Can you read this?*

Here’s an AP article about a “growing fear” amongst immigrants in the US of anti-immigrant sentiment. First of all I’d say it’s a growing anti-illegal immigrant feeling, which is whole heartedly different from anti-immigrant, but lets work with their claim. Growing fear you say? Good. Here’s how to resolve it. Stop protesting against the prosecution of illegals who are here illegally and as such criminals. Stop demanding that the country that you have freely chosen to move to bend over backwards to make things easier for people here illegally. Stop claiming to be the victims of racism when people make the suggestion that immigrants learn English.

And stop waving Mexican flags while claiming to be the “backbone” of America.

Protesters waving Mexican flags, which makes be think they love Mexico.

Well actually, if you are here illegaly then you in fact are a criminal.

Arabic? Is that Arabic on that sign? What the fuck is that about?

* If not then learn English.

Breakfast With: Gordon Cucullu

This past Saturday morning I had the honor of having breakfast with Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu, who was in town to give a speech for the graduating Ohio National Guard OCS class that a pal of mine is going through. I picked him up, in Heidi of course, and when I gave him a choice of locations in town that I thought could all give a good meal he choose Nancy’s Home Cooking which is both a hole in the wall, greasy spoon dinner and a Columbus institution.

Gordon Cucullu with Heidi.
Nancy’s was packed, the crowd in good spirits and the conversation quiet enjoyable as the good Cornel is friendly and engaging. The conversation ran from South Korean coups to the growing conservatism in America’s youth to college sports. I would look forward to another chance to chat with a man who on the whole has led a rather diverse and interesting life, which give one perspective.

Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu, aside from public speaking, is also a columnist and author of the book, Separated at Birth, which is a book about the spilt up of Korea. The book is entertaining, with a little history, opinion and personal memories mixed together, doing a good job of giving the Korean point of view and explaining how everything got screwed up without pointing fingers. If you get a chance, check it out.

Ununited Nations

I’m ready to ditch the UN. Just pull out and leave it to fend for itself. Why, aside from my evil right leaning tendencies, you ask? Because, regardless of the lofty ideals in its charter or high minded language used in its gatherings, the UN today is devoid of any ability to affect the world in a positive way, and has become nothing more than a shield to hide the murderous actions of dictators and thugs while pointing fingers at liberal democracies for alleged ills.

Rich Lowery, on NRO, has a good write up on one of the greatest failing of the UN, the Human Rights Commission:

The 53-country human-rights commission’s abiding flaw is that it has no standards for membership. So, bloodthirsty tyrannies sit on it together with liberal democracies. Given the let’s-all-get-along bonhomie of the United Nations, they all operate based on a vaporous consensus that strips the commission of any purpose. China, Cuba, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Zimbabwe are all current members, ensuring ample representation of governments interested only in preserving their ability to jail their dissidents, repress their women and despoil their countrysides.

Human-rights abusers are particularly drawn to the commission so they can eliminate any diplomatic or moral threat it might pose to their misrule. They can vote as a bloc to oppose any strenuous language directed at themselves or fellow abusers. On the inside, they subtly influence the process in their favor. Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the human-rights group Freedom House, recounts how a few years ago the European sponsors of a resolution condemning Sudan reached out to Khartoum to help draft the language. It was duly massaged to remove any reference to “slavery,” even though the commission’s own officials had confirmed Sudan’s involvement in it.

No rules for membership. I believe that when history looks back at causes for the collapse of the UN, they will shine a bright light on how systemically flawed it is to allow small thuggish dictatorships and drug running warlords an equal vote with free societies. Cuba is not the equal to Japan, Burma is not the equal to Canada and Yemen is not the equal to France yet in the twisted world that is the UN they are and the resulting consequences have caused suffering and death for millions of helpless victims of the rouge regimes.

The sad reality is that while liberal societies, like England or Australia vacillate and debate an issue the little thugs in places like Venezuela and the Sudan can act with quickness and determination. These are the same qualities that the oligarchies of Greece used in battle with the democracy of Athens and her client city-states, and with that knowledge comes the lesson that in the end, Athens lost.

It is time to leave an organization that finds Korans in toilets and cartoons in Denmark worthy of vocal recrimination while uttering nary a word on the suffering in North Korean gulags or political oppression in China. It is time to strike out and setup a new entity that restricts entry to free nations and can no longer be used as a shield for evil.

Buckeyes keep winning

This has been a good week to be a Buckeye.

The lady Bucks started the week as the #1 seed in the Big Ten tournament having won the outright regular season Big Ten Championship. In the tournament they defeated Penn St, Michigan St and Purdue to win their first tournament Championship.

Purdue's Erin Lawless is harassed on the way to a tough 60-63 loss to Ohio St.
The lady Buckeyes are now double Big Ten champs, ranked #2 in the nation, sitting on a 28-2 record, own a 19 game win streak and looking at a good chance for a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney. Way to go girls and keep up the good play!

On the men’s side of the court they started the week with two more regular season games to play, needing to win both for an outright Big Ten season title. In the first game they traveled to Northwestern where they needed a lay-up, with 10.7 seconds left on the clock to win. The last game, against a struggling Purdue was a cake walk. The men are now 23-4, ranked #7 in the nation and have the #1 seed for the Big Ten tournament starting this Thursday.

Senior Terrance Dails takes his turn cutting the nets after the men's team won the outright Big10 Championship.
2006 has been a good year for the 3 major sports at OSU. With the men’s victory over Purdue Ohio St has claimed the outright Championships in both Men’s and Women’s basketball and football. This is the first time in the history of the Big Ten that any one school has pulled the hat trick.

Hopefully this week turns out as good as last.

Oh Canada, poor poor Canada.

I am on record, on this very blog, as being fore square against the blind idiotic zero tolerance policies in effect in our schools. 7 year-olds being suspended for giving someone they like a peck on the cheek, high school baseball players getting kicked out of school for leaving their baseball bat in the trunk of their car and other innumerable cases highlight a system that is completely devoid of common sense.

However, I’m not so sure kids should be allowed to bring 8 inch daggers into school. The Canadian courts have come down saying that the tenants of multiculturalism trump, not only zero tolerance policies but even common sense, by saying that orthodox Sikh students are able to carry deadly weapons with them, to and from classes.

This 7 inch Kirpan is okay, just so long as you are a Sikh. You are a Sikh, right?
Whoa. That’s nuts. Bending the rules, to appease a religious minority, allowing their rules to supercede those of society at large is a foolish move. If a Sikh can bring a dagger into class, on the grounds that it’s an obligation of their religion then you have created a precedent that gives an Islamist student grounds to demand that girls be removed from the schools because it’s against their religion. You have opened the door to fire and brimstone Christian fundamentalists to demand there be a bible study class where the non Christian students are informed that they will be going to Hell. Jews can demand Kosher meats which will become a moot request after Hindu’s demand no meat.

By not sticking to a secular based school system the Canadian courts may wake up one day to find their schools not a place of education, but rather a battle ground of religious extremes. Oh ya, and just who decides who is, or isn’t, an orthodox Sikh? Perhaps the school will have to establish an Office of Religious Purity.

Friday's offensive cartoon, II

I doubt even Bob could paint a "happy" Jihadi.
This Friday we have links to information that one of the artist’s daughters has been threatened by jihadists. I’m shocked. I can’t believe it’s only one daughter.

Thumbs DOWN: 2007 Jeep Compass

Welcome to Jeep’s first car. Don’t be fooled by the SUV like looks of this vehicle, it is based on the same platform as the new Dodge Caliber, which is the replacement for the Neon. This is a FWD car. While it is available with AWD it’s off road capabilities aren’t going to be much improved over any other car, Audi Quattro for example, that has AWD and in standard FWD setup it’s no better that a ’89 Olds Delta88 in the back country.

Why?
Also it’s extremely disproportioned, ungainly and ugly. I have no idea how it looks even “okay” in the picture, other than my camera was dying and this is the result. The only thing the Compass may be able to do is water down Jeep’s current reputation as a serious off road brand, it has McPherson struts for crying out loud.

To see Jeep trying to pass off this car as “Trail Rated” check out their website for the 2007 Compass.

Thumbs DOWN: Dodge Challenger

Not much to say about the 2006 Dodge Challenger concept other that it’s simply too retro. From a distance it is a 1971 Challenger. The new Mustang carries the essence of the ’67 while still looking ’06, the Challenger fails to do so. And to be honset this thing is so 70's Mopar that I think it triggers something in my GM upbringing that makes me reflexivly go blah.



Nothing new to see here, move along.