Immigration Solutions? Part II

IMPORTANT UPDATE: There seems to be some misunderstanding. I don't want anyone to mistakenly believe that because I saw some problems with Polipundit's solution to immigration problems, that it means I support "guest worker" programs. I find that Polipundit's solution (see immediately below and the original post below that) does not address Arizona's illegal alien situation. Even so, I cannot see that rewarding illegal aliens with "guest worker" programs is going to solve our problems either.

My original post written before the IMPORTANT UPDATE above follows.
____

For those who might have thought that I am just making things up or blowing hot air about the horrible problem with illegal immigration that no amount of Social Security number checkers and no amount of searching for high-profile executives will solve, see here:

CHANDLER - The Chandler City Council, which has wrestled on and off with the issue of day laborers who congregate downtown, appears ready to take action.

"I don't want to see another study, another education process," said Vice Mayor Phill Westbrooks, who had requested the day laborer issue be put on the agenda last week. "I want it to be more of an action process.

"The council gave its blessing to a regional effort, led by the city's Human Relations Commission, to schedule a forum that would address the daily curbside gatherings of workers, many of whom are undocumented immigrants."

Also see here:

"The article was intended to congratulate the City of Phoenix for opening its first center for illegal aliens to make a connection with cash paying employers. It cost the city $120,000. It will be operated by a number of what are referred to as non-profit organizations such as Chicanos Por La Causa and Friendly House. In this case non-profit should not be confused with no public funding. All of the organizations operating this have received funds from the City of Phoenix and Maricopa County in the past."

And also see here:

Day laborers carry out much of the Valley's landscaping, yard work and roofing, said Ramón Guerrero, a former laborer who is pushing the city to set up a center for them.

More than 100 men normally congregate at the corner of Greenway Road and 29th Street in north Phoenix. Many live in the area, but others have learned the spot is popular among contractors, Guerrero said. Smaller clusters line Bell Road from 32nd to 26th streets in front of fast-food restaurants.

Phoenix, like Mesa, is considering setting up a job center in the Palomino neighborhood, where hundreds of day laborers gather at street corners hoping to get work.

The thought of a warm place brought smiles to Alberto Obeso, a 43-year-old Mexican immigrant who stood quivering in the cold Tuesday morning at the corner of Greenway Road and 26th Street.

"A center would be very nice," said Obeso, who says he has done everything from landscaping to plumbing since he arrived in Phoenix six months ago. "The pay is good, but competition is hard."

. . . If Phoenix and Mesa ultimately decide to set up a center for the day laborers, immigration officials won't interfere, Brower said.

[Emphasis mine.]

Not satisfied yet? Still think I'm making this up? See here:

One of Tonatierra’s initiatives was the Macehualli Project, to organize the hundreds of day laborers in Phoenix. Reza believes the Macehualli Union de Jornaleros (Day Laborers Union) will achieve justice and dignity through the establishment of day labor centers.

Tonatierra and Reza’s goals go far beyond the day laborer centers he wishes to create throughout the city. He is pushing for increased Latino political representation and expanding the Xinachtil Program (Xinachtil means “seed” in the Aztec language) in the public school system to teach “traditions, culture, art and science of indigenous people.

”Immigrant advocacy groups no longer promote legal immigration, citizenship, learning English or any other assimilation into this country. Hispanic-rights groups talk of reoccupation and repatriation of the southwestern United States, the land of “indigenous people.”

People, I tell you truly, I couldn't make up stuff this insane if I tried.

You have no idea how terrible the problem is. You don't know how widespread, deep and pervasive it is. However, read just a few of the links I have provided. Educate yourselves. Google "day labor" and "Phoenix" or "Arizona."

Then ask yourselves how much good Social Security number checking computers and pursuing high-profile executives is going to do. That's just bringing an almost empty household plant watering can to fight a forest fire.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Immigration Solutions?

IMPORTANT UPDATE: There seems to be some misunderstanding. I don't want anyone to mistakenly believe that because I saw some problems with Polipundit's solution to immigration problems, that it means I support "guest worker" programs. I find that Polipundit's solution (see below and the ensuing post above) does not address Arizona's illegal alien situation. Even so, I cannot see that rewarding illegal aliens with "guest worker" programs is going to solve our problems either.

My original post written before the IMPORTANT UPDATE above follows.
___

Michelle Malkin links to a post by Polipundit who she says "has a a simple, humane, effective plan" for what to do about illegal immigration.

So, I clicked on the link to Polipundit to read the plan.

Now I have a few questions of my own.

I know that Michelle Malkin doesn't live in Arizona, but I don't know about Polipundit.

I do live in Arizona. The entire crux of Polipundit's plan hinges on checking Social Security numbers and prosecuting employers who hire illegal aliens.

I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I think you need to come to Phoenix, Arizona and be shown around a bit. For example, you could be taken to a shopping center that lies between 40th Street and 36th Street on Thomas Road. It's where the old Tower Plaza used to be. At this shopping center, you'll find a Wal-Mart, a Home Depot, a Walgreens, and a lot more. In that shopping center you might be surprised to note, on every day of the week, a lot of "Hispanic" men or "Latinos." Let's just cut through the crap and call them Mexicans. There are hundreds of them on any given day. They cluster around every turn-in to the parking lots and along every lane in and out of the parking lots. They gather all along the corner of 36th Street and Thomas Road. You can't possibly miss them.

What are they doing there? They are waiting for people to drive up and offer them a day job. One of the reasons they choose this particular corner is because of the Home Depot that is there. They know that everybody from private citizens to construction contractors and landscapers will be going to Home Depot for supplies AND workers. No questions are asked, no forms are filled out, no social security numbers or green cards or any other documentation is required. The "day laborers" get paid "under the table" and pay no taxes whatsoever. Then they come back the next day and start the process all over again.

Why isn't this stopped? I'll tell you why. Because every agency of the local and federal government here is doing its damnedest to PROTECT and PROMOTE these lawbreakers.

This is not an isolated instance. There are these "day laborer" impromptu mobs that spring up all over Phoenix at various locations and I'm sure the situation is just as bad or worse in Tucson. You know what our stupid city, county and state officials do? They vote to take tax dollars and build "day laborer" centers for these illegal aliens!

The cops are told to back off and not "harass" these illegals because that would be "discriminatory." The "Latino" or "Hispanic" community gets up in arms and screams bloody murder if any police agency or authority so much as looks at a Mexican.

Why do I mention all of this? Because Polipundit states:

"Crack down on employers who employ illegals. Once you throw a few high-profile executives in jail, employers will become sticklers for checking Social Security numbers using the new computerized system."

To what "high-profile executives" are you referring? There are no "high-profile executives." There are farmers and construction contractors and landscapers, and even individual private citizens with odd jobs to do, but there are no high-profile executives and these Mexican illegal aliens aren't getting high-profile jobs.

In my own neighborhood, we have illegal aliens who aren't working for corporations either. They drive "taxis" (i.e. their simple cars or vans or SUVs) that cater to non-English speakers and aren't even licensed to do this business, but no one anywhere cracks down on them. They also drive icecream trucks (3 or 4 different ones come down my street every day). These icecream trucks also don't have any of the necessary licenses to conduct such a business. Does the government crack down on them? No. Does the government care? No.

I'm sorry, but I don't know in what world Polipundit and Michelle Malkin live, but it certainly isn't on the frontlines of the illegal alien invasion. On the frontlines, in the trenches so to speak, our own government ties our hands and actively promotes and supports these illegal aliens.

Bring in all the computerized Social Security number checkers you want. Look for some high-profile executives to charge with employing illegal aliens. Do all that, and you won't have found a single one of the illegal alien invaders that I see every day, and you won't have influenced a single one of them to go back to Mexico. They'll laugh in your face. They ARE laughing in our faces.

But you might just succeed in pissing off the local government and authorities who will do anything to keep their precious "Hispanic" constituency happy.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Blasphemy Gets a Pass . . .

. . . from the "politically correct" factions of progressives, the party of tolerance, and society in general.

Why is it acceptable to mock and denigrate Catholics? Kathy Shaidle of Relapsed Catholic has the answer here.

Michelle Malkin asks:

Will NBC be as responsive to the complaints of Catholic viewers as FOX was to the Muslims who protested the hit drama 24?

Hennessy's View answers her question.

(h/t Michelle Malkin)

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

The Results Are In

The results are in and there is a new King of the Blogs.

Dr. Sanity made an impressive showing in a tight race. Thanks again to all the people who pitched in and tried to help Dr. Pat Santy win the crown. I'm sure she would have been as noble in victory as she is gracious in defeat.

Congratulations go out to the new King of the Blogs, Jeremy Bol of American Warmonger. Well done and hail to the king.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Careers for Bitter Talentless Hacks

Ted Rall Art Academy (by Saint Kansas)

I saw this on a comment thread over at Tim Blair. The hilarious and apt ad is from Saint Kansas. Please go on over to Saint Kansas and thank him for the laughs and the very true estimation of Ted Rall.

Saint Kansas is humorous, fittingly honest and talented too. Ted Rall? Not so much.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Gratitude Goes Out To . . .

Jeff Goldstein of Protein Wisdom, Ace of Ace of Spades HQ, Jeff Percifield of Beautiful Atrocities, Gail, and all others who let me shill for or who voted for Dr. Pat Santy of the blog Dr. Sanity in the King of the Blogs contest.

Your tolerance and forbearance regarding my campaigning for Dr. Sanity is much appreciated, as are the votes of those who actually did vote. Many thanks!

And while we're at it, don't forget that Jeff Goldstein is still having a fund drive to help out Protein Wisdom get a new computer.

Please visit all these excellent blogs and show your appreciation.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Last Chance -- VOTE FOR DR. SANITY -- Bump

It isn't too late to go vote for Dr. Sanity in the King of the Blogs competition. While you are there casting your vote in the poll in the sidebar, if you have a blog of your own don't forget to post about the competition and trackback to King of the Blogs. They have even provided a link to the Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger. You do not need to have a Trackback system on your blog to send pings using their form. Or you can use Halo Scan Trackbacks or Simpletracks. There are other methods for sending trackbacks too, but heck! I just provided you with 3 simple ways to do it, so just do it!

You really should vote for Dr. Pat Santy's blog, Dr. Sanity, because anyone who can quote Tolkien deserves to be the reigning monarch of the blogs.

You've been told and KNOW YOU KNOW.

Bring Yourselves Into the Loop Regarding Terri Schiavo

Blogger Donald B. Hawthorne of Anchor Rising has a very thorough post on the Terri Schiavo situation.

Are you one of those who have been misled into believing that Terri is comatose or in a "vegetative state"? Are you the victim of other myths about Terri Schiavo and her condition?

Get yourself over to Anchor Rising. Once you know the facts, maybe you'll be a little less gung-ho about letting Michael Schiavo murder his wife.

(h/t the indispensible La Shawn Barber)

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Breaking News - Terri Schiavo

Fox cable news channel has just reported that Terri Schiavo's feeding tube will remain in place until at least March 18.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

VOTE FOR DR. SANITY - Bump to Top

It isn't too late to go vote for Dr. Sanity in the King of the Blogs competition. While you are there casting your vote in the poll in the sidebar, if you have a blog of your own don't forget to post about the competition and trackback to King of the Blogs. They have even provided a link to the Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger. You do not need to have a Trackback system on your blog to send pings using their form. Or you can use Halo Scan Trackbacks or Simpletracks. There are other methods for sending trackbacks too, but heck! I just provided you with 3 simple ways to do it, so just do it!

You really should vote for Dr. Pat Santy's blog, Dr. Sanity, because anyone who can quote Tolkien deserves to be the reigning monarch of the blogs.

You've been told and KNOW YOU KNOW.

Go Check Out the Blog "Faute de Mieux"

I ran across a blog that's new to me called "Faute de Mieux" (that's French and it means "For Lack of Anything Better").

All I needed to do was read the Ernest Renan quote that is used for the tagline: "La bêtise humaine est la seule chose qui donne une idée de l’infini." and I was hooked. It means, "Human stupidity is the only thing which gives some idea of what infinity is." LOL!

I'd better add that the posts are all written in English, so don't be afraid to go there!

The bloggers, Sweeney and David, won me over to their blog with that one fell swoop. Go check out Faute de Mieux. You won't be sorry.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Terry Schiavo and the Dick and Jane Parable

The blog Are You Conservative? has the right take on Michael Schiavo trying to kill his wife.

Read his Dick and Jane parable, learn something, and then pray to God some activist judges and other monstrosities don't ever have the power of depriving you or your loved ones of basic food and water.

(h/t WuzzaDem.com)

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Mr. "Helpful"?

Jeff Goldstein of Protein Wisdom still needs our help. If you can spare it, please go to his blog and hit his Pay Pal button. His writing is informative as well as entertaining, so if you enjoy his blog as I do, please contribute and/or post about it on your own blog.

Meanwhile, it seems there always has to be at least one snarky little jerk in the bunch and quite often there are many more than one. A person who calls his blog "Mr. Helpful" doesn't appear to like Jeff's fund drive. Well, damn it, Jeff doesn't like it either. If you are one of those who don't want to give, no one is forcing you, least of all Jeff. If you can't contribute, then why don't you just keep your non-constructive and unenlightening jabs to yourself? Mr. "Helpful" is full of something alright, but it isn't help.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Remember to Vote for Dr. Sanity -- King of the Blogs

It isn't too late to go vote for Dr. Sanity in the King of the Blogs competition. While you are there casting your vote in the poll in the sidebar, if you have a blog of your own don't forget to post about the competition and trackback to King of the Blogs. They have even provided a link to the Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger. You do not need to have a Trackback system on your blog to send pings using their form. Or you can use Halo Scan Trackbacks or Simpletracks. There are other methods for sending trackbacks too, but heck! I just provided you with 3 simple ways to do it, so just do it!

You really should vote for Dr. Pat Santy's blog, Dr. Sanity, because anyone who can quote Tolkien deserves to be the reigning monarch of the blogs.

You've been told and KNOW YOU KNOW.

Terri Schiavo and a Truly Smarter Cop

There are many bloggers who are writing about the Terri Schiavo situation, so many in fact that I couldn't possibly hope to keep up with all of them.

Nevertheless, one blogger whose writings I have been following seems consistently to have some of the best information and some of the most insightful arguments in favor of Terri Schiavo and her rights. That blogger is Pietro of The Smarter Cop. Check out this post of his.

The Smarter Cop not only presents solid information and intelligent reasoning on this issue, but it has also been providing practical concrete steps that anyone can follow who wants to help in the fight to save Terri's live.

Please continue to pray for Terri Schiavo and her family, the Schindlers. In addition to your prayers, check out The Smarter Cop and keep informed. We can make a difference.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Blogger Asks a Very Pertinent and Telling Question

Matt of Overtaken by Events asks a very pertinent and telling question: "Isn't It Strange? All of the major blogs (Top 30), with the exception of Wizbang (ED. and La Shawn, you illiterate moron), have been completely silent about the Schiavo case?"

Yes, it IS strange. It's also deplorable. I don't tell other people what to write about on their blogs, but the silence from some of the big players in the blogsphere is deafening. Thank goodness for Wizbang and La Shawn, the notable exceptions. I don't know why the others have remained metaphorically mute, but whether they know it or not, it speaks volumes about them. It's equivalent to the by-stander who watches a rape in progress and doesn't so much as raise a voice or lift a finger against it. Sickening.

The only thing more disgusting than that is all the lefty blogs that are posting to have Terri killed and referring to her as a vegetable. These same lefty bloggers would have a conniption fit if a child molester or serial killer were sentenced to death. They would protest against the execution of any monster, no matter how vile, no matter how execrable his crimes. One commenter on La Shawn's blog said this:

"I’m blogging for her [i.e. Terri Schiavo] too-that her wishes not to be kept alive as a vegetable and paraded about as a conservative pet cause be fulfilled."
Comment by sel — 02.22.05 @ 2:34 pm

You see? That's what passes for thought among the lunatic left. The one thing these "progressives" champion the most is the murder of those who cannot speak for themselves and cannot fight back. That's why the unforgivable sin to the "progressives" is anyone who can speak out and can fight back doing so. I can't conceive of a hell deep enough and dark enough in which such as they should fry. Fortunately, I don't have to conceive it. God has that one firmly under control.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Terri Schiavo Needs Our Prayers and MORE!

Correction!!! : Terri Schiavo has NOT been spared her court sanctioned murder for now. (I don't know how to line through this part in brackets [but it may not be for long.] ) Terri and her parents, the Schindlers, need all of our prayers and every bit of actual help and contributions that we can muster. Terri's murderous "husband," along with slacktivist judges and slacktivist lawyers, have been fighting for a long time to have her killed by depriving her of basic nutrition and even water. This has got to be one of the most heinous cold-blooded pre-planned crimes of our times.

If you do not know to what I am referring, please see my previous post titled "A Father's Plea for His Daughter's Life."

La Shawn Barber has a post about the temporary stay to this madness of trying to have Terri maliciously killed by the most inhumane and cruelest of means. Correction! : La Shawn has updated her post. There is no stay. It appears that the murderers are winning for now, but they haven't one YET.

Pietro of The Smarter Cop has this post with some easy steps of practical things that you can do to help Terri and the Schindlers.

May God have mercy on all our souls if we should be so callous as to sit idly by while Terri is murdered by the merciless and conscienceless factions that are fighting to starve her to death. Killing someone by removing food and water is not merciful. It is an abomination.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

URGENT UPDATE!: See blogsforterri.com -- There is no temporary stay. That was misreported. See correction above. Pray urgently! Do something NOW. We cannot and must not allow this murder to take place! I wouldn't cause even the mangiest mongrel mutt to die by depriving it of food and water. Nor would I stand by and watch it being done. And yet the party of tolerance won't accord this minimum of compassion to a human being. It makes me want to vomit. To allow this murder to take place, to stand by and do nothing is tantamount to tacit approval. Almighty God, have mercy on us and on Terri Schiavo and the Schindlers!

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW even more. For the love of God and all that is good, use that knowledge to halt this homicidal insanity.

Four Excellent Blogs Added to Blogroll!

Hear ye, hear ye! I would like to introduce you all to four most excellent blogs, all of which have been added to my blogroll in the left sidebar and all of which deserve your readership.

Those wonderful blogs are:

King of the Blogs

News from the Great Beyond. . .

Ogre's Politics and Views

The Smarter Cop

All hail to these marvelous, majestic and noteworthy blogs! Yes sirree, indeedy! And let me state emphatically that I would have added them all to my Blogroll and linked to them in this post, EVEN IF THE MAGNIFICENT DR. PAT SANTY OF DR. SANITY WERE NOT IN THE RUNNING FOR KING OF THE BLOGS. I just want everyone to know that the brilliant bloggers of the aforesaid blogs have such fine discernment, such obvious intelligence, such notable and discriminating taste that they are SURE TO JUDGE IN FAVOR OF DR. SANITY FOR KING OF THE BLOGS. I just know they will. I know it to be true because they are all laudable, superlatively superior blogs and bloggers.

Spread the word about these four exceedingly fine blogs and don't forget to vote for Dr. Sanity for new King of the Blogs!

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Serendipity of the day -- The Tar Pit

My serendipitous finding of the day is a blog that is new to me. Check out Sabertooth's postings at The Tar Pit. It's always a pleasure to have the good fortune to find a new blog with intelligent posts. The Tar Pit has that and is also chock full of interesting information and contacts.

Check it out. I've added it to my Blog Roll. If you already knew about The Tar Pit, that's great! However, if you weren't already aware that excellent blog. . .

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Save Protein Wisdom!

The inimitable Jeff Goldstein of Protein Wisdom needs our help. His computer has gone belly up. You wouldn't expect a highly skilled surgeon to be able to work his medical miracles without the tools of his trade, would you? Of course not! In the same way, Jeff Goldstein cannot perform his miracles of blog wisdom, wit, fine writing and insight without a computer.

Please see here to read about his problems and find out how you can help.

While there, please hit his PayPal button.

As a CITIZEN JOURNALIST, I demand Protein Wisdom be saved. And I demand pie too. But first things first. Save Protein Wisdom and there will be pie for everyone!

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Help Dr. Sanity to Become Monarch of the Blogs!

The intelligent and charming Dr. Pat Santy, psychiatrist extraordinaire whose blog, Dr. Sanity, is known for "Shining a psychological spotlight on a few of the insanities of life" is up for "King of the Blogs" (though she wants to make it clear she would be QUEEN of the Blogs" were she to win!).

Follow this link to King of the Blogs and follow the instructions to help Dr. Santy ascend to this week's ruling monarch of the blogs. Also, be sure to vote for her blog when you get there in the "Vote for the King of the Blogs" poll in their sidebar.

Best wishes, Dr. Santy! May you and your blog win and reign in peace. Vive la Reine! To get to the home page for the blog Dr. Sanity, click here.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

A Lip-Sync Clip You'll Love!

Ok, ok; yes, I know I am the absolute last blogger to finally get around to posting this when the rest of the whole world has already seen it. Nonetheless, I think you'll agree that it's funny and entertaining enough to watch again. That's why I'm providing you a link for it here, and if that one doesn't work try here. For just the lip-syncing guy without the pictures added to the video, click here and choose "Play without subtitles." (If you don't agree that it's funny and entertaining enough to watch again, then sod off, Swampy!)

My interest, apart from the kick I got out of watching this hilarious guy from New Jersey lip-syncing it, is the fact that the song is in Romanian.

For those of you who don't know, Romanian is one of the Romance languages, so called because they come from Roman (i.e. Latin). The other principal Romance languages besides Romanian are Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and French. (Some linguists would add Catalan, Walloon and others, but I'm not going to get in a dispute over whether or not to include them in the classification. After all, I did say principal Romance languages.)

I'll provide the lyrics in Romanian, followed by an English translation for those that have even the slightest interest in foreign languages (or for those who just want to know the words to sing or lip-sync along with the tune. Ha ha).

By the way, the version of the song which is being lip-synced in the video is by O-zone, not the version by Haiducii. (The title is beautiful in both Romanian and in English, isn't it? Yes, it is.)

DRAGOSTEA DIN TEI
by Haiducii

Ma-ia-hii
Ma-ia-huu
Ma-ia-hoo
Ma-ia-haha [This stanza is sung 4 times]

Alo, Salut, sunt eu, un haiduc,
Si te rog, iubirea mea, primeste fericirea.
Alo, alo, sunt eu Picasso,
Ti-am dat beep, si sunt voinic,
Dar sa stii nu-ti cer nimic.

Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma, nu ma iei,
Nu ma, nu ma iei, nu ma, nu ma, nu ma iei.
Chipul tau si dragostea din tei,
Mi-amintesc de ochii tai. [this stanza is sung twice]

Te sun, sa-ti spun, ce simt acum,
Alo, iubirea mea, sunt eu, fericirea.
Alo, alo, sunt iarasi eu, Picasso,
Ti-am dat beep, si sunt voinic,
Dar sa stii nu-ti cer nimic.

English translation:

Love from the Linden Trees
by The Outlaws

[This first stanza is just sounds or nonsense syllables such as "doo wop" or "tra la la," so there is no translation.]
Ma-ia-hii
Ma-ia-huu
Ma-ia-hoo
Ma-ia-haha [four times]

Hello [on a cellphone], greetings, it's me, an outlaw,
I ask you, my love, to accept happiness.
Hello, hello, it's me, Picasso,
I sent you a beep [cellphone signal], and I'm brave [or strong],
But you should know that I'm not asking for anything from you.

You want to leave but you don't want don't want to take me,
don't want don't want to take me, don't want don't want don't want to take me.
Your face and the love from the linden trees,
And I remember your eyes. [sung twice]

I call you [over the phone], to tell you what I feel right now,
Hello, my love, it's me, your happiness.
Hello, hello, it's me again, Picasso,
I sent you a beep [cellphone signal] and I'm brave [or strong],
But you should know that I'm not asking for anything from you.

You can also find the Romanian lyrics and the English translation here.

For those of you who know Spanish, French, Italian or Portuguese, notice the similarities with Romanian.

That's your bit of silly fun, music, and foreign language exposure for the day.

If I can find the name of the lip-syncer for those of you who are curious, I'll post an update.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Update: The lip-syncer is Gary Brolsma, 19 years old, of Saddle Brook, New Jersey. MSNBC has an article about him and this web phenomenon that you can read by clicking here.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW even more.

Sod Off, Swampy!

By now, everyone has surely heard about the 35 Greenpeace protesters in Britain who attempted "to paralyse oil trading at the exchange in the City near Tower Bridge on the day that the Kyoto Protocol came into force." If not, click on the link (the title to this post) to read the full article about the incident. The protesters summarily had the bloody piss stomped out of them and rightly so.

The best part by far, however, was this beautiful addition to the English language: ". . . on the balcony of the pub opposite the IPE, a bleary-eyed trader, pint in hand, yelled: 'Sod off, Swampy.'"

Someone needs to give that trader a medal!

If you're wondering from where the "Swampy" part of that brilliant bit of Brit invective was derived, see this article about "Swampy" fever sweeping England.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, therefore, here's a picture of the original "Swampy."

I know I saw someone on the blogsphere who had come up with a "Sod Off, Swampy!" t-shirt, but I can't remember where I saw it. If I run across it again I'll provide a link for you. In the meantime, I do hope that some enterprising individuals will also come up with bumperstickers, buttons, and maybe even a coffee mug.

I'm definitely adding "Sod Off, Swampy!" to my list of favorite pithy expressions. I propose using it in response to all moonbats, not just environmental eco-terrorists. After all, we do refer to the "fever swamps" of the looney left, do we not? Yes, we do.

(h/t to The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler and to Samizdata.net Blog)

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Update: I found the "t-shirt" reference. It was mentioned at Tim Blair and the "t-shirt" itself can be found at The Coalition of the Swilling.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW even more.

Classic National Geographic Special

Citizen Journalists in their natural habitat. . .

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Gotta Go Right Now? Knot!

Geez, ya think this guy could have just asked his doctor for Detrol LA or sumpthin'.

Pay attention because this is important: Do NOT tie it in a knot, do NOT tie it in a bow. In fact, just don't tie it at all, m'kay?

(h/t Drink This . . . )

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

A Father's Plea for His Daughter's Life

The following is a message from Terri Schiavo's father. I'm reproducing it in its entirety because it deserves to be read and Terri's father has asked for help in getting the word out:

"New message from Terri's Father
Posted Tuesday, February 15, 2005

By now you have probably heard about a young woman who is threatened with starvation in Florida.

That young woman is my daughter, Terri. In 1990, through circumstances which are shrouded in mystery (and may involve a criminal act by Terri's estranged husband), my daughter was left severely brain-damaged.

But before I go any further, I must put an end to the lies and misinformation that are circulating around the country through the media concerning my daughter's condition.

Contrary to anything you may have heard, Terri is NOT brain dead; Terri is NOT in a coma; she is NOT in a 'persistent vegetative state;' nor is she on ANY life-support system.

Terri laughs, Terri cries, she moves, and she makes child-like attempts at speech with her mother and me. Sometimes she will say 'Mom' or 'Dad' or 'yeah' when we ask her a question. When I kiss her hello or goodbye, she looks at me and 'puckers up' her lips.

This may not seem like much to you, but it means everything to Terri's mother and me. It tells us she is still here, she still knows us, and with therapy and time she can have some level of recovery.

I know that there are some hard hearted people who believe that due to my daughters condition, she is better off dead. Words cannot describe the pain and anger such sentiments cause us. This is our daughter, our little girl, and even in her disabled condition, she still has the right to life and the right to be loved and cared for by her family.

Why, you may ask, is Terry in danger of death by starvation?

It is a long and outrageous story, but I'll give it to you as briefly as I can.

After the 'incident' that left Terry in this condition, her husband Michael Schiavo sued various members of the medical community for money, saying that they did not treat or diagnose her properly at an early stage, and that he needed this money to provide for Terri's therapy and rehabilitation and care.

After lengthy court battles, he finally won upwards of $1.7 million under the guise of caring for our daughter, and then to our horror, he immediately began spending the money on himself and his Playboy lifestyle.

Terri's estranged husband Michael Schiavo has been living with another woman for years, and has two children by her. He is determined to see Terri dead. Why? We believe it's because he gets to keep whatever money is left... and he may have even darker motives than that.

To add insult to all of this injury toward my daughter, Michael Schiavo is still her 'legal husband' and therefore is her 'guardian.' And since they are not legally divorced, he controls whatever health care she will and will not get. We are not even allowed to know if she is getting aspirin.

In 1993 my family initiated litigation against Michael Schiavo solely for the purpose of acquiring medical, physical and neurological assistance for our daughter Terri. The litigation escalated in 1998 when Michael Schiavo petitioned the court to stop Terri from receiving food and water, thereby starving her to death.

In filing this legal action, he retained the services of a high profile euthanasia attorney and the financial backing of powerful euthanasia organizations. He also used Terri's medical rehabilitation money to underwrite much of the legal expenses associated with his effort to starve our daughter to death.

We know that he has spent nearly $500,000 of Terri's money in attorney's fees for just one attorney trying to obtain a court order to have Terri starved to death. The very money that was supposed to be used for Terri's rehabilitation is being used to have her killed.

We very quickly discovered it was impossible for us to compete with the abundance of financial and legal resources the pro-death organizations were providing Micheal Schiavo in their effort to kill Terri. They are pouring time and effort into her starvation because they want to use this case to further the agenda of legalized euthanasia.

My wife and I are not wealthy people. Throughout those years, we did not have any large organizations trying to help rescue our daughter. Consequently, we had to rely on the generosity of attorneys who were willing to offer their legal expertise at no cost or at reduced fees.

The bottom line is that we are in the final weeks or months of our struggle to rescue our daughter from an untimely death by starvation. Death by starvation is very slow, and extremely painful. As you must know, it is against the law to deliberately starve an animal to death. There are members of the Florida court who would not treat a dog the way they plan to treat my daughter.

At this point we must pull out all the stops in our fight to rescue our daughter.

As parents, we are desperate to save our daughter's life. As people who love life, we are determined to deprive the euthanasia advocates of successfully legalizing this form of homicide. We believe that their efforts to kill Terri are designed to set a precedent for the future eradication of defenseless disabled human beings. I was alive when Americans fought the Nazis; I do not want my daughter to meet the same fate of thousands of disabled people in Nazi Germany, and I do not want our country to go down that same dark path.

Friend, though we have never met, I'm asking you for your help. We desperately need your financial assistance to help our family continue the battle to keep our daughter from being starved to death. There are so many expenses in a case like this it is mind-boggling and overwhelming. Please click below to make a contribution now:

click here

Our adversaries believe that by our family's financial attrition and difficulties, they will attain their objective of killing our daughter. Presently, Terri's starvation may only be a few weeks away, unless we find the financial resources to prevent this atrocity from becoming a reality.

I implore you to please help us. We are writing to you, because we believe you have a heart for justice and mercy. I'm asking you to put yourself in my shoes, and then do whatever you can to help our family. Whether it is $10 or $1000, we are desperate for the resources to fight this battle for our daughter's life at this critical juncture.

Please do whatever you can, and forward this e-mail to any friends or family that you have who you think might be interested in saving Terri's life.

I thank you for your time, your concern, and I solicit your prayers for Terri and our entire family. These have been very trying times for us all.

Sincerely,

Bob Schindler Sr.

CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE NOW!"

People, please allow me to join my heartfelt entreaty to that of Terri's father. Please do not sit idly by while activist judges determine to consign Terri to death by starvation.

If one were appropriately appalled by this situation, one might even add, "Please do not allow her philandering 'husband' to succeed in murdering her so that he can go gallivanting off with his girlfriend [what a euphemism!] and their illegitimate offspring." Yes, one indeed might add such a statement.

(h/t La Shawn Barber)

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

More Lives Than Shirley MacLaine!

Have you ever been subjected to watching one of those awful grade Z horror movies where the monster just refuses to die, no matter how many times it has been "killed"? You probably know the kind of movie to which I'm referring.

Well, I know of a story AND a creature, a Wool-y ninny of a creature that insists on stirring the pot when it would have behooved that same creature to figuratively "shut its mouth." I had already stated in the post which you can read here that I wanted this story to rest in peace. I had also previously written about this here and here.

However, it now appears that mister Joseph Woolcock, much like a mindless zombie in a celluloid nightmare, is determined to keep rising from the grave and attempting (no matter how feebly) to terrorize the living. The lowercase "m" mister Woolcock may be a risible character out of a very bad scream flick, but I am not. I am also not one of his unfortunate students.

It has come to my attention that mister Woolcock has now taken it upon himself to issue thinly veiled threats such as the one in this post that he sent to Bob Parks, "a former Republican congressional candidate (California 24th District), ex-Navy, father, graphic designer, producer/composer, life-long New England Patriots fan, and member/writer for the National Advisory Council of Project 21":

Mr. Parks:

Thanks for your response. I am trying to understand your
reasoning. According to your message, two 'students' called you on their own and relayed information about me which you then developed into a 'column,' that defamed, slander [sic] and berated me. No independent person confirmed the
purported stories you were allegedly told. You never talked with me because you were told the 'matter' was being handled internally.

You never met me and knew nothing about me until those 'two students' called and relayed information about me. Yet, you went ahead and based solely on hearsay, publicly defamed, slander [sic] and assassinated my character. How do you justify your actions in that regard? And how do you even suggest that you '...disagree with some of my methods...?' What methods are you talking about? Have you ever observed a class I teach? When did hearsay become evidence that can withstand the kinds of scrutiny that are at the core of American jurisprudence?

I would like to invite you to remove the column you posted on your website about me that defames and slander [sic] me. I think it is only reasonable for you to do so. I am hope [sic] you are fully cognizant of the ramifications of your actions.

Thank you,
Prof. Woolcock

[Emphasis mine]

My dear sweet Lord above, this poor individual has a PhD and cannot even manage to string together simple declarative sentences in English or conjugate verbs. I suppose I should cut him some slack on that issue. After all, he is a Political Science professor and it might be too much to ask that he be capable of writing a short error-free missive.

Nevertheless, I must echo Mr. Bob Parks in iterating that I too am not one of Woolcock's 17 year old students. Please read Bob Parks' entire post for which I have provided you the link.

Bob Parks handled the situation quite well in my estimation. He worded everything in a dignified and mature manner and refrained from inviting mister Woolcock in vulgar words to go piss up a wet rope.

More's the pity though, because now I feel that I must make at least a half-hearted attempt to match Mr. Parks' self-restraint. Therefore, I won't tell mister Woolcock to go pound sand up his giggy.

On second thought, what the heck -- Woolcock, I would like to invite you to go pound sand up your giggy. If you had any sense at all you would drop this subject and go right back to your obscure little job where you can continue to spout your inane drivel to any and all willing to fork out the money. If you had consulted with any reputable attorneys rather than shysters, they undoubtedly would have given you the same advice, if they had even a modicum of uncommonly good sense.

(h/t Tim Blair)

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Steve Lovelady Responds to the Blogsphere Lynch Mob

Here, in a nutshell, is what mister Steve Lovelady has to say in defense of Eason Jordan and against the "salivating morons who make up the lynch mob" of the blogsphere:

"I’m so much more than my vagina, but it has and will always shape my life. Until we talk more about vaginas, we can’t progress to a world where all of us are safe, happy and respected."

Oops! My error. That's not Steve Lovelady's defense. That's from an unrelated college op-ed by one Bridget Newman.

Oh well. Honest mistake.

(hat tips to Cranky Neocon and Hatemonger's Quarterly)

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

It's "Poke the Portly Porker" Day at Protein Wisdom

Jeff Goldstein of Protein Wisdom is holding a luau today and he's serving up a roasted Oliver Willis. All are invited to participate. Come along and bring some friends. There's enough to go around. And around. And around. And around. And then some.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

New Insights From Crossroads Arabia

John, the always insightful and informative blogger at Crossroads Arabia, has 2 new posts that are worthy of your time and attention. His first post to which I am referring is here. It concerns the US Commission on International Religious Freedom which has called upon Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to act by March 15 in response to the lack of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Eritrea.

John's expertise and experience concerns Saudi Arabia, so he comments on the commission's report and its recommendations concerning Saudi Arabia:

"The Commission’s report is all well and good. There is no question about the lack of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia: there absolutely is no religious freedom in Saudi Arabia. I won’t comment on the other countries as I don’t know them well enough to make an informed comment.

There is also no question but that this situation needs to be changed. Some way of accommodating the practice of religion–at least by non-Sunni Muslims–must be found. The actions this Commission report demand, though, are not going to get there."

[Emphasis mine.]

That last bolded sentence in the above excerpt is the crux of John's post and merits you reading the whole thing. When a man has both intelligence and a lifetime of experience in a field or area of expertise, one should listen (or in this case, READ) and learn. Knowledge is power.

The next post by John is an extension of the first post. It poses some intriguing questions about the US Commission on International Religious Freedom's recommendations concerning Saudi Arabia and whether that same commission would make similar recommendations regarding the Vatican. You can read John's considered reasoning and analogy here.

Let me take this opportunity to re-iterate what John himself makes clear: he is NOT anti-Catholic and his analogy and questions are not meant as any slur to Roman Catholics or the Roman Catholic Church. Let me also state that I am myself Roman Catholic and I found nothing whatsoever offensive in John's post.

True, the Vatican is not Saudi Arabia and an ecclesiastical city-state is not the same thing as a "nation," however, the purpose of an analogy is not to point out the differences between the example and the thing exemplified. The whole purpose of an analogy is to emphasize the similarities between the two in order to make a comparison with an underlying insightful message.

Read John's two thought-provoking posts. Then don't forget to check back at Crossroads Arabia. He's linked in my blogroll that you can see to the left of my posts.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

A Wolf in Wool . . .

Or a wolf bearing a sheepskin. Either way it is expressed, it still sums up Joseph Woolcock. See my previous posts here and here.

I'm perfectly willing to let that wolf in wool bear its sheepskin. After this post on the matter, I assure you I won't bore you readers with the topic again. It is said that a word to the wise is sufficient, yet I know some ostensibly wise individuals who can be somewhat stubborn and recalcitrant, especially if they may mistakenly feel that their entire profession is being wrongfully attacked. For example, there are some doctors and nurses who won't come forward when they know another doctor is guilty of malpractice. There are some lawyers who won't come forward when they know a fellow attorney is guilty of mishandling a case. Etc., etc. To them I can only say that pointing out the misdeeds of one individual in their own or related professional fields is hardly a condemnation of the entire profession. Nor is it necessary to circle the wagons in a show of solidarity to protect the presumed "injured party" of their profession.

One of the very many reasons that I rarely enable comments on this blog is to avoid the petty in-fighting that occurs among some blogs. Another reason is that my blog is a small and inconsequential one that has almost no readership and is hardly a public forum. Surely it is no threat to the mighty and I can't imagine it being perceived as one. Yet another reason is that I don't have time to respond point-by-point to every nit-picker who may disagree with my point of view, especially when many only briefly scan blog posts (I too am guilty of rapidly scanning the blog posts of others) and then they may go off half-woolcocked:

"A) The guy at Now You Know makes the same mistake that I claim most students do when reading Dye and Ziegler. Dye and Ziegler are elitetheorists. They do, in fact, believe the Founding era was not a popular movement but one in which a small number of powerful men led the country. However, this is not a normative statement. It is an empirical one. My impression is that Dye believes this was a good thing--can you imagine the riff-raff that led Shaye's rebellion writing a Constitution? Whether the Professor is a Marxist, I don't know, but I like Dye and Ziegler's book so much because it explicitly tells you the theoretical point of view from which they are coming. Most other texts do not.

B) The rate my professor thing is a joke. I just looked up my own rating and found I was a 3.2 as well. But only ONE student rated me! Statistically it makes the thing completely irrelevant. Looking at my colleagues a distinct pattern appeard [sic]--the harder the professor the worse the rating. Hmmm, I wonder why that is...."

The "guy at Now You Know" is Frank Villon. Just as the "guy" at The Jawa Report is pseudonymously Dr. Rusty Shackleford. The "guy at Now You Know" didn't make any mistakes about Dye and Ziegler. In fact, the "guy at Now You Know" scarcely mentions Dye and Ziegler except in passing because they are mentioned in one of Joseph Woolcock's questions that is asked in an extremely slanted fashion. In fact, the question is worded in such a way that the student is left with no alternative but to toe the Dye and Ziegler line without possibility of rebuttal or dissent. Dye and Ziegler may be virtual gods in their subject area, the writers of the gospel in that field. I say more power to those that are interested in their writing. However, I might mention that they too may be fallible and an alleged education that merely has students parrot any presumed authorities is hardly an education.

Once again, the leading portion of the question is this:

"Analyze the US constitution (original document), and show how its formulation excluded [the]majority of the people living in America at that time, and how it was dominated by America’s elite interest."

By the very nature of its wording the question excludes the possibility of showing anything other than its self-contained assertion that "its formulation excluded [the]majority of the people living in America at that time, and how it was dominated by America’s elite interest."

It is no "mistake" to say that this is Dye and Ziegler's opinion, however worthy those gentleman may be and whatever there supposedly unimpeachable credentials may be. It is also no "mistake" to point out that the question leaves no room for any other interpretation.

As Gordon at Cranky Neocon judiciously notes, "I don't know for sure, Rusty, but I do suspect that Dye's position may be used to put forth Prof. Woolcock's anti-American views. Just a thought."

Dr. Rusty Shackleford also commented, "Whether the Professor is a Marxist, I don't know. . ." I do know. That's why I told you. In case I didn't previously make it clear, Joseph Woolcock has Marxist views. However, don't take my word it. You can peruse his lecture series on Google. As commenter Dan at Gordon's blog notes, "First, Gordo - all I had to do was look at the guy's [Joseph Woolcock's] different lecture series which I touched on in my post on him to conclude he is a nit wit." Yup. That's about the size of it. Well put, Dan!

Regarding the "Rate My Professor" site: "B) The rate my professor thing is a joke. I just looked up my own rating and found I was a 3.2 as well. But only ONE student rated me!" I'm sorry that only one of Dr. Rusty Shacklefords students rated him because that indeed is not statistically significant. However, the single rater of Dr. Rusty Shackleford gave him a 3.2 rating with 5.0 being the highest, whereas 49 students gave Joseph Woolcock a rating of 2.3. That's hardly the same rating or the same circumstances. Also the "Rate My Professor" site clearly addresses the questions raised about statistical validity and about how "easy" or "hard" a professor is. See their FAQ's.

Regarding the "easiness factor" they say: "How do the scores work? I don't think Easiness is a good thing - why is it part of the rating? All categories are based on a 5 point rating system, with 5 being the best. The Overall Quality rating is the average of a teacher's Helpfulness and Clarity ratings, and is what determines the type of "smiley face" that the teacher receives. A teacher's Easiness rating is NOT used when computing the Overall Quality rating, since an Easiness of 5 may actually mean the teacher is TOO easy. Please look here for more information on the rating categories."

Regarding statistical validity they say: "Are the ratings statistically valid? Not really. They are a listing of opinions and should be judged as such. However, we often receive emails stating that the ratings are uncannily accurate, especially for schools with over 1000 ratings. And, check out this article about a school administrator who checked the correlation of our ratings with the U. of Waterloo student reviews."

Last but not least, I'll close with some of the comments from the "Rate My Professor" site written by students:

"Does not respect anyone else's opinions but his own and at times can be downright **** and anti semetic [sic]. Mostly spends class time preaching in order to hear himself talk or praising his TAs for repeating everything he says. Barely touches upon basic political science curriculum."

"Absolutely the worst teacher I ever had. I transferred onto USF and nailed a 3.8 GPA, graduating****laude--and yet I got a 'D' on all of my papers because he did not agree with my point of view and what I had to say. By the end of the class, only 8 people remained. Unapproachable, dismissive, rude."

" Should be US Hegemony 2."

To be fair, Joseph Woolcock also has his supporters:

"Fine mind. Tough but determined to help us succeed when we transfer. Demanding, but the universities will be demanding. Spends hours seeing students. Really cares. Sounds like lazy folks do not like his classes. Too bad."

"his class requires a lot of reading and is writing-intensive. however, he's entertaining & introduces you to political views outside your bubble. he'll really make you think! take him, he's the best!!!"

And people wonder why our jury system is such that often one cannot get 12 jurors to all agree that shit smells bad.

The Joseph Woolcock saga has come to an end on this blog. Although it is highly unlikely that anyone's previous opinion has been changed one way or another, you've at least been given a starting point and some of the tools to do your own research and arrive at your own conclusions.

But I won't count on the latter part of my immediately preceding statement. Fess up, y'all just scan stuff, right? That's ok. I too do it at times.

May this topic now R.I.P.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Joseph Woolcock, Again?!?!?

Jumpin' Jehoshaphat! On January 6, 2005, I blogged about a certain professor at Foothills College in Los Altos Hills, CA by the name of Joseph Woolcock (see here for my previous post to which I am referring).

I first became aware of mister Woolcock when reading this article at Little Green Footballs. Having read the article, I put Google to use to see if I could find anything else concerning this matter and I found this. If you'll click on that link, you'll find that this story was being covered all over the internet.

Nevertheless, before I wrote my blog post, I wanted to find out more about mister Woolcock. After all, it was possible that one irate student with a grudge might be fabricating his story of woe in retaliation for a bad grade received.

Fortunately, there were some helpful and telling pieces of information that point rather decisively to the conclusion that Little Green Footballs and all the other sites reporting on this were not simply misled by a single disgruntled student with an axe to grind. For example, mister Woolcock has been rated by his students here. With 49 of his students having rated him, his overall rating on a scale of 5.0 being the highest and most favorable is 2.3. That's hardly a stellar rating. However, don't take my word for it. Click on the link that I provided and read some of the comments of his students.

Further, mister Woolcock immediately filed a grievance against the student who had exposed Woolcock's intimidation tactics to the media and the blogsphere. Woolcock, it seems, was more than willing to paint himself as a victim of "harassment." If merely telling the truth about mister Woolcock constitutes "harassment," then I suggest he get used to it.

Much ado has been made by some others on the internet of the fact that the essay by the student in question, Ahmad Al-Qloushi, was in fact poorly written and deserving of a low grade. You can judge for yourselves by reading the essay here.

Nevertheless, even a cursory glance at the question posed by mister Woolcock speaks volumes about Woolcock's own liberal/Marxist biases:

" Dye and Zeigler contend that the constitution of the United States was not “ordained and established” by “the people” as we have so often been led to believe. They contend instead that it was written by a small educated and wealthy elite in America who representative of powerful economic and political interests. Analyze the US constitution (original document), and show how its formulation excluded [the]majority of the people living in America at that time, and how it was dominated by America’s elite interest." [Emphasis mine].

It is quite clear from the wording (talk about leading questions!!!) that the only "acceptable" answer to this question, the only answer that mister Woolcock wants and indeed demands, is the answer that the US constitution is indeed an elitist and exclusionary document that was never intended to protect the poor little pissed on and put upon proletariat, but rather it was expressly designed to augment the already vast wealth of its aristocratic framers who never gave a fig about the common man. That's the answer in a nutshell. Oh, and don't forget to throw in some quotes from Dye and Ziegler, maybe twist some words of the constitution to fit their skewed view, and by gum if you can work in an anachronism of Marx and how he would have written the constitution better, you've got an A+!

Why am I revisiting this whole mess of a lefty looney tune professor at a rinky dink two-bit community college? Why even bother with liberal loser Woolcock when there are bigger fish to fry such as Ward Churchill and Eason Jordan? I'll tell you why: because I saw my blog mentioned in connection with this whole affair at Gordon's Cranky Neocon blog.

I like Gordon's blog a lot and it is one of my daily reads. Gordon is a much more dedicated blogger than I. If you haven't been reading him, you should. He's on my blogroll and I voted for his blog in its category for Wizbang's Weblog awards. I am sincerely sorry if my original post on this subject brought about difficulties or problems for Gordon or for the pseudonymous "Dr. Rusty Shackleford" of The Jawa Report.

Nonetheless, I pose the following rhetorical questions for any and all who would propose that a patriotic but poorly performing student got what he deserved: that may well be, but how does that justify the wanton and bald-faced bias of a pseudo-intellectual socialist/Marxo-fascist such as Woolcock who is preaching from his pulpit at a community college? How does it justify the deplorable situation of the liberal monopoly or oligarchy that has practically universal and tyrannical control of our colleges and universities? Indeed, how does it justify the liberal stranglehold on education from pre-school through graduate school?

A rhetorical question means that my dear readers should ask the question of themselves. It does not mean that I require or desire a response.

One last thing -- Woolcock claims that his suggestion that the student seek therapy was taken out of context:

"Based on the nature of the concerns and the feelings of high anxiety which he [the student] expressed, I encouraged him to visit one of the college counselors. I neither forced nor ordered Mr. al-Qloushi to see a counselor . . ."

Frankly, mister Woolcock's statement is disingenuous. The student never claimed that he was "forced" or "ordered." That is a deliberate straw man set up by Woolcock. The student simply stated that Woolcock had suggested that he seek therapy. Of the two disparate versions of the story, I know which one rings more true to my ear. I'll give you a hint; it isn't the one who's trying to pull the Wool over my . . . ahem, eyes. And to the one who is trying to pull the Wool over our, er, uh eyes, I suggest he see a counselor. But I'm not forcing or ordering him.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Vote for Protein Wisdom at Israellycool

Jeff Goldstein's blog, Protein Wisdom, is nominated for Best Humor Blog at Israellycool.

Funny, he doesn't look Jewish. Maybe that's what's humorous about it. . .

Just kidding! Anyway, as anyone who has ever been down that Alice-in-Wonderland-White-Rabbit-Hole-Smoking-Questionable-Stuff-in-a-Hookah that is Protein Wisdom can attest, it is far more than just a "humor blog."

However, overly narrow categorization aside, go vote for Protein Wisdom now! That's an order.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Matt Margolis Apology

Malachy Joyce of the superb blog HundredPercenter, who has been on top of the story regarding teenage blogger Austin, has printed the following apology from Matt Margolis of Blogs for Bush:

"Many of you are aware of a situation that has occurred regarding Jordan Golson of Cheese and Crackers, myself, and a teenage blogger named Austin. I've unfortunately been unable to comment on this situation because I have been in class, so I hope you read what I have to say."

"Earlier this week it was brought to my attention that a teenage blogger, Austin, had put an image I created on his site and did not credit Blogs For Bush as the source of the image."

"I informed Jordan Golson, who offered to handle the situation. I was clearly wrong in asking him to take any action on my behalf."

"Not too long later, it was brought to my attention that the image had been credited, and the situation was resolved to my satisfaction. Evidently, the situation did not end there, and Austin's site was later taken down."

"I apologize to Austin and his family for any trouble this caused. It was never my desire or intent for his site to be shut down, and I hope he resumes blogging soon. Austin's mother informed that he is a fan of this site, and that last thing I would want to do is discourage anyone from blogging."

-Matt Margolis

I am grateful to Malachy Joyce for having reported on this situation so thoroughly. He even kindly noticed my little blog and listed it with the others who were blogging about this topic. Thank you Malachy Joyce of HundredPercenter! My earlier entries on this subject will be updated to reflect the apology from Matt Margolis.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Jason Schechterle Update

The following is an article pertaining to the Jason Schechterle story about which I posted yesterday. It is written by Michelle Roberts for the Associated Press and appeared on azcentral.com:

Tabloid apologizes, pulls issue after calling injured officer 'ugly'

Michelle Roberts
Associated Press
Feb. 3, 2005 02:00 PM

A tabloid apologized and withdrew its latest issue after being criticized for saying a police officer who suffered disfiguring burns is ugly.

The Weekly World News published photos in its Feb. 7 issue of the "top 10 ugliest people." Among the images was one of Jason Schechterle, a Phoenix police officer who suffered fourth-degree burns to his hands and face in an on-duty accident.

Schechterle said someone at the police department called him Saturday warning him of the tabloid article.

"I was shocked and surprised, and then I was worried about my family's reaction because I knew they would be very upset," said Schechterle, who has three children. His wife, Suzie, is also in the photo.

Schechterle was burned in March 2001 when a taxi slammed into the back of his patrol car, causing it to burst into flames. He was so badly burned that surgeons had to strip away his face, covered in dead tissue, to save his life.

The Phoenix mayor's office called the tabloid's parent company, American Media Inc., to complain on Monday, and the company immediately issued an apology, said company spokesman Stuart Zakim. Boca Raton, Fla.-based American Media also publishes The National Enquirer, the Star and a group of fitness magazines.

"We feel terrible about this," Zakim said Thursday. "It was a mistake on the editors' part, which won't happen again."

The tabloid, which features stories on UFOs and Elvis Presley being alive, apologized and offered to donate $5,000 to a charity of Schechterle's choice.

Schechterle has handed the letter over to his lawyer and is exploring his options, he said.

"I don't want them doing this to someone else," he said.

Schechterle has undergone dozens of surgeries since the accident and still undergoes a couple a year but returned to work in November 2002. He's now a detective in the department's homicide unit.

The photo that appeared in the Weekly World News was one taken by The Associated Press for a series of award-winning stories chronicling Schechterle's accident and fight to recover.

He has been candid about the difficulties of his appearance, and the tabloid incident this week is part of the struggle to recover, Schechterle said.

"I understand my appearance is going to bring a lot of attention, both positive and negative, but this was over the top," he said.

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Yes, it was indeed "over the top." This seems to be the day for over the top people and their subsequent apologies. It never ceases to amaze me that some mistakenly believe that all they need to do is say they are sorry and all the damage they have done, all the hurt they have caused, all the mess they have made is just supposed to evaporate as if it had never been.

As Christians, we are commanded by our Lord to forgive. Indeed, He tells us that if we do not forgive, then how can we expect to be forgiven ourselves? But I don't recall anywhere that our Lord commanded us to have amnesia on demand. Further, though we are called to remit the offenses of those who have trespassed against us, the trespassers need to be mindful that their actions do indeed have consequences and they will eventually reap what they have sown.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Jordan Apologizes

Jordan Golson has apologized (and hopefully has apologized to Austin and his mother, the true injured parties):

I sincerely apologize for the “bastard” comment. It was out of line and unnecessary. I was hot under the collar and I should have waited until I had calmed down to post on the topic. Matt and B4B should not be dragged through the muck for that comment, that was my comment, not his. Really, the entire
issue was my doing. Matt mentioned to me that his image got instalanched at another site. I had been in contact with Austin before over other things including the Tsunami videos. I overreacted. Again, I apologize.
-jg
Posted by Jordan Golson permalink on 02/03 at 12:16 PM

His apology was in the comments sections at both Protein Wisdom and INDC Journal. It is also posted on Jordan's blog. It may be posted elsewhere, but I'm sure those of good faith will forgive me if I don't cite every instance where it appears on the internet, even if it does appear on their own blog too. I wouldn't want to be infringing on anyone's copyright. Heaven forfend!

Update: Jordan Golson states on his blog that his apology, "was emailed to Austin, his mother, HundredPercenter and Matt Margolis."

Still not a peep, however, from Matt Margolis who lets others do his dirty work for him and then plays the aghast, shocked, "who me?!" innocent.

Update II: Matt Margolis apologizes. See most recent post above.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

It Isn't Just a T-Shirt. . .

it's a show of Solidarity! Kudos to Goldstein. Oh, and kudos to Hubris who suggested the idea. Show your support for power to the people and speaking truth to power by purchasing one of Jeff's "Free Austin" t-shirts. See? You can make both a fashion statement AND a political statement in one sweet swoop!

They might have succeeded in silencing Austin, but they won't crush our coalition of "What the hell were you 2 thinking?" Now, everyone together: "We shall overcome. . ."

If you haven't the faintest idea what I'm yattering on about, see my previous post. Viva Austin! Viva the spirit of Political Ponderings of a Teen!

Update: Jordan Golson states on his blog that his apology, "was emailed to Austin, his mother, HundredPercenter and Matt Margolis" See most recent post above titled "Jordan Apologizes."

Still not a peep, however, from Matt Margolis who lets others do his dirty work for him and then plays the aghast, shocked, "who me?!" innocent.

Update II: Matt Margolis apologizes. See most recent post above.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Blog Bullies Throw a Tantrum, Threaten Thirteen Year Old

Jeff Goldstein of Protein Wisdom gave his readers the heads up about this deplorable behavior by 2 overgrown bullies who wet their panties when a 13 year old boy "stole their Instalanche." Boo hoo. Jeff provided a link to the blog HundredPercenter, who has all the details about the ridiculous blogbully buffoons who descended to calling a thirteen year old boy a "bastard."

Now, I'm not going to link to the 2 bully blogs that pulled this manifestation of hyper-hystrionics. I'll look down and see them both roasting in hell before I provide them with any traffic from my blog. However, I will provide my readers the contact information for both of them. That way you may let them both know what you think of their over-the-top overreaction.

Bombastic Bully #1 is Jordan Golson and he may be reached at:

jlgolson@gmail.com
AOL IM: jlgolson
Yahoo: jlgolson
MSN: jlgolson@hotmail.com

Bombastic Bully #2 is Matt Margolis:

matt@blogsforbush.com

Margolis had the gall to contact HundredPercenter and state the following: "If you disagree with the manner in which Jordan felt to handle the situation you may discuss that with him."

I agree with HundredPercenter. Go stuff kraut up your keester, Matt. And as for you, Jordan, you braying jackass, Balaam's donkey had more sense than you. Truly, shame on you both!

Update: Jordan Golson states on his blog that his apology, "was emailed to Austin, his mother, HundredPercenter and Matt Margolis" See most recent post above titled "Jordan Apologizes."

Still not a peep, however, from Matt Margolis who lets others do his dirty work for him and then plays the aghast, shocked, "who me?!" innocent.

Update II: Matt Margolis apologizes. See most recent post above.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

2 Excellent Posts at Crossroads Arabia

John, of the informative and insightful blog Crossroads Arabia, has 2 excellent posts today, February 2, 2005.

John's first post is titled Dr. Rasheed Nails It and it concerns an article by Dr. Mohammed T. Al-Rasheed, a Saudi, that was published in "the largest-circulation English language newspaper in the Middle East." The title of Dr. Al-Rasheed's article is A Magnificent Day for Iraq. You can read John's blog post and the article here.

John's second post is titled End-User Complaints. It is about an article written by Maram Makkawi, also a Saudi, titled Real Universities or Just Big Schools? As John writes, "It's an op-ed of complaint about Saudi university education [. . .]" You can read that post here.

Check out John's posts and the articles for yourselves. They are well worth reading. Thanks, John, for the heads-up!

Stay informed, readers, and consider making John's blog one of your "must reads." If you have a blog of your own, consider adding Crossroads Arabia to your blog roll. Knowledge is power.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.

Phoenix's Beloved Jason Schechterle vs. the scum at Weekly World News

As evil and despicable as some human beings can be at times, there are some acts so egregious and low which they commit that even I am at a loss for words to describe their utter contemptibility. Such is the case with the monstrous individuals at the Weekly World News tabloid who are responsible for the most disgusting and deplorable story I have ever seen.

The Weekly World News took it upon themselves to take one of Phoenix's most beloved persons, Officer Jason Schechterle, and place him in their completely tasteless and inexcusably offensive Top Ten List of "the world's ugliest people." You can read about it here.

What did our honored Officer Jason Schechterle ever do to deserve such crass and craven treatment, such appalling and unpardonable defamation from the Weekly World News? I'll tell you. While he was serving as a Phoenix Police Officer, his Crown Victoria patrol car was struck from behind by another vehicle traveling at very high speed on March 26, 2001. The patrol car burst into flames. Officer Schechterle suffered severe and painful burns as a result. You can read about Officer Schechterle at this website here. Being an officer critically injured in an accident appears to be all that is required to make one the target of such heinous, odious and revolting creatures such as work for the Weekly World News.

There are several things that you can and should do to help amend this gross injustice done to Officer Schechterle. First, you can contact him and let him and his loved ones know that you support him and that you are horrified by what the Weekly World News has done. You can contact Jason Schechterle here.

Then you can contact the Weekly World News and inform them what you think of their complete lack of sensitivity and their gross and repulsive exploitation of Officer Schechterle. Contact info. for the Weekly World News is here. You may also contact them by e-mailing them at:

editor@weeklyworldnews.com

Their snail mail address is:

Weekly World News
1000 American Media Way
Boca Raton FL, 33464-1000

If you are a blogger, you can help spread the word by blogging about this. Please don't let that travesty of a tabloid and its indefensible actions regarding this story go unanswered.

Be humane, be human, be compassionate and stand up for Officer Schechterle and his family. Let your voices be heard! I feel so strongly about this situation that I am going to open up comments for this post, something that I rarely do. I hope Officer Schechterle will sue the Weekly World News so far past bankruptcy that the light from bankruptcy will never reach them!

Update: Ace of Spades HQ kindly posted about this on his blog.

And this isn't funny at all. A beloved Phoenix policeman suffered horribly disfiguring burns after a car accident, and the genuises and moral philosophers at Weekly World News have been
so kind as to name him one of the world's ten ugliest people.

The other nine are the cretins on the WWN's editorial board.

Lol! So true about the WWN's editorial board. Thank you, Ace! You're the best.

Update II: There's also this from Bryan at the MetaBlogger:

I've seen a picture or two of Officer Schechterle. Never was there a face so fair that was obtained so selflessly.

That is so true and so beautifully put! Thanks, Bryan.

You've been told and NOW YOU KNOW.