District.

“We value inclusivity and diversity on our campus, and all our events and activities are going to adhere to our mission,” Ariaga told CBS News in Los Angeles.

There’s just one teensy-weensy problem with Principal Wyatt’s explanation: It’s not true.

“Chick-fil-A doesn’t have a stance on gay marriage,” (local Chick-fil-A franchise owner Robert) Shaffer told the Star. “We treat everyone who walks through our doors, regardless of their religion or sexual orientation, with honor, dignity and respect.”

I suspect the principal read the mainstream media's reporting on a 2012 interview with Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy, who stated his support for traditional marriage.

The interview sparked nationwide outrage among the LGBT community and the mainstream media, who put their own spin on Cathy's remarks. Here's what he actually said.

 "We are very much supportive of the family – the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”

That’s it. That’s what Dan Cathy said. Here’s the link to the interview. Read it for yourself. Not once did Cathy say anything disparaging about the LGBT community or gay marriage.

Of course, the truth is meaningless to liberals and their lapdogs in the media. It just gets in the way of their narrative.

Meanwhile, the ones hurt most by this PC crap are the students.

The local Chick-fil-A franchise has a storied history of supporting the school district – to the tune of thousands of dollars – and owner Robert Shaffer had generously offered to give the booster club 200 meals for a “back-to-school” event on Wednesday at which they expected to raise $1,600 for the football team, the Ventura Star reported.

“That would have gone toward the football program, everything from uniforms to food for the boys,” booster club president Dan Swim told the Star. “We don’t charge money for the boys to play football.”

...Chick-fil-A was not making a single penny. They were giving all the proceeds to the booster club.

But who cares if the students lose out, as long as the smug PC tyrants can feel good about themselves - regardless of the facts.

Here's another example.

School yanks U.S. flag from vehicles on 9/11

A South Carolina high school principal’s decision to confiscate American flags from students’ vehicles on 9/11 has promoted meetings this week between school officials and outraged students.

WSPA-TV reported Principal Aaron Fulmer removed the flags from vehicles parked at Woodruff High School in Spartanburg, claiming rules forbid anything that creates a disturbance or draws an “unusual amount of attention.”

It's a shame when flying the flag of our country is considered "creating a disturbance".

That nonsense is reminiscent of an event that took place a little over four years ago.

On May 5, 2010, five high school students were sent home from school because they were wearing American flag t-shirts. Students wearing t-shirts with the Mexican flag, however, were allowed to remain in school. The reason: May 5th is the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, celebrating a Mexican military victory over the French army in 1862. (Why anyone would celebrate beating the French is beyond me, but that's a topic for another time.)

On that day, students were expected to be “fostering a spirit of cultural awareness.” (Evidently, students are expected to be aware of every culture except America's.)

Administrators at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, Calif., called the T-shirts “incendiary” when they were worn on Cinco de Mayo...

Today, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed its ruling in favor of the school's ban on American-themed apparel.

Rejecting free speech arguments from parents, Republican lawmakers and conservative groups, a federal appeals court on Wednesday refused to reconsider a ruling that found a South Bay high school had the legal right to order students wearing American-flag adorned shirts to turn them inside out during a 2010 Cinco de Mayo celebration.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals let stand its February ruling in favor of Live Oak High School administrators, who argued that a history of problems on the Mexican holiday justified the decision to act against the American flag-wearing students.

So rather than punish the hooligans who start trouble, the court believes it is better to restrict the constitutional rights of innocent, law-abiding individuals.

Welcome to obama's America.

Building Legacy, Obama Reshapes Appellate Bench

Democrats have reversed the partisan imbalance on the federal appeals courts that long favored conservatives, a little-noticed shift with far-reaching consequences for the law and President Obama’s legacy.

For the first time in more than a decade, judges appointed by Democratic presidents considerably outnumber judges appointed by Republican presidents. The Democrats’ advantage has only grown since late last year when they stripped Republicans of their ability to filibuster the president’s nominees.

Democratic appointees who hear cases full time now hold a majority of seats on nine of the 13 United States Courts of Appeals. When Mr. Obama took office, only one of those courts had more full-time judges nominated by a Democrat.

The shift, one of the most significant but unheralded accomplishments of the Obama era, is likely to have ramifications for how the courts decide the legality of some of the president’s most controversial actions...

We are so screwed...

I Just Don't Get It

Would some one please explain to me why there are so many people in this country -- and around the world -- who support savages that exploit women, children, and even innocent animals for their own gain?

I'm speaking, of course, of Hamas. At least this time it's Hamas. Pick any other conflict involving islamicists (there are so many) and you'll find the same theme being repeated. But back to Hamas. Here's their general modus operandi: hide behind kids.

First they use them as props for their propaganda.

Pictures show that the same family that was killed in Syria by Assad, was also killed by IDF bombing Gaza few days ago, according to Arab media.

Then they literally hide behind children to launch their attacks.

If you care so much about these kids, you friggin’ animals, set up no children zones to launch your “I Hate The Jews” rocket.

(H/T I Own the World for the image and the caption.)

The barbarians use schools to store munitions.

For the second time in less than a week, rockets have been found in a school in Gaza operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the body said.

“Today, in the course of the regular inspection of its premises, UNRWA discovered rockets hidden in a vacant school in the Gaza Strip,” the organization said in a statement issued Tuesday. “As soon as the rockets were discovered, UNRWA staff were withdrawn from the premises, and so we are unable to confirm the precise number of rockets. The school is situated between two other UNRWA schools that currently each accommodate 1,500 internally displaced persons.”

No wonder their kids grow up to be ignorant savages. Their role models, the ignorant savages currently running things, evidently value ammunition dumps over schools.

The UN isn't without blame here either. What do you think they did with the rockets they found in those schools?

A spokesperson for UNRWA said the organization gave the rockets to “local authorities...”

That's right. The UN returned the rockets to the same thugs who put them in the schools in the first place.

Assholes...

(H/T BMEWS)

It's not just schools. Hamas also uses hospitals as firing positions.

Hamas has used positions in the Al-Wafa Hospital in Gaza to fire automatic weapons and anti-tank missiles on soldiers...

The IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories has issued repeated and direct warnings to the hospital's manager, and to other Palestinians involved in running the hospital, the army said.

Finally, in the finest tradition of cowards and savages, they enlist innocent animals in their terrorist campaigns.

Hamas militants sent a donkey laden with explosives on a suicide mission in one of the most unconventional tactics yet seen in the fighting in Gaza, the Israeli army has said.

Troops said they were forced to open fire on the animal - blowing it up - as it approached their position in the southern city of Rafah, near the Egyptian border.

"They used this donkey as a human shield, or an animal shield, if you like," said Major Arye Shalicar, an army spokesman. "Anything, an animal or an international building, that can help make use of innocent people or international [citizens], they will use it. We see it time and again."

Where's PETA when you need them?

To recap, on one side we have the only Western-style democracy in the region; one which doesn't hide behind women, children, animals, churches, mosques, hospitals, schools, or any other civilian installation.

One the other hand we have a bunch of savage barbarians who will use anyone or anything in their mindless bloodlust, who stone women to death (or gang rape them, or mutilate them) for trivial acts that in civilized countries go unnoticed, and who are rigidly intolerant of anyone who believes differently than they do.

Children abused. Women treated as property. Animals blown to bits. And yet the left supports these creatures.

Why?

Maybe it has something to do with that line about being ' rigidly intolerant of anyone who believes differently than they do.'