Sanity And Clean Floors

Why does your pet torment you? Why is it that primates, canines, felines and reptiles seem to have more control over their lives- and yours?

The answer is simple: They know stuff you don't. They know how to recognize the difference between those things that are absurd and things that are meaningful (they also have no compunction about soiling your floors, but that's another story).

Let Dr Sanity help teach you how to recognize the safe and meaningful absurdities in your life. The Carnival Of The Insanities is all you need to learn how to sort out the insanities from the mere crazininess.

Take control of your life. No soiled floors, guaranteed.

Butts, Chicks And Beauty

The half million dollar bendover

Perfect aim, and he still has to lift the toilet seat

Isabella Rosellini LOST!!

Animal activists not happy at protest, cry and call the cops and mommy

Those eagle eggs we wrote about are about to hatch!

Link to watch the eagle nest can be found here

When It Rains, It Pours

This morning, we wrote Sharia Law, Prostitution And Monitoring Mosques, highlighting some of what is going on in the Islamic world.

The Baron, over at the Gates of Vienna, published The First Muslim Blackmail Of Swedish Society, an intersting- and disturbing look at what has become, 'politics as usual' in Sweden. He quotes Fjordman, who is discussing a letter written by Muslims in Sweden:

They are DEMANDING separate family laws for Muslims, regulating marriage, divorce etc.

They are DEMANDING that public schools should employ imams to teach homogeneous classes of Muslims children in their religion and the language of their original homeland. (The city of Malmö already has pre-school classes where all teaching is conducted in Arabic. It’s “good for integration.”)

They are DEMANDING a “mosque in every municipality.” The mosques should be built through interest-free loans made available by the local municipalities. This to demonstrate “Islam’s right to exist in Sweden” and to “heighten the status of and respect towards Muslims.”

They are also DEMANDING separation between boys and girls in gymnastics and swimming education in schools.

They are DEMANDING new laws instating [sic] Islamic holidays as public holidays for Muslims. Swedes should also ensure that all Muslims get two hours off from work during the congregational Friday prayer every week.

They are DEMANDING that the Swedish church, in cooperation with the local municipalities, makes available an Islamic burial ground in every minucipality in the country where there are Muslims.

They are DEMANDING that Swedish authorities and Swedish media take stronger steps to combat Islamophobia in the public and in the Swedish system of education.

We suspect there will be no editorial cartoons on the matter.

"...True Evil Never Looks In The Mirror" And Other Insights

"Freud is reported to have said that the very act of entering into civilized society entails the repression of various desires, impulses and feelings."

So begins a seminal post by Dr Sanity. Repression And The Mirror Of Insight, is a look at the balance between our impulses and the need to control those impulses, so as to maintain a civilized society. Dr Sanity chooses her words carefully:

While the more primitive instincts still remain a part of our biology and can be accessed when needed for survival, most societal relationships--and civilization itself requires that control be exercised to the forces in our nature that are affiliative and which encourage relationships and the rise of civilization. In fact, human biology and its limitations determine, to a great extent, the nature of our social interactions-- even more than we may think.

Her choice of words is important because they set the tone of her thesis- while our instinctive and animal selves are an integral part of who we are and indeed, may even control the rhythm of society, those needs are secondary to our efforts in expressing what we can be.

Unlike animals, human beings do not live only to survive. We live to excel and to leave a legacy. We don't look at the stars, we reach for them. It is true we share DNA with much of the animal kingdom, but that by no means is relevant to who we are. We, as humans, cannot be defined by the lowest common denominator. We are defined by our capabilities and achievements. We may share an environment with other species, but sharing an environment does not make us equal. On the highway of life, an ant is not the same a Rolls Royce.

If we are at the mercy of primitive instincts and destructive emotions bequeathed to us by our animal ancestors, how have we managed to, not only work our way up from the mud, but to the exploration of the stars?

Of course, there are many panels that come together in the tapestry that defines human life. Dr Sanity chooses to comment on a panel that takes center stage. She discusses our ability to control those instincts that are selfish, in favor of participating in a society that benefits all.

The most psychologically healthy of these strategies are those those that allow us to transform the primitive instinctual energy of even the most destructive emotions into works of art or entertainment that give pleasure to others (sublimation and humor); or behavior that is socially beneficial (altruism, anticipation, suppression). People who achieve optimal psychological health are those who have come to satisfactory terms with their neurobiology (emp- SC&A). They are people who have learned to accept their anger, rage and other potentially deadly emotions and, instead of destructively acting out, repressing, denying or projecting; have creatively expressed those feelings in a way that improves life both for themselves and for others.

It's about balance- and that balance, was defined not from the needs of the self, but clearly, from the needs of society. Part of the legacy we leave is in no small measure the ability to function within society and to contribute to it. The need of the many supersedes the need on the individual. What further sets us apart is the ability to find fulfillment in contributing to the needs of the many.

Dr Sanity goes on to discuss various psychopathologies, strategies and forms of denial- often sub conscious- that are employed by those who cannot or will not accept reality. They wish to upend the balance a healthy and free society represents, and revert to more primal expressions. They want to revert to a kind of territoriality, violently fought over, controlled and retained by any means possible. The needs of the few trump the needs of the many, because they say so.

Dick Meyer shrewdly observed that the selfish and destructiveness is often couched as a form of benign paternalism:

Self-interest, rightly understood" is a fancy-pants way of saying, "I know what is in your interest better than you do." It is, in my view, a politically stupid and morally diseased position. Democrats, by temperament, are slightly more susceptible to it than Republicans.

The Anchoress', speaking of Dick Meyer's remarks, sees the sublime:

...when we insist on politicizing everything, subjecting everything to pass under the lens of our particular ideologies, we tend to suck the joy, and the vibrancy, out of what we are experiencing. We become prune-faced Jane Hathaways, concerned with how things measure up on the charts of our political orthodoxies - that all the rules are being covered - and as we do so, well, we become as joyless and frustrated as that rigid character. I

In other words, strictly orthodox politics do not offer a viable outlet for man's creativity and self expression. We cannot achieve our potential if orthodoxies of any kind are imposed upon us. In fact, as Dr Sanity makes clear, orthodoxies and paternalistic expressions of control are antithetical to our evolution. Those who 'follow' the herd blindly and accept as truth those things that are clearly no more than agendized, reformulated and repackaged deceit, do no serve society. In fact, historical and current realities highlight a single truth. Those who demand conformity, insist upon imposing their will on others and do so under the guise of paternalism, will in the end, reflect- and impose- evil. Dr Sanity addresses those who engage in that kind of activity:

One such neurotic defense that I have discussed at length in this blog is displacement, which is one of the defenses at the root of Bush Derangement Syndrome. Under stress, and threatened with psychological trauma or the disruption of cherished beliefs, even basically psychologically healthy adults may retreat to dysfunctional and immature defenses.

While it is tragic that there are people who will hurt themselves, we cannot allow them to hurt others and break down society.

Insight is a wonderful thing. The power or act of seeing into a situation and apprehending the inner nature or motivation of one's self--especially the why--can be extremely liberating...

We can reclaim our potential as human beings.

Only by being aware of these kind of hidden truths and inner motivations can a person gain control over them and correct the behavior that they generate.

Dr Sanity extends the scepter of 'optimal psychological health,' to no one. That kind of health in an ongoing process and no one is exempt from the commitment we each have.

There is an inner courage required to look at one's self in the mirror of insight and truly know the person looking back. All of us are capable of the most horrible behavior; just as we are capable of finding ways to rationalize it and cover it up or blame others for it. Psychological health requires that we look into that mirror frequently and understand our own motivations and behaviors and not flinch in recognizing the truth about ourselves. The seduction of paternalism knows no boundaries.

As The Anchoress noted,

...I’ve seen pro-life parents subject their little ones to viewing pictures of shredded fetuses, convinced that their 6 year-old needs to witness such carnage for the cause. I’ve overheard a conservative friend denounce Rudy Giuliani for being “multi-divorced,” while curiously finding no need to tell her daughter that Newt Gingrich is also “multi-divorced” or that he told one wife he was leaving her as she was being treated for cancer.

If we are to leave a legacy, one that allows for greater expressions of the human potential, we need to lead by example and not by fiat. The Soviet Union was an example of the failure of human potential brought on by 'paternalism.' Dr Sanity comments on that kind of evil:

It is likely that true evil never looks into that mirror; never questions their own motivations and always sinks to using the most immature and infantile coping mechanisms. That inability to acknowledge any degree of responsibility for their behavior; or to see clearly into their own souls--particularly on a societal level is responsible for much of the human misery, genocide, and brutal behavior we witness all around the world.

The 'We know what's best for you' kind of society has left a trail of human misery- Hitler, Communism and now, the decay of socialism in the name of 'multiculturalism,' in many European countries will bring more misery to more millions. Great societies and cultures will disappear because of pandering to man's lowest common denominators. The governments of Norway and Sweden, for example, could have challenged Mulsim populations to achieve greatness. Instead, those governments (and much of their society) capitulated and wallow with those most comfortable in the sewers of selfishness and violent impulses.

"And that is the ultimate purpose of, and necessity for, Justice- to impose insight on the blind; force awareness of the consequences of behavior; and to reflect reality for those who refuse to look in the mirror...

Human beings are remarkable creatures. Sometimes their capacity for self-deception and delusion seems unlimited; and sometimes their incredible creativity and ingenuity in coping with all the trials and travails that life throws at them is worthy of appreciation and even awe.

We can create or we can destroy. Our potential can be achieved if we allow ourselves the freedom to do just that.

Dr Sanity's superb post can be found here.

Shariah Law, Prostitution And Monitoring Mosques

What happens when a relatively 'beign' Islamic country begins to buckle under the presure being broght to bear by Islamist radicals? Well, try this on for size.

The Indonesian government has insisted that Muslims and non-Muslims alike in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam district of Muslim-devout Aceh province should be tried by a planned Islamic Court. Non-Muslims accused of committing crimes such as theft and adultery, would be tried under the Sharia inspired bylaws, state secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra told the special committee deliberating a crucial bill on Aceh's future administration.

The article goes on to say that

...non-Muslims will certainly choose to be tried under the Criminal Code, because it carries more lenient punishment," Yusril told the hearing, held to discuss the authority of the planned Islamic Court, also known as Mahkamah Sharia.

Yusril said that in the case of adultery, non-Muslims who committed adultery with Muslims would undoubtedly opt for trial by Indonesia's penal code, because it was more lenient than stoning or other forms of corporal punishment stipulated under Islamic Law...

Yusril said later in the hearing that non-Muslims could be exempted for trial by the Islamic Court only in cases related to domestic matters, such as distribution of wealth as well as business and monetary issues.

Of course, the implications are huge. Indonesia is a democracy, for the most part (corruption remains a significant problem) . If the new law is implemented, Indonesia would be the first democracy to replace universal laws and force religious law upon it's citizens. Last year, there was a failed attempt to bring a (first) version of Sharia Law into Canada.

The future of Indonesian democracy is clearly in jeopardy.

The claim that Islamic Law makes for a more 'moral' nation is put to rest when put under the microscope. There are reports of increased prostitution in Iran- including child prostitution.

Restrictions imposed on women in the Islamic Republic is another issue which has contributed to the growth of the phenomenon, according to sociologists, along with drug addiction and domestic violence, forcing many young women to flee their homes....

The age of prostitutes is increasingly younger and girls as young as 12 are selling their bodies on Iran's streets. Overall, the number of prostitutes is also on the rise and there are an estimated 300,000 of them in Tehran alone.

Nevertheless, Gharaii Moghaddam says "the number isn't so high when compared to the four million unemployed only in Tehran and the five million drug addicts today in Iran."

How do make prostitution disappear overnight? Easy. Just propose pleasure or convenience marriages.

"The sociologist however firmly opposes short-term weddings or 'sighe' proposed by some clerics against the rise in prostitution. "Short-term marriages are a form of legalised prostitution," he said. "A state must not and cannot legitimise prostitution."

A state that can legitimize calls for genocide can certainly legitimize prostitution.

Read the entire article.

Saudi Arabia is going to monitor mosques:

The Saudi authorities are hoping to see on a daily basis exactly what goes on in their places of worship which all too often become centres of Islamic fundamentalism.

Should we can take a lesson from our 'friends and allies,' the Saudis?

Muslim reformists, like Ali Eteraz, have their hands full. They have to reform Islam from within- no easy task. They also have to distinguish and define what we see and and read, every day. Eteraz gets up every morning and is immediately on the defensive.

The Arab world manipulates Islam for it's own ends. For example, Wahabbism, when you get right down to it, was about no more than perpetuating the Saud family's grip on power- at least, that was the original intent.

The manipulation of Islam in Pakistan, for example, is for far different reasons. Power, wealth and influence play a great role in the ideologies of radical Islam in that country.

The war on terror has more than one front. What we have seen till now are no more than physical skirmishes along an undefined border. The real battle of ideas and values has yet to be waged.

The average Muslim isn't much different than the rest of us. Work, family, school and community are priorities. That average Muslim needs to see Islamic reform as much as we do.

From The You Just Can't Make This Up Department

Courtesy of Michele (yes that Michele) comes this beauty:

Earlier today I received an invitation from a client who is having a divorce ceremony. This clergy-attended ceremony will focus on the return of rings and will include vows to remain friends.

It will be followed by a reception.

Have you ever been invited to such an event? Do you think a gift will be required? If so, what type of gift do you suggest? Finally, what is your opinion of a divorce ceremony?

Naturally, we had to read the comments.

Tommy said,

"Ah yes, commitment, such a quaint concept.

I'm at a loss for words for divorcing someone you intend on remaining friends with."

Paula put an intelligent spin on it. She thought about the kids, if there were any:

Never heard of it, but it sounds like a fun and civilized way to deal with an otherwise sad situation. For sure I'd bring a gift for each person, maybe a set of single-serve Tupperware containers. I think it's great to stay friends after divorce, esp. if you have kids. Much better than being enemies or pretending the other person never existed.

Of course, that's assuming there are kids. A ceremony like that might make a tough situation easier on kids.

Annie says,

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of! You're kidding? Right?
NO gift! They don't get MORE gifts for getting divorced! In fact, I would want back the monetary value of the gift I brought to the wedding, since every one is so well balanced and fair and happy.

And I wouldn't be giving my friggen' ring back, either; I earned it! It should be 10 carats, dammit!
If I was getting some fat alimony checks, then I might have a little party.

Annie is pretty smart- and scary.

Anniebird ponders,

Whoa! I like this idea....I, too, would like to be validated for my failures, mistakes and misjudgements! EVERYTHING should be a warm fuzzy! I deserve to feel good, all the time, no matter what! Eventually, I suppose, nothing will feel like a celebration, since ballyhooing both successes and failures will make them indistinguishable, but until then, party on dude!

Not much to argue with, is there?

We want to know exactly what kind of clergyperson would agree to officiate at a divorce ceremony (our psychic selves are getting a vision...we see a Wiccan High Priestess, in full regalia- an Egyptian princess in previous life, who now takes Visa, Mastercard and American Express...), for starters.

You know, divorce denotes failure. Why marry to begin with? Why not redefine marriage in the image of 'scoreless soccer'? Why not give out a Divorce Trophy to everyone who didn't fail at a marriage that never was? (even though there might not have been a marriage, there has to be a trophy. Self esteem trumps the lessons of failure- and a trophy might be just the right thing to soothe fragile feelings.)

We would be sure to make sure any gift we gave, was broken.

All in keeping with the theme.

Generations

"All Around The Iranian Bush..."

All around the mulberry bush
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun.
Pop! goes the weasel.

It appears that life does indeed imitate art.

As the UN and others debate Iranian nuclear developments, the obvious remains unstated. If indeed Iranian nuclear research is for 'peaceful purposes only,' why on earth are they buying long range missiles from North Korea, capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads? What do long missiles have to do peaceful nuclear reactors? It should be noted too, that North Korea sold missiles to Pakistan as part of their plans to export nuclear technologies.

It doesn't take a real rocket scientist to understand that the missiles have a lot more to do with enriching uranium for nuclear weapons than they do with a peaceful nuclear program.

Walid Phares makes it clear that both Syria and Iran are not only continuing to meddle in Lebanon, they are also calling the shots in that country. If you don't like Walid Phares, consider the opinion of the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Beirut.

In addition, the inept and bungling United Nations can't even seem to stick with the original borders of Lebanon. Even France's Chirac objects to continued interference by Syria in internal Lebanese affairs.

We are rapidly reaching a point where a simple fly swatter will not do the job.

The Reform Mambo, Part One

Undertaking the task of reforming the Islamic world (yes, we are deliberately generalizing) is no small task. In addition to bucking the current momentum of mass hysteria, denial and perverted religious hysteria, the reformists themselves often find themselves in quicksand of their own making. While they recognize the real need for reform, they are faced with sailing uncharted waters. When they realize that Islamic reform is not the equivalent of western and Christian reform, they realize they are also sailing into some very bad and unpredictable weather. Western and Christian reform had the luxury of hundreds of years to evolve, nurture and grow. Necessary Islamic reform has no such luxuries. Civilization's momentum of progress will not be abandoned in favor of a new Caliphate that turns back the hands of time. While we might find radical Islamism a nuisance now, if it is ever perceived to actually threaten western civilization, we will fight back.

(Islamists will argue that the west isn't sensitive to religious and cultural 'differences.' They are right- We are not. We will not 'finish what Hitler started,' we will not tolerate honor killings, acid attacks or the killing of gays. We will not be sensitive to attacks and drive by shootings on churches, mosques or synagogues and we will not be sensitive to religious leaders that call rape and rape of children, 'mandatory.' We are not and will not be that 'sensitive' to all 'religious and cultural differences.')

The reformists understand that truth and are desperately trying to prevent that catastrophe. Consciously or not, Islamic reformists understand that the real threat does not emanate from radical Islam, but rather, from a western civilization that says, 'enough!'

Nevertheless, no matter how well intentioned, the reformists are human- and human nature being what it is, there is much hesitation and fear among some reformists. One bold step forward is often followed by two steps back. Some reformists are often afraid to stray too far from familiar rhythms. It is as if they themselves are afraid to venture too far from the tribe, lest they get lost and even worse, they believe, are left abandoned. As a result, we can read the words of many reformers and still find within them a tenacious grip on what they have to know to be very unanchored ideas. These are childish reformers, the ones who hang on to the mama's apron strings of conventional cultural ideas. They couch their well intended words in grandiose terms and ideas, but in fact, they are timid. They are note cut from the Emile Zola, 'J'accuse!' mold.

Those are the reformists that will settle for applause that comes from the 'back of the house,' from those that are familiar with them. In fact, what is really needed are reformists that don't give a damn about how it plays in the 'back of the house.' but rather, they care about real reform.

Throughout history, every instance of real reform came about as a result of confrontation- challenging and not appeasing, the powers that be. There are few, if any, instances of real reform that came about because those in power, 'saw the light.' Radical Islam will persevere, until it is abandoned in favor of a better and more meaningful way for Muslims to express themselves. The reformists will either lead the charge or they will be impotent and superfluous.

Ali Eteraz knows these truths- and struggles with them, everyday. He is tempted to identify with the familiar, and thus allow himself a certain level of built in acceptance and support. It is also true that he is painfully aware of reality- what may serve a parallel political agenda, does not necessarily serve the agenda of Islamic reform. The war in Iraq is a good example. There are many reasons one might not support the military effort. That said, that does not mean that all the reasons are the same. There are pacifists, there are those (idiots) who insist 'Bush lied' and there are (bigger idiots) who believe the war was prosecuted because of a 'cabal' of neo cons. There are those who believe the war planning was bad, and others who believe the peace planning was bad.

In other words, real reformists must keep their eye on the ball. Real reform will not emerge as a result of taking a particular stance on an extraneous issues.

Part II of the Reform Mambo will deal with Ali's posts, Cleansing With Sunlight (parts One and Two)- what works and what doesn't.

The struggle for reform within Islam is also the story of his own struggle.

Dana Priest, Mary McCarthy: Deliberate Effort To Mislead?

Thank you, Gerard for noticing out foot in header. Once more, we are poster children for the Editing Fairy.

Have you heard of Kaavya Viswanathan's encounter with plagiarism? Well According to the Harvard Independent, it isn't her first brush with that charge.

in 2005, the shoe was on the other foot: according to public court records obtained by the Independent, Random House faced accusations that a book it published — a book delivered to it by the same company that "packaged" Opal Mehta, 17th Street Productions/Alloy Entertainment — willfully plagiarized a text belonging to someone else. And the alleged pattern of plagiarism — including the repetition of minor details, but with trivial alterations — is suggestively reminiscent of the kind of copying discovered in Viswanathan's novel...

Of course, the writer asks that she be forgiven, because 'she never consciously' intended to plagiarize and therefore, we ought to forgive her (multiple) transgressions. After all, she meant well- and well, it's just so unfair that she be persecuted for her transgressionsns because after, she is such a nice and good person, who only wanted to share the truth of her art.

In any event, this preamble (entertaining and juicy as it it may be), pales in comparison to what appears rather well founded charges made by Dan, over at Riehl World View. Is the 2005 Priest Story A Fraud?, Dan lays out, in the light of day, the curious similarities between an article written in 2002 (curiously, now missing from the WaPo website) and the series of articles written by Pulitzer Prize winning author Dana Priest, in 2005. Dan's argument make for compelling reading. In addition, Dan makes the following observation:

Some might argue Dana Priest and the Washington Post, to some extent, filled out and re-cycled an old story three years later to take advantage of the climate and given the Bush administration yet another black eye for no reason. One that it obviously didn't need, especially over a program everyone seemed to be rather pleased with three years before.

Read it below. Then you tell me, what was the big Pulitzer worthy scoop in 2005? except for some details and country locations which, ironically, aren't even included, but simply referred to as known but not revealed. Everyone who read the WaPo at the time had the prison story as far back as 2002.

If it wasn't clear before, it is now- blatant and partisan reporting has become the order of the day.

In fact, Dan presents selections from the 2002 and 2005 WaPo stories. It is clear that the 2005 (Pulitzer winning) story is directly derivative of the earlier story. There is no real 'news'- and nothing substantive has been added to the earlier version.

What is trouubling is that there appears to be a delibertate effort to mislead the public. The Priest story appeared after she met with Mary McCarthy, implying that McCarthy was the 'source' of her information on the secret prison story. Now, McCarthy denies she leaked anything.

Was McCarthy in cahoots with Dana Priest and was she used by Dana Priest, in an effort to conceal Priest's plagiarism and make it appear as if her 'reporting' was more credible than it actually was? Ms McCarthy was not a novice- in fact, it was her job to investigate and prosecute leakers at one time. She knows her way around the block.

That said, if she indeed collude with Dana Priest, and that can be proven, the charges against her are all the more repulsive. She will have contributed in harming the government's effort in prosecuting the war on terror because her political agenda differed from those of the administration. In other words, her personal beliefs were reason enough to place her country in danger. Think about that.

Have we reached the point where personal gain and personal beliefs are reason enough to obviate the crimes of fraud, or even treason?

Read Is The 2005 Priest Story A Fraud?

Idiots, Beer, And Franco Francs, The Game

Smart- cold weather construction in spring and summer...

Hide a key under the doormat? Noooooo

Vandalism as free speech?

Can't find the right word? Really?

The ultimate gift for those who love a beer

And now, France- the online money game...

*UPDATED* The Value Of A Life In Sweden

From Sweden, land of capitulation to thuggery, comes the story of an 'honor killing,' trial and punishment.

The 18 year old responsible for the brutal 'honour killing' of 20 year old Abbas Rezai in Högsby last year has been sentenced to four years' youth detention. His parents were cleared of all charges by Kalmar district court.

Notice that the 18 year old was not sentenced to prison, but rather a 'youth facility.' As for more lasting consequences,

After serving his sentence, the 18 year old will be deported from Sweden and banned from ever returning.

Yup, he'll be banned from returning to Sweden. No doubt he'll show up in another European country. In addition, the young man was fined the equivalent of approximately $15,000 US. If he doesn't have that kind of money, the fine will be largely symbolic. The story is even more bizarre:

The verdict was not unanimous. Two of the judges in the trial said they believed that the 18 year old's mother and father were also guilty of murder. They wrote that who had done what was certainly not clear, but that it was beyond any doubt that the three on trial had planned the killing together.

Abbas Rezai was found dead in the apartment belonging to the Afghan family in Högsby, in Småland. According to the prosecutor, Kjell Yngvesson, the murder was an honour killing, in revenge for Rezai's relationship with the 16 year old daughter in the family.

And what did the young man's lawyer have to say?

She accepted the punishment, but expressed disappointment at the decision to deport the 18 year old after his sentence.

"He was just 15 when he came to Sweden and he has his family here," she said.

Helena Karlsson added that she would discuss a possible appeal with her client.

Read it all here.

Naturally, the Swedes do have their priorities. They rejected Air Force exercises with Israel.

The objective of the exercise was to train for any future international peacekeeping operations. But details of Israeli involvement changed the conditions of Sweden's participation, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Our analysis of the current situation is that Israel's participation in this kind of peacekeeping effort does not seem likely given the political situation in the Middle East," said the ministry's press officer...

*UPDATED* Just how deep is the European sense of denial and how telling is the European capitulation?

We were reminded of Shrinkwrapped's excellent series, Shame, Aggression, & Demographic Suicide. The essays are a must read and can be accessed from our post, Europe And The Cost Of Repressed Reality.

His posts shine a light into the very real consequences of the decisions Europe has made. He discusses repressed memories on the 'micro' and 'macro' planes. He discusses the struggles of a patient, Gudrun and he comments on the post war European environment:

Since the end of World War II, the Europeans have done nothing, beyond offering lip service, to prevent or stop genocides from recurring, now in Darfur, lately in Bosnia, Kurdistan, Shia Iraq. Their fear of aggression and their inability to draw moral distinctions have disarmed them in the face of true brutality. They even have striven mightily to dis-arm those who they see as their evil mirror image, the Israelis...

The series is a worthy and important. Read Part One, Part Two and Part Three.

"What Are We, With No History?"

Dymphna, co author of Gates of Vienna, has penned a reflective post, The Last Boat Out Of Liverpool, a poignant, reflective look back and her mother- and herself.

This is a personal story. It is not the tale of a Holocaust survivor, but a recollection of shame about my family — a feeling that is fading as I observe myself in the same position my mother occupied when it was her turn to watch what the Western world does to Jews.

Dymphna's story is important, not because of lofty, grand ideals, but rather, because she recognizes that to make a difference, to make a mark, no matter how small, we cannot simply react passively- we must at some point, take an affirmative stance and act procatively on behalf of what is right.

My mother was an intelligent woman, but she was not an intellectual. She read devotional books, or an occasional novel. The larger world held little interest for her, and, until she became an American citizen fifteen years after her arrival here, I never even heard her discuss politics. Apolitical people like my mother are not unusual; even so, looking back at the history through which she lived, I find it hard to comprehend how little it meant to her.

Dymphna goes on:

I confronted her at the door, tears streaming down my face. Her instant maternal alarm quickly dissolved when she learned the source of my distress.

“Oh, that thing about the concentration camps,” she said, waving it away. “I heard they were going to show that.”

I was stunned. “You mean you knew about it?”

“Oh, vaguely. Your father and I got the last boat out of Liverpool to come to America. I remember U-boats following us all the way through international waters. Down in steerage there were crowds of people. Most of them had tattoos. I knew they’d been in some prisons Hitler set up for the Jews. They were a sad lot.”

In my whole life this was the only time I ever wanted to hit my mother. How could she?

At that very moment in time, Dymphna discovers a few truths. Our parents are not perfect- and those imperfections in no way lessen their love for us. They are just imperfect, as are we all. That is one of those moments that defines, 'growing up.'

At first, a young Dymphna wants to assume all the burdens of the world, in what appears to be an attempt at atonement for the Holocaust, and, we suspect, in an attempt to define herself. She will not become the high school cheer leader, assume the school play lead role or campaign to be prom queen. She finds herself at the 'waters of Babylon,' and weeps, overcome by the tragedy.

Still, Dymphna will not be paralyzed. She assumes a more proactive role. She will stand up for and passionately defend those priciples she holds dear.

Of course, the story doesn't end there. Life is never simple and uncomplicated. Rarely do our best intentions provide real comfort in the face of reality.

Life comes full circle in more ways than one can imagine in adolescence. Reading Shrinkwrapped’s description of the increasingly desperate straits of Stockholm’s Jews, I am now in same helpless position my mother once occupied. The fact that I am more informed than she was does not render me more competent to do anything. The fact that I know she and I were and are part of a larger historical wave of Western self-destruction does not provide surcease.

The most bizarre and perverted aspect of this phenomenon of self-hatred is the denial of the Holocaust itself. This symptom of our cultural depravity, even if it exists only on the fringes, is deeply disturbing for what it portends for the future of the West. If we are denied our remembrance of the past — and 9/11 is now entering this “VERBOTEN” zone — then what are we?

What are we, with no history?

Dymphna will not go quietly or without a fight. We noted in our post about a visit to Auschwitz that,

There have been killing fields the world over- Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Darfur, just to name a few. We have allowed that to happen, comfortable in our existance and far removed from those tragedies. We are happy being blind.

Post Holocaust, is that blindness the legacy of Christianity?...

... We see the celebration of murder and evil on a scale heretofore unprecedented. We hear it daily and say nothing. We have this need to 'negotiate,' it seems, with evil. We cannot seem to take a stand. History repeats itself.

Well, not if Dymphna has anything to say about it.

Rudy Giulinai For President...Of France Or Norway, Or Maybe Of Europe...

The time has come for Rudy Giuliani to run for the presidency of France. Or maybe Norway. Maybe he ought to run for the presidency of the European Union. Europe needs Rudy.

With the goings on and impending implosion of Norway and Sweden (see this and this) under the weight of a collapsing social order, it is clear that the time has come for Europe to clean itself up. Who better to do the job than the man who cleaned up New York City.

To be clear, the former New York Mayor made New York City a safer place to live and improved the quality of life for everyone. Times Square was transformed from a world porn capital and mecca for pick pockets and petty thieves, into a family friendly- and safe destination for New York residents and tourists alike.

The former mayor accomplished the seemingly impossible by enforcing the law, equally. The squeegee people were forced off the streets, as were the porn shop operators, with equal vigor. That distinction is important. While the squeegee people were the poor and often disenfranchised, the purveyors of porn were not- and the threat and cost of endless legal wrangling was not going to stop the mayor from improving the quality of life of New Yorkers. The law was applied equally and without bias. If you broke the law or if you diminished the quality of life of New Yorkers, you were going to be prosecuted. Justice was administered blindly. The mayor made quality of life issues for New Yorkers, a priority.

Maxed Out Mama, in Of Law And Men, pointedly noted that

If a society does not defend the rights of the vulnerable, then inevitably a gang society develops on the street level, as different groups attempt to defend their individual members without any official assistance.

She was referring to the new directives issued to police in the UK, that the law may be enforced selectively. She goes on to say,

A society that will not concede that every individual within it has equal rights to life, liberty and self-defense (which was so unquestioned a proposition at the time our republic was formed that no one felt the need to specify it) is a feudal society that can only survive by enforcing uniformity, and to do that it must abandon the principles of freedom. Communism and Fascism both abandoned the rights of the individual to exalt the rights of the group, and look at the death toll that resulted.

Of course, MOM is right. Laws have to be applied equally at all times.

When immigrants are welcomed into their new homes, there is a certain compact they agree to. They must adhere to the rules and laws of their new home as they assimilate and plant roots into that new culture and society. Almost every immigrant group understands that and is happy to abide by the rules. With the passage of time, democracies come to adopt for themselves the best of what each new group has to offer. Immigrants cannot demand that the compact we have amongst ourselves change, so that they may benefit, exclusively. To respond to those demands- of ten under the threat of violence, is to capitulate into anarchy. France is a perfect example. After kowtowing to a burgeoning Islamic community for decades, they paid the price. The French turned a blind eye to violence, crime, rape and Antisemitism. They paid out cradle to grave welfare benefits, provided free housing and access to as much education as was desired and they were rewarded by the escalating vitriol of religious leaders and eventually, the Paris riots. How did the French government and media react? By denying the truth that these immigrant banlieus in Paris had become dens of crime, by stopping the police from enforcing the law, and eventually, by not reporting on it- as if that would make the problems go away. As the towering French house of cards collapsed, the French government remained in a state of denial.

Notwithstanding French labor laws that protected workers, many immigrants complained they could not get jobs. Employers admitted that they were afraid of immigrant employees. Now, think about that for a minute. All you have to do is show up and you get paid. Nevertheless, immigrants intimidated potential employers. Why? Because they resented having to show up or they made even more unreasonable demands (A job for life with guaranteed raises, apparently isn't enough) on their employers. Those employers refused to hire immigrants because they knew that if their employees broke the rules, the law would not be enforced- and they would be putting themselves in jeopardy. As Fjordman noted,

It took centuries of hard and ingenious work to build our civilized Western society, yet judging from current events, it may take just a few short decades for this civilization to commit collective suicide. It is amazing to see such a rapid dissolution of centuries old European countries due to immigration without assimilation. He goes on to say “Darkness is descending upon Europe when Europeans are no longer safe in their own cities from harassment by Muslim immigrants....

The law must be applied equally, because if it isn't, the slope becomes even more slippery.

It has been noted that the demise of a society begins with broken windows. Wesley Skogan's Disorder and decline: Crime and the spiral of decay in American neighborhoods, theorized that the origins of serious crime began with a breakdown of social order. The neighborhood and community that refuses to act or care about broken windows, will eventually see an increase in crime. Simply put, citizen fear that comes about as the result of social disorder, leads to even more social disorder and thus become the fertile grounds that allow for crimes that plague the neighborhood and eventually, society at large.

It's time to clean up the neighborhood, simply by applying the law, equally. There has been enough, talk.

Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!

"Wherefore Art Thou, Teddy?"

Where the hell is Teddy?

Tommy knows.

Boobs, Toilets, He Hens And Of Course Size Matters

"Check out her won tons!"

"Clean the toilet, baby. You know I care about you."

Gender reassignment- for hens.

One can only imagine what was in store for mother-in-law.

Voting based on, uh, shoe size?

Hirsi Ali On The Other Holocaust

Hirsi Ali is absolutely correct to call the status of women in much of the world, a Holocaust. In an International Herald Tribune edorial, she remarks,

As I was preparing for this article, I asked a friend who is Jewish if it was appropriate to use the term "holocaust" to portray the worldwide violence against women. He was startled. But when I read him the figures in a 2004 policy paper published by the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, he said yes, without hesitation. One United Nations estimate says from 113 million to 200 million women around the world are demographically "missing." Every year, from 1.5 million to 3 million women and girls lose their lives as a result of gender-based violence or neglect.

One United Nations estimate says from 113 million to 200 million women around the world are demographically "missing." Every year, from 1.5 million to 3 million women and girls lose their lives as a result of gender-based violence or neglect...

Young brides are killed if their fathers do not pay sufficient money to the men who have married them. These are called "dowry deaths," although they are not just deaths, they are murders...

Six thousand girls undergo genital mutilation every day (emp-SC&A), according to the World Health Organization. Many die; others live the rest of their lives in crippling pain...

A culture that carves the genitals of young girls, hobbles their minds and justifies their physical oppression is not equal to a culture that believes women have the same rights as men.

Never mind. It's the Israeli security fence that is the problem. That, and the schools that educate girls to read and write, and hospitals built by US forces in Afhanistan and Iraq that are the problem. Damn BusHitler, interfering with the status quo!

Read Hirsi Ali's editorial, here.

Half Mast Or Half Brained?

The Canadian MSM are all over newly elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper, because he wants to return to the traditional Canadian custom as it relates to lowering the flag to half mast. Apparently, the MSM is up in arms because lately, the flag on Parliament Hill has been lowered with the death of each Canadian soldier.

Kate, of Small Dead Animals, is all over it with her post, 'Canada's Iraq, Indeed.' Be sure to read the comments, too. As is her style, Kate let's the story tell itself, with very little editorializing. That is why Small Dead Animals shines- her readers come to their own conclusions and her blog isn't about her. The issues- and opinions- of the day take center stage and reveal themselves. Like every good sculptor, Kate knows how to extract what is hidden in the stone. She works with the stone, not against it.

One has to ask the Canadian MSM why they don't support the flag lowered every time a police officer is killed. Maybe it should be lowered everytime a firefighter is killed. Maybe with death of each animal control officer, parliament should come to a standstill.

Of course, perhaps the death of each veteran ought to merit the flag flying at half staff. That way, the flag would never be flown at full staff, again.

And the Canadian MSM would be happy. After all, only those stupid Americans are proud to fly their disgusting flag. Canadians are way too smart to take pride in their country and way of life.

Tae Bo For Your Brain

The Anchoress jolts, ever so gently, with some thoughts on some documents coming out of Iraq. Read and see the links. These, too.

Maxed Out Mama makes a post of ours more palatble- for which we are grateful. No one connets the dots like MOM.

Dr Sanity opines on a subjects she eminently qualified- clear thinking. The Toxicity Of Sloppy Thinking and George W Bush, Dissident; John F Kerry Opportunist, are posts that 'tie up loose ends.' Read both posts and lose that useless mental fat.

Shrinkwrapped is on a roll- and has been for a while. "The Military Scares Me" is a look at the how and why's of reflexive reaction- and the blinders that make those reactions possible. Also, see Hope Is Not A Policy. That post is a necessary splash of cold water. We like Shrinkwrapped, Dr Sanity, Neo-neocon, et al, because they represent the best of think good, rather than feel good therapy- no small matter nowadays.

Speaking of Neo-neocon (her blog is a great way to while a way an Sunday afternoon with good coffee), see the Long Reach Of Vietnam and The Sea Of Faith: The Ebb And Flow Of Religion, both posts that reach touch deep because of Neo's sensitivity to nuance and the sublime.

Lastly, see Fausta's Blog. Day in and day out, she highlights and opines on stories that are either in the news or will be in the news. She has a kind of news relevance radar. Start at the top and work your way down.

One cannot live on SC&A alone. We know how painful that is to hear, but it is true.

Barbarians At The Gates

Fjordman, courtesy Dymphna, at the Gates of Vienna (a must read) has written a terrific post, A New Oslo Peace Process? that discusses unfolding (and cataclysmic) changes that are occurring in the Scandinavian countries.

The changes are not negotiated, nor have they come about as about as a result of popular mandate. Instead, we are witnessing an invasion of sorts, and the Scandinavians are capitulating under the threat of violence.

Fjordman's post has a lot of interesting and informative links, but they are in no way to be misconstrued as the primary point of his message. What comes across, clear as a bell, is a warning: If we do not defend freedom and democracy, we will pay the price. If, in our inaction, we choose to put blinders on, the price we pay will be particularly bloody. It is not a matter of 'Islamophobia'- that would be easy to deal with. The real issues lies with the way the Norwegians and Swedes have chosen to deal with- or not deal with- violence and crime. There is no doubt that crime in these countries are being committed by Muslims. There is also no doubt that most of these crimes would not be tolerated in the countries the immigrants come from.

That said, immigrants commit these crimes because they can and because they fear no real retribution. In addition, the local communities are not communities in the European sense. Woe unto the child from an immigrant Italian, Irish or Jewish neighborhood that misbehaved. There were hundreds of parents to admonish- and punish- those who chose to transgress. There was no neighborhood 'tough' that scared any grandmother or elderly aunt.

In many European Islamic enclaves, violence and terror have become the order of the day. Rape is commonplace and violence is ignored. All the while, the immigrant community cowers in fear. Why? Because as was discovered in France at the time of the Paris riots, there are religious leaders that condone and even encourage such behavior. Communities are torn apart. To reject the violence and terror is to reject the faith, a bargain many are not yet ready to make.

Fjordman points to a horrific story:

“The 17 year old Somalian has several serious crimes on his conscience, but the worst is probably the rape of a young girl at Hoybraaten (Oslo suburb) one year ago. Oslo Court states that the rape was unusually brutal, and lasted for several hours. The young girl was threatened with a knife and beaten. The Somalian choked the girl so brutally and for so long, that the medical doctor who afterwards treated the girl, said that she could have died. Her voice has changed. The girl is now suffering from severe psychological problems in the aftermath of the attack. The Youth was sentenced to four and half years in prison, where three years was made conditional, which means he will serve only one and a half years. The sentence also included another rape, where his Norwegian-Moroccan friend raped a 13 year old girl, whilst the Somalian helped to threaten her and keep guard. She was also brutally treated, and is experiencing serious problems after the experience. The Court states that the girl was harassed by the family of the Norwegian-Moroccan and his friends. It went so far that the girl was angry at her own mother for giving the name of the rapists to the police. The girl wanted to pay the offenders to make them leave her alone. Her psychological condition became so bad she had to be forcibly sent to a psychological institution. Her schooling is destroyed.”

In addition, Fjordman discusses the “war against Swedes” with insight. He sees that war as a preamble to another kind of world war. She may be right. It is clear much of Europe and the west do not recognize the symptoms or even use the same language. As we noted in Speaking In Tongues And Other Political Realities,

An enemy is someone with whom we, as individuals and as a community, have fundamental differences. An enemy has values and beliefs, that are very different than out own. An enemy wants to deprive us of our beliefs and values, because that enemy finds our beliefs repulsive or threatening to their own. Enemies will fight to the death, should they choose to engage us or we choose to engage them.

There are people who believe that enemies are opponents- that is, they can reasoned with and rationalized with and common ground can be had. Believing that an enemy can be an opponent is what led much of Europe to appease Hitler, in the beginning. Herr Hitler, it was believed, was after all a European. Surely he could be reasoned with. Surely he would respond to the rational idea that war was catastrophic.

The Scandinavians are in denial. If enemies were so easy to come by from within Europe, it is nothing more than absurd to believe that a population, manipulated by those with an evil and violent agenda, are no more than opponents.

Read Fjordman's post carefully. His words may prove to be prophetic:

With current trends remaining unchanged, native Norwegians will be a minority in their own capital city within a couple of decades, a situation that has never happened before since the foundation of Oslo a thousand years ago. Judging from all experience with Muslims previously, non-Muslim Norwegians will be ruthlessly persecuted, either cornered into a civil war or forced to flee from what was once their country. Newcomers move into an area and brutalize the natives who have become too soft to uphold themselves. There is nothing new about this scenario; it has been going on for thousands of years, as long as mankind has existed. It is the harsh law of nature. What is unique in this case is that the original inhabitants of this country are forced to fund their own colonization and eventual extinction by their own leaders, who portray this as an act of “tolerance.” I’m pretty sure that hasn’t happened before.

There comes a time we must not only defend our lives and property, but the values we cherish.

Monday Night Twilight Zone Theme Hum-A-Long

Mr Bush needs to be impeached. Mr Cheney shot his hunting companion as a 'warning. The war in Iraq was about oil and orchestrated by a 'certain,' hidden cabal. The bin Laden's and the Council on Foreign Relations are in cahoots. The Bush crime family family syndicate were in close contact with the Nazi's.

The events of 9/11 were orchestrated by the White House and 'certain' Jews. A plane never hit the Pentagon. Al Gore won the 2000 election, but was undermined by the secret Bush 'fixer,' James Baker. Secret plans to expand the war on terror abound. Civil rights in America will be suspended, shortly. We are moments away from the Bush White House annoucing their coup on America.

These are a few things espoused, believed and promoted by the far left. They are capable of recognizing and deciphering the conspiracies and events of our lifetime- unlike the rest of us.

Curiously, while the far left are adept at routing out the most hidden and buried of conspiracies, they seem unable to recognize the obvious. Their credibility is impugned with their inability to recognize what is out in the open, every day.

What Hamas, Iran's Almadinejad and Osama bin Laden say explicitly, doesn't ever seem to register.

Just another day.

Square Pegs, Round Holes

Ali Eteraz has written a impassioned (though at times, obtuse) piece on postmodern and traditionalist politics and world view. Cleansing with Sunlight: Traditionalist Inadequacy And Terror,is an excellent post and a worthy read. He raises some excellent points and offers considerable food for thought. We will not get into the minutiae of his post, nor will we engage in a discussion of the various arguments, points and justifications he employs. Instead, we want to discuss the premise of his post.

He equates post modernism and traditionalism as the extension of political beliefs, with post modernism reflecting the left and traditionalism as the opposite hand, the right.

In fact, I should simply like to remind all enemies of pragmatic postmodernism that it has not gone and destroyed a civilization, enslaved a race, or carried out a war on false pretenses. Iraq, if I may remind everyone, is being conducted by a right-wing leader. It is not postmodernism's fault that right-wing "emerged." The fault belongs to the right-wing, and its version of traditionalism that it is behaving as it has.

Eteraz tries to be balanced and present a cogent case. In fact, his call for a 'pragmatic postmodern' is admirable and worthy- but hardly relevant. Post modern ideologies and sensibilities helped shape America- and for that matter, much of the west. The disdain for religion and the abandonment of the moral principles that once made the left so compelling have given way to partisan politics and self serving ideologies. The heartland- 'Middle America'- have been abandoned by the party and ideologies they once clung to, exchanged for the slick- and detached- social mores of Hollywood. They were only too happy to become politcized. Before being embraced by the liberals, Hollywood was on the outside, sharing few if any moral values of the left or right. Now, in a self serving frenzy of moral relativism, the 'rehabilitation' of Judas is iconic in it's significance.

For liberalism to reclaim Middle America, they will have to repudiate much of what they now hold sacred (the disdain for religion, for example) and recover and reinvent what they have abandoned (social justice).

In the end, Ali Eteraz does not and cannot evade a clear reality. In fact, it is precisely because of post modernism that the right wing emerged.

Eteraz contends that post modernism is a 'revolt' against traditionalism. That is patently untrue. Post modern expression reexamines and redefines the strictures of conventionality- no more, no less. Modernism and post modernism have stood the test of time- and that is what post modernism has in common with traditionalism. The great art, ideas and politics of those redefinitions, all persevered because they were all recognized as positive contributions. That is not the case of the post moderns of today. Eteraz tries to force us to accept certain notions- and if we don't. We are 'enemies.'

If you allow the right-wing to blame its transgressions on the postmodernists, you suffer from an intellectual bankruptcy that cannot be cured. As to the War on Terror, we have seen what absolutists can do (that would be: make more terrorists). In a war of information and ideas, perhaps it is time to let those in the world who are most capable with using information take the lead: us pragmatic postmoderns.

Ali Eteraz isn't happy with the war in Iraq and the War on Terror. The only fathonable response is that his unhappiness in predicated on the fact that we are actually prosecuting the war in Iraq and the war on terror.

There were no liberal voices to be heard when the GIA raped and dismembered children in Algeria. There are no post modern voices discussing the ongoing slave trade in Mauritania and there are no post modern voices that have made Darfur the first order of business, any more than there were no post modern voices that spoke out for slaughter in Sierra Leone or the butchery in Rwanda. The excesses of the past that Eteraz notes and references, are in no way relevant to events of today. That thousands of years ago excesses were committed is not relevant to excesses committed today, nor do they attach a credibility or relativity to modern day excesses.

While the total death toll from these atrocities numbers in the millions, the post modernists obsess over Israel and the Intifada (and the resultant 3,000 plus deaths). Only America is the target of more hatred.

To put things in perspective, FGM 100 million women have been subjected to FGM. That's right, 100 million women have been mutilated and the post modernists are more concerned with the State of Israel building a fence (that's right, a fence. Less than 5% of that barrier is a 'wall'- and those sections were erected to prevent indiscriminate sniper attacks).

The post moderns are in no position to lecture the 'traditionalists.

It is the traditionalists that are clamoring for intervention in Darfur and Mauritania. It is the post modernists that are turning a blind eye to Iran and rabid mullahs that endorse the bigoted and racist rantings of Almahdenijad and it is the post moderns that remained silent when the UN Commission of Human Rights was led by representatives of some of the most repressive regimes in the world.

Ali Eteraz is absolutely correct when he says, The fundamental belief of a pragmatic postmodernist is that a belief can still regulate action, can still be thought of worth dying for, by people who are quite aware that this belief is caused by nothing more than the fact that we have belief in it. That said, the pragmatic postmodernists he hopes for cannot come from the ranks of the postmoderns of today. They are morally bankrupt.

In fact, those worthy pragmatic postmodernists Eteraz envisions, will emerge from the ranks of the traditionalists he so disdains. The 'postmoderns' will be outraged because their legacy of self serving ideologies will be forgotten and discarded as the new 'pragmatic postmodernists' embrace morality, social justice and promulgate the belief that freedom is liberating and not a manifestation of evil. They will be the real postmoderns.

Weddings, Deep Holes And John Lennon Is Calling

Running to the altar

Jiggling the handle one too many times

John Lennon should have 'Imagined'

Trouble's-a-comin'...

Dumb, dumber, dumbest

"But You Said You Loved Me More!"

Alexandra has an interesting post about the debate on polygamy.

We can think of no way to better enjoy a romantic evening- with three or four of the women you love.

"But you said you loved me more!"

"How come you never talk my kids the way you talk to hers?"

"She can wait. We need to talk now."

"What did you buy for me?"

"You're in trouble. You forgot your anniversary. No, the other anniversary."

"What color are my eyes?"

"She looks great and I look fine?"

Walking In Circles? Thinking In Circles?

Do you ever feel like you are caught in a rut, a prisoner of the mundane? Do you ever feel like your life is a never ending episode of 'Groundhog Day,' where you are always dealing with the same things, day in and day out?

Too bad.

Here's your chance to get out of your ratty pajamas and even rattier slippers and escape the counter-clockwise, walking in an endless circle shuffle, that has come to define your existence.

Dr Sanity's Carnival of the Insanities is up. That means the light at the end of the tunnel is switched on. She can help you can make sense out of the incomprehensiblilities that surround you (and thus give you the ability to fool people into believing you actually are aware and conscience).

Fascinating Video Cam Trained On An Eagles Nest

Fascinating video cam trained on an eagles nest, with two eggs almost ready to hatch.

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"

Or, maybe not.

Hating Ourselves To Death: The Environmentalist Demands

How deeply can one hate oneself? Can we hate ourselves to death?

If you look around the liberal blogosphere and what passes for liberal thought today, we are all going to die soon. Global warming, use of fossil fuels, and depletion of fresh water by humans, are but a few examples of how we are ruining everything, forever. James Howard Kunstler solemnly states that 'this is a much darker time than 1938, the eve of World War II.' Jared Diamond (we wrote about his book, Guns, Germs and Steel) has a new book out, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, in which he places us on the precipice of a total societal collapse. These writers and the media are bombarding us with doomsday scenarios. Oil depletion, global warming, bird flu, are the result of human selfishness, cruelty and moral depravity.

The extreme liberal version of The Book of Revelations and the Apocalypse contains no possibility of redemption. There will be no future. We greedily gambled away our future, they tell us. We consume too, much, we have too much technology and worst of all, we are 'playing God.' Sin will not lead to the fall of man (morality is after all, 'relative') , but rather, our fall will be attributed to our own shortcomings.

They have spoken, and so shall it be- or so they would have you believe.

Of course, the media is never far from wanting to be the center of attention. To that end, media scare stories about the scope and scale of human destruction appear with the regularity of Big Ben. Every high school dropout nitwit and prior life High Priestess or Egyptian princess with a computer can head up an advocacy group or political action committees- and demand to be listened to. The media are only too happy to oblige.

Every time a fish or bug goes extinct (evolution notwithstanding), human activity we are told, is to blame. It doesn't matter one bit if the charge is true or not. We are guilty of 'ecocide'- a crime that exceeds the Holocaust and nuclear war. Man is nothing more than a predatory species to be hated.

The proud and spectacular monument to mediocrity, Al Gore, has found a cause he can appropriate. In an attempt to ('blame the people' and) reinvent himself, Al Gore rails on about the evil 'human impact' on the environment. He envisions 'a violent destructive collision between our civilization and earth.' The reality that man has developed a civilized society- music, literature, science, medicine and everything else that contributes to great societies, seemingly escapes those who want to see man destroyed. Today, building a better mousetrap is suspected as being evil. Using animals to test for a cure for cancer is unacceptable (though we suspect that might be looked over in the search for the HIV or AIDS cure).

In fact, man has been exploiting the earth since the dawn of time. Vegans have the luxury of being vegans because our ancestors killed animals, ate meat and engaged in wars. Grandma can get the best medical care possible because we used our will, talent and drive to build a society that made hospitals and medical care a priority. Notwithstanding all that shared DNA, we are not chimps. In fact, given the opportunity, those cute chimps would just as soon eat us.

That's called nature.

Humans are a part of nature- a most important part. We meant to use all those those things in nature that are available to us. Do we hate ourselves much- and do we have so much hubris- to believe that we are not a part of nature?

Are there ecological issues that must be addressed? Of course there are. That said, too many are perfectly happy to see mankind as the problem and focus on bestowing the scarlet letter. Whatever problems we must address, we are in fact, the source of the solution- and it is for that we need to be recognized and not as the 'cancer' on nature. The solution will not be realized by reducing populations and redefining human values (To be sure, those slated for 'elimination' do not include those who support the idea. Surprise).

In fact, from a historical perspective, man's greatest achievements have come about as the result of dealing with the situation at hand and not by 'killing off' the problem. Those who hate mankind have no faith in imagination, possibilities and the human capacity to achieve, progress and reach an ever greater potential. Greatness is never arrived at from despair or self hatred. In fact, the proponents of man as the 'cancer' of nature are no different than racists. It is they who decide what and who are of value and it is they who wish to decide the future of others. If your grandmother is ill, she too, becomes disposable. If your child has chronic asthma, well, he or she is less than perfect. If the rest of us who are healthy are a 'cancer,' one can only imagine how much value is placed on those less than perfect, or those who might be different. We know about that, firsthand.

Peter Singer notwithstanding, mankind is not the equivalent of other species, anymore than other species are equal to each other. Those notions came about as the result of moral relativism making no headway in the real world. Unable to declare all humans and all human behavior equal all the time, we are now asked to believe we are equal to other species.

Here's another secret: We are perfectly capable of feeding ourselves and then some. The real problem lies in distribution and corruption. There are those who hate mankind so much they would rather see populations die than solve political divides and corruption.

It's one thing to have no faith in God. It's another thing entirely to have no faith in the potential of man. We are being asked to believe that we, as a species, are capable of great achievements in every field, except when it comes to addressing environmental concerns. We are incapable of solving our problems and so, we are subject to elimination. We have to hate ourselves- in reality, because those who demand that we do, hate themselves.

What crap.

Mendacity, Rehabilitation And Those We Know Well

The Anchoress has penned a must read- and reflect upon, post. In Judas And the Cult Of Malevolent Mendacity, she discusses the implications of a 'rehabilitated' Judas, a notion fostered by the hullabaloo surrounding the 'Gospel of Judas.' She starts by quoting Vanderleun:

“It was never a question of “if,” but only a question of “when” our contemporary society would discover an avatar who would make treason acceptable. It only codifies the realities of their secular belief system. Treason against others or one’s country has long been as common as adultery in this country. Like adultery the rate of treason is on the rise because, like adultery and similar forms of personal betrayal, it no longer has any consequences at all.”

The Anchoress then focuses on the nuanced and sublime. In fact, she is far more forgiving than most. She recognizes the humanness of Judas and the imperfect human that he was. She makes no apologies for doing so and she makes clear the differences between the reality of Judas betrayal of Jesus and those who might rehabilitate Judas into something he wasn't:

“This is more than an age of betrayal, though. Mere betrayal can be be misguided, as I believe Judas was misguided, thus lacking in malevolence. Our age has moved beyond betrayal to embrace a malevolent mendacity that is oddly, gleefully shameless in its ascendancy, and which some are only too quick to clutch to their breasts. Betrayal? That has a component of humanity to it, of shame, of honor lost.”

Judas can be forgiven for his betrayal of Christ. His act was one of weakness. That is antithetical to the beliefs of those who wish to rehabilitate Judas. They refuse to acknowledge the betrayal as an act of shame and a moral failure.

Let us assume for a moment that the arguments for the rehabilitation of Judas are correct. Let assume, as his proponents would have you believe, that Christ and Judas entered into a pact and that the betrayal of Christ was a part of the plan.

That would not change anything. Why? Because if we accept that everything is preordained, there ought not be accountability or punishment. Why imprison the person who robs you? Was it not God's will that you be robbed? Was not the thief only fulfilling the preordained future?

We imprison and punish criminals because preordained or not, each of us is given free will. We are free to determine our own destinies and actions. Judas too, had the choice not to betray Christ. Perhaps he would have suffered another consequence- but in fact, he had the choice not to betray Jesus. He exercised his free will- and suffered the consequences. Contrary to popular opinion, there are no free rides and there is no moral relativism. Betrayal is just that- and it cannot be fashioned into something noble. Betrayal is not to be confused with dissent- that is something entirely different. Betrayal is, as The Anchoress notes 'malevolent.' Betrayal can also be forgiven.

“A reader emailed me this week about Judas - did I believe he was forgiven?

For the betrayal, certainly, in his remorse. Betrayal is one of those things mixed up with our flawed and faulty humanity - it is what gets served up when a stew has too much of the sweetness of ego, and not enough of the salt of discipline. It is often served on a platter of golden nobility, thus it blinds many who indulge. It is many-times regretted and regret leaves an opening for shame, and who knows what happens in those infinitisimal moments wherein one is making the transition from life into death, death into life? If God is Merciful as well as Just, He can be trusted to sort it out.”

Indeed, betrayal, like all crimes, can be forgiven. That said, in order to forgive a crime, we need to acknowledge that crime.

Those who would rehabilitate Judas do not want to acknowledge the crime of betrayal. They are no different than the child molesters that argue that their heinous acts are 'misunderstood,' or 'natural' and even 'loving.' They seek to nullify their evil by denying evil. Like those would rehabilitate Judas, they too attempt the redefine the choices made into something benign, and even admirable. They do not want to face the consequences of their crimes. The Anchoress is clear- in attempting to redefine crime, free will and punishment, Notes that in fact, they are ideologues that

“sleeps in its own feces and calls it a bed of fragrant moss and clover - and too many have become too willing to believe that the squish and stench in which they slog is a pristine pasture rather than an overflowing latrine.”

The proof is in the pudding. The moral relativists have only succeeded in marginalizing themselves from the American mainstream- not the other way around. It is they who remain outside the mainstream. In fact, the American people have proved themselves to be remarkably well grounded. Despite decades of liberal media, entertainment and educational agendas, Americans still believe in the validity of morality. In fact, the same can be said of the Russians and the Eastern Europeans. Despites decades of imposed secularism, when given the opportunity to choose various freedoms, one of the first freedoms chosen was a return to moral and religious values. In Poland, abortion was once a de riguer form of contraception. Now, while available, abortion is debated and- struggled with. In the trenches on the battlefield of competing ideas, liberal secularism proved to have more bark than bite, when it came right down to it.

We wrote

“A poet does not become a poet by writing words. A poet becomes a poet by having the words he writes become meaningful to others. It is in the understanding that the meaningfulness and depth of his words are part of a compact, an agreement we have with each other, that it is what we have in common, the shared ideals and values, more than anything else, that determines our worthiness.”

"It is all about us and what we want", they say. Unlike the powerless infant, they add "And if we don't get out way, we will kill you".

They have eyes, but cannot see anything but themselves. They write poetry that is meaningless to anyone else. We may have to defend ourselves from those who would do us harm, but in truth, they have locked themselves in a prison. Everyday, those prison walls become higher and everyday, the length of the prison term is extended.

Rehabilitating Judas isn't about Judas. Rehabilitating Judas is about changing the compact we have with each other. It is about having one set of beliefs dominate and another set of beliefs obliterated.

Those who would impose their beliefs on others cannot abide by the truth that their words, their 'poetry' is meaningless to so many. They cannot abide the belief that they are not seen for who they see themselves as, but rather, they are seen for who they really are. Like the radical Islamists, they are desperate to silence those who know them all too well.

Judas can be forgiven, certainly. He cannot be rehabilitated to the point where it is believed his crimes were no crimes to begin with.

The same is true of those who participate in the endeavor.