Master Chief John Harvard

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Girl Power!

From the land of the Religion of Peace, the English edition of Asharq Al-Awsat reports:

Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat- Members of Khobar's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice [i.e., the Saudi religious police] were the victims of an attack by two Saudi females, Asharq Al-Awsat can reveal.

According to the head of the commission in Khobar, two girls pepper sprayed members of the commission after they had tried to offer them advice.

Head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in the Eastern province Dr. Mohamed bin Marshood al-Marshood, told Asharq Al Awsat that two of the Commission's employees were verbally insulted and attacked by two inappropriately-dressed females, in the old market in Prince Bandar street, an area usually crowded with shoppers during the month of Ramadan.

According to Dr. Al-Marshood, the two commission members approached the girls in order to "politely" advice and guide them regarding their inappropriate clothing.

Consequently, the two girls started verbally abusing the commission members, which then lead to one of the girls pepper-spraying them in the face as the other girl filmed the incident on her mobile phone, while continuing to hurl insults at them.

The Eastern Province's head of the commission also revealed that with the help of the police his two employees were able to control the situation.

The two females were then escorted to the police station where they apologized for the attack, were cautioned and then released.

Of Course They'd Invite Hitler!

When he attends next week's opening session of the United Nations, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be going uptown to speak at Columbia University. Despite criticism, that bastion of academic freedom and free speech will stand tall against the gathering shadows of censorship:



But we never doubted that our redoubtable academic elites would welcome a murderous anti-Semitic dictator to campus. It's economists and former cabinet officials who threaten the fabric of our society:

I was appalled that someone articulating that point of view would be invited . . . . This is a symbolic invitation and a symbolic measure that I believe sends the wrong message about the University . . . and its cultural principles.

That's a UC Davis professor, and she's talking about Larry Summers, who famously wondered if it wasn't possible, just barely conceivable, that girls are different from boys - which musing caused strong women to swoon.

So here's the lesson: It's OK to nuke the Jews, but it's forbidden to dis the girls. Got it?

Mistakes Were Made

Regarding its most recent criminal conspiracy:

Catherine Mathis, vice president of corporate communications for The Times, said, “We made a mistake.”

No they didn't, they just got caught.

Were the shoe upon they other foot -- and this brouhaha instead involved the New York Post and veterans telling the truth about the mendacious John Kerry -- do you think that the New York Times editorial page would be thundering about conspiracies, and calling for a grand jury investigation, a special prosecutor, and hearings by the Federal Electoral Commission?

So do we.

We've Seen This Movie Before - Has Dan?

Weird Guy - very impressed with himself - knows that he's smarter than everyone else;

Believes himself to have been insulted by those who are clearly his social and intellectual inferiors;

Decides to show them a thing or two, files high-profile lawsuit.

Dan Rather?

Oscar Wilde. Ended badly.

We Are So Confused

Headline from Channel 7 News in Denver:

"Dominatrix Submits To City's Wishes"

Mr. Mills

Mr. Mills teaches math & science at the Greensburg (Indiana) Junior High School. He seems to be wound just a teensy bit tight. Here are his rules. We wonder where we might find the accompanying regulations, guidelines, examples, sample forms (filled in), and published decisions, illustrating application of the rules.

Let's take bets on his marital status.

G & S Loves Animals

Splat! - The most popular videos are a click away

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

UFO Mobile Transformer - For more funny movies, click here

Justice Department Meatballs Exposed

CNN (so you know it's not only true, but vital that you know it) reports:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Hungry attendees at Justice Department conferences have been enjoying millions of dollars in meatballs and other goodies courtesy of U.S. taxpayers, according to an inspector general's report released Friday.

The report cited $5 meatballs and cans of soft drinks each costing $4.55 among reasons 10 conferences during 2005 and 2006 cost nearly $7 million.

Observation: In our experience (and we know whereof we speak) the really expensive meatballs at the Department of Justice cost taxpayers way more than $5.

Question: How come we never get invited to any of these meetings and conferences at which suchlike things are free?

We Want One

Steering is said to be "a little tricky." More HERE and HERE.

Shana Tova

Party like it's 5768.

"Now I'm Going to Suck Your Feet."

From The Smoking Gun:

SEPTEMBER 11--Meet Carlton Davis. The Minnesota man, 26, is facing felony charges for allegedly stealing a cell phone and purse from a woman he mugged on a St. Paul street early Saturday morning. According to police, after the woman turned over her belongings, Davis announced, "Now I'm going to suck your feet." Which he did, after the 24-year-old victim removed her shoes. Davis, who fled when passerby approached, was apprehended by cops a few blocks from the crime scene.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

That's Melissa Morin. She wants this to be her senior photo in the High School yearbook. But it's been banned. That's because the grownups running her school have decreed that the flower she's holding is like a gun, and we can't have that sort of thing, now, can we? No, really. From the Nashua Telegraph.

This is part of the disheartening trend of rules replacing good judgment. Adults don't want to explain why some drugs are ok, while others aren't. So a kid gets busted for possession with intent to distribute aspirin. The principal can't quite decide what the difference is between a t-shirt with a swastika on it, and one sporting a cross, so both must go. The lesson learned, of course, is that there are no standards, only rules. Which, in turn, means it's very important to grow up to be one of the grownups who get to make the rules. Wisdom? Not so much.

September 11, 2001

September 11, 2007

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Hello Sailor

Rutgers 41
Navy 24

Now That You Mention It

The Times (the real one, you twit) has done some investigating, and reports:

Almost half of Britain’s mosques are under the control of a hardline Islamic sect whose leading preacher loathes Western values and has called on Muslims to “shed blood” for Allah, an investigation by The Times has found.

Riyadh ul Haq, who supports armed jihad and preaches contempt for Jews, Christians and Hindus, is in line to become the spiritual leader of the Deobandi sect in Britain. The ultra-conservative movement, which gave birth to the Taleban in Afghanistan, now runs more than 600 of Britain’s 1,350 mosques, according to a police report seen by The Times.

The Times investigation casts serious doubts on government statements that foreign preachers are to blame for spreading the creed of radical Islam in Britain’s mosques and its policy of enouraging the recruitment of more “home-grown” preachers.

Mr ul Haq, 36, was educated and trained at an Islamic seminary in Britain and is part of a new generation of British imams who share a similar radical agenda. He heaps scorn on any Muslims who say they are “proud to be British” and argues that friendship with a Jew or a Christian makes “a mockery of Allah’s religion”.

For a moment there, while pondering the "loaths Western values" description, we thought this was going to be just one more article about the Episcopal Church.

Newt for Vice-President: The World That Works

Today's Toss Up: Alberto Gonzales, or Janet Reno?

Fresh from 4-Block World. Personal favorites: Mormons & Southerners; The Decline of American Broadcasting.

Kill the Terrorists, Secure the Borders, Punch the Hippies

Breaking News

In a (no doubt expensive) study to be published in today's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Peter M. Todd, of the cognitive science program at Indiana University, Bloomington, concludes that, given the choice, men prefer hot women. More HERE.

We expect future research to weigh in on the wetness of water, the lightness of air, and the intelligence of geological features.

Time to Quit

You know it's time to quit when your hysterical warnings and snarky comments become serious policy proposals.

It's Got My Toes A-Tapping

The Boston Globe reports:

On the inside, a set of bathrooms at Emerson College looks like standard fare. On the outside, there are newfangled signs to ease the concerns of students who prefer not to signal that they are entering a men's or women's bathroom. The symbols are gender-neutral, a picture of a man and a woman. In response to students' pleas, Emerson has changed the signs that used to be aimed at a specific gender on 21 restrooms in campus buildings and one of the college's two dormitories.

Emerson's changes, made in preparation for the upcoming school year, mirror moves by Tufts University and the University of Vermont, part of a small but growing number of universities modifying policies and facilities on behalf of transgender students. Several colleges have amended nondiscrimination policies to include gender identity, but student groups recently began pursuing more concrete changes, including gender-neutral housing, locker rooms, and bathrooms.

"This will bring more equal opportunities to the students of Emerson," said Jessica Ganon, a junior at Emerson who campaigned with fellow students to get the school to provide the gender-neutral bathrooms. "I am much happier that this makes life easier for others. I felt sorry for those who felt unsure of where to go."

Now we're confused: confronted by that sign -- which sports a girl with legs splayed, a guy on a pogo stick wearing a kilt, and a kid in a wheelchair, what are we supposed to do? With how many of the three must one comply before admittance is appropriate? What sort of toe-tapping codes am I supposed to use?

Hat tip to Chris Johnson, who comments:

[N]ot everything in life has to be or should be an Important Political StatementTM©®, bro. Sis. Whatever. Not to go all Freudian on you or anything but sometimes relieving yourself is just relieving yourself.

This is, of course, not some isolated incident. But since only latent homosexual suppressed psychotics use the term "Homosexual Agenda," we most certainly won't.

The "Love that dare not speak its name" has become the perversion that can't shut the Hell up.

God's Will

It sure is a good thing a Republican didn't say this.

O Lord! Giveth to us a Break!

Without comment, from Yeas & Nays:

According to Jeffrey Toobin’s new book on the Supreme Court, Justice David Souter nearly resigned in the wake of Bush v. Gore, so distraught was he over the decision that effectively ended the Florida recount and installed George W. Bush as president.

In “The Nine,” which goes on sale Sept. 18, Toobin writes that while the other justices tried to put the case behind them, “David Souter alone was shattered,” at times weeping when he thought of the case. “For many months, it was not at all clear whether he would remain as a justice,” Toobin continues. “That the Court met in a city he loathed made the decision even harder. At the urging of a handful of close friends, he decided to stay on, but his attitude toward the Court was never the same.”

Disturbing

In so many ways.



From about 1983.

What's the Difference . . . .

. . . . between George W. Bush and Bill Clinton?



Answer: You can see both of Mr. Bush's hands.

The Future is Now

In our last post but one (we're trying to revive the word "fortnight" as well), we commented on Silky Pony's proposal regarding universal, mandatory health care, complete with State-coerced mental examinations.

This story from the Daily Telegraph will put your mind at ease:

A pregnant woman has been told that her baby will be taken from her at birth because she is deemed capable of "emotional abuse", even though psychiatrists treating her say there is no evidence to suggest that she will harm her child in any way.

Social services' recommendation that the baby should be taken from Fran Lyon, a 22-year-old charity worker who has five A-levels and a degree in neuroscience, was based in part on a letter from a paediatrician she has never met.

Hexham children's services, part of Northumberland County Council, said the decision had been made because Miss Lyon was likely to suffer from Munchausen's Syndrome by proxy, a condition unproven by science [but very common in old "Law & Order" reruns --ed. ] in which a mother will make up an illness in her child, or harm it, to draw attention to herself.

Under the plan, a doctor will hand the newborn to a social worker, provided there are no medical complications. Social services' request for an emergency protection order - these are usually granted - will be heard in secret in the family court at Hexham magistrates on the same day.

From then on, anyone discussing the case, including Miss Lyon, will be deemed to be in contempt of the court.

Please keep in mind that our well-intentioned friends in the medical establishment do not confine themselves to treating infectious diseases, but instead treat gun control, for example, as a public health issue.

They're Serious, Aren't They?

That's a purple and black Burqini "modest-fit" swimsuit. The "slim-fit" is really smokin'. We'll take three in size 14. Notice how loose it is around the waist. Very convenient for carrying . . . well, anything you might want to carry.

From Ahiida, which describes itself as

. . . an Australian owned company that designs and produces quality swim and sportswear.

Our garments are designed with the respect of Islamic values and aimed to enhance the lifestyle of the active Muslim female.

Now: Don't get me wrong. Muslim beach babes should dress just exactly however they darned well please. And (within the bounds of polite behavior) I'm allowed to think they look silly. We call it freedom.

What Happened to Choice?

Fortunately, there is not the slightest chance that John Edwards will ever occupy an office of importance in the United States. Associated Press reports:

TIPTON, Iowa - Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said on Sunday that his universal health care proposal would require that Americans go to the doctor for preventive care.

"It requires that everybody be covered. It requires that everybody get preventive care," he told a crowd sitting in lawn chairs in front of the Cedar County Courthouse. "If you are going to be in the system, you can't choose not to go to the doctor for 20 years. You have to go in and be checked and make sure that you are OK."

He noted, for example, that women would be required to have regular mammograms in an effort to find and treat "the first trace of problem." Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, announced earlier this year that her breast cancer had returned and spread.

Edwards said his mandatory health care plan would cover preventive, chronic and long-term health care. The plan would include mental health care as well as dental and vision coverage for all Americans.

While some are understandably struck (nearly) dumb by the notion of mandatory mental health examinations conducted by the Federal Government, we are more intrigued by the possibilities growing out of the more mundane mandatory examinations. What will those who know best do when they have precise data (and individual identification) of all parents who smoke? Of all middle-aged men whose cholesterol is too high? Of all citizens whose weight is not in compliance with Federal guidelines?

Why is it that the Left always thinks these sorts of things will work out well?

Personally, I'd much rather let Dick Cheney read my mail that to have federal bureaucrats decide what drugs I'll be permitted (or required) to take.