Thank You

Thanks to our elected 'leaders,' who are charged with the responsibility of protecting us. As the following article shows, they have failed miserably.

The attack in Nice shouldn’t have been a surprise

If Thursday’s terrorist attack in Nice, France, was shocking, it shouldn’t be — because we were warned.

The attack seems to have been ripped out of the al-Qaeda playbook.

In 2010, two American terrorists,Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, published a series of articles in the al-Qaeda magazine Inspire on what they called “Open Source Jihad.” They described it as “a resource manual” for carrying out terrorist attacks against the West that allowed Islamic radicals “to train at home instead of risking dangerous travel abroad.” All that is needed, they said, “is the willingness to give one’s life for Allah.”

One of those articles, published in the fall 2010 issue under the name of a terrorist trainer identified as Yahya Ibrahim, was called “The Ultimate Mowing Machine.” It described what ultimately happened in Nice in precise detail.

“Here is one idea of how an individual Muslim may [wage individual jihad]. It is a simple idea and there is not much involved in its preparation,” the article said. “The idea is to use a pickup truck as a mowing machine, not to mow grass but mow down the enemies of Allah.”

“Pick your location and timing carefully,” it continued. “Go for the most [crowded] locations. Narrower spots are also better because it gives less chance for the people to run away. . . . To achieve maximum carnage, you need to pick up as much speed as you can while still retaining good control of your vehicle in order to . . . be able to strike as many people as possible in your first run. Keep in mind that as soon as people realize what you are up to, they would scatter and run in every direction looking for cover. They would look for areas where the vehicle cannot reach them. Therefore, it is important to study your path of operation beforehand.”

The article further advised that “The ideal location is a place where there are a maximum number of pedestrians and the least number of vehicles. In fact if you can get through to ‘pedestrian only’ locations that exist in some downtown (city center) areas, that would be fabulous. There are some places that are closed down for vehicles at certain times due to the swarms of people.”

“If you have access to firearms, carry them with you so that you may use them to finish off your work if your vehicle gets grounded during the attack,” it concluded, adding “This idea could be implemented in countries like Israel, the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, [and] France.”

This is what happened last night. The driver, identified as 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, took a truck, found a crowded location in the city center reserved for pedestrians, where thousands were gathered for a fireworks display. He picked up as much speed as possible and drove for more than a mile down the promenade, mowing people down. The driver then got out and started shooting people, before he was shot by police. At least 84 people were killed and dozens more injured.

So how do we stop them? The answer is not gun control. France has some of the strictest gun-control laws in the world, yet that did not stop Bouhlel in Nice from obtaining the weapons he used. And most of those killed in France were not shot; they were run over. The terrorists have plenty of ideas for how to kill us that don’t involve guns.

The answer is to take away their caliphate — to win the fight over there, so we do not have to face them over here. When the Islamic State was “decimated” after the 2007 surge in Iraq, its members were not carrying out terrorist attacks across the world. They had, according to CIA Director John Brennan, only about “700 or so” adherents left. They were focused on survival, not external operations. Their current campaign of violence only started after President Obama withdrew all U.S. forces from Iraq, took our boot off their necks and allowed them to establish a haven in Syria — which they then turned into a Grand Central Terminal of jihad, bringing in tens of thousands of foreign fighters from more than 100 countries across the world. They then used their Syrian haven as a base from which to reconquer large swaths of Iraq, declare their radical Islamic caliphate and spread their deadly tentacles across the globe. And we think it is a coincidence that since then, they have carried out 126 attacks in 23 countries outside of Iraq and Syria that have killed more than 1,700 people. (emphasis added)

Thank you, barack hussein obama.

When will the carnage stop? When the terrorists are defeated again. Until then, expect more attacks like the one in Nice.

Step Number One - don't let these savages into our country, as Newt Gingrich has suggested.

Step Number Two - cut off their financial means of support, along with their access to social media. You can't tell me that (1) we are unable to 'follow the dollars;' and (2) we are unable to hack into or otherwise disrupt the host servers of their websites. Hell, just about any 18-year-old could do either. Why haven't we?

Step Number Three - stop releasing captured terrorists from Gitmo.

Step Number Four - track 'em down and kill 'em all.

There - that's not so hard, is it?

Saturday Morning Cartoons

If you're around my age, you remember Saturday morning cartoons. Not the crap they have today, but the good stuff - Bugs Bunny, Sylvester and Tweety, the Road Runner, and all the rest.

Well, we don't have that any more. But here's something for your viewing pleasure that should make you feel just as good as watching the vintage Warner Bros cartoons.


More good stuff here.

Dress Code

I'm still busier than a one-armed paper hanger in an ass-kicking contest (or whatever that saying is), but I did want to vent about a couple of things in the recently released House Select Committee on Benghazi report. There's plenty in there to get upset about, especially since the end result of all the bungling, incompetence, and CYA crap was four dead Americans. But what really caught my eye were two things.

First, there appears to have been a tug of war between State and Defense over how the 'rescue forces' should dress.

The report highlights the military's failure to carry out Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's order to deploy forces to Benghazi and the lengthy delay that prevented the military assets from arriving at the embassy in Tripoli until 2 p.m. the day after the Benghazi attack. 

"What was disturbing from the evidence the Committee found was that at the time of the final lethal attack at the Annex, no asset ordered deployed by the Secretary had even left the ground," the report states. 

Previous accounts blamed the "tyranny of time and distance" plus the failure to have airplanes ready for the significant delay in moving military assets. But the report states conflicting orders from State Department and Pentagon officials over whether Marines should wear military uniforms or civilian attire also played a role. (emphasis added)

In a newly revealed two-hour secure video conference on the night of the attacks led by White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and attended by Clinton and others, State Department officials raised concerns about the diplomatic sensitivities of the attire to be worn by assets launched.

Really? People are dying and the Foggy Bottom boys (and girls) are worried "diplomatic sensitivities"? Let's put them in a position where they're getting shot at and see if they care what the rescue team is wearing.

According to one commander, the report states, as forces prepared to deploy, "during the course of three hours, he and his Marines changed in and out of their uniforms four times." (emphasis added)

GMAFB.

Another thing which raised my hackles was this tidbit.

The report also finds that then-Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral James Winnefeld, did not participate in the secure call because "he had left to return to his residence to host a dinner party for foreign dignitaries." He received one update during the dinner on the attacks.

If true, and if there isn't a damn good reason behind his failure to participate, then his military career needs to come to a schreeching halt. I wasn't there, I don't know all the details, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but it just sounds wrong.

Of course, barry and hillary screwed the pooch seven ways from Sunday on this one, but it sure looks like there's plenty of other blame to go around. Regardless of how much ineptness is at the top of the food chain, people need to figure out some way to do their job - or find another one.

I'm so disgusted by everyone involved I need to stop typing now before I blow a gasket...

Florida Shooting - Day 2

Some random responses to the Florida nightclub shooting:

Despite the shooter proclaiming his allegiance to ISIS, and despite ISIS taking 'credit' for the attack, lunatic lawyers at the ACLU are blaming "the Christian right" for the shooting.

Chase Strangio, a staff ACLU attorney explicitly blamed “The Christian Right” and so-called “anti-LGBT” legislation for motivating Mateen’s actions. Islam, according to Strangio, was in no way to blame.

Eunice Hyon Min Rho, another lawyer for the ACLU, passed the blame onto conservatives and slandered Republican lawmakers who expressed sympathy for the innocent victims of the attack.

Speaking of the Christian right, here's what Chick-Fil-A, noted 'Christian right' company, did in response to the massacre.

Chick Fil A has made national news for it’s owners’ stance on gay marriage. Anytime they do something even remotely non-PC, their supposed slip up goes viral. Hash tags pop up all over the place.

So why is that what they have done in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting hasn’t received a single mention on the mainstream new outlets?

... the Orlando location at University and Rouse Road quietly fired up its grills on Sunday. The chain is notorious for not being open, ever, on a Sunday. Employees cooked up hundreds of their famous chicken sandwiches. They brewed dozens of gallons of sweet tea.

Then, instead of making a single dime, and without pomp and circumstance they crated the product of their labor to the One Blood donation center. The food and drinks were handed out, free of charge, to all the people who had lined up to donate blood.

So far, the only mentions of the incident have been from individuals on Facebook. They have posted photos thanking the restaurant for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

But, wait, those people were waiting to give blood to victims that were mostly gay people. Doesn’t Chick Fil A hate gays? That’s what we keep being told.

Turns out, that while the founders definitely don’t approve of that choice of lifestyle, they believe in compassion. Who knew? A bunch of people claiming to be Christians care about others even when they don’t agree with them. This group took time out of their schedules to volunteer to help those who were also trying to do their part.

On top of that, the franchise’s location on Wells Road in Orange Park is even offering coupons for a free frosted lemonade to anyone who donates blood when the One Blood mobile unit is at there store on June 14th.

In times like these it's comforting to share a feel-good story about caring individuals and the company they work for...

I'll leave it as an exercise for you, the reader, to compare and contrast the ACLU and Chick-Fil-A.

As to the LGBT community's affiliation with 'the religion of peace,' well, let's just say I think they were a little off-base. Hopefully they are rethinking their position.

For those of you wondering how the shooter managed to wiggle out of getting investigated by the FBI, I offer this explanation.

I'll close with this comment, lifted from someone on Facebook.

"I stand behind you in line at the store with a smile on my face...and a gun under my shirt and you are none the wiser, yet you are safer for having me next to you. I won't shoot you. My gun won't pull it's own trigger. It is securely holstered with the trigger covered. It can't just go off. However, rest assured that if a lunatic walks into the grocery store and pulls out a rifle, I will draw my pistol and protect myself and my family and therefore protect you and your family. I may get shot before I can pull the trigger...but, I won't die in a helpless blubbering heap on the floor begging for my life or my child's life. No, if I die it will be in a pile of spent shell casings. I won't be that victim. I choose not to be. As for you, I don't ask you to carry a gun. If you are not comfortable, then please don't. But I would like to keep my right to choose to not be a helpless victim. There is evil in the world and if evil has a gun, I want one too..." - law abiding gun owner (emphasis added)

Amen, brother!

Here We Go Again

Initial thoughts on the Florida nightclub shooting:

It's getting to be an old story. Some lunatic freaks out and shoots a bunch of people. Jerks on the left gloss over the tragic loss of life and the pain of the victims' loved ones, and instead rush to score political points while the bodies are still warm, trotting out the same old storylines.

Within hours, the Orlando mass shooting at a LGBT nightclub set off renewed political debates -- with Democrats calling for gun control and Republicans blasting "radical Islamic terrorism."

I might listen to the left's arguments for more restrictive gun laws with more of an open mind if they had the tiniest clue about the subject. For example:

"We should not be selling automatic weapons which are designed to kill people," (presidential candidate Bernie) Sanders said.

"...remember that these domestic terrorists also buy automatic weapons..." (former South Dakota senator Larry) Pressler said in a statement.

As I understand it, the shooter used an AR-15, which is not an automatic weapon. Of course, accuracy and facts are not allowed to get in the way of the all-important narrative.

Undoubtedly, the left will use this to argue that law-abiding citizens should be disarmed, as if we're the problem.

In a sadly ironic twist of fate, the incident pitted two of the left's protected groups against each other. The shooter was a muslim, and the majority of the victims were gay. So of course we must blame the gun - an inantimate lump of metal and plastic - rather than the person.

As for the republicans "blasting radical Islamic terrorism," well, judge for yourself.

Car bombs in Iraq kill more than the Florida nightclub shooting, and we collectively yawn. No one is calling for more restrictive car control laws.

Oh, yeah - islamic terrorists also killed a poor soul in a particulary horrific manner, but we don't hear an outcry about that.

Local officials in Ghor province said one of (the victim's) distant relatives was suspected of killing a former Taliban commander... militants dragged Ahmad from his house and cut out his eyes in retaliation.

Ahmad was still alive and screaming when the attackers began carving the skin off his chest, leaving his heart exposed. Then they threw the 21-year old laborer off a 10-story cliff, officials said.

“They skinned him alive,” said Ruqiya Naeel, a member of parliament from the area.

Islam also prescribes death for homosexuals, but somehow that little tidbit is conveniently overlooked by liberals.

The inspiration for Muslims to brutalize and mass murder gay people does not come from ISIS. It is deeply rooted in Islamic law, affirmed by many of Islam’s most renowned scholars.

"Those involved in the act should be punished. In fact, sodomites should be killed in the worst manner possible."

Meanwhile, it turns out that the FBI investigated the shooter on at least two seperate occassions for links to radical islam, but cleared him both times. It couldn't be that they were fearful of offending a protected species, or even - God forbid - being accused of profiling.

One last thought: I've noticed my wife and kids texting back and forth when making plans, coordinating events, and dealing with problems, when a real-time conversation would be much more efficient in resolving those issues. What is particulary ironic is that they do so using their cell phones  - using that device as a texting platform rather than a phone.

Which brings me to this.

A woman who was outside the club early Sunday was trying to contact her 30-year-old son, Eddie, who texted her when the shooting happened and asked her to call police.

No disrespect to Eddie. I truly hope he escaped unscathed. But why on earth would you text your mother and ask her to call the police, instead of calling 911 yourself?

Again, no criticism implied. Just observing how the younger generation sees cell phones not as phones, but rather as a means to communicate impersonally.

My final point:

Hillary And Ramadan

On June 5th, hillary posted this tweet.

The next day, this hit the news.

ISIS burn 19 Yazidi girls to death in iron cages after they refused to have sex with jihadists

ISIS jihadis have executed 19 Yazidi girls in Iraq by locking them in iron cages and then burning them to death in front of hundreds of people.

The victims were taken hostage by the terror group to be used as sex slaves, but were put to death in Mosul for refusing to have sex with the militants.

A witness told the agency: 'The 19 girls were burned to death, while hundreds of people were watching.

'Nobody could do anything to save them from the brutal punishment.'

It is estimated more than 3,000 Yazidi girls have been taken as sex slaves by ISIS after they took over northern Iraq.

Thousands of them remain trapped on Mount Sinjar and according to local and military sources, they have suffered mass killings, rape and kidnappings.

Great way to celebrate Ramadan, right?

That's not the only way those wild and crazy islamists party down.

ISIS execute 25 people by dissolving them in nitric acid

ISIS has executed 25 people in Mosul, northern Iraq, by lowering them in a vat of nitric acid, according to several local news reports.

The men had been accused of spying on ISIS on behalf of Iraqi government security forces.

According to witnesses, the 25 alleged 'spies' had been tied together with a rope and lowered in a large basin containing nitric acid until their organs dissolved.

ISIS ‘Crucifixions,’ Beheadings And Executions

A leading international rights group on Wednesday released a report documenting atrocities by Libya's Islamic State affiliate — including instances of "crucifixions" and shooting a man to death for "cursing God" — in the coastal city of Sirte, a stronghold of the militants.

Human Rights Watch recounts "scenes of horror" that followed the city's seizure by IS militants in February 2015, with beheadings of dozens of residents accused of being spies or sorcerers.

Men were flogged for acts such as smoking or listening to music, and fathers were ordered to "marry off their daughters" to the group's fighters as IS spread a wave of terror among the townspeople.

So hillary aligns herself with people that burn girls to death, drop people alive into vats of acid, and crucify, behead, and flog (among other atrocities) those who believe differently than they do.

Just a small taste of what we have to look forward to under a hillary presidency...

Bend Over And Grab Your Ankles

It's everyone's favorite time of the year - Income Tax Time!

Yay!!!

But seriously, folks, here's a few facts and figures for you to ponder while you chase your tail filling out overly complicated. complex, and incomprehensible IRS forms.

And, if you're like me, at the conclusion of that fun-filled exercise you get to write a check to Uncle Sam.

Again ... Yay!!!

Some Historical Perspective.

“In the beginning” when the US federal income tax was first introduced in 1913, it used to be a lot, lot simpler and a lot easier to file taxes; so easy in fact that it was basically like filling out your federal tax return on a postcard.

Click to embiggen.

For example, page 1 of the original IRS 1040 income tax form from 1913 appears above. There were only four pages in the original 1040 form, including: two pages of worksheets, the actual one-page 1040 form above, and only one page of instructions, view all four pages here. In contrast, just the current 1040 instructions for 2014, without any forms, runs 105 pages...

Individual federal income tax rates started at 1% in 1913, and the maximum marginal income tax rate was only 7% on incomes above $500,000 ($12.02 million in today’s dollars).

More recently:

In a 2012 report to Congress, the National Taxpayer Advocate estimated that American taxpayers and businesses spend 6.1 billion hours every year complying with the income tax code... That amount of time spent for income tax compliance – 6.1 billion hours – would be the equivalent of more than 3 million Americans working full-time, year-round... By way of comparison, the federal government currently employs 2.7 million full-time workers, and Wal-Mart, the world’s largest private employer, currently employs 2.2 million workers worldwide and 1.3 million workers in the US... At the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, the dollar value of the opportunity cost associated with tax filing would be more than $44 billion, equivalent to the 2015 GDP of both South Dakota ($45.4 billion) and Montana ($45.8 billion) and greater than the GDP of both Wyoming ($40.1 billion) and New Hampshire ($29.7 billion).

As for the 'make the rich pay their fair share' mantra chanted by both Bernie and hillary supporters, take a gander at the following.

All told, individual income taxes accounted for a little less than half (47.4%) of government revenue, a share that’s been roughly constant since World War II. The federal government collected $1.54 trillion from individual income taxes in fiscal 2015, making it the national government’s single-biggest revenue source.

Of that 47.4% of total government revenue from individual income taxes:

In 2014, people with adjusted gross income, or AGI, above $250,000 paid just over half (51.6%) of all individual income taxes, though they accounted for only 2.7% of all returns filed... Their average tax rate was 25.7%. By contrast, people with incomes of less than $50,000 accounted for 62.3% of all individual returns filed, but they paid just 5.7% of total taxes. Their average tax rate was 4.3%.

When you look at taxes paid compared to benefits received, the inequity becomes even more obvious.

The top 0.1% of families pay the equivalent of 39.2% and the bottom 20% have negative tax rates (that is, they get more money back from the government in the form of refundable tax credits than they pay in taxes).

Click to embiggen.

Here's another view. The numbers differ slightly because of timing differences, but the overall trend is clear. The 'rich' pay more than their fair share.

That trend is even more pronounced over time.

"...to the 1.38 million taxpayers in the top 1%, I say “Thank You” for paying almost as much in federal income taxes in 2013 as the 131.4 million taxpayers in the bottom 95% by income."

Final thoughts:

Bowling vs. Taxes. Under the scoring rules of bowling, you get rewarded, not penalized, for being successful. If you get a spare, the scoring system rewards you by adding the pins from the next ball into the current frame, and if you get a strike you get rewarded by adding your next 2 balls into the current frame.

Under our progressive income tax system with 7 tax rates in 2015 increasing from 10% to 39.6%, you get penalized, not rewarded, for being successful, productive and entrepreneurial, because the more you earn, the higher the tax rate you pay.

Coincidence? Why are Tax Day (April 15) and Voting Day (first Tuesday in November) so far apart? Couldn’t we move Tax Day to the first Monday in November or Voting Day to the first Tuesday following April 15?

What’s In a Name? Why do we call the IRS a “service?” Couldn’t it have been named a department like Labor, a bureau like the BLS or the FBI, a commission like the FTC, an administration like FDA, an agency like EPA, etc.?

That last one really struck home. The damn IRS is the farthest thing from a service I can think of. It is a cumbersome, inefficient, and highly politicized parasite that tramples common folks beneath its indifferent and uncaring feet. As long as criminals and thugs like Lois Lerner are allowed to freely bully individuals and groups in order to curry favor from their political masters the IRS will remain the most despised arm of the federal monster that lords it over us.

I would go on, but my wife just informed me that some people from the government are at the door...

The World Has Gone Mad

You just can't make this stuff up.

Organisers cancel Sunday's Brussels attacks 'March Against Fear'

The organisers of a "March Against Fear" planned for Sunday to mark the Brussels terror attacks said they had cancelled the event after the authorities asked them to do so because of security fears.

Oh my aching back. Cancelling a "March Against Fears" due to fears about what might happen - words fail me...

...other than to note that, in accordance with political correctness run amok, the people responsible for causing this fear aren't identified.

In an earlier statement, the organisers said the march planned for Sunday was meant to show that Brussels and the country at large refused to be intimidated by terrorism and that everyone stood together.

I guess "Brussels and the country at large" can be intimidated by terrorism after all.

Although, to be fair, the terrorists - islamic terrorists, to be specific - have once again shown their murderous intent and capability by killing dozens and injuring hundreds, mostly women and children, in an Easter Sunday attack that deliberately targeted Christians celebrating Easter.

A breakaway Pakistani faction of the militant Taliban group has claimed responsibility for an Easter Sunday bombing that killed 65 people in a park in the eastern city of Lahore that was crowded with Christians, including many children.

Ahsanullah Ahsan, spokesman for Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, told the Associated Press that a suicide bomber with the faction deliberately targeted the Christian community.

Maybe the officials in Brussels had the right idea after all.

Here at home, all this is playing right into Donald Trump's hands.

The Islamic State’s bombing of an airport terminal and subway station in Brussels, Belgium on March 22 horrified the world. But Donald Trump saw a silver lining in the latest terrorist atrocity.

During an interview a few hours after the bloodshed in Brussels, Trump announced that foreign threats benefited his presidential campaign. He proudly observed that “every time we have a problem in the world, I do better” in the polls. The reason, he asserted, was because voters view him “as much stronger” than his opponents.

I don't know if that's true or not, but keep in mind that Jimmy Carter's ineffectiveness during the Iran hostage crisis helped propel Ronald Reagan into the White House.

Of course, Trump isn't Reagan by any stretch of the imagination, but still...
 

Random Observations On Brussels

Life has been a little hectic lately. Plus I didn't want to comment on the tragedy in Brussels until more information was available. But I think the time is right to toss out a few random observations regarding the bombings and subsequent events.

First, a comment by the esteemed Thomas Sowell. I wish more people would pay attention to what this man has to say.

"Historians of the future, when they look back on our times, may be completely baffled when trying to understand how Western civilization welcomed vast numbers of people hostile to the fundamental values of Western civilization, people who had been taught that they have a right to kill those who do not share their beliefs.“

One of the first things that occurred to me was "What are the chances of a similar attack here in the U.S.?"

U.S. intelligence and security capabilities make a Brussels-style attack less likely on American soil, but porous borders leave the USA vulnerable to terrorists, said David Deptula, a retired general who led Air Force intelligence efforts.

From Oct. 1, 2014 to Sept. 30, 2015, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended 337,117 people trying to enter the USA illegally...

No word on how many people actually made it inside our country illegally.

Somehow, that doesn't make me feel comfortable.

But not to worry. obama is doing his usual outstanding job of protecting and reassuring the American people.

Oh, wait...

Obama criticized for doing tango 2 days after bombings in Brussels

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were coaxed from their table at a state dinner in Argentina on Wednesday night to dance the tango. And critics already furious that the president had attended a baseball game in Cuba following Tuesday’s deadly attacks in Brussels were unmoved.

“When everybody else is worried about where ISIS is, who they are going to kill next, and [if they] are going to come over here,” former Judge Andrew Napolitano said on the cable network’s morning show, “the president shouldn’t be in Argentina doing the tango.”

Nicolle Wallace, former communications director for President George W. Bush, said Obama’s reluctance to alter his itinerary “puts him vastly … out of step with the entire American public, not just Republicans.

“His policy choice was to proceed with everything on his schedule and not to react to the threat of terrorism,” Wallace said on MSNBC. “There were mothers lying dead while their, you know, family members were at the crime scene yesterday, and to [make it] look like the priority is to go on a foreign trip instead of pausing for a minute and explaining that to America is a communications crime.”

Meanwhile, in Eastern Europe:

Poland's Leaders Want No Refugees After Brussels Blasts

Poland's president on Thursday threw his support behind a government decision to renege on a deal to accept thousands of refugees, blaming security concerns raised by Tuesday's attacks in Brussels.

The move could prompt similar decisions by other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, many of which have protested — or, like Hungary and Slovakia, sued over — the European Union's plan to divide up some 120,000 refugees among member countries.

Poland's conservative, anti-migrant government had grudgingly confirmed the previous government's commitment to take in 7,000 refugees from Syria and Eritrea over the next two years. At the same time, sensing general uncertainty about receiving migrants into a mostly homogenous nation, the officials stressed that permissions to settle would be preceded by meticulous security and identity checks.

But following the Brussels attacks, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said "I see no possibility for migrants to come to Poland now."

Our president dances. Poland's leader protects his country. I wonder if we could trade ours for theirs...?

Not A Polish Joke

I have mentioned a time or two that I am of Polish descent (here and here). The reason I bring that up again is because of this article. But first, a little backstory.

Poland, along with most Eastern European countries, is relatively homogeneous.

Most East European nations are homogeneous and don’t have traditions of accepting culturally different refugees...

Poland is 98 percent white and 94 percent Catholic. Muslims constitute 0.1 percent of the population.

This has resulted in a reluctance to accept the EU-mandated resettlement of refugees from the Middle East and Africa.

While Western Europe, led by Germany, has agreed to absorb large numbers, Central and Eastern European nations have rejected EU quotas. Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria are adamantly opposed to accepting Muslim refugees.

Poland says it will allow 7,000 refugees over the next two years, a number criticized by experts as too low.

One argument of those who oppose refugee quotas is that more resources should be devoted to improving conditions in the refugee's homeland, rather than resettle them in places where they don't fit in.

In fact, I am proud to say that the best solution to the refugee problem that I have heard to date comes from the land of my ancestors.

Syrian refugees should train to become an army that could go back and “liberate their country” according to the Polish government.

Polish Foreign Minister, Witold Waszczykowski, suggested the strategy as a means of gaining employment and a permanent solution to the Syrian refugee crisis and the civil war.

The suggestion came from the Polish Foreign Minister, Witold Waszczykowski, who told the country's public broadcaster that it would be a useful way for Syrians to gain employment, instead of 'sipping coffee' in the streets of Berlin.

He said:"Tens of thousands of young men disembark from their rubber dinghies with iPad in hand and instead of asking for drink or food, they ask where they can charge their cellphones."

Mr Waszczykowski added: "They can go to fight to liberate their country with our help."

Sounds like a plan to me!

Speaking of cultural clashes between East and West, the following is an editorial cartoon from a Polish newspaper. It's in Polish, but I think you'll be able to figure out what it means.

Weekend Update

Saturday the wife and I completed the NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course. She wanted to become more familiar with handguns, and I know better than to try and teach her myself.

We spent the morning in a classroom setting learning how to handle firearms safely, understanding the difference between revolvers and semi-automatics, becoming familiar with firearms care and maintenance, and getting a grasp of shooting fundamentals (stance, grip, sight picture, trigger control, breath control). After a nice lunch it was off to the range, where we whiled away the afternoon pleasantly punching various sized holes in paper. The weather couldn't have been better - clear blue skies, light wind, and just enough coolness in the air to make a long-sleeved shirt comfortable.

The good news is that she is now more comfortable handling handguns. The bad news (well, it's not really all that bad) is that she wants her own pistol. I'm more than happy to add another gun to 'our' collection.

She struggled with operating the slide on most of the semi-autos we fired, so she's in the market for a revolver. The one she gravitated towards was a S&W 442.

It fit her hand nicely, she was able to handle the recoil without trouble, and the bullets went where she aimed. It's a lightweight (aluminum alloy frame) DAO .38 with a shrouded hammer. The trigger pull out of the box is a little heavy (around 12-14 pounds), but I think we'll wait and see how it is after a couple of hundred practice rounds before we think about a trigger job.

Thankfully, she isn't attracted to cute pink guns.

In other news, I ran across this tidbit buried in the back pages of Sunday's newspaper.

Tunisia completes construction of Libya border fence

Tunisia's defense minister has visited an anti-jihadi fence that's being built on the country's border with Libya to stop Islamist militants from entering Tunisian territory.

Defense Minister Farhat Horchani inspected the first completed part of the 196-kilometer (122-mile) fence Saturday, which aims to counter the threat from jihadi militants and render the entire border impassable by vehicles. Horchani said the project came about with financial assistance from Germany and the U.S. (emphasis added)

In other words, our country is willing to spend money to help secure the borders of a country half way around the world from us, but is not willing to do the same thing here at home.

Crazy...

Tunisian border fence built with U.S. funds

I've Seen This Movie

U.S. troops are gearing up for a major offensive in Iraq. The objective is to gain control of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.

The 101st Airborne Division will serve an integral role in preparing Iraqi ground troops to expel the Islamic State group from Mosul, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the division’s soldiers Wednesday during a visit to Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Some 1,800 soldiers from the 101st’s Headquarters and its 2nd Brigade Combat Team will deploy soon on regular rotations to Baghdad...

Why does that sound familiar? Oh, yeah...

The 101st in April 2003 captured and took responsibility for Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, during America’s initial invasion at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The division’s upcoming deployment will be its first return to Iraq since it completed its second rotation there at the end of 2006...

Isn't that the definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

... Removing the Islamic State group from its “power bases” in Mosul and Raqqa, Syria, will greatly aid in eliminating the terror organization from other parts of the world, including North Africa and Afghanistan, where it has gained influence in the last year.

Outside of its stronghold in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group is “continually evolving, changing focus and shifting location,” Carter said, and he vowed the United States would do more to increase the fight in places such as Afghanistan and Libya, where the organization has grown.

But, but ... I thought obama said that ISIS was contained. I guess he meant that they were contained in key cities and much of the Iraqi countryside - along with broad swaths of Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, East Africa, and parts of Europe.

Not to mention Paris and San Bernardino...

Meanwhile, Carter acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that previously announced special operation forces were in place in Iraq and Syria.

The new Expeditionary Targeting Force of special operators tasked with working with Iraqi forces to conduct raids on key Islamic State figures, which Carter announced early last month, is also in place, he said.

The addition of the special operation forces along with the uptick in airstrikes, Carter said, is straining the Islamic State organization in Iraq and Syria.

It has “become apparent that the additional military steps that President [Barack] Obama approved in the fall are generating significant momentum across the battlefield in Iraq and Syria,” Carter said. “Moreover, we can see that our actions to accelerate the campaign are having an effect, and creating opportunities to do even more.

“We are taking ground back from the enemy and gaining openings to take more.”

That would be a lot easier to believe if it wasn't the first time we've heard it.

On a serious note, the human costs of what has become known as The Forever War are staggering. The dead and wounded are bad enough, but those who return physically whole, and those left behind at home, also pay a price. Please consider giving them a helping hand if you can.

A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots.

I read this story with growing incredulousness. I can't believe they are punishing the victim.

A Danish 17-year-old girl who used a pepper spray to fight off a rapist near migrant asylum centre is told SHE will be prosecuted for carrying the weapon.

The 17-year-old told police she was targeted in the coastal town of Sonderborg by an English-speaking man, who knocked her to the ground and tried to undress her.

But she managed to prevent the man from attacking her further by spraying the substance at him.

However, as it is illegal to use pepper spray, the teenage girl is set to face charges. It is likely she will face a 500 Krone (£50) fine.

Prosecuted, hell. She should be awarded a medal for giving that scum a small taste of what he deserved. Pepper spray is no substitute for .45 vasectomy.

And why on earth is pepper spray illegal in Denmark? What do they expect potential rape victims to do - lie back and enjoy it? Would someone please explain to me what happened to the descendants of the Vikings? (Note: the title of this post - "A cleaved head no longer plots" - is an Old Norse proverb.)

Politically correct idiots...

There are signs, however, that Denmark is trying to fight back.

...  the case has sparked a controversy in Denmark, where there has been increasing reports of sexual harrassment towards women.

This has prompted several nightclubs in Sonderborg to bar people from entering unless they can speak Danish, German or English.

Meanwhile Denmark's parliament has voted in favour of seizing asylum seekers' assets in a controversial bid to reduce the numbers moving there.

Under a new law, officials will have the power to search migrants for valuables and take cash and possessions worth more than around £1,000 to help pay for their stay.

Asylum seekers will also have to wait three years before family members can join them in the country, instead of the current one year.

Baby steps, but a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.

Hopefully it's not too little, too late.

Whatever happened to that Viking spirit?

An Unknown Hero

It seems like every day there is some new report of a terrorist attack somewhere in the world. Sadly, such incidents have become so commonplace that we tend to skim them briefly, or ignore them altogether - especially when they occur in remote places that we have little knowledge of or connection to.

The latest example is an attack on a university in Pakistan.

Militants raided a university in northwest Pakistan Wednesday, timing their attack to a ceremony at the school to ensure maximum casualties. They slaughtered at least 19 people, authorities said.

... analysts say the attack probably is the work of the (Pakistani Taliban).

The attackers threw grenades, pushed their way onto campus and opened fire, army spokesman Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa said.

(A student at the school, Zahoor) Khan said he saw his chemistry professor shot while advising students to stay inside.

The above excerpt is from a CNN story on the attack. At first glance, it seems thorough enough. The story answers the "who, what, where, when, and why" questions. But I happened to stumble across another story on the same incident that included some additional facts.

An armed Pakistani teacher is hailed as a hero after Taliban terrorist attack

After terrorists killed about 150 people at a school in northwestern Pakistan 13 months ago, officials started arming teachers and gave them weapons training.

Like the debate over guns in schools in the United States and elsewhere, the move was controversial and divided parents and academic officials. But a Pakistani teacher armed with a pistol is being credited with saving lives during a terrorist attack Wednesday at Bacha Khan University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

According to Agence France-Presse, Syed Hamid Husain, an assistant chemistry professor, pulled out his pistol and began firing at two of the attackers as they neared a classroom. But the 27-year-old teacher was outgunned by the militants, who were armed with assault rifles. After a gun battle, Husain was killed, students said.

Husain is the same chemistry professor who was mentioned in the CNN story. There was, however, no mention there of his heroic actions.

... students at the college in Charsadda, about 30 miles from Peshawar, say Husain is a hero. By pulling out his weapon, they told reporters, their teacher gave them time to escape.

“I saw a bullet hit him,” a student told AFP. “I saw two militants were firing. I ran inside and then managed to flee by jumping over the back wall.”

In an interview with The Washington Post, another student confirmed that Husain took out his pistol as the attack unfolded.

Shaid Malik, 22, a geology student, said he and some friends rushed out of their room when they heard gunfire.

“We saw the professor standing there with a gun in his hand,” he said. “He told us to rush back to our rooms and do not open the door for anyone.

“When the firing stopped, after a while, we came down and saw the professor dead, lying on the ground with the same gun in his hand.”

Another student, Mohammad Shabeer, said Husain held off the attackers for 15 minutes before he was killed.

I'm not a big fan of Pakistan, but give that country credit for one thing. After the attack 13 months ago that killed 150 people, Pakistani officials realized they didn't have the resources to protect every school. So they began voluntary training courses for teachers who wanted to bring firearms into the classroom.

We here in America would do well to consider similar action.

The wisdom of that move was proven by Syed Hamid Husain, a hero who deserves recognition and acclaim beyond a footnote by CNN.

Taking A Look At The News

Catching up on a few stories from the past few days:

First, an update on the New Year's Eve attacks on German women in the city of Cologne "by gangs of men described by the authorities as having “a North African or Arabic” appearance."

It turns out there were earlier attacks, there were more victims, and there is a mounting backlash.

Earlier Attacks

FURY is growing in Germany over mounting evidence of ANOTHER cover-up of migrant sex crimes after it emerged a welcome party for refugees held two months before the Cologne rapes descended into a mass groping session.

Police and victims have furiously demanded to know why organisers did not warn them that refugees had committed abhorrent sexual harassment amid speculation such information could have helped avert the sickening attacks on New Year's Eve.

Young women had to flee the welcome event in terror after being groped by gangs of migrant men, even though organisers repeatedly interrupted the music with messages in Arabic urging them to stop their harassment.

Today the council official responsible for the integration of refugees in the Cologne region admitted organisers knew about the sex attacks at the event but did not want to make a fuss. (emphasis added)

"Did not want to make a fuss"?!? A bunch of foreign thugs assault your women and denigrate your culture, and you do not want to make a fuss? You have no business holding public office if your first priority is to protect those who would destroy your way of life, instead of protecting your country and its citizens.

The fallout from the Cologne attacks continued to hit Germany today, with officials in another city revealing they had to cancel a planned carnival because of fears of a Cologne-style attack on visitors.

Organisers of the Rose Monday carnival parade, in Rheinberg near Dortmund, said the event was being axed "for security reasons" linked to the horrific events on New Year's Eve.

More Victims

German prosecutors say more than 800 complaints have now been filed in connection with assaults and robberies in Cologne on New Year’s Eve that investigators have linked largely to foreigners.

Mounting Backlash

The controversy over what German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called the most complex challenge of her 10-year term has reached a near-boiling point after horrifying, mass New Year’s Eve attacks on women in the city of Cologne.

...there have been protests against Merkel’s open-door policies that have allowed more than 1 million migrants and refugees to flow into the country since last year.

Retaliatory violence against foreigners has also stemmed from the attacks...

Moral of the story: Be careful who you allow into your country.

Second moral: Political Correctness will be the end of us all.

Second, a recap of recent events surrounding Iran's capture of two U.S. patrol boats.

Navy Releases Timeline of Iran’s Capture of U.S. Sailors

...the Defense Department on Monday released a timeline of events surrounding the seizure, but the account was spare on new details and left several fundamental questions unanswered.

The timeline did not explain why the crews of two patrol boats — which the military said were supposed to remain in international waterways — deviated from their course and strayed into Iranian territorial waters. Nor did it explain why they allowed Iranian sailors to board their boats, or why the boats’ communications equipment apparently failed, cutting them off from their superiors.

In other words, it told us when, but left out what and why. No much of an update.

The capture was highly embarrassing for the Navy. It came just hours before President Obama’s last State of the Union address and while American and Iranian diplomats were in the final stages of negotiating a prisoner swap. The Iranian government was also taking its last measures to comply with the nuclear deal, which allowed economic sanctions against the country to be lifted on Saturday.

Speaking of that prisoner swap, it was another one-sided deal.

Iran’s release of several hostages is, of course, wonderful news for these Americans and their loved ones — but how Team Obama got it done is ugly indeed.

First: It’s a de facto prisoner exchange — of Americans who had done nothing wrong, for Iranians charged with or convicted of real crimes...

The State Department made noises about how the exchange set no precedent. Yet Tehran knows it can seize US citizens on trumped-up charges, and Washington will free Iranian agents to get the hostages back.

Second: The White House sprang the deal the day it was unlocking $100 billion in Iranian assets as per the nuclear accord.

That is: Team Obama timed this news to take the sting out of a wildly unpopular move — playing politics with a hostage release.

Third is that President Obama has given up so much to get here — the latest sanctions undone, and others set aside just to get Tehran to the table to start the nuke talks.

Obama & Co. insist the nuclear understanding will pave the way to better Iranian behavior, but none of our allies in the region — from the Israelis to the Saudis — buys it.

Instead, they’re figuring out what they have to do to guard their own security now that America no longer has their backs.

I don't know why anyone is surprised at all this. It's just another step in the ongoing transformation of the democrat party under obama.

Next, there was this interesting story from the world of crime.

Manual transmission foils Pittsburgh carjackers

 A stick shift stopped two would-be carjackers who robbed a man at gunpoint in Pittsburgh.

... the suspects took his cellphone and asked for the car keys — but lost interest in taking the car when he mentioned it's a stick-shift...

WardsAuto, which tracks car manufacturing data, says about 7 percent of vehicles sold in the United States in 2014 had manual transmissions. That's down from about 35 percent in 1980.

Finally, there's still hope for your New Year's resolutions.

The Best Way to Keep a New Year’s Resolution

Millions of people resolve at the beginning of each year to make themselves and their lives better, but many fail to reach those goals. One expert, Frank Farley, a professor of psychological studies in education at Philadelphia’s Temple University, ... offers some tips for making them more successful.

It's too late for me. Save yourself!

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...

Catching Up On The News

Here's a few stories you may have missed during the Christmas hubbub.

Hawaii Declines To Name Anything After obama

Obama’s return to the place of his birth [for the Christmas holiday season] calls to mind an embarrassing record of legislative stumbles: Since 2009, Hawaii’s politicos have sought to name two schools, an abandoned lot, a scenic overlook and two state holidays after Obama. An effort to put the 1960s-era cinder-block apartment building — where he lived — on the National Historic registry also fell short.

Perhaps one reason there is such a lack of support for naming anything after barry is because of crap like this.

obama Administration Sides With Iran Over Congress

The Obama administration’s controversial nuclear deal with Iran has generated a diplomatic kerfuffle that could limit Congress’s latitude in addressing unrelated security issues.

Senior administration officials have advised congress that a law passed on Friday, which tightens rules of the Visa Waiver program to make it more difficult for potential terrorists to gain entry into the U.S., could violate the Iran nuclear agreement.

Under the revised law, foreign travelers who hold citizenship or have traveled to Iraq, Syria, Iran, or Sudan in the last five years would be prohibited from visa-free travel to the United States.

Iranian officials claim that this violates the nuclear agreement because the United States pledged not to take any action that would harm Iran’s economic relations with other states.

I'm not sure how requiring visitors from the world's leading sponsor of terrorism to get a visa before entering the U.S. harm's Iran's economic relations with us, but evidently John Kerry is much smarter than me.

Kerry wrote a letter to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in which he noted that the administration had the authority to protect Iran from the consequences of the new law:

“[W]e have a number of potential tools available to us, including multiple entry ten-year business visas, programs for expediting business visas, and the waiver authority provided under the new legislation.”

Nice to know that barry and kerry place a higher priority of placating Iran than on enhancing our national security.

Here's an example of what we need protection from.

Woman falsely accused of burning Koran ripped apart by mob

A woman falsely accused of burning a Koran was ripped to pieces by a mob in Afghanistan...

The tormented final hours of Farkhunda Malikzada, a 27-year-old aspiring student of Islam who was [falsely] accused of burning a Quran in a Muslim shrine, shocked Afghans across the country. That is because many of her killers filmed one another beating her and posted clips of her broken body on social media. Hundreds of other men watched, holding their phones aloft to try to get a glimpse of the violence, but never making a move to intervene. Those standing by included several police officers.

Based on the next story, however, it may not be too long before tragedies like that occur here.

Circus atmosphere as judge sworn in on Quran

A week ago Carolyn Walker-Diallo was sworn in as a judge in Brooklyn’s 7th Municipal District. She placed her hand on the Quran and swore to uphold the constitution.

What's so bad about that?

     The Koran forbids allegiance to non-Muslim authority, so isn’t this Muslima’s vow worthless? How can she serve two masters at once? In Islam, sharia supersedes all manmade laws. It is the law of Allah.

     The Koran dictates that Islam is in a perpetual war against all infidels until a sharia-dominant world is established. Which master will she serve in this conflict?

Here's the answer to that question.

This year she was one of three guest speakers at a CAIR banquet in Brooklyn. The other two speakers were Hassan Shibly and Imam Siraj Wahhaj. Here’s a bit about these fellows:

...Shibly “has a track record of defending terrorist groups.” Following the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War, Shibly characterized Hezb’allah as a “resistance movement,” claiming they were “absolutely not a terrorist organization” and that “any war against them is illegitimate.” Shibly also went so far as to express his desire to join their war effort.

...some of Siraj Wahhaj credentials include being named as a possible co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, inviting the leader of a terror organization to address his congregation several times, advocating for the replacement of the U.S. government with an Islamic Caliphate, and supporting violent Islamic jihad.

Carolyn Walker-Diallo, muslim judge, swearing to be false to either the quran or the U.S. Constitution.
She can't be true to both.

And on the lighter side, we had the whole Steve Harvey - Miss Universe brouhaha. (Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, you probably know that Steve Harvey hosted the Miss Universe pageant, and announced the wrong winner.)

Predictably, social media reaction was swift and brutal. Here's a few of my favorites.

But you've got to give the guy credit. He poked fun at himself on his twitter feed.

It sure was nice to be so involved with Christmas activities that I lost touch with reality for a short while. I'm going to do my best to repeat that during the lead-in to the New Year.

Connect The Dots

Hint - there's only two dots to connect.

Dot #1:

San Bernardino terrorist Tashfeen Malik openly supported violent jihad on social media yet still passed THREE background checks to gain entry into America

San Bernardino shooter Tashfeen Malik, 29, underwent three background checks and had her K-1 fiancee visa approved even though she openly posted about committing violent jihad on social media.

Malik and husband Syed Farook killed 14 people earlier this month...

If US officials had discovered the messages Malik posted ... red flags would have gone up and she likely would not have been approved for entry.

Dot #2:

Secret US Policy Blocks Agents From Looking at Social Media of Visa Applicants

Fearing a civil liberties backlash and "bad public relations" for the Obama administration, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson refused in early 2014 to end a secret U.S. policy that prohibited immigration officials from reviewing the social media messages of all foreign citizens applying for U.S. visas...

The revelation comes as members of Congress question why U.S. officials failed to review the social media posts of San Bernardino terrorist Tashfeen Malik. She received a U.S. visa in May 2014, despite what the FBI said were extensive social media messages about jihad and martyrdom...

Just like Benghazi, the blood of the San Bernardino victims is on the hands of obama and his enablers who place a higher priority on public relations than on the lives and safety of American citizens.

Click to embiggen.

And in somewhat related news:

Obama: ISIS strategy 'moving forward with a great sense of urgency'

The U.S.-led military coalition is hitting ISIS "harder than ever," President Barack Obama said at the Pentagon on Monday, sharpening his rhetoric on the war as he comes under criticism for his strategy after a pair of ISIS-linked attacks.

"ISIL leaders cannot hide, and our next message to them is simple: You are next," Obama said...

Maybe they can't hide, but they evidently can get visas to enter the U.S. without too much trouble.

But the ramp-up in events designed to convey Obama's steadfastness against ISIS hasn't been paired with a large-scale shift in strategy...

I guess the renewed emphasis on leading conducting talking about the war on ISIS, plus the recent global warming climate change weather conference in Paris, has exhausted barry. He leaves on Friday for his eighth - and thankfully last - annual Hawaiian Christmas vacation.

President Barack Obama and the first family will return to Hawaii for their Christmas vacation next week for the eighth year running.

The White House confirmed Friday that the Obamas are due to leave Washington for the island on December 18...

Their previous trips up to 2014 have lasted between two and two-and-a-half weeks and cost taxpayers roughly $4 million.

That's a bargain if it keeps him out of the country.

(I know, I know - Hawaii is part of the U.S. But you know what I mean.)