Pointing Fingers at "Evil" Guns ...

... and going for the easy pulling of heart strings, while omitting (or outright ignoring) what the real problem(s) are. I would have expected this out of the "Sun-Times", or "Chicago Defender". Sadly, it resides over at "The Chicago Tribune".

The .45-caliber handgun found feet from the body of Officer Thomas Wortham IV passed through three states and many hands before a chance encounter at a convenience store set it on its tragic course for Chicago.

It is terrifically hard not to respond with massive amounts of snark at the sentence above. Just the implied imaging of "the gun", under it's own volition, wandering through three states before it committed it's hinus acts in Chicago, without benefit of any human interaction, got my hackles up.

To be fair, the rest of the story gives the details on how this weapon, this tool -improperly used -. arrived in Chicago. But the story which is told, is not the complete one.

1. Why was there a need to go "out of state" to get firearms (of any sort)?
2. Why was an officer shot?
3. Why are gangs as big a problem as they are, and why are they (or must they) be so heavily armed?
4. Why, with the city of Chicago's and the state of Illinois gun laws being some of the tightest in the nation, are they (the criminal element/gangs) able to circumvent said laws?

These are just a few of the questions (some of which are obliquely addressed in the article) which should have been of more importance.

Questions 1 and 3 are tied together. The criminal element (in any city/state) is going to get what they think they need in order for them to continue doing "business". If they feel they are "threatened" by other gangs/criminal elements, or by law enforcement agencies, any of which are perceived to have superior firepower, then they will, if possible, "up the anti" and escalate things on their side. If they have to go "out of state" in order to meet their needs (or even "out of the country", they will do so.

Question 2 sadly is much easier to answer on a couple of levels. First, if you have no real fear of either the law (LEO's) or the ultimate judicial consequences for your acts/actions, then taking the life of a cop is no longer any big deal to you. This holds true for many of the gangs, especially those tied into the drug cartels. Secondly, if you place no value on the lives of human beings (I would have said "other humans", but that is not applicable here), it would follow that you will take what you want, from whom ever you want, when ever you want. After all, your needs/wants/desires, are the only ones which matter.

Question 4 is almost rhetorical. The short answer is, "Because they can". They will continue to do so as long as the system (be it the political "machine", the judicial, or the local society in general) allows them to do so. If the public would consistently raise a hue and cry over the gang/drugs/general lawlessness, vote in (or demand they were appointed by the powers that be) judges who seek to convict and not circumvent/interpret the law, work WITH law enforcement instead of promoting an environment of "them or us". Oh, and how about allowing the citizens to arm themselves (as provided for by that pesky Constitution). When a society has the option to either arm or not, one tends to find a large chunk of the criminal element goes elsewhere. (This is a proven fact, I'm not going to provide a link, those of you who know this already don't need it, and those who refuse to believe it, are welcome to google or bing it.) Perhaps had the local citizenry been armed the thugs may have thought twice about trying to take the cycle (thinking it is bad enough having to possibly deal with LEO's, we have the very real risk of being shot at by anyone).

I feel bad to see yet another of the "thin blue line" has been taken from us. The "good ones" are hard enough to come by as it is, that one was lost for any number of reasons, many of which should have been addressed long, long ago, is figuratively and literally, criminal. That the Chicago Tribune chose to print an emotional heart tugging story about "the evil gun" (and the sad misguided folks who "interacted" with it, on it's "journey to Chicago") which is nothing more than a thinly veiled "anti-gun" rant, is .... well let's just say it goes to show "yellow journalism" is not only alive and well, but happily resides at the Chicago Tribune.

(Cross Posted at Snugg Harbor)

An Explanation of Sorts

Here it is almost a year and a half since I made my presence felt. To be honest, the road my country was traveling on, continuing to travel on, was too much for this bit of ectoplasm to bear.

In some respects, as much as I despised the man (Roosevelt) and all he did and stood for, at least he was a worthy adversary. Agree with him, or not, you knew where he stood most of the time. You knew where he intended to go. And he made no bones about it.

But this latest usurper to the office of the Presidency ... this fool ... this emperor dressed in nothing but prepackaged oratorical utterances, he is not worthy of my wrath. He is not worthy of my pity. All he merits,is my most heartfelt disdain, and sincerest scorn.

Do you not, see him and his ilk for what they are?

He (who shall be nameless, as much as it is possible to do so) is little more then a boy-king. Perhaps he will realize his dream of empire, at out expense, but he is beholding to ... well, I am not exactly sure, there are any number of people who can lay claim to that. George Sorros comes to mind, but he is far too easy a choice. (That doesn't eliminate him, just gives one pause as to what other options might be in play here, if any.)

As for his fellow travelers. You know who they are, for they are legion. It is not so surprising to see the party of Wilson, FDR, and LBJ, continue it's evolution into it's present form. The signs were there for decades.

They were ignored.

I would like to believe most Americans fell under that most common of human failings; the one which goes: "Why yes, the peoples of [fill in the blank] fell under the yoke of [fill in the blank], but it can never happen here."

It can happen here. It is beginning to happen here. And unless this is not realized, and more importantly, acted upon very soon, the same result will occur here. The same end result which happened in Russia under Stalin, in China under Mao, in Germany under the Austrian corporal, and across a very large portion of the world, under the yoke of Islam.

So yes, I grew discouraged. Perhaps it was only the outlying symptoms of my ever increasing rate of RPMs as the last vestiges of my corporeal form rotated ever more quickly. Alas, that would be but an excuse. What was left of my spirit, needed to compose itself. Needed time to reflect. Perhaps even time to do nothing more then observe. Well, this has been done. Now is the time to post the guards, man the ramparts, fuel the fires, and fan the flames.

I have returned!

Standby For News

I have been silent for some time. Frankly, the events going on in the City of Chicago, the state of Illinois, and this great nation, have caused this spirit of the press to seek at least a temporary repose away from the maddening crowds, and the barkers of political suicide.

But something called me back. And in the next couple of visits, I will attempt to address not only the absence but the call to return. There will be commentary on the news of the day as well. Stay tuned.

Respectfully,

"The Col."

A Real Life "Confederacy of Dunces"

Your humble Colonel had thought he was quite close to being at a loss for words. The levels to which the occupant of the Oval Office has sunk, as he seems to head, with breakneck speed toward ... what? Even my nemesis, FDR, for all his warped vision of what this country should become, had limits.

But this ... this parody of a President ... this twenty-first century Nero ...

If he is nothing more then a fool who is well and truly above their station in life, perhaps there would be some sort of recourse. Even a fool, at some point must listen to reason, admit they are out of their league, turn the reigns of power over to others.

Sadly, I am of the opinion, though he may be foolish, he is not a fool. Rather, Obama is what he is, evil. No, not the kind of evil found in horror stories, monsters attacking unsuspecting villagers. Or the despots along the lines of Mao, or Pol Pot, whose evil was clear, plain to see by even the most casual observer of the world stage.

Obama's evil is the most insidious, and vile. For not only does he not consider himself to be evil, neither does he feel what he is doing (or proposes to do) is wrong in the least. And wither it is a willful ignorance on his part or that which comes from having to believe in the lie which is modern day liberalism, matters not.

I imagine most of the people he asked to accept positions with in his cabinet, or to become heads of various agencies, that declined the offers, did so not only to cover their own backsides. Some of them had to be aware of what Obama, his administration, and both the Senate and House, were going to do with this country. If not the specifics, at least the overall gist of what was to come. And what little conscience, soul, or love of country, cried out. And they listened to it.

At least what little optimist still resides in me, would like to believe that's true.

So, dear reader, you wonder why I have been away for these past few weeks? Why there have been no comments on what seems to be the ever increasing tide of what can only be described as insanity, by our elected officials of every stripe?

Maybe it's the way in which Obama treats our allies when they come to visit

Then there is the actions of our newly minted Secretary of State, as she trapes across the mid-east, and the former Soviet Socialist Republic

And there is always the diversion tactic. Attacking those who would speak candidly about your policies, procedures, and goals. Especially when your sycophantic press corp is always ready to follow your lead in matters such as this.


Then there are my personal top three favorites (subject to change):

* Government Bailout of Major Banks, Insurance Corps, and Lending Institutions.
* Proposal to have Veterans pay for treatment of injuries.
* House Bill HR875 - Controlling all aspects of production/processing of foodstuffs - Effectively killing off the independent farmer/farmer's markets/organic farming.


Individually, non of these would have been mind numbing enough to stop me from commenting. My mistake, was in waiting to see how this "President" and his administration would fare in their first 100 days. Sadly, and perhaps all too predictably, he has shown the people of this great nation, along with friends and enemies, world wide, he is nothing more then a poser. A cardboard cutout, of a man, a leader, a president. And we are far worse then being poorer for it. Our civilization, our American way of life, is heading full steam toward oblivion, self induced extinction.

Individually, non of the above examples would be enough to accomplish this. (Cripple, yes, but we as a people are resilient enough to make it through any one of the above calamities.) But collectively, repairing the damages caused by these actions is a task even Sisyphus would have shied away from. And thus my pen was stilled. My anger, outrage, and pain, raw and open to close to the heart. Words failed.

And so I stare with disbelief at the arrogance, hubris, and ignorance being openly displayed on almost a daily basis from our elected officials and their agents. Numbed to the very core of my spectral being. And at long last, find a sense of urgency strong enough to breach any and all emotions which had held my pen at bay.

For at the executive level, Nero fiddles anew! And as for (a curse on!!!) both your Houses ... We need not fear the barbarians outside, for the legislative barbarians from within are keen to open the gates for them.

I remain, ever spinning,

The Colonel

Crossposted at Big Dick's Place because a lot of folks over there remember my old paper back when it actually had "stones".

Freedom of Speech

Taking a brief respite from politics here at home. Never fear, I have faith in our national (and local) leaders in that they will be causing me to spin at an ever higher rate soon enough. And thus find their latest bit of stupidity opined about here.

Now to the matter at hand.

We, in this country, have a very high regard toward our bill of rights. Enough so even the politically correct crowd has to use incramentalism in their attempts to whittle them down.

Our first amendment, which holds in part, our right to speak freely against our government and other institutions without fear of reprisal, is perhaps the one held most dearly to our collective bosom. For all sides of the political spectrum have used it as their shield in advancing their thoughts, platforms, and or points of view. It is well woven into the national fabric.

Other nations have also felt they are privy to this "inalienable right". Alas, many are finding out their governments, specifically the judicial "branches", do not feel the same. And only in the case of either massive public outcry or massive amounts of time and money, are there ever positive outcomes (the recent actions in Canada come to mind).

Sadly, the Dutch seem to have fallen pray to those who would seek to have their "freedom to speak their minds" snuffed out under the blanket of censorship. All under the guise of that politically correct generated farce known as 'hate speech".

A Dutch court has ordered prosecutors to put a right-wing politician on trial for making anti-Islamic statements.

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

"In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to... draw a clear line," the court in Amsterdam said.

Mr Wilders said the judgement was an "attack on the freedom of expression".

"Participation in the public debate has become a dangerous activity. If you give your opinion, you risk being prosecuted," he said.

Not only he, but all Dutch citizens opposed to the "Islamisation" of their country would be on trial, Mr Wilders warned.

"Who will stand up for our culture if I am silenced?" he added.

'Incitement'

The three judges said that they had weighed Mr Wilders's "one-sided generalisations" against his right to free speech, and ruled that he had gone beyond the normal leeway granted to politicians.

"The Amsterdam appeals court has ordered the prosecution of member of parliament Geert Wilders for inciting hatred and discrimination, based on comments by him in various media on Muslims and their beliefs," the court said in a statement.

"The court also considers appropriate criminal prosecution for insulting Muslim worshippers because of comparisons between Islam and Nazism made by Wilders," it added.

The court's ruling reverses a decision last year by the public prosecutor's office, which said Mr Wilders's comments had been made outside parliament as a contribution to the debate on Islam in Dutch society and that no criminal offence had been committed.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday that they could not appeal against the judgement and would open an investigation immediately.

Gerard Spong, a prominent lawyer who pushed for Mr Wilders's prosecution, welcomed the court's decision.

"This is a happy day for all followers of Islam who do not want to be tossed on the garbage dump of Nazism," he told reporters.
Source:BBC News

Why, you may ask, does this bother me? It is because of a number of things.

Firstly, in my time on earth, I took great pride and pleasure in publishing "The Worlds Greatest Newspaper"; The Chicago Tribune. My personal views manifested themselves quite readily in what the paper presented to the public, and on the editorial pages. I was often at odds with the FDR administration, the Democratic Party, Communism, and any number of other persons, places, and things. However, at no time did I need worry about being censured or about finding myself in chains. carried off to some darkened cell, to await what may come. This is not to say we were not above self censorship. Indeed, when asked (that being the key) to hold back on printing such information as would be detrimental to our winning the war, we did so. But being "forced" ... never, sir, never!

Secondly, since the years have past, while I watched the ways of man continue on after my passing, I began to see the most hideous of beasts find form and substance upon the land. It goes under the guise of "we are all really equal and this being true, are deserving of equal respect". The name of this beast, and that of it's equally despicable cousins; "Political Correctness" and "Diversity/Multiculturalism".

It is in the willful adherence to and following of these three, we may very well see the downfall of not only our great nation, but what is left of western civilization as well. These demons (and demons Screwtape and his ilk are well fond of to be sure) are what lay the groundwork for "hate crimes" legislation. (Double Jeopardy any one?) They ultimately demand "respect" be given to individuals, causes, and groups which are, by our standards, not worthy of same.

Islam, seeks to find its way into the mainstream of western culture. Once it archives this (and it all but nearly has) it will move into it's second phase. That would be the "molding" of our culture, our rules, our laws to conform to the accepted and proscribed Islamic way of doing things. Political Correctness, Diversity, and Multiculturalism, are the main weapons which Islam and its followers are using to achieve this end. Based on what is occurring even now in Europe, and quite possibly will be happening soon here in America, they are well into the second phase.

The third and final phase, ironically enough, is the abandoning of these demonic pests. For there is no place in Islam for anything which falls outside of its form and function. You must either convert or die (or pay a "tax", assume second hand citizenship status, and slowly die that way). There are no other options. In fact, getting back to "Freedom of Speech", no worries there ... as long as it conforms to "the will of Allah" as sanctioned by the local Iman, you can say anything you want... assuming you are a man ... of Islamic faith ...

Tomorrow: The beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?

Tomorrow the 44th President of the United States is sworn in. And although the media, various other pundits, PACs, celebrities, academia, and of course fellow travelers on the progressive highway (that's politicians to the left of center, for those taking notes), will be doing everything but laying palm fronds down on at HIS feet while singing Hosannas ... it should be noted he is after all is said and done, nothing more (or less) then "just a man".

No one really knows what is in his heart of hearts. No one knows where he will lead (In fact, if he will be capable of "leading" at all.) the great nation over the course of the next four years. To be sure, there has been speculation from all sides of the political spectrum. Your (not so) humble spirit has made more then a few noises along these lines himself. The truth is, we just don't know.

He has, from the onset of his political career, failed to make a major impression period. This is as true at the State level (as a junior Illinois State Senator), as it was at the US Senate. During his rise to the nomination as the Democratic Presidential candidate, up to his formal swearing-in tomorrow, his stance on any given issue has been as clear as fog. You can make a case for almost any side of any major issue by "cutting and pasting" from his speeches/interviews.

There has been (as noted here and any number of other outlets on the net) no major investigation into the man's past. Or in depth coverage of his friendships/associations/business dealings. Or if there has been, they have not been made public in their entirety.

This country, for what ever reason(s), has seen fit to elect to the highest office of the most powerful nation on God's green earth, an unknown! We suspect, by the individuals he has brought to the fore as part of his cabinet, he will be , at best, just to the left of center (much like the Clintons). This shade of publishing past, fears he will be far, far more to the left of that.

His agenda will bring about the end of this "Representative Republic", ushering in not "An American Empire" as some suggest, the deconstruction of the "American Dream". In other words, the end of the sovereign nation, and the attempted beginning of Globalization (most likely via the UN and or the World Court).

Realizing the world is inhabited by many who care not a wit, for Western Civilization, or the rule of law as proscribed by said civilization, I strongly suspect we are on the brink of a conflict such as the world has never witnessed. And may never witness again.

Come tomorrow, even while the barbarians are at the gate, we will have given the keys to the kingdom not to one who seeks to meet the challenges before him (and us) pitting the best of human nature, the combined knowledge of the greatest civilization to have graced this earth, and his own honor and dedication to uphold the oath his is about to swear ... as did Washington ... as did Lincoln ... as did Regan. Noble and honorable men all.

No we have before us ... a fool. Who would do well to remember, as he seems intent on becoming Caesar ... the words of one who is not a pretender to the throne ... "for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

I remain, ever spinning,

The Col.

Cross posted here

Senator Durbin; Living Proof Brainless Humanoids Exist!!!

What IS a spirit to do??? Here I was trying to fine tune part two of my commentary about our State's slip sliding away from "rule of law" (Not that the politicos in this State were ever all that fond of it to begin with.) and heading ever closer toward mass confusion. I would ended the last sentence with "anarchy", but that would be much to kind a word for what passes for parliamentary procedure and polite political process/discourse ... great God Almighty! Is this really the state which gave our great nation Lincoln and Reagan???

Even now, my high rate of rpm aside, my hands are shaking ... were I still alive, my blood pressure would be high enough to bring about my demise. This was brought about while reading this. Specifically, when I reached the following ...

"That is of course the Illinois Court's right and responsibility to reach that conclusion," Durbin said. "However, there is more to the story. It isn't just a question of whether Illinois law is met. It isn't a question of whether the Illinois Constitution has been served but whether the actions taken are sufficient for the person to be appointed to fill the vacancy under the rules of the United States Senate where I serve."

Source: Chicagobreakingnews.com

It is my opinion, one that is confirmed time after time this cretin (and I know, this is grossly unfair to cretins everywhere), otherwise known as the senior Senator from Illinois Richard "but I prefer to be just a Dick" Durbin (D), opens his mouth. You bloated, sanctimonious, self-serving, political parasite! It IS the Illinois Supreme Courts right to reach any conclusion (with in the law) it desires. And no, you poor pandering creature masquerading as a sentient being, IT is EXACTLY the question of Illinois law and statutes being met!!! And the states constitution has been served.

And as long as these have been met, according to the very US Constitution you are sworn to uphold and protect, Burris (or anyone else for that matter) is entitled to the Senate seat in question. AND THERE ISN'T A DAMNED THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!!

Yes, I am steamed, boiling mad.

Do us all , living or dead, a very big favor Senator Durbin ... Sit DOWN sir, and shut the HELL UP!!

I remain, spinning at hyper-sonic speed,

The Col.