On the Road Again

Posting will be light ... visit the blogs listed in the sidebar.

Meet the New Boss (of marketing)

Same as the old boss of marketing.... exactly the same.Energized Lutz says he's not done yet | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press OK, this guy is 77 years old, and he retired not that long ago. I guess it wasn't to make room for new blood.

Now he did spearhead the Volt, but he is basically a throw-back to the great past of Detroit muscle cars.

So is this really the leadership for the new era of "Government Motors?" Sad to say, but "more of the same" is probably all they can hope for.

Oh, and I still refuse to buy any car from Government Motors.

Srebrenica Remembered - The United Nations' Fault Forgotten

July 11, 1995 was a day to remember. Almost no one does it seems. It was that day, 14 years ago that saw the start of the massacre of Srebrenica by the Serbian military.

There are many news stories on the memorials that were held today. But almost none of them even mention that the UN was involved in anyway. This Reuters' article is typical. Bosnia buries, mourns Srebrenica massacre victims | International | Reuters It only mentions war-crimes trails... after the fact.

The Voice of America article,VOA News - Srebrenica Massacre Victims Travel to Final Resting Place, mentioned that Srebrenica was supposed to have been a "United Nations-protected enclave." But they don't elaborate on how it was protected, or why that protection failed.

None of the articles I scanned mentioned the fact that UN Peacekeepers, backed up by another worthless UN Security Council resolution were authorized to use deadly force to protect Srebrenica. They never fired a shot.

Not one of the articles I scanned mentioned the fact that UN Peacekeeping force was supplying the Serbian military with diesel fuel to run the heavy equipment (for digging mass graves) and buses (for transporting soon-to-be-dead-people to those graves).

I guess they don't want to tarnish the reputation of their beloved United Nations (or Useless Nitwits... take your pick).

8000 men and boys were killed in that "UN protected enclave."

In 1995, my cynical nature said that the reason no one cared was because it was a case of the Christians exterminating the Muslims. I guess I am still cynical.

++++ My Post from the 10th Anniversary follows. ++++

10 years ago, on the afternoon of 11 July 1995, Bosnian Serb troops began the final extermination of the Muslim population of Srebrenica.

London Telegraph: Grief and Guilt at Graveside. The diplomats bemoan the occurrence. Even Kofi Annan *spit* accepts some responsibility on behalf of the UN, but it is not enough.

The Useless Nitwits at the United Nations don't want the people of the world to have access to small arms (things like AK-47's or FN/FAL rifles). Yet Srebrenica demonstrates to the world that the UN will not protect those people when they need protection.

Srebrenica was to have been a UN enforced "safe area." It became a death trap.

When the Serbian onslaught rolled through Srebrenica, it made a mockery of United Nations Security Council Resolution 819, passed in April 1993, establishing it as a "safe area' after an earlier brutal offensive. Resolution 836 "guaranteed" protection for Srebrenica by "all necessary means, including the use of force", stipulating that "all military or paramilitary units would either withdraw from the demilitarized zone or surrender all their arms." The battered conclave was put into the care of the UN's Dutch battalion in February 1995.

Instead of a safe area, Srebrenica under relentless shelling became a nightmare zone. The town was teeming with refugees, many living on the streets. As the Serbs prepared their final solution to the siege, they blocked most UN aid convoys into Srebrenica, cutting off food shipments, medical supplies and even the supply of shoes. The Serbs confiscated cooking salt from UN aid convoys, replacing it with industrial salt to poison the townspeople.

The safe areas became UN-run concentration camps.

Some accounts hold that even though the use of force was authorized in advance, UN troops offered NO Resistance to the Serbs.

After the city was overrun, mass executions began. Did the UN try to stop them? No.

The UN Dutch battalion was even giving the Bosnian Serbs the fuel to drive the buses that brought the victims to the execution sites and the bulldozers which ploughed the corpses of their victims into the ground. [Ref.]

But the UN (and Amnesty International and many others) believe that citizens should be disarmed - as they were in Srebrenica, as they were in the Warsaw Ghetto, and in many other places genocide has been carried out. They say that the UN or the "International Community" will come to your aid. To the people who say this, I would ask them to name 3 places in which this international community came to anyone's aid in time to prevent most of the atrocities from occurring.

Earlier in the year, we observed the anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. The speeches were about "learning the lessons of history," to ensure the horrors would not be repeated. But they have been repeated, over and over again. And over and over again, a disarmed populace is left at the mercy of those bent on genocide. Srebrenica is only the one we are talking about today. Someday our attention will return to Darfur, or we will remember the Hutu/Tutsi conflict. But I doubt seriously that the international community will ever come to the aid of those being exterminated by their own governments.

No Punishment for Negligent Discharge

You shoot someone in the gut - even by accident - and you should have to do something, even if only face a suspension. Chief shows how to load bullets, shoots an officer | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register

"He was explaining that the magazine that fits the full-size Smith & Wesson also fits the subcompact," Wilber said. "He was juggling the magazine between the guns and had a gun in each hand and his duty weapon discharged."

The weapon discharged... all on its own. Not that he actually fired the weapon.

There are some simple rules of handling guns. Juggling doesn't fall in there as a method of safe handling. He didn't keep the weapon pointed in a safe direction. He didn't unload the weapon that was not in use. He didn't keep his finger away from the trigger. He did act like and idiot.

I am sure he feels bad. (He will feel worse after reading everything that everyone will write about it.) He should still face something like a suspension, or worse.

The Guy Advising Obama on Science is a Bit Scary

A book he authored in 1977 says some fairly disturbing things. John Holdren, Obama's Science Czar, says: Forced abortions and mass sterilization needed to save the planet

And no it isn't a hoax. You can find the table of contents and some example pages here.

He really does sound like a Czar. Evil. Despot. After more power and control. [via Michelle Malkin]

Virginia Foxx is One Reason Republicans Won't Win National Elections

Not the only reason, but she is one reason that a lot of people won't touch the party. Loose cannons: Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)

During a House floor debate on hate crimes legislation, Foxx ridiculed the notion that Matthew Shepard was killed because he was gay, calling it “a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.”

She didn't say exactly why he was beaten, tied to a fence and left to freeze to death.

Oh, and she said all this while Shepard's mother was in the visitors' gallery. Really classy!

You may not like the idea of hate crimes, but if not, why aren't you working day and night to eliminate the ones we have (on race, religion, etc.). Or is it only Gay Hate Crime legislation you have a problem with?

Foxx of course "apologized" to everyone, and said "hoax" was a poor choice of words. (Gee, ya think?) No word on what she actually meant to say.

Of course she isn't the only bone headed politician. They are on both sides of the aisle. But she is the one today, suffering from terminal foot-in-mouth disease.

Hate is not a family value. Really.

And while I am certain that not all Republicans feel the way she does, she isn't in the minority. The Republican Party will fight against Gay Hate Crimes laws. They are perfectly happy with the ones we have, but new hate crimes laws will gut the constitution. They will fight to keep the Defense of Marriage Act, because they claim gay marriage kills straight marriage. (Can't you just feel the sanctity of your marriage being sucked dry by all those gay married couples in England, Israel, Canada, the New England states - mostly - the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and Spain, not to mention the couples with "civil unions" in most of Australia, states in Argentina and Brazil, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, New Zealand, Portugal, Slovenia, and Switzerland.) The Republicans will fight against the Employment Non-discrimination Act because it violates the sacred right of bosses to fire queers, or something. Do I need to mention Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

Tell me I am wrong. And then try and convince me.

New Orleans' Finest?

Bar brawl. Witness intimidation. etc. etc. NOPD cops lied about bar brawl, inquiry says - NOLA.com One was fired. One was suspended. Three had no action taken.

I wish I had those kind of benefits!

The New Orleans Police Department's own internal investigation into a high-profile 2008 bar fight between off-duty officers and city transit workers found that five of its officers broke police conduct rules and then lied to investigators, with at least one officer coercing a civilian witness to lie about the incident, according to an internal report made public Thursday.

Break policy and have no repercussions? Why have the damn policy? [via KABA]

Giant Robot in Tokyo

But how does this help the Olympic bid? 'Gundam'

Click the image for a larger view.

So How Should a 62-yr-old Defend Himself?

The Left loves to say that no one needs a gun, but how do you defend yourself against 4 armed thugs without something to equalize the situation? Jewelry salesman shoots 2 amid East Memphis robbery : Memphis Commercial Appeal

Four men, all described as speaking Spanish, had pounced on a traveling jewelry salesman, trying to take his merchandise.

Instead, 62-year-old Stephen Fleischman pulled his weapon and shot two of the suspects, leaving them bleeding in the parking lot as the others fled, Memphis police said. At least two of the suspects were armed.

And the "speaks Spanish" is relevant.

FBI officials said the groups of illegal immigrants stake out traveling salesmen and jewelry shows, sometimes traveling across the country.

Without a tool to equalize the situation, the old or the infirm would be at the mercy of the young and the violent. The single person, would be a the mercy of the gang of thugs. The thugs lost out this time around.

Self-defense is a human right, and in Tennessee it is your legal right.

China Has to Move Slowly, or Risk Losing it All

They aren't really too happy with all the dollars they hold, but if they move too fast, they will make those dollars worth-less (if not worthless). So they are moving away from dollar-denominated contracts. Yuan deposes Dollar on China border in sign of future

“In recent years, the dollar has gone in only one direction and that is down,” said Huang, 45, in his second- floor office in Pingxiang, a town set amongst karst limestone hills and sugar-cane fields in China’s southwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, three kilometers (1.9 miles) from Vietnam. “Settling our orders in yuan removes a major risk.”

The dollar is a fiat currency. That means it is worth exactly what people think it is worth. So do you really think the US government can print money, and issue debt indefinitely, and people will always think it is a good currency? Neither do I.

So China will move slowly. But they will move away from the dollar. They really can't afford to do anything else.

A Slap on the Wrist

So what do you think should happen to a bunch of cops who hit (non-violent) people with truncheons and left 200 people (including reporters) injured? No LAPD officers will be fired in 2007 May Day incident - Los Angeles Times One officer was suspended for 20 days. The rest received less censure than that.

An internal investigation into the incident that left more than 200 demonstrators and journalists reporting injuries blamed poor leadership, overly aggressive tactics and lack of training.

Because they need to be trained not to use excessive force. (That isn't common sense - or commmon decency - or anything.)

Of course only 4 officers were sent before the review board. More than 4 officers were involved.

The Real Question is "Why the Cover-up?"

Is Chicago Covering Up Independence Eve Gang Shooting? - Chicagosphere It couldn't have anything to do with Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics, and their need to convince the International Olympic Committee that all would be well in Chicago? No Mayor Dumbbell Daley would never lie about violence (or where he lives, or anything).

Oh, and all those police assigned to protect those (revenue-producing) suburbanites at the Taste of Chicago and the fireworks, that didn't have anything to do with the rash of violence around the rest of the city. Daley blames warm weather, booze for deadly weekend :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Daley: Police presence at Taste not to blame for deadly weekend. No, he wouldn't lie about that.

11 people were killed in the City over the weekend. (So how were so many people shot in a city that outlaws guns? Guess that gun-control isn't keeping crime at bay.)

No One Believes in Anything, These Days,,,

Not even leaving the dead in peace. New estimate on cemetery bodies: 200 to 300 - Chicago Breaking News

200 to 300 bodies were disinterred, and the graves resold at Burr Oak Cemetery in suburban Chicago.

One of the first predominantly African-American cemeteries in the area, Burr Oak is the resting place of many historic figures, including civil rights symbol Emmett Till, blues legend Dinah Washington and heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles.

Dart said he was certain Till's remains were not disturbed, but he could not be sure about the others.

Apparently a lot of grieving family members would pay in cash, which lead to a lot of stealing on the part of the cemetery employees.

Former cemetery manager Carolyn Towns, 49, foreman Keith Nicks, 45, and dump-truck operator Terrence Nicks, 39, all of Chicago, and back-hoe operator Maurice Dailey, 59, of Robbins, were each charged with one count of dismembering a human body, a Class X felony.

Sad really, but this kind of thing has come to be representative of what happens in and around Chicago.

It Really Is the Little Things that Matter

That is what New York's Broken Windows strategy was all about. Stop the small crimes, and the criminals won't get to the big crimes. Unfortunately the NYPD now seems to believe at least some of the rules don't apply to them. Streetsblog New York City � Eyes on the Street: NYPD Shows Bus Lane Scofflaws How It’s Done [click the image for larger view.]

So blocking the bus lane doesn't seem like a big thing. What would happen to your car if you parked there? Ticketed certainly. Towed?

"At first I figured they were responding to an emergency," O'Leary said, "but there was no police presence on the street or sidewalk, they were ALL unoccupied, and the lights and engines were off."

The community affairs desk at Midtown South denied that officers from that precinct ever park in this bus lane. Perhaps officers from another precinct decided to make a pit stop.

The result was gridlock, as buses, were kept out of their lane and had to block a traffic lane.

But you see those pesky "no parking" rules just don't apply to the cops.

So Which Part of the Obama Administration Do You Believe?

The EPA says that Cap and Trade will have no real impact on carbon emissions... The Energy Secretary disagrees. U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

EPA Administrator Jackson confirmed an EPA analysis showing that unilateral U.S. action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would have no effect on climate.

Energy Secretary Chu disagrees.

So they will pass the law, and even more jobs will move from expensive energy in the US to low cost energy in China.

Sen. Inhofe said. "With China and India recently issuing statements of defiant opposition to mandatory emissions controls, acting alone through the job-killing Waxman-Markey bill would impose severe economic burdens on American consumers, businesses, and families, all without any impact on climate."

Hat tip to Michelle Malkin - via Twitter.

Self-defense is Legal in North Carolina

No charges filed against Sneads Ferry man who shot intruders He shot a guy breaking into his home. He defended himself. That's legal.

Landon Crews, of Crows Nest Lane, shot 18-year-old Cyle Norris early Monday morning. Detectives with the Onslow County Sheriff's Department said Norris was trying to crawl through a broken window when Crews shot him in the right forearm with No. 7 shot from a 12-gauge shotgun.

Norris and three other local men were charged with first-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools and conspiracy.

The article contains a long passage from the relevant NC law.

"The long and the short of it is he didn't break the law," Sheriff Ed Brown said.

Since Crews warned these four repeatedly before they finally broke that window, you have to wonder what they were thinking. Maybe you could file this under "stupid criminals" because they didn't believe there would be a response.

In the final analysis, I don't care about that. Four bad guys are in the system and the good guy is safe.

Good Guys 4, Bad Guys 0. (Well, there is one "person of interest" still being sought by police....) [via KABA]

So the Price of Oil Has Gone Down...

Should we Blame The Speculators! - Forbes.com (Well I wanted it to be a question....)

People want to blame speculators for rising prices. Just doesn't work that way. Here's a history lesson for you.

In the past, dictators like Stalin killed peasants for hoarding food.

Was that really why there was famine in the old Soviet Union? Or did government controls really quash the economy?

Today the issue isn't food prices - well not in America it isn't - it is the price of oil. So are speculators to blame? What about when the price was going to 100 dollars a barrel? Was that caused by speculation?

In testimony to the U.S. Senate in April 2008, Chief Economist Jeffrey Harris said the run-up of oil prices past $100 a barrel was due to increased demand, not speculators.

"There is little evidence speculative positions are systematically driving up crude oil prices," Harris concluded.

For that study, the [Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)] sifted through millions of trading records available only to the agency. It found that when news hits the energy markets, commercial traders at airlines, oil companies and utilities are the first to react, with financial traders following. The researchers found no evidence of things going the other way around, with speculators driving up prices and nervous commercial traders piling in to protect themselves.

That isn't speculation - that is called hedging. Airlines and transport companies generally, and utilities dependent on oil are really sensitive to the price of oil and fuel. So they participate in the futures market in an effort to keep costs down. Do you think that is a bad idea?

Oh and prices will go up again. UBS ups oil price view for 2009 and 2010 - MarketWatch

UBS increased its oil price view for 2009 and 2010 to $70 a barrel from $51 this year and $58 next, citing second quarter prices coming in $10 a barrel higher than its forecast, declining inventories in the second half of 2009 and into 2010, a weakening dollar in 2010 and 2011, and the market's willingness for greater risk appetite.

Oh, and the falling dollar... Yuan deposes Dollar on China border in sign of future China is actually trying to do something to limit its exposure to US government insanity. (More on this later.)

But when prices go up again, late this year, and next, I know people will blame the speculators.

A few hundred billion here, a few hundred billion there...

What is another trillion dollars among friends politicians? Even the CBO isn't counting all the money these days. CBO Says Medicaid Expansion Would Cost $500 Billion That is it would cost the FEDERAL government 500 billion. That states would also have extra costs, but the CBO doesn't count those costs.

So the total price tag for Obama's socialized medicine idea was supposed to be $600 billion, but add this $500 billion for Medicare, and that's 1.1 trillion dollars. And that doesn't cover the 43% of Medicare costs picked up by the states. Another few hundred million dollars, I'm sure.

Do politicians really believe the crap they sling around?

The taxpayer has to come up with ANOTHER trillion dollars?

Pink Pistols: Still Freaking People Out

I love the way that the Pink Pistols upset absolutely everyone. This article points that out. Here, queer, and without fear: Gays and lesbians lock and load in self-defense | Minneapolis - St. Paul

When early members of the Pink Pistols started showing up at 2nd Amendment rallies,

“People didn’t know whether to run or shake our hands,” [Bob Odden, the Twin Cities chapter founder] says.

Gays are also freaked. (The PP logo is all about guns, which apparently are icky.)

Disconcerted by the negative reaction they were receiving from the GLBTQ community, the Twin Cities Pink Pistols started to emphasize the need for self-defense. Rather than just focusing on guns, the group also encouraged other forms of self-defense, such as mace and high-voltage stun guns. “After we changed the banner to self-defense, people understood more what we were about,” Odden says.

Which is what I am about. Self-defense is a human right, even in locales where they restrict your right to carry concealed (or open) you must have a plan. I use what is available. A combination of mace and pepper-spray works pretty well, though nothing is perfect. (Something is probably better than nothing.)

The Twin Cities now have 2 groups: A Pink Pistols Chapter and the North Star Gay and Lesbian Gun Club, which broke off from the Pink Pistols to obtain Non-profit status. (The national PP org made some political endorsements, making non-profit a no-go.)

Dana Wolfe and Emi Briet have founded a new Twin Cities chapter of the Pink Pistols; they hope to hold an initial meeting this summer. Like the North Star group, Wolfe said the group will steer clear of political discourse, except to inform the participants about upcoming gun legislation.

They also hope to make a push for women to feel welcome in the group. Also, Wolfe said that she wants the group to have a strong queer association. “We don’t want to hide the fact that we’re queer,” she says. She’s concerned that the North Star club has downplayed the GLBTQ aspect. “It needs to be a queer identity movement,” she said. “Otherwise, what distinguishes us from the NRA?”

I just love to see Pink Pistols in the news.

It Seems the Gays Aren't the Only Group Obama is Throwing Under the Bus

Lot's of liberal groups believed his campaign rhetoric instead of looking at his (sometimes very thin) record. Turns out people other than the gay community are opening their eyes to the truth. Obama is No Friend of Israel

Many glossed over the fact that President Obama sat in Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s pews for over 20 years listening to anti-Semitic hate speech, maintained personal relationships with well known Israel haters like Rashid Khalidi, called for a policy of engagement with state sponsors of terrorism including Iran and Hamas, and had no track record whatsoever prior to the presidential campaign of support for Israel. It wasn’t that they weren’t informed of these things, it’s just that Jewish Americans, a traditional liberal voting bloc, simply took him at his word that he would continue uninterrupted the tradition of American support for Israel.

Some of the things that are worrisome follow. (Read the article for the complete list.)

• Calls for Israel to give up control of the Old City of Jerusalem - to the UN or some 3r party.
• Calls for Israel to sign Nuclear Non-proliferation treaty. In exchange for exactly nothing. (Give up their nuclear deterrent, while Iran develops their bomb?)
• Obama's Cairo speech equated Holocaust with Israel's treatment of Palestinians. (So far I don't think Israel has been systematically trying to exterminate everyone of a certain ethnicity, but maybe I am not paying attention.)

My favorite is America joining the UN Human Rights Council - that UN body that repeatedly takes Israel to task, but can't find any indication of wrong doing in Somalia and has no problem with the execution of gay men in Arab countries or the stoning of women for the terrible crime of being rape-victims. Yeah, that is the council I want to be a part of.

78% of Jewish Americans voted for Obama. Just like the Gay Community, some of them are surprised at what they got.

Because Shouting At a Bear in Your Home Makes Sense

The Left loves to go about how no one needs a gun. Not even if there is black bear in your kitchen? Rash of bear break-ins rattle Boulder residents : Boulder, CO

Authorities responded to several reports of bears in homes or yards west of Boulder on Tuesday night, including one in which a bear walked into a house in Sunshine Canyon.

So what would you do if a bear was in your home or your yard? Remember, they can be dangerous. [That is a list of FATAL attacks, and does not include any mauling the victim survived.] Would you change your tune if there were children around? If you are anti-hunting, the answer is, "probably not."

Still for what it's worth, if I am ever faced with a bear, I hope I have a 12 gauge or something similar at hand.

Worries Lead to More Gun Permits

It seems that at least one part of the economy is stimulated. Gun permits surge since Obama election

Kentucky State Police say they issued 16,114 licenses last year to carry concealed deadly weapons. The number issued through June 29 this year was already 15,531.

Indiana issued 42,403 new handgun permits in the first four months of this year, up from 29,029 in the same period last year.

But Obama says there is nothing to fear....

Not Bad for the People's Republic of Illinois

They try and try to make it impossible to defend yourself, but it still happens every once in a while. Robbers Meet Their Match-- One Homeowner Fights Back

Police say suspects DeCarlos J. Wells, and Michael Ellis, both in their early 20's, showed up to the home, masked, with guns, demanding that the homeowner go inside.

When Lonnie Tinsley refused, he says the robbers beat him with a gun, but Tinsley fought back. He dragged the alleged criminals into the house, pulled out his own gun and started shooting. Tinsley's gunshots did hit one of the suspects. DeCarlos wells was shot in the lower back and went through surgery at Methodist Medical Center. Police are waiting for him to recover before arresting him.

I imagine they will try to prosecute the homeowner for something.

To Tea Party, or Just Plain Party?

That is a question. There are 3 tea parties in reasonable driving range. One claims to be as much about "Judeo Christian tradition" as about taxes. I take that to mean gays, Buddhists, Wiccans, etc. need not apply. One is in a restaurant parking lot, in Clearwater. And one is in, what I can only describe as a red-neck community. (I lived there for the longest 6 months of my life, trust me I know.)

Most Americans - of any political persuasion - believe that if you ask one question, you can determine my entire set of political views, however unrelated the topics. If I am against higher taxes and bigger government, I must be in favor of the Judeo-Christian tradition^*. If I am in favor of 2nd Amendment Rights, I must be opposed to abortion and in favor of capital punishment. I view the world in slightly more complex terms than that.

So 2 of these 3 Tea Parties, will likely be annoying to me. (Trust me on the red-neck community - I was annoyed for those 6 months.) The 3rd, sounds like a way to make money for an enterprising restaurateur.

Enjoy your tea parties. I wish you well.

* As a student of history, the only tradition I see, is that every couple of hundred years or so, the Christians try to exterminate the Jews. From the Inquisition, to the Edict of Expulsion kicking Jews out of England, (they would later be expelled from France and Spain) to the Pogroms in Eastern Europe to the Holocaust, that tradition is pretty clear. Then there is U. S. Grant's General Order 11, which didn't degenerate into killing, but looked to be sliding that way, and the whole issue of "restricted communities." Sort of ethnic cleansing without all the unpleasantness. Read later works of Martin Luther - he was quite distressed in his later years that the Jews didn't flock to his new church after he broke with Rome. He was so distressed he said some pretty nasty things, which other Germans dusted off in the 1930s for another purpose. Then, we can talk about the "tradition."

So Much For Monday's Photo Op

The Obama Administration - after trying to do some damage control on Monday - has pretty much thrown the gay community under the bus. AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Obama deputy campaign manager abandons DOMA & DADT as priorities What a surprise.

He will actually do nothing. He hopes Congress will get to Hate Crimes, Employment Non-discrimination and safe schools. Those are good things. But not what we are interested in.

First, that the burden for doing anything pro-gay in the remaining three and a half years of the Obama administration is now shifted to Congress. Obama has no role whatsoever, and no power to influence anything, even though he's still the leader of the free world. The essay makes clear that the onus is on Congress and no one else.

Second, the three big gay rights priorities that Congress should be focusing on do not even include what have organically become the community's top two priorities: repealing DOMA and Don't Ask Don't Tell. They're not even mentioned in the Obama deputy's essay.

So much for our "friend and fierce advocate." He can't be bothered to lift a finger.

And don't think for a moment that this essay wasn't vetted by the White House generally. Of course it was.

But then why should the Dems do anything? They don't have to do anything. (The LGBT community just raised millions of dollars for the Dems - while being pissed off.) Nothing of substance will happen. If the LGBT community would try to have some influence with the Republicans - not the crazy religious nuts, but the free-market, small government Republicans - then maybe the Democrats would have to do something. As it stands today, neither group needs to do anything different. The Republicans can stay in the hands of the Religious nuts, and the Democrats can speak in platitudes about gay rights, but then never actually have to do anything.

Like I Said, Chicago is a Mess

Police work in Chicago. Just plain criminal. Ex-Chicago cop gets 19 years in robbery sting -- chicagotribune.com

Doroniuk testified against his partner at the trial, saying officers routinely carried a little crack cocaine to plant on suspects when searches came up empty and stole cash from drug dealers during raids and traffic stops. He also said they routinely paid informants, falsified reports, lied in court and even kicked back cash to an undisclosed judge for pushing through a bogus warrant.

Say it again. Cops ROUTINELY planted drugs on people when searches came up empty. Very nice. Not one cop having a bad day. A whole group of cops breaking the law as a matter of course.

May they all rot in hell, because it is clear, very few of them will face justice.

You Have to Love the Advice

Jody Wies - the head of Chicago PD - told women to carry a cell phone, because someone is attacking women at night. Well, guns are illegal in Chicago - handguns anyway. Chicago homicide, overall crime rate down :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Chicago Crime

So there is good news. Still a lot of crime, but the Chicago PD is doing something right. But the city is really a mess.

Overall violent crime was down 4.4 percent in the first six months. But Weis noted that that there have been several incidents in June of women being attacked at night, and he encouraged women to travel with friends, stay away from poorly lit areas, be aware of their surroundings and carry a cell phone.

Yeah, that cell phone will keep them safe.

The Bad Guys Still Haven't Realized Texans Are Armed

Home invasion. Barking Dog. Armed Resident. Alerted by dog, Sugar Land man shoots intruder | Houston & Texas News | Houston Chronicle

You would think by now that the bad guys would figure this out.

[Doug Adolph, Sugar Land Police Department spokesman,] said the resident, who has not been identified, was asleep when he heard his dog barking.

The resident woke up, grabbed a pistol near his bed and went to the front room.

He opened the front door but saw nobody.

When he closed the door and turned around, he spotted a man near him in the apartment.

The man rushed toward him. Fearing for his life, the resident fired once, hitting the man in the chest, Adolph said.

The resident stepped over the guy - who had fallen down - and called 911. While he was on the phone, the would-be-bad-guy got up and ran.

A man with a gunshot wound to the chest was picked up later at local hospital.

Self-defense is a human right, and in Texas it is your legal right. [via [KABA]

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

So a guy is upset (understatement) that his abused wife finally left. So he goes looking for her. East of Loxley: Man forces open front door, gets shot by brother-in-law - al.com

A man shot and killed his brother-in-law, apparently in self-defense, late Wednesday at a home just east of the Loxley area, officials with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office said.

David Daniel, the homeowner, shot Andrew "Andy" Buettner of Robertsdale in the chest after Buettner kicked in the front door, Sheriff Huey "Hoss" Mack said. Buettner thought his wife and child were staying at the home, but they were not, Mack said.

Pretty straight-forward self-defense
I think.

Long-term issues of domestic abuse were involved, but they are over now.

People Refuse to Believe This is True

The UK - that place that used to be Great Britain - has a higher violent crime rate than the US. The most violent country in Europe: Britain is also worse than South Africa and U.S. | Mail Online [Click the image for a better view]

Britain's violent crime record is worse than any other country in the European union, it is revealed today.

Official crime figures show the UK also has a worse rate for all types of violence than the U.S. and even South Africa - widely considered one of the world's most dangerous countries.

A few statistics are in order.

he figures, compiled from reports released by the European Commission and United Nations, also show:

* The UK has the second highest overall crime rate in the EU.
* It has a higher homicide rate than most of our western European neighbours, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
* The UK has the fifth highest robbery rate in the EU.
* It has the fourth highest burglary rate and the highest absolute number of burglaries in the EU, with double the number of offences than recorded in Germany and France.

The Labour Party is spinning like mad, talking about differences in counting and reporting, but then I thought Brits had given up reporting some crimes, since nothing would be done about them. But they have twice the rate of crime of 2nd place Austria and 4 times the rate of the US. [Via Uncle]

Also see an older post on this topic: Crime in the UK versus the US.